Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Kamalanathan wants apology from Ronnie Liu for alleging link to Batu Caves condo project approval
- I did not get RM3m from Chia but the car…’
- EC to blame for BN’s loss of Chinese support
- Kayveas: We want seats lost by BN parties
- ‘RM40m scandal may see BN lose Sabah’
- ‘Hudud is not the issue…’
- BN’s targets PAS, PKR seats in S’gor
- Asia language plan 'central' to Australian reforms: PM
- Liow: Change will lead to instability
- Khaled: Do not sell given land
- Despite Pakatan push, BN expects to win more than 140 seats
| Kamalanathan wants apology from Ronnie Liu for alleging link to Batu Caves condo project approval Posted: 28 Oct 2012 08:36 PM PDT
(The Star) - A Barisan Nasional MP has asked Selangor exco member Ronnie Liu to apologise for linking him to approving the 29-storey condominium project near Batu Caves. Calling it "defamation of the first class", P. Kamalanathan (BN - Hulu Selangor) said he will consider taking legal action against Liu if he failed to apologise "as soon as possible". "I was a Selayang municipal councillor from 2004 to 2006. I had no power in 2007 when the project was approved," said the Putera MIC coordinator during a press conference at the Parliament lobby Monday. Kamalanathan claimed that Liu had the intention to tarnish his good name by making his statement. He also questioned why the Pakatan Rakyat-led Selangor government did not do anything to stop the project even though it had been in power since 2008. In a news report, Liu had said the project was approved on Sept 27, 2007, when the state was ruled by Barisan Nasional. He claimed that Kamalanathan and Selangor Gerakan chief A. Kohilan Pillai were Selayang municipal councillors when the project was given the green light. Kamalanathan, via his officers, had lodged a police report to investigate Liu for allegedly slandering him on Oct 24. It was reported that Batu Caves would face the risk of caving in if the condominium project went ahead. Selangor Malaysian Nature Society committee member Lim Teck Wyn said the project would expedite the limestone massif's natural erosion process, causing it to possibly cave in sooner.
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| I did not get RM3m from Chia but the car…’ Posted: 28 Oct 2012 05:12 PM PDT Nazri Abdul Aziz denies receiving RM3 million from a timber tycoon 'friend' but is unsure if the latter lent his car to his son. Patrick Lee, FMT Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Abdul Aziz has denied receiving any money from timber tycoon Michael Chia over a purported RM40 million scandal involving Sabah Umno. He was responding to Malaysia Today blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin (also known as RPK) who claimed that Nazri and his son Mohamad Nedim received RM3 million and a sports car respectively from Chia. "Oh no, it's not true, it's not true. Chia is a friend. I don't know if he lent the car to my son. You have to ask my son," he told FMT in his office this afternoon. Although he did not directly criticise Raja Petra over the claim, Nazri said that he had no problem with this matter being raised. "RPK is a social person. He mixes a lot with people, so he probably gets information from them. Then by (Petra) writing this, it gives me the opportunity to give my side of the story," he said. Nazri also stressed that he had no influence over the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) or the judiciary, adding that if he had, Chia's case would have been dropped. In a Malaysia Today report, Raja Petra claimed that Chia personally came to Parliament to hand RM3 million over to Nazri, after the latter allegedly resolved a matter relating to the RM40 million scandal. He also claimed that Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and Attorney-General Abdul Gani-Patail were similarly involved.
