Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Johor cop jailed, fined RM1.7m for money laundering
- The Sultans’ Daulat is a Myth
- ‘Suspend all who attended meeting’
- Police disallow Janji Democracy
- Senator Syed Husin Ali sued over alleged defamation in book
- Battle Royale in Lembah Pantai (UPDATED WITH BANK ACCOUNT DETAILS)
- Rosli Dahlan triumphs again!
- Why I joined the DAP
- DAP says has always been against defections
- ‘Free water policy unwise’
- Anwar urged to resolve dispute over allocation of seats
- DAP recruits political analyst
- Guan Eng denies DAP at war with PAS
- Guan Eng continues to push for anti-hopping law
- Why re-negotiate oil deal in private?
- ‘Musa making same mistake as Harris’
- Do ghosts and spirits exist?
- Merdeka ‘no relevance’ to Sabah, Sarawak
- British paper fires pro-Israel columnist over undisclosed Malaysia news fixing
- The debt driven 5.4% GDP growth in Q2 2012
- We Need You on 308
| Johor cop jailed, fined RM1.7m for money laundering Posted: 27 Aug 2012 04:15 AM PDT
(Bernama) - A police superintendent was today sentenced to two years jail for each of the four counts of money laundering by the Sessions Court here. Azmi Osman, 55, was also fined RM1.75 million for the offences committed between 2002 and 2005. Johor Baru Sessions Court Judge Salawati Djambari ordered the sentence on Azmi to run concurrently after finding him guilty under the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001. Salawati later allowed Azmi to be freed on RM900,000 bail in two sureties and a stay of execution pending an appeal on the decision. In November last year, Johor Baru High Court Judge Datuk Abdul Halim Aman had set aside the decision of the Sessions Court and directed the case to be transferred back to the Sessions Court in which Salawati had acquitted Azmi following the failure of the prosecution to prove a prima facie against the accused. Azmi, who is currently suspended from duty, was alleged to have committed the four offences of money laundering totalling RM3.8 million between 2002 and 2005 when he was an officer of the Secret Societies, Gambling and Vice Division in Johor. For the first and second charges, the accused was alleged to have received RM2.08 million and RM679,850 proceeds from money laundering through his Maybank current account in Mentakab, Pahang between February 6 and December 20, 2002 as well as January 15 and October 2 in 2003. For the third and fourth charges, he was alleged to have received RM941,930 and RM250,000 for the same activity through another Maybank current account at the City Square Shopping Centre, Johor Baru on January 13, 2004 and April 5 in 2005, respectively. Prosecution was conducted by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission deputy public prosecutors Hazril Harun and Mohd Farez Abd Rahman while the accused was represented by Adam Yap and CN Sritharan.
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| Posted: 26 Aug 2012 09:43 PM PDT
Even though it has deep roots in Malay society, this daulat thing is a myth. The Japanese, despite their own "Sun Goddess" tradition, had no difficulty disabusing Malay rajas and their subjects of this myth. The surprise was not how quickly the sultans lost their power and prestige, or how quickly they adapted to their new plebian status during the Japanese Occupation, rather how quickly the Malay masses accepted this new reality of their rajas being ordinary mortals sans daulat. M. Bakri Musa Book Review: Ampun Tuanku. A Brief Guide to Constitutional Government. Zaid Ibrahim. ZI Publications, Petaling Jaya, 2012. ISBN 9 789675 266263 256 pp, RM As a youngster in 1960 I had secured for myself a commanding view high atop a coconut tree to watch the funeral procession of the first King, Tuanku Abdul Rahman. My smug demonstration of my perched position drew the attention of the village elders below. They were none too pleased and immediately ordered me down. "Sultans have daulat," they admonished, "you cannot be above them." Apparently even dead sultans maintained their daulat. I did not dare challenge my elders as to what would happen once the king was buried; then we all would be above him. To put things in perspective, this attribution of special or divine powers to rulers is not unique to Malay culture. The ancient Chinese Emperors too had their Tianming, Mandate from Heaven. That however, was not enough to protect them. Even though it has deep roots in Malay society, this daulat thing is a myth. The Japanese, despite their own "Sun Goddess" tradition, had no difficulty disabusing Malay rajas and their subjects of this myth. The surprise was not how quickly the sultans lost their power and prestige, or how quickly they adapted to their new plebian status during the Japanese Occupation, rather how quickly the Malay masses accepted this new reality of their rajas being ordinary mortals sans daulat. Only days before the Japanese landed, any Malay peasant who perchance made eye contact with his sultan, may Allah have mercy on him for the sultan certainly would not. When the Japanese took over, those rajas had to scramble with the other villagers for what few fish there were in the river and what scarce mushrooms they could scrape in the jungle. Nobody was bothered with or took heed of the daulat thing. So much for it being deeply entrenched in our culture! To pursue my point, had the Malayan Union succeeded, our sultans today would have been all tanjak (ceremonial weapon) and desta (headgear); they would have as much status and power as the Sultan of Sulu. Across the Strait of Malacca, hitherto Malay sultans are now reduced to ordinary citizens. They and their society are none the worse for that. Today's slightly better educated Malay sultans and crown princes (there are no crown princesses, let it be noted) would like us to believe in yet another myth, this time based not on our culture but constitution. They believe that it provides them with that extra "something" beyond their being mere constitutional head. This new myth, like all good fiction, has just a tinge of reality to it. The Reid Commission had envisaged the Conference of Rulers to be the third House of Parliament, after the elected House of Representatives and the appointed Senate. It would be a greatly reduced House of Lords as it were, to provide much-needed "final thought" to new legislations. That assumption had considerable merit, at least in theory. As membership is hereditary, those rulers would be spared from having to pander to the masses as those elected Members of Parliament, or please their political patrons as with the senators. Additionally, this third house would be non-partisan. An expression of this "Third House of Parliament" function is that all senior governmental including ministerial appointments have to be ratified by the Conference of Rulers. However, unlike the transparent deliberations of the "advice and consent" function of the United States Senates where senior appointees are subjected to open confirmation hearings, the proceedings of the Conference are secret. We know only those who have been accepted, not those rejected or why. Zaid Ibrahim's Ampun Tuanku. A Brief Guide to Constitutional Government addresses what should be in his view the proper role of sultans in the Malaysian brand of constitutional monarchy, specifically whether they have this "something extra" beyond what is explicitly stated in the constitution. As a lawyer Zaid is uniquely qualified to write on the matter. He is no ordinary lawyer, having once headed the country's largest legal firm and served as the nation's de facto Law Minister. The title notwithstanding, this highly readable book is more persuasive than descriptive; more political science treatise, less legal brief. The expository flow is smooth, logical and highly convincing. It is refreshingly free of legal jargon or references to court cases that typically pollute commentaries by lawyers. To Zaid, the constitution does indeed grant Malay sultans that something extra, but not in their capacity as the titular head of the government, rather as their being head of Islam and defender of the faith. Zaid explores the many wonderful opportunities possible as a consequence of this second function without having to invoke additional "special powers." I will pursue his novel ideas and wonderful suggestions later. At 40 pages, his chapter on this issue ("The Rulers and Islamization") is the longest, and deserves careful reading especially by the royal class. He puts forth many innovative ideas that if pursued would benefit not only Malays but also all Malaysians. With active and enlightened engagement by the rulers and Agong, Islam would emancipate Malays just as it did the ancient Bedouins, and in the process enhance race relations. That would be a pleasant if somewhat radical departure from the current environment where Islam not only deeply polarizes Malays but also sows much interfaith and interracial distrust. In all other aspects the sultans and Agong are bound by what is explicitly stated in the constitution. Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy, Zaid stresses, and our sultans and Agong must abide by the wishes of the rakyat as expressed through their elected representatives in the executive branch. If citizens have made their wishes clear through an election that they would prefer a certain party and individuals to lead them or certain legislations enacted, the sultan must abide by that decision regardless of where his personal sympathy lies. In short, there are no penumbras of rights and privileges emanating from those hallowed clauses of our constitution. The matter is clear: Sultans are bound by the law. Sultans cannot claim a penumbra of power based on daulat or divine mandate, as the Sultan as well as the Raja Muda of Perak tried to argue recently. Daulat is fiction.
