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Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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• SIS: ‘Islam is not a one way street’
• Nurul Izzah submits transcript to JAIS, to proceed with suit
• DAP shoots down Karpal's 'one candidate, one seat' proposal
• Selangor land deal draws flak
• Tengku Adnan: Problem of perception main challenge for Umno
• Nurul: Under-21 persons registered as voters
• Hadi wants Nurul to explain
• Reprimand Pakatan leaders for sensitive remarks on Islam, DPM urges Nik Aziz
• Airing Muslim convert’s dream stirs trouble
• Cops probe Malaysiakini for sedition
• PKR launches election website
• Nurul Izzah to tell JAIS apostasy row is Utusan’s fault
• Non-MPs barred from Parliament PC area
• ‘I am disappointed with Nurul’
• ‘Stop targetting Nurul’
• Cops search home of suspect’s sister in royal Facebook slur probe
• Malaysian government's Malay policy failure
• Bahrain revokes citizenships of 31 people
• Dr M: I told Petronas to enrich my son
• PAS ready to meet Selangor Sultan to explain Nurul Izzah issue
• Log tale
• Muslims can't leave Islam: Dr Mahathir
• Six NGOs urge France to investigate SUARAM over Scorpene report
• Ex-Perlis mufti backs Nurul Izzah, says ‘no compulsion in Islam’
• Nurul Izzah may face action over Islam remark, says deputy minister
• Where is the oil fund?
• Kohilan, three MIC reps gave nod to Batu Caves project
• Sultan regrets Nurul’s remarks
• Anwar challenges Najib to contest in Marang
• Bersih not looking for an Arab Spring, Ambiga tells CNN’s Amanpour
• Man alleged to have insulted Johor ruler re-arrested under different charge
• Nurul Izzah ready to meet JAIS over religious freedom issue
• Cops probing The Malaysian Insider over coverage of royal Facebook slur
• Formula to win over Sabah
• Selayang Council turns blind eye to Freedom of Information Act
• Selayang Council defied the DOE
• Clearing the air
• Resistance grows within BN against AES profits
• Man gets speeding ticket due to AES blunder
• Anwar 'not democratically elected'
• PERKASA calls on Bumiputeras to reunite

SIS: ‘Islam is not a one way street’ Posted: 08 Nov 2012 05:55 PM PST Zurairi AR, The Malaysian Insider Freedom of religion must also include the liberty to change one's religion, a Muslim women's group said today following the uproar sparked by a speech by PKR lawmaker Nurul Izzah Anwar on the issue. In a press statement to the media, Sisters in Islam (SIS) asked how Muslims demanding freedom for potential Islamic converts to enter the religion could at the same time deny exit to those looking to leave Islam. "Faith by compulsion may lead to hypocrisy," the group said. When contacted by The Malaysian Insider today, SIS programme manager Suri Kempe clarified that the NGO is not asking for anyone to "actively leave Islam", merely the freedom to leave the religion for those who no longer believed. "Islam is not a one way street," Suri said. The PKR vice president's statement at a public forum entitled "Islamic State: Which version, whose responsibility?" in Subang Jaya last Saturday, has resulted in attacks from several religious hawks and Umno politicians suggesting that her remarks meant she supported Muslims renouncing Islam and turning "murtad" or apostate. Nurul Izzah has since lodged a report with Selangor religious officials to clarify the matter, and will take legal action against Umno-owned newspapers Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian as well as a number of blogs for allegedly twisting her statement. Apostasy and freedom of religion is a contentious issue in Malaysia, where the Malays — who make up 60 per cent of the 28 million population — are constitutionally defined to also be Muslims. While freedom of religion is guaranteed for non-Muslims under Article 11 of the Federal Constitution, all Malays are Muslims under the law. Islamic laws forbid Muslims from renouncing their religion and the country's Islamic legal system has provisioned that a state must impose mandatory punishment for apostasy. The country's dual system of both Islamic law and federal law has resulted in controversies to the freedom of religion under Article 11 when Muslims try to convert to other religions. The prominent cases include Lina Joy (Azalina Jailani), Revathi Massosai and Nyonya Tahir (Wong Ah Kiu).

Nurul Izzah submits transcript to JAIS, to proceed with suit Posted: 08 Nov 2012 04:51 PM PST Amin Iskandar, The Malaysian Insider Nurul Izzah Anwar, who has been accused by Umno of supporting apostasy for Muslims, met with Selangor religious officials today and submitted her a transcript of a speech she made to clarify her statement on religious freedom. The PKR vice-president's statement, at a public forum on "Islamic State: Which version, whose responsibility?" in Subang Jaya last Saturday, has resulted in attacks from several religious hawks and Umno politicians suggesting that her remarks meant she supported Muslims renouncing Islam and turning "murtad" or apostate. "I have lodged a report which tells the real story to JAIS director Datuk Marzuki," she said, after meeting with the Selangor Islamic Religious Department. "Thank God, JAIS had given good co-operation." Nurul Izzah was accompanied by her lawyer Fadlina Sidek while meeting the director and three officers of JAIS to lend her co-operation on the matter. Fadlina told reporters that the legal action against Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia, Berita Harian and a number of blogs for allegedly twisting her statement in the recent forum will go ahead. Nurul Izzah also confirmed that she had lodged complaints against the publications to JAIS. Datuk Zulkifli Noordin, vice-president of Malay right-wing group Perkasa, was quoted yesterday as being willing to provide a lawyer to Utusan Malaysia if Nurul Izzah decides to go ahead with her suit. In a forum organised by Perkasa last night, Zulkifli said that he was willing to defend the daily pro-bono,  "We're not defending Utusan Malaysia, we're defending the Malay race, Islam," he said. Race and religion issues are inseparable in Malaysia, where the Malays — who make up 60 per cent of the 28 million population — are constitutionally defined to also be Muslims.

DAP shoots down Karpal's 'one candidate, one seat' proposal Posted: 08 Nov 2012 04:28 PM PST (NST) - The DAP central executive committee (CEC) has shot down its national chairman Karpal Singh's "one candidate, one seat" proposal. Instead, party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said the question of whether a candidate stands for both parliamentary and state seats should be decided on a case-by-case basis. He said the decision was unanimously made by the CEC at its meeting on Monday night. "It was decided that any decision on this matter (one seat, one candidate) should be decided on a case- by-case basis as it relates to political strategy and winnability," he said in a statement. Lim, who is a member of parliament and also a state assemblyman, said all party members should refrain from publicising the issue. He said talking about such issues, which touch on the internal party mechanism, would only expose the party to further attacks, especially from the mainstream media. The CEC decision effectively buries Karpal's proposal that the party only allocate one seat for every candidate it fields in the coming general election. The veteran party leader had proposed that only Lim be given an exemption as the latter needed to bring state issues to Parliament in his capacity as Penang chief minister.

Selangor land deal draws flak Posted: 08 Nov 2012 04:13 PM PST PUZZLING: Cultural centre to be built on land belonging to Yayasan Selangor (NST) - THE state government has been asked to explain the status of a 7.4ha land  belonging to Yayasan Selangor, which has recently been approved for the construction of a Chinese cultural centre. Yayasan Selangor (YS) Alumni Action Committee chairman Badrulzaman Baharudin said the failure of Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim to defend the land, with an estimated value of RM60 million, was proof that the state government had been selling all the foundation's assets to fund its losses. Badrulzaman, who represents more than 20,000 alumni members, called on the state government to cancel the proposal, after it had earlier decided to demolish the Tun Dr Ismail and Toh Puan Norashikin hostels at Kampung Pandan, Kuala Lumpur, for development at the end of the year. "State executive councillor Elizabeth Wong had issued a  letter to the menteri besar, dated March  21 last year, requesting the approval for the cultural centre to be built at land lot PT 4221. "We also received information that the land transaction had happened at short notice with approval gained on May 18 last year. "How did the deal go through so soon in less than two months? Who made the call? And why was there no discussion within YS management  prior to the decision?" YS Hostel Alumni Association president Captain (R) Azme Dollah  claimed that the Kampung Pandan hostel would be closed after the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examination was over at the end of the year.   He said Form Two and Four students had  been ordered to move out of the hostel early this year. "The aim was to provide students from rural areas a chance to adapt to urban life.  What will happen to them?"   Azme said the excuse to close down the hostel for development to generate income made no sense as YS had declared RM51 million in reserves while the state government had declared RM2.1 billion in its reserves.

Tengku Adnan: Problem of perception main challenge for Umno Posted: 08 Nov 2012 03:57 PM PST (Bernama) - Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said the problem of perception is the main challenge in strengthening the image of the party. He said after the 2004 general election, Umno not only faced accusations of practising cronyism, being elitist and corrupted, but also ex-members, who could not get positions when in Umno, sowed negative perceptions about the party. "Those disappointed, they leave we know. When they do not succeed in the party they quit. He should ask why he did not make it in Umno. There must be a reason. Don't think they were blocked (from moving up) or pressured (to leave)," Tengku Adnan stressed. He said this to Bernama in an exclusive interview at Umno's headquarters at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) here in conjunction with Umno's general assembly from November 28 to December 1.  He said despite facing difficulty of confronting the "enemy", he was optimistic the image of the party would improve further through efforts implemented, including the political transformation initiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who is also Umno president.  Tengku Adnan said as the government, Barisan Nasional headed by Umno was not free of making mistakes but the new leadership under Najib had carried out numerous innovations to overcome shortcomings.  "I am not saying we are perfect as a government… indeed there were mistakes made but we can see our new leader is making, and has made changes. We want to move forward, we don't want to go back. Give him a chance," he said. Touching on the general assembly, he said delegates could touch on any issue under the topics of the president's address, economy, politics, religion and education subject to the guidelines set by the Committee on Resolutions which is chaired by Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein. "We do not restrict because the committee will have discussions with delegates and issue guidelines because some get over-excited when given a microphone. "We also remind delegates not to use the gathering as a platform to project themselves and attract the attention of the leaders to pick them as candidates for the general election," he said. Tengku Adnan said the delegates must also focus their speeches on the importance of believing in the policies of Umno which was fighting for all the communities and not only as an umbrella of the Malays. He said their excitement to debate also must be moderated so that what would be said would not offend any party. He said those debating must also be sensitive to the accusations hurled by the opposition against Umno and insert reminders in their debates that the party did not promise riches to individuals but fought in the interest of the people. The general assembly this year will be attended by 2,759 delegates.  Meanwhile, Umno's two-day Wanita, Youth and Puteri general assemblies will start on November 27. Each wing will be represented by 991 delegates.