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| EC to blame for BN’s loss of Chinese support Posted: 28 Oct 2012 04:40 PM PDT Sabah's Chinese-based Liberal Democratic Party wants the ruling national alliance to provide for more Chinese representation in government. Queville To, FMT PENAMPANG: A Sabah-based Barisan Nasional partner is blaming the loss of Chinese support on the Election Commission's (EC) gerrymandering. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) said the manipulation of election boundaries by the EC had caused the Chinese community in the state to lose their voice despite their large number. Speaking at a party event on Sunday, its secretary-general-cum-Tanjung Aru division chief Teo Chee Kang said the party hopes the coalition will nominate Chinese candidates especially in those mixed constituencies which have a large Chinese population. He noted that currently out of the 60 state constituencies, only 12 of them are the Chinese constituencies, as the result of gerrymandering by the EC. He cited Lahad Datu, Keningau and Tenom which have a sizeable number of Chinese voters do not have Chinese representatives to look after their interests. "Lahad Datu which has more than 8,000 Chinese voters has been divided by Lahad Datu and Tunku constituencies. Keningau which has more than 7,000 Chinese voters has been split by Liawan and Bingkor constituencies, while Tenom with more than 6,000 Chinese voters is being divided by Kemabong and Melalap constituencies," he said. He claimed that a recent survey conducted by several state BN Chinese component parties throughout the state had revealed that the absence of Chinese representatives in these constituencies has caused great dissatisfaction among the Chinese community there, which had inevitably affected their support for BN. Teo said his party hopes the BN leaderships should pay attention to this when fielding the candidates in the coming general election. "This is important as, if there's a Chinese representative, it would better facilitate the government solving of the various issues affecting the Chinese community in these areas," he said.
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| Kayveas: We want seats lost by BN parties Posted: 28 Oct 2012 04:35 PM PDT
The PPP chief also warns Gerakan and MIC of a backlash if they attempt to sabotage his party's chances as he claims they did in 2008. Humayun Kabir, FMT TAIPING: The People's Progressive Party (PPP) wants to field its winnable candidates in areas that other BN component parties lost in the 2008 general election. Party chief M Kayveas said: "We want to contest in BN areas that were lost to the opposition in the last general election as our chances of winning these seats are bright." Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's said he wants winnable candidates liked by voters and has warned component parties that there was no guarantee they will get the traditional seats. PPP has been assured of a two parliamentary and two state seats but it has proposed another two parliamentary seats and four other state seats for Najib's consideration. Kayveas said this to FMT after a recent visit to his Taiping PPP office but declined to name the seats as he fears possible sabotage by other BN component parties. He claimed that Gerakan and MIC had stabbed him in the back when he stood in the Taiping parliamentary seat in the 2008, causing him to lose the seat to DAP's Nga Kor Ming. Kayveas warned them of a backlash if they again tried to sabotage PPP's chances in the polls as PPP has a membership of 600,000 in the 3,000 its branches nationwide. PPP was badly mauled when it lost both the parliamentary and state seats allocated to it in the last general election. To strengthen its chances in the polls, PPP has launched the 'Mission 510′ voters which requires each branch recruiting 510 people as assured voters for BN. More seats sought Meanwhile, party insiders say that PPP wants the parliamentary seats of Gerik in Perak, Batu or Bandar Tun Razak, both in the Federal Territories. The party is also eyeing the Pasir Bedamar state seat in Perak and Kota Laksamana in Malacca. PPP has appealed to Najib for more seats in Pahang, Penang, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.
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| ‘RM40m scandal may see BN lose Sabah’ Posted: 28 Oct 2012 04:06 PM PDT Raja Petra also claims that more are involved in the RM40 million scandal - including the home minister, attorney-general and a Cabinet minister. Leven Woon, FMT Timber scandals in Sabah, particularly the recent one involving a RM40 million "donation", may cost Barisan Nasional the state, claimed Raja Petra Kamarudin today. The editor of the Malaysia Today blog, in his latest posting "The timber mafia is larger than you suspect", also claimed that there were more people involved in the "untold story" of timber commissions scandal and it was not just limited to businessman Michael Chia and Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman. "The likelihood of half the parliamentary seats in Sabah falling to the opposition is not an impossible scenario. And if that happens then the state can fall as well. That is how serious this matter has become," he said. He said that BN could lose at least 10 of the 25 Parliamentary seats in Sabah to the opposition, while three other seats — Kota Belud, Ranau and Papar — would be "close fights and could go either way". The10 seats he mentioned were: Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Tawau, Sipanggar, Penampang, Beaufort, Keningau, Pensiangan, Tuaran and Kota Marudu. "If Pakatan Rakyat is clever and if they know the correct way in playing up this issue, Sabah may fall and they might even win enough parliamentary seats to march into Putrajaya. My concern is that Pakatan will instead fight amongst themselves over seat allocations, which will allow BN to retain Sabah, " he said. Will Musa be replaced? Raja Petra predicted that with the scandal still brewing hot, the current chief minister's position has become unstable and Umno may have to replace Musa as the Sabah Umno chief to appease voters. He said that his website had published articles about the timber scandals involving Musa and others since 2004, but many are still unaware of the extent of the alleged corruption.