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| ‘Suspend all who attended meeting’ Posted: 26 Aug 2012 09:23 PM PDT The recent leak of a closed-door meeting involving Penang DCM Mansor Othman was a 'clear act of sabotage', claims PKR. Athi Shankar, FMT GEORGE TOWN: PKR's top brass must immediately suspend those who attended the now leaked closed-door unofficial meeting with state chairman Mansor Othman, pending a probe on their alleged internal misconduct. State PKR information chief Johari Kassim insisted that the leadership should not hesitate to sack any of them if found guilty as charged in the internal investigation. He said the leak was a clear act of sabotage on the party that the central leadership cannot ignore and step aside. He said it was obvious that one or more among them could have leaked out the information to serve own selfish interests and the party disciplinary committee must act fast to punish them. "Obviously the culprits who leaked the meeting details did not hold dear the party's best interests. "All those who attended the meeting should be hauled up to the dock and suspended immediately pending investigation. "If anyone is found guilty, sack instantly to teach others a lesson. It's the best way to deal with it or else it will happen again," warned Johari. Lim 'cocky and arrogant' The meeting was held in May in Mansor's DCM office in Komtar. In the leaked details, Mansor had allegedly described Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng as "cocky and arrogant". However, last Friday, Mansor denied describing Lim as "cocky and arrogant" but admitted saying that Lim was being revered like a "tokong" (deity) by Chinese voters in Penang. In its postings in June 16, 18 and 19, the blog revealed that PKR's state deputy chief and Batu Kawan division chief Law Choo Kiang; Bukit Bendera division deputy chief Felix Ooi; Bayan Baru deputy chairman Tan Seng Keat; 2004 candidate for Bayan Baru parliament seat Raymond Ong; Tanjung Youth chief Ng Chek Siang; Batu Uban branch chief Cheah Peng Guan and Mansor's assistant John Ooi attended the meeting. Party insiders and political observers view the controversy as part of a conspiracy by certain PKR local reps to kick out Mansor from state PKR altogether.
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| Police disallow Janji Democracy Posted: 26 Aug 2012 09:20 PM PDT It will violate Peaceful Assembly Act, says top Dan Wangi cop. Teoh El Sen, FMT Police today declared as illegal the Bersih-linked Promise of Democracy (Janji Democracy) gathering to be held at Dataran Merdeka on the eve of Merdeka Day. Dang Wangi district police chief ACP Zainuddin Ahmad has told the organisers to cancel it and warned the public against participating in it. Speaking to FMT, Zainuddin said the statements made this afternoon by Maria Chin Abdullah, a representative of the Coalition of Promises (Gabungan Janji), were inaccurate. Chin's statements came after the group had a dialogue with the police chief. "I did not give them the green light actually, if that was the impression given [in her press conference]," he said. "In fact, the first words that came out of my mouth were that they had already violated the law." He said that under Section 9(1) of the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012, the organisers should have submitted an official notification to the police of their gathering 10 days before the event. "Since that was not done, it is illegal under the law, and I did not allow it. But if they said they would go ahead anyway, which I had advised against, then I may have to take action based on public safety and order," he said. Asked if anyone would be charged with the violation, he replied: "We shall see. If they The law provides for a maximum fine of RM10,000. Asked if police would make arrests, Zainuddin said it was possible under the law. "We will monitor it," he said. "We have the right to detain or take action against those who break the rules." He added that under Section 83 and 84 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which deals with unlawful assemblies, the police were empowered to order the dispersal of such assemblies and use reasonable force if such orders were ignored. He said that so far no police station in the Dang Wangi district had received any complaint against the gathering. Asked if he accepted the group's argument that the gathering was simply to celebrate Merdeka, Zainuddin said the group was obviously promoting Bersih, which "has done all sorts of things". Referring to plans by the Preservation of Jalan Sultan Committee (PJSC), Zainuddin said the group was celebrating their community and heritage and he did not see any problems arising from them having a gathering. However, he said this group too would be breaching Section 9(1).
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| Senator Syed Husin Ali sued over alleged defamation in book Posted: 26 Aug 2012 09:14 PM PDT
(NST) - Kulim-Bandar Baru member of parliament Datuk Zulkifli Noordin has sued Senator Dr Syed Husin Ali over alleged defamation contained in the latter's Malay language book entitled 'Memoir Perjuangan Politik Syed Husin Ali'. Zulkifli, who filed the suit through Messrs Kamarul Hisham and Hasnal Rezua on Friday, alleged in his statement of claim that the book implied that he had agreed to resign as Kulim Bandar Baru MP in order to allow Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to contest in a by-election. He further alleged that the words in the book implied that he had asked Parti Keadilan Rakyat for RM60,000 to vacate the seat and that he had conspired with Umno to gain politically and financially by smearing PKR and Anwar. Zulkifli added that the allegations were not true and had damaged his reputation. He is claiming for general, exemplary and aggravated damages and an injunction to stop the defendant from re-producing the said words. Zulkifli's lawyer Hasnal Rezua told reporters yesterday that this suit emanated from the defamation suit filed by Syed Husin against Zulkifli and two others earlier this year. In that suit, Syed Husin alleged that Utusan Melayu (Malaysia) Bhd and its editor in chief Datuk Abdul Aziz Izhak had, with malicious intent, published words defamatory to him in an article dated Nov 20, 2011 headlined, "Zul Noordin nafi dakwaan Syed Husin" (Zul Noordin denies allegation by Syed Husin). Syed Husin had also claimed that Zulkifli had posted the same article in his personal website although under a different heading, "Anjing-anjing Pencen" (Retired Dogs). Yesterday, Hasnal and Syed Husin's lawyer N. Surendran, met High Court judge Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera in chambers for case management. The suit by Syed Husin against Zulkifli, Utusan Malaysia and Abdul Aziz is fixed for trial on Thursday. |
| Battle Royale in Lembah Pantai (UPDATED WITH BANK ACCOUNT DETAILS) Posted: 26 Aug 2012 08:28 PM PDT
If the total number of registered voters is about 70,000, we can expect a voter turnout of about 50,000, plus-minus. That would be an increase in voter-turnout of about 9,000. Now, Nurul Izzah's majority in March 2008 was less than 3,000 votes or just 7%. This does not give her too much room to play with. It is certainly touch and go from where I am sitting, even though I am sitting thousands of miles away. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin Is Nurul Izzah losing her grip? The Malay Mail In the last general election, Nurul Izzah Anwar was 'David' against Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil's 'Goliath' in the battle for Lembah Pantai. The eldest daughter of Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim achieved what opposition colleagues Zainur Zakaria and Tun Salleh Abas could not -- wrest the parliamentary constituency from the charismatic Shahrizat. However, four years later, words on the ground have it that Nurul Izzah is losing support to Umno's Datuk Seri Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin. In what can be called a role reversal, the Barisan Nasional (BN) senator has been hard at work turun padang, speaking to the people and using his position as Federal Territories and Urban Well-being Minister to address their problems, ranging from City Hall issues, housing and business related problems. Seri Pahang flats resident Mohd Shardi Hashim, 34, an ardent fan of Raja Nong Chik, pointed out that the latter was more 'people savvy' and had contributed a lot to the Lembah Pantai folks. "He made a lot of changes and assisted us in many ways. He goes to the ground often and talks to the people. He also listens to our problems and addresses them, especially on housing. On the other hand, I seldom see Nurul Izzah. I don't know what she has done for the constituency. What I do know is, she just started appearing again quite recently." Sue Anna Tan, 34, agreed with Mohd Shardi and said she was surprised when Raja Nong Chik sent her an SMS wishing her happy birthday recently. "I have no idea how he got my number but it was rather sweet of him to text me," she said. The main concern of Tan -- a victim of snatch thefts three years ago -- was the 'ever increasing crime rate'. "I must say Bangsar nowadays seems to turn into a hotspot for criminals. Every day residents hear of snatch thefts and, almost every week, burglary cases. My neighbour's house was broken into recently and it happened on a Sunday afternoon." "In my case, the first incident was in 2008 outside my home, the second in 2009 while I was walking along Jalan Telawi, and the third was in 2010 when they smashed my car window at Bangsar Shopping Centre," Tan said. Shop owner Norzilla Abdullah, 66, would also root for Raja Nong Chik because it would be easier for her to run her business since he held a Cabinet post. "I like Nurul Izzah but I have to be practical when it comes to business. I would rather have an MP who is also the minister who supervises City Hall," she said. She said Nurul Izzah, who defeated Shahrizat in the 2008 general election, was seen by many Lembah Pantai residents as 'not doing anything much' for the constituency. To this, Nurul Izza said: "We (Pakatan Rakyat) are rendered powerless by City Hall, which is answerable to the minister. This affects our job in Kuala Lumpur itself, let alone Lembah Pantai." "I find it challenging to do good work for my constituents because most complaints are directly related to City Hall. Sometimes I feel like I'm just the middle person trying to push City Hall to provide better services to the constituents." "It doesn't help that BN has a service centre near Seri Pahang flats as well. This confuses the people. Who do they go to for help? Me or my political nemesis? I'm the rightful MP but he's the minister." The 31-year-old, who is also PKR vice-president, also claimed that City Hall and various administrators of public facilities were 'unfriendly' towards her programmes, projects and campaigns. "It has come to a point