Nurul: Under-21 persons registered as voters Posted: 08 Nov 2012 03:43 PM PST (FZ.com) - A total of 772 individuals under the eligible voting age of 21 have been registered as electorates in the Lembah Pantai constituency, its MP Nurul Izzah Anwar revealed on Thursday. Citing an example, she said, a voter born on June 19, 1990 was listed in the master electoral roll on March 2, 2011, three months before the individual turned 21.   "The Election Commission (EC) must explain if those not of legal age can be registered as a voter," Nurul Izzah told a press conference in parliament.   Apart from that she pointed out that postal voters in her constituency had increased by a staggering 1,500% in the past four years.   The number stood at 154 in 2008 but rose to 2,227 by the third quarter of 2012.   They included 383 postal voters who were previously objected to during the display of the quarterly supplementary roll.   The MP said that these voters were supposed to be listed at the Bukit Jalil temporary holding facility, but they are now registered as postal voters at the Travers police station.   "In early 2011, I found that the Bukit Jalil temporary holding facility, which  is 12 km away from Lembah Pantai and located in the Bandar Tun Razak constituency in 2008, was included as a Lembah Pantai postal voting centre.   "After making several objections to the EC, I am now shocked to find the latest data indicating that the 383 postal voters have been moved from the Bukit Jalil temporary holding facility to the Travers police station," she added.   Nurul Izzah also complained of more than 31,544 voters on the electoral roll who are without complete addresses. And of 31 voters, 22 of whom were moved from Seputeh, and all of them were registered to seven units at the Kampung Limau low cost flats.   She said attempts to meet with the Federal Territories Election Commission chief on these issues have failed despite having tried repeatedly.   "So we have met with (Minister in the Prime Minister's Department) Datuk Seri Nazri (Abdul Aziz), who has instructed the EC chairperson and his officers to come and address MPs in Parliament on Nov 19 on these issues," said Nurul Izzah.   Nevertheless, in order to have make the EC's job easier, she said opposition MPs who have found similar irregularities in their checks will proceed to submit their findings to EC by tomorrow.   Kuantan PKR parliamentarian Fuziah Salleh who was also at the press conference expressed frustration as she claimed that EC in her constituency claimed ignorance of the discrepancies.   "The point is, it's not our job to audit the electoral roll. We have other things to do as MPs, this is taking up our valuable time. And we should not have to hire staff or recruit volunteers and spend late nights checking the roll," she said.   Among others, Fuziah said she has raised issues over rubber-stamping the ballot papers instead of the previous practice of ballot papers with perforations.   "This opens up to more fraud. Anyone can make a rubber stamp. We are within six months of elections and still these problems are there," she hit out.

Hadi wants Nurul to explain Posted: 08 Nov 2012 03:21 PM PST (The Star) - PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang wants Nurul Izzah Anwar to explain her controversial "freedom of religion" statement to clear the air over the issue, which has drawn public outcry and a rebuke from the Sultan of Selangor. "We will not make assumptions based on media reports. We must hear what she has to say," he said when asked about the alleged statement by the PKR vice-president that freedom of religion applied equally to all, including Malays. The Lembah Pantai MP had purportedly said this in response to a question at a forum on the Islamic state in Subang Jaya on Nov 3. She has denied claims that her statement supports murtad (apostasy) and will meet Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (Jais) director Datuk Marzuki Husin today to clarify her remarks. "In Islam, we cannot penalise anyone even when 1% is unclear," said Hadi. PAS Youth deputy leader Nik Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz agreed with the party president, saying all quarters should wait for Nurul Izzah's explanation. "Only she can tell what she really meant," he said. Meanwhile, PAS Youth chief Nasrudin Hassan has denied that the wing was holding a protest to condemn Nurul Izzah. "We are certainly not staging any protest against her," he said, responding to text messages claiming that the wing would be staging such a protest. Those sending out the SMSes were taking advantage of the situation to attack Nurul Izzah and dampen ties among Pakatan Rakyat allies, he said in a statement.

Reprimand Pakatan leaders for sensitive remarks on Islam, DPM urges Nik Aziz Posted: 08 Nov 2012 03:14 PM PST (The Star) - PAS is trying hard to show solidarity with its allies in Pakatan Rakyat but it is really strange when its spiritual adviser shrugs off sensitive statements made by the coalition leaders on Islam, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said. The Deputy Prime Minister said Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, who is also Kelantan Mentri Besar, should be brave to criticise the Pakatan leaders befitting his ulama standing and champion of his party's struggle for Islam. "Instead, he chose to remain silent every time controversial or sensitive remarks on Islam are made by his fellow Pakatan leaders. "Nik Aziz should advise them against making statements that are in contradiction to Islamic beliefs," Muhyiddin told reporters at a village gathering at the Mara Skills Institute at Lubok Jong here yesterday. Present were Kelantan Umno liaison chief Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamad and his deputy Datuk Dr Awang Adek Husin. "As an ulama, one must right what is wrong. The same goes for the sensitive remarks uttered by other Pakatan leaders, like (DAP secretary-general) Lim Guan Eng and (DAP national chairman) Karpal Singh. "The latest is the controversial remarks on the Muslims' faith by (PKR vice-president) Nurul Izzah Anwar," he said. "In the end, all this is done for political exigency and nothing else," added Muhyiddin, who is Umno deputy president. Asked about Kelantan, he said the people should judge whether it has a responsible government able to bring socio-economic welfare and development to the state. Muhyiddin said there had been empty promises and little effort to help the poor or to improve the living standards of the lower-income groups.

Airing Muslim convert’s dream stirs trouble Posted: 08 Nov 2012 02:56 PM PST A Hindu group has filed a police report over an 'insensitive' radio programme which featured a speaker who converted to Islam after having a dream. RK Anand, FMT In the latest episode of brewing tensions with regard to issues of faith in Malaysia, a Hindu organisation has filed a police report over a programme aired on a Tamil radio station. State-owned radio station Minnal FM had featured an interview with a Muslim convert last night and his remarks had irked the Malaysia HinduDharma Mamandram. Speaking to FMT, the organisation's secretary-general Rishi Kumar Vadivelu said that the speaker claimed to be a former Hindu born in the priestly Brahmin caste. The Indian national added that prior to converting, he was a pious Hindu and well-versed with the religion's scriptures. "Identifying himself as a 'Mahaguru', the speaker claimed that he had dreamt of the Arabic words which a Muslim recites to profess his faith. "And when he searched for the meaning of those words, he had apparently realised that this was the truth and urged the listeners to evaluate for themselves," said Rishi. Following this, the Malaysia HinduDharman Mamandram convened an emergency council meeting at around 11pm and decided to file a police report on the matter. The report was lodged with the Brickfields police headquarters here. 'This is insensitive' Expressing disappointment with the editorial gatekeepers in Minnal FM, Rishi asked how these officials had allowed such a programme to be aired. "We have nothing against the promotion of Islam but the speaker has no right to make statements that belittle other faiths. "Airing this programme is insensitive on the part of Minnal FM and airing it now, when the Hindu festival of Deepavali is around the corner, is extremely insensitive," he said. In view of this, he wanted the Information, Communications and Culture Ministry and Minnal FM officials to accept responsibility and ensure that such a thing did not recur. Inter-faith issues continued to be a problem in Malaysia, especially with its status still mired in dispute as to whether it is an Islamic or secular state. In the past, Hindus were incensed when a group of Muslims staged a street protest with a severed head of a cow, considered a sacred animal to Hindus. The protest was held to object the construction of a Hindu temple in a predominantly Muslim neighbourhood in Shah Alam. Hindu activists and organisations saw red when the authorities had allowed the protest to take place without hindrance and were slow in their condemnation of the act. Of late, the church had also often found itself embroiled in controversies such as the legal tussle over the usage of the Arabic term "Allah", accusations of proselytising of Muslims and even a plot to turn Malaysia into a Christian state. These religious tensions remain a thorn in the flesh of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, putting his much publicised 1Malaysia slogan under the spotlight. 'Will the cops raid Jakim?' Weighing in on the issue, MIC leader S Vell Paari also condemned the airing of the programme on Minnal FM last night. He said while there was nothing wrong with promoting the values of Islam, such programmes however should not serve as a cloak to convert those of other faiths. READ MORE HERE

Cops probe Malaysiakini for sedition Posted: 08 Nov 2012 11:11 AM PST   (The Sun Daily) - About 15 police personnel including six officers armed with a search warrant went over to the office of online news web portal Malaysiakini.com yesterday over a probe into an alleged seditious article published in the website. The police personnel from the Subang Jaya district police headquarters were apparently investigating a report on an article titled "Nurul's watershed idea for the nation" which was in response to the controversy surrounding Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar over her recent statement on religious matters. The commentary was written by the web portal's columnist Steve Oh. When contacted by theSun, Malaysiakini's chief editor Fathi Aris Omar said the police had recorded a statement from him, news editor Gerald Martinez and human resource manager A Shamini. The police team arrived at Malaysiakini's office in Bangsar at about 5.15 pm and spent about 90 mins carrying out investigations over the article under the Sedition Act. Fathi said police did not seize anything but had told the web portal's officials that they would return today (FRI) to resume their probe at the premises. In response to case, Malaysiakini editor-in-chief Steven Gan said in a news report in the web portal that the police visit can be described as "yet another case of intimidation and harassment". "There is nothing considered as seditious in Oh's letter. We are consulting our lawyers on the matter," he said. Subang Jaya police chief ACP Yahaya Ramli told theSun that the operation was not a raid but police had merely gone to the web portal's office to record statements over the article.

