Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- It’s decided – PAS for Labuan
- German Embassy admits to funding Suaram
- MB: Anwar invited only as a guest speaker
- New government can choose new flag, says historical society
- Govt expected to tighten belt after GE
- Malaysia risks credit downgrade if reforms not done, says S&P
- Empty boasts, failed promises fuel anger in rural Sabah
- Australian miner Lynas Corp gets green light for its controversial rare earth plant in Malaysia
- Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales attacks government's 'snooper's charter'
- Najib must undo his father’s mistake
- Election fever: Khairy jabs Pakatan
- Labuan is not for PAS, says DAP
- 'DAP man pushed me at function'
- Gold miner sues news portals
- Lajim still a good bet for opposition
- Bernama: Picture not ‘doctored’
- ‘Rulers were against Islamic state’
- Malaysians lose fight for 1948 'massacre' inquiry
- One in seven shops in UK vacant
- ‘Why don’t you stand, Ambiga?’
- Police detain student suspected of trampling picture of PM
- London luxury home market risks price crash
- Malaysian gold strike
- Sacked DAP man eyes Pandamaran
- Lajim’s defection is not Umno’s loss
- DAP urged to act against Karpal on anti-hudud views
- Anwar invite irks Sultan
- DAP chief seeks end to feud with PKR
- Najib hints at November polls
- 'New flag' stunt raises ire
- Musa on radar of Swiss money-laundering probe
- S’gor DAP branches reject Ganapathirau
- PM: Pakatan being disrespectful of the Sultan is not surprising
- PR has lost direction, says Noh Omar
| Posted: 05 Sep 2012 06:02 PM PDT Labuan will remain with Barisan Nasional now that it's 'clear' that PAS will contest in the parliamentary constituency. (FMT) - LABUAN: PAS will contest in the duty free Labuan parliamentary constituency and the decision is 'final'. Speaking to reporters here, Federal Territories PAS commissioner Mohamad Noor Mohamad said – in no uncertain terms – that the presidential council of Pakatan Rakyat "had decided on this". He said the party will field a candidate for the Labuan parliamentary constituency in the 13th general election and that the name of the individual will be submitted to the party president soon for approval. "The Presidential Council of PR (Pakatan Rakyat) has decided that for state seats, the state PR (Pakatan) councils will decide. "The three leaders of the council from PAS, PKR and DAP had agreed for the Labuan seat to be contested by PAS," he said succintly ending Labuan DAP's claims that seat negotiation here is "yet to be finalised". Labuan DAP chief Lau Seng Kiat yesterday said that he had been "advised" by Pakatan leaders that allocation of seats for Sabah and Labuan have "yet to be finalised." "We are still in the process of negotiation to determine the contesting parties in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan," Lau said. But Mohamad reiterated his Monday stand that the decision by the presidential council was made on Aug 18 and that a letter to effect was issued regarding the seat distribution. "So it is clear that PAS will stand here in Labuan," Mohamad said, adding that "Labuan will be in the race for Putrajaya". Mohamad also addressed the fact that although PAS has a poor track record over the past few polls, they were optimistic of performing better this time round. "What's important now is that in the coming elections BN is challenged one-on-one without split of opposition votes. "That way the opposition has a good chance to unseat BN," he said alluding to the last election when Labuan saw a three-cornered fight between BN, PAS and DAP.
|
| German Embassy admits to funding Suaram Posted: 05 Sep 2012 02:45 PM PDT
(Bernama) - The German Embassy here has admitted contributing funds to Suara Inisiatif Sdn Bhd, a company linked to Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram), a non-governmental organisation (NGO). Its ambassador to Malaysia, Dr Guenter Georg Gruber (picture above), said the embassy funded project-specific initiatives. "The project with Suaram was in 2010, which we had evaluated," he said, adding that he could not recall what the project was, and that "the amount (of funds) was limited". He told reporters this after witnessing the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Universiti Malaysia Pahang and two German companies here today. The initial investigation by the Companies Commission of Malaysia (CCM) revealed the existence of fund transactions between Suara Inisiatif, which was registered under the Companies Act 1965, and Suaram. CCM has been criticised by several NGOs for allegedly failing to act against Suaram which admitted to receiving funds from foreign countries, among others. The criticism followed reports that Suaram was not an NGO, but a company, namely Suara Inisiatif Sdn Bhd. Asked whether the embassy would fund other Suaram projects, the envoy said the mission would look at any proposal "that is in accordance to our values". "We also supported the Bar Council over the rights of indigenous people. We do it all the time. This is close to our value system," he added.
|
| MB: Anwar invited only as a guest speaker Posted: 05 Sep 2012 02:41 PM PDT
(The Star) - Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was only invited as a guest speaker to the Selangor state Merdeka eve celebration and not as a guest of honour, said Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim. He said that in previous years, he himself was the guest of honour at the event. "Records from 2003 showed that the mentri besar was always the guest of honour," said Khalid, adding that the only exception was in 2007 when the Sultan of Selangor graced the Merdeka parade in conjunction with the nation's golden jubilee celebrations. There were no celebrations in 2009 and 2010 as Merdeka coincided with the Ramadan month, he added. "The Sultan of Selangor, through Dato' Lela Bakti (private secretary Datuk Munir Bani), will be invited every year for the yasin and tahlil prayers in conjunction with the Merdeka month celebration," Khalid said after chairing the state exco meeting. He was responding to criticisms that the Sultan had not been invited to the celebration while Anwar, who is the state's economic adviser, was the chief guest and gave a speech. It was reported that the Sultan, through quotes by Munir, found it strange that he, as Ruler of the state, was not given the honour accorded to Anwar when the Opposition Leader was not even among the ranks of the state leadership. At the meeting, the task force that organised the Merdeka celebration also provided an explanation to the state exco. It was led by state secretary Datuk Khusrin Munawi. "We found no fault at all," Khalid said.
|
| New government can choose new flag, says historical society Posted: 05 Sep 2012 02:13 PM PDT
Flag of the British East India Company, 1707–1801 Hafidz Baharom, The Malaysian Insider The national flag can be changed if the government of the day wills it, Malaysian Historical Society (MHS) executive chairman Tan Sri Omar Hashim said today. "New governments always change their flags, as we have seen in Libya and Iraq. So basically if there is a change in government, they can do so," Omar said. He added, however, that while the current Malaysian flag remained the chosen symbol of the government, it should be respected and be the only flag flown during National Day celebrations. The chairman was responding to reporters asking him of the recent re-emergence of the controversial red and white 'Sang Saka Malaya' flag during the Merdeka eve celebration at Merdeka Square. The event was hosted by a coalition of non-government organisations called Gabungan Janji, headed by national literary laureate A Samad Said. "The red and white flag, the Sang Saka, is the flag representing Malay kingdoms. We saw this in the 13th and 14th century. "That is a historical fact," Omar said today. Omar added it was not a problem to unveil the Sang Saka for research purposes, mentioning academician Farish Noor's extensive study on the matter. "It shouldn't be a problem to show the flag for educational and research purposes, but it should not be political," Omar said. Omar also added that the red and white stripes were clearly seen in flags of former Malay kingdoms such as the Majapahit sultanate. A blogger, known only as Singa Selatan (Southern Lion), had admitted to flying the controversial flag during the eve of Malaysia's 55th National day countdown as an attempt to educate people of history. "We do not represent any political party, be it from the government or the opposition, we represent the youth who wish to project truth and history that has attempted to be drowned out by the responsible parties, and clearly have no motive to change the Jalur Gemilang to Sang Saka Malaya, because Sang Saka Malaya has been turned into the Jalur Gemilang today," the blogger said in his Bahasa Malaysia entry posted last Friday. The bloggers actions started a political firestorm with accusations made by the government headed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib that it was a political move sponsored by Opposition bloc Pakatan Rakyat to replace the current flag, the Jalur Gemilang.
