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Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- RM200b outflow Najib’s best achievement as Finance minister, says PAS Youth chief
- Talks going on well with SAPP, says Anwar
- Lawyer not part of MACC review on Bala’s SD probe, says panel chief
- Kita’s president crisis remains unresolved
- ‘Beware of BN temporary withdrawal gifts in polls run-up’
- ‘Tan Sri lawyer must come forward’
- I’m not behind Deepak, Anwar says it again
- System to blame for illiterate students — STU chief
- ‘Most graduates lacking in problem-solving skills’
- MCA power play in Tanjong Malim
- DAP warlords eye party sec-gen prize
- Govt relaxes restrictions on Christian pilgrimages to Jerusalem
| RM200b outflow Najib’s best achievement as Finance minister, says PAS Youth chief Posted: 20 Dec 2012 02:49 AM PST
(Harakah) - The high ranking recently given to Malaysia among developing countries suffering illicit funds outflow means the country's Finance minister Najib Razak has broken a records of sorts, according to PAS Youth leader Nasrudin Hassan. "It is something which has surprised many. What is not surprising is the fact that mainstream media do not report it," he said, adding that the public would eventually come to know details of the damning report issued by Washington-based Global Financial Integrity.
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| Talks going on well with SAPP, says Anwar Posted: 20 Dec 2012 01:59 AM PST Anwar Ibrahim today played down talks of tension between the 'original' Sabah PKR members and allies of Wilfred Bumburing and Lajim Ukin. Teoh El Sen, FMT Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim today dismissed reports that talks were not going well with former Sabah chief minister Yong Teck Lee's Sabah Progressive People's (SAPP) party. He said Pakatan Rakyat, which he leads, has been "more successful with SAPP" as there has been a more active process of negotiations and "they have been attending our joint meetings". Anwar's comments contradict a report on Tuesday quoting a SAPP insider who claimed that Yong had implied that SAPP could well be on a collision course with its "allies" PKR and DAP (Pakatan members) in many seats. Speaking to FMT after SAPP's supreme council meeting on Monday, the insider said Yong told his comrades that SAPP must stick to its "principle" that a local-based party must take the majority of the State Legislative Assembly seats. But Anwar insisted that talks were going smoothly and that seat negotiations in Sabah were underway. Anwar said that the opposition allies are more inclined towards a one-to-one fight against Barisan Nasional parties. "We have taken a clear position that we are moving towards that direction, that's it's one-to-one," Anwar said in a press conference at the PKR headquarters today. When asked about Jeffrey Kitingan-led State Reform Party (STAR), Anwar said that Tuaran MP Wilfred Bumburing, who helms Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS), had been appointed to negotiate seats with Jeffrey in Sabah. "We think we have a problem with the STAR because STAR says it is opposed to all Peninsula-based parties while we say that we are opposed to all corrupt leaders irrespective of whether peninsula or state-based. There is a difference there. "Notwithstanding that, we have assigned Wilfred (Bumburing) to proceed with the negotiations, including with the STAR," said Anwar. 'We want to kill Umno' Asked if peninsula-based Pakatan was focusing its efforts on only parliamentary seats and leaving the state to the locals to fight out, Anwar said: "There is no way we are only fighting in the parliamentary seats and giving the state to Musa [Aman]. We want to kill Umno." He also touched on reports that Sabah PKR was dysfunctional following Anwar's ready acceptance of BN defectors Bumburing and Beaufort MP Lajim Ukin. Both declared their alliance to PKR-Pakatan but declined to become members of the coalition. Lajim has set up his own platform Pakatan Perubahan Sabah which is Pakatan-friendly. FMT had last month reported tension within Sabah PKR between the "PKR ori"[original] or "PKR photocopy", the former referring to genuine members of the party while "photocopy" addresses those with APS and PPS who "refused" to be members of PKR but have declared support for Anwar. But Anwar played down such allegations, saying that it was not an accurate assessment of the current situation. "Not really, of course; there are questions raised, for example: 'why do you consider this candidate… we think another candidate is better'. Things like that. We've had sessions, [PKR] state leader Ahmad Tamrin will be present in all the other meetings, similar with Wilfred and Lajim." "It is not about new or old, [former health minister and MCA leader] Chua Jui Meng came in later but he is still the head of Johor and doing similarly well national. I don't think that is quite correct." When asked about the details of the "deal" with the newcomers, Anwar merely said that the collaboration with Lajim and Bumburing was going "smoothly". "They come in as partners in Pakatan. They are committed to the Pakatan agenda. We are working very well. In fact, next week I am going to [meet] Wilfred and Lajim as part of the campaign programme. I don't have a problem, seriously." "There will be questions. Particularly now with people clamouring for seats or lobbying for seats; it is something which is quite normal. But we have to draw the line, you know."
