| Hold academic freedom rally in stadium, Hisham tells undergrads Posted: 25 Oct 2011 10:32 AM PDT By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider GOMBAK, Oct 26 — University students' group Solidariti Mahasiswa Malaysia (SMM) can hold its mass rally for academic freedom next month in a stadium, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said last night. In an apparent reference to the July 9 Bersih street rally, he said the student rights group was free to air its grouses as long as the rally did not endanger public safety or cost the local economy millions. "If you want to have it at a stadium, by all means, you can shout all night," he told The Malaysian Insider at the International Islamic University of Malaysia (UIA) here last night. "That's what Himpun did and it didn't cause any traffic jams, it didn't cost us millions of dollars and there was no risk of possible repercussions, whether along religious or racial lines." But Hishammuddin questioned SMM's agenda, pointing out that members of the group were still waiting outside after handing him a memorandum during the Prime Minister's Cup Debate at UIA's Gombak campus here. Hishammuddin had filled in for Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who cancelled his appearance at UIA Gombak after SMM announced it would greet the prime minister with a protest. "There's no harm in constructive criticism but, after receiving the memo... with an open heart, for some of them to still be waiting at 11.30pm raises questions as to what are their true motives," Hishammuddin said. SMM held a protest during the home minister's visit to UIA last night but only managed to draw some 40 students. The group was protesting UIA's probe into comments made by Prof Dr Abdul Aziz Bari about the Selangor Sultan. UIA suspended Aziz last week after he questioned remarks made by the Selangor Sultan in connection with the raid on Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) in August. The constitutional expert's statement caused a furore among Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs in Parliament, who urged that action be taken against the don. The outspoken academic chose not to apologise for his remarks even after a police report was lodged against him, insisting he had not meant to challenge the Sultan. READ MORE HERE. |
| Sex, Lies and Malaysian Politics Posted: 25 Oct 2011 10:27 AM PDT By John Berthelsen, Asia Sentinel Prurient and puritanical, the country gags, goes gaga for naughty tales Malaysia fancies itself a conservative society, with plenty of restrictions on racy movies and activities that might lead its majority Muslim population astray. But get inside a courtroom and anything goes, with details that would make a New Yorker blush, published in the mainstream media. In the latest trial of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, whose sex life has been an object of prosecutorial attention off and on since 1998, the court — and the press — has been filled with graphic descriptions of the anatomy of Mohamad Saiful Bukhairy Aslan, the 26-year-old former aide who has accused Anwar of sodomy. Outside of court, the titillations are also commonplace — especially when an opposition politician or his family is involved.
Take the 16-year-old son of Lim Guan Eng, the chief minister of the opposition-held Penang state. The youth was the subject of bloggers accusing him of fondling a girl and getting kicked out of his school, with his father supposedly having to pay bribes to hush up the matter. Unfortunately, it transpired that the girl whose photo was distributed as the victim was a 21-year-old Hong Kong chess champion who is now attending Wellesley University in the United States, has not been in Malaysia for seven years and has never met Lim's son. She demanded an apology for herself and the youth.
"This is something fairly new. Every month there is something, half of it manufactured, if not most," said Elizabeth Wong, an opposition Democratic Action Party assemblywoman who was the victim of a former boyfriend who posted nude pictures of her on the Internet and who considered quitting politics out of embarrassment. "It isn't the way to get people in politics. It just continues, I imagine people are disgusted with politicians regardless of party."
Although the United States set a precedent with the mother of all sex scandals – the 1998 impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton for having sex with a White House intern, there are few examples of similar attention to sexual misdoings across Asia.
"I've got no clue why Malaysian politicians are all sex deviants of one kind or another," said a longtime expatriate resident. "I am also not so sure that this isn't going on lots of other places nowadays, given the various sex scandals that have emerged in recent times (think Berlusconi, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Elliott Spitzer, Arnie the sperminator, gay Brit ministers, etc.)."
However, he says, the Anwar cases "have been overtly used in a political power struggle here, with all the attendant publicity afforded by a government-controlled mainstream media determined to ensure that the gruesome details reach every Malaysian man, woman, child, dog and kuching (cat)."
Going back to at least the middle 1980s, otherwise tame newspapers have often been filled with graphic sexual details. At one point the daily tabloid Malay Mail got its hands on the illicit pictures of a romp between an ethnic Indian politician and a beauty queen. The newspaper couldn't run the pictures themselves, but it got its artists to produce amazingly realistic pictures of the beauty queen's various lecherous poses – then showed her the photographs and photographed her humiliated reaction at seeing them.
All of this is despite the fact that the so-called khalwat cops – conservative Muslim patrolmen – patrol assiduously to ensure there is no "excessive closeness" between people of opposite sexes, busting the odd luckless teenage couple caught smooching. But in the houses of power the powerful have been going at it like goats nonstop for years, and not just with the four wives they are allowed under Islamic law. In 2002, the Reformasi website named top public figures and officials who were having relatively public affairs, including Najib Tun Razak, then the defense minister and now the prime minister, who was caught in a Port Dickson hotel room with the actress and singer Ziana Zain. None have been apprehended by the khalwat police. READ MORE HERE. |
| Perverse logic, baffling statement Posted: 25 Oct 2011 10:21 AM PDT By P Ramakrishnan, Aliran President Thinking Malaysians must be bewildered by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhiddin Yassin's statement with reference to the Penang Chief Minister's son who is unfairly embroiled in the false allegation of sexual molestation. The DPM had amazingly stated that if the Chief Minister "thinks it is important to correct the information, then he has to come up with a strong statement…Mere denial is not enough". The Penang Chief Minister had rubbished this fraudulent allegation in the strongest possible terms. He had not minced his words in condemning this false allegation. In castigating the pro-Umno blogs that spread this false allegation, he had strongly condemned their nefarious conduct as "morally despicable and barbaric lies". The Chief Minister also challenged Umno to act against those guilty of this to prove that the party does not employ "desperate, dangerous and dirty tactics." He also condemned several Umno leaders for highlighting "this shameful episode" in their blogs. He had referred to these characters as "pro-Umno ferocious beasts". Aren't these strong words that had taken to task these unsavoury characters, dear DPM? Frankly, are these words mere denial, Mr DPM? Ask anyone and you will be told that these words are uttered with disgust and they convey a terrible outrage of a person overcome with grief and anger. These are certainly strong words that show utter contempt for these lies. For the DPM not to know of the Chief Minister's ferocious reactions to this false and malicious lie is unbelievable! For him not to know the truth when he made his astounding statement is also baffling. The principal of the school concerned – SMK Heng Ee – Mr Goh Boon Poh, had publically stated that he was shocked by the allegations that Lim Guan Eng's son had sexually harassed a female student of the school and had dismissed this blatant lie as "completely untrue". Further, the alleged victim of this so-called sexual harassment had categorically stated in a statement to all the press that she has not been to Malaysia for the last seven years and that the only way in which her "modesty was outraged has been the publication of my picture in connection with these scurrilous and unfounded rumours". In spite of all this evidence to refute and rebut these malicious and baseless allegations, the DPM doesn't seem to know what the truth is. His logic is perverse and his statement is baffling. When rumours were swirling around implicating our Prime Minister as having had a dalliance with the Mongolian beauty, Altantuya, which the PM had denied, would the DPM now dare to remark, "Mere denial is not enough" – just to be consistent! |
| Students stage demo, warn of ‘bigger’ uprising Posted: 25 Oct 2011 06:09 AM PDT UIA students want police investigation against academician Abdul Aziz Bari dropped. (Free Malaysia Today) - Some 40 students from various universities staged a protest within the International Islamic University (UIA) grounds tonight, condemning "persecution" against vocal academician Professor Abdul Aziz Bari. Gathering at about 8pm in front of the UIA mosque, the students lighted up candles and held up papers printed "Mahasiswa tuntut kebebasan akademik" (students seek academic freedom) and "Bebaskan university daripada cengkaman politik" (free university from political stranglehold). However, the university administration confronted the students when they attempted to march to the hall where Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein was officiating at the "Piala Perdana Menteri" debate competition. After negotiating for some 15 minutes, they were finally allowed to march a shorter distance in silence towards the hall, but were stopped from going near it. The students then exited the campus compound and continued their protest at the university gates, this time shouting: "Hidup mahasiswa. Hidup ilmu. Hancur kezaliman!" (Long live the students, long live knowledge, down with cruelty!) Speaking to reporters later, the spokesperson for the group, Muhammad Zaki Sukery, who is also the deputy president of Malaysian University Student Solidarity Movement (SMM), said the protest was held not only for Aziz. "This is not just for the professor. Malaysia needs to be more open to freedom of knowledge," said Zaki, a former student of the lecturer. "Lifting his suspension is not enough; there is still the police investigation; his laptop was even seized. He is still under pressure. We have now asked Prime Minister (Najib Tun Razak) to intervene. Whatever Aziz did was within his rights and jurisdiction as an academic; he should not be undergoing this," he said. Two objectives 
It was understood that UIA student representative council president Mohd Ikbal Abdul Wahab handed over a memorandum to Hishammuddin at 8.30pm. "We understand that Ikbal has handed the memorandum and the minister has promised to give it to the prime minister," said SMM chairman Ahmad Syukri Abdul Razab. Syukri said that the memorandum contained two objectives: urging the nation's leaders to allow freedom to academicians and students; and urging that investigation on Aziz be dropped without conditions. "No time limit is given. But we warn our nation's leaders that they shouldn't wait until we call the rakyat to rise up to protest with us in bigger numbers. "We won't hesitate and we already have the support of electoral watchdog Bersih 2.0," said Syukri, who urged the authorities to reply soon. Speaking to FMT, one student, who wished to be known only as Yuyuluna, said the government, and UIA were being unfair. "Aziz Bari does not belong to UIA; he belongs to those who love knowledge. When he talks about the truth, and happens to side with the opposition's stance, it is unfair that they bring him down just because they felt that they've been slapped," she said. "What about the professor who said that Malaysia was never colonised? He is a disgrace and he is the one who should be suspended. Aziz was just giving his comments. He has even criticised the opposition before," added the 22-year-old Malay literature student. READ MORE HERE |
| WIKILEAKS: AMBASSADOR'S DISCUSSION WITH MFA PERMSEC HO ON MALAYSIAN ELECTIONS Posted: 25 Oct 2011 01:00 AM PDT 
Ho said that on the ruling National Front (BN) side, PM Abdullah Badawi is probably done for politically, despite having been sworn in again as PM on March 10. Former PM Mahathir Mohamad will keep throwing stones at Abdullah. The political knives will be out for Abdullah's son-in-law UMNO politician Khairy Jamaluddin, whom nobody likes because he got where he is through family ties. As for Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, he is an opportunist. Although he has not been critical of Singapore, he will not hesitate to go in that direction if it is expedient for him to do so. Najib's political fortunes continue to be haunted by the Mongolian murder scandal. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin 
Classified By: Ambassador Patricia L. Herbold for reasons 1.4 (b, d). 1. (C) The Ambassador and MFA Permanent Secretary Peter Ho met over lunch on March 12, discussing issues including Singapore's perceptions of the elections in Malaysia (reftel.) Ho said that in Singapore "everybody was shocked" by the extraordinarily strong showing by the opposition in Malaysia. People knew that change was coming, perhaps one election down the road, but did not anticipate that change could come this fast. 2. (C) Ho said that on the ruling National Front (BN) side, PM Abdullah Badawi is probably done for politically, despite having been sworn in again as PM on March 10. Former PM Mahathir Mohamad will keep throwing stones at Abdullah. The political knives will be out for Abdullah's son-in-law UMNO politician Khairy Jamaluddin, whom nobody likes because he got where he is through family ties. As for Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, he is an opportunist. Although he has not been critical of Singapore, he will not hesitate to go in that direction if it is expedient for him to do so. Najib's political fortunes continue to be haunted by the Mongolian murder scandal. (Note: The scandal involves the ongoing trial of Najib's former political adviser Abdul Razak Baginda for abetting the 2006 murder of the Mongolian woman who had been Abdul Razak's ex-lover; two policemen from Najib's protective detail also are on trial for carrying out the murder. End Note.) The MIC's Samy Vellu bears a large share of the responsibility for the BN's poor showing in the elections. The Indian community's unhappiness, which helped create the current political dynamic in Malaysia, reflects the fact that Samy Vellu neglected the interests of the Indian community, even when its temples were being destroyed, focusing instead on his business activities in India, Ho said. 3. (C) Ho stated that on the opposition side, former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim came out of the elections in a strong position, as shown by the electoral victories by his wife (whom Ho commented he has met and finds very impressive) and his daughter. The Islamic PAS will be pushed in a more pragmatic, less radical direction by its increased proximity to real political power. Within the ruling coalition, UMNO could find itself pulled in the opposite direction as it comes under increasing pressure to compete with PAS, Ho said. 4. (C) Ho expressed pessimism about Malaysia's future prospects. Malaysians from the Chinese and Indian minority communities keep leaving the country. The relative size of the Malay Muslim majority keeps increasing. As a result, more Malaysian students are studying in religious schools and fewer are studying in more rigorous secular schools. This is harming Malaysia's international competitiveness, Ho said. Visit Embassy Singapore's Classified website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eap/singapore/ind ex.cfm HERBOLD (March 2008) |