|
| Govt expected to tighten belt after GE Posted: 05 Sep 2012 09:50 AM PDT
(The Sun Daily) - The government is expected to introduce the goods and services tax (GST), resume its subsidy rationalisation programme and raise electricity tariff after the 13th general election (GE) as it moves to tighten its belt, said Alliance Research Sdn Bhd, adding that such moves will adversely affect consumer disposable income in the near term and dampen consumer sentiment. Its head Bernard Ching said based on a recent survey conducted by Alliance, investors expect the GE to be held in the fourth quarter of this year, with Barisan Nasional (BN) expected to win by a simple majority but with reduced popular votes. According to results of the survey conducted among 72 respondents comprising fund managers and buyside analysts from domestic institutional funds, half expect the GE to be held after Budget 2013 on Sept 28, but before year-end, another 19.4% expect the polls to be called between January and March next year and only 4.2% believe it will take place before the budget. "The survey results also indicated that investors are generally pessimistic that BN would recapture more parliamentary seats in GE13, with only 12.5% expecting an increase. Majority of the respondents (52.8%) expect the results to remain status quo, that is, similar to the 12th GE with a 5% variance," said Ching in a report today. "On the downside, 34.7% expect BN to lose more seats. This implies that majority of the respondent expects the ruling BN to form the next federal government," he added. "A total of 68.1% of the respondents expect the FBM KLCI to contract once the GE is called. In addition, 40.3% of them will avoid sectors perceived to be affected by elections," said Ching. "Our analysis also showed that investors have been risk-averse, resulting in defensive sectors such as consumer, telecommunication and REIT outperforming the FBM KLCI during the first eight months of the year. "On the other hand, cyclical sectors such as construction, property and technology have significantly underperformed the FBM KLCI over the same period," he added. Nevertheless, the research firm believes that market performance over the long term is dictated by fundamentals and macro outlook, and while political "shocks" do impact market performance, they are expected to be short-lived. "Our analysis of the last general election showed that a market selldown due to political 'shock' is temporary and will normalise in three months. As such, investors with longer-term investment horizon should capitalise on cyclical stocks within the construction, utilities and gaming sectors, which are likely to be re-rated post-GE," said Ching. |
| Malaysia risks credit downgrade if reforms not done, says S&P Posted: 05 Sep 2012 09:47 AM PDT File photo of people shopping in Putrajaya. S&P has said the government should look at introducing a goods and services tax and cutting subsidies. — Reuters pic (The Malaysian Insider) - Malaysia's sovereign credit rating may be cut if the government does not deliver promised reforms to cut spending to reduce its fiscal deficits, Standard and Poor's (S&P) has said in its latest report on the country, joining other global ratings agencies in warnings about the strains on the country's credit profile. S&P said reforms the government should look at include the introduction of a goods and services tax (GST) and subsidy cuts. "We may raise the sovereign credit ratings if stronger growth and the government's effort to reduce spending result in lower-than-expected deficits, as indicated in the 10th Malaysia Plan. With lower deficits, a significant reduction in government debt is possible. "We may lower the ratings if the government can't deliver the reform measures to reduce its fiscal deficits and increase the country's growth prospects. These reforms may include, but are not limited to, the GST and subsidy reforms on the fiscal side, and private investment and economic diversification reforms on the economic growth agenda," said the ratings agency.Last month Fitch Ratings said in a separate report that Malaysia had yet to present a convincing plan to tackle the twin fiscal threats of its federal budget deficit and federal debt. Fitch also said that data clearly showed public sector-linked activity had been a key driver of GDP growth for the last four quarters alongside robust private sector activity. It said that the ratio of federal government debt to GDP reached 51.8 per cent at end-2011 despite strong GDP growth but barring a further deterioration in the global economy, the Malaysian government should be able to meet its 2012 deficit target of 4.7 per cent of GDP. Fitch added that improving the nation's fiscal position would be challenging without significant reform to address the cost of fuel subsidies, broaden the fiscal revenue base, or reduce dependence on energy-linked revenues. S&P's latest Malaysia report appeared to echo some of those views. The country's moderately weak fiscal and government debt profile for the rating category constrains the sovereign rating, it said. Putrajaya had made some moves towards cutting subsidies last year, but political pressure in the run-up to elections have relegated some of these reforms to the back of the line. Plans to introduce GST have also been shelved because of fears that it would cost votes for the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) government. S&P said it believed Malaysia's slow fiscal consolidation stems from high subsidies and the relatively weak revenue structure. "Malaysia depends largely on petroleum-related revenues. The government has been planning to reform the subsidy system and introduce a goods and services tax. "However, given the political sensitivities, we expect significant implementation, if any, would only be after the general election," it said. The agency added that for more than a decade, Malaysia's economic growth was partially brought about by large public investments — sometimes exceeding that of the private sector — and this had adversely affected the government's fiscal position. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/malaysia-risks-credit-downgrade-if-reforms-not-done-says-sp/
|
| Empty boasts, failed promises fuel anger in rural Sabah Posted: 05 Sep 2012 09:44 AM PDT
(FMT) - "Where are the projects spelled out in the development plan? Where has the money allocated gone? Thus far nothing has come of the 10th Malaysia Plan for Sabah announced by Prime Minister Najib on June 10, 2010. The Barisan Nasional's dismal failure from inception to provide Sabah with vital infrastructure and development is enough reason for Sabahans to seek a change at the top, said opposition candidate Joseph Lakai. "Look at in the interior like in Sook and Nabawan in the Pensiangan parliamentary constituency … there is still has no hospital, police station and fire and rescue department base," he said to illustrate the expectations of those living in those areas. It's these glaring infrastructural limitations that include unpaved roads, lack of piped water supply as well as power supply and telecommunications that has prompted him to take on the powerful BN coalition government. Frustrated with the minuscule amount of development taking place in his state in comparison to what he has seen in the peninsula, the pilot by training has decided enough is enough and its time for him to join others to make a difference. His political vehicle of choice is the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) and he is now the opposition party's Liawan division vice-chairman. He said that while the ruling coalition has boasted that Sabah has been granted the second highest allocation under the 10th Malaysia Plan (RMK10) unveiled by Prime Minister Najib Razak on June 10, 2010, nothing has come of it. "Where are the projects spelled out in the development plan? Where has the money allocated gone? "There is little sign of the 'mega projects' … there are too many to name that the federal and state government leaders promised the people of Sabah would be implemented during the five years plan," he said. He remembers that during the 1994 election when the BN took over Sabah and when Najib, the then Defence Minister, visited Nabawan and announced that a hospital would be built. "Till today the only structure standing in the proposed site is a signboard about the project," Lakai said pointing out that the country is already into the second year of the Rancangan Malaysa Ke10 (RMK10). 'No future' He added that before Najib read his RMK10 speech, Sabah Tourism Minister Masidi Manjun in an interview had noted that the state needed more funds for basic infrastructure projects like paved roads that would allow farmers to bring out their produce to the market as quickly as possible. "The rural farmers are now making a living by selling rebung and pucuk ubi by the road side…there is no future. "Now when their children get a bit older, they run away to Kota Kinabalu and stay in the squatter areas or those who have a bit of money board AirAsia and sleep in the streets in Kuala Lumpur," he said. "(It is) a very apt name – the RMK10 as Rancangan Malaya Ke10. Najib is not talking about Malaysia he is just talking only about Malaya, specifically Klang Valley and Selangor," he said. Lakai, nicknamed the 'flying politician', added that after the plan was announced Sabah ministers were so happy they were patting each other's back on a job well done. The excuse for the any delay in implementing any plan, he said, would be bureaucracy. To get to the money, they have to prepare reports which go through the bureaucratic process from state level up to the federal level. "That could take the Sabah delivery system at least three years to prepare and send by which time everything has to change because by then the plan is undergoing its mid-term review. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/09/05/empty-boasts-failed-promises-fuel-anger-in-rural-sabah/
|
| Australian miner Lynas Corp gets green light for its controversial rare earth plant in Malaysia Posted: 05 Sep 2012 09:41 AM PDT
(Xinhua) - Malaysian regulators have paved the way for Australian miner Lynas Corporation to fire up its controversial rare earth plant on Wednesday by issuing a temporary operation license, despite fierce opposition from green activists and local residents. Malaysia's Atomic Energy Licensing Board said in a statement on Wednesday that the license was issued since Lynas had met all the requirements. "The Board ... is satisfied that Lynas has fulfilled all technical aspects, including the institution of dust control measures and radioactivity immobilization methodologies in its residue management system, and all regulatory requirements." The temporary operation license would be effective for two years, enabling Lynas to conduct trial processing of lanthanide concentrates in stages and in limited quantities "under close and continuous surveillance by the authorities," the statement said. Lynas confirmed the issuance of the license, saying its refinery in Kuantan, capital city of Malaysia's central Pahang state, is expected to commence the transport of rare earth concentrate into the country and begin operations in October. "Receiving this license from the Atomic Energy Licensing Board is a significant milestone for Lynas," Lynas Executive Chairman Nicholas Curtis said in a statement. The temporary license would be converted into a full operating license over the next two years if the company complies with safety standards, he added. The rare earth plant, first of its kind outside of China, could produce metals worth more than 91 billion U.S. dollars a year that are used in making green technology products like wind turbine, mobile phones and flat screen television. However, the 100-hectare, 235-million-U.S. dollar refinery was met by fierce protests by environmental activists and residents for fear over possible radioactive contamination. Over 10,000 people staged a large-scale protest in Kuantan in February, before joining the electoral reform rally in Kuala Lumpur in April, which saw police firing tear gas and water canon to disperse the crowd. The widespread public anger has forced the ruling coalition, which is facing the crucial general election soon, to hold the temporary operation license that it had agreed to grant. Nevertheless, a parliamentary select committee came to a conclusion in June that "scientific facts" had proven the safety of the plant, clearing maybe the last hurdle for Lynas. Several anti-Lynas groups have condemned the decision of the regulator soon after the issuance of the license. Save Malaysia Stop Lynas (SMSL) chairman Tan Bun Teet told an online news portal that he was not surprised with the Atomic Energy Licensing Board's decision, which he described as "very unprofessional, unethical, and maybe even illegal." He said his group would seek an injunction to freeze the license. Lynas said regulators would monitor if the plant's operations, as well as its safety standards was in accordance with all Malaysian regulations and international conventions. Meanwhile, the refinery would also process waste into co- products that could be exported from Malaysia to address the concern of public over the disposal of the waste, the company said. |
| Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales attacks government's 'snooper's charter' Posted: 05 Sep 2012 09:38 AM PDT  Wikipedia founder, Jimmy Wales, has described the government's 'snooper's charter' as 'technologically incompetent'. Photograph: Charles Platiau/Reuters (The Guardian) - Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, has sharply criticised the government's "snooper's charter", designed to track internet, text and email use of all British citizens, as "technologically incompetent". He said Wikipedia would move to encrypt all its connections with Britain if UK internet companies, such as Vodafone and Virgin Media, were mandated by the government to keep track of every single page accessed by UK citizens. The entrepreneur said he was confident there would be a general move to encryption across the internet if British-based communication service providers were required to collect and store data for 12 months from overseas companies, such as Google and Facebook, for possible access by the police and security services. He said the British government would have to resort to the "black arts" of hacking to break encryptions: "It is not the sort of thing I'd expect from a western democracy. It is the kind of thing I would expect from the Iranians or the Chinese and it would be detected immediately by the internet industry," he told MPs and peers. His intervention came as leading UK internet companies, including Vodafone and Virgin Media, also raised concerns about the responsibility for retaining and storing sensitive data from overseas third-party companies, which, they said, would damage their commercial relationships and entail a competitive disadvantage. The internet industry, which is giving evidence to a parliamentary special select committee on the draft communications data bill, said the legislation could create new opportunities for hackers and "malicious agents" wanting sensitive private information about individuals. The London Internet Exchange (Linx), told MPs it had serious concerns that the proposals would create a "profiling engine", a filtering system that would produce detailed profiles on all users of electronic communications systems and allow sophisticated data mining. In a written submission Linx said it would be a challenge to safeguard this profiling engine, and that a breach would be "a significant threat to national security". Read more at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/sep/05/wikipedia-jimmy-wales-snoopers-charter?newsfeed=true
|
| Najib must undo his father’s mistake Posted: 04 Sep 2012 06:23 PM PDT Jeffrey Kitingan claims that former premier Tun Razak Hussein had acted unconstitutionally when he signed away Sabah's oil to Petronas. Luke Rintod, FMT KOTA KINABALU: Maverick politician Jeffrey Kitingan said Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak must undo the "greatest injustice" his late father Razak Hussein did in "signing away" Sabah's oil and gas resources to Petronas in 1975. "How can (then) prime minister Razak give away something that does not belong to him as prime minister?" Jeffrey asked during a press conference here today where he also showed reporters copies of documents on the issue. "Najib must undo his late father's greatest injustice against Sabah and reverse the vesting of Sabah's oil and gas resources back to Sabah from Petronas. "The real issue is not whether the then prime minister had the authority to sign away Sabah's oil and gas resources to Petronas, but why should he sign away Sabah's oil and gas without consultation with or approval from Sabah when the oil and gas belonged to Sabah," he said. Jeffrey, who is also Sabah chairman of the Sarawak-based State Reform Party (STAR), said Razak had on March 26, 1975 signed away Sabah's oil and gas to Petronas by executing the "vesting order" under Section 2(2) of the Petroleum Development Act 1974. He said the "vesting order" granted in perpetuity and conveyed to and vested in Petronas the ownership in and the exclusive rights, powers, liberties and privileges of exploring, exploiting, winning and obtaining petroleum whether lying onshore or offshore of Malaysia. "The grant, conveyance and vesting was to be irrevocable and shall endure for the benefit of Petronas and its successor. "But under Section 24(1) of the Land Ordinance (Sabah Cap. 68), oil and gas in Sabah are, and deemed always to have been, reserved to the state government, together with the right to enter lands and to search for, win, carry away and dispose of the same," he said. Jeffrey also argued that "under Section 24(2) of the Land Ordinance, the minister (in charge of such resources) is authorised to grant licences to search for, win, carry away and dispose of the oil and gas and to grant leases of the same. "Under the same section, the state is also entitled to impose payment of royalties on the oil and gas produced. "Furthermore, land and natural resources come directly under the State List under the Inter-Governmental Commission (IGC) Report and the Federal Constitution. "This action by Razak may well be unconstitutional. "How could Razak give away something that does not belong to him as prime minister? "By signing away Sabah's oil and gas to Petronas, Razak has committed the greatest injustice to Sabah," said the Harvard scholar. He argued that it is only right that Najib, who was here on a two-day visit recently, undo the injustice by getting Petronas to reverse the vesting and restore ownership of Sabah's oil and gas to the state. "It is never a better time for Najib to show his sincerity in resolving Sabah's oil issue by giving back the oil and gas resources to Sabah, which will also by a stroke of the pen wipe out Sabah's poverty problems. "It is also time for the Chief Minister to show that he is truly a Sabahan at heart by not only seeking a review of the 'oil royalties' but also to ask the federal government to give back the oil and gas resources to Sabah, since he has said that the current state-federal relationship is very good," he added.
|
| Election fever: Khairy jabs Pakatan Posted: 04 Sep 2012 06:11 PM PDT If Pakatan Rakyat is so concerned about a fixed election date, the Umno Youth chief says, the opposition coalition should reveal when it will dissolve its state assemblies. RK Anand, FMT Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has come under fire for keeping the nation on its toes with regard to the next general election date. However, Barisan Nasional Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin threw the ball back into the opposition's court. "Why don't we also blame the Pakatan-held states?" he asked. "If they are so concerned about a fixed election date, tell them to announce when they would dissolve their respective state assemblies," he told FMT. Among other concerns, the prime minister was said to be worried that if he called for the polls before the term expired in next April, the four states under Pakatan might opt not to dissolve their assemblies for simultaneous state elections. Pakatan controlled the states of Selangor, Penang, Kedah and Kelantan. Since taking over the reins in 2009, Najib had set his sights on re-taking these states, especially the resource-rich Selangor. Commenting on the speculations concerning the election date, Khairy said this was common even in the past. However, the Umno Youth chief pointed out that it was others, and not the prime minister or the government who were speculating about the date. "The election date is the prerogative of the PM and he has the freedom to choose when he wants to ask the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to dissolve Parliament," he said. Following Najib's recent speech in Sandakan where he had repeatedly mentioned his favourite number – 11, speculation had been rife that the polls would be held in November. However, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Abdul Aziz accused the pundits who read between the lines of the speech of making a "stupid" prediction. According to him, the election could not be held in November as the Budget 2013 would need to be debated and passed first. Earlier this week, Bersih co-chairperson S Ambiga also took Najib to task for putting the nation on election mode by dropping hints.
|
| Labuan is not for PAS, says DAP Posted: 04 Sep 2012 03:18 PM PDT (FMT) - LABUAN: Is a tussle brewing within Pakatan Rakyat partners in Labuan? Barely 48 hours after PAS declared that it will field a candidate in Labuan, DAP has gunned down its partner by saying that the seat is "yet to be finalised". Labuan DAP chief Lau Seng Kiat said the coalition is "still in the process of negotiation". "I have been advised by Pakatan leaders that allocation of seats for Sabah and Labuan have yet to be finalised. "We are still in the process of negotiation to determine the contesting parties in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan," he said. Lau was commenting on a PAS statement that the coalition had decided to go with a PAS candidate for Labuan. Federal Territories PAS commissioner Mohamad Noor Mohamad said this was decided during the coalition's meeting on Aug 18. "The agreement was made on Aug 18 and an agreement letter had been issued regarding the seat distribution. "So it is clear that PAS will stand here in Labuan. "PAS will also contest in Putrajaya and in Titiwangsa in Kuala Lumpur," Mohamad reportedly said on Monday. Lau however countered that the letter Mohamad had referred to was only a proposal. "The letter was not an agreement…it was only a proposal. "But whichever party is selected to represent Pakatan in Labuan, DAP will extend it whole support to that party candidate," he said. Labuan is currently a contentious seat with BN having a less than favourable performance record despite having successfully retained the seat in 2004 and 2008 polls. Labuan incumbent is Umno's Yussof Mahal, who has been declared a bankrupt by the court. Mahal has said that he is in the midst of sorting out his issues. Thus far neither Umno, Barisan Nasional nor the state legislature have stated their stand on Mahal's status despite calls to do so by the opposition and former Labuan Umno assemblyman Suhaili Abdul Rahman.
|
| 'DAP man pushed me at function' Posted: 04 Sep 2012 03:07 PM PDT
(NST) - A DAP state assemblyman has suffered a concussion after a fracas at a party dinner function here attended by DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng on Monday night. Gwee Tiong Hiang vomited several times after he fell down at the entrance of a Chinese restaurant in Sungai Abong, here, where the function was held.
|
| Posted: 04 Sep 2012 02:44 PM PDT
(The Star) - Raub Australian Gold Mining Sdn Bhd (RAGM) has filed defamation suits against MToday News Sdn Bhd and MKini Dotcom Sdn Bhd over certain articles published by them in their news portals. RAGM said its decision to take legal proceedings in the High Court of Kuala Lumpur was based on articles published by MToday and Aneesa Alphonsus of MToday, which runs news portal Free Malaysia Today (FMT), as well as MKini (publisher of online news portal Malaysiakini), Lee Weng Keat, Wong Tech Chi and Victor TM Tan of MKini Dotcom Sdn Bhd. "The articles published by the defendants are alleged to be prima facie defamatory of RAGM in its trade and business," it said in a statement. RAGM denied any allegation that the residents of Bukit Koman, Raub, had fallen ill due to the use of sodium cyanide at its plant. "From the start of its business, the company has taken all reasonable steps and precautions as provided by the law to ensure the health and safety of its workers and residents generally," it said. It added that it was concerned that the "unsubstantiated and baseless allegations" had led to much confusion to people in and outside Bukit Koman. "The plant has operated using sodium cynanide in its extractions process for over three years. "There have been no reports adduced by medical experts or specialists to state that the alleged skin disease akin to those referred to by the defendants in their articles are solely due to the use of sodium cynanide by RAGM," it said. RAGM said it complied with all relevant laws and reiterated its commitment to ensure that necessary safeguards are in place. On Sept 2, it was reported that Health Ministry deputy director-general (public health) Datuk Dr Lokman Hakim Sulaiman said cyanide was not the cause of the skin ailments suffered by residents near Kampung Bukit Koman. He said the first case affecting a resident was reported in March 2009 but follow-up checks showed no sign that it was linked to cyanide. In RAUB, police recorded statements from three people as part of investigations into violations of two conditions imposed on the organiser of the Himpunan Hijau Raub. The three were rally organising chairman Wong Kin Hoong, Tengku Shahadan Tengku Jaafar and M Raju. Raub OCPD Supt Wan Mohd Samsudin Wan Osman confirmed that the three were called in to assist investigations under the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012. It is learnt that police are looking for two other individuals.