where we just try to do it. Can you imagine the Bangsar mosque is not allowing us to distribute charity to the poor? They say we should not have 'political activities' in a mosque," she said. However, when The Malay Mail brought the matter up with Raja Nong Chik, he firmly denied it, saying that Nurul Izzah 'must adhere procedures just like everyone else'. "Even Umno members are sometimes denied facilities by City Hall. It depends on a lot of factors," he said. "I have been doing my best to assist the poor of Lembah Pantai for 25 years. My opponent has only been doing it for the past two to three years as an MP. I was here even when I lost the division chief's post for Umno but I stayed on to serve." Raja Nong Chik said he knew the issues concerning the poor. "It is housing, It has always been the case and I've been on top of it to provide low-cost housing for the squatters." "I basically want to improve their overall living conditions, including better pensions for the elderly and providing better homes for everyone, especially the poor." **************************************** When you pray five times a day, you remember Allah and Raja Nong Chik, not necessarily in that order of priority, though. That was what The Malay Mail had to say about the matter. Now read what I have to say, not that I have not written about this matter a couple of times already. However, as Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad likes to say: Melayu mudah lupa. I say all Malaysians mudah lupa. So sometimes we need to repeat what we have already said to keep reminding you. There were almost 57,000 registered voters in Lembah Pantai in March 2008. I do not know what the exact figure is now but I am guesstimating that it should be roughly 70,000, plus-minus. I am basing this estimate on the ratio of the national increase in voters and am assuming that the increase in voters for the parliamentary constituency of Lembah Pantai is in tandem with the national figure. If it is higher, then we should begin to worry and suspect that something devious is happening here -- such as 'phantom' voters. Anyhow, whatever it may be, slightly over half those voters are Malays, say 52-54%, and less than half are non-Malays -- mainly Chinese, about a quarter, and Indians, about 20% or so. Hence the Malay voters would probably decide the outcome of the coming general election in Lembah Pantai. I would not put too much weight on The Malay Mail report above. I mean, a swallow does not make a summer and interviewing one or two people for their comments does not reflect the majority view. Nevertheless, The Malay Mail is not entirely wrong and there are certainly some areas of concern. And I am definitely concerned about them -- although Nurul Izzah's 'machinery' is very gung-ho about the situation. We must remember that the PKR Youth machinery is always gung-ho. In the Indera Kayangan by-election ten years ago in 2002 -- the campaign that was run by the PKR Youth Movement -- I said that PKR was going to lose by at least 2,500 votes. PKR Youth, however, said it was going win by not less than 3,000 votes, maybe even 5,000 votes. Even Rafizi Ramli, who at that time was still studying in the UK, said that PKR was going to lose by at least 2,500 votes, and he spoke to me about it. Nevertheless, the PKR Youth election machinery was still confident it was going to win. Finally, Rafizi and I were proven right. PKR lost by 2,593 votes, worse than in 1999 when they lost by less than 2,000 votes. Hence I am always very worried about these Young Chicos in PKR. They are too confident and always end up wrong in the end. So why should I not be worried about Lembah Pantai when it is the same Young Chicos who are running the campaign and who look down on us Old Cocks as out of touch with what is happening on the ground? And Indera Kayang is just one of many examples of how wrong these PKR Youth campaigners have been. They always forecast a win and the result turns out the opposite. And I fear we may see this happening in the coming general election as well if they don't pull their heads out of the sand and look at reality. Let me make one thing very clear. Places such as Lucky Gardens in Bangsar used to always vote Barisan Nasional. For the first time in 2008 they voted Pakatan Rakyat. And this is because of ABU or 'anything but Umno'. Will they still vote ABU this time around or will they go back to what they used to do in the many elections before 2008 -- that is, vote ruling party? When the Bangsarians voted ABU it was mainly because they hated Umno. Hence it is not so much because they loved Nurul Izzah as much as because they hated Umno, and by extension the Umno candidate, meaning Shahrizat Abdul Jalil. One question we need to ask is: did they hate Umno or did they hate (or 'did not like' in case 'hate' is too strong a word to use) Shahrizat? If they hated Umno, then well and fine. But if it were Shahrizat rather than Umno that they hated (or disliked), would they still feel the same way if it were not Shahrizat who is contesting but someone else instead -- such as Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin? Now, I personally know Raja Nong Chik. In fact, I have known him since back in the 1980s. And I must admit that he is a very likeable character. It is very difficult to hate him just because he happens to be in Umno and is Umno's candidate for Lembah Pantai. And, being a very successful businessman, he has good PR and knows how to rub you the right way. Another important thing is Raja Nong Chik is wealthy and can afford to throw his money around. And when you have a pleasant personality, are always smiling, walk around with an aura of humility, and are spreading hard cash all over the place, it becomes very difficult to find fault with you. Other than that, Raja Nong Chik is the Federal Territories and Urban Well-being Minister and Lembah Pantai comes under the Federal Territory. Hence he can do 'favours' for the residents of Lembah Pantai that Nurul Izzah cannot do (and Nurul Izzah does not deny this fact, and neither do the voters). Is this an abuse of power, and hence corruption? Those who are receiving favours and cash handouts do not care whether it is abuse of power or corruption. They will just take the favours and money and vote for whoever it is giving them these favours and cash. That is the reality of the situation. I mean those who scream corruption are the same people who bribe a policeman to escape a fine, is this not so? Hence it is corruption only when others benefit, not when you benefit. An even greater obstacle facing Nurul Izzah is the fact that, while the Bangsar residents (meaning mainly non-Malays) may have been voting ABU in the last election, the Malays in the Pantai Dalam area were not voting ABU. They were voting ABS -- anything but Shahrizat. I know this because I was involved in 'bribing' some of the Malay Umno members to cross over and become 'turncoats'. You see, for a long time, Raja Nong Chik had been working the ground and was building his support amongst the Malays in Pantai Dalam in the hope that he would be selected to contest the 2008 general election. When Shahrizat was retained instead, many of Raja Nong Chik's Umno supporters were pissed off. Hence they voted for Nurul Izzah just to teach Umno a lesson. And all we did was to capitalise on this and give them more reason not to vote for Shahrizat -- money being that icing on the cake. But the cake was already there. We just provided the icing. So they took the money and voted Nurul Izzah not because they wanted Nurul Izzah but because they did not want Shahrizat. And they did not want Shahrizat because they wanted Raja Nong Chik. Sounds very complicating, no? This normally happens when the candidate is not the choice of the ground but the choice of the 'higher-ups' in the Umno hierarchy. And this is Umno's main worry in the coming general election as well. And that is why the 13th General Election is facing a delay. Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is having a headache trying to sort out the candidates list to avoid internal sabotage if they field the 'wrong' candidate. So the delay in the 13th General Election has nothing to do with Altantuya Shaariibuu, as some PKR people would have us believe. It is because they need to sort out the candidates list and see how they can 'reward' (also meaning 'bribe') those candidates who are going to be dropped so that they will not sabotage their own party, Umno. And now do you know why some Umno Sabah people are jumping? They are going to be dropped and they are not happy with the 'retirement package' they are being offered. So they cross over to the opposition. But I will talk about this matter later in another article. I already have all the shit and will soon be revealing it. Anyway, back to Lembah Pantai. If the total number of registered voters is about 70,000, we can expect a voter turnout of about 50,000, plus-minus. That would be an increase in voter-turnout of about 9,000. Now, Nurul Izzah's majority in March 2008 was less than 3,000 votes or just 7%. This does not give her too much room to play with. It is certainly touch and go from where I am sitting, even though I am sitting thousands of miles away. The biggest issue to the Malays is housing. If Raja Nong Chik can sort out the housing problem that the Malays are facing (which he certainly can and is doing so) then I fear all is lost. Would the Malays take these houses (and the cash that Raja Nong Chik is dishing out) and still vote opposition? I doubt it. The Malays suffer from this 'disease' called 'terhutang budi'. Once you show kindness to them they repay in kindness. And this I strongly believe is also Nurul Izzah's main concern. Nurul Izzah needs a better election machinery. But is it too late for that? I really don't know. But better late than never I always say. The campaign should no longer be just about ABU. We must remember that many who voted for Nurul Izzah in the last general election were Umno people. ABU will not work on Umno people. They will take it as a personal attack. How do you expect to get their votes when you attack them, meaning scream ABU? Malays have this other 'disease': tak kenal maka tak cinta. And this is Raja Nong Chik's strong point. He makes the voters cinta him but getting them to kenal him. And never visit them empty-handed -- as the Malays would say, bawa air lior basi. But to visit them with gifts means you need to have a deep pocket, something which Raja Nong Chik has and which Nurul Izzah will be hard-pressed to match. Nurul Izzah has to stop all her gallivanting. No need all those trips and going around the country to ceramah. Focus on Lembah Pantai, which is a large enough territory as it is. The voters need to see your face and shake your hand. Kiss babies if need be. Just make sure that your presence is felt. What you lack in Ministerial powers and millions in cash you need to make up for in personal