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| Posted: 28 Oct 2012 03:59 PM PDT There is 'little chance' for hudud to be implemented, claim the KL Chinese Assembly Hall and Johor Chamber of Commerce. Leven Woon, FMT While MCA and its political opponents in Pakatan Rakyat engage in yet another round of heated exchange on hudud, several other Chinese groups have made their stand known and raised concerns over the ongoing Islamisation process, particularly of the civil service. The groups were against PAS' proposal to impose hudud once the Islamic party comes into power. And they also noted that the process of Islamisation in Malaysia had begun much earlier. They were also of the opinion that the chance for hudud being implemented was low. KL and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall chief executive officer Tang Ah Chai said the Chinese were generally against hudud because the country was founded on the principles of a secular state. "We were never a religious state. So as a non-Muslim, we cannot accept an Islamic state but only Islam as the official religion," he told FMT. He said that given the current socio-political background, it would be hard for PAS to push forward its hudud agenda. "So rather than spending so much time discussing something which is only a possibility, why don't we look at the Islamisation process in our country which has been there for 30 years?" he asked. Tang said under the leadership of former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the country witnessed a wide-ranging Islamisation process that saw more prominence being given to Islamic syariah laws, and Islamic values were infused into the civil service. On the bright side, he said Islamisation also brought in the concept of Islamic banking system. He also noted that there were not many intellectual discussions among the Chinese on the issue of hudud, hence the community only held vague impression that hudud meant arm-chopping. "In-depth discussions were found lacking on topics such as the Islamic judiciary system, the evidence act and under what circumstances would someone's hand be chopped," he said. Issue exploited for political mileage The Johor Chinese Chamber of Commerce president Lim Beh felt that the hudud issue was played up by "certain political parties" to suit their political agendas. "I feel this is an outdated question. If you chant about it in the 70s, maybe the people would get frightened. But now people are just bored of it," he told FMT.
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| BN’s targets PAS, PKR seats in S’gor Posted: 28 Oct 2012 01:26 PM PDT
(Free Malaysia Today) - According to a Selangor assemblyman, DAP seats are "not the battleground" in the coming election. Barisan Nasional is aiming to gun down PAS and PKR in Selangor in the coming general election.
And death is imminent if the Election Commission (EC) does not clean-up the rolls of the almost 110,000 "untraceable" new registered voters, claims state exco Ronnie Liu from DAP. Liu, who is the Pandamaran state assemblyman, said PAS and PKR – two component parties within Pakatan Rakyat – will almost be certain to be wiped-out from the state assembly if the EC fails to clean up the rolls. He said out of the total 610,000 new registered voters, only about 500,000 voters were located by Pakatan representatives who recently carried out a survey in the state to confirm the names and addresses voters provided by the EC. "Even if we take into consideration the error rate in our survey, the 110,000 voters is a very high number. Most of them were registered mainly at the state constituencies won by PAS and PKR with close margin of votes (in the 2008 election)," Liu told FMT. For the record, in the 2008 election, BN only secured 20 seats – 18 seats won by Umno and two more by MCA – out of the 56 seats in the Selangor state legislative assembly. Pakatan – PKR, DAP and PAS – won 15, 13 and eight seats respectively. Liu said it will be almost impossible for Selangor Pakatan leaders to take on BN without "cleaning up" the electoral roll. He said the minimum requirement under the Election Offences Act was for voters to either reside or at least work at their respective constituencies. "But here in Selangor we have more than half million people registered as new voters and this trend was not recorded in other states. "The onus is on the National Registration Department (NRD) to verify all the particulars provided by the applicants who are requesting to update their addresses for the purpose of voting," he added. He said this will ensure that a single address is not being used by 20 to 30 voters. "The EC is just providing lip service whenever we approach them on discrepancies and is not showing any signs that they will act on this issue," lamented Liu. PKR, PAS seats targeted He said state Pakatan leaders will not oppose to dissolving the state assembly any time soon as long EC comes out with a better explanation on the 110,000 "uncounted for voters". "These 110,000 voters are either Umno or MCA members of other states who have been systematically registered here in Selangor with the clear intention to deny Pakatan from ruling the state for second time," he added. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/10/29/bns-targets-pas-pkr-seats-in-sgor/
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| Asia language plan 'central' to Australian reforms: PM Posted: 28 Oct 2012 01:16 PM PDT
(The Sun Daily) - Australian students would have "priority" access throughout their schooling to Mandarin, Hindi, Indonesian and Japanese languages, with Gillard vowing to link every school with an Asian partner for online classes by 2025.