| Bruno Manser Fund names Taib’s secret foreign helpers Posted: 24 Oct 2011 10:27 PM PDT By Bruno Manser Fronds EXCLUSIVE: The Swiss Bruno Manser Fund has released a list of thirty individuals from nine countries who have helped Malaysian potentate Abdul Taib Mahmud ("Taib") and his family to conduct international business transactions, hide foreign assets or gain undeserved respectability outside Malaysia. (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) Thirty individuals from nine countries have today been named and shamed by the Swiss Bruno Manser Fund for being business partners, proxies or other helpers of Malaysian potentate Abdul Taib Mahmud ("Taib") and his family. Taib, Chief Minister of Malaysia's largest state since 1981, has for a long time been accused of destructive logging of the Borneo rainforest and the massive abuse of his public office for personal gain. With his family members involved in global business operations estimated at several billion US dollars, Taib is believed to be one of South East Asia's richest and most corrupt politicians. The Bruno Manser Fund is calling on the international community to carefully monitor and scrutinize the Taib family's international business transactions and investments as they are likely to be linked to illicit activities in Malaysia. The governments of Malaysia, Switzerland, Germany, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States have been contacted and asked to investigate the Taib family's business activities and to freeze suspected or proven Taib family assets in their countries. In June 2011, the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) officially announced that Taib was under investigation for corruption. Authorities in Australia, Germany and Switzerland have also indicated to us that they would investigate the legality of Taib family activities and potential Taib family assets. Taib's foreign helpers list includes one head of state and three public officials The Bruno Manser Fund's list includes one head of state, Monaco's Prince Albert II, as well as three public officials from the United States and Australia, namely FBI Director Robert Mueller, FBI Special Agent Laura M. Laughlin and Adelaide University's Vice Chancellor-cum-President, James McWha. Most other persons on the list are business partners of the Taib family, some of whom are accused of helping Taib and his immediate family members to hide significant overseas assets which are believed to be laundered proceeds of corruption and illicit business transactions Prince Albert II of Monaco asked to cut ties with the Taibs Prince Albert of Monaco is accused of maintaining an unduly close relationship with the Taib family. In 2008, Albert made a state visit to Sarawak, accompanied by three members of the Prince Albert II Foundation. Last year, Albert hosted a Taib-sponsored Islamic Fashion show in Monaco, during which he collected an anonymous 100,000 Euro donation for his Prince Albert II Foundation. The donation was presumably made by Taib who was on stage when Albert was given the cheque by Rosmah Mansor, the wife of the Malaysian Prime Minister. The Bruno Manser Fund is demanding that Prince Albert cut ties with the Taib family and freeze potential Taib assets in Monaco's banks. FBI executives accused of whitewashing Taib family assets in the US The highest-ranking public official on the BMF list is the head of the American federal police, FBI director Robert Mueller. He is listed together with Laura M. Laughlin, the Special Agent in charge of the FBI's Seattle field office. The FBI executives are blacklisted for renting the premises of the large FBI office in downtown Seattle from Wallysons Inc., a Washington state company controlled by the Malaysian Taib family. In an attempt to cover up this embarrassing relationship with one of South East Asia's most corrupt family clans, the FBI has left several written complaints by the Bruno Manser Fund and other NGOs unanswered. In March 2011, the FBI refused to meet NGO representatives who protested in front of the FBI Seattle office against the FBI's ties with the Taib family. It is an embarrassment for the American people that its federal police, which ought to combat public corruption, is operating from premises owned by a notoriously kleptocratic family. The Bruno Manser Fund condemns the FBI's role in whitewashing and legitimizing Taib family assets in the United States and is asking for an explanation. Adelaide University's dodgy deals with the Taibs Pecunia non olet ("money doesn't stink") was the proverbial ancient Roman reply to allegations of dodgy deals and appears to have become the University of Adelaide's motto for dealing with the Malaysian Taib family. The university has accepted large donations from Sarawak's corrupt Chief Minister but refuses to disclose to the public just how much money Taib has spent on supporting his alma mater. This earns James McWha, the University's Vice-President-cum-President an entry in the blacklist. The university disgracefully honoured its corrupt "long-time benefactor" in December 2008 by renaming a plaza on the university campus the "Taib Mahmud, Chief Minister of Sarawak Court". Taib Mahmud has also been made a director of the Adelaide-based "Australian Universities International Alumni Convention Pty Ltd", which earns the company's sole shareholder, Michael Lewis Abbott, a place on the Taib's foreign helpers list. Abbott, a leading Adelaide barrister, is also a former chairman of the Australia-Malaysia Institute. The Taibs' Adelaide connection appears to go far deeper. Adelaide's Hilton hotel, which is operated by Sitehost Pty Ltd, is fully owned by the Taib family. Sitehost's Australian directors have also been listed by the Bruno Manser Fund': They are John Antoine Kiosoglous (MBE), who is a former member of the Australian Administrative Appeals Tribunal, and Sydney lawyer Gary Patrick Doherty. Besides his directorship with Sitehost, Mr. Doherty is also involved in other remarkable business activities. A AUS $5 company with the intriguing name Conceal Pty Ltd, which is run by Mr. Doherty and associates, has amazed us with its leading role in massive property developments in Western Sydney. Another person linked to Sitehost is Melbourne-based nominee companies operator Gabriel Amira, whose Golborne Pty Ltd enjoys a strong financial relationship with the Taibs' Sitehost Pty Ltd. Key helper Sean Murray and the Taib family real estate crew Another director of the Australian Sitehost Pty Ltd is Sean Patrick Murray, Taib's Canadian son-in-law. Sean is married to Taib's daughter Jamilah; they live in Ottawa's Rockcliffe Park in a 9.6million-dollar mansion that has been rated Ottawa's second most expensive private home. Sean Murray is a director of the Ottawa-based Sakto corporation, chairman of the British Ridgeford Properties and president of the US-based Wallysons Inc. and Sakti International Corporation. While Mr. Murray claims to be the owner of these companies, the Bruno Manser Fund has identified them as secret Taib-family investments, which we believe to be ultimately controlled by the Sarawak Chief Minister himself. This is why we have added Lee Gartley, Tanya Caleta, Laird J Rasmussen and Brian Murray of Sakto, as well as Christopher Timothy Murray (Sean Murray's cousin), Kerstin Bowers, Shaun Doherty, Michael Keaveney and John Murphy of Ridgeford Properties, to the Taib's foreign helpers list. The Taib companies run by Sean Murray are estimated at several hundred million US dollars. While British Ridgeford Properties is specialized in luxury buildings in Central London, Sakto corporation has heavily invested in office towers in Ottawa which are being rented to the Canadian and the Ontario government. Shea Kin Kwok, the Hong Kong agent behind Taib's timber kickbacks scheme It is believed that the Taib family's foreign properties have been funded by corruption money such as kickbacks cashed in from the timber industry. In 2007, the Tokyo tax authorities found out that Japanese shipping companies who exported Sarawak timber to Japan had been paying kickbacks to a Hong Kong company, Regent Star, which is closely linked to Taib's brother Onn Mahmud. This earns Chinese national Shea Kin Kwok, founding director of Regent Star and a number of other Taib-related companies in Hong Kong, a place on the Taib's foreign helpers list. Former Taib aide Farok Majeed is missing Farok Majeed is another former business associate of Onn Mahmud (Taib's brother). He was closely involved in multi-million dollar property developments in Australia. In 2007, a New South Wales court awarded him 2.2 million AUS dollars in damages against Onn Mahmud for unpaid work by his construction company. Despite significant research and a public appeal in Sarawak, Mr. Majeed cannot be located and appears to be missing. Mr. Majeed's case appears to bear a striking resemblance to the case of the late Ross Boyert, a former Taib US aide who was found dead in a Los Angeles hotel in September 2010 in an unusual case of suspected suicide. Prior to his death, Mr. Boyert said he and his family had been systematically harassed ever since he had filed a civil case against his former employer, the Taibs' US-based Sakti International Corporation. Taib's invisible hand on the British Virgin Islands A number of Taib companies are linked to a mysterious PO Box 438 in Road Town, Tortola, on the British Virgin Islands. This is the postal address of Integro Trust, Equity Trust and other companies that are being handled by Taib's invisible hand on the British Virgin Islands, Mrs. Linda Romney-Leue. Without offshore financial service providers like Mrs. Romney-Leue, it would have been much harder for the Taibs to conceal their illicit foreign assets. Astar Properties Ltd, Tess Investments Ltd, Tagus Investments Limited and CMS (Cahya Mata Sarawak) BVI are all Taib-linked companies who give Mrs. Romney-Leue's PO Box as their mail address. Deutsche Bank CEO Joe Ackermann blamed for joint venture with the Taibs' Cahya Mata Sarawak A more visible financial link is the extensive cooperation between the Taib family's Malaysian business flagship, Cahya Mata Sarawak (CMS,) and Deutsche Bank, which earns Deutsche Bank CEO Josef ("Joe") Ackermann an entry in the Taib helpers' list. CMS and Deutsche Bank have significant joint ventures in Malaysia, including K & N Kenanga Holdings, of which Luigi Fortunato Ghirardello and Taib's son-in-law, Syed Ahmad Alwee Alsree, are directors. CMS is a Sarawak-based construction conglomerate that benefits routinely from untendered public contracts from the Taib government and has made corruption the core element of its business strategy. Another foreign Taib key helper is CMS' Group Managing Director, British national Richard Alexander John Curtis. CMS, a public company, holds net assets of 1,46 billlion Malaysian Ringgits (US $467 million); at least 85% of its shares are held by the Taib family. Deutsche Bank has also been accused of administering the Jersey-based Sogo Holdings Inc., an alleged Taib family holding. In September 2009, the German Federal Ministry of Finance announced that German bank regulator BaFin is looking into Deutsche Bank's Taib ties from a money-laundering compliance perspective. Norwegian CEO assisting Taib in flooding Sarawak natives Norwegian executive Torstein Dale Siøtveit has chosen to play one of the most problematic roles among Taib's foreign helpers. In 2009, Mr. Siøtveit replaced Taib's brother-in-law at the top of Sarawak Energy, the Taib-controlled electricity supplier of Malaysia's largest state. As CEO of Sarawak Energy, Mr. Siøtveit is directly responsible for the Sarawak state government's excessive dam plans which are threatening the livelihood of tens of thousands of natives in Sarawak's interior. In the case of the planned Baram dam, the flooding of large Kayan, Kenyah and Penan areas would come close to cultural genocide. Taib's dam plans are widely thought to be driven by corruption rather than by demand for electricity. The cement for the already-constructed Bakun, Murum, Batang Ai and Murum dams was provided by Taib family-linked companies that hold a state-wide cement monopoly. Alan Friedman, Taib's public relations man Alan Friedman, a former US journalist and chairman of the British FBC media group, is blacklisted for having signed a three-year public relations contract with Taib to boost the latter's tattered international reputation. Friedman was to be paid 5 million US dollars per year, but, following the disclosure of FBC's deal with Taib by whistleblower website Sarawak Report, it appears the contract has been cancelled. Major news outlets such as CNBC and the BBC stopped broadcasting shows that had been produced by the FBC Group and were in breach of official media regulations. In one of the shows, Taib had claimed that 70 per cent of Sarawak's forests were still intact - an outrageous lie. Ta Ann represents Taib family logging interests in Tasmania The Taib family is also known to hold a significant stake in the Sarawak timber industry. Ta Ann Holdings Bhd is under the directorship of Taib's cousin Hamed Sepawi, one of Taib's main cronies and suspected business nominees. Ta Ann's wholly-owned Australian subsidiary is currently logging Tasmania's native forests on behalf of the Taib family. This earns Ta Ann Tasmania's director David Merrick Ridley a place on the Taib's foreign helpers list. Robert Geneid, Taib's Australian brother-in-law Another Australian national with a Lebanese background, Robert Geneid, is a key helper for Taib businesses inside and outside Malaysia. In Australia, Geneid holds significant stakes in Geneid Holdings Pty Ltd and Ostgro Australia Pty Ltd that operates a Taib family-linked ostrich farm in West Australia. Geneid is married to Taib's sister Raziah, who is currently believed to be the potentate's most favoured sibling. Raziah's business interests in Malaysia alone are estimated at several hundred million US dollars. Last but not least: "Stella", Taib's witch doctor Taib, who is extremely superstitious, has over the years used a number of "bomohs" (witch doctors). Taib's most important bomoh, Pakistani Ustaz Abdul Rahman Hazrat, died in 2008. Currently, his alleged main spiritual medium "Stella" is an Australian national whose full name is given as Kharleen Tashman. Before the April 2011 state election, Stella appeared in public on the occasion of Taib's re-nomination as a candidate. This resulted in a row with Taib's competitor, Salleh Jafaruddin, who later called for Stella and two other foreign bomohs to be expelled from Malaysia. - Ends - Download our exclusive Taib's Foreign Helpers poster (print quality) for free under: www.stop-timber-corruption.org/resources For more information, please contact us: Bruno Manser Fund for the peoples of the rainforest Socinstrasse 37, 4051 Basel / Switzerland Tel. +41 61 261 94 74 www.bmf.ch www.stop-timber-corruption.org Follow us on twitter: @bmfonds |
| Relativism and priorities Posted: 24 Oct 2011 08:32 PM PDT 
Is sex the only thing we should be concerned with? Is this all that there is to Islam? What about corruption, abuse of power, robbing the rakyat, election rigging, persecution, discrimination, murder, ethnic cleansing, and a host of other crimes against the citizens and crimes against humanity? Why is PAS not also foaming at the mouth and up in arms about this? NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin My article today is in response to today's news item in Harakah Daily, Batal konsert Elton John atau biar remaja hancur, which you can READ HERE. Basically, what Nik Nasri Nik Malek, the Ketua Lajnah Penerbitan dan Penyelidikan Dewan Ulama PAS Terengganu is saying is that Elton John is a bad influence on Malaysian youth, which will bring about a decline in morals. And the bone of contention is, of course, regarding his gay marriage. First of all, morals are relative. In some societies, it is immoral to abort a baby you are carrying (in fact, it is regarded as murder by some) while in other societies it is mandatory to abort the baby if you already have one child. So, is abortion a must or is it a crime? In most societies, suicide is a crime and anyone who assists a person to commit suicide could be charged for murder. In some societies, they have special clinics where you can check in to get assistance if you wish to commit suicide. Normally, the circumstances would be when you are suffering from terminal cancer and the pain is so unbearable you would rather go now than in a month or two (since you are definitely dying anyway). Gay marriages are not a crime in England. You can even get married in church now. And when Elton John got married he received a congratulatory message from the British Prime Minister. Polygamy is not allowed in England. A man with more than one wife would be frowned upon. Should Britain now ban Malaysians who have more than one wife from entering England? Malays would argue that polygamy is what the Prophet practiced so it is allowed in Islam. Would Malays keep quiet when non-Muslims call the Prophet a sex maniac and consider those with more than one wife as sex perverts and demand they not be allowed to enter the UK? Those who condemn the Prophet and look down on Muslims who have more than one wife are looking at things from their perception of values. And is it also not so that those who are foaming at the mouth asking that Elton John be banned from Malaysia are looking at things from their perception of values? Anyway, Elton John has been on the scene for more than 40 years now. Two or three generations of Malaysians have been listening to Elton John since the 1960s. Nik Nasri Nik Malek is almost 50 years too late in trying to save the souls of Malaysian youths. Would banning Elton John from entering Malaysia do any good now? Are you also going to ban Elton John songs from the airwaves? Are you going to get MCMC to block all websites that feature Elton John songs? You will have to close down the entire Internet to do that. What stupidity! What about all those other singers, actors and actresses who are also gay? What about those other singers, actors and actresses who are living with their partners as husband-and-wife but are not legally married (and have children as well)? You will need to ban every song, movie and whatnot to be able to block 'immorality' and 'bad examples'? Is sex the only thing we should be concerned with? Is this all that there is to Islam? What about corruption, abuse of power, robbing the rakyat, election rigging, persecution, discrimination, murder, ethnic cleansing, and a host of other crimes against the citizens and crimes against humanity? Why is PAS not also foaming at the mouth and up in arms about this? Muslims are being persecuted in China. Why don't the Malays ask the government to end diplomatic relations with China and stop all trade with China? The Americans are invading Muslim countries and are toppling and murdering Muslim leaders. Why don't the Malays ask the government to end diplomatic relations with the US and stop all trade with the US? Okay, if we end diplomatic relations with China, the US, Britain, Italy, France, etc., because of how they treat Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, etc., this would mean Malaysia will go bankrupt and Malaysians would become poor and everyone would be out of work and many would die of starvation and all forms of horror you can imagine. So what? So we suffer. So we die. But is not God's work more important? Isn't, as what Nik Nasri Nik Malek said, menghadapi murka Allah (suffer God's wrath) worse than going broke or dying of starvation? At least we will die and go to heaven. Now, we die and go to hell because we are friends of China, the US, Britain, Italy, France, etc. Sometimes I just can't see where these people put their priorities. The country is going down the drain. Corruption and abuse of power is the order of the day. Persecution and racism is government-sponsored. And we worry about Elton John singing in Malaysia? |
| 'Only ballot papers, not AG’s report, can jolt deaf BN' Posted: 24 Oct 2011 07:18 PM PDT 
(Harakah Daily) - The intensely discussed Auditor-General's report which has given damning evidences of wastages by the government will be powerless to change the state of affairs, unless the people take to the ballots to jolt the BN government of its malpractices.  "If the present government is not replaced with a government that is accountable and responsible, the disappointment is bound to repeat," said PAS information chief Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man (pic).
He said despite being reprimanded by the AG annually over exorbitant and wasteful spending of taxpayers' money, the BN's bad habits had only continued unabated.
Citing from the AG's 2010 report released yesterday, Tuan Ibrahim said the country's financial management continued to be marred by direct negotiations and cronyism.
Government-linked-companies such as Syarikat Perumahan Negara Berhad, KTMB, Prasarana and Aset Global Network, noted Tuan Ibrahim, continued to be in the red despite being reprimanded year after year.
 "The national debt had risen by 12.3 percent to RM407.11 billion in 2010 from RM362.39 billion in 2009, and this is the second consecutive year the debt to GDP (gross domestic product) ratio exceeded 50 percent at 53.1 percent," he said.
The Pahang PAS commissioner said BN's resistance to change and reform had only disappointed the public through the AG annual's negative observations.