touch. And get rid of those Young Chikos. Get some Old Cocks onto your team. And go poach some Umno people as well. Pay them to work for you if need be. You need to pull every trick in the book at this stage. And if you need more money just holler. With 500,00 readers, and if each Malaysia Today reader donated just RM10 on average, that can already come to RM5 million. You need to fight Raja Nong Chik using his own weapon. And his weapon is money. So you must use that same weapon. And if this is something you are not prepared to do then get out of Lembah Pantai and contest somewhere else. It is now in the hands of you, Malaysia Today readers. If you want Nurul Izzah to win then open your cheque books now. If not, then bye-bye Nurul Izzah and hello Raja Nong Chik. And do not say I did not tell you when I write my 'I told you so' article the day after the 13th General Election. NOTE: Bank account where you can send money to is "AHLI PARLIMEN LEMBAH PANTAI", Maybank, account number 5641 2834 5008 ***************************************** By the way, on another note, I have spoken to my lawyer to form a Board of Trustees and to open a bank account where people can donate money towards the coming general election. I will not interfere in its operation and will leave it to the Board of Trustees to manage the funds and to make the decision where the funds will go. This will be a group of lawyers and accountants that are wealthy in their own right. So stay tuned and I will keep you posted once things are up and running. The rest will be up to you. I can only do so much but without money Pakatan Rakyat will be hard-pressed in fighting the coming general election. Will you guys and gals promise me at least RM10 million? If you can't even do that then Barisan Nasional deserves to win. |
| Posted: 26 Aug 2012 05:10 PM PDT
Rosli Dahlan triumphs again as Bank Negara loses Appealby Din Merican I was deeply troubled when I read the news reports that in Karpal Singh's trial for uttering seditious words against HRH Sultan of Perak, DPP Noorin Badarudin insulted the court when she submitted that "The Attorney-General has the sole discretion and absolute power in deciding who to prosecute…. and the A-G's discretion cannot be questioned in Court "HERE That is a startling arrogant statement that A-G Gani Patail can show his middle finger to the courts of this country and there is nothing the courts can do about it because A-G Gani will definitely not allow himself to be charged before any court of law. No wonder A-G Gani Patail seems invincible despite the expose' on his Hajj exploits with Tajuddin Ramli's proxy, Shahidan Shafie; his interference with the Ho Hup Bhd Boardroom tussle and even the highly explosive book by Zainal AbidinAhmad titled 'Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail: Pemalsu, Penipu, Penjenayah?'
It seems that A-G Gani Patail can fix people up and practise selective prosecution (more like persecution) and there is nothing anyone can do about this.
Was that why, five years ago A-G Gani Patail dared to sanction the brutal arrest of lawyer Rosli Dahlan and then make the Anti-Corruption Agency (now known as the the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission [MACC]) to charge him on Hari Raya's eve?
Was that why the MACC was not bothered about losing that case badly despiteits Deputy Director of Prosecution, DPP Kevin Anthony Morais, being exposed as a Liar? Was that why A-G Gani Patail remained unperturbed and made the MACC appeal against Rosli's acquittal and kept that hanging on for two more long years but withdrew it last minute on the very day the appeal came up for hearing? Is it because A-G Gani Patail feels his conduct cannot be questioned by anyone, even by the Prime Minister? I considered that as an abuse of power, malicious prosecution and prosecutorial misconduct and made that the central theme in my recent writings in these links: HERE, HERE, HERE
To my mind, abuses must be exposed and checked by the Courts– that simple! That is why I posted Tan Sri Robert Phang's Statutory Declaration describing how the MACC knew they had no case but was made to continue persecuting Rosli by A-G Gani Patail. I now understand why Rosli had filed multiple law suits against those him he considered "Rogues in Government" to seek accountability from them. Despite initial disappointments when dirty tactics were used in Rosli's criminal trial and goal posts were changed several times, Rosli was vindicated by the criminal courts.
Rosli is now pursuing civil claims against his perpetrators – 17 Defendants were named in his RM50 million law suit filed in 2008 including the Government of Malaysia. He also sued big mainstream media like Utusan Malaysia, The Star and The NST. Utusan Malaysia had published a public apology admitting that "their news article was untruthful and written in a sensational manner to generate publicity which exceeded the parameters of ethical journalism".
Rosli seems to be taking on the whole establishment. As I have seen how his family and career suffered during his incarceration and persecution, perhaps he should step back and think about his family. Many will be cheerleaders but eventually he will be standing alone in facing the onslaught from those in the corridors of power. That is my friendly advice because his path towards vindication has been quite a rocky climb and he has had to go through a baptism of fire.
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| Posted: 26 Aug 2012 05:00 PM PDT
Ong Kian Ming, The Malaysian Insider Before joining the DAP, I have never been a member of any other political party despite having worked for two think-tanks that were linked to the MCA and Gerakan. Why am I making the decision to join a political party now and why did I choose the DAP? I believe that our country is at a critical juncture in its history where for the first time since achieving our independence, we have a credible and strong opposition capable of governing at the federal level. This has been most clearly demonstrated in the state governments in Penang and Selangor which have vastly outperformed their predecessors in terms of delivering transparent, accountable, responsiveness and caring governments. At the same time, despite the various transformation initiatives which have been rolled out by our Prime Minister Najib Razak, there is still a glaring absence of fundamental structural reforms that are necessary to spark a genuine process of transformation. Not only is there the business-as-usual way of ill-conceived and murky deals being done — via the various 1MDB-linked land and asset acquisitions, just to name one — we also see a disturbing ramp-up in fear-mongering attempts by the BN-linked papers such as Utusan in order to raise feelings of ethnic insecurity. Things seem to be getting worse for the country as a desperate regime clings to power, seemingly at all costs. As such, the time for sitting on the academic sidelines and commentating as an analyst is over. It is time, at least for me, to take the plunge and to play a more active role to bring about a necessary regime change in the country. While some may say that I could have continued to be a critical voice in the public sphere without joining an opposition political party, especially in the area of evaluating government policy, there are some natural limitations to what one person working in a non-political context can achieve. Playing the role of a check and balance on those in power can be most effectively carried out by opposition political parties and politicians, because that is one of their primary responsibilities. Coming up with coherent alternative government policies needs to occur within the context of opposition political parties because they are the ones who have the power to implement these policies if they come to power. The important process of discussing and debating policy platforms and political positions can only take place within the context of political parties and one needs to be a member of a party to contribute effectively. While I very much value the voice of civil society, I feel that I can play a more effective role, moving forward, as a member of a political party in providing inputs in my areas of expertise. Why do I choose to join the DAP specifically? Firstly, the position which the DAP has taken and continues to take, on major national issues, is consistent with my own political beliefs. The DAP's vision of a more equitable and just Malaysia that is secular, free from corruption, governed democratically and by the rule of law is a vision which I very much share in. My many columns and comments in newspapers will reflect this, I feel, starting from the time when I was working in two BN-linked think-tanks — the Institute of Strategic Analysis and Policy Research (INSAP) and the Socio-Economic Development and Research (SEDAR) Institute. For example, I have been writing and researching on the issues of electoral reform and of ensuring a clean electoral roll since 2001. Secondly, I have great respect for the many sacrifices which many of the DAP leaders have made because of their political beliefs including being beaten up, humiliated and even jailed under the various repressive laws that continue to exist in this country. Leaders like Lim Kit Siang, Lim Guan Eng, Karpal Singh and Teresa Kok, just to name a few, have demonstrated their willingness to walk the walk during their many years of struggle in the political arena. Thirdly, I have utmost confidence in the leadership of the DAP in its intention to renew its ranks and to bring in fresh perspectives and ideas. My experience in interacting and working with many of the younger DAP leaders including Tony Pua (who invited me to blog about education-related matters way back in 2006), Anthony Loke, Liew Chin Tong, Teo Nie Ching, Chong Chieng Jen, Hannah Yeoh, Wong Kah Woh and Teo Kok Seong has been very positive and has reinforced my confidence that the DAP will be in very good hands in the future. Furthermore, I am very encouraged by the DAP's efforts in recruiting young and capable future leaders into their ranks including Zairil Khir Johari, Steven Sim and Kasturi Patto. What kind of role do I see myself playing within the DAP? I remain committed to the issues which I am passionate about and will continue to highlight issues pertaining to electoral reform, education policy, decentralisation and other aspects of economic policy. Thankfully, I will not be alone as I will have the opportunity to supplement and complement what other DAP leaders have said on these issues. If the opportunity arises, I will also highlight other policy-related issues which are timely and important but which I feel sufficient attention has not been given to. I will also continue my work as an elections analyst to provide insights and analysis to the DAP. It will be an interesting learning experience as I navigate the demands of being a member of a political party and to make whatever contributions I can to the DAP as a member. I will obviously have to give up my "hat" of a political analyst but it is a small sacrifice to play in the larger scheme of things. I look forward to the new challenges that are coming my way and I am excited about the prospects of playing a small but hopefully meaningful role in the context of bringing about positive change to our country as part of the DAP. (I am in the process of completing the final report on the findings of the Malaysian Electoral Analysis Project (MERAP) which will be published online. I am on sabbatical leave from UCSI University until the end of the year.) * Ong Kian Ming holds a PhD in political science from Duke University and economics degrees from the University of Cambridge and the London School of Economics (LSE). He recently joined the DAP. He can be reached at im.ok.man@gmail.com