PKR launches election website Posted: 07 Nov 2012 05:56 PM PST www.demirakyat.my is the central point of information on the party's election efforts, says Nik Nazmi.  Anisah Shukry, FMT PKR today launched a website to canvass netizens for votes in the coming election. PKR communications director Nik Azmi Nik Ahmad told reporters www.demirakyat.my would serve as the party's main election platform and the central point for information on its election efforts. "The website is the place the public can visit to find out all they need to know about their candidates," he said. "All our election materials, including candidate lists, will be included on the site. "It will allow netizens to share our election messages, speeches, visuals and other paraphernalia either directly with people in their communities or with their virtual communities in Facebook and Twitter, for instance." Most important, Nik Nazmi quipped, would be the "donation page" because the "resource-strapped PKR" needed funds for its campaign. The site informs donors how their money will be put to use. For example, a donation of RM100 would allow PKR volunteers to reach out to voters residing in rural areas. "The website is a call to action and will be increased in capacity to display information about all election candidates as we progress to the general election," Nik Nazmi said. He said he expected www.demirakyat.my to attract large traffic, adding that it had been receiving 1,500 hits a day even before it was launched. He said the target groups included Malaysians living overseas who might not return in time for the general election but could contribute in ways other than voting for Pakatan Rakyat candidates. READ MORE HERE

Nurul Izzah to tell JAIS apostasy row is Utusan’s fault Posted: 07 Nov 2012 03:31 PM PST Mohd Farhan, Darwis, The Malaysian Insider Nurul Izzah Anwar, who has been accused by Umno of supporting apostasy for Muslims, will meet Selangor religious officials tomorrow to explain to them that she has been the victim of slander by Utusan Malaysia, the newspaper owned by the Barisan Nasional (BN) party. The PKR vice-president's statement, at a public forum on "Islamic State: Which version, whose responsibility?" in Subang Jaya last Saturday, has resulted in attacks from several religious hawks and Umno politicians suggesting that her remarks meant she supported Muslims renouncing Islam and turning "murtad" or apostate. "I will go to JAIS office at 11am tomorrow to lodge a complaint against Utusan Malaysia for their slander against me," Nurul Izzah (picture) told the media in the Parliament lobby today, referring to the Selangor Islamic Religious Department. Yesterday, popular Islamic scholar Datuk Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin defended her, and pointed out that her remarks that Malays also have freedom of religion meant there was no compulsion in Islam. Mohd Asri was also reported as saying that Nurul Izzah's initial remark could have been misconstrued because it was not explained in detail. He said the first-term federal lawmaker had contacted him to help explain to the public her statement and that he agreed with her remarks that there was no compulsion in Islam. In Parliament yesterday, deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Dr Mashitah Ibrahim said that legal action may be taken against Nurul Izzah. Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad also joined Muslim conservatives in dismissing the view that there is no compulsion in Islam, telling those professing the faith not to get too "carried away by western ideals". Earlier this week, Nurul Izzah said she will take legal action against Umno-owned dailies Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian for allegedly twisting her statement in a recent forum. She has reportedly denied that she is supporting apostasy among the country's Malay-Muslim community. Race and religion issues are inseparable in Malaysia, where the Malays — who make up 60 per cent of the 28 million population — are constitutionally defined to also be Muslims.

Non-MPs barred from Parliament PC area Posted: 07 Nov 2012 03:11 PM PST Dewan Rakyat Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia says this iss because non-MPs are abusing Parliament grounds.  Patrick Lee, FMT Anyone who is not a member of Parliament will no longer be allowed to speak to the media at a special press conference area within the Parliament lobby. Dewan Rakyat Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia said the space, reserved for MPs, was misused by others to give press conferences. "This is for those people who purposely use Parliament facilities to sit with the MPs for coverage," he told reporters in his chambers. At the same time, he said that people were still allowed to speak to the media within Parliament grounds, so long as it wasn't within the special press conference area. There had been many times during Parliament sessions when groups or individuals were invited by various MPs to speak to the media. In many cases, some of them had been members of these MPs' own political parties, and would sometimes take charge of these press events. Earlier today, Pandikar told the Dewan Rakyat that with immediate effect, the press conference area could only be used by MPs. Invoking Standing Order 93 and 94, he said the matter would be relayed to the Prime Minister, the Minister in charge of Parliamentary Affairs, the Opposition Leader and the head of Parliament's Administration. At the time, none of the MPs present in the House stood up to object. Pandikar also said that some Parliaments around the world did not even allow the press to enter their grounds. He added that even India's Parliament had a special press conference area outside its gates. READ MORE HERE

‘I am disappointed with Nurul’ Posted: 07 Nov 2012 02:46 PM PST The lawyer who posed the sensitive question on religious freedom is disappointed that the PKR leader has changed her stand.  Leven Woon, FMT A lawyer who posed the question on religious freedom to PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar during a forum last Saturday is disappointed with the politicians 180 degree turn. Siti Kasim, a member of the Bar Council human rights committee, said she was disappointed that Nurul had "retracted" her remark. "I believe Nurul was just trying to impress the people, she didn't think of the consequences," she told FMT. Siti said Nurul should have stood firm on her remark that freedom of religion was a right for all including the Malay-Muslim. "There's nothing wrong about it, she is saying the truth. I expected a hoo-ha after that. But as a politician, you just need to stick to the truth," she added. She wondered if Nurul was merely adjusting herself to the largely non-Muslim audience on that day and making a political remark. At the forum titled "Islamic state: Which vision? Whose responsibility?", Siti asked Nurul whether freedom of religion should be extended to the Malays since the PKR leader talked about the issue in her speech. Siti said while Nurul did not mention about apostasy in her response, the latter however was a clear supporter of freedom of religion for the Malays. "In the following days she 'retracted' her remark, and said she did not support apostasy. But indirectly when you say you support freedom of religion, and if Malay wants to get out from Islam, that's apostasy," she pointed out. The Orang Asli rights advocate said she once posed the same question to Nurul's father, Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, but failed to get a direct response. "He was going around the bush and didn't answer directly. We want politicians to be straight forward," she said. Meanwhile, Siti said it was high time for the issue to be debated as the Federal Constitution did not exclude the Malays from their right to freedom of religion. She said the individuals who criticised Nurul were the conservatives who insisted that their version of religion was the correct one.

‘Stop targetting Nurul’ Posted: 07 Nov 2012 02:43 PM PST A MIC leader and a business group express disappointment with the wave of attacks launched against the PKR vice-president. RK Anand, FMT Caught in the eye of a religious storm, PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar is staring at the possibility of being probed by the Islamic authorities. But an outspoken MIC leader cautioned the powers-that-be against "doing to her what was done to her father." Party communication chief S Vell Paari said Nurul – whom he described as "one of the few bright sparks in a pitch black room" – should not be hauled up over a political vendetta. Furthermore, he added that Nurul had explained herself. In 1998, Nurul's father Anwar Ibrahim was sacked as the deputy prime minister. He was then charged with sodomy and corruption, which Anwar claimed were trumped up by his former boss turned arch nemesis Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Anwar, now the opposition leader, was once again charged with sodomy in 2008 but had been acquitted this year. Once again, he accused his political rivals of hatching a plot. Conceding that he had no authority to comment on issues pertaining to Islam, Vell Paari explained that he was looking at the matter from a different vantage point. "While it is common for politicians to sing a different tune and issue threats of legal action when the heat is turned on, Utusan however is not the benchmark for free and accurate reporting either. "So Utusan's reports must be taken with not a pinch but rather a fistful of salt," he added. The MIC leader also took a swipe at Mahathir for claiming that Nurul was influenced by the ideals of Western liberalism. Firstly, he said it was wrong for the former premier to presume that the daughter of his nemesis had supported apostasy, when there were two versions to the dispute. Secondly, Vell Paari said Mahathir should stop blaming everything on the West as if this part of the world was free from sin. "If these critics feel that the West is the root of all evil, then they should stop wearing tailor-made designer suits and stop being chauffeured around in continental cars," he quipped. On a more serious note, Vell Paari said the latest controversy highlighted once again how the political climate in Malaysia was now enveloped in hate and fear. "Politics of hate and fear have become the staple diet in this country with both sides of the divide indulging in such antics to seek mileage. This must stop. "Both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat leaders must cease this unhealthy brand of politics as it impedes the maturing process of this nation," he added. Give them room to express Meanwhile, Malaysian Indian Business Association (Miba) president P Sivakumar was also disappointed with the attacks launched against Nurul. He told FMT that the younger generation of leaders must be given the scope to express themselves without fear of reprisals, be it from their seniors or the authorities. READ MORE HERE

Cops search home of suspect’s sister in royal Facebook slur probe Posted: 07 Nov 2012 12:42 PM PST (FMT) -- The police paid a pre-dawn visit this morning to the rented home of Asiah Abd Jalil, sister to Ahmad Abd Jalil ― the man being investigated for allegedly criticising the Johor sultan ― and searched the premises without a warrant, just hours after the family held a gathering at the landmark Dataran Merdeka here last night pushing for his release from detention.   Asiah told The Malaysian Insider four policemen had knocked on the door of her rented home in Klang at about 6.30am today and initially asked to record her family's statements. The family declined as they were rushing to Johor Baru where Ahmad was to be presented before a magistrate at 2.30pm today. The police then asked to search the home she shares with her children and another brother, to which she agreed after consulting her lawyer, Fadiah Nadwa Fikri. "They conducted a thorough search but it was done in a professional manner. They asked for permission and allowed my mother and I to cover our aurat before entering," Asiah said over the phone as the family drove through Seremban. "They said they were looking for something but we have no idea what they're looking for." Asiah said she believed the police had gone to her Klang house because it was the address listed on Ahmad's MyKad even though he no longer lived there, having moved to Damansara Damai recently. Ahmad, a 27-year-old quantity surveyor was arrested at his office in Cheras on November 2 and hauled to face the Johor police for allegedly posting seditious remarks against the Johor royal house on Facebook. Yesterday Johor CID deputy director Asst Comm Nor Azizan Anan denied that Ahmad had been forced to confess to the crime while under police interrogation. Ahmad was remanded a further three days from Tuesday under Section 233 (1)(b) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 for his alleged Facebook insult against the Johor Sultan. Section 233 deals with an "improper use of network facilities or network service, etc". Section 233(1)(b) stipulates that "a person who initiates a communication using any applications service, whether continuously, repeatedly or otherwise, during which communication may or may not ensue, with or without disclosing his identity and with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any person at any number or electronic address, commits an offence". Read more

Malaysian government's Malay policy failure Posted: 07 Nov 2012 10:16 AM PST   (PressTV) - It was designed to close the vast economic gap between the Malays and non-Malays, especially Chinese.   Watch video at: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/11/07/270955/malaysian-governments-malay-policy-failure/     When the New Economic Policy was introduced in 1970, the majority Malays only controlled 3% of the economy.  The policy gave Malays a host of special privileges, including in getting government contracts, lower interest rate loans and places in university, aiming to increase their economic share to 30%.  But critics say most of the benefits have just gone to big companies close to the ruling party.  The organisation representing businesses owned by Malays who are also known as Bumiputera says despite a huge increase in membership, Malay businesses are still struggling.  The government says the policy has narrowed the economic gap, reduced poverty among Malays, created a sizeable middle class and prevented tensions between Malays and non-Malays from boiling over.  Prime Minister Najib Razak has acknowledged that the implementation of the policy has been flawed.  Najib has floated the idea of moving to a system of helping those most in need regardless of their race. But he is facing resistance from conservatives in his party who still want to maintain all the privileges for the Malays.