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| Lawyer not part of MACC review on Bala’s SD probe, says panel chief Posted: 19 Dec 2012 07:21 PM PST
(The Malaysian Insider) - Prominent lawyer Tan Sri Cecil Abraham was not part of the graftbuster review team that had closed the file on P. Balasubramaniam's controversial second sworn statement over the 2006 murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu, the head of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Operations Review Panel (PPO) said today. Abraham had been named as the mystery lawyer suspected to have drafted the private investigator's (picture)contradictory second statutory declaration (SD) by several high-profile figures questioning a possible conflict of interest as the former also sits on board of the MACC review panel. "PPO had agreed with the decision by the Deputy Public Prosecutor to stop investigating the case on grounds the main witnesses' testimonies were not supported by any other witness and the credibility of the main witnesses were disputable. "PPO wishes to state that one of the panel members, Tan Sri Datuk Cecil Abraham was not present and was not involved in that meeting," Tan Sri Hadenan Abdul Jalil, chairman of the eight-man MACC operations review panel, said in a media statement today. Hadenan said the case, which was linked to that of carpet merchant Deepak Jaikishan Rewachand, had been presented at a PPO pre-meeting on November 8. However, he was silent on the allegations surrounding Abraham. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/lawyer-not-part-of-macc-review-on-balas-sd-probe-says-panel-chief/ |
| Kita’s president crisis remains unresolved Posted: 19 Dec 2012 07:19 PM PST
(Free Malaysia Today) - Outspoken Kita leader Zamil Ibrahim has issued an ultimatum to ROS to resolve the leadership crisis in seven days. Parti Kesejahteraaan Insan Tanah Air (Kita) has been plunged into a leadership crisis since the sudden announcement by its supposed president Zaid Ibrahim to dissolve the party in February this year. The party's Kedah chief Zamil Ibrahim and his Penang counterpart Tan Tee Beng who spoke against the dissolution were expelled on Feb 7. The situation quickly spiraled out of control as Zamil proclaimed that the party's delegates through the Annual General Assembly (AGM) on Feb 25 passed resolutions to elect him as the new president replacing Zaid. However, the party's supposed secretary-general Masrum Dayat, widely seen as Zaid's man, claimed that he was the party boss following Zaid's departure. Demanding a solution to the leadership dispute today, Zamil took the Registrar of Societies (ROS) to task for failing to resolve the matter despite a complaint lodged on Feb 29. "I personally visited the office and submitted all the documents detailing the AGM proceedings on Feb 25. But until today, after some 295 days, the ROS has yet to make any decision," he said. Zamil said the delay could be equated to being prejudicial to the party members' right under Article 10 (1) of Federal Constitution because it affected the functioning of the party. He said this was even more damaging with the general election around the corner. "There are 18 individuals in Kedah and 40 in Sabah who were previously announced to be the party's candidates in the elections. They are now left wondering what to do. "The ROS must resolve the matter within seven days," he added. Zamil also claimed that Zaid had violated the party constitution Clause 11.3.1 to appoint Masrum as Kita chief.
Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/12/20/kitas-president-crisis-remains-unresolved/ |
| ‘Beware of BN temporary withdrawal gifts in polls run-up’ Posted: 19 Dec 2012 07:15 PM PST
(The Malaysian Times) - The suspensions of several unpopular initiatives by the government, including the Automatic Enforcement System (AES), the Goods and Services Tax (GST), electricity tariff hike and tax on prepaid mobile will be temporary in the run-up to the general election, warned PAS. Following is the full report carried by the Harakahdaily. "These 'gifts of withdrawals' are just waiting for the next general election. If the result favours BN, then the suspensions will be revoked and the public will be burdened with all sorts of ridiculous regulations," said PAS information chief Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man. Tuan Ibrahim said BN decided to defer many of its mega projects to avoid giving political bullets to Pakatan Rakyat during election campaign. He however pointed out that the decision whether to revoke the withdrawals or not rests with the people, urging them to deny BN a fresh mandate. "Retaining BN means these temporary suspensions will be lifted. Toppling BN will see all of them permanently cancelled," he said. On the recent suspension of AES by the Attorney General's Chambers despite earlier insistence by Transport minister Kong Cho Ha defending the system, Tuan Ibrahim, who is also Pahang PAS commissioner, said the contradiction only showed the government's messy administration. "We don't know who makes the policy and who enforces it," he chided, adding that either the AG or the Transport minister should be sacked for the AES fiasco.
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| ‘Tan Sri lawyer must come forward’ Posted: 19 Dec 2012 03:20 PM PST Businessman Robert Phang says that Cecil Abraham must clarify if the latter is the senior lawyer involved in drafting PI Bala's second statutory declaration. Anisah Shukry, FMT MACC advisory panel member Cecil Abraham must clarify whether he is the senior lawyer allegedly involved in the second statutory declaration (SD) by P Balasubramaniam. Making the call at a press conference here, businessman Robert Phang said he was told that Abraham was the only lawyer with the Tan Sri title. "Cecil Abraham is a very senior lawyer and is known to be a close advisor of Attorney General Abdul Gani Patail. I have always questioned his impartiality. "Why is everyone so afraid to mention that the Tan Sri lawyer is Cecil Abraham and that the legal firm is ZulRafique and partners?" he said. However, Phang stressed that he could not confirm whether Abraham was the lawyer allegedly involved in the second SD and added that the onus was on the latter to clarify the matter. Carpet dealer Deepak Jaikishan had recently revealed in an interview that a "Tan Sri" lawyer and his son had been allegedly responsible for the preparation of Balasubramaniam's second SD. The second SD reversed Balasubramaniam's first SD, released the day before, which implicated Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak in the murder of Altantuyaa Shaariibuu.
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| I’m not behind Deepak, Anwar says it again Posted: 19 Dec 2012 03:17 PM PST Refuting the speculation of his involvement once again, the opposition leader tells the prime minister to 'deal with it'. Teoh El Sen, FMT Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim has again brushed aside claims that he and his party members are masterminding the recent exposé by Deepak Jaikishan and instead asked Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to "deal with it". Asked about the accusations, especially in pro-Umno blogs that PKR had a hand behind Deepak's re-emergence, Anwar replied with sarcasm: "I'm not surprised because I am behind everything. In fact I wrote GFI [Global Financial Integrity] and asked them to come out with the report on the RM197 billion [of illicit financial outflows in 2010]." The opposition leader also said that if the controversial carpet businessman was revealing issues about him, the mainstream media would go to town with the issue. "But in this country, imagine if he [Deepak] had said something about Anwar. Just 10% of what he said will be in the frontpage of Star, Utusan, everyday, for the next… 32 days," he said.
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| System to blame for illiterate students — STU chief Posted: 19 Dec 2012 02:32 PM PST
(The Borneo Post) - It is "normal" for our education system to produce illiterates even after they have reached Form Five.
"Over the last 20 years, I have come across students of Form Four and Form Five who can't even read and write. And these students are from an urban school, not a rural school.
"It is 'normal' for our education system to produce students who can't read and write even after more than 10 years in formal education," Sarawak Teachers' Union president William Ghani Bina told The Borneo Post.
He explained that it was "normal" because our education system was too "democratic" where there was no filtering system until Form Five examination – Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia.
"So these students can go from Primary School to Form One until Form Five. Though they have to go through some public examinations such as UPSR and PMR, they can remain to be illiterate as they don't necessarily have to pass to continue their studies," said Ghani.
He said another factor that led to illiteracy even after a decade of formal education was the widening ratio between students and teachers.
"In my time, we had a teacher to 20 students. Now, there are 50 or even 60 students in one class. There is no personal touch between teachers and students.
"Education is a personal matter. If there is no personal touch between students and teachers, then there is no education. The students may just sit in the class and watch the teacher as if they are watching some television programme," said Ghani. He said the Education Ministry must look into the issue if it hoped to prepare the students to meet global demand.