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| DAP says has always been against defections Posted: 26 Aug 2012 04:53 PM PDT
Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider Lim Guan Eng today deflected criticisms of hypocrisy against the DAP's plan to enact anti-hopping laws in Penang, insisting that the party has always been against defections as a means to gain political power. The DAP secretary-general acknowledged that in Pakatan Rakyat's (PR) September 16 takeover attempt in 2008, Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had pre-empted Barisan Nasional's (BN) fall in Putrajaya through mass defections into PR, but said that even then, the DAP had been against the idea of using crossovers to wrest federal power. "This was suggested by Anwar, when he mentioned the disillusionment of some MPs but DAP's position is clear. "Anyone can jump parties but it is important that there should be a fresh mandate," Lim said today. The September 16 affair led by Anwar has continued to haunt the federal opposition, and was raised again recently when Lim's DAP-led administration in Penang proposed an anti-hopping law to prevent such crossovers. Lim repeated today that his government's proposal would not curb an individual's right to free association under Article 10 of the Federal Constitution as it does not forbid the individual from joining another party. What is most important, he said, was to uphold the democratic right of voters by allowing the electorate to re-elect their representative if a parliamentarian or assemblyman decides to switch political camps. The Bagan MP questioned BN's rejection of the DAP's anti-hopping law proposal, suggesting that this meant the ruling pact was still keen on trading elected representatives to help them gain political power when needed. Lim again cited the case of Perak, which saw a shift in government in 2009 from PR to BN when two PKR and one DAP assemblymen left their respective parties to become BN-friendly independents. "Why does BN refuse to have this anti-hopping law? Do they still want to trade in defections?" he asked. The DAP's proposal in Penang has been met with harsh criticism from several BN leaders, with MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek sniping at the party for maintaining silence when PR welcomed defectors from BN into its fold. The most recent case was the crossover of two senior Sabah BN MPs — Datuk Seri Wilfred Mojilip Bumburing and Datuk Seri Lajim Ukin — who left their posts in BN to form PR-friendly political movements in the east Malaysian state. But Lim pointed out today that the DAP has not made any direct statements regarding the duo's twin defections, insisting again that the party was still opposed to crossovers that do not result in re-elections. "We have not commented on their decisions. We have only said that there should be an anti-hopping law. "By leaving BN, it just shows that they have lost confidence in the prime minister and the Sabah chief minister... but what we add is this — let us have an anti-hopping law," he said. Asked if the DAP planned on raising the issue in the PR leadership council to push for similar laws to be enacted in all PR-led state governments, Lim said: "Let us start with Penang first. Let this be the first step." He said the DAP's proposal in Penang will soon be formalised during the next state executive council meeting.
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| Posted: 26 Aug 2012 04:39 PM PDT
(Bernama) - The Selangor Government's policy of giving free water over the last four years is unwise and non-sustainable, says an academic. Prof Dr Suhaimi Abdul Talib said the policy had resulted in shrinking revenue for the state that would have been useful for improving infrastructure facilities. "Although free water looks good as a short-term gain, from the long-term view we are not educating the people to value water," he said in an interview. Dr Suhaimi, who is assistant vice-chancellor for Development, Facilities Management and ICT of Universiti Teknologi Mara, warned that "we don't have the luxury of infinite supply of water. We have to realise that our sources of water are depleting simply on account of a sharp increase in demand." He said the state would also come to a stage where it could no longer draw raw water from outside sources and new sources of water would have to come from how it could manage its own internal sources best. Dr Suhaimi said he was against a free water policy because the question of affordability was not an issue. "If we have to pay our water bill at RM40 per month, what is RM40? Your kids spend more than RM40 on their (handphone) prepaid (bills). So it's not a question of affordability. We should be paying for our water." Dr Suhaimi said the people of Selangor must be made to change their perception on water by appreciating the true value of water and this could not be done as long as they get free water. "The people of Selangor must use water wisely so that each resident can reduce consumption by 20%. This means the capacity at our reservoirs can increase accordingly by 20%. This is something that we have overlooked." Dr Suhaimi explained that if a water tariff increase was inevitable, it had to be justified and with the agreement of the government. He said water, being a basic necessity for everyone, should not be given free because it would mean that the precious commodity did not have a value.
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| Anwar urged to resolve dispute over allocation of seats Posted: 26 Aug 2012 04:11 PM PDT
(The Star) - Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim should step in and resolve the alleged dispute between PKR and DAP over seat allocation in Penang for the coming general election, said Penang Malay Congress president Rahmad Isahak. "It has become clear that segments in PKR do not like the overbearing style of Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng based on the transcript of a conversation among PKR leaders. "This is not some NGO or Barisan Nasional making callous remarks. It came supposedly from within the Pakatan Rakyat ranks - allegedly from Penang PKR chairman Datuk Mansor Othman," he said. Rahmad was referring to the news reports which quoted Mansor as describing Lim as "cocky, arrogant and tokong (deity)", in what was apparently a leaked citation from a conversation with other Chinese PKR leaders here. He said the congress was not bothered by the name-calling or the alleged criticism of Lim, as it was part of politics. "What's important is that Anwar must be aware that there is a declining interest within PKR over the need to field more Malay candidates." The congress is said to be an impartial civil movement entity, but Rahmad stressed that it was formed to uphold the Malay political rights in Penang which he claimed had eroded.
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| DAP recruits political analyst Posted: 26 Aug 2012 04:05 PM PDT
(The Star) - DAP has welcomed more new recruits to the party, including political analyst Dr Ong Kian Ming and oil and gas engineer Yeo Bee Yin. Both University of Cambridge graduates, Ong and Yeo are one of the few high-profile young professionals that the party has been aggressively recruiting. Ong in particular is famed for his political analysis published in Malaysiakini, apart from his day job as a lecturer at UCSI University. In announcing their entry, party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said Ong will be helping him in the party's election strategy while Yeo, will be assisting DAP in crafting social media strategies in their effort to woo young voters. Meanwhile, in the press conference here Monday, Lim said the party will be pressing on with its effort to legislate anti-party hopping laws in Penang. "We're not denying the basic human rights in their freedom of association. But we are talking about the democratic choice of the voters who have voted for the party," he said.
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| Guan Eng denies DAP at war with PAS Posted: 26 Aug 2012 03:33 PM PDT The DAP secretary-general was responding to the public spat between his party chairman Karpal Singh and PAS heavyweight Nasharuddin Mat Isa over hudud. Syed Jaymal Zahiid, FMT DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng today denied that his party is at war with its Islamic ally PAS over hudud. "No, its business as usual," said the Penang chief minister when asked by reporters if the public spat between DAP chairman Karpal Singh and former PAS No 2 Nasharuddin Mat Isa had driven a deeper wedge between the two parties. Karpal is mulling to sue Nasharuddin after he accused the DAP leader's staunch anti-hudud stand as being "anti-Islam". The hatchet over PAS' plan to implement the controversial Islamic penal law was again unearthed after Nasharuddin criticised the party for what he described as a subservient posture and said he would continue to speak out on the subject. Nasharuddin had first made the statement during a controversial meeting with Saudi Arabia's ulamas in the presence of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and repeated his criticism upon returning to Malaysia two weeks ago. The meeting drew accusations of disloyalty from within PAS since Nasharuddin had suggested that he was prepared to break ranks in pursuit of implementing hudud. Some claimed that the former PAS deputy president's statement was aimed at creating internal friction and was engineered by Umno. The federal opposition bloc had been forced to contain the damage over the long-standing hudud debate several times following PAS' insistence that the law would remain as part of its core agenda. The pact then agreed that hudud was no longer an issue after the Islamist party said it would respect the Common Policy Framework that excluded implementing the Islamic penal law. Lim said Karpal's plan to sue Nasharuddin was done on his own accord and had nothing to do with the party. "I think we should just leave what Karpal said to himself," he added.