Bahrain revokes citizenships of 31 people Posted: 07 Nov 2012 09:59 AM PST   Some of those stripped of citizenship were never accused of committing a crime, the opposition claimed  (Al Jazeera) - The decision, they said, "is intended to punish them for expressing peaceful dissent and thereby intimidate others from exercising their right to freedom of expression."  List of 31 people, many of them activists and two former MPs, comes amid ongoing government crackdown on opposition.  Bahraini authorities have revoked the citizenships of 31 people, among them two former members of parliament, for having "undermined state security," state news agency BNA reported. The names of the 31 activists, including brothers Jawad and Jalal Fairuz, both ex-MPs who represented the opposition Shia al-Wefaq party, were listed in Wednesday's report, which quoted an interior ministry statement. Also named was Ali Mashaima, son of prominent activist Hassan Mashaima who is head of the Shia opposition movement Haq and who is serving a life sentence for allegedly plotting against the monarchy. The government move comes after Bahrain late last month banned all protests and gatherings to ensure "security is maintained," after clashes between Shia-led demonstrators and security forces in the Sunni-ruled country. The Gulf state, Bahrain, home to the US Fifth Fleet and strategically situated across the Gulf from Iran, has experienced unrest since February 14 last year when protests erupted calling for democracy. Hundreds of people were arrested when the security forces, aided by troops from neighbouring Saudi Arabia, crushed the uprising within a month. However, protests resumed months later and happen on a regular basis in villages around the country.  Many activists, some whose names appear on Wednesday's list, were tried in a special military court set up at the time. Another former MP and leading al-Wefaq member, Matar Matar, told AFP that some named on the list were acquitted by the military court while others were never charged with "undermining state security." Other opposition sources said that some of the named activists are currently living abroad. 'Grave concern' According to the International Federation for Human Rights, 80 people have died in Bahrain since the unrest began. Two local rights groups -- The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights and the Bahrain Center for Human Rights -- voiced "grave concern" over the decision to revoke the citizenships. "The BYSHR and the BCHR express grave concern over the systematic targeting of prominent political activists, former members of parliament, clerics and others," they said in a statement. The decision, they said, "is intended to punish them for expressing peaceful dissent and thereby intimidate others from exercising their right to freedom of expression." Read more at: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/11/2012117122240601519.html?utm_content=automate&utm_campaign=Trial6&utm_source=NewSocialFlow&utm_term=plustweets&utm_medium=MasterAccount

Dr M: I told Petronas to enrich my son Posted: 06 Nov 2012 06:40 PM PST The former premier mocks a reporter who asked an embarrassing question. Syed Jaymal Zahiid, FMT Dr Mahathir Mohamad today mocked a Malaysiakini reporter for questioning him on lucrative multimillion ringgit petroleum contracts involving Petronas and SapuraKencana Petroleum Bhd, of which his son Mokhzani is vice-president. The visibly annoyed former prime minister, who is adviser to the national oil company, said he had used his influence with Petronas to ensure that SapuraKencana win the business. "Yes, of course, he is given it because I instructed Petronas," he told the reporter. "You can put that in your paper." "I presided over everything. I told them, 'Please give to my son and not to anybody else'." The reporter's question came during a press conference that followed the presentation of a patron award to Mahathir from the Malaysian Institute of Planners (MIP). The reporter raised the question in defiance of a plea by the event organisers that the media confine the session to town planning and other issues related to the function. The reporter asked if Mahathir thought there was a conflict of interest in the award of two contracts, worth RM836 million in total. Mahathir replied: "That is what I've been doing all the time. Even the time when I was prime minister, everything goes to my children. "But when everything goes to the children of other PMs, you don't want to mention because he is a nice man." Mahathir left shortly afterwards, cutting the press conference short. An event official later told FMT the reporter should have "been more respectful". "We wanted the press conference to be confined to the event," he said. "It's okay that he wanted to ask the question, but he could have framed it in a more tactful way." Reuters reported last week that Allied Marine & Equipment Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned unit of SapuraKencana, was awarded a RM700 million underwater services contract for three and a half years by Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd. Another wholly-owned unit, Kencana HL Sdn Bhd, was awarded a RM135.8 million engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning contract from HESS Exploration and Production Malaysia BV for an integrated gas project in the Kamelia Field in the North Malay Basin. The contracts were announced in two stock exchange filings last Thursday.

PAS ready to meet Selangor Sultan to explain Nurul Izzah issue Posted: 06 Nov 2012 06:33 PM PST Mohd Farhan Darwis, The Malaysian Insider PAS leaders today said they are ready to meet the Selangor Sultan to give an explanation over the allegations that Nurul Izzah Anwar had supported freedom of religion for Malays. Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, a PAS central committee member, did not dismiss the possibility that the king, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah did not receive Nurul Izzah's actual statement. "I am convinced the Sultan did not get Nurul (Izzah)'s actual statement...if not, I myself can meet the Sultan to tell." "I am close enough with the Sultan...I can bring the actual statement to the Sultan," Dr Dzulkefly (picture), who is also the Kuala Selangor MP said during a press conference in Parliament today. Utusan Malaysia carried a report on its front page today, saying that the Selangor of Sultan was shocked with Nurul Izzah's statement in the forum: "Islamic State: Which Version, Whose Responsibility" in Subang Jaya last Saturday. The PAS Dewan Muslimat today also expressed support for Nurul Izzah, stressing that the attacks on the PKR leader was carried out by political foes who had pre-judged her before listening to her explaination. "This issue has been politicised and intentionally magnified (diperbesarkan)," the Kota Raja MP Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud said in the same press conference. Nurul Izzah has since then denied supporting apostasy among the Muslim community, and yesterday said she will take legal action against Umno-owned dailies Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian for allegedly twisting her statement. READ MORE HERE

Log tale Posted: 06 Nov 2012 06:03 PM PST   (The Economist) - A new investigation accuses HSBC of ignoring its own sustainability policies Global Witness, a campaigning group, has analysed the publicly available financial records of seven of Sarawak's largest logging and plantation companies. It identified loans and other financial services from HSBC that it estimates have generated at least $116m in interest payments and $13.6m in fees for the bank since 1977. Although lending has declined over the past decade, HSBC continues to list Sarawak loggers among its clients, in apparent violation of its own Forest Land and Forest Products Sector Policy. SOME big banks do little more than pay lip service to environmental issues. HSBC likes to think of itself as different. It has signed up to many initiatives, including the Equator Principles, a set of social and environmental standards launched in 2003 for project financiers. It was one of the first banks to have its implementation audited by a third party. The bank proudly trumpets the HSBC Climate Partnership, a $100m scheme with the WWF and others that provided clean water to more than 30m people. An upcoming report points to a blot on HSBC's copybook: its financial support of unsustainable logging in Sarawak, a Malaysian part of Borneo. The bank maintains commercial ties with some of the most active logging and plantation firms there, despite their failure to meet HSBC's sustainability policies. Sarawak has lost more than 90% of its "primary" forests to logging and has the fastest rate of deforestation in Asia. Sarawak has only 0.5% of the world's tropical forest but accounted for 25% of tropical-log exports in 2010. As timber stocks have become depleted, the loggers have moved into the palm-oil business, clearing peat-swamp forests to make way for plantations. The deforestation has been accompanied by abuses against indigenous groups, including harassment and illegal evictions. Allegations of corruption and abuse of public office dog Abdul Taib Mahmud, Sarawak's chief minister, finance minister and planning-and-resources minister, who is believed to have firm control over the granting of logging licences. Mr Taib has long denied being corrupt. Global Witness, a campaigning group, has analysed the publicly available financial records of seven of Sarawak's largest logging and plantation companies. It identified loans and other financial services from HSBC that it estimates have generated at least $116m in interest payments and $13.6m in fees for the bank since 1977. Although lending has declined over the past decade, HSBC continues to list Sarawak loggers among its clients, in apparent violation of its own Forest Land and Forest Products Sector Policy. On paper HSBC's forest policy gets high marks, including from BankTrack, a network of NGOs that monitors lenders. When it was drawn up in 2004, the policy required clients to have 70% of their activities certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), or equivalent, by 2009, with evidence that the remainder was legal. (The FSC is a global non-profit body that sets standards and does independent certification for logging and forest products.) Not only did the seven firms analysed fail to meet that deadline, but none has any FSC-certified operations today. Ta Ann Holdings, for example, listed HSBC as a "principal banker" in its 2011 annual report. Ta Ann does not have FSC certification, and has failed to obtain full verification of the legality of its Sarawak concession under the independent "Verified Legal Origin" scheme. The firm has been accused of clear-felling rainforest that is home to endangered orangutan and of cutting down conservation forest for plantations. Ta Ann told Global Witness it is "collaborating closely with HSBC towards achieving full compliance" with its forest policy. Another forestry conglomerate that is still banking with HSBC, according to its annual report, is WTK Holdings, whose intensive logging is widely believed by pressure groups to have caused landslides that ended up blocking a 50km (31-mile) stretch of river in 2010. None of WTK's operations is FSC-certified. Read more at: http://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21565622-new-investigation-accuses-hsbc-ignoring-its-own-sustainability-policies-log

Muslims can't leave Islam: Dr Mahathir Posted: 06 Nov 2012 03:39 PM PST Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad joined Muslim conservatives today in dismissing the view that there is no compulsion in Islam, telling those professing the faith not to get too "carried away by western ideals". "We are Muslims. We do not change our religion," the influential former prime minister told a press conference this afternoon. "Others ... their beliefs perhaps permit them (to convert). We should not be too taken by western thoughts." Dr Mahathir said that such freedom, if allowed, could lead to racially-charged arguments, even among those in the same religion. "If we're free to do this and that, in the end, we start to produce films that ridicule other religions and then we fight among us. "So do not be too carried away by western ideals. A man can marry a man, a woman can marry a woman... and the family is destroyed," he said. Dr Mahathir was asked to wade into the controversy surrounding remarks made by PKR's Lembah Pantai MP, Nurul Izzah Anwar, who recently expressed her support for freedom of religion for all Malaysians, including Malays, in a forum last Saturday. Her remarks drew widespread backlash among conservative Muslim groups and Umno hardliners, who accused the PKR vice president of supporting "apostasy". But Nurul Izzah has denied this and yesterday said she would take legal action against Umno-owned dailies Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian for allegedly twisting her statement. The PKR leader has, however, found support from popular Islamic scholar Datuk Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin, who said in an article in Sinar Harian today that there is no compulsion in Islam. "After hearing her explanation, I understand what she meant. The 'no compulsion' is from the aspect of practice in the religion of Islam. "If truly there were compulsion, this country's government would certainly take action against a Muslim individual, for example a Muslim woman who does not wear the tudung (headscarf)," he told the Malay daily. The Univesiti Sains Malaysia (USM) lecturer told the newspaper he had written an article two years ago titled "Iman Tidak Boleh Dipaksa (Faith Cannot be Forced)", and added that the content was "the same" as what Nurul Izzah had stated. "Malays cannot be forced and [they] believe voluntarily. But, through preaching, a person can be brought back to the faith," he was quoted as saying. Race and religion issues are inseparable in Malaysia, where the Malays — who make up 60 per cent of the 28 million population — are constitutionally defined to also be Muslims. The country's supreme law states that Islam is the religion of the federation but also provides for other religions to be practised freely. In Parliament today, a deputy minister Datuk Dr Mashitah Ibrahim said legal action may be taken against Nurul Izzah for purportedly insulting Islam. "There are no such provisions for now, but it can be included under provisions on insulting Islam or causing Islam to be insulted. "Anyone who orally or in written form mocks or causes Islam to be degraded, can be imposed with a penalty of not more than RM3,000 or jail of not more than two years, or both," the deputy minister in charge of Islamic affairs said.