|
| Lajim still a good bet for opposition Posted: 04 Sep 2012 02:30 PM PDT Neither disparaging remarks nor allegations spun by his detractors are likely to affect Lajim Ukin's ability to win in the general election. Luke Rintod, FMT KOTA KINABALU: Irrespective of what blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK) writes and Barisan Nasional leaders reveal, Sabah MP Lajim Ukin is still a good investment for Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim. Among his constituents and ardent local political observers, the currently much-talked about Beaufort MP may still win big in the coming polls. They opined that the former federal deputy minister of housing and local government, who jumped from ruling Umno to the opposition side recently, would win in least two parliamentary and three state assembly seats. Malik Unar, 74, a Sabah political writer, is one of those who believes so, saying Lajim would win easily in his former state seat of Klias and retain even his Beaufort seat if he decides to go for both. "He will win there easily… He or his men or associates will take Kuala Penyu and Lumadan state seats and the Sipitang parliamentary seat," claimed the veteran writer who hailed from Membakut in Beaufort. Malik has written several political books during his prolific years including while Lajim was still with PBS (1984-1994). "Lajim served his constituents very well… people identify with him easily. He will win no matter what others say about him," he claimed when asked for his opinion at a meeting in Kota Kinabalu recently. Even though Lajim has become a subject of ridicule in RPK's blogsite Malaysia Today, many here still believe it would not harm his reputation, at least among his own "Bisaya folks" in Beaufort vicinity. Lajim served people A local political analyst, who wished to be known only as Taufik, told FMT that "it is all about services that Lajim rendered" that matter to the voters in the area. "Other Yang Berhormats may not be able to pull [off] what Lajim could do. They jump and they lose, but in Lajim's case he would still win because he had been good to the rakyat ever since he was PBS assemblyman in the 1980s…" Taufik said. In the last general election in 2008, Lajim won Beaufort with a thumping majority, gaining 14,780 votes against his sole rival Lajim Mohd Yusof of PKR who obtained 3,866 votes. Lajim was subsequently appointed federal deputy transport minister before moving to his last portfolio in 2009. In July he renounced his position in Umno to align himself with Pakatan Rakyat without quitting Umno membership and his ministerial post. That forced Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to sack him and revoke his federal post. Since then he has been based in Beaufort campaigning almost daily for the looming election that many believe will be a do-or-die battle for Umno-led Barisan Nasional. It is also rumoured here that Lajim is in talks with several Umno senior leaders in Sabah. It is expected at least one or two people's representatives would ditch BN ahead of the polls.
|
| Bernama: Picture not ‘doctored’ Posted: 04 Sep 2012 02:28 PM PDT (Bernama) - Suggestions by some quarters that Bernama had "doctored" a picture taken at the 2012 Aidilfitri open house of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak in Putrajaya are utterly absurd, says its editor-in-chief, Yong Soo Heong. "Time is of the essence for a professional and responsible news organisation like Bernama and we do not have the time to indulge in irrational endeavours," he said, adding that the photo unit of the national news agency had just been equipped with state-of-the-art cameras and lenses this year. Yong said the original picture in question, which showed a large and enthusiastic crowd at the prime minister's open house, can be viewed by anyone at Bernama's headquarters here. He said mammoth crowds at the prime minister's Aidilfitri open house had been the norm since Dr Mahathir Mohamad was the prime minister three decades ago, starting with the old Seri Perdana in Damansara and the current Seri Perdana in Putrajaya. On Sept 1, an opposition senator had issued a statement claiming that the picture which had appeared in a number of newspapers had been "doctored" by an amateur graphic artist and that open house pictures should have depicted the young, old and the disabled in wheelchairs. Yong said the photographer, Harry Salzman Abu Bakar, who had taken pictures of United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon, British Prime Minister David Cameron and US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton in the past without any problems, had used his creativity to depict the large crowd of well-wishers, especially the young, who had come to the open house to meet the prime minister. Other than that picture, which showed the enthusiastic crowd, Harry Salzman had also taken other pictures of the function, including some showing the prime minister waving to those present. "One cannot deny that Najib is a crowd-puller, not just at his own Aidilfitri open house but at other public events as well, because pictures and video footages from other news organisations can also testify to that," Yong said.
|
| ‘Rulers were against Islamic state’ Posted: 04 Sep 2012 02:22 PM PDT Hindraf chief Waythamoorthy says their unanimous stand was discovered when he scrutinised documents on Malaya's pre-independence talks in the London archives. Athi Shankar, FMT Malay rulers were against any move to turn the country into an Islamic state from the very beginning of the then Malaya independence talks, said Hindraf Makkal Sakti. Hindraf supremo P Waythamoorthy said the Malay rulers backed an establishment of a secular state to safeguard rights and interests of all Malaysians. He said documents on pre-independence talks revealed that the Malay rulers wanted Islamic religious matters to be under their jurisdiction. He said Malaysians must know that during pre-independence days, all states in Malaya were identified and recognised as separate countries. He said respective rulers wanted control over Islamic religious affairs and maintain a secular state in their respective "countries." He said the rulers made a collective representation on this to the Reid Commission through their Queen's Counsel, Neil Lawson, who was a member of British Communist Party. The Reid Commission was formed to receive recommendations and draft the Constitution for the imminent independent Federation of Malaya. "The rulers unanimously agreed and accepted only the proposition and implication of parliamentary democracy and civil law to reign supreme over everything else. "They never wanted an Islamic state," Waythamoorthy revealed, pointing out that the system of constitutional monarch was a fundamental foundation of an independent Malaya. Karpal was right to oppose hudud He was responding to the political furore caused by PAS' desire to turn Malaysia into an Islamic state and introduce hudud as the supreme legislation. He said DAP national chairman and senior parliamentarian Karpal Singh was absolutely right to oppose PAS' Islamic agenda as unconstitutional. He said that the Islamisation process of administration started by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad was unconstitutional and against the spirit of country's independence. He said Umno had committed so much unconstitutional misconduct, intimidation and bullying via religious extremism and racism under its 55 years of misrule in the country. He chided other Barisan Nasional component parties for having been impotent to stop Umno hegemony for half century. Since pre-independence days, he said the rulers opposed Islamisation of administration and federal government interference or involvement in religious affairs. Hence, he said an Islamic agenda would be unconstitutional and against the very spirit of independence and wishes of rulers to be just and fair to all Malaysians. "This was well documented in Malaya's pre-independence talks," said Waythamoorthy. Malay-Muslims not the only citizens He said the rulers' unanimous stand against an Islamic state was discovered when he scrutinised documents on Malaya's pre-independence talks in the London archives. He extracted about 40,000 documents on Malaya's pre-independence talks to facilitate Hindraf's multi-million ringgit class action suit against the UK government.
|
| Malaysians lose fight for 1948 'massacre' inquiry Posted: 04 Sep 2012 08:37 AM PDT
The campaigners say the 24 people killed were innocent villagers (BBC News) - Campaigners seeking an inquiry into the killing of 24 male villagers in Malaya in 1948 by British troops have lost their fight at London's High Court. Judges upheld a government decision not to hold a public hearing into the alleged massacre in the former colony. They said it would be "very difficult" to establish now whether the actions of the Scots Guards had been "deliberate". Relatives of the victims plan to appeal, and said evidence in the case proved those shot were not insurgents. Missing documentsThe killings occurred at Batang Kali in the Malayan state of Selangor in December 1948, at a time when the country was part of the British Empire. The so-called Malayan Emergency, which lasted until the late 1950s, saw British troops put down a communist-inspired revolt.  Chong Koon Ying's father was killed at Batang Kali in 1948 At the time the British government said the villagers had been suspected insurgents killed trying to escape. A later claim that the killings were premeditated was subject to a police investigation in the 1960s, but this was dropped because of a lack of "sufficient evidence". The government rejected a call in 2009 for a public inquiry, saying two previous investigations had found insufficient evidence to pursue prosecution and that without new evidence, it would take no further action. In his ruling Sir John Thomas, president of the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court, sitting with Mr Justice Treacy, said: "In our judgment, the decisions of the secretaries of state were ones that took into account the relevant considerations and were not unreasonable. "There are no grounds for disturbing their conclusion. In our judgment, they had regard to the relevant factors and weighed them carefully and reached a conclusion which it was plainly open to them to reach." Sir John added: "The first matter in relation to the purpose of inquiry is to consider whether it can establish the facts. "There are obviously enormous difficulties in conducting an inquiry into a matter that happened over 63 years ago. Most of the contemporary documents are missing and most of those who were engaged are dead. "All in all, it would appear to be very difficult at this point in time to establish definitively whether the men were shot trying to escape or whether these were deliberate executions. "Nor, in our view, would it be any easier to determine whether the use of force was reasonable or proportionate." 'Deeply regrettable'At a hearing in May, the High Court heard there was no dispute that 24 people were killed by the Scots Guards in Batang Kali, but the question was how and under what circumstances. The court was told police and the Attorney General of the Federation of Malaya - a British colony - investigated the killings at the time and concluded that those who were killed were suspected insurgents shot while trying to escape. Malaysia gained its independence in 1957, and in 1970 the director of public prosecutions asked the Metropolitan Police to investigate Batang Kali after revelations in The People newspaper suggesting the 24 had been deliberately executed and a massacre covered up. The newspaper interviewed four of the Guardsmen, who said those who died had not been trying to escape but were killed on the orders of the two sergeants. The sergeants were also interviewed by the paper but stuck by their original statements from 1948. Further probes into the killings were made in the 1990s, but in their ruling the judges noted that it was "difficult to escape the conclusion" that John Major's Conservative government decided to "progress any inquiries with as much delay as possible". In 1992 a BBC documentary, In Cold Blood, sparked another blaze of publicity but the Crown Prosecution Service considered there should not be a prosecution. And a fresh investigation by the Royal Malaysia Police between 1993 and 1997 "obtained virtually no assistance" and was met with an "uncooperative attitude" from the UK, the judges said. After Tuesday's ruling, a government spokesman said: "This was clearly a deeply regrettable incident and we extend our sympathy to the families and survivors for the loss of life and suffering. "We have always said that a public inquiry would not be able to reach any credible conclusions given the length of time passed. "Furthermore, we did not feel that the interests of justice would have been served by spending significant sums on further investigations for which there have been a number of previous inquiries." 'You have to ask why'But Chong Koon Ying, whose father was killed, said in a statement: "I am disappointed with the finding that no inquiry is required. The truth has not been fully revealed." John Halford, a solicitor representing the relatives, said they would be asking the Supreme Court to overturn the High Court decision. But he called on the government to "do the right thing" and "end the ongoing injustices at the heart of this case". He said the judges' ruling backed the families' long held contention that the victims had been unarmed and in civilian clothing at the time. It also stated the government legally had "command and control over the Scots Guards" at the time, and Mr Halford pointed out that this was something ministers had always disputed. Mr Halford added: "The ruling makes it clear that the British government decided to be uncooperative to the Malaysian police... "The Malaysian police investigation was scuppered by British civil servants, and you have to ask why that was."