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| Guan Eng continues to push for anti-hopping law Posted: 26 Aug 2012 03:27 PM PDT Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng says the anti-hopping law proposal will be formalised to include views from other fellow Pakatan Rakyat state reps. Syed Jaymal Zahiid, FMT KUALA LUMPUR: Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng will go ahead with his "anti-hopping" law enactment plan, even though it will go against Anwar Ibrahim's pursuit of more defections in Sabah. Lim said that he will bring his plan to the state's top-level meeting to formalise a proposal. Lim had announced the proposal last week, a move that drew flak from the ruling coalition who described the move as hypocritical when the opposition leader, his ally, is openly courting lawmakers in the key state of Sabah ahead of national polls. Two Barisan Nasional MPs, one of them a deputy minister, had recently resigned from the ruling coalition citing as reasons their disillusionment with Putrajaya's inability to deal with the state's longstanding illegal migrants issue. While Umno's Beaufort parliamentarian Lajim Ukin is vague about his political leaning, Upko's Tuaran representative Wilfred Bumburing said he will be campaigning for the federal opposition bloc Pakatan Rakyat. Anwar was believed to have engineered the defections. The PKR de facto leader also said that more "surprises" are expected in the near future. Lim was questioned on his position on the defections but avoided criticising it openly, saying the DAP's silence on the two defections is "self-explanatory". "Have we commented on that? I believe that is self-explanatory," the Bagan MP told a press conference at the party's headquarters here. Legal blockade Pakatan leaders had said that any proposals for new policies will have to observe its binding Common Policy Framework which adheres to only what is provided in the Federal Constitution. The anti-hopping law is not one of them. Lim's decision will only be proposed in Penang where his party controls two-thirds of the state's legislative assembly. He said there are no plans to raise this with Pakatan's top leadership.
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| Why re-negotiate oil deal in private? Posted: 26 Aug 2012 03:13 PM PDT Why is Chief Minister Taib Mahmud, who has been silent about the 5% oil royalty for the past 30 years, keen to look at the issue again? Joseph Tawie, FMT KUCHING: Sarawak opposition has questioned the need for secrecy in the re-negotiations of the existing oil agreement with the federal government. "I am curious to know as to why Chief Minister [Taib Mahmud] should think royalty negotiations are better done in private. Why is that so?" asked Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian. Bian, who is a senior lawyer and Ba Kelalan assemblyman, said oil and gas issue was of public concern. "The oil and gas in Sarawak is not the property of the chief minister – it belongs to all the people of Sarawak, hence we have a right to know what is being discussed. "We want to know what the chief minister intends to do about it… we would like to remind him that he is a servant of the people and is accountable to them," Bian said. He pointed out that Sarawak has been lagging behind the Peninsula in every aspect including roads and infrastructure, education, healthcare, jobs, transport, industry and development. "One could say that Peninsular Malaysia and many individuals have prospered or benefited via Petronas at our expense. "Sarawakians now say kini masa balas budi to quote a line from the infamous Barisan Nasional Merdeka theme song 2012. "The former prime minister (Dr Mahathir Mohamad), in a Freudian slip, had referred to the current administration as the 'devil' and the opposition as the 'angel'. That in itself says it all. "I trust that the rakyat are astute enough to judge for themselves whether to choose more of the same or to give themselves the hope of a better and brighter future with the Pakatan Rakyat," he said. Why now Taib?
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| ‘Musa making same mistake as Harris’ Posted: 26 Aug 2012 02:44 PM PDT Neither Chief Ministers, Musa Aman nor Taib Mahmud, have any right to re-negotiate the states' oil rights; "only" the respective State Legislative Assemblies can do that. Joseph Bingkasan, FMT KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Barisan Nasional government will be making the same 'mistake' it did more than 30 years ago by agreeing to negotiate its oil rights with the federal government, a politician here has warned. Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) Liawan vice-chairman Joseph Wilfred Lakai said today that there was no necessity to re-negotiation terms between the East Malaysian states and federal government on the Petroleum Agreement 1976 . "Why should Sabah and Sarawak renegotiate the Petroleum Agreement when even in the first agreement Malaya did not honour the terms?" He said that being the main producers of oil, Sabah and Sarawak should rightly be the sole beneficiary of the oil income. Lakai claimed that the terms of the agreement are not only lopsided but grossly unfair to the oil-producing states. He said records showed that in 1976 Sabah and Sarawak's right to their oilfields were signed away for just 5% "royalty" which seems not to be what it really is. "Malaya did not honour the agreement and all the other agreements including the 20 Points Malaysia Agreement for Sabah and 18 Points Malaysia Agreement for Sarawak. Malaya had repudiated the terms. "Sabah and Sarawak are not bound by these Agreement to the extent where they are entirely for the benefit of Malaya. If these agreements are voided then Sabah and Sarawak are free from all the legal lies with Malaya," he told FMT today. Lakai, a pilot, accused the Malaya-centric government of acting as a colonial master by annexing, Malayanising and looting Sabah and Sarawak since 1963 to fulfill its objective to create a "Greater Malaysia". "Today, both the Chief Minister of Sabah and Sarawak wants to re-negotiate…(but) the issue is that the petroleum belongs to the people not the leaders. "They have no right to re-negotiate on behalf of the people," Lakai said. He pointed out that only the State Legislative Assembly of both states have that power to re-negotiate on this matter. What about export tax? "Who collects the export tax? Why does Sabah and Sarawak have no say to the export tax? What about tax on petroleum products into Sabah and Sarawak? Why is Sabah and Sarawak not getting any of it," Lakai said. On the 5% royalty Sabah and Sarawak are now being paid by the federal government, Lakai said it was never a royalty but total sale based on FOB. "The global petroleum and gas price for the last two decades was excellent. Why does the amount paid to the state government remain constant," he said. Meanwhile, the SAPP leader agreed with Sabah State Reform Party (STAR) chief Jeffrey Kitingan that the 5% is a cash payment payable by Petronas under Section 4 of the Petroleum Development Act, 1974 and had nothing to do with royalties.