"And just imagine, the illiterate students whom I have met were from an urban secondary school, what about those in rural schools? I believe that the situation in the rural areas is even worse," he added.
He said to overcome this situation, our education policy makers must go back to the old system where students who could not pass a public examination were not allowed to go further.
"And also, parents must work with teachers. Every year when we ask the parents to come to school to meet us, they must try to make it. Both parties can then sit to discuss the students' progress in learning.
"The situation now is that, we only ask them to come to school to meet for half an hour, but most parents came back to us furious, refusing to come to school to meet the teachers, saying that it is a waste of their time," he stressed.
"Our teachers are well trained. We can teach if the students are ready. And if the students are not ready to learn, we can't do anything," he stressed.
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| ‘Most graduates lacking in problem-solving skills’ Posted: 19 Dec 2012 02:18 PM PST
(Bernama) - Most of today's university graduates are lacking in skills, especially problem solving skills needed in the workplace, said MK Land Holdings Berhad chairman Tan Sri Mustapha Kamal Abu Bakar.
He said when interviewing potential new workers for his company, he found that many graduates did not have the knowledge about the job they applied for, let alone the relevant skills, experience and qualifications.
"Some of the graduates were clueless about how to work with colleagues and did not know about the right time management system," he said in his special briefing titled 'Empowering Youth for Nation Building' to staff of the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) here on Tuesday.
Present were Bernama chairman Datuk Abdul Rahman Sulaiman, Editor-in-Chief Datuk Yong Soo Heong, Deputy Editor-in-Chief (Domestic News Service) Datuk Zulkifli Salleh and Deputy Editor-in-Chief (Economic News Service) Datuk Zakaria Abd Wahab.
Mustapha Kamal said apart from being uncreative, the graduates were also unable to carry out proper presentations.
Hence, he advised graduates not to focus solely on improving their academic performance, but to also improve their soft skills, including their etiquette and judgement skills.
He said young workers should also be able to take responsibility while discharging their duties.
"Sometimes, people do not understand the real meaning of responsibility even though they hold power. Hence, they have no accountability to do their level best in discharging their duties," he said.
Mustapha Kamal said he also hoped that the younger generation of workers could practice the culture of integrity in line with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's aspiration as they were the assets of the country.
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| MCA power play in Tanjong Malim Posted: 19 Dec 2012 01:37 PM PST
(fz.com) - In this first of a three-part series focusing on the Tanjong Malim parliamentary seat, we look at the battle brewing within the MCA between two powerful political families over who should stand here in the next general election Tanjong Malim may look like a town that time has forgotten, but what happens there in the next general election could change the power structure in the MCA. The parliamentary seat is shaping up to become a battle between a political family waiting to make a comeback and a chance for the MCA president to deal a double whammy against his nemesis. The Tanjong Malim parliamentary seat is being held by Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan, the elder brother of former MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting. As Tanjong Malim is seen as a safe seat for the MCA, winning it in the next election would be an important step for the Ong faction to stage a return to the seat of power in the party. For MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, the seat offers a number of tantalising options. As the Perak MCA chief, he could decide to stand there to lead the charge for the state, which the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition lost in the 2008 general election. If Chua stands in Tanjong Malim, he could cut off an obvious avenue for the Ong faction to stage a return. Otherwise, he could field a loyalist there to deny the Ongs a chance to rebuild their base. Asked about the likelihood of the above scenario taking place, a Perak MCA insider said that if Ka Chuan contests and wins in the coming election and overall, the MCA performs worse than in 2008, Chua would probably have to quit, and Ka Chuan could be a candidate for the next president of the party. When asked, Goh Choong Seng, a special aide to Ka Chuan, said this development is plausible. "When you are in politics, this is normal, no matter whether it is in Umno or the Communist Party," he said. However, Chua has to balance between settling a political score and choosing a "winnable" candidate to improve the BN's electoral performance, after the unprecedented setback it suffered in the last general election. Chua won the president's post in the 2010 re-election, beating Ka Ting by 68 votes. Although the party is seen to have closed ranks after Chua became the president, Goh opined that if Ka Chuan and Chua are compared as candidates, Ka Chuan stands a better chance. He said the electorate, especially the Malays in the constituency, are conservative, and would not accept Chua because of his sex scandal. Read more at: http://fz.com/content/mca-power-play-tanjong-malim