"Clearly they can only be taught though the ballot box, and the people must not waste their votes to teach and punish this deaf government," he added. |
| What AG's report says on Kelantan Posted: 24 Oct 2011 07:12 PM PDT 
(Harakah Daily) - The Auditor General has rated the Kelantan state government's financial position in 2010 as satisfactory. The state saw a revenue increase of RM51.07 million or 52.5 percent, from RM97.23 million in 2009 to RM148.30 million in 2010.
"Analysis of 5 years into the consolidated revenue from 2006 to 2010 shows a dip in 2007 and 2008 and then increase in 2009 and 2010. Cash reserves and investment rose in 2010, with the balance of RM97.23 million in 2009 increasing to RM148.30 million in 2010," reads the AG's report released yesterday.
The AG has advised Kelantan to spend prudently without affecting quality of service and development, citing an increase in state debt by RM118.25 million, from RM993.75 million in 2009 to RM1,112 million in 2010.
"The state government must also ensure arrears in revenue are collected and loans repaid according to schedule, and arrears repayment must be collected in full. The debt to Federal government must also be paid according to schedule including delayed repayment," the report adds.
On the state's development, the AG notes that the state government underspent for a period of five years utilising only RM715.23 million or 42.1 percent of the total allocation.
As such, the report concludes that the spending and implementation have been "unsatisfactory".
It however praises financial management of all government agencies in Kelantan, with four state agencies being rated as 'very good' and the other 15 as 'good'.
"This shows an improvement in financial management of the state compared to 2009 where only two agencies were rated as 'very good' and 12 as 'good'," it added, saying state performance could be improved through financial and management training for state officers. |
| What AG's report says on Selangor Posted: 24 Oct 2011 07:10 PM PDT 
(Harakah Daily) - Overall, the Selangor state government received a 'satisfactory' rating from the Auditor General for its financial position ending 2010. The state's consolidated revenue increased by RM266.91 million or 20.2 percent, from RM1,319.97 million in 2009 to RM1,586.88 million in 2010. This is despite it registering a 10.9 percent or RM192.36 million drop to RM1,571.50 million in state's revenue last year (RM1,763.86 million in 2009).
"The operating expenditure has also decreased by RM382.56 million or (20.9 percent) to RM1,447.26 million in 2010 compared to RM1,829.82 million in 2009," reads the AG's report.
The state government received praised for reduction in revenue arrears by RM99.87 million or 16.6 percent, from RM601.92 million in 2009 to RM502.05 million in 2010.
The AG however rates the state's long-term investment as 'unsatisfactory' due to very low dividend returns over the past five years, from 2006 to 2009, with no dividend recorded in 2010.
In the development category, the AG notes that the state government completed 64.5 percent or 927 self-funded projects listed under the Nineth Malaysia Plan.
"Although the expenditure achievement for 9th Malaysia Plan for 5 years from 2006 to 2010 has reached 92.1 percent, there are only 1,108 (77.1 percent) from 1,437 approved projects which are completed or implemented," it notes.
The report rates as 'very good' the financial management for four state agencies, namely the state treasury, Ampang Jaya Municipal Council, Selayang Municipal Council, and Urban and Rural Planning department.
According to the report, 11 agencies are 'good' and one agency is 'satisfactory'. This, it adds, is better compared to 2009 as only one agency was listed as 'very good', 14 as 'good' and one satisfactory. |
| What AG's report says on Penang Posted: 24 Oct 2011 07:04 PM PDT 
(Harakah Daily) - The Penang state government continues to be in the good books of the Auditor General, who commended its improved financial position in 2010 compared to 2009. According to the latest AG report, Penang's consolidated revenue grew by 2.7 percent, from RM1,101.89 million for 2009 to RM1,131.17 million in 2010. The consolidated cash reserve rose by 6.2 percent to RM572.49 million, up from RM538.95 million in 2009.
"The state's revenue for 2010 has increased by RM34.19 million or 9.1 percent compared to 2009 from RM376.51 million to RM410.70 million," observes the report.
The AG advises the state government to make better investment analysis as a way to increase dividends.
"Besides that, the state government is also urged to continue its effort to collect arrears in revenue amounting to RM78.78 million at the end of 2010 from land tax, loan repayment to students, rental of houses, shop lots and so on," the report adds.
On development under the Ninth Malaysia Plan, the AG rates the state's performance as satisfactory with a total of RM787.17 or 77.8 percent being spent from the allocated RM1.01 billion.
In terms of implementation of projects, the report hails the state's performance as 'very good' with 99 percent of the 9,003 projects successfully carried out.
The report concludes that the financial management of state agencies remained good for 2010.
"In 2010, 3 agencies are in 'very good' category like 2009. 10 agencies are considered 'good' and one at satisfactory level," it says.
For three successive years, 13 state agencies audited at least twice between 2007 to 2010 have showed 'very good' financial management by the state treasury and development body. |
| What AG's report says on Kedah Posted: 24 Oct 2011 07:00 PM PDT 
(Harakah Daily) - The Kedah state government achieved a 135.8 percent increase in state revenue with a record surplus budget for 2010 at RM22.50 million, compared to deficit of RM62.89 million in 2009, says the latest Auditor General's report on the state. "State expenditure meanwhile only rose by RM2.55 million or 0.6 percent. This led to a surplus for the state government in 2010," it said.
Last year, the AG rated Kedah's financial position as satisfactory with a consolidated revenue increase of 23.9, from RM265.52 million to RM328.28 million in 2009.
The increase, says the latest report, reduced the balance of the Consolidated Revenue Account deficit in 2010 by a total of RM22.50 million or 7 percent, from RM320.73 million down to RM298.23 in 2009.
The report however cautions the state over the increase in loans from the Federal government by RM249.81 million in 2010, bringing the total amount to RM2.61 billion from RM2.38 billion in 2009.
It urges the state to take more effective measures to recover arrears of revenue as 2010 had registered only RM172.67 million, a fall of 13.5 percent or RM27.16 million, compared to RM199.83 million in 2009.
On projects under the Nineth Malaysia Plan, the report rates the state's project implementation as of 31 December 2010 as satisfactory with RM2.51 billion or 73.3 percent from the RM3.42 billion allocated being spent.
It also commends the state government for improving the financial management of its agencies compared to 2009, with four agencies getting the 'very good' rate, 12 'good' and one as 'satisfactory'.
"Overall, the financial management of the state's agencies has improved compared to 2009," it notes. |
| Do we care? Posted: 24 Oct 2011 06:43 PM PDT The RM142 million RazakSAT malfunctioned barely a year after being commissioned, and was woefully inaccurate. Why was it commissioned? Who approved it? Who made a bundle from this project? We will never get answers to this crucial questions and we will never learn? Because the accountability of our politicians and decision makers is zero. Ali Kadir, The Malaysian Insider Some of us sing the Negaraku with gusto, we fly the flag and proclaim ourselves patriots. But do we really care about Malaysia, care enough that we will do more than just sit and shake our heads when something so wrong and unjust and corrupt happens before our eyes. I am referring to the Auditor-General's report for last year and I am not talking about the sanitised version in the mainstream media. Does it bother us that: * the RM142 million RazakSAT malfunctioned barely a year after being commissioned, and was woefully inaccurate. Why was it commissioned? Who approved it? Who made a bundle from this project? We will never get answers to this crucial questions and we will never learn? Because the accountability of our politicians and decision makers is zero. * the Tourism Ministry overpaid RM270 million in advertisements because it chose not to go for open tenders. Guess what, the ministry breached Treasury regulations in doing so. Ng Yen Yen's ministry also paid RM1,950 for a pamphlet rack. This from the same ministry which overpaid for Facebook consultancy and everything else. So brazen is their flouting of regulations, they don't care if they are found out by the Auditor-general or the police or the MACC. Would we tolerate such behaviour in our own companies or families? We would not but yet every year we are informed that the people we put in power are betraying our trust and we reward them with more power. * Not even 1 per cent of computer labs in Sabah completed. Brilliant and the contract was awarded to TimeCom Holdings. I am not aware of any company which can miss its KPI by an ocean. I guess Sabahans are not aware that despite being a fixed deposit state for BN, it is treated this shabbily. This is only a few examples from the Auditor-General's report, there is the usual overspending by ministries and ballooning national debt. But do we care about this mismanagement and misappropriation and corruption and cheating and lying? Or are we just going to say : What can I do? READ MORE HERE |
| PKR to Noh Omar: Explain the missing RM110m farmers’ incentives Posted: 24 Oct 2011 06:39 PM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - PKR Selangor demanded today Datuk Seri Noh Omar clarify the RM110 million worth of incentives promised to paddy farmers which is still owing. "We demand Noh Omar answer that. How did the money that was supposed to be awarded to the farmers, those who had succeeded in increasing their rice production, were not given the incentives that was promised. "This is one of the failures of the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry and Noh Omar's as well as Umno Selangor's failure in managing the funds that was supposed to go to the farmers," Shuhaimi Shafiei, PKR Selangor information chief told reporters here at the PKR headquarters. He said the minister of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry, who is also the Umno Selangor deputy chairman has failed to prove that the biggest party in the ruling coalition is sincere in taking back Selangor from the hands of the Opposition. The Auditor-General's report yesterday showed the ministry has yet to pay RM110.67 million it owed to more than 70,000 farmers under a scheme to encourage a higher rice production. Citing Padiberas Nasional Berhad (Bernas), Malaysia's rice industry regulator, the report said the farmers were eligible to receive RM341.29 million between January 2007 and January 2010. However, Bernas only managed to pay incentives worth RM230.62 million as at end 2010, citing lack of funds. This resulted in 73,291 farmers not receiving incentives totalling RM110.67 million. Bernas currently controls about 24 per cent of the paddy market and 45 per cent of the local rice demand. READ MORE HERE |
| Horror stories behind the AG Report- 1 Posted: 24 Oct 2011 06:33 PM PDT SAKMONGKOL AK47 We are sometimes, no let me restate that- always appalled at the snootiness of lawmakers who poke fun and trivialize the serious side of governance. A clear example of such attitude involves the recent nonchalant responses surrounding the delayed supply of the auditor's general report. It is true there is no law that demands the Auditor's Report be given alongside budget documents. Using the same argument, there are no laws on many things either. The lawyer's un-lawyerly adage is you can break any laws as long as you are not caught. It is also equally true, in the interest of good governance and accountability which any responsible government pledges itself to, the AG Report must be expeditiously supplied to lawmakers. Otherwise, it gives rise to a cause of concern that the delay is an attempt to shorten a critical assessment of the spending habits of government agencies. Lawmakers are guided by a higher sense of propriety, responsibility and accountability that demands they operate beyond the technical confines of written rules. So it is correct and proper when lawmakers demand to see the AG Report that by convention is provided alongside budget documents. It was disingenuous for a lawmaker to state recently that there is no law compelling the AG Report be supplied together with other budget documents. In my experience as an ADUN in Pahang, the auditor's report came along with the budget documents. This is necessary for legislators to go through the spending habits of institutions of government. That will ensure matters are debated as they should be. The AG Report has acquired the status of almost an absolutely necessary addendum for the purpose of intelligent and responsible analysis of government spending habits. I have found them necessary to provide justification or grounded criticisms to the spending habits of government.Probably because there are not so many intelligent people on the government front benches, the AG report is seen as not crucial for a healthy debate in our parliament. It is in these documents that we find most justifications for the criticisms directed at deficit spending and of government debt. By the way, the claim that 2012 debt is within tolerance limits is simply the result of artful manipulation of the 2012 GDP figures. When the finance minister announces that our GDP will grow by 5-6%, as a percentage or proportion, the 2012 debt will indeed remain within our psychological barrier. It enabled the minister to state our debt to GDP ratio is good. In terms of absolute numbers on the other hand, the debt to GDP ratio is much bigger than last year's. So, the declaration that the economy will grow by 5-6% was necessary so as to keep the proportion of debt to GDP acceptable. It was just a trick. The more pointed criticisms about deficit budget are the hidden financial indiscipline that goes along with spending with wanton abandon. The ministry waiting and wanting to be crucified is the Tourism Ministry because its minister is loud and appears to be pushing her bravado image to the limits. And so she reaps what she has sowed. READ MORE HERE |
| WikiLeaks too broke for now Posted: 24 Oct 2011 06:25 PM PDT 
(AFP) - LONDON: WikiLeaks has been forced to suspend publishing classified files after a funding blockade and could have no option but to shut down by the end of the year, founder Julian Assange announced Monday. The whistleblowing website has seen its funding plunge by 95 percent due to an "arbitrary and unlawful financial blockade" mounted by companies including Visa and MasterCard since December last year, Assange said in London. "In order to ensure our future survival, WikiLeaks is now forced to temporarily suspend its publishing operations and aggressively fundraise in order to fight back against this blockade and its proponents," he said. "If WikiLeaks does not find a way to remove this blockade, given our current levels of expenditure we will simply not be able to continue by the turn of the New Year." The Australian condemned the blockade as politically motivated and directly linked to "Cablegate", coming within days of the website's release of tens of thousands of classified US diplomatic cables in November last year. Many relate to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan while others contain frank and sometimes embarrassing assessments of world leaders made by US diplomats. Assange said WikiLeaks was taking legal action against the blockade in several states including Britain, United States and Australia and has 100,000 publications pending, but warned it was facing an "existential threat". The former computer hacker said WikiLeaks needed $3.5 million (2.5 million euros) to get through the next 12 months. WikiLeaks spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson explained that before the funding squeeze, average monthly donations exceeded 100,000 euros, but since then they had plunged to between 6,000 and 7,000 euros. Assange claimed the blockade was part of "a concerted US-based, political attack that included vitriol by senior right-wing politicians, including assassination calls against WikiLeaks staff." He said it had cost the organisation "tens of millions of dollars" in lost donations. The former hacker also revealed that WikiLeaks had material on Bank of America, which it had previously threatened to release, but he admitted it was now in the custody of an employee that WikiLeaks suspended last August. Despite 11 months of legal action and hopes of retrieving it, "at this stage we do not believe, unfortunately, that we will regain that material, which is a great loss," Assange said. Returning to the funding issue, he said WikiLeaks has lodged an anti-trust complaint at the European Commission and expects a decision by mid-November on whether the European Commission Authority will open a full investigation. He added: "A handful of US finance companies cannot be allowed to decide how the whole world votes with its pocket." Assange announced that WikiLeaks would implement a new secure submission system for whistleblowers to send in confidential documents, to be launched on November 28 -- the first anniversary of the so-called Cablegate release. The new generation submission system will be safer than current online systems, which Assange claimed had been infiltrated by intelligence agencies. The Australian said WikiLeaks has around 20 staff, about 800 volunteers and two million supporters. The average individual donation is $25. Assange, 40, is currently living under strict bail conditions in Britain while he fights extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning over allegations of rape. He denies the claims against him, saying they are politically motivated. |
| Third-class mentality at work Posted: 24 Oct 2011 06:21 PM PDT The case of Aziz Bari illustrates how ready Umno is to punish anyone who speaks the truth. It has become normal for Umno to come down hard against those on the side of the truth. But how long does it intend to play bully and silence all voices that call for justice? Jeswan Kaur, Free Malaysia Today The action taken against law scholar Abdul Aziz Bari proves that Malaysia is still home to a third-class mentality. Merely for disagreeing with the Sultan of Selangor on a subject in which he is an expert, the professor riled up politicians from Umno, became a subject of severe attacks by that party's mouthpiece and was eventually suspended and barred from the International Islamic University (UIA), which, in the first place, should have been proud to have such an erudite scholar in its midst. (The suspension has since been lifted.) As if that is not shocking enough, even the police and Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) have been roped in to harass Abdul Aziz, as if to prove to the nation that he has indeed committed a most unforgiveable sin in advising the Selangor ruler to adhere more closely to Islamic teachings when issuing decrees. After all, the Sultan is the state's ultimate authority in matters Islamic. It is to the professor's credit that he has found no reason to apologise despite the pressures piled on him. He has maintained that his remarks were not meant as a challenge on the Sultan's authority or dignity but a pointer to the unprecedented nature of the decree and the inconsistency of its contents. The Sultan had said, essentially, that there was evidence of attempts by a local church to proselytise among Muslims but not enough to ensure success in prosecution. However, one should not be too harsh in judging UIAM. Its faux pas may not have been due to stupidity. It was more likely cowardice in the face of pressure from Umno. It has become normal for Umno to come down hard against those on the side of the truth. But how long does it intend to play bully and silence all voices that call for justice? In the professor's case, the police are investigating whether he has violated the Sedition Act. It is obvious to anyone familiar with Malaysian politics that the police are acting at the behest of Umno, a party that probably believes it cannot survive if citizens are allowed to speak their mind. READ MORE HERE |
| Millions paid to dead pensioners Posted: 24 Oct 2011 06:19 PM PDT The AG's report states that the JPA had overpaid pensioners, both alive and dead, more than RM 4.5 million. (Free Malaysia Today) - A retired civil servant who was supposed to receive a monthly RM214.33 pension – received a hundred times that amount instead. This was revealed in the 2010 Auditor-General's Report, which said that the error was due to a decimal point error by the Public Service Department (PSD) and the Post Service Division (BP), the departments in charge of pension funds for government staff. The particular retiree, now deceased, had received RM21,433 for 16 months. The report said the pensioner had died in 2007, but due to the error, the government had to recover the overpaid sum by deducting from the retiree's pension since July 2007 and will continue until May 2044. "It was found that because of one misplaced decimal point, it has caused an overpayment of pension amounting to RM133,051 since January 2006 to May 2007," said the report. The AG's report said that the PSD had overpaid pensioners, both alive and dead, more than RM 4.5 million. An audit carried out between May and September 2010 to assess the extent of overpaid pension found: - based on over-paid pension register, from 2007 to September 2010, a total of RM2.57 million was paid to 1,975 pensioners/pension recipients who are deceased; and
- of the total, some RM0.85 million was recovered from 965 beneficiaries. For the balance of RM1.72 million which should be recovered from the 1,010 deceased family members, only RM0.39 million is in the process of being recovered from 206 heirs via payments by instalments.