|
| One in seven shops in UK vacant Posted: 03 Sep 2012 03:53 PM PDT
(Reuters) - Nearly one in seven British shops remained vacant at the end of June as retailers struggled in a double-dip recession, a report from Local Data Company (LDC) said on Tuesday. The consultancy reported that there had been no improvement in the second quarter from March's UK shop vacancy rate of 14.6 percent, the highest level since June 2008, and that it did not expect the situation to ease any time soon. Vacancies increased in all regions apart from London over the past 12 months. The rate in the capital fell from 10.7 percent to 10.1 percent. Retailers have closed poorly performing outlets, while some have gone out of business, hit by the combination of constrained consumer spending, muted wage growth and government austerity measures. Video games retailer Game went into administration in March, and last week struggling sports goods retailer JJB Sports warned investors that their shares may be worthless. "Normal service is unlikely to be resumed any time soon as far as retailers are concerned," LDC said. "For the high street, and especially for secondary shopping centres, it is clear that the current high levels of vacancy are likely to remain." |
| ‘Why don’t you stand, Ambiga?’ Posted: 03 Sep 2012 03:04 PM PDT Two groups are calling for the Bersih co-chairperson to contest in the next general election, saying she can raise the standard of Parliament. RK Anand, FMT She is one of the most adored and abhorred personalities, depending on political vantage points. But even her detractors possess a grudging respect for her courage. In a nation which struggles with the bane of racial polarisation, she had managed to bridge the divide and her appeal transcended colour and creed. And despite her poor grasp of the Tamil language, she had also become the sweetheart of the Indian community of all classes, causing concern for the lovelorn MIC. But S Ambiga refuses to enter the political ring. And after the 13th general election, the mother of two said she would relinquish her post in Bersih as well in order to allow the next echelon to spearhead the electoral watchdog. The former Bar Council president said she would focus on other issues as well as concentrate on her legal practice. Politics is a noble pursuit However, the Malaysian Indian Business Association (Miba) was adamant that Ambiga should not fade into oblivion or reduce her role. According to its president, S Sivakumar, she should contest in the next general election as an independent candidate. Ambiga, he added, would make an excellent politician and leader as well as serve as an inspiration to others to join in the fight at the frontline. Commenting on her recent interview with FMT, in which Ambiga had urged voters to reject incompetent candidates, he asked: "Why doesn't she stand?" "Instead of telling us 'don't vote for this and that candidate' and stress on the importance of competent candidates, she should stand and Malaysians of all races will vote for her. "Politics is a noble pursuit but unfortunately it lacks noble people because these people don't want to get involved. So the door is left open to unscrupulous politicians," he said. Sivakumar pointed out that Bersih and other civil society groups comprised numerous respected individuals who could raise the standard of Parliament if elected into the August House. The current political climate, he said, made it possible to bring in more independent voices to raise the bar in Parliament. "The civil society should capitalise on this call for change, where the political landscape is gravitating away from the traditional practice of party politics. "The civil society should look into fielding distinguished Malaysians with a track record of serving the nation, people who are non-partisan," he added. He said since these individuals were not members of any political parties, they would receive the support of those who do not subscribe to both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat. Furthermore, he added, their views would be constructive for good governance.
|
| Police detain student suspected of trampling picture of PM Posted: 03 Sep 2012 02:54 PM PDT
(The Star) - Police have detained one suspect believed to have been involved in trampling on pictures of the prime minister during the Janji Demokrasi gathering on Merdeka Eve. Federal CID principal assistant director SAC Datuk Abdul Jalil Hassan said that police have arrested a 19-year-old college student who would be brought to the Dang Wangi police station for further investigations. "We received a public tip-off on his whereabouts before locating him at his college. The police also spoke to two other witnesses who were there during the event," he told reporters after detaining the student on Tuesday. It was reported Monday that police had set up three task forces to investigate three reports involving incidents at Dataran Merdeka, an attack on the People's Independence Tour bus and on the contravention of the Peaceful Gathering Act 2011 by Himpunan Janji Demokrasi organisers.
|
| London luxury home market risks price crash Posted: 03 Sep 2012 02:46 PM PDT
(Reuters) - Developers rushing to build top-quality London homes to cash in on strong overseas demand are in danger of being stung by a price crash as they flood the market, property consultancy EC Harris said. Over 15,000 homes in developments worth more than £38 billion (RM187.81 billion) are due for completion in London's most expensive neighbourhoods in the next 10 years, a 70% jump on last year, an EC Harris report said Monday. The total floor area covers almost 20 million sq ft — equivalent to the size of the London Olympic park — and includes properties in upmarket Mayfair, the City of London financial district and the south bank of the river Thames. "Developers are racing to get first to site because they don't want to miss out on the boom that's happening," said Mark Farmer, head of residential at EC Harris. "There is a danger that if all these schemes happen that you'll have a massive oversupply." Prices for luxury homes have surged in recent years after economic turmoil in Europe and political uprisings across North Africa drove investors to the relative safety of central London property. Signs of a slowdown appeared after the UK government said in March it would clamp down on tax avoidance by overseas buyers of homes costing more than £2 million. Prices for the best central London homes rose 1.8% in the three months to August, the weakest quarterly growth since November 2010, property consultant Knight Frank said Monday. About 4,000 high-end homes are scheduled to be built in 2016 alone, an eight-fold increase on the average number built in London each year. The risk of over-building may be tempered by a tight supply in development finance, Farmer said. Recent entrants to the market include offices and shops developer British Land, which said in July it would redevelop a block in Mayfair into luxury flats, and Malaysian developers SP Setia and Sime Darby, which plan to build over 3,000 homes at Battersea Power Station. Such developers have been described as "late to the party" by some residential players. A May report from Development Securities warned that London luxury home prices could halve if the eurozone broke up. Other risks include further devaluation of the euro, which would make London property look more expensive, and changes to the UK planning system that make it easier to convert offices to homes and add to the pipeline, EC Harris said. "The reality is that no one knows what the conditions will be in five or 10 years," he said.