Six NGOs urge France to investigate SUARAM over Scorpene report Posted: 06 Nov 2012 03:33 PM PST (Bernama) - Six non-governmental organisations (NGOs) today urged the French government to conduct an investigation on Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM) for wrongly filing a report in 2009 on the purchase of two French-made Scorpene submarines by Malaysia. Young Malaysian Journalists Club (YMJC) president, Dzulkarnain Taib said the NGOs had handed over a joint memorandum to the French Ambassador to Malaysia, Martine Dorance at the embassy, here at 2.30 pm today. Besides YMJC, the memorandum was also signed by Pertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa Malaysia, Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia, Malaysia Malay Network, Malaysian Crime Prevention Awareness Board and Malaysian Consumerism Protection Board. He said the memorandum demanded the French government to investigate SUARAM for acting as a bogus non-governmental organisation and had manipulated the French justice system in the Scorpene probe. "SUARAM's false pretension could threaten the long-established relationship between Malaysia and France," he told Bernama here today. Dzulkarnain claimed SUARAM had acted in bad faith to claim itself as a bona fide representative of the Malaysian people and wrongfully used this charade to hoodwink the French courts to be appointed as the plaintiff or parti civile vis-avis the Scorpene issue.

Ex-Perlis mufti backs Nurul Izzah, says ‘no compulsion in Islam’ Posted: 06 Nov 2012 03:29 PM PST (The Malaysian Insider) - There is no compulsion in Islam, popular Islamic scholar Datuk Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin has said in his defence of PKR's Nurul Izzah Anwar who has been under attack from Umno-linked conservative Muslim groups over her recent remark on the subject of faith — a hot button topic in mainly Malay-Muslim Malaysia. The still influential former Perlis mufti was weighing in on the controversy that has erupted following the PKR vice president's statement at a public forum on "Islamic State: Which version, Whose Responsibility?" in Subang Jaya last Saturday, with several religious hawks suggesting that her remarks meant she supported Muslims renouncing Islam and turning "murtad" or apostate. "After hearing her explanation, I understand what she meant. The no compulsion is from the aspect of practice in the religion of Islam. "If truly there were compulsion, this country's government would certainly take action against a Muslim individual, for example a Muslim woman who does not wear the tudung (headscarf)," he told Malay daily Sinar Harian. The Univesiti Sains Malaysia (USM) lecturer told the newspaper he had written an article two years ago titled "Iman Tidak Boleh Dipaksa (Faith Cannot be Forced)", and added that the content was "the same" as what Nurul Izzah had stated. "Malays cannot be forced and [they] believe voluntarily. But, through preaching, a person can be brought back to the faith," he was quoted as saying. Mohd Asri was also reported saying that Nurul Izzah's initial remark could have been misconstrued because it was not explained in detail. He added the first-term federal lawmaker had contacted him to help explain to the public her statement and that he agreed with her remarks that there was no compulsion in Islam. The Lembah Pantai MP, who is expected to defend her parliamentary seat in the coming 13th general election, was reported by state news agency Bernama as saying that no one should be compelled to adopt a particular religion and that this applied to Malays as well. Following the outcry, she has been forced to deny that she was supporting apostasy or encouraging Muslims to renounce Islam. Race and religion issues are inseparable in Malaysia, where the Malays — who make up 60 per cent of the 28 million population — are constitutionally defined to also be Muslims. The country's supreme law states that Islam is the religion of the federation but also provides for other religions to be practised freely.

Nurul Izzah may face action over Islam remark, says deputy minister Posted: 06 Nov 2012 03:20 PM PST Mohd Farhan Darwis, The Malaysian Insider Legal action may be taken against PKR vice president Nurul Izzah Anwar for purportedly insulting Islam, a deputy minister in the prime minister's department told Parliament today. Datuk Dr Mashitah Ibrahim's statement comes following allegations that Nurul Izzah had expressed her support for freedom of religion for all Malaysians, including Malays, in a forum last Saturday. "Lembah Pantai (MP Nurul Izzah) said Malay-Muslims are free to choose their religion. In other words, (they) can exit Islam; that is apostasy...what's the punishment that can be imposed on Lembah Pantai?" Sri Gading MP Datuk Mohamad Aziz had asked her in a supplementary question today. "There are no such provisions for now, but it can be included under provisions on insulting Islam or causing Islam to be insulted," Mashitah said during Question Time today. "Anyone who orally or in written form mocks or causes Islam to be degraded, can be imposed with a penalty of not more than RM3,000 or jail of not more than two years, or both," the deputy minister in charge of Islamic affairs said. Nurul Izzah has denied supporting apostasy and yesterday said she would take legal action against Umno-owned dailies Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian for allegedly twisting her statement. READ MORE HERE

Where is the oil fund? Posted: 06 Nov 2012 11:51 AM PST How many more financial scandals that have emptied our national coffers can Malaysia afford? By Chua Jui Meng, FMT The RM250 million Cowgate fracas has hardly settled and now we have the RM40 million Sabah Umno crony scandal. If the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) had not been hijacked, low-income Malaysians today would be enjoying affordable beef. We will not be paying about RM27 for a kilogramme of beef now when it was only about RM7 per kg in 2000. The NFC project would have been successful if the RM250 million had been distributed to 1,000 experienced cattle breeders nationwide, with each getting RM250,000 to expand their herd of cattle. What knowledge or credentials do Shahrizat Abdul Jalil's husband and her children have to justify them to be given the project allocation? Now we have Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Abdul Aziz's defence of Sabah Umno crony timber tycoon Michael Chia. After defending Chia in Parliament, saying there was nothing wrong with Chia carrying RM40 million in a suitcase for Sabah Umno, we are shocked by his son Nedim's connection with Chia. Nedim was seen driving a more than RM500,000 Hummer registered in the name of Michael Chia. Not only that, pictures of Nedim wearing a Richard Mille Tourbillon (model RM 002 V2) watch worth RM1,072,000 have surfaced in social network Facebook. What is happening to Malaysia and its ruling lawmakers? Scandals that expose their enormous wealth are surfacing regularly while our RM502 billion federal debt continues to climb. How many more financial scandals that have emptied our national coffers can Malaysia afford? Petroleum fund Petronas was set up in 1974 and its first CEO Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah recently revealed that there were plans for the establishment of a Tabung Warisan Petrolium (National Petroleum Heritage Fund) for the future of Malaysians when our oil wells run dry. Has there been any such oil fund set up? As far as I know there has never been a disclosure by the government of the existence of such a fund. With the billions or even trillions of ringgit in oil revenue over some four decades, there is absolutely no excuse that is acceptable to Malaysians for this tragic betrayal of the people's trust by our "oil sheikhs … Mahathir, Abdullah and Najib". Norway, where they have oil in the North Sea, the country's oil fund known as Norway Pension Fund stands at US$656 billion or RM2 trillion. And the country has a population of only five million people. UAE-Abu Dhabi Investment Authority's oil-revenue sovereign wealth fund is at US$627 billion or RM1.9 trillion. Almost all oil producing countries have established their own oil funds for their peoples' future but not Malaysia. This is a serious indictment of the present regime. Instead, after 55 years, the corrupt BN government has given us a RM502 billion federal debt that is fast growing. The Petroleum Act 1974 must also be amended to remove the prime minister's absolute powers over Petronas and its finances. Now, no one has the right to question the prime minister's decision. Only the prime minister, not even his deputy, is privy to Petronas' accounts. Living in debt Pakatan Rakyat has pledged to make Petronas accountable to Parliament and this should lead to the establishment of the long awaited National Petroleum Heritage Fund. Read more

Kohilan, three MIC reps gave nod to Batu Caves project Posted: 06 Nov 2012 10:10 AM PST   (The Sun Daily) -  It's official - all 19 members who attended the full board meeting of the Selayang Municipal Council voted in favour of approving the Dolomite Avenue Park project in Batu Caves in 2007. Despite earlier denials and assertions by some councillors that they were neither party nor privy to the approval process, minutes of the meeting held on Nov 29, 2007 - obtained by theSun - show otherwise. Deputy foreign affairs minister Datuk A. Kohilan Pillai, who was a councillor between 1997 and 2008, had voted in favour of the project. So did the three councillors from the MIC – Rajakupal Sinnathamby, Jayakumaran Govindasamy and Rajandran Muniandy. Both Gerakan, of which Kohilan is a member, and the MIC, have recently accused the current Pakatan-led Selangor government of approving the project. On Oct 26, former MIC president and works minister, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, spearheaded a demonstration at the Sri Subramaniar Temple at Batu Caves - which is beside the project site - calling for a stop to the project. Kohilan, who had joined the scores of protesters, has since vehemently denied his involvement in the project's approval, claiming that only a "planning permit" was issued during his tenure. Such a permit is also referred to as a "development order" which allows immediate development. Kohilan has reportedly claimed that the application from Dolomite was basic and did not indicate details. But documents show that the application was submitted with detailed layout and building plans. The minutes also show that approval was given for dual-development - 18 units of three-story shop-lots and two tower blocks – one of 25-storeys and another of 29. In a twist of irony showing that local councils can work efficiently if they want to, council president Datuk Zainal Abidin Azim issued the go-ahead on Nov 30 – just 24 hours after the full board endorsed the approval. The minutes also showed that approval was "subject to conditions" and these included those recommended by the Geosciences and Minerals Department which has since briefed the state government on non-compliance. It is learnt that the department indicated that the developer had failed to comply with some of the conditions set, especially the construction of the Geobrugg that should have been done before the work on the shop lots had begun. Yesterday, theSun reported that the council had also defied objections from the Selangor Department of Environment (DOE) which had expressed its reservations on development which is in close proximity to the limestone hills.