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| Posted: 26 Aug 2012 02:40 PM PDT Is there any truth in the Chinese folklore that during the Zhong Yuan festival the gates of hell are opened allowing all wandering and suffering spirits to enter the earthy realm? Stanley Koh, FMT Do ghosts or earth-bound spirits exist? If so, why do they exist? Is there any truth to the belief that after death, humans are reincarnated into the spirit world? Is their existence a part of the human spiritual evolutionary process in the cycle of life and death? The curious mind can go on generating a list of perplexing questions on the mysterious and puzzling existence of invisible beings that continue to influence and shape religious-cultural practices since the dawn of human civilization. Perhaps, the answers are within our human psyche and not externally out there. Millions of people with diverse cultural and religious backgrounds across the globe have some sort of personal life and death experience which shapes their views and beliefs on the existence of invisible beings and the spirit world. A student on spiritualism will swear that suicides and other victims of sudden death (that is, accidents and murders), including executed criminals, having been cut off in the full flush of physical life, are likely to be earth-bound in the hope of satisfying their deeply rooted desires or thirst for life. Some scholars of occultism also claim that passionate sorrow and desires of friends on earth tend to draw departed spirits down to the earth-sphere again, thus, often causing acute suffering to the deceased as well as interfering with the normal course of their evolution. Furthermore, the uninitiated ordinary folk are unable to distinguish the major difference between an astral body and an earth-bound reincarnated spirit (that is, ghost) during paranormal encounters. Perhaps, there are clues to this perplexing question. This is provided by author and student of theosophical studies, Lieut Colonel Arthur E Powell, in his publication titled, "The Astral Body." Some define the "astral body" as a duplicate of the physical body, though this may not necessarily be true as it is composed of "subtle" or ethereal substances which are much less grosser than physical matter. An astral body leaves the physical body upon death of a person and often, encounters with an astral body apparition with swirling colours are mistaken for ghosts. "Astral matter exists in seven grades or orders of fineness, corresponding to the seven grades of physical matter which is solid, liquid, gaseous, etheric, super etheric, sub-atomic and atomic. "Being much finer, the astral body's matter interpenetrates physical matter. Every physical atom therefore floats in a sea of astral matter which surrounds it and fills every interstice in the physical matter. "Thus a being living in the astral world might be occupying the same space as a human being living in the physical world. Each entirely unconscious of the other and in no way impeding the freedom of movement of the other," according to the theosophical interpretation. 'Many kinds of heavens and hells' In short, the astral body of man is a vehicle and every living man possesses and is capable of using an astral body. Most humans are able to use their five physical faculties of sense, taste, touch, hearing and sight but lack the knowledge in developing their astral senses which can reap the special powers of clairvoyance and astral travelling. Hence to the uninitiated they lack the ability to distinguish the difference when they see an "astral body" and often mistake it for a "ghost" which is completely another different entity, another form of spiritual reincarnation. In actuality, an astral shell of a deceased person is not immortal unlike the life span of a "ghost". An auric astral shell will eventually disintegrate and dissolve into its original elements just as the physical body decomposes into different earthy elements upon death – corresponding to the five elements, namely earth, fire, water, air and metal as stipulated in the Taoist text on metaphysics. Are there more interpretations on "ghosts" in other religions? According to Buddhist scriptures and texts, there are different types of ghosts while in Taoist metaphysical studies, the principle of "ying" and "yang" gives a clearer picture of human life after death. "Hence, the many kinds of heavens, hells and purgatorial existences believed by followers of innumerable religions, all fall naturally into place and become intelligible as we understand the nature of the astral body and of the astral worlds," wrote Powell in his famous publication depicting in detail the characteristics and nature of the human astral body. In a nutshell, there is a growing realisation and awareness of Man's true spiritual nature and the complexities in the human evolutionary process after life on earth, with interludes in other and subtler worlds. With the dawn of the 21st century, there is little doubt the human species is steadily evolving and becoming more and more aware of their spiritual knowledge and needs. "Physical science, with its ions and electrons, is on the threshold of the astral world, while the researches of Einstein and others are rapidly making acceptable the conception of the fourth dimension, which so long has been familiar to… students particularly of the astral and spiritual worlds. "In the realm of psychology, modern analytical methods are giving a promising future of being able to reveal this true nature of human spiritual journey… the lower fraction of man's psychic mechanism, confirming incidentally some of the statements and teachings put forward by ancient Eastern books and by Theosophists and occultists of today." Modern sciences and the enormous vogue of spiritualism, physical science and the realm of psychology are beginning to unfold the true psyche of the human species being not just a physical body endowed with merely physical senses. Modern clinical sciences are beginning to understand the existence of other "bodies" encasing the human physical forms – the etheric astral and casual bodies including all the other complex interplaying different levels of human consciousness. It is therefore fascinating when prominent psychiatrist Dr Brian Weiss through his scientific clinical studies on his patients opened an unexpected door into the astonishing realm of past-life regression. His professional findings proved that life after death is not mere superstition or a myth of ancient wisdom. Whatever profound yet simple truth on human evolutionary existence unveiled by Brian is nothing new. But the fascinating fact is, the truth of his clinical findings has finally pointed scientifically to the evidence of reincarnation. Reincarnation can take place in many invisible dimensions of existence as some religions have described and narrated in their scriptures. The existence of "etheric beings", ghosts or aggrieved spirits cannot be proven by chemistry. Spirits of the ghostly types or spiritual beings do exist in different levels at varying higher to lower hierarchies in the cycle of rebirths. It is sheer ignorance or arrogance even to ponder that human beings are the only spiritual, visible and living creatures on Earth. In his publication, "Messages from the Masters," Brian wrote, "Humans always think of themselves as the only beings. This is not true. There are many worlds and many dimensions… many, many more souls…." Brian is convinced of life after death despite his initial scepticism of "unscientific" fields in parapsychology and he confessed he knew nothing about the concept of past lives or reincarnation, nor did he initially desire to during the early years of his profession. His scepticism changed 20 years ago when one of his patients inexplicably began recalling what seemed to be her past-life memories. Since then Brian regressed more than 2,000 patients to perinatal, in-utero or past life memories. Do these evidential documented cases shed any light about the cycle of life and death involving the passage of time – past, present and future? Do they provide a scientific logical explanation on the existence of other beings, namely, ghosts, spirits, souls, angels, demons, vampires, elves, bogeymen, unicorns, phoenixes, energies of karma, chi, holy-spirit and guardian angels, to mention some examples of supernatural beings amid our human existence? Anything unknown is generally fascinating, even to the sceptics.
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| Merdeka ‘no relevance’ to Sabah, Sarawak Posted: 26 Aug 2012 02:24 PM PDT The true 'National Day is Sept 16, according to Sabah opposition STAR as that was when Sabah, Sarawak and Malaya committed themselves to a 'common identity. Michael Kaung, FMT RANAU: The federal government should stop duping Sabah and Sarawak into celebrating Merdeka Day when the 55th anniversary had "no relevance" to the two states, STAR Sabah chairman Jeffrey Kitingan said. "How can these leaders continue to twist history to suit their political interests without considering our feelings and the truth? "How could they [federal government] insist we must celebrate Malayan independence which has no relevance to Sabah and Sarawak?" asked Kitingan when launching STAR's Kundasang zone in Pinampadan near here. He said what was important and relevant to Sabah and Sarawak is their own independence – July 22, 1963 for Sarawak and Aug 31, 1963 for Sabah – and that of Malaysia Day or the formation of Malaysia on Sept 16, 1963. "This date – Sept 16, 1963 – is the true 'National Day' that gives all three territories of Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak, a common identity as Malaysians", said Jeffrey. He said that by continuing to impose Malaya's version of history on Sabahans and Sarawakians, "the government is alienating the two territories". "By insisting that Malaysia is 55 years old now and not 49, the federal government is sending the wrong message to the people. "Firstly, what the government is doing is teaching the people how to lie and manipulate the facts of history. "Secondly, the Peninsula-controlled federal government is now telling Sabahans and Sarawakians [intentionally or not] that Malaysia was nothing more than a 'takeover' project for Malaya and that Sabah and Sarawak are now Malayan states/territories so they [Sabah and Sarawak] must now adopt Malayan historical independence," he said.