|
| Posted: 02 Sep 2012 09:13 PM PDT  Nik Ibrahim is LionGold executive chairman and group CEO. A Malaysian-backed, SGX-listed gold miner hits RM2.5bil market cap KUALA LUMPUR: Recently, an article in the Sydney Morning Herald highlighted the maverick moves of a US-based fund manager, Andres Weiss, of making a killing by merely following the aggressive acquisitions of gold mining companies by one Singapore Exchange (SGX) listed company called LionGold Corp Ltd. Since last October, Weiss Asset Management has bought into LionGold takeover targets Signature Metals Ltd and Castlemaine Gold Ltd, both listed on the Australian stock exchange (ASX) in classic arbitrage plays, the paper reported. (Arbitrage plays refer to situations where investors take positions in target companies in takeovers, betting that the announced deal will come to fruition, thereby gaining from the small premium of the takeover price versus the market price.) What made that article even more interesting is that LionGold was described as a Malaysian-backed company. Checks with LionGold revealed that its executive chairman and group CEO is Tan Sri Nik Ibrahim Kamil, who is famed for his tenure at the helm of KFC Holdings Bhd for a period of around two years from 2006 and also as the former managing director of the NSTP group.  Golden opportunity: An aerial view of Castlemaine's Ballarat gold mine, one of LionGold's acquired assets. The other Malaysian element of LionGold is that its single largest shareholder, with a 10% stake, is SGX-listed Asiasons Capital Group Ltd, a private equity fund founded by Malaysians Datuk Jared Lim, Datuk Mohammed Azlan Hashim and chartered accountant Ng Teck Wah back in 2007. LionGold's growth story is an impressive one. It now boasts a market capitalisation of around S$1bil (RM2.5bil) and is touted by some as being among the fastest growing gold mining companies in the world. It has also attracted the likes of Nomura Holdings Inc, Macquarie Bank Ltd and the Market Vectors Junior Gold Miners Exchange Trade Fund (ETF) to emerge as substantial shareholders. (The ETF belongs to New York-based asset manager Van Eck Global which had launched the ETF in 2009 aimed at giving investors there exposure to small and mid-cap gold mining companies.) Through its aggressive M&A strategy, LionGold now has control over three producing gold mines and a few more mines that are close to the production stage. In an interview with StarBiz, Nik Ibrahim said that LionGold "is touching production figures of nearly 6,000 ounces (of gold) per month, and growing." He added: "We control directly or indirectly nearly 15 million ounces of JORC compliant gold resources." (JORC is the established code for the reporting of exploration results, prepared by the Joint Ore Reserves Committee or JORC of Australia.) LionGold's modus operandi, it seems, it to take advantage of cash-strapped, small and mid-sized listed gold miners, that are trading at a fraction of their true value, in markets such as ASX. "We saw this aberration in the market. While the price of gold was high, the equity prices of a number of gold mining companies were falling," he said, adding that LionGold then did a close study of such companies, many of which had spent millions in exploration and drilling and which already had proven JORC compliant resources and reserves. But due to the fall out from the Lehman's crisis and the subsequent bearish markets in the Western world, these companies ended up cash-strapped as investors shunned them and ended up trading at a fraction of their net worth. Asiasons' Lim added: "We positioned LionGold in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Asiasons steered LionGold into an "aggregator" and "accelerator" model and leveraged on our corporate finance expertise to identify undervalued mines, with significant potential, to acquire. We have financial strength to provide the necessary capital to the mines, an attractive and liquid platform to be able to attract shareholders to swap shares with LionGold and the operational acumen to be able to accelerate the production of the acquired mines." LionGold's modus operandi in many of its recent M&As has been to acquire a placement of new shares from the target company, thereby ensuring a fresh injection of capital into these companies. After being satisfied with the value of these companies, LionGold would then proceed to make an offer to buy out the rest of the shareholders in the target company, paying them mostly in LionGold shares.  Lim: 'We positioned LionGold in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity". "Our pitch was that we are a "consolidater" of junior miners and we have a plant to inject capital, new management and technologies into the target companies. Just as important, is the fact that the SGX-listed LionGold is highly liquid stock and its share price has been appreciating. The ASX-listed targets though, were just the opposite. So the appeal to investors (of target companies) is immense," said Nik Ibrahim. This model had been used to acquire 76% in Signature Metals (which in turn owns a 70% interest in the Konogo Gold project in Ghana) and 98% of Castlemaine (that owns the state-of-the-art Ballarat Mine in Central Victoria, Australia). LionGold has also taken a 10% stake in ASX-listed Citigold Corp, that has 11 million ounces of JORC compliant gold resources and its mine in Queensland, Australia, is touted as Australia's "highest grade gold field". Through other M&As involving ASX-listed entities, LionGold has secured control over gold mines in Tasmania and Bolivia and recently started the process to acquire 60% of the Papua New Guinea operations of another ASX-listed gold miner. No wonder then that LionGold has been getting more media attention in Australia than Malaysia or even Singapore. The Aussies and fund managers like Weiss are likely to be watching LionGold even closer now. Nik Ibrahim said LionGold was still in its acquisitive phase. "But the time will come soon when LionGold's M&As will slow down in order to focus on rationalising the assets we've already consumed," he said.
|
| Sacked DAP man eyes Pandamaran Posted: 02 Sep 2012 08:56 PM PDT Tee Boon Hock says Ronnie Liu has failed his constituents. Athi Shankar, FMT KLANG: Sacked DAP grassroots leader Tee Boon Hock plans to contest in Pandamaran as an independent candidate if the party fields incumbent Ronnie Liu Tian Khiew for that state constituency. He referred to the Selangor executive councillor as an "opportunist" and "tainted candidate" who had failed to deliver anything worthwhile to his constituents since he was elected in 2008. If the DAP were to nominate such a person as its candidate for Pandamaran, he told FMT, "it will ignite my morale and determination" to contest for the seat. He alleged that Liu had been unable to uphold DAP's socialist ideals. Tee, who joined DAP in 1984, was sacked in July 2010 for allegedly misusing Liu's official letterhead to secure contracts for his cronies, an accusation he rejects. He also lost his seat in the Klang Municipal Council. He sought election in Pandamaran in 1999 and 2004 and lost on both occasions. He made way for Liu in the 2008 election. They were then close friends. "Since I was the one who proposed him for Pandamaran, I admit and take full responsibility for the mistake," he said. "I sincerely apologise to the people of Pandamaran for his shortcomings and failures." Tee said he hoped that the DAP leadership would, for the coming polls, field candidates with "credibility, high integrity, dignity and honesty" and who were team players able to work closely with grassroots leaders to serve the public. He said elected representatives must be familiar with issues affecting their constituents and have the ability to solve problems at the grassroots. "A representative should work with, by and for his voters." He said DAP leaders had deviated from the party's principles and that its CAT (competency, accountability and transparency) governance had become an empty boast. He accused them of having distanced themselves from the public and working only for their own materialistic gains. He described the running of the Selangor government as a "comedy of errors" and said the Shah Alam administration was infested with abuse of power, graft, cronyism and nepotism. "The CAT has become a sham and a gimmick and DAP has lost its credibility," he said.
|
| Lajim’s defection is not Umno’s loss Posted: 02 Sep 2012 03:25 PM PDT A scandal allegedly involving former Umno leader Lajim Ukin was the reason why Umno was happy to see the Sabah politician defect to Pakatan Rakyat. (FMT) - The real reason why Sabah veteran politician Lajim Ukin resigned from all his posts in Umno and threw his support behind Anwar Ibrahim's Pakatan Rakyat was because of a scandal that is about to explode, popular blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin said today. He said that Lajim had realised that he had no future in Umno and that he would not be selected as a Barisan Nasional candidate for the coming general election. "Lajim is carrying too much baggage. And this baggage is going to be revealed immediately after nomination day of GE13," Raja Petra said in his Malaysia-Today portal today. Raja Petra added that Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman knew about the scandal and that Lajim was to be dropped as a candidate in the coming general election as a result of the scandal. "Realising that his future is no longer bright, Lajim woke up one morning and decided to join the opposition to fight for reforms." Islamic college project The scandal, according to Raja Petra, allegedly involved Lajim promising his financial backer – named only as Mr W – a RM50 million contract to build an Islamic college in Beaufort in 2007. Raja Petra said Lajim wanted Mr W – a Bruneian who had migrated to Sabah – to pay his commission upfront, supposedly as election funds for the 12th general election. "Over the last five years since 2007, Mr W has paid Lajim a total of RM8 million. However, Mr W never got the project. "What Mr W received instead was 55 undated cheques totalling RM3 million. But all these cheques are worthless and Mr W is hopping mad and now realises he is not going to get the project, nor his money back," said Raja Petra, who also posted photographs of the cheques in his blog. Raja Petra also claimed that the so-called RM50 million Islamic college does not exist, calling it a scam. He added that Mr W, who had been Lajim's financial backer for a long time, no longer wants to fund Lajim and wants his money back. "If he does not get it, he is going to go public on this. And because of that Umno can no longer retain Lajim in the coming general election. "And because of that, also, Lajim has suddenly woken up and is joining the opposition to fight for reforms – justice, transparency, accountability, good governance, an end to corruption and abuse of power, and all that shit," said Raja Petra. Pakatan will get whacked Raja Petra warned that tainted candidates like Lajim would result in Pakatan "getting whacked in East Malaysia". He said that Anwar was making a mistake in hoping that the road to Putrajaya would become clearer with politicians like Lajim with him. "Having Lajim and those of his ilk as your partners will only ensure that Barisan Nasional will remain in power. "I know you [Anwar] want to become prime minister. But this type of thing is only going to make your dream become our nightmare. "As the Malays would say: why would we want to reject 'penyamum' and vote for 'lanun'? We said we want change, meaning change for the better, not change for the worse," he added. Raja Petra also revealed that Lajim was asking too much from Anwar – apart from cash, he also allegedly wanted to become one of the three deputy prime ministers if/when Pakatan marches into Putrajaya. And if he can't become one of the three deputy prime ministers, then he wants at least the post of Sabah chief minister, said Raja Petra. "But Lajim can't be made the chief minister of Sabah – and certainly not one of the three deputy prime ministers. And this is not because those posts have been promised to others, although that is one reason, but because he is carrying too much baggage," said Raja Petra.
|
| DAP urged to act against Karpal on anti-hudud views Posted: 02 Sep 2012 02:17 PM PDT
(The Star) - Several PAS leaders want DAP to take action against its chairman Karpal Singh for fanning sentiments against hudud law as propagated by PAS. However, they dare not say it openly for fear of repercussions as they are obligated to maintain a good rapport with their Pakatan Rakyat partners. "Sooner or later, this matter is bound to explode because no action is taken against DAP leaders who made the statements that are detrimental to Pakatan," said a PAS leader. The leaders were responding to mounting pressure from certain quarters to take stern action against former PAS deputy president Nasharudin Mat Isa for suggesting that PAS should review its position in Pakatan in view of Karpal's strong objection against hudud. Another PAS leader noted that while pressure was mounting against Nasharudin for merely airing his view, DAP had remained silent over Karpal's statements which had hurt PAS. "And it is even sadder that the parasites' within PAS are working against the party's interests," said another leader. Meanwhile, the party's deputy spiritual leader Datuk Dr Harun Din (picture) cautioned members against the munafikul (hypocrite) faction who could weaken the party from within. He added that the existence of such destructive pressure group would not come as a surprise as their influence had been felt over the years in the course of the party's struggle. "Such groups may exist, or may not exist now. But if they do exist, it is not something peculiar as even during the era of Prophet Muhammad, the munafikul faction had attacked from within to weaken Islam," he said. Dr Harun also said the party's Syura council would decide on Sept 9 if action should be taken against Nasharudin. "I do not know the exact words used by Nasharudin. But urging PAS to review its position in Pakatan does not mean asking PAS to withdraw from the coalition. "Reviewing one's position could also mean looking at the benefits and shortcomings and rectifying problems," said Dr Harun.