Every Australian school will be partnered online with one in Asia by 2025 as regional languages become "central" to education reform plans, Prime Minister Julia Gillard said Monday. Boosting so-called "Asia literacy" is central to an ambitious plan to rocket Australia into the world's top 10 wealthiest economies in the next 13 years by broadening links with fast-growing China and its neighbours. A policy paper, "Australia in the Asian Century", was unveiled Sunday and contains a number of lofty goals for 2025 focused on education and business with key Asian partners China, South Korea, Japan, Indonesia and India. Australian students would have "priority" access throughout their schooling to Mandarin, Hindi, Indonesian and Japanese languages, with Gillard vowing to link every school with an Asian partner for online classes by 2025. "I'm going to put access to Asian languages at the centre of (our) national school improvement plan," she told ABC radio Monday, promising a "far broader and far more systematic" approach to Asian language learning. Gillard said it was essential to send "the right message to our kids about how important it is for their future and the careers that they will choose for them to have Asia language capability and general Asian literacy". The prime minister said Australia's national broadband network (NBN) -- a huge project working to connect 93 percent of homes to superfast Internet by 2017 -- would be key to connecting with Asian classrooms and teachers. "We live in an age of different learning possibilities and choices," she said. "The exchange on the NBN... can truly be two-way, where the language teacher is interacting with every child, and we want those children interacting with kids in a school in Asia." Gillard said she had already seen one such programme in action, with an Australian and South Korean school holding joint online sessions and students continuing their friendship outside of lessons on social media networks. "Kids (are)... actually genuinely getting to know each other and something about each other's lifestyles," she said. "And I think if you can do that then you can help inspire the passion of children." According to the latest population census, conducted last year, 76.8 percent of Australians only speak English at home. Mandarin is the most common language after English, spoken in 1.6 percent of homes, followed by Italian (1.4 percent), Arabic (1.3 percent), Cantonese and Greek (both 1.2 percent). |
| Liow: Change will lead to instability Posted: 28 Oct 2012 01:11 PM PDT
(The Star) - This general election will determine if Malaysia will continue using secular laws or be an Islamic nation as propagated by the Opposition, said MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai. He said Malaysia, as a multi-racial country, was developed based on equality and the rights of every citizen. "The country has developed well under the current system. If we change this, it can lead to instability," said Liow, adding that Malaysia could not practise two systems simultaneously. "All of us, including the Muslims, agree that we should respect each other's religious rights," he told reporters after launching Malaysia's Chinese Calligraphy Stone Gallery at the Nirvana Memorial Park here yesterday. Liow was commenting on a statement by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz that Malaysia was never declared a secular state by its past leaders. Last Monday, DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang said the country's first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, had declared that Malaysia was a secular nation with Islam as its official religion. Earlier, Liow, who is also Health Minister, launched the stone gallery which features over 150 calligraphic stele. The stone slabs, carved with ancient writing, recorded historical events and ceremonial recitals across the different Chinese dynasties. Liow said the gallery marked an important milestone in preserving and expanding Chinese culture. NV Multi Asia Group founder and managing director/CEO Datuk Kong Hon Kong said the gallery would serve as a good platform to expose youths to Chinese history. Group chairman Datuk Fu Ah Kiow said the company planned to have calligraphy competitions and talks so the public could appreciate the age-old art form. |
| Khaled: Do not sell given land Posted: 28 Oct 2012 01:09 PM PDT