The report said the RM1.33 million is yet to be collected as notices of claim could not be delivered to beneficiaries, who are either untracable, shifted, or died; or that notices were sent out but refunds were yet to be made. Records not updated The AG's report found that one of the reasons for overpaid pension is that the records on the pensioners' deaths are not updated properly in the BP's computer system. (BP had developed the POWER or Pensions Online Workflow Environment, an integrated system to "modernise pension administration system" to ensure the payment of retirement benefits are accurately paid in accordance with the prescribed period. It was put in force since 2003 and fully functional since Oct 2004.) The BP is supposed to update the information about the death of pensioners via monthly death reports downloaded from the National Registration Department (NRD) or when the death certificates are received from the beneficiaries who deliver them to the BP. If the information from NRD does not match with POWER system, an "unmatch report" is issued. "According to this report, between 2007 and September 2010, there was data on 2,262 pensioners/recipients, which was not updated because information such as names, IC numbers and birthdates were inconsistent in both systems," said the report. The report said another problem with immediate updating of the status of death and termination of payments was that death certificate submitted by the beneficiary came in late. READ MORE HERE |
| No action against trio behind Teoh’s death Posted: 24 Oct 2011 06:08 PM PDT The Attorney-General is not pursuing legal action against the three MACC officers for lack of evidence. (Free Malaysia Today) - No legal action will be taken against the three anti-graft officers held responsible for Teoh Beng Hock's suicide given the lack of investigative evidence, Parliament was told today. Minister in the Prime Minister Department Nazri Aziz said the Attorney-General "was not compelled" to pursue the case but will do so if new evidence surfaces. "The AG is not pursuing legal action against the anti-graft officers who drove Teoh to suicide because there was a lack of investigative evidence and witness accounts," Nazri said in his winding-up speech on the 2012 Budget debate. He was responding to Gobind Singh Deo (DAP-Puchong), the lawyer representing Teoh's family who wanted to know if action would be taken against the three Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers. Teoh, the political aide to Seri Kembangan assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah, was found dead on July 16, 2009 on the fifth-floor corridor of Selangor MACC's office in Shah Alam after overnight questioning. A Royal Commission of Inquiry, set up after a coroner's court gave an open verdict, found excessive aggression in interrogation methods had caused Teoh to commit suicide. Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar had said that there are no laws to charge the three with while the MACC said it will deal with them internally by setting up a special investigative team. READ MORE HERE |
| Wakil rakyat PKR bakal digugur Posted: 24 Oct 2011 06:03 PM PDT Parti mahu meletakkan ramai calon baru untuk pilihan raya ke 13 nanti (Free Malaysia Today) - Beberapa wakil rakyat PKR Selangor dijangka digugurkan dalam pilihan raya umum ke 13 akan datang, kata sumber. Mereka akan digantikan dengan orang baru yang muda dan lebih berwibawa, tambah sumber itu lagi. PKR Selangor memenangi lapan kerusi Parlimen dan 14 kerusi DUN dalam pilihan raya umum 2008. Adun PKR Ijok, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim dilantik sebagai menteri besar Selangor dalam kerajaan campuran membabitkan PAS dan DAP. Bagaimanapun, Setiausaha PKR Selangor, Amiruddin Shaari ketika dihubungi berkata, PKR mahu meletakkan ramai calon baru dalam pilihan raya ke 13 nanti. "Yang ada (wakil rakyat) sekarang baik tetapi kita mahu yang lebih baik yang tidak menimbulkan masalah selain mereka yang dekat dengan rakyat. "Tetapi siapa yang gugur, siapa yang tidak bertanding akan diputuskan oleh Presiiden (Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Ismail),
"Mungkin ada calon baru bertanding di kawasan yang dimenangi PKR atas faktor wakil rakyat sedia ada menarik diri dan tidak mahu bertanding lagi," katanya ketika dihubungi hari ini. Nilai calon PKR Selangor diketuai timbalan presiden, Azmin Ali yang juga ahli Parlimen Gombak dan Adun Hulu Kelang kedua-duanya terletak di negeri Selangor. Adun Batu Caves itu berkata, PKR negeri tidak mahu wakil rakyat yang mempunyai masalah dengan rakyat. READ MORE HERE |
| Harun: Lulus Akta Murtad di Parlimen Posted: 24 Oct 2011 05:58 PM PDT PAS sudah tiga kali bawa undang-undang mengawal murtad di Parlimen tetapi ditolak. (Free Malaysia Today) - Ketua Dewan Ulamak PAS Pusat, Datuk Harun Taib menegaskan bahawa untuk memastikan murtad tidak berlaku di negara ini ialah dengan meluluskan Rang Undang-undang Hudud di Parlimen dan bukannya di stadium yang turut menangani masalah hukuman riddah. Beliau berkata demikian sebagai mengulas kenyataan Timbalan Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Dr. Mashitah Ibrahim sepertimana yang dilaporkan Utusan Malaysia hari ini. Mashitah berkata, hala tuju perjuangan PAS kabur kerana PAS tidak menyokong Akta Murtad dan penganjuran Himpunan Sejuta Umat (Himpun) di Stadium Shah Alam Sabtu lalu. Kenyataan Harun dalam Harakahdaily hari ini merujuk kepada usaha yang telah dilakukan oleh PAS sebelum ini untuk memerangi murtad termasuk membawanya ke parlimen. Katanya, PAS sudah tiga kali membawa Rang Undang-Undang Persendirian (Murtad) di Parlimen sejak 1990 oleh Datuk Seri Tuan Guru Abdul Hadi Awang untuk mengawal murtad. "Malangnya usul yang memerlukan cadangan daripada anggota kabinet tidak diangkat walaupun sidang Parlimen habis," ujar beliau. Tolak hudud tapi sokong Akta Murtad Menteri Besar Kelantan Tuan Guru Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat berkata, beliau menyokong idea agar digubal satu undang-undang khusus mengawal murtad di negara ini tetapi pada masa yang sama menyoal sama ada pihak yang menentang hukum hudud boleh menerima undang-undang sedemikian. "Saya diminta untuk memberi respons tentang isu Akta Murtad, saya menyokong. Cuma saya musykil, bolehkah orang yang menentang hudud menyokong Akta Murtad?", soal mursyidul Am PAS itu dalam satu mesej menerusi laman sosial Facebooknya baru-baru ini. Sehubungan itu kata beliau, liputan berkaitan dengan undang-undang itu "hanyalah mainan media, sampai masanya Umno dan seluruh media massa akan senyap." Ketua Pemuda PAS Selangor, Hasbullah Mohd Ridzuan menyifatkan kenyataan Menteri di Jabaran Perdana Menteri, Dato' Seri Jamil Khir Baharom mengenai perhimpunan itu mengesahkan kegagalan Umno selama ini untuk menjaga agama Islam di negara ini. READ MORE HERE |
| PAkS – Parti Anti-konsert Se-Malaysia Posted: 24 Oct 2011 05:34 PM PDT ART HARUN I am just aghast. No. Correction. I am just pissed off. Is there nothing else that PAS Youth do other than objecting against concerts? What is PAS Youth's take on our ballooning national debts? What does PAS Youth think of the Euro-zone problems and its potential impact on global economy in general and on Malaysia, in particular? Elton John is coming to Malaysia. As he is apparently gay, PAS Youth thinks that his concert is "incompatible" with Malaysian culture. Pahang PAS Youth chairman Shahril Azman Abdul Halim was quoted by the Malaysian Insider as saying: "The authorities are aware that hedonism or excessive entertainment akin to poison is spreading fast among Muslim youths "…….."It is this culture that brings the downfall of morality in a society and encourage activities such as promiscuity drinking fornication and also cause them to neglect their religious duties." Going to a concert is a hedonistic act? And it causes a "downfall of morality." Ah, of course, going to a concert also causes promiscuity, drinking and fornication. What else is new? I suppose the father who raped his 2 month old baby son is an avid concert goer. And all those kids in Kelantan who fornicate are also avid concert goer. And those young girls who kill their babies are also avid concert goers too I suppose. And half of the male population in Malaysia would turn gay and start ramming each other's ass once Elton John touches down at KLIA. I am sorry, but will Elton John sing on stage or perform a homosexual intercourse act on stage and ask concert-goers to join him while in Malaysia? I remember the day Michael Jackson came to Malaysia. Boy, after the concert, all of us were holding our crotch on the streets! What I really hate about some people, politicians and political parties is their self-righteousness and holier-than-thou attitude. READ MORE HERE |
| Prosecute ‘pack of liars’ for Beng Hock’s death, says Kit Siang Posted: 24 Oct 2011 04:34 PM PDT By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider Lim Kit Siang called today for the Attorney-General to prosecute "the pack of liars" linked to Teoh Beng Hock's death. A fatal plunge ended the life of the former DAP aide at the premises of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) over two years ago. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz told Parliament yesterday that no legal action would be taken against the anti-graft officers who drove Teoh Beng Hock to suicide as no police report has been lodged over the matter. But the DAP parliamentary leader said in a statement today that de facto law minister had given a "very lame excuse" as the royal commission of inquiry (RCI) on Teoh's death offered "sufficient reasons... to bring to book Beng Hock's killers." Lim (picture) pointed out that the RCI was "most scathing in its indictment of the character and testimony of the MACC officers... apart from two brave and truthful souls, the RCI virtually dismissed the rest as a pack of liars led by Hishamuddin Hashim, the "mastermind" of the massive and unjustified operation which resulted in Teoh's death." "In fact, the report is a fertile source for multiple perjury charges against Hishamuddin and other MACC officers in giving false testimony at the RCI," he said, referring to the offence under Section 193 of the Penal Code that provides for a maximum sentence of seven years jail and fine on conviction. The Ipoh Timor MP said A-G Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail should "direct a police report be lodged on Teoh Beng Hock's death based on the findings and new leads in the RCI... and vigourous prosecution pursued (to ensure) no cover-up." READ MORE HERE. |
| Audit finds minister’s family made mess of national cattle farming project Posted: 24 Oct 2011 04:25 PM PDT 
By Debra Chong, The Malaysian Insider A RM73.64 million government project — linked to minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil's family — to create Malaysia's "Beef Valley" has turned into a mess, a federal audit report said. The Auditor-General's Report, released yesterday, showed that the National Feedlot Centre (NFC) set up in 2008 in Gemas, Negri Sembilan failed to hit its target of breeding 8,000 cattle last year. "An audit check found production in 2010 was only at 3,289 heads of cattle or 41.1 per cent," the report said. Among reasons cited were the NFC corporation's poor management including its failure to train 130 farmers for the project, the 5,000-acre farmland in Gemas being overgrown with thorny acacia shrubs, and poor use and maintenance of its facilities. The NFC is a joint-venture between Negri Sembilan and federal government through the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry (MoA) to commercially produce more beef domestically and cut down import of the meat. Previous media reports showed the MoA picked a company called Agroscience Industries Sdn Bhd, owned by Shahrizat's husband, Datuk Dr Mohamad Salleh Ismail, to spearhead the project, under a company called National Feedlot Corporation Sdn Bhd (NFCorp). Shahrizat's three children, Izran, Izmir and Izzana, reportedly play key roles in the NFCorp. Izran is CEO while his brother and sister are executive directors. |
| Institutions Of Higher Learning Must Promote Ideas, Debate, Dialogue And Discussion Posted: 24 Oct 2011 01:03 PM PDT By Lim Chee Wee, President of Malaysian Bar The Malaysian Bar questions the reasoning behind the decision of the Rector of International Islamic University of Malaysia ("IIUM"), Professor Dr Zaleha Kamaruddin ("Rector"), to suspend and investigate IIUM law lecturer Professor Dr Abdul Aziz Bari for his recent comment. According to press reports that have not been refuted, the Rector said that Professor Dr Abdul Aziz Bari had been suspended on the ground that his comment – that the decree of HRH the Sultan of Selangor regarding the Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor's raid on a church in Petaling Jaya was "unusual and inconsistent" – was against the interests of IIUM. The Malaysian Bar is astounded that a comment by a professor at an institution of higher learning, about a decree by a ruler of a state, could in any way be against the institution's interests. The Rector's decision appears to be an insidious extension of the machinery of the Government, which is investigating the constitutional law expert for sedition arising from the same comment. Such an attitude is wholly out of place in a democratic society, and unbecoming of someone entrusted with a position of leadership in an academic institution that claims to be world-class. Indeed, IIUM's investigation stands in stark contrast to its stated missionand vision to produce better quality intellectuals, professionals and scholars, and to the Recommendations Concerning the Status of Higher-Education Teaching Personnel adopted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation ("UNESCO") on 11 November 1997. This states, among others, that: 26. Higher-education teaching personnel, like all other groups and individuals, should enjoy those internationally recognized civil, political,social and cultural rights applicable to all citizens. Therefore, all higher-education teaching personnel should enjoy freedom of thought, conscience, religion, expression, assembly and association as well as the right to liberty and security of the person and liberty of movement. They should not be hindered or impeded in exercising their civil rights as citizens, including the right to contribute to social change through freely expressing their opinion of state policies and of policies affecting higher education. 30. Higher-education teaching personnel have a right to undertakeprofessional activities outside of their employment, particularly those that enhance their professional skills or allow for the application of knowledge to the problems of the community, provided such activities do not interfere with their primary commitments to their home institutions in accordance with institutional policies and regulations or national laws and practice where they exist. Such stifling moves are symptomatic of what is wrong with our institutions of higher learning, as documented in the recent World Bank Report, The Road to Academic Excellence, The Making of World-Class Research Universities ("World Bank Report"), which examined the problems faced by another leading local institution, University of Malaya ("UM"). The World Bank Report commented that UM "continued as an executor of government policy and decision making", and quoted Syed Husin Ali as having said that UM has joined "younger universities [in Malaysia] that are directly controlled or strongly influencedby the government. Basic freedoms of university staff and students have been so effectively curbed… It is not surprising, therefore, that the quality and standards of local universities have been deteriorating." The World Bank Report stated that institutions of higher learning are vital to any country wanting to be competitive economically, because "(k)nowledge generation has replaced ownership of capital assets and labor productivity as the source of growth and prosperity. … The modern university is the ideal space for the ecosystem of scholars to search for new ideas in a spirit of free inquiry…" We have hitherto accepted reports by the World Bank when it has offered bouquets of praise about Malaysia, most recently in our rise in the Doing Business Survey 2011. We must not now be selective and reject brickbats from the same organisation, if they are indeed warranted. IIUM's suppressive move is also contrary to the Government's moves to develop Malaysia as a high income nation, and the Prime Minister's promise to make Malaysia "the best democracy in the world". Unfortunately, whilst the Prime Minister's promised legislative reforms on preventive detention and freedom of assembly were premised on "the success in developing the country, the increasing maturity of the people and the greater awareness of human rights in society", it would appear that such maturity and awareness seems lacking in one of our supposedly premier institutions of higher learning, or at least in its Rector. Furthermore, Professor Dr Abdul Aziz Bari's comment must also be viewed in the context of comments made during the debate surrounding the amendments to the Federal Constitution in 1993 (which removed the sovereignty of rulers). These comments, which involved far stronger criticisms (if not attacks) against the royalty, made in Parliament and in the media, all went unchecked. The Malaysian Bar applauds the courage of, and stand taken by, Deputy Higher Education Minister Saifuddin Abdullah in advising IIUM to retract the suspension. The Malaysian Bar calls on the Rector to immediately withdraw the show cause letter and cease all investigations against Professor Dr Abdul Aziz Bari so that he can get on with his important responsibility of teaching and inspiring our young generation. LIM CHEE WEE is President of the Malaysian Bar |