Sultan regrets Nurul’s remarks Posted: 06 Nov 2012 10:08 AM PST   (The Star) -  The Sultan of Selangor has expressed regret and surprise at a statement by PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar that Malay Muslims are free to choose their faith under the religious freedom factor. Selangor Islamic Affairs Council (Mais) chairman Datuk Mohamad Adzib Mohd Isa said Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah totally rejected any view that Malay Muslims were free to choose another religion and denounce Islam. In a statement here yesterday, Mohamed Adzib said: "As the adviser to the Sultan of Selangor, Mais will assist him to be cautious, sensitive and firm on anyone who challenges the sanctity of Islam, whether in terms of ideology or practice, particularly in Selangor." Nurul Izzah, who is Lembah Pantai MP, was reported as saying at a forum on Saturday that no one should be compelled to adopt a particular religion and this applied to the Malays as well. Following a public outcry over her statement, she denied she was supporting murtad (apostasy) or encouraging Muslims to renounce Islam. She told reporters at the Parliament lobby yesterday that she was ready to meet the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (Jais) to explain her remarks. Jais director Datuk Marzuki Husin said the MP's statement was akin to saying all religions are the same. "This is not correct as Islam is not the same as other faiths," he said, stressing that Jais could act against Nurul Izzah if it has information on what she exactly said at the forum.

Anwar challenges Najib to contest in Marang Posted: 05 Nov 2012 08:07 PM PST He says the PM should contest in Marang as PAS president Abdul Hadi had offered to stand in Pekan, held by Najib. (FMT) - Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim today issued a challenge to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to contest in the Terengganu parliamentary constituency of Marang held by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang in the next general election. He said the prime minister should contest in Marang as Abdul Hadi had offered to stand in the Pahang parliamentary constituency of Pekan held by Najib. Asked whether Abdul Hadi would definitely contest in Pekan, Anwar, when approached at the lobby of Parliament House, said: "We have yet to discuss the matter. He (Abdul Hadi) had said that he would abide by the decision of PAS. Let's wait for the party decision." Abdul Hadi had reportedly said that he would contest wherever the party wanted him to, including in Pekan. Najib had said yesterday he did not think that Abdul Hadi would contest in Pekan.

Bersih not looking for an Arab Spring, Ambiga tells CNN’s Amanpour Posted: 05 Nov 2012 06:08 PM PST To be honest, as far as our movement is concerned, we're not — we're not worried about who wins. We're worried about the process. Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider The Bersih 2.0 movement does not want to cause an Arab Spring in Malaysia, Datuk Ambiga Sreenavasan told CNN in a rare interview on international television aired here this morning. She stressed that the election watchdog group she heads only wants a clean polls process to ensure a democratically-elected government. Ambiga told CNN's Christiane Amanpour during the New York interview that Bersih 2.0 is not opposed to the possibility of the present government returning to power after the next polls, provided that its leaders are elected fairly. "Well, let me tell you where we're coming from. We don't want an Arab Spring," the activist said to the renowned CNN chief international correspondent. Ambiga was being interviewed alongside another pro-reform fighter, Ukraine's Eugenia Tymoshenko, the daughter of the jailed former prime minister Julia Tymoshenko, on "Amanpour", the nightly foreign affairs programme on CNN International which Amanpour anchors for. Both were described by Amanpour as "brave women" and "brave voices for democracy". "We want to choose our leaders through clean and fair elections. We want to do it through the ballot box, which is why the government really, if they want peaceful transition of any sort — it can be the same government," Ambiga said, according to a transcript of the interview available on CNN.com. Amanpour had asked Ambiga if she felt that Malaysia would witness the same uprising seen over the past two years in the Middle East, pointing to the string of pro-democracy protests that the prominent lawyer has led since 2007. "The process is important because what it needs to reflect is the will of the people. It's about legitimacy. It's about honouring the right of the voter to vote," she said. The Arab Spring or the Arab revolution has seen rulers forced from power in several countries across the Arab world including Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Yemen, in a wave of anti-government street demonstrations. "It can be the same people coming in," insisted Ambiga, stressing again that Bersih 2.0 does not want a Malaysian version of the Arab Spring. "They have to allow it to happen through clean and fair elections. That's what we're asking for. We want to bring change through the ballot box, if there is to be change at all," she said. READ MORE HERE

Man alleged to have insulted Johor ruler re-arrested under different charge Posted: 05 Nov 2012 03:43 PM PST (The Star) - Police have re-arrested a 27-year-old man alleged to have posted insulting remarks on his Facebook page against the Johor Sultan. State police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Mohd Mokhtar Mohd Shariff said the suspect was detained again after police failed to get an extension on the first remand order from the court. He added that police have opened two investigation papers against the suspect. "We are investigating the case under Section 233 of the Communication and Multimedia Act as well as under the Sedition Act. "The first remand was under the Communication and Multimedia Act but the suspect is now re-arrested under the Sedition Act," he said.

Nurul Izzah ready to meet JAIS over religious freedom issue Posted: 05 Nov 2012 03:31 PM PST Mohd Farhan Darwis, The Malaysian Insider Following attacks on Nurul Izzah Anwar for her statement that allegedly supports religious freedom, the PKR vice president today said she is ready to give her statement to the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (JAIS). The Lembah Pantai MP also said she will take legal action on those who had hurled accusations against her, and will leave the issue to the country's legal system. "I'm ready (to be called by JAIS)...(but) on lawyer's advice, I will take legal action," she said. "My lawyer will take the next action, I am no longer allowed (to) issue statements," she said in a press conference at the Parliament lobby today. Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim described the issue raised against his daughter as a political trick to shift attention from the abuses of power by the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition and its mainstay party Umno. "This issue of religion is not for play. If Umno wants to use religion, if JAIS truly (fights for Islam)...take action against Muslims involved in gambling, statements that are twisted (disesatkan), but no. "(But) religion is used as Umno's political toy," he told reporters at a press conference today. The Permatang Pauh MP also slammed Umno's religious scholars for attacking Nurul Izzah over her alleged support for pluralism, but keeping their silence on many religious issues within Umno. "Cruelty (kezaliman), bribery, abuses (penyelewengan) by Umno, Umno's religious teachers don't dare to touch, they use religious pluralism generally. "Religious pluralism, if they belittle (meremehkan) Islam, means rejecting laws (menolak hukum) and saying all religions are the same. "Issues of religion, faith, we (PR) do not budge, but this is only distracting the view because Umno religious teachers do not dare to talk about insults to religion, cruelty and bribery," he stressed. Nurul Izzah has been under attack for allegedly expressing her support for freedom of religion for all, including Malays, in a forum last Saturday. But she has reportedly denied that she is supporting apostasy among the country's Malay-Muslim community. Anwar also supported Nurul Izzah's move in bringing the matter to court to enable legal action against those who had made the accusations against her.

Cops probing The Malaysian Insider over coverage of royal Facebook slur Posted: 05 Nov 2012 03:16 PM PST Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider The Johor police have started criminal defamation investigations against The Malaysian Insider and Malaysiakini for their coverage of last week's arrest of a man who allegedly insulted the Johor Sultan on his Facebook page. Johor CID deputy director Asst Comm Nor Azizan Anan said the probe was following two police reports lodged by state police on articles carried by the two news portals regarding the arrest, Berita Harian reported today. "On the arrest, The Malaysian Insider and Malaysiakini published articles on the investigation and arrests last Saturday and Sunday. "Following the publication, the Johor police lodged two reports on the articles and an investigation is being carried out under Section 500 of the Penal Code," he was quoted as saying in the Malay daily. ACP Azizan said the authors of the articles and those named in the reports will be summoned for questioning. Section 500 of the Penal Code, which outlines the penalty for defamation, stipulates that "whoever defames another shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both." Ahmad Abd Jalil (picture), a 27-year-old quantity surveyor, was detained by police at his office on Friday night under the Sedition Act for a Facebook posting that allegedly insulted the Johor Sultan. The Malaysian Insider reported the arrest and subsequent events following his detention on Saturday, quoting details from Ahmad's lawyer Mohd Zakwan Adenan and a sibling who refused to be named. On Sunday, this news portal carried another report on the incident, this time quoting the Ahmad's father Abd Jalil Abd Rahman, who expressed his family's fear over his son's safety while under police remand. Yesterday, Abd Jalil told The Malaysian Insider that his son was released from remand under orders from a Johor magistrate but was later rearrested and placed back into police custody, this time for another probe under a different law. "Legally, Ahmad has been FREED by d magistrate. But d POLIS wants 2take him back to IPK. We are insisting that Ahmad follow us. Police still...?" Abd Jalil had said in an SMS. IPK refers to "ibu pejabat polis kontinjen" or the Johor police contingent headquarters, where the 27-year-old Ahmad has been held for the past few days. English-language daily The Star had yesterday quoted acting Johor CID chief ACP Abd Aziz Ahmad as saying in a statement that Ahmad's offensive posts were published on October 21 and had implied that Sultan Ibrahim was unfit to be the state ruler. According to the news report, Ahmad is also being investigated under the Communications and Multimedia Act.