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| DAP warlords eye party sec-gen prize Posted: 19 Dec 2012 01:26 PM PST
(fz.com) - To outsiders, it may seem premature to be talking about a "post Lim Guan Eng era" within the DAP but the party warlords appear to be thinking otherwise. The recently concluded central executive committee (CEC) party election result saw little change on the surface. However, dig a little deeper and you'll find that the different factions in the party had used the platform (of the CEC polls) to get a stronger footing (within the party) with an eye on the coveted secretary general post in 2015 party election. The DAP had amended its party constitution to limit the tenure of a secretary general to three terms. This means Lim, who became DAP secretary general 2004, can only hold on to the post until 2015. The local Chinese papers had thus claimed that the party had now entered the "post Guan Eng era". However, political analysts believe that Guan Eng would continue to play an important role in the party, even after he steps down as sec-gen. Guan Eng was still dominant in the party, and it is too early to say (what will happen after he steps down), said Bridget Welsh, Associate Professor in Political Science at Singapore Management University. Welsh believes the real test to the party would come in next few years. Wong Chin Huat, a fellow of the Penang Institute under Penang government, concurred as Guan Eng was only 52 this year and is very popular as the Penang Chief Minister. There was no reason for him to retire so soon. "And as long as he has not retired, he will play an important role in whatever position. After stepping down as Sec-Gen, he may just assume the position of DAP's Parliament Chief," he toldfz.com. Using the British tradition as an example, Wong said that the party chair was but the head of the party machinery while the real leader of the party was the one accepted by the majority of its parliamentarians. "While some new guy will take over his sec-gen position, I don't think there are leaders of his generation or junior than him can have enough clout to assume the position of DAP's most senior federal cabinet minister (should they take over the federal government). With the new sec-gen three years down the road, what you will see is two leaders from different generations running the party together." Deputy chairman Tan Kok Wai, Vice-chairman Teresa Kok and M Kulasegaran, Pakatan Rakyat bureau chairman Datuk Teng Chang Khim, deputy secretary general Chong Eng are leaders of the same generation as Guan Eng. Party election paves way for power tussle Although Guan Eng is unlikely to retire (from party politics) soon, the CEC election results has laid the groundwork for an intense power tussle in the next party election. A party insider told fz.com that the election result reflected that the delegates voted according to their alignment with certain leaders or factions in the party.
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| Govt relaxes restrictions on Christian pilgrimages to Jerusalem Posted: 19 Dec 2012 01:15 PM PST
(The Sun Daily) - The government has removed quotas and some other restrictions on Christians making their pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The decision can be seen as a sort of Christmas present for local Christians who wish to have more freedom to visit the holy land. Council of Churches of Malaysia (CCM) Secretary-General Rev Dr Herman Shastri said the move by the government to relax conditions was much welcomed by the council, reports Karen Arukesamy. "This is certainly a happy news for all of us. We have been in talks with the PM's office and relevant authorities for one year now and we are glad that Christians are allowed to make their pilgrimage (more freely)", he said. Malaysia bars travel to Israel but the government has previously allowed Christians to travel to the historic city, regarded as holy to both Christians and Muslims. Previously, the government had imposed a quota of 700 pilgrims per year, with any one church only allowed to send a group of 40. According to Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) executive secretary Tan Kong Beng, visits were also limited to 10 days and pilgrims were only allowed one visit every three years. But a letter sent from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak's office to CFM president Ng Moon Hing on Nov 28 said these limits no longer applied and visits could be for a maximum of 21 days. However, according to Herman, Christians from here must still travel in church groups when entering Israel. "I think even Israel might not allow (such a long visit)," Tan, who confirmed receipt of the letter, told AFP yesterday. Najib's political secretary, Wong Nai Chee, confirmed that he had signed off on the letter but did not give a reason for the move as "it is a cabinet decision and I am just relaying it to CFM". "Taking into account the needs of Christian Malaysians, the Home Ministry has amended the religious pilgrimage rules to Israel," he wrote in the letter seen by AFP. "The letter should be issued from the Home Ministry," said Ng, about the move which comes ahead of the 13th general election which must be held within the next six months. |
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