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| British paper fires pro-Israel columnist over undisclosed Malaysia news fixing Posted: 26 Aug 2012 01:18 PM PDT
Trevino reportedly called a Gaza flotilla a 'Nazi convoy'. — Picture courtesy of globalpost.com British newspaper The Guardian has terminated the services of conservative American columnist Joshua Trevino as its United States correspondent over his alleged relationship with a company implicated in a news-fixing campaign financed by the Malaysian government and for running a website that attacked Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and other opposition interests here. In a short statement issued over the weekend, the newspaper said it had recent learned that Trevino "was a consultant for an agency that had Malaysian business interests and that he ran a website called Malaysia Matters. In keeping with the Guardian's editorial code this should have been disclosed." Trevino had recently been hired by The Guardian to be its conservative columnist in the United States. His appointment drew a firestorm of protests from liberal activists after it emerged he had urged Israel to shoot at the humanitarian flotilla in 2011 that was seeking to break its naval blockade of Gaza. When boats carrying unarmed civilian activists attempted in June 2011 to break the blockade of Gaza, Treviño tweeted out a message to the Israeli army: "Dear IDF: If you end up shooting any Americans on the new Gaza flotilla — well, most Americans are cool with that. Including me." Trevino also reportedly called the flotilla a "Nazi convoy." The Guardian made no mention of the criticisms, but instead pointed to Trevino's previous ties with an "agency" it did not name but is alleged to be FBC Media, the now-defunct company at the centre of the Malaysia news-fixing scandal involving broadcasters BBC and CNBC last year. "Under our guidelines, the relationship between Joshua and the agency should have been disclosed before the piece was published in order to give full clarity to our readers," said Janine Gibson, editor-in-chief, Guardian US. In response Trevino said: "I vigorously affirm that nothing unethical was done and I have been open with the Guardian in this matter. Nevertheless, the Guardian's guidelines are necessarily broad, and I agree that they must be respected as such." Trevino is a well-known conservative commentator and a former speechwriter in the President George W. Bush administration. He has reported extensively in the past few years on Anwar's Sodomy II trial on his Malaysia Matters website, which is now defunct. Trevino had also frequently criticised Anwar in his other columns in other publications such as the Huffington Post. FBC Media, the company alleged to have been referred to by The Guardian, made eight programmes for the BBC about Malaysia while failing to declare it was paid £17 million (RM85 million) by the Malaysian government for "global strategic communications" which included positive coverage of Malaysia's controversial palm oil industry. The BBC also used FBC to make a documentary about the spring uprising in Egypt without knowing the firm was paid to do PR work for the regime of former dictator Hosni Mubarak. The BBC was forced to make a public apology over the matter. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/british-paper-fires-pro-israel-columnist-over-ties-with-malaysia/
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| The debt driven 5.4% GDP growth in Q2 2012 Posted: 26 Aug 2012 01:04 PM PDT  In fact, the GDP numbers hide the ever increasing debts – national debts which have to be paid by tax payers, housing and personal loans which also have to be paid by tax payers. This is no more than debt fuelled pumped up growth Lee Wee Tak The Q2 2012 Gross Domestic Product growth of 5.4% seems to be a pleasant surprise from 1Malaysia administration. The Second Finance Minister who is on top of the numbers pointed out the oil rigs are responsible. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday August 21, 2012 Husni: 5.4% Q2 growth a boost for Malaysia IPOH: The better-than-expected 5.4% growth in gross domestic product (GDP) in the second quarter is a confidence booster for Malaysia to perform better for the rest of the year. Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah attributed the current positive growth to the resumption of operations at oil rigs, which had affected the country's production of crude oil previously. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- According to Jabatan Statistik Malaysia, however, has more to say: http://www.statistics.gov.my/portal/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1699&Itemid=153〈=en ECONOMIC GROWTH The Malaysia's economy strengthened further to 5.4 per cent against 4.9 per cent in the preceding quarter led by continued expansion in the Services and Manufacturing sectors. The robust growth in Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) has driven the demand side.  The statistic seems to point to services as the catalyst, rather than oil rigs. Notice also that the Perbelanjaan Penggunaan Akhir Kerajaan growth vs Perbelanjaan Penggunaan AKhir Swasta growth. For 2010, the government's growth in spending was 2.9% vs private at 6.6% but starting from 2011, the government spending growth exceeded the private sector and morphed onto double digits! Look at Q3 and Q4 2012 at 21.1% and 22.95% respectively. The increase in Najib administration's expenditure is getting at very significant pace. When BN administration spend our tax payers' money, the usual stuff like Auditor General's horror stories, contracts awarded without open tender comes to mind. With regards to services sector, the Jabatan Statistik has this to say: SERVICES The Services sector rose to 6.3 per cent supported by Wholesale & Retail Trade and Finance & Insurance. The growth of 5.9 per cent in Wholesale & Retail Trade was led by the Retail segment. In addition, the growth in Motor Vehicles segment accelerated to 8.4 per cent during the quarter (Q1 2012: 0.2 per cent) propelled by the higher sales of motor vehicles. Finance & Insurance expanded to 6.6 per cent boosted by the higher fee income on banking activities and increase in premium income on insurance activity. Meanwhile, Business Services picked up to 8.8 per cent underpinned by professional services related to engineering activities. The growth in motor vehicles sales is due to lack of viable public transport, the need to preserve Proton and hence the Malaysian public is burden with overpriced cars that build on hire purchase loans and interest repayment.  CONSTRUCTION The Construction sector expanded remarkably at 22.2 per cent from 15.5 per cent in the previous quarter. The growth was spearheaded by the robust performance in the Civil Engineering and Residential. The vibrant performance of Civil Engineering at 39.8 per cent was spurred by major infrastructure projects mainly in Sabah, Melaka, Pulau Pinang and Perak. During the quarter, Residential continued the strong momentum at 20.1 per cent driven by the high-end residential projects in Klang Valley. So residential housing is the key driver of growth but is this "growth" a quality growth i.e. improving the quality of life of the people? For a minority per yes but for the majority, house prices increase have far outstripped salary/earnings growth. Try asking for a salary increment that matches the house price increase and see what your boss say. Therefore, while it looks good when economic growth is measured on inflated house prices, the sentiment on the ground is very much different. Property market in certain parts of Malaysia, notable Klang Valley are subject of speculation. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Efforts to curb property speculation By Zaidi Isham IsmailPublished: 2012/08/15Share PDF THE government will initiate measures to address various issues gripping the property sector, including curbing rampant speculative activities in the market. Metro Kajang Holdings Bhd group managing director Datuk Eddy Chen Lok Loi said for example, a house built in Perlis cost RM250,000 but the same house using the very same materials but built in KLCC would cost RM1 million Meanwhile, National House Buyers Association secretary general Chang Kim Loong said all parties, including the government and developers, need to launch proactive measures to stop steep price increases in the property market due to false demand and excessive speculation fuelled by easy mortgages and low real property gain tax. "There is a huge mismatch between what the average household income can afford to buy compared to what is available in the market. A homeless generation will emerge and create various social problems," said Chang. Chang said the average rakyat in a major urban area was struggling to buy his dream home where the average household with income of RM5,962 in 2009 would not be able to qualify for a 90 per cent loan over a 30-year period. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The crazy property prices mean crushing housing loan debts. And it will also deprive families of having more money to be spent elsewhere, curtailing their purchasing power hence hindering other consumer commercial activities. The crazy house prices have made many Malaysians bearing housing loan debts at beyond reasonable level compared to their earning as well as what their counterparts in other countries as the article below shows: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Generally a debt service ratio of 30% is acceptable, i.e. one third of a household income is used to pay off debt (principal and interest). However, the Malaysian household debt service ratio was 9.1% in 2006, rose to 49.0% in 2009 and dropped slightly to 47.8% in 2010. This means that on average almost half of a household's income goes to repaying debts. Thus after paying off the debt there is not much left to spend on food, transport, education, and for emergencies. Should the breadwinner fall sick or lose his job, the family will find it hard to make ends meet and loans may be defaulted.   In fact, the GDP numbers hide the ever increasing debts – national debts which have to be paid by tax payers, housing and personal loans which also have to be paid by tax payers. This is no more than debt fuelled pumped up growth That is why bankers are having a great day and it shows in their contribution to growth in GDP Read more at: http://wangsamajuformalaysia.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-debt-driven-54-gdp-growth-in-q2-2012.html |
| Posted: 26 Aug 2012 01:03 PM PDT  Hawkeye We must once again, get together to show our might as one force, as an Anak Bangsa Malaysia leading to the final shove when the wall will crumble and fall, over the other side is a new beginning where hopes are renewed, where our dreams of a nation of brothers and sisters are realised and where opportunities are in abundance and sufferings no longer seen. This is a dream that could only be achieved if enough of us believe in it and are willing to participate in action towards it. When we get together in pursuit of our dream we generate a powerful energy that permeates all strata of our society that will instinctively share the energy of the dream that we so desire. To do this we must overcome whatsoever remnants of fear that stands to deny us of what is rightfully ours, if we can overcome this plastic fear that veils us from the truth we would be able to see in reality the power of our dream which will be clearly visible and within touching distance. I beg you to understand one simple fact that this nation belongs to all of us and the fact that it is up to every single one of us, we should know that we need to act and not just talk or worse still, leaving it to others to fight for what we want. We are not spectators in this episode of our nation, we are not watching a movie with a box of popcorn, we are all the real actors that will decide the outcome of the conflict between good and evil, between failures and success, between ruins and opportunities, ruins if we leave it to others and opportunities if we were to act ourselves and in the words of my friend Haris Ibrahim is "to take ownership". There are yet those who claims to be leaders yet holds half a pint of faith, their faith in their fellows is lacking and their sincerity unbinding, they fail to listen and their sights are blurred, they fail to seek out the people and see only numbers in creation when it should be in cohesion. They don't keep their house and don't understand the principles of sharpening their ax, which is shared by Abraham Lincoln here quoted; "If you give me 6 hours to chop down the tree i will spend 4 hours in sharpening the ax". They them self add to the fear when they should be open to the challenges and remove all doubts from their fellows, their doubts are created when too much of self is in play, they must see the bigger objectives and the dreams of the people so that the power of the dream could be tapped and generated. This nation is not about political parties but about the people, the rakyat, it is not the call of the politicians but the call of the rakyat. And a good leader is in sync with the heart of the people and gets his own people prepared for the eventuality. People, fellow brothers and sisters, we must take charge of this nation if you share the same dream that i think we share, the dream of a better nation for the next generation and we are the builders of that dream, all of us, let not others tell you otherwise, let not others tell you how it should be done, where they doubt your intellectual capacity and treat us like just another number and of lesser mind. We need leaders of man not leaders of parties and groups where the play is in within and not with the rakyat at large, we need leaders who will share the truth and not those that treat you as a lesser being, yet again overlooking the power of the dream of the rakyat. |
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