(The Star) - Squatters given land titles should not take advantage of the situation by selling their plots. Pasir Gudang MP Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the squatters should be thankful to the Government for allowing them to own the land that they have been squatting on and should not sell it to a third party even if they are offered high prices. "They were allowed to own the land as most of them are poor and have nowhere else to go. They shouldn't take advantage of the generosity of the Government," he said. He was speaking to reporters after handing out quit rent notices to residents in Kampung Masai Baru here on Saturday. Mohamed Khaled said squatters should instead build proper houses for their families. "Although the land now belongs to them, they should think of all the trouble others have gone through to provide them with the titles," he said. Mohamed Khaled, who is also Higher Education Minister, added that the Government would continue to help former squatters here and address issues that affect them. "So far, the 5A Notices have been issued for residents in three settlements, namely Kampung Pasir Gudang Baru, Kampung Melayu Makmur and Kampung Masai Baru," he said. He added that residents in Kampung Melayu Pandan would also receive the notices soon. "It is, however, quite challenging for us to get the titles for the land sorted out as a large portion of it is not fully owned by the Government," he said. He added that another way to solve the matter would be to offer the former squatters houses worth RM200,000 each in a different location. |
| Despite Pakatan push, BN expects to win more than 140 seats Posted: 28 Oct 2012 09:30 AM PDT
Jahabar Sadiq, The Malaysian Insider The ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) expects to win more than the 140 federal seats it took in Election 2008 despite the onslaught and talk by Pakatan Rakyat (PR) that it can capture Putrajaya in the next general election which must be called by the end of April 2013, say government sources. But BN politicians concede that as many as seven parliamentary seats in Sarawak and six in Sabah are vulnerable to PR but maintain that their stronghold on rural areas remain strong. There are 222 parliamentary constituencies and 505 state seats up for grabs in the coming 13th general election. "The worst-case scenario is winning just over 120 seats but we're confident of getting as much as we did in 2008 if not more," a senior BN official told The Malaysian Insider, saying that their calculations do not take into account the impact of another Bantuan Rakyat 1 Malaysia (BR1M) payout next January where households earning less than RM3,000 a month will get a one-off RM500 cash aid. The Malaysian Insider learnt that BN secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor expressed confidence that the ruling coalition will do as well as in 2008 during a recent talk with the Foreign Correspondents Club of Malaysia despite uneasiness over risky seats in the coalition's "fixed deposit" states of Sabah and Sarawak. It is understood that BN is expecting to lose some of the seats held by four Sabah MPs who left the coalition while the urban Chinese sentiment in Sarawak could see those seats going to PR. In Election 2008, the DAP was the sole PR component party to win a federal seat each in Sabah and Sarawak. However, the opposition has questioned BN's confidence as the ruling coalition expects to lose more seats in Sabah and Sarawak in the coming elections than before. "How is BN going to make up for losses in the fixed deposit states?" asked an opposition lawmaker when contacted by The Malaysian Insider. "BN knows it can lose up to six in Sabah and seven in Sarawak but it hopes to make it up elsewhere, especially in the peninsula where sentiment is swinging back to the government," one Umno leader told The Malaysian Insider, saying programmes like BR1M have a positive effect on voters. The BR1M began earlier this year and some RM2 billion was spent for over four million households. The BR1M 2.0 also includes a one-off RM250 for unmarried people between 21 and 30 who earn up to RM2,000. Analysts say the expanded coverage would include most of the 2.2 million first-time voters expected to cast their ballots in the next elections. There are now just over 13 million voters in the country of 28 million people. BN politicians also point out that they are expected to get back support from the Indian community, who number 1.7 million, as the coalition has been fulfilling their requests and also extended more aid to them.
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