| Call for a Financial Accountability Commission answerable to the Parliament Posted: 24 Oct 2011 12:44 PM PDT By Tony Pua Every year Malaysians are treated to a series of "tall tales" in the Auditor-General Report, which are unfortunately true stories. This year, despite an "upgrade" in ratings for the overall financial management by Government departments and agencies, the tales of financial abuse and degrees of incompetence is no less fantastic than previous years. In previous years, we had screw drivers worth RM32 was purchased at RM224 or a car jack worth RM50 purchased at RM5,700 making a complete mockery of the Government's procurement process. Last year, Kolej Kemahiran Tinggi Mara in Balik Pulau purchased a whole list of products for its computer laboratory at prices well above that of the market, including 2 Acer computer laptops at RM84,640 when it is worth only be a tenth of the price paid. This year is no different with the Marine Parks Department taking the leading role by purchasing binoculars worth not more than RM1,940 was purchased at RM56,350, more than 28 times the market price. It was of course not the only offending item – the Department purchased RM192,694 worth of products including common items such as laptops, printers, LCD TV, DVD Player when their total value should not exceed RM20,193. There were many repeat offenders as well in the current year's report. Of note is the construction of computer laboratories by the Ministry of Education throughout the country. In Sabah, a RM160.7 million project was awarded to equip 300 schools by 2008. However, as at the end of 2010, only 2 computer laboratories were completed. Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara), an agency tasked to uplift the welfare of bumiputeras is again chastised for making high-priced purchases such as an oven worth RM419 for RM1,200, folding beds worth RM100 for RM500 among other things. What is perhaps more illuminating is the fact that everyone the Auditor-General only has the necessary resources to audit a small sample of Government procurement and projects. And despite that, such tales of incompetence and abuse are in abundance. The logical conclusion from the Auditor-General's report is that heads must roll, but it rarely or never happens. The Government's Chief Secretary Tan Sri Sidek Hassan has the all-important role to take the necessary disciplinary actions against the relevant offenders, including the supervising officers who failed in exercising their responsibility in a diligent fashion. However, as informed by the Auditor-General during our Public Accounts Committee briefing yesterday, most of these offending officers are only given a letter of reprimand "surat teguran" before the cases were closed. The natural outcome is, there is little disincentive for government officers to increase its level of competence or reduce the amount of waste, mismanagement and abuse since the "rewards" far outweigh the potential punishment, even if their deeds are hung out to dry in the Auditor-General's Report. While the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has the powers to call upon the relevant Ministries and officers to explain their actions and conduct, the PAC has no powers whatsoever to mete out punishment except to make "recommendations" to the Government. This has proven to be completely ineffective, made worse by the fact that the PAC is only able to focus on a handful of the misdeeds highlighted in the Auditor-General's report. Therefore, given the inability of the Chief Secretary of the Government, the absence of powers endowed upon the PAC as well as the lack of political will from the Prime Minister and his Cabinet to mete out effective punishment and deterrence to offending civil servants, we would like to call for a independent Financial Accountability Commission (FAC) set up via an Act of Parliament to be created. The FAC should not be staffed with any civil servant to avoid conflicts of interest, but instead by headed by leading professionals in the field of audit and integrity such as the Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants (MICPA) and Transparency International (TI) Malaysia. The proposed Commission should be made answerable only to the Parliament and granted the powers to take punitive and disciplinary actions against officers guilty of misconduct, negligence and sheer incompetence highlighted in the Auditor-General's Report. Tony Pua |
| Malaysia in the Era of Globalization #86 Posted: 24 Oct 2011 11:47 AM PDT By M Bakri Musa 
Chapter 10: Freedom, Justice, and the Law Personal Liberty in Malaysia – The Abomination That is the ISA
To me the ISA is an abomination. If indeed the Act is for the protection of society, as its supporters suggest, then it has failed miserably. ISA did not prevent the May 1969 tragedy, the 1984 Memali massacre, or more recently, the equally deadly Kampong Medan melee. Surprisingly, the government chose not to use this powerful statute to arrest members of the Al Maunah group involved in the deadly arms heist in 2000 of the army camp in Grik, Perak. Instead the state charged them with waging war against the King. Surely such a crime is the ultimate threat to peace. If there is one situation where the ISA would have been appropriate, this is it. But the government opted for an open trial where its evidence was subjected to cross-examination and public display. There was no indication that the nation's security and safety were compromised by the subsequent open trial. If the Al Maunah members could be apprehended and successfully prosecuted using statutes other than the ISA, I see no compelling reason why those presently detained under the Act could not be treated in a similar manner. If, as has been intimated, the ISA detainees were bent on overthrowing the legally elected government of Malaysia through violent street demonstrations, charge them with inciting a riot. Get the evidences out in the open so the public could scrutinize them. Reveal the evil intent of these perpetrators. ISA is not meant to be a substitute for incompetent prosecutors or inept police investigations. Truth is, the ISA is presently being used not to protect the public but as a crude weapon to coerce the government's increasingly effective critics. Distressingly, the law is also being used to silence political adversaries as well as scholars who dare to voice their dissent. Taking away a citizen's freedom without due process is a serious matter. It is disgraceful to read that in the rounds of arrests in 2001, the honorable home minister (and also deputy prime minister) Abdullah Badawi had delegated such enormous powers to his lowly bureaucrats. I would have thought that as the minister in charge, he would have given such decisions the gravity and solemnity they rightly deserve. To hear him say that he was in effect "out of the loop" is simply unacceptable. Surely he must have had some evidence of the dangers posed by these individuals for him to order their detention. Thus once they were detained, he should be intensely interested in the details of their supposedly treacherous plot. Were there dangerous weapons stashed away, and was this part of a larger conspiracy, possibly with foreign involvement? Had the interrogations revealed a more serious threat, the minister would want that information quickly so appropriate preemptive measures could be taken. By waiting passively for a report from his subordinates, the minister wasted precious time. Besides, to treat such decisions casually goes beyond simple incompetence. It is a flagrant dereliction of ministerial duty, bordering on criminality. Abdullah Badawi's remark reflects, at best, a flippancy that is grossly inappropriate; at worse, a callous and sinister mindset. These are our fellow citizens whose freedoms are being violated. He acts as if such important decisions are not worthy of his personal attention and deliberation. I would have been comforted had Abdullah said that he was indeed following the situation closely and that jailing someone without trial was a decision he took with a heavy heart, but due to the sensitive nature of the investigations, he was unable to divulge the details. I would still oppose his decision but at least I would know that he had discharged his ministerial duty diligently and that he had not used that immense power arbitrarily and capriciously. Or worse, delegated that awesome authority to his underlings. As can be seen with the episode on the senseless beating of Anwar Ibrahim while in police custody, it takes only one overzealous officer to humiliate the entire nation. I expect our government ministers to be chief executives of their agency and be on top of matters under their authority. Abdullah Badawi, if he was truly unaware of the circumstances of the arrests, behaved more like a symbolic sultan rather than as an engaged executive. If this pattern of behavior portends his future performance as prime minister, Malaysians ought to be worried. Like the frightened and weakened nobility at the time of the French Revolution, today's Malaysian political nobles are using the ISA as a carte blanche to browbeat the masses. Malaysians today are in the worst possible position: Having a bad law (ISA) administered by an inept minister. The government had another round of arrests under the ISA of suspected extremist Muslims following the 9-11 attacks. Unlike previous roundups, this time the government was spared any criticism from the West. Indeed Law Minister Rais Yatim, on a visit to Washington, DC, in May 2002, crowed that the US Attorney General was highly supportive of Malaysia's ISA! It took the American embassy in Kuala Lumpur days before it denied such an endorsement. And it was done by a very junior embassy official. Such a low-key response! Malaysian officials who were previously so dismissive of American official and public opinions are now suddenly eagerly lapping up any praise from America! I do not know who are being more hypocritical—the Americans or the Malaysians? Obviously to the Americans, flagrant abuses of basic human rights and due process are fine as long as the targets are presumed enemies of the West. Criticisms of the ISA aside, there are legitimate security issues facing the country that must be addressed. Can this be done adequately without the ISA? Absolutely! The successful prosecution of the Al-Maunah group sans the ISA is one ready example. Granted the police and prosecution had to work hard to prove their case, and well they should. Another argument favored by the Act's apologists is that such laws are needed in a multiracial society to prevent those who would incite racial hatred. This is a valid concern, but it can be addressed using far less draconian measures. America has its "hate crime" laws where if a crime is motivated by racial hatred, it carries a substantially more severe penalty. Further, the victims of such crimes could sue their aggressors for civil damages and or violations of their civil rights, the latter carrying a much stiffer remedy. Similarly there could be "no bail" provision for such crimes. There are several viable options short of the drastic ISA. Another defense of the ISA (and also the prohibition against public protests and rallies) is that Malaysians are fed up with unruly demonstrations and the resulting disruptions to traffic and businesses. Again here there could be provisions whereby those who plan such protests must carry adequate insurance in case of accidents or property damages. Such "event insurances" are common and mandatory in America. Having such insurance as a prerequisite would ensure that the organizers take extraordinary precautions to prevent their demonstrations from getting out of control. If they lose control of their followers they would have to foot a significantly higher premium the next time around. A more problematic contention is this. The ISA has been a major issue in almost all general elections, with the opposition parties advocating its repeal and the ruling party (Barisan Nasional – BN) defending it. Yet BN keeps wining. But it would be a mistake to read much into this beyond saying that the issue does not resonate with the electorate. In truth Malaysians do not support the ISA; they merely tolerate it. Electorates do not consider the ISA reason enough to boot the ruling party out. One of the tragic consequences of the ISA is that its victims are not allowed to contact their families or attorneys. Their families are kept in the dark of where their loved ones are being detained and for how long. Nor are their charges and evidences specified. As has been amply demonstrated by Abdullah Badawi, the current minister in charge, such awesome powers are routinely delegated to minor officials. Apart from its impact on the victims, the Act carries a far greater and deeper chilling effect on all Malaysians. Much like the barbwire fence would be a constant ugly reminder keeping the animals away from the edges for fear from being entangled, Malaysians are forced to behave extra cautiously. Citizens internalize self-censorship and keep to the narrow and safe. Any new initiative is stifled for fear of offending the authorities. New ideas are evaluated not on whether they will work, but how the authorities would perceive them. How many times have one heard officials say, "It's not government policy!" And with that robotic response, everything is settled. Case closed! Everyone is scared of running afoul of those in power. Next: Chilling Effects of Repressive Laws like ISA |
| Kelantan sets up hudud framework panel Posted: 24 Oct 2011 11:05 AM PDT By Syed Azhar, The Star KOTA BARU: The Kelantan Government has announced the setting up of a hudud technical committee headed by Deputy Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Yakob. State Islamic Development, Education and Dakwah Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah said the 19-member committee included him, state Syariah chief Judge Datuk Daud Mohamad, Kelantan Mufti Datuk Mohamad Shukri Mohamad, State Islamic Affairs Department director Datuk Che Mohd Rahim Jusoh and Kelantan police chief Datuk Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman. However, Mohd Amar said the state government would let the appointees decide whether to accept or decline the offer after issuing official letters to them. "One of the main roles of the committee is to study the possibilities of implementing the hudud enactment following views by constitutional law experts that syariah criminal laws could be implemented without amending the Federal Constitution and existing syariah laws. "Therefore, one of their tasks is to exhaust all avenues to study this matter and come up with suggestions on how these laws could be practised. "However, it is up to these members to accept or decline the offer because what is important is everything is done within the legal framework of the law," he said after attending the state exco meeting yesterday. Mohd Amar also said that no time frame had been set for the committee to convene its first meeting. |
| OWC sex guide under review by Home Ministry Posted: 24 Oct 2011 10:47 AM PDT By Nurul Ain Mohd Hussain, The Star PETALING JAYA: The Home Ministry is studying the contents of the controversial sex guide book released by the Obedient Wives Club (OWC) before taking action. Sources from the Al-Quran Text and Publishing Control division said they were working with the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) in studying the contents of the book, mStar reports. "We are currently unable to determine the status of the book but work is under way. "The issue is that this book involves the belief of the al-Arqam group, which is why the cooperation of Jakim is crucial to determine the status of the book," said the source. The source was referring to the statement made by the club that it was going ahead with the global launch of Seks Islam, Perangi Yahudi untuk Kembalikan Seks Islam kepada Dunia ("Islamic sex, fighting Jews to return Islamic sex to the world") despite protests from women's groups. The 115-page book had, among others, supposedly encouraged Muslim husbands to have sex simultaneously with their wives. The OWC was formed by Global Ikhwan Sdn Bhd, an organisation founded by former members of the banned al-Arqam. |
| No seats for M Ravi and Chegu Bard? Posted: 24 Oct 2011 10:38 AM PDT By Zehfry Dahalan, FMT SEREMBAN: Popular PKR figures M Ravi and Badrul Hisham Shaharin are in danger of being left out of the election candidates' list as punishment for their outspokenness. FMT has learnt that Negri Sembilan PKR is ignoring the strength of the two politicians in their power bases as it engages in seat negotiations with PAS and DAP.
Ravi is the state assemblyman for Port Dickson and Badrul Hisham, better known as Chegu Bard, is widely seen as the most winnable candidate for the Rembau parliamentary seat. Both are known to be critical of state PKR chairman Kamarul Baharin Abbas.
A Telok Kemang PKR member said his party's negotiators seemed keen to let DAP contest in Port Dickson in exchange for the Rahang seat, which Kamarul Baharin is apparently interested in.
"It's unlikely that Ravi will be given a chance to contest anywhere," he said. "His relationship with Kamarul Baharin turned sour after the last party elections."