|
| Posted: 02 Sep 2012 02:10 PM PDT
(The Star) - SULTAN Sharafuddin Idris Shah has questioned why the Selangor Government chose to make Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim the state's guest of honour at its 55th Merdeka celebration. The Sultan found it strange that he, as Ruler of the state, was not given the honour that was accorded to Anwar when the Opposition Leader was not even among the ranks of the state leadership, reported Sinar Harian. The paper, quoting the Sultan's private secretary Datuk Mohamad Munir Bani, said Anwar also did not hold any official portfolio other than being a state-appointed economic adviser. "Usually, if Tuanku cannot attend a formal state function, the Mentri Besar acts on his behalf to speak and carry out related official duties. "So, why was Anwar invited to attend and speak when this is an official state event and not a political function?" he asked regarding the celebration at Dataran Kemerdekaan in Shah Alam on Thursday. Mohamad Munir said the Ruler was not informed of the event and only received an invitation to grace a tahlil and Yassin recital programme at the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque on Friday. Asked to comment on the matter at a function at Galeri Shah Alam on Saturday, Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim passed the buck to state secretary Datuk Mohamed Khursrin Munawi. "The state secretariat has always been in charge of the National Day celebrations, while the Mentri Besar's office only has a representative in the organising committee," he said. Khalid said he would clarify the situation with the Sultan during his weekly audience with the Ruler on Wednesday.
|
| DAP chief seeks end to feud with PKR Posted: 02 Sep 2012 01:56 PM PDT
(The Star) - KUANTAN: Pahang DAP chief Leong Ngah Ngah has told his members to stop quarrelling with PKR over the issue of seat allocation for the general election. "It is better to put a stop to this squabble over seat allocation," he said when asked to comment on the continuing feud between the two parties regarding the issue. Leong, who is Triang assemblyman, said he had ordered state party leaders to stop issuing any more comments on the matter. On Tuesday, Pahang PKR chairman Datuk Fauzi Abdul Rahman ticked off the state DAP by saying that it had to "exercise discipline" in requesting for seats to contest. Fauzi said that although it was not wrong for DAP to ask for additional seats, it should be done through the proper channels and with mutual consent. He was responding to reports that DAP intended to contest in several more seats in Pahang claiming to have a better chance of winning these than its allies. In the 42-seat Pahang state assembly, PKR currently does not have any seat while DAP and PAS have two each. The rest are held by Barisan Nasional. Leong said the parties in the state Pakatan Rakyat were still on good terms with each other and would sit down to discuss the issue. "Actually, it is not wrong for us to request for more seats as PKR and PAS also do the same," he said, adding that the coalition's central leadership should meet on the matter and all should abide by any decision made. State DAP secretary and Tras assemblyman Choong Siew Onn downplayed the issue, saying that seat allocation was not Pakatan's main agenda. "What is important is to go to the ground, work hard and serve the people," he said. However, state DAP vice-chairman J. Apalasamy continued to taunt PKR, saying its representatives were more prone to defection. "PKR leaders should show more respect to DAP, the senior partner in Pakatan," he said. Apalasamy reportedly told a news portal that it was the DAP which had allocated seats to PKR in the last general election, adding that Fauzi should remember which was the more senior party of the two. "As such, he should learn to show some respect," he said, claiming that DAP had allowed PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to be the Opposition Leader despite PKR having fewer seats in Parliament.
|
| Posted: 02 Sep 2012 09:20 AM PDT
(The Star) - SANDAKAN: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has strengthened speculation that the next general election will be held in November. With the Prime Minister scheduled to unveil the National Education Blueprint on Sept 11 and Budget 2013 on Sept 28, talk in political circles is that the general election will likely be held in the second last month of the year. The Barisan Nasional chairman's "one-on-one" meetings with component party heads on Aug 28 to discuss their candidates' list have also given credence to talk that the polls will be held then. In his strongest hint yet, the Umno president brought his favourite number 11 into prominence during the joint opening of the party's Kinabatangan, Sandakan, Batu Sapi, Beluran and Libaran delegates meeting here. He said the double digits were "significant" this year because 2012 is the 66th year of Umno, with Malaysia marking the 55th year of Merdeka and Sabah Umno notching 22 years. "All these numbers could be multiplied by 11," he said. "Six times 11 equals 66, five times 11 equals 55 and 2 times 11 equals 22. The factor of 11 appears in all. It is unique and good." Earlier in his speech, Najib urged members of the state Umno and Barisan Nasional to defend Sabah as a "fixed deposit" of the coalition. He said Umno's strength in Sabah was good and believed the party would get "a resounding support" of the people in the state. Najib urged Umno members to work for the party and not look at ethnicity of candidates as this would divide and weaken the party. "We don't need selfish members who only want to fill their pockets and protect their positions. Such people can leave. "Najib is not strong, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman is not strong. Our strength is in Umno and Barisan Nasional," he pointed out. The Prime Minister asked Sabah voters to give Barisan another five years' mandate so that the coalition could carry out its projects in the state under the Government Transformation Programme. He said ties between the Federal Government and Sabah were good, adding that the state benefited much under Barisan.
|
| Posted: 01 Sep 2012 03:09 PM PDT
TREASONOUS ANTICS: Malaysians denounce Bersih supporters who want to replace Jalur Gemilang Bersih supporters showing a flag at Dataran Merdeka on Thursday night in the run-up to the Merdeka Day countdown. (Inset) A flier that was distributed on Thursday night calling for the Jalur Gemilang to be replaced with a new flag. (NST) - MALAYSIANS from all walks of life have described the demands made by supporters of the Bersih movement for the Jalur Gemilang to be replaced with a different flag as "shameful" and "treasonous". They are also incensed over the actions of the same group, which insulted Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak by stomping on his picture during the countdown to the Merdeka Day celebrations at Dataran Merdeka here on Thursday. The supporters of Bersih, who claim to be championing for a better electoral system for the country, had displayed a flag they had created to replace the Jalur Gemilang and distributed flyers to the people to support their cause. Their actions can be seen in a video posted on YouTube. Principal of a childcare centre, Velda Ooi, 44, said this was a disgrace to the founding fathers of Malaysia as they had toiled hard to create an identity for the country, which was symbolised by the Jalur Gemilang. "I really can't believe the youngsters can do such a thing. So shameful... they don't even treasure our history, our pride and our identity. "Why are they doing this?" said Ooi, who said she felt very angry over the group's actions. Student Yogannath Thiruchelvan, 16, said Malaysians who did not appreciate the Jalur Gemilang were a disgrace to the country. "When the Union Jack flag was brought down 55 years ago, our flag was hoisted. It is sad that these people do not know the significance of our flag and can do such a thing," said Yogannath who wanted the offenders punished. Juice bar manager Muhammed Fitri Harun, 28, summed up the entire incident in one word: "Ridiculous!" "They should be punished as this is an act of treason to our nation as a whole. The flag represents us all, the citizens. How dare they do such a thing?" Meanwhile, attempts to get a response from Bersih co-chairman Datuk S. Ambiga were unsuccessful. She, however, yesterday tweeted her displeasure over an incident perpetrated by a Bersih supporter during the gathering. A photo of a rally participant on the Internet showed him "mooning" pictures of Najib and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor as well as Election Commission chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Yusof. Another man is seen applauding his action, while yet another showed a rude gesture. The organisers of the Bersih gathering, dubbed "Janji Demokrasi rally", did not respond to requests for comments. Businessman Datuk Mohd Mahyidin Mustakim said he was upset when he saw the videoof the act and demanded that the culprits be punished. "Memang kurang ajar (very insolent). What kind of values are they teaching the younger generation? This is not part of our culture. "We are very well known for our humble and well-mannered behaviour," said Mahyidin. Aizad Salleh, 27 who is a sales assistant in a shopping mall here said that it was a very disrespectful act. "What have they done for the country? Now we are flourishing because of our current prime minister and the ones before him. "If they can't be thankful, at least do not disrespect our leaders like this. They really should be brought to court and punished," said Aizad. Financial consultant Susan Lim, 30, also felt that those who committed the act should be punished and taught a lesson. "Who are they to behave like this? This is one of the most disrespectful things I have ever seen. "No matter who it is that you hate, just don't do this. It brings you down as a person as well," said Lim. |
| Musa on radar of Swiss money-laundering probe Posted: 01 Sep 2012 02:36 PM PDT Swiss bank UBS is being investigated in connection with its relationship with Musa Aman. (FMT) - KOTA KINABALU: A Swiss investigations into a money-laundering trail with its roots in the rainforests of Sabah is threatening to embarrass Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his Barisan Nasional coalition government. Najib who is on a two-day visit to Sabah to bring a fractious state Umno headed by Chief Minister Musa Aman into line ahead of general election, is faced with discomforting international exposure that his government is corrupt to the core. The timing of Swiss investigations into links between UBS, Switzerland's biggest bank, and the proceeds from illegal logging in Sabah couldn't be worse for the premier who is hoping to mollify the state which has increasingly shown signs that it is swinging over to the opposition. Najib and his entourage will be visiting the Kg Rampayan Laut in Kota Belud today for a carnival-like political event where he hopes to prop up shaky support for his Barisan Nasional coalition government. The premier who is also Umno president was in Sandakan on Saturday for a meeting with his state party officials. Talk of a shake-up in Sabah Umno has been quashed by party officials close to Musa and spun as a gambit by his rival, Shafie Apdal, the current Semporna MP who is a trusted man of Najib, and is said to being eyeing the post of Sabah chief minister. Umno insiders are warning of serious repercussions should Najib refuse to reinvigorate the BN. They claimed that party's interest must be put first and ahead of any personal agendas and failure to do so would be disastrous for the BN. Reuters news agency yesterday reported that Swiss prosecutors have opened a criminal money laundering probe into UBS after environmental campaign group, Bruno Manser Fund, filed a complaint accusing it of links to the proceeds of alleged illegal logging in Malaysia. The investigation could be a new embarrassment for the Swiss bank, fined for helping clients dodge US taxes in 2009 and facing similar accusations – which it denies – in Germany. It comes as Switzerland is trying to clean up its image as a haven for ill-gotten gains. A spokeswoman for federal prosecutors said they had opened a criminal investigation into allegations of money laundering. She confirmed that UBS was being investigated in connection with its relationship with Musa Aman. Musa was accused in the complaint brought by Switzerland's Bruno Manser Fund in May of links to illegal logging in Borneo. The chief minister has previously dismissed graft allegations as a political conspiracy. UBS has said it was cooperating with the investigation. "UBS complies with the rules and regulations in all the markets where it operates," a spokesman who noted the bank is obliged to report to authorities fighting money laundering if it finds evidence it is holding assets of criminal origin, was quoted as saying. In its complaint, the Bruno Manser Fund, which campaigns to save tropical rainforests in Borneo and the people who inhabit them, accused UBS of breaching its duty of care by accepting more than $90 million it said was earned from logging in Sabah. Citing documents it presented to Swiss prosecutors, it said the money was banked at UBS in Hong Kong and Zurich.