Formula to win over Sabah Posted: 05 Nov 2012 11:57 AM PST   (fz.com) - Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had promised to let SAPP contest two thirds of the seats in the Sabah state assembly, while national based opposition parties will contest two thirds of the Parliamentary seats.   Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) vice-president Datuk Dr Chua Soon Bui, in revealing this, said the party is going along with this formula after reaching a consensus with Anwar, who she assumes will go back to negotiate with the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) partners.   "Anwar is recognised as the spokesman of PR coalition. Obviously, when we are negotiating, they are willing to seek a formula, it should be a win-win situation for all," the Tawau MP told fz.com in an exclusive interview recently in parliament.   When asked when this consensus was reached, Chua said the parties have been talking from the beginning of this year, but negotiations are still on going, because the political scenario is dynamic.   "We are not sure if there are any more parliamentarians or state assemblymen leaving BN, as it will change the balance of the negotiation. Anyway the main negotiation that we are doing with PR is (with) PKR, and Anwar is leading PKR. So hopefully we can reach a final consensus just before the election," the affable politician said.   Currently, the national-based and local-based opposition parties are in negotiation to come up with a formula that would satisfy every party. However, the likelihood that an amicable solution would result is not very strong, as there are many political considerations in the Land Below the Wind.   These include the State Reform Party (STAR) Sabah, led by the Kadazandusun strongman Datuk Dr Jeffery Kitingan, which is reportedly eyeing the rural seats, and has gone on record to say the party will contest all the state seats.   Also, DAP and SAPP are eyeing similar urban and Chinese majority seats. Furthermore, it is unsure what role the two BN MPs - Datuk Seri Lajim Ukin (Beaufort) and Datuk Seri Wilfred Bumburing (Tuaran) - who quit Umno and Upko respectively to join Pakatan Rakyat in Sabah.   To Chua, the opposition should have a common goal - to fight against BN - and also a common vision as to what to do for the people.   She feels that the opposition front already share a common ideology and vision, and the parties merely need to work out a formula as the two MPs had changed the equation.   She also hopes that leaderships of all parties could recognize the difficulties in challenging BN and choose winnable candidates.   'BN is arrogant'   When asked if she was planning to contest in the next election, Chua brushed it aside, saying that it is the prerogative of the party president Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee, and the important thing is to strengthen the party's network. The party has two MPs and two state assemblymen (the two other state assemblymen opted to remain as BN independents).   Chua ventured into politics in 1994 and become one of the pioneers of the SAPP which was registered in 1994. She witnessed the party became a partner of BN Sabah, before it pulled out of the alliance in 2009, citing loss of confidence in the leadership of Prime Minister and BN chairman Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.   She was elected in 1995 GE and 2008 GE on the BN ticket and enjoyed the allocations and help of government agencies until she left the coalition.   According to Chua, Sabah BN is different now, and has become very arrogant.   "They think by putting a lot of pressure on people, they will still gain," she says with a shake of her head.   Among the tactics used by the BN, Chua says, is to go to the rural folk and tell them that they will only get something vital, say water tanks, if they hang up the BN flag. This sort of pressure will have adverse effect, she points out. Read more at: http://fz.com/content/formula-win-over-sabah

Selayang Council turns blind eye to Freedom of Information Act Posted: 05 Nov 2012 11:06 AM PST   (The Sun Daily) - The tenets of the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) mooted and approved by the Selangor state government last year have landed with a thud even before they can take off. While the legislation allowing access to government information has been presented as the "product of the people's power", the people are powerless even with existing legislation which provides for access to basic information. Even existing guarantees in some pieces of legislation before the advent of the FOI are being ignored and a culture of "don't let them know" has pervaded. Take the local councils, for example. Ratepayers and understandably, their legal tenants are entitled to inspect minutes of meetings of the council. This is enshrined in the Local Government Act. However, the Selayang Municipal Council thinks otherwise. It has taken upon itself to deny a request for the minutes of the meeting where the controversial Dolomite Avenue Park project was approved. Who supported the move, who objected or who abstained from voting are now national secret – no thanks to some bumbling council official whose interpretation of the clause is somewhat left to be desired. Unequivocally, the law states: "The minutes of all proceedings of the local authority shall be kept at the office of the local authority and shall at all reasonable times be open to the inspection of any Councillor or rate-payer of the local authority area and of any officer of the Government of the Federation or of the State in which such local authority area is situate, any of whom may at all reasonable times make a copy of any part thereof without fee…" Therefore, what authority does anyone have to prevent a lawful request? The council's corporate communications officer Jamaliah Ahmad repeatedly said: "The minutes are confidential and no one from the public can view or access them. Only the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission is allowed to access the documents." The law is silent and does not consent or oppose any party to the information. To take it upon themselves to state that only anti-graft officers are eligible is self-defeating and makes it unworthy of being stipulated in writing. When specifically referred to the clause, she refused, insisting that no access would be given and the catchword was: "Only the MACC officers have access." So, what do the champions of information freedom in the state capital think about one arm of their government? Why waste time, effort and money on an FOI Act when even the simplest of clauses cannot be interpreted correctly?

Selayang Council defied the DOE Posted: 05 Nov 2012 11:03 AM PST (The Sun Daily) - The Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) defied objections from the Selangor Department of Environment (DOE) in giving the go-ahead for the controversial development of the Dolomite Park Avenue project in Batu Caves in 2007. Even before the land was cleared for development, the council had been alerted to the geological and natural sensitivity of the nearby limestone hills and surrounding areas. Yet, the council chose to ignore such views which are critical when approving development projects. A copy of the DOE letter to the council dated Jan 24, 2007 has been made available to theSun. In the letter, which was copied to the developer, the DOE identified the problems and justified its stand on the project. The key phrase in that letter read: "Jabatan ini tidak menyokong pembangunan di atas memandangkan ianya berpotensi menimbulkan tanah runtuh dan sebagainya." (This department does not support this development as it has the potential to create landslides and other problems.) However, the DOE said that an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was not necessary as the development covers about 3ha – far below the minimum area of 50ha required by the law. The council had consulted nine related agencies to provide their input on the proposed development. Even the Geosciences and Minerals Department (JMG) had its reservations and asked that five conditions be fulfilled (see box). Despite such strong objections, the council gave the go-ahead and approved the construction of 18 units of three-storey shop lots and two tower blocks – one of 25-storeys and another of 29. The construction of the shop lots has since been completed, some of which have been sold and occupied.   According to planning experts, the mere construction without the developer having met the conditions, especially in the wake of the "non-support" from the DOE, should have dissuaded the council from issuing any development order. The developer, Dolomite Industries Company Sdn Bhd, submitted its plans to the council in June 2006. In an unprecedented move, within four weeks, the council sought the views of nine government agencies – unusual for councils which usually take months to get files moving. The Selangor Town Planning Department in a letter dated Aug 25 stated it had no objection as the development "had potential to be incorporated in the overall development of the neighbourhood"(see chronology). Having received feedback from the agencies, including the reservations from both the DOE and JMG, the One-Stop Centre (OSC) committee, which had been set up by the council, approved the project in a meeting on Sept 27, 2007. It is not immediately known if the comments from these two departments were considered, but according to documents made available to theSun, three councillors – Datuk Raja Paduka Wan Mahmood Pa'wan Teh, Yuszahari Mohd Yusoff and Soohaimi Abd Rahman – attended the meeting together with representatives from the departments of the council. Conspicuously present were chief clerks of the Planning and Buildings Divisions. All decisions made by the various sub-committees of the council including the OSC have to be endorsed at the council's full board meeting which is attended by all 24 appointed-councillors. It is not known when the council met but on Nov 30, 2007, council president Datuk Zainal Abidin Azim wrote to Dolomite enclosing the Development Order.