In the PKR elections last year, Ravi challenged Kamarul Baharin for the Telok Kemang PKR chief's position and beat him convincingly.
"I learnt that Kamarul Baharin himself will contest the Rahang state seat," the source said. "So Ravi will not have any place where he can contest."
As for the Rembau seat, sources said PKR had decided to let PAS contest there in exchange for Jempol.
In the last election, Chegu Bard lost in Rembau to Umno Youth leader Khairy Jamaluddin, but he is still tremendously popular there. Many observers, including politicians from outside PKR, see him as the most winnable opposition candidate there.
Lack of political energy
Chegu Bard is known to be the one of the most vocal members of the PKR state leadership council in questioning decisions made by Kamarul Baharin and his allies.
Insiders say he has regularly criticised the party's state leadership for its lack of political energy. READ MORE HERE. |
| EC to display list of 40,000 ‘unverified voters’ from Oct 27 Posted: 24 Oct 2011 10:29 AM PDT By G Manimaran, The Malaysian Insider The Election Commission (EC) will display the list of 40,000 voters that have yet to be verified or authenticated from Thursday as talk of a snap election gathers pace. Electoral reforms coalition Bersih 2.0 had listed cleaning up electoral rolls as the first of eight demands although the EC routinely checks the list. The latest list will be made available with this year's third quarter electoral roll at 1,000 selected venues and also on the EC website. Commission deputy chairman Datuk Wira Wan Ahmad Wan Omar said those on it should come forward to verify details. "The verification can be done within a week from the display," he said, when contacted by The Malaysian Insider. Wan Ahmad said unverified names would be removed. He added the commission had been unable to remove these names from the list as information received from the National Registration Department (JPN) showed their details to be valid. However, several parties, especially opposition parties, had claimed the electoral roll was tainted. Wan Ahmad said the commission would not allow the use of doubtful names because "we have to be fair". "JPN had said the names were valid, so by law, this verification is sufficient. The EC cannot just remove the names without verifying voter information," he said. When asked if the voters involved can contact the EC after the period of one week, Wan Ahmad said, "Yes, they can. But they have to provide supporting documents for that purpose." READ MORE HERE. |
| BLOCKADE UPDATE: Penan demand closure of timber camp Posted: 24 Oct 2011 10:24 AM PDT By Bruno Manser Fronds Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear friends, last Saturday, 22 October, at 10 a.m., eight Malaysian police officers, two forest department officials and three Interhill staff jointly dismantled the Penan blockade in Sarawak's middle Baram region. After the dismantlement, Interhill logging company passed the blockade site with heavy machines. Despite the dismantlement of the blockade, the Penan are maintaining their demands to the Sarawak government and to Interhill logging. Penan spokesperson Lakei Jaau said the Penan have the following five demands: - The government of Sarawak must recognize the native customary rights of the Penan by withdrawing the timber companies' licenses.
- The companies should immediately stop working on the NCR land of Long Item, Long Kawi and Ba Abang.
- The company concerned must shutdown Camp Kabeng and clean the rivers and areas that have been polluted with toxic materials.
- The government of Sarawak must immediately order the company to stop their workers from entering the affected villages without the permission of the kelunan pina (everyone's consent).
- The Federal and Sarawak Governments must solve the longstanding problems of birth certificates and ICs with of Penans and with the direct participation of the Penans.
The Penan are protesting agains the unjustified police action and are pointing to the fact that they have challenged the legality of the currentl logging activitzies in a court case filed in December 2009. Your BMF team www.stop-interhill.com www.bmf.ch |
| BERSIH 2.0 sweeps Australia Posted: 24 Oct 2011 05:17 AM PDT 
William de Cruz, Guest Contributor, NEW MANDALA The face of Bersih 2.0, Ambiga Sreenevasan, begins touring Australia's east coast today, hoping to fuel a new and profound Malaysian hope for that fundamental tenet of democracy, the citizen's right to a free and fairly conducted vote. The woman who heads the coalition of Malaysian NGOs that inspired tens of thousands of citizens to take to Kuala Lumpur streets on a fateful July 9 says she is in Australia to say, "thank you". "Global Bersih is one of the greatest achievements of Bersih", Ms Sreenevasan says, referring to the worldwide solidarity movement that sprung up to support KL's historic, public show of defiance against a government that had banned the march and declared it "illegal". "I know of no other movement that has pulled Malaysians and other supporters from all over the world quite like this. And we (Bersih 2.0 KL) did not organise this…you all did." Similar modesty is likely to be cast to the winds as the Bersih 2.0 chair embarks on university lectures, meet-and-greet functions and media interviews to hammer home the point that fair and free elections in Malaysia can only come about with wide-ranging legislative reform. Considering Prime Minister Najib Razak is forecast to call the federation's thirteenth election any time between now and March 2012, the former president of Malaysia's Bar Council and her group have set themselves a daunting, formidable task. "I feel a huge responsibility to Bersih and the people", Ms Sreenevasan says. "I fear sometimes I am not up to it." The avowed non-politician adds: "Then I remember the people are very forgiving." She is speaking, of course, totally unlike a politician. "Provided you are honest with them, and sincere." The recipient of France's highest honour, the Chevalier de Legion d'Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour), then says: "Fate has brought me here, just as fate has brought us all together." Ms Sreenevasan, who two years ago was also one of eight recipients of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's International Women of Courage Award, has caught the world's attention for Bersih 2.0′s fight to address fraud, inequity, discrimination and corruption in Malaysia's electoral system. She is also well regarded as a staunch defender of women's rights and religious tolerance. In Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra, she will meet Malaysians and supporters of democratic reform and focus on convincing them there is much to be done, from Australia, to pressure Putrajaya into instituting real change in the electoral process. David Teoh of Melbourne, a young Malaysian who now heads Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia Australia (SABMoz), needs little convincing. He helped spearhead Australia's role among the global rallies that were held that same July Saturday in a show of support for the KL marchers. "What transpired on 9 July awakened the sleeping giant," Mr Teoh says. "On that day, in 40 cities around the world, we were one, united people sharing a common dream – beyond standing for clean and fair elections, we all took a stand for the integrity of this great nation to be restored. "That such a movement was treated with so much contempt by the authorities only served to fuel our legitimacy." READ MORE HERE |
| WIKILEAKS: SPECIAL 301 REVIEW: MALAYSIA Posted: 24 Oct 2011 01:00 AM PDT Despite the many positive trends, however, industry estimates on current IPR piracy levels indicate that it remains a serious problem. Piracy will require sustained government attention in many areas for the foreseeable future, and improved government attention in some areas that are currently deficient. Embassy therefore recommends that Malaysia remain on the Special 301 Watch List. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin
1. Summary. In 2007 Malaysian IPR enforcement authorities continued to make good progress in fighting IPR piracy. The single most promising development of the year was the long-awaited launch of the country's specialized intellectual property court. The United States and Malaysia continued to cooperate closely, in particular through ongoing negotiations on IPR issues within the framework of a free trade agreement. Piracy levels for motion pictures and for entertainment software declined in 2007. However, the overall piracy rates remain high for most types of IP, and the government will need to continue to strengthen its enforcement and prosecution efforts, and to seek certain legislative changes to strengthen Malaysian authorities. Embassy recommends that Malaysia remain on the Special 301 Watch List. End summary. Optical Media Piracy 2. In 2007 Malaysian IPR enforcement officers continued to exert strong pressure on the producers and exporters of counterfeit optical disc media. The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (MDTCA), Malaysia's principal IPR enforcement authority, reports that in 2007 it conducted 70,863 raids, resulting in the seizure of 2,395,733 optical discs with an approximate value of 54 million Malaysian ringgit (approximately USD 16.8 million). The number of cases taken under the Copyright Act of 1987 was 2,720 involving 597 arrestees. MDTCA also reported 566 new criminal prosecutions. 3. Statistics compiled by the copyright industry indicate a seven percent drop in piracy rates (from 90 to 83 percent) in entertainment software. MDTCA is carrying out more raids on pirated computer game sellers, and is working more closely with the Entertainment Software Alliance and the Motion Picture Association (MPA) to facilitate enforcement actions and subsequent prosecutions. 4. The estimated piracy level of records and music remained steady at 45 percent, and the business software piracy rate also was unchanged, at 60%. The book publishing industry also reports continued large-scale piracy in Malaysia, principally in and around university campuses, though increased enforcement efforts lessened the overall monetary value of this form of piracy. 5. In July 2007 the MDTCA announced a new program targeting the use of pirated software. MDTCA has worked with the Business Software Alliance to target students, company directors, and employees, and include both educational efforts as well as targeted enforcement. One of the new IP court's first successful prosecutions involved a prominent retail establishment that admitted to possession of pirated software, paying a hefty fine while generating unwelcome publicity. Digital Music - The Future of Piracy 6. In 2007 the Recording Industry Association of Malaysia (RIM) called on the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), Malaysia's regulatory body for telecommunications, to block internet users from accessing illegal song download sites. RIM has claimed a significant increase in demand for digitized music in Malaysia, which has eroded the sales of compact discs (including pirated discs). Much of the demand is being met by foreign websites offering free music downloads. MCMC continues to deliberate whether to take action against such sites, which would constitute a shift in the government's generally hands-off approach to internet website access. 7. RIM has been pushing Malaysian authorities to take stronger action against landlords who allow pirating operations at their premises. RIM has also taken direct action against such landlords by filing a number of lawsuits seeking damages as well as the closure of such operations. RIM has also sent out warnings of imminent lawsuits to hundreds of landlords, many of whom have complied with the warning by expelling the pirates. Following RIM's lead, MDTCA has begun to initiate criminal actions against a few landlords as well. Industry is pushing legislation that would specifically address the liability of landlords who allow their premises to be used for copyright infringement. Progress on Motion Picture Piracy 8. Malaysian authorities successfully attacked the problem of pirate recordings in Malaysian cinemas, in particular those recordings using advanced cell phone technology (since cell phones are less detectable than camcorders). In 2006 the Motion Picture Association (MPA) had estimated that 88% of pirated DVDs and VCDs circulating on the streets of Malaysia originated from illegal recordings in cinemas. The MDTCA focused its efforts to combat this illegal activity, acting on tips provided by cinema employees as well as patrons (the local branch of MPA offers a reward for such tips). In early 2008 MPA announced that the joint efforts of cinemas and MDTCA officials had effectively eliminated cinemas as a source for illegal recordings; in 2007 some 30 cases of illegal recording were stemmed in Malaysia. As a positive corollary, MPA noted that cinema attendance in Malaysia increased 20 percent in 2007 compared to 2006. 9. Malaysian authorities currently use existing Malaysian statutes to arrest and prosecute those caught recording movies in cinemas. However, such arrestees can be charged only with theft, not piracy. The MPA continues to push for the implementation of standalone anti-camcording legislation, both to strengthen the authorities' hands (by broadening the scope of illegal activity and by increasing fines) as well as to promote the problem among the Malaysian public. The Attorney General is also reportedly considering amendments to the Copyright Act to take into account copyright offenses conducted over the Internet, though there reportedly was little movement on such legislation in 2006. 10. The export of pirated discs, in particular those purchased over the Internet, remains a significant problem, although most industry sectors report fewer exports of pirated material from Malaysia than in previous years (with the one exception being the entertainment software industry). MPA reports good cooperation with MDTCA enforcement officers, Malaysian Post, Royal Malaysian Customs, cargo handling companies and courier companies in order to tackle the export of pirated discs. 11. MPA was instrumental in bringing two sniffer dogs to Malaysia in 2007 to help MDTCA officials detect hidden optical discs and replicating machines. The resulting seizure of more than 1.6 million discs received extensive publicity, and has convinced MDTCA to establish a permanent canine enforcement unit. 12. In early 2007 Prime Minister Abdullah announced the development of a national IP policy that had as its centerpiece the allocation of RM 5 billion (USD 1.55 billion) to promote IP protection. The MDTCA solicited suggestions from the private sector on the best uses for the targeted funds, which should begin to be used in early 2008. IPR-Related Prosecution 13. The first branch of Malaysia's new intellectual property court was launched in Kuala Lumpur in July 2007 (ref 2007 KL 1238). The new court eventually will consist of 15 session courts with criminal jurisdiction, to be located in each of Malaysia's 14 states plus the administrative capital of Putrajaya. Six high courts, holding both civil and appellate jurisdiction, will be established in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor, Perak, Sabah and Sarawak. Allaying the concerns of local IP lawyers, the court is organized to operate independently of the rest of the court system, with both judges and prosecutors assigned exclusively to the IP courts. Although the government had hoped that most of the new IP court branches would be open by the end of 2007, it appears more likely that such a goal will not be achieved until late 2008. 14. The MDTCA has taken steps to improve the ability of its enforcement officers to handle complex evidence in order to build strong criminal cases against IP pirates. Local industry associations have provided a large amount of this training. U.S.-Malaysia IPR Cooperation 15. In 2007 the U.S. government continued close cooperation with the Malaysian government to promote increased IPR protection. Nineteen Malaysian officials attended 10 USG-funded IP training programs that were offered in 2007 by the U.S Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Among the programs attended by Malaysian officials were USPTO Global Intellectual Property Academy programs on enforcement, patents, and trademarks. 16. In 2007 and early 2008 U.S. and Malaysian officials continued to negotiate the IPR chapter of the proposed U.S.-Malaysia Free Trade Agreement. These negotiations were an unprecedented opportunity for both sides to learn the details about each other's enforcement regimes, and to discuss ways in which such enforcement could be strengthened. Malaysia's International IP Obligations 17. Following accession to the Patent Cooperation Treaty in 2006, Malaysia has made progress towards ratifying more multilateral IP treaties. Malaysian government officials hope to secure parliamentary ratification of Malaysia's accession to the WIPO Copyright Treaty and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty by the end of 2008. Over the medium term, the GOM also foresees Malaysian accession to several other IP treaties, including the Convention Relating to the Distribution of Program-Carrying Signals Transmitted by Satellite; the Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks; the Budapest Treaty on the International Recognition of the Deposit of Microorganisms for the Purposes of Patent Procedure; and the Trademark Law Treaty. Malaysia has not committed yet to joining the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (aka the UPOV Convention), preferring to wait until it can evaluate the effect of its newly-implemented domestic plant protection legislation. 18. In April 2007 the Ministry of Health announced that the government would implement a legal framework to protect pharmaceutical data in order to meet the data protection obligations under TRIPS Article 39.3. The announcement indicated that such protection would be extended for 5 years for new products, and 3 years for new indications of existing products. The time period in both cases would begin from the date that such protection was extended in the product's country of origin. As of early 2008 the Ministry of Health continues to deliberate (including consultations with multinational pharmaceutical companies and other stakeholders) before finalizing its policy. Extensive discussions of the issue have taken place at each round of the U.S.-Malaysia FTA negotiations. Recommendation: Malaysia Should Remain on Watch List 19. The Malaysian government's record in 2007 showed a solid commitment to strengthening IPR protection. In addition to devoting more resources to the single largest IPR problem - optical disc media piracy - government officials are also paying increasing attention to newer problems such as Internet downloads of pirated material. U.S.-Malaysia FTA negotiations continue to provide a forum to discuss best practices across the range of IPR issues related to both enforcement and policy, fostering an ongoing dialogue among experts from both governments that will provide further dividends in the future. Malaysia's intention to join the WIPO treaties this year, and its growing commitment to implement data protection in some form, show the importance to the government of strengthened multilateral IP protection. 20. Despite the many positive trends, however, industry estimates on current IPR piracy levels indicate that it remains a serious problem. Piracy will require sustained government attention in many areas for the foreseeable future, and improved government attention in some areas that are currently deficient. Embassy therefore recommends that Malaysia remain on the Special 301 Watch List. KEITH (February 2008) |