|
| S’gor DAP branches reject Ganapathirau Posted: 01 Sep 2012 02:28 PM PDT Selangor DAP branches warn the party leadership that DAP would lose the Kota Alam Shah seat if Ganapathirau, a former ISA detainee, is fielded. Athi Shankar, FMT KLANG: Eight DAP branches here have called on the party leadership not to field V Ganapathirau (photo) as candidate in Kota Alam Shah state seat in the next general election. The branches, all from the state constituency, warned the party leadership that the DAP would lose the seat if Ganapathirau, a former detainee of now repealed Internal Security Act, was fielded. The DAP eight branches, with collectively some 500 members, openly opposed Ganapathirau are Taman Gembira, Klang, Teluk Pulai, Bayu Tinggi, Taman Chi Liung Indah, Southern Klang, Persiaran Raja Muda Musa and Ehsan. The group spokesman Ivan Ho said they were all against Ganapathirau because he was not a local familiar with the party grassroots leaders and members, or constituents in the area. Ho said Ganapathirau does not have close rapport with party grassroots in the constituency, a winning factor so crucial for a potential candidate. He urged the party leadership to respect grassroots sentiments and not to force in parachute candidates like Ganapathirau in Kota Alam Shah. "DAP members and constituents don't know him much. "The party should not push us to accept Ganapathirau. "We don't want him," Ho, the Taman Gembira branch head, told FMT. Kota Alam Shah incumbent assemblyman is M Manoharan, a protégé of DAP national chairman Karpal Singh. It's learnt Selangor DAP leadership under Teresa Kok planned to replace Manoharan, also a former ISA detainee, with Ganapathirau. Ganapathirau is a staunch confidant of deputy secretary general and Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy. Not an Indian hero Taman Chi Liung Indah head K Yogasigamany reminded the state party leadership that time had lapsed to promote the Ganapathirau as a former ISA detainee and his so-called involvement in Hindraf Makkal Sakti. He said DAP grassroots members and constituents know that Ganapathirau, who now leads NGO Malaysian Indian voice, was not a Hindraf leader. "Constituents have realised that Ganapathirau was never the Hindraf leader or Indian hero. "He is no more relevant for Indian community. "It will be futile and fatal for party leadership to field Ganapathirau in Kota Alam Shah. "The leadership should drop the idea altogether," Yogasigamany told FMT.
|
| PM: Pakatan being disrespectful of the Sultan is not surprising Posted: 01 Sep 2012 01:53 AM PDT
(The Star) - It is hardly a surprise for the Pakatan Rakyat-led Selangor government to be disrespectful of the state Sultan, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. "They would rather show more respect to the state's economic adviser, who has no locus standi, than the Sultan, the symbol of sovereignty in the country," he said. Selangor's economic adviser is Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is also PKR leader. Najib was responding to reports that Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim had not issued an invitation to the Sultan to attend state-level Merdeka eve celebration in Shah Alam. The Sultan's private secretary Datuk Mohamad Munir Bani had claimed that it was a norm to invite the Sultan to the event, adding that it had been a common practice of the previous Selangor government. "It is also weird that they want to do things like change the flag," Najib said, referring to reports of individuals waving "alternative flags" to the Jalur Gemilang during the Janji Demokrasi gathering at Dataran Merdeka on Aug 30. Firing more salvos at Pakatan, Najib said winds of change were also blowing in Selangor with more people responding positively to Barisan Nasional. Speaking at the Selangor Barisan Hari Raya open house at the Rubber Research Institute here Saturday, he said this year's crowd, estimated at 100,000, was a lot more than last year's attendance. "And it is definitely more than the state government's Merdeka eve celebration. This proves that the people of Selangor are ready to make that change so that the state's administration will return to Barisan," he said. Najib said while the state government had not fulfilled its promises to the people, the Federal Government had gone above and beyond that was promised in its manifesto with various aid programmes for the people. Meanwhile, in SHAH ALAM, Khalid defended the state-level National Day celebration against criticisms that the Sultan of Selangor was not invited. He said the celebration was held according to all common practices and guidelines put into place by the previous state government. "There was nothing surprising in the way the celebration was held. I did not see anything wrong in the way the function was planned and executed. "Planning for the event was undertaken by a special task force under the purview of the Selangor state secretary (Datuk Mohd Khusrin Mohd) and it has been doing it this way before 2008," he said at the Shah Alam Gallery here. Khalid said that although he would meet the Sultan every Wednesday to discuss various issues, they never talked about the celebration. "There was no need to discuss the matter as the planning for the celebration was under the state secretary. Besides, there are many other important issues that need attention," he said. On Saturday, members of the Selangor Perkasa, including its president Abu Bakar Yahya, lodged a report at the Shah Alam police headquarters on the matter.
|
| PR has lost direction, says Noh Omar Posted: 01 Sep 2012 01:43 AM PDT
Mohd Farhan Darwis, The Malaysian Insider Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Noh Omar today took a swipe at Pakatan Rakyat (PR), saying the opposition bloc has started to lose its direction in wanting to replace the national flag, the Jalur Gemilang. The Selangor Barisan Nasional (BN) deputy chairman also said it was impossible to do so as the flag is enshrined in the Federal Constitution. "They have started to lose direction... until they even want to change the flag. I want to remind them that we cannot change matters enshrined in our Constitution such as the flag; whoever rules it is still our symbol. And the national anthem 'Negaraku', it is the song of whoever is in power. "They are not yet ruling (but) already want to do extraordinary things," Noh told reporters at the Selangor BN open house at the Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia (RRIM) in Sungai Buloh here. The Tanjung Karang MP also expressed sorrow at the way PR celebrated National Day. "I feel very sad at the attitude and the way they celebrate Merdeka Day, we should raise flags, but they make other flags," he said, in apparent reference to a group of individuals who were spotted waving flags sporting alternative designs to the Jalur Gemilang during the massive public countdown to the country's 55th National Day in Kuala Lumpur last Thursday. "They are rude, not yet in power but they are already power crazy, their supporters and followers don't respect our rules." The individuals were spotted carrying flags sporting the familiar crescent moon and 14-pointed star against a red-and-white striped background — similar to the national flags of neighbouring Singapore and Indonesia — which were alleged to be the alternative to the Jalur Gemilang. Some of the street party-goers were also reported to have stepped on or tore posters bearing the images of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, his wife and the Election Commission chairman that night. However, the organisers of the Janji Demokrasi rally — which took place at the same venue at Dataran Merdeka — has distanced themselves from the individuals who had allegedly demanded the national flag be replaced. Noh also commented on Selangor PR ignoring the Sultan of Selangor in its National Day celebrations, saying that it shows that the federal opposition bloc did not uphold the Rukun Negara principle of "Loyalty to King and country". "Before BN carried out today's programme, the organiser informed the Sultan of Selangor that the prime minister will come to celebrate with the people. "Not like the opposition, their state-level Merdeka Day celebrations ignored the Sultan and turned this celebration into a political arena," Noh said, adding "we practise the Rukun Negara principle of loyalty to King and country." Noh said: "In this life there are two things, morals and laws. Morally, they have to respect our culture, other people's functions, but they try to take advantage to carry out politicking activities including in the programme on Merdeka Day eve".
|
| You are subscribed to email updates from Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 ulasan:
Catat Ulasan