Clearing the air Posted: 05 Nov 2012 11:01 AM PST   (The Star) - While Malaysia is still using PM10 as a parameter to measure particulate pollution, much of the developed world has moved away from this to something that is even more closely correlated with public health: PM2.5, or particulate matter that is equal to or less than 2.5μm. There are still no standards here for ultra-fine dust that could be inhaled. IT happens like clockwork every few months, when the winds do not favour Malaysia: smoke haze gets blown across from Sumatra or Kalimantan to engulf us and we all become very interested in the latest API figures. The Air Pollutant Index, or API, represents the air quality for the past 24 hours. It is calculated after measuring levels of major pollutants in the air; these include fine dust particles, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone and carbon monoxide. These are measured on a continuous basis at 51 locations throughout the country. We tend to fuss over air quality only when the skies are grey. However, that does not mean that there is nothing to worry about when there is no haze, for research shows that the appearance of the sky is not the only thing to look out for when it comes to determining whether the air is safe to breathe. Much of the hazard is invisible to the eye. Haze is essentially fine particulate matter which is generated locally, as well as carried into our atmosphere by winds. Up to 2000, the ambient air quality guidelines issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO) did not provide specific guidelines for particulate matter, which can be inhaled by humans. However, by 2005, WHO revised its guidelines after collating enough evidence that links the fine dust pollution with health effects. The pollutant comes from man-made sources (typically from the combustion of fossil fuels, open burning and various industrial processes, like cement manufacturing) as well as natural ones, which include sea sprays (salt particles), dust carried by strong winds (like during dust storms), and volcanic eruptions. For a few decades, the most common method of determing particulate pollution is by monitoring levels of fine particulate matter that measure up to 10 micrometers (μm) or 10 microns, commonly referred to as PM10. A micrometer is a millionth of a metre, and the average strand of human hair is about 100μm, while a bacteria measures around 10μm. Minute particles While Malaysia is still using PM10 as a parameter to measure particulate pollution, much of the developed world has moved away from this to something that is even more closely correlated with public health: PM2.5, or particulate matter that is equal to or less than 2.5μm. PM2.5 is regarded as more dangerous because they penetrate deep into the lungs, even reaching the alveoli (air sacs), which is the part of the lungs where the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place. If enough fine particulates get sucked into the alveoli, then the lung function of that person will be impaired, causing shortness of breath, among other complications. And when these fine particulates accumulate in the alveoli, there is no way for the body to expel them, unlike for larger ones, which can be cleared by blowing the nose or through expectoration. Research accumulated by the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has shown that air with high levels of particulates can aggravate symptoms related to asthma, and add further stress on cardiovascular systems. In severe cases, PM2.5 increases damage to red blood cells in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. PM2.5 is now an accepted air quality indicator in many developed countries. For example, the USEPA has set its National Ambient Air Quality Standard limit for PM2.5 at 15 microgrammes per cubic metre of air (μg/m3) for the annual average and 65 μg/m3 for the 24-hour average. The European Union has set 25 µg/m3 (annual average) as a target in 2010. Getting into the act Malaysia is rather late in the game when it comes to measuring levels of PM2.5, with the Government getting into the act only last December when five air quality monitoring stations were fitted with equipment to measure fine particulate matter. The stations are in Putrajaya, Banting (Selangor), Cheras (Kuala Lumpur), Langkawi (Kedah) and Kuching (Sarawak). Not surprisingly, PM2.5 was detected in all five stations. The Department of Environment (DOE) did not reveal the levels but in an e-mail reply toThe Star, said that in urban areas, the ratio between PM2.5 and PM10 was generally above 0.5 while in suburban and rural areas, the ratio was 0.5. In other words, for every gramme of PM10 recorded in urban areas, more than half would consist of PM2.5. Drawing from available data on PM10, like for example, in Petaling Jaya of Selangor, it can be seen that the city's long-term mean for PM10 is 36.2μg/m3 – which already fails to meet WHO's 2005 guideline for PM10, which is at 20μg/m3. By working backwards, it should mean that the levels of PM2.5 should easily exceed 18μg/m3, which again fails WHO's guideline of 10μg/m3. A DOE study in 1996 showed that motor vehicles contributed 82% to air pollution, while other significant sources include power stations (9%), industrial fuel burning (5%), industrial production processes (3%), domestic and commercial furnaces (0.2%), and open burning at garbage dumps (0.8%). Studies by local academicians pointed out that the source of particulate matter in the Klang Valley comes mainly from the transport sector, especially from diesel vehicles. Conventional diesel, while packed with lots of energy, is actually quite a dirty fuel as it contains a high amount of sulphur, which aids in the formation of particulates during the combustion process. Due to the nature of diesel combustion in older types of internal combustion engines, a significant amount of particulate matter is produced, unlike in petrol engines. Hence, it is quite common to see smoke emitted from vehicles or equipment that are powered by diesel such as buses, lorries, locomotives, mobile generators, farm equipment (tractors), construction equipment (concrete mixers, excavators), and even boats. According to United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles (PCFV), lowering the sulphur content in diesel will allow the introduction of newer emission control technologies that in turn should substantially lower emissions of particulates from diesel engines. (PCFV, a partnership between governments, the private sector and non-governmental organisations, assists developing countries in reducing urban air pollution through the promotion of clean fuels and vehicles.) Low-suphur To overcome the problem of particulate pollution from diesel, many developed countries are using a cleaner form of diesel called ultra-low sulphur diesel, which generally contains not more than 50 parts per million (ppm) of sulphur (some countries go as low as 10ppm of sulphur). Malaysia, however, is still using relatively high-sulphur crude oil that it imports, while exporting the more valuable low-sulphur crude. The most recent update of diesel fuel and vehicle emission standards took place in 2009, when Malaysia finally adopted Euro II (already considered antiquated in the developed world – Singapore adopted it back in 2001). The Euro II regime still allows up to 500ppm of sulphur in the diesel to be sold at the pump. While most Asian countries have adopted the PM10 standard in differing degrees, more is needed in the development of a PM2.5 standard, as well as the tightening of fuel standards. Merely reporting PM10 levels (as in the case of Malaysia) is no longer adequate as it does not give a complete picture of the hazards faced by people. According to the Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities (CAI-Asia), an organisation formed to help Asian countries achieve better air quality and more liveable cities, while the phase-out of lead from fuel has been "remarkable", there has been much feet-dragging when it comes to lowering sulphur levels. It is understood that Malaysia has shifted the implementation date for Euro IV diesel several times, with the latest target moved to 2015. Among Asian countries, Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong are the most progressive when it comes to using cleaner diesel (Euro IV), while India, China and the Philippines are deemed to be well on their way there. Singapore, which already gives daily reports on PM2.5 levels, will adopt the Euro V standard for new diesel vehicles by January 2014 and will mandate oil companies to sell only near sulphur-free diesel (with less than 0.001% sulphur) by next July. Beyond measuring and reporting ambient PM2.5 levels, there is also a need to determine the exact sources of these fine particulates. "We need to know how much PM2.5 a bus is emitting per kilometre travelled, or how much PM2.5 is emitted from a factory smokestack," said air quality researcher Prof Mohd Rashid Mohd Yusof, who heads Universiti Teknologi Malaysia's Air Resources Research Laboratory. Undoubtedly, meeting Euro IV targets will entail substantial investments by refineries and oil companies, but the resulting improvements in vehicle emissions will be substantial. Using clean diesel will enable the introduction of the latest high-tech diesel cars from Europe that are equipped with diesel oxidation catalysts (that would otherwise be poisoned by high sulphur levels). Last, but not least, lowering fuel sulphur also makes it possible for some older diesel vehicles to be retrofitted with emission control technologies, and this is a strategy that is used in many urban centres where air pollution is a problem. On its part, DOE said that it is in the process of developing new ambient air quality standards that will include PM2.5 under its Clean Air Action Plan. "Under the schedule of implementation of the plan, the monitoring of PM2.5 will be incorporated into the existing network of air quality monitoring stations by 2016," said director-general, Halimah Hassan, in an e-mail statement. Based on the experience of other countries, it is clear that cleaner air cannot be detached from the tightening of both ambient air quality standards, as well as the mass adoption of cleaner fuels. With the number of vehicles here on the rise, it is only logical for levels of PM2.5 to increase if nothing is done quickly to curb it. Within this context, waiting for another few years seems so awfully far, especially when urban dwellers are forced to breathe in high levels of PM2.5, with or without episodes of haze.

Resistance grows within BN against AES profits Posted: 05 Nov 2012 10:59 AM PST   (The Malaysian Insider) - A whopping 2.72 million speeding tickets will have to be issued in each of the next five years for the two concession holders of the controversial Automatic Enforcement System (AES) cameras to just recoup their reported RM700 million investments. And considering the authorities had only collected an average of about 25 per cent of all traffic summonses a year — which increased to 65 per cent only after a general discount was offered last year — the two companies will have to issue far more summonses to account for the poor collection. Such calculations have led to apprehension on the part of a growing number of Barisan Nasional (BN) politicians who are concerned about the profit motive that is built into the concession agreements. "The privatisation of the AES could be seen as attempting to make profits because some (cameras) are placed in inappropriate places," Umno's Seri Gading MP Datuk Mohamad Aziz told The Malaysian Insider. The two firms awarded the contract to implement the enforcement system — ATES Sdn Bhd and Beta Tegap — will spend between RM300 million and RM400 million each to set up traffic cameras at 831 "black spots" nationwide. Both ATES and Beta Tegap are entitled to RM16 per valid summons for the first five million issued. They will then split the remaining revenue evenly with the government up to a cap of RM270 million each. The firms will each receive 7.5 per cent from the remaining revenue and the government will keep the rest. Based on the business model, both companies will collect RM80 million each for the first five million summonses issued by each company. This works out to a total collection of RM160 million. Under the second tier of the agreement, the companies will get a total of RM540 million, bringing the total amount due to the two companies to RM700 million. Based on the even split in revenue with the government, the RM540 million figure represents 3.6 million summonses of RM300 each. To hit the RM700 million break-even mark, a total of 13.6 million summonses of RM300 each for speeding and other major offences will have to be issued via the AES cameras Read more at: www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/resistance-grows-within-bn-against-aes-profits

Man gets speeding ticket due to AES blunder Posted: 05 Nov 2012 10:53 AM PST   (The Sun Daily) - A blunder by the AES (Automated Enforcement System) control centre in Perak caused a factory manager in Penang to be erroneously slapped with a speeding summons, Sin Chew Daily reported yesterday. To rub salt into the wound, state Road Transport Department (RTD) officials he approached gave him the runaround and eventually told him to write to their director-general to resolve the matter. Factory manager CK Leong, who drives a black Toyota Harrier with plate number PKR 181, received the summons on Oct 18 stating that his vehicle was captured going at 145kmph at Km204.6 of the North-South Expressway at 12.34pm on Oct 10. Upon checking the summons, he found that the actual vehicle caught speeding was a white Toyota Camry with the number plate PKR 1811. The ticket indicated that Leong must settle the compound fine of RM300 by Dec 11, failing which he will have to appear at the magistrate's court in Taiping on Jan 7. Leong, 34, said he approached the local RTD office but none of the officers knew how to deal with the matter although he brought his vehicle along and pointed out to them the glaring error in the AES summons. The officers gave him the address of the RTD director-general in Putrajaya and told him to write to explain his case. An irate Leong told a press conference at Bukit Mertajam on Sunday that apart from writing to the RTD chief, he had also lodged a police report. Padang Lalang assemblyman Tan Cheong Heng said it was a clear case of human error committed by the AES control centre in Perak which obtained Leong's particulars from the RTD's database. He said the centre should have checked and compared the colour and make of Leong's vehicle with the speeding car before sending out the summons notice.

Anwar 'not democratically elected' Posted: 05 Nov 2012 10:51 AM PST (New Straits Times) - Parti Keadilan Rakyat de facto chief Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has been urged to publicly declare that he is not a democratically-elected leader, but a "chosen" one as he was appointed by his wife Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who is party president. Perkasa information chief Ruslan Kassim said Anwar was lying to the United States and other foreign organisations when he claimed he was championing democratic rights. Ruslan claimed that by doing so, Anwar had conned several international institutions into funding PKR through Suaram, an alleged opposition-friendly human rights watchdog. "Anwar must explain to US Ambassador to Malaysia, Paul W. Jones and Suaram's financiers that he did not obtain his position in PKR via the democratic process. "Anwar was not elected (into power) and it is so hypocritical when he says he fights for democratic rights," Ruslan said in a statement yesterday. He claimed that until today, Jones was still unaware that Anwar's position in PKR was a courtesy appointment by Dr Wan Azizah. Suaram is believed to have received RM21 million from Washington-based National Endowment for Democracy (NED), RM774,000 (between 2008 and last year) from New York-based Open Society Institute (OSI) and RM21,400 from the German embassy in 2010. NED, on its website, said "it is a private, non-profit foundation dedicated to the growth and strengthening of democratic institutions around the world". "NED claims to promote democracy, but it is bizarre that it was willing to fund Anwar's political activities through Suaram as PKR is clearly practising nepotism, which is against democratic principles," Ruslan added. He further claimed that OSI was indirectly funding PKR as it was a party which had shown support for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community in Malaysia. "OSI has been fighting for same-sex marriages in the country with the help of Suaram, and Perkasa views this as an attempt to compromise Malaysia's image as a conservative Muslim country."

PERKASA calls on Bumiputeras to reunite Posted: 05 Nov 2012 10:49 AM PST   (Borneo Post) - "It is because of BN that the word 'Bumiputera' exists. Bumiputera means the rights of the Malays and the indigenous. If another party takes over, the word 'Bumiputera' will be buried.' he said this in his speech at the first annual PERKASA Sabah Conference here on Sunday. PERKASA Malaysia president Datuk Ibrahim Ali warned that the Malays and Muslim Bumiputeras in the country would lose power if they were divided. "When they are no longer in power, not only will the rights of bumiputeras disappear, but the word 'Bumiputera' will cease to have meaning," he said.   He pointed out PERKASA is not a political party but it was established to fight for the rights of the nation's most favoured race, hence providing plenty of support to the Barisan Nasional (BN) government to continue its struggle.   Ibrahim added that the Bumiputeras in Sabah needed to give full support to BN because PERKASA would use BN to further its goal.   "Let us Bumiputeras reunite. We unite under PERKASA and why choose BN? Why not choose another (party)? For that answer, let's look at history.   "It is because of BN that the word 'Bumiputera' exists. Bumiputera means the rights of the Malays and the indigenous. If another party takes over, the word 'Bumiputera' will be buried.' he said this in his speech at the first annual PERKASA Sabah Conference here on Sunday.

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