| Driving a wedge Posted: 23 Oct 2011 11:17 PM PDT The focus should have been as clear as daylight by now. We need change and the focus should be on how to see this change. However, once our thinking become clouded by non-issues such as race, religion and the Rulers, we would become distracted and start arguing about issues that are not going to bring about this change. NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin Bernama and Utusan Malaysia are still trying to drive a wedge between DAP and PAS by, again, raising the hudud issue today. You can read the news item below. I suppose, after Saturday's 1,000,000-man assembly failure, they realise that the apostasy issue is not being received in the way they had hoped, so they need to revisit the hudud issue and try one more shot at pitting DAP against PAS. The fact that Bernama and Utusan Malaysia call the Penang government 'Kerajaan DAP Pulau Pinang' is proof of the sly slant of the report. They want the Malays to think that Penang has been 'lost' to the Chinese or that DAP (meaning Chinese) are the real power in Penang, etc. In short, DAP, and not Pakatan Rakyat, is ruling Penang and it is a Chinese government rather than a multi-racial government. Race and religion is a very potent weapon. And throw the 'not respecting the Rulers' or 'insulting the Rulers' issue into the ring, and we get a wonderful explosive ingredient called the 3R Program. Yes, 3R can work if played properly. Race, religion and the Rulers (Raja-raja Melayu) can make the Malays foam at the mouth if they can be made to believe that these three 'sacred cows' are under attack or are being insulted by the non-Malays. And that is what the government-owned and government-controlled media is attempting. Why Malaysians do not use logic rather than emotion is beyond me. It is that easy to get Malaysians so worked up -- Malays, Chinese, Indians and 'lain-lain' not exempted. Just raise the issue of race, religion or the Rulers and watch Malaysians fight. The focus should have been as clear as daylight by now. We need change and the focus should be on how to see this change. However, once our thinking become clouded by non-issues such as race, religion and the Rulers, we would become distracted and start arguing about issues that are not going to bring about this change. You have one last shot at change. And if you miss this shot don't ever dream that there is still the next time. As Elvis Presley said: it's now or never. And you better believe it. ******************************************************* Hudud: Kerajaan DAP Pulau Pinang dibidas gagal jelaskan pendirian Anggota pembangkang hari ini membidas kerajaan pimpinan DAP Pulau Pinang kerana tidak berani menjelaskan pendirian mengenai beberapa isu termasuk pelaksanaan hukum hudud. Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) Permatang Berangan, Shabudin Yahaya daripada Barisan Nasional (BN) berkata, setiap soalan lisan yang dikemukakan oleh wakil rakyat BN berhubung beberapa isu termasuk hukum hudud ditolak oleh Speaker Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN), Datuk Abdul Halim Hussain. Bercakap kepada pemberita selepas persidangan DUN hari ini, beliau berkata, rakyat Pulau Pinang inginkan satu penjelasan daripada kerajaan negeri mengenai pelaksanaan hukum hudud. "Mereka (rakyat) ingin tahu pendirian kerajaan negeri tetapi, kerajaan negeri tidak berani untuk menjawab soalan dan mencari jalan mudah dengan mengelak daripada menjawab," katanya. Beliau berkata, sebelum ini banyak pemimpin pakatan DAP-Parti Keadilan Rakyat-Pas, termasuk Lim Guan Eng yang juga Setiausaha Agung DAP, mengeluarkan pelbagai kenyataan. "Kini kami menggunakan platform yang betul untuk mendapatkan jawapan daripada kerajaan negeri bukannya bagi pihak pemimpin parti," kata Shabudin. |
| A fool’s paradise? Posted: 23 Oct 2011 06:45 PM PDT But how quickly times change. Within a week, even The Star was forced to concede that a number of economists thought the growth forecast of 5 per cent to 5.5 per cent for 2012 was somewhat optimistic, without which premise the entire fiscal deficit reduction claim would appear to be a pipe dream. Kapil Sethi, The Malaysian Insider Spot on! Screamed out page after page in The Star the day after the Budget 2012 announcement by the prime minister. Barisan Nasional was at pains to paint it as a caring budget which emphasised its concern for the underprivileged through a number of cash handouts and maintenance of subsidies across the board. But how quickly times change. Within a week, even The Star was forced to concede that a number of economists thought the growth forecast of 5 per cent to 5.5 per cent for 2012 was somewhat optimistic, without which premise the entire fiscal deficit reduction claim would appear to be a pipe dream. In less than another week, the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER) revised its growth forecast down to 5 per cent for 2012. The Monetary Authority of Singapore, in an even gloomier tone, said that it expected growth might be below its potential rate of 3 to 5 per cent next year. US unemployment feeding into a probable double-dip recession in its economy and the eurozone crisis has the whole world bracing for a year of desperate belt tightening. Already, volatility in the investment, stock and currency markets has reached such a level that Bank Negara recently reported that foreign investors sold Malaysian equities to the tune of US$439.6 million (RM1.36 billion) in August and September alone. This was reflected in a drop in Malaysian foreign exchange reserves to the tune of US$5.3 billion at the end of September. The ringgit has also been continuously weakening against all major currencies in the same period. At this juncture, it might be wise to ask why the Malaysian government's blithely rosy forecast and expectations for 2012 are at such complete variance with the rest of the world, and what it may mean for the Malaysian consumer in the coming months. In one word — politics. The raison d'être for politicians is to promise a better future to voters. In an election year especially there is undeniable pressure on the ruling coalition to deliver that elusive "feel-good" factor through all the instruments of state at its disposal to win re-election. Having said that, the government and BN are distinct entities. While it is the job of a political coalition to influence voters positively, it should be the job of the government to take a more responsible stand when the future livelihood of its citizens is at stake. A reasonably independent civil service is a prerequisite to reining in the natural propensity of all politicians to spend, spend, spend and leave the consequences to the distant future. When the bureaucracy is supine, the result is a budget like the one recently presented — a free-for-all spending plan with no acknowledgement of the economic realities and forecasts on the ground. Due the perceived unpopularity of the proposed GST and an extremely narrow taxpayer base, simply put the plan to raise revenue seems to be one of cross your fingers and hope for the best. If the US goes into another recession and oil prices plummet, even the current revenue of the government will drop, let alone increase. Whereas on the expenditure side there is a plethora of proposals set to precipitously increase operating costs. READ MORE HERE |
| When barking dogs turn rabid Posted: 23 Oct 2011 06:24 PM PDT They need to remember that the moment a person enters politics, regardless of whether the person wears a military uniform, religious paraphernalia, a doctor's white coat or even a suit and tie, that person is a politician. A politician wants people's support so that he or she will be in power. You can give your trust but don't ever give away your freedom, especially your freedom to remove the politician who you trusted in the first place. Jema Khan, The Malaysian Insider Politicians all over the world claim to be the protectors of their people. They often conjure up various threats to our wellbeing. When we buy into their stories we tend to support them and thus they are able to rule over us. In a democracy this is less of a problem as when we stop believing the politicians' spiel we can always vote them out. But many parts of the world do not have fully functioning democracies and thus we find leaders who, once they have been empowered, do all they can to stay in power and thwart any move to democratise. These autocrats and their sycophants will bark their ideologies to all and sundry. They expect their people to believe their worldview so that they remain in power. Those who oppose them in their own country are often treated harshly so that they would be able inject fear into the society to silence any further dissent. Unfortunately for them, the advent of the Internet has seriously limited their ability to keep their citizens ignorant and quiet for long. Competing views which tend to be more liberal in nature do crop up and challenge the existing order. The so called "Arab Spring", though nascent, has exposed some world leaders to be nothing more than barking dogs. The people in Tunisia and Egypt were a little more fortunate that they were able to remove their barking dogs with less loss of life than in neighbouring Libya. At least Ben Ali and Mubarak knew that the jig was up when their people clearly turned against them. Gaddafi, on the other hand, continued to bark and even turned rabid when his people wanted him gone. Who can forget his famous lines, "my people love me, my people love me all", that was carried on the cable news networks. He was so out of touch with his people and reality that it would have been comical, if not for his attempted massacre of his own people. The hope for those countries that have successfully removed their autocrats is that their people will be freer and be able to put in place a democratic process that cannot be easily undone by any aspiring dictator. The only advice I would give them is that they avoid choosing those politicians who bark the loudest who want to show them to the promise land but take away their freedom. They need to remember that the moment a person enters politics, regardless of whether the person wears a military uniform, religious paraphernalia, a doctor's white coat or even a suit and tie, that person is a politician. A politician wants people's support so that he or she will be in power. You can give your trust but don't ever give away your freedom, especially your freedom to remove the politician who you trusted in the first place. In Malaysia's case, it seems that the people are fairly circumspect of their politicians and that is certainly a sign of our political maturity. The message that the people are sending the politicians is that they prefer a two-party system but both coalitions, as is our case in Malaysia, need to appeal more to the centre. A group called "Himpun" that wanted to gather a million people to support its claim of rising apostasy in Malaysia only managed to get a few thousand people on Saturday to support them. Malaysian Muslims know that there is no threat to Islam in this country. Even when Malay rights group Perkasa wanted to have a counter gathering against election reform group Bersih a few months ago, there was little support. The majority of the Malays feel fairly secure that their interests will not be sidelined regardless of whoever wins the next election. The Malays know that they are the majority and in terms of parliamentary seats they have a disproportionately larger share of the seats because of the rural bias in the seat distribution. Even the hudud issue will not gain much traction among the Malays or Muslims in Malaysia as many know that it would not be practical in our multiracial society. The biggest problem for both Pakatan Rakyat and Barisan Nasional is that they are influenced by a few fringe groups that are clamouring loudly. Both coalitions need to listen to the centre as they are the majority of the voters, though this group tends not to be less vocal. But what is the centre in Malaysia? I will try to define the centre though I realise that I may be biased as I am looking at it through the eyes of a liberal. READ MORE HERE |
| Recent events have been illuminating, have they not? Posted: 23 Oct 2011 06:15 PM PDT Now things are different. More and more people are openly questioning what's being done in our names. And yet, whilst as individuals we rejoice in having intelligent children who ask us lots of questions, as a society we seem to think it perfectly acceptable to deny older youngsters from reaching their full potential by learning how to think critically. Farah Fahmy, The Malaysian Insider The suspension of Prof Dr Abdul Aziz Bari last week was disappointing. Universities are supposed to be places where critical thinking is honed. If an academic can be suspended from his post for merely commenting on a matter in which he is an expert, then what hope is there for our students? I learnt a lot of things at university, but not as much, I think, as some of the Japanese students on my course who were genuinely surprised to learn about Japanese atrocities during World War II. It was at university that I started questioning some of the assumptions that I had held about our country and our society. But, you see, I was lucky. I studied abroad and had teachers whose first duty was to broaden the minds of the students they taught. In our country, university students have to abide by the Akta Universiti dan Kolej Universiti (AUKU), which, among other things, forbids students from joining any political parties. Not only that, students are also prohibited from expressing any support or opposition towards any political parties. Strange, isn't it? In our country, the brightest young minds are expressly forbidden from taking part in shaping our society and our future. What a pity. I happen to think that society and by extension, a country, cannot stay static in its views. Once upon a time, our society deferred to those who led us. We didn't question the judgment of our leaders. Those who did were expelled from the club (remember a certain young doctor in the late 1960s?), cast out, for daring to question the status quo. Now things are different. More and more people are openly questioning what's being done in our names. And yet, whilst as individuals we rejoice in having intelligent children who ask us lots of questions, as a society we seem to think it perfectly acceptable to deny older youngsters from reaching their full potential by learning how to think critically. And now this sorry episode of the suspended academic; and for such a silly reason too. What he said was hardly earth-shattering. Then there's Jakim going around saying that many Muslims no longer respect the authority of our Sultans. Lest I be accused of committing lese-majesté, may I respectfully remind Jakim that this is hardly surprising, given the antics of certain members of the royal family in Kelantan, Johor and Negri Sembilan in recent years. Then there's the furore surrounding Lim Guan Eng's son. What a foul taste that has left in my mouth. Whatever the rights or wrongs of the situation, have we forgotten that one is innocent until proven guilty, and to paraphrase a famous saying, the doings of the father should not be visited on the son? This surely is a new low. I thought calling Dr Wan Azizah a "pelacur politik" was bad enough but you could at least argue that as a political figure, she was fair game. Attacking the son of a political opponent? Disgusting. No matter what he did, Lim Guan Eng's son should not have his picture plastered online, and neither should anyone comment on unproven allegations. What's more, the remarks of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin are at best an embarrassment. He admitted that he did not have any information about the claims, but he couldn't keep his mouth shut, could he? No, he had to weigh in and give his two cents' worth too. READ MORE HERE |
| RM7.55 bil armoured carriers: DAP goes ballistic Posted: 23 Oct 2011 06:09 PM PDT The government will pay RM7.55-billion for 257 APCs, four times more than an originally intended deal made earlier this year. (Free Malaysia Today) - Under a new agreement, the government will pay RM7.55 billion for 257 armored personnel carriers (APCs), four times more for the same deal made earlier this year. However, the government claims to have no knowledge of the February deal for 257 Turkish Pars 8×8 APCs, which at the time, cost US$559 million (RM1.749 billion). This irked DAP's PJ Utara MP Tony Pua, who launched an attack on the government. "Minister of Defence Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was there to witness the signing between (Turkish company) FNSS and (Malaysian company) Deftech," he said. Speaking to reporters in Parliament, he said the difference in price is so big that a responsible government must ask, "What are the differences that make up the gap (between the two prices)?" On Oct 18, Pua asked the defence minister in Parliament why the government was willing to spend RM7.8 billion for the 257 APCs. In a written response, Zahid replied: "The finalised price for the procurement of 257 APCs is RM7.55 billion for a period of seven years from 2011 to 2018, and not RM7.8 billion as said." "The Defence Ministry has no information over the 257 APCs by Deftech… with Turkey's FNSS for the price of US$559 million. Therefore, the question is out of the ministry's knowledge." According to a Jun 3 BAE Systems news release, military equipment manufacturer FNSS signed a US$559-million letter of offer and acceptance from Deftech Sdn Bhd for the design, development and building of the 257 APCs. READ MORE HERE |
| Southeast Asia Mints More Millionaires Posted: 23 Oct 2011 06:08 PM PDT By Eric Bellman, Wall Street Journal If you've been placed on another long waiting list to buy a Breitling or a BMW, it may be because Southeast Asia is spawning a growing number of the world's newest nouveau riche. The number of millionaires almost tripled in Singapore over the last year and a half while it came close to doubling in both Indonesia and Malaysia, according to a report this week from Credit Suisse Group. When compared to the numbers from the report released early last year, those three countries alone have given birth to close to 190,000 new millionaires since the beginning of last year according to the report, which did not give figures for the Philippines or Thailand. That total is short of the 212,000 new millionaires minted in China over the same period but well ahead of the other BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia and India) which had each added less than 100,000 new millionaires. So where is all the new money coming from? Much of the rise is just a reflection of the weakening dollar, which makes the Singapore dollar- and rupiah-denominated riches look more impressive when translated into U.S. dollars. Otherwise it can be attributed to growing savings, stock and property prices. Credit-Suisse defines wealth as a person's financial and real estate assets minus their debt. The number of people with wealth of more than $1 million shot up by 118,000 in Singapore during the period to 183,000, which means the small city state is one of the places you are most likely to randomly bump into a millionaire. Even the average Singaporean is wealthy compared to the rest of the world. Average household wealth was $285,000 in the middle of this year, the report said. That makes Singaporeans the fifth wealthiest in the world (after Switzerland, Australia, Norway and France.) Malaysia added 19,000 new millionaires over the 18 months, bringing its total to 39,000. Meanwhile the number of millionaires in Indonesia jumped by 52,000 people to 112,000. Interestingly, Indonesia had 12 billionaires by the middle of this year, according to Credit-Suisse's calculations, more than Singapore and Malaysia combined. Average wealth in Indonesia – which is Southeast Asia's largest economy but has a population of around 240 million – was lower than its neighbors at around $12,000. That's still a great improvement from the turn of the century when it was as lows as $2,000. "The rise in personal wealth in Indonesia has been stunning since the year 2000, with average wealth growing by a factor of five," the report said. Strong currencies, rising property prices, climbing commodity prices and healthy stock markets have helped the region but the real secret to Southeast Asia's success may be how stingy money makers are here. Average household debt which offsets much of savings and investments in Western countries is very low in the region. It's only 13% of total assets in Singapore and 2.5% of total assets in Indonesia. |
| No action against ‘notorious’ military contractors Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:57 PM PDT Defence Ministry keeps errant contractors despite reminders from Auditor-General's Office. (Free Malaysia Today) - The Defence Ministry refused to take stern action against 10 errant contractors who were awarded contracts worth RM76 million for work delays despite being notified by the Auditor-General's Office. Each of these companies recorded various levels of delay in repairing the air force's Aviation Ground Support Vehicles (AGSV). The 2010 AG's Report noted that instead of severely censoring them, the ministry extended their contracts. In its rebuke, the AG noted that the ministry did nothing more than issue these notorious contractors warning letters. "And their contracts were extended till Dec 6 last year although their contracts were supposed to expire on June 5," noted the report. It noted that the companies most notorious for their delay in delivery of repaired vehicles were Kobat Engineering Sdn Bhd, Sesama Auto Sdn Bhd, Aerospace Technology System Corporation Sdn Bhd and Aviasi Industri Sdn Bhd. Kobat Engineering had the worst track record, while another company Aviasi took more than a year to repair and return a towing truck to the ministry. "And the excuse they gave is lack of expertise, no spare parts and sometimes say they couldn't even find what's the problem with the vehicle," noted the AG's Report. READ MORE HERE |
| 'Wrong to question those who fought communists' Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:53 PM PDT By Rozanna Latif, NST KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said questioning the sacrifices of police officers who fought against the communists is "an unforgivable sin" akin to an act of treason. He said the police officers who had given their lives to fight the communist threat had ensured that the country did not suffer the same fate as nations like Cambodia, which fell under a totalitarian communist regime.
"Here, the communists were eventually forced to admit that they had lost the battle for the people's hearts and minds, partly as a result of the sacrifices made by heroic police officers. To deny these officers' heroism is an inexcusable betrayal and a sin that cannot be forgiven," said Najib at a gathering with retired and former police officers at the Putra World Trade Centre here yesterday. He said investigations had revealed that Muhammad Ahmad Indera (Mat Indera), who led the attack on a police station in Bukit Kepong in 1950, was a communist. In a recording of an interview with police officers, Mat Indera admitted to being a member of the Malayan Communist Party. "There is a book titled Dialogues with Chin Peng in which (MCP leader) Chin Peng himself claimed that Mat Indera was a member," said Najib, adding that plans were under way to enact a memorial in Bukit Kepong to commemorate the incident.
Later, Najib said the evidence might be made public. "We have to take a stand against people who say such heartbreaking things about those who had sacrificed so much for our country's peace." Present at the gathering of more than 6,000 retired and former police officers and their families were Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar, Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusop and former IGP Tun Hanif Omar.
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| Malaysia on track for Digital Economy by 2020 Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:47 PM PDT (Bernama) - KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is on the right path towards a digital economy by 2020 amid strong demand for new technology, says Nielsen, a leading global information and analytics provider. There is strong interest for new technology as Malaysians are ready for the changes as shown in the Malaysian Digital Consumer Report 2011, said Luca Griseri, Nielsen Malaysia director of customised research, client services.
Malaysia's digital transformation programme is going to change consumers' behaviour, he told a press conference after the launch of the Malaysian Digital Consumer Report 2011 here today. Griseri said the report revealed that the take-up rate for smartphones and tablet computers is gaining significant momentum in Malaysia, and therefore the industry must ensure easy access for these devices.
"Smartphone ownership is expected to double in the next 12 months to reach 89 per cent from 48 per cent currently, while tablet computers is likely to reach 75 per cent from 18 per cent presently," he said.
To ensure a successful digital transformation programme, Griseri said telco players and the government need good cooperation to deliver the infrastructure and network capacity to enable Malaysians to enjoy new techology and devices. Griseri said Malaysia is still lagging behind Singapore and Thailand in terms of Internet penetration and usage of new technology due to lack of infrastructure and geographical issues such as Malaysia being surrounded by forests.
He said online advertising spending will continue to increase given the rising demand for tablet computers and smartphones, as well as consumers spending more hours online.
The report showed Malaysians spend nearly 20 hours online per week. Griseri said it is important for traditional media such as television and radio to integrate with online media to ensure a successful digital industry.
The Malaysian Digital Consumer Report 2011 examines Internet and techology trends in the usage patterns and future uptake in the Malaysian market.
Conducted in June and July 2011, a total of 1,321 interviews were completed among Malaysian consumers aged 15 and above. -- BERNAMA
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| Soi Lek tells people to be ‘less hateful’, ‘less jealous’ Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:34 PM PDT By Lisa J Ariffin, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 24 — Leaders will have less to worry if the rakyat can be less hateful, less jealous, more forgiving, Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said today. "We have to unshackle the grip on social discontentment and think positively ahead to create a Malaysian society that has great compassion, innovativeness and creativeness to move forward," the MCA president said in his Deepavali message.
"The last thing that Malaysia needs now is communal conflicts or being embroiled in social or political upheaval," he added.
Dr Chua (picture) said the many initiatives outlined by the government including the goodies announced during the recent budget are examples of a caring government.
"These are all in line with the 1 Malaysia agenda and the government needs the full backing of the people to continue with its ongoing activities to cater to the expectations and aspirations of the people," he said.
He added that Malaysians must celebrate but have to remind themselves "not to overspend, overindulge or splurge on unnecessary things or outings that we can do without".
"We need more of the good-feel factor in our lives to uplift our spirits to face the current challenging times in the world economy."
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| Nine ministries overspent RM3.73b, says government audit Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:29 PM PDT By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 24 — Nine ministries and government departments overspent last year's overall operational allocation by a total of RM3.73 billion, according to the Auditor-General's Report released today. The ministries include the Education Ministry, Health Ministry, Home Ministry, Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Ministry, Public Service Department, Attorney-General's Department, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and the Public Services Commission. The report stated that the overspending in several ministries was unavoidable due to additional activities and unscheduled payments. "According to financial rules, an expenditure can only be carried out if the approved financial allocation was enough. The audit checks found that this rule was not fully abided by several ministries who have overspent beyond what has been allocated. READ MORE HERE. |
| Auditor-General: Putrajaya risked lives in delaying Bukit Jalil stadium roof repair Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:27 PM PDT By Debra Chong, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 24 — Putrajaya risked public safety when it took four years to approve funds to repair the damaged roof at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, the Auditor-General said in his report released today. The report highlighted that the Merdeka Stadium Corporation (MSC), a federal statutory body responsible for the management of all national sports complexes, had applied to repair damage to the Bukit Jalil Stadium a total of four times since 2006. The government finally approved RM30 million to repair the damaged stadium (picture) in December last year, the report added. "The Auditor is of the view the delay in completing the roof repairs at Bukit Jalil National Stadium... was because the government did not approve the allocation applied for since 2006. "This could jeopardise the comfort of users who would be exposed to the rain and endanger their safety if the roof collapsed especially for international events," the report said. The report said the 90,000-capacity stadium had a 10-year warranty for the German-made membrane roof cover, which expired in 2008, but noted MSC could not get a replacement roof because it was damaged by fireworks. It noted too the stadium, which has hosted 2,100 events between 2008 and 2010, require other immediate repairs and pointed out rusty and loose cable screws holding up the roof. READ MORE HERE |
| 2010 national debt at RM407b: what are the implications in layman terms? Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:27 PM PDT Everything in Malaysia will be owned by the foreigners because of the chain-reaction; the banks will be owned by foreigners, thus all those who borrow or depend on the banks; the loans, the business, the business ventures, homes, houses, properties, land and shares (they bought from bank loans) will all be owned by the foreigners. Nawawi Mohamad, The Malaysian Insider The national debt consists of internal debt (owed to lenders within the country) and external debt (owed to foreign lenders). Governments usually borrow by issuing government bonds and securities (IOU documents) and simply borrow directly from local money institutions. Repayments will then be made based on a schedule and periodical timeframe that will determine when the repayment or instalment is due and the quantum plus interest and the promised dividends. As long as the payment schedule is met, everything is fine but when there is a default (the government not able to pay as scheduled) it is the first indication of when the situation is beginning to turn bad. The next step is to re-schedule the payment, make the repayment amount lower by making the period longer and increase the interest which otherwise the lender will not agree. They want more money at the end of it. The whole process is similar to the Ah Long business but with all the formalities and legalities in place. Next, if the situation gets worse, the government has to borrow more money to pay the instalments. The Malay phrase for it is "gali lubang, tutup lubang". This is what in fact is going to happen now. With the ever increasing budget, unmitigated wastages or leakages and slow growth, default in payments to the lenders is imminent. Slow growth means the overall economic activities and productivity is low which in most part is directly influenced by the world economy. Even if I am wrong, why wait until the time comes when the Umno/BN government can do something about it now? The Umno/BN government must start the austerity drive now before it is too late. It must reduce spending now when there is still room to manoeuvre. It is a tactical retreat; not to lose, but a necessary move to win. By the time when Malaysia needs some foreign funds to survive like Greece, it would be too late. By that time there will be mayhem. Everything in Malaysia will be owned by the foreigners because of the chain-reaction; the banks will be owned by foreigners, thus all those who borrow or depend on the banks; the loans, the business, the business ventures, homes, houses, properties, land and shares (they bought from bank loans) will all be owned by the foreigners. READ MORE HERE |
| Holland bans Malaysian logs Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:25 PM PDT (FMT) - KUCHING: Whilst Sarawak continues to turn its nose on international regulations over timber certifications, Netherlands has ruled that wood from Malaysia is not worthy of entry onto its shores. The country's Independent Appeals Board in Amsterdam recently ruled that Malaysia's regulations governing forestation was well below world standards. Ruling in favour of international NGO Greenpeace, the Board concurred with Greenpeace's complaint that Malaysia's wood certification scheme fell below the acceptable world standards and was not a badge of good practice. Greenpeace's complaint was based on 'solid evidence and international reports' which it had compiled and presented to the Board. According to the Appeals Board judgment, the Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS) had demonstrated: i) No respect for the rights of indigenous peoples, ii) Maps of MTCS certified forests are not adequately accessible to the public, iii) The EIAs used for environmental impact assessment in Malaysia are inadequate to assess sustainability and iv) No guarantee can be given that MTCS certified forests do not disappear for other land uses, such as plantations. The decision simply means that the Dutch will ban wood products certified under the MTCS from entering the country. Tighter laws The Dutch government policy on the import of raw materials must comply with general European Commission (EC) policy, and with respect to this product the guidelines set by the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO). The EC follows basic tenets in their Environmental Action Programme (EAP). The EAP states that wood can only be imported from tropical areas that are managed and practice sustainable wood harvesting practices. Netherlands along with a host of other countries are complying with European Union (EU) efforts to standardise basic trade regulations in the bloc. FMT learnt that certain locales within Netherland and in neighbouring countries within the EU bloc have already banned the use of tropical hard woods in construction projects especially those imported from Malaysia and to a lesser extent Indonesia. Stubborn Sarawak However this doesn't seem to bother Sarawak. Last week State Second Resource Planning and Environment Minister Awang Tengah Ali Hassan stubbornly said Sarawak will not comply with international timber certification and trade regulations. He said the state "already has its own set of timber industry policies". READ MORE HERE. |
| Maddening hike in house prices Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:24 PM PDT The spiralling costs of houses are making life for the lower- and middle-income earners difficult to endure. He said the middle- and lower-income groups are forced to purchase their homes out-of -town since they cannot sustain the high cost of living in the urban areas. B Nantha Kumar, Free Malaysia Today What is the cost of a 480-sq-ft studio apartment, which is half the size of a PPR (People Housing Project) flat? If your guess is less than RM200,00 then you got it wrong. The real cost of such a place of dwelling is RM230,000 and this does not include car park charges, maintenance fees and other additional bills. But bear in mind this studio apartment is not in the centre of Kuala Lumpur or even at up-market locations like Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Hartamas or Kenny Hills. Instead, it is in Seri Kembangan, near Balakong, some 15km away from the federal capital. Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) chairman Dr Mohd Nasir Hashim, who had been critical of the maddening hike in house prices, said that the problem was affecting Malaysians, especially the lower- and middle-income groups which make the bulk of the population. The problem is further complicated by the government "which appears to favour housing developers", he said. "The federal and state governments never monitor house prices, allowing the developers to set exorbitant prices. "Although house prices are set according to land value, environment and facilities provided, developers still charge high prices, saying that there is an increase in the cost of raw materials… but the hike in price of these materials is not in tandem with the high house prices," he added. Nasir, who is also Kota Damansara state assemblyman, said developers were not interested in building low-cost houses due to the thin profit margin. "Their main aim is profit ," he said, adding that more than 140 abandoned projects in Selangor were mostly for low-cost houses. "This is because the government always favours developers… claiming that the prices of houses are dependent on market forces," said Nasir. He said the middle- and lower-income groups are forced to purchase their homes out-of -town since they cannot sustain the high cost of living in the urban areas. "As a result, they will have to spend more on transport… and this is a new financial burden for them," he added. Unable to save for rainy day 
Those who wish to buy these "luxury" houses in the city will also have to fork out more to repay their housing loans. According to statistics, a person who buys an expensive home spends nearly 50% of his total income servicing his housing loan. "Thus he is not able to save for a rainy day or for old age or for a child's education," said Nasir. Nasir said the migration of the middle and lower income groups to the outskirts has also resulted in foreign workers taking up renting space in the cities. "I can say that there is no political will to solve this problems." He suggested that the government, be it federal or state, form a housing commission to monitor house prices and curb excessive profiteering by developers. "The commission can work as a watchdog so that the people would be able to buy houses at a more reasonable price as opposed to the current open market system," he added. He also suggested that the government build more good quality low-cost houses so that those who need homes would get "value for money" homes. He said the middle-income group in the country shuns low-cost houses because of their poor quality. "The government should come up with houses that are spacious, and not pigeon-holes with one or two rooms for a family of five or six," said Nasir. READ MORE HERE |
| Thumbs up for good paymaster S’gor Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:23 PM PDT By Teoh El Sen, FMT PETALING JAYA: The Selangor state government has been lauded in the 2010 Auditor-General's Report for its "very good" performance in decreasing public debts. "Performance in payment of public debt in 2010 was very good because public debt dropped by RM58.91 million whereas loan repayment arrears were reduced by RM173.47 million," said the report. The report showed that in 2010, the Pakatan Rakyat-controlled state's debt to the federal government had decreased by 5.5% (RM58.91 million) – from RM1,004.64 million (2010) compared to RM1,063.55million (2009). The loan repayment arrears were reduced by 20.9% from RM829.86 million (2009) to RM656.39 million (2010). Among others, this achievement was due to a repayment of loans on lost-cost houses (RM52.42 million), forest farming project (RM6.49 million), an exemption from interest rates for all outstanding loans on a water supply project and a write-off of all arrears on the same loan from the federal government. "Consolidated state revenue recorded a surplus of RM124.24 million compared to the deficit of RM65.96 million in 2009," the report stated. Describing Selangor's financial position as "satisfactory", the report said the state's consolidated funds increased by RM266.91 million (20.2%) to RM1,586.88 million (2010) compared to RM1,319.97 million in 2009. However, the state's revenue dropped by 10.9%, a decrease of RM192.36 million to RM1,571.50 million (2010) from RM1,763.86 million in the previous year. READ MORE HERE. |
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