Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Deepak: Anwar is not behind me
- ‘Rosmah told me to look for Bala’
- PAS: Sorry, we can't use MCA’s benchmark for public decency
- CID chief denies home minister meddles with police
- MIC men accused of roughing up Jui Meng
- PKR still waiting for MIC defectors
- Businessman denies ex-IGP’s allegations
- Ravi Shankar dies at age 92
- No ‘political tsunami’ in Sabah, says PBS
- Playing race, religion card could backfire
- Karpal calls on Hadi to announce PAS' stand on gender segregation issue
- JP Morgan: Better for Barisan to stay in power
| Deepak: Anwar is not behind me Posted: 11 Dec 2012 07:48 PM PST Disputing the so-called video evidence, the carpet dealer says the conversation was taken out of context and he challenges those responsible to release the entire footage. Leven Woon, FMT Carpet dealer Deepak Jaikishan today denied that his recent revelations about Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and wife Rosmah Mansor were engineered by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, saying that his mention of the latter in a video footage was taken out of context. Speaking to FMT today, he claimed that his detractors cooked up a story from the video footage that showed him mentioning several PKR leaders, including Anwar. The footage (photo: below) has been widely circulated by pro-Umno bloggers. "I did not say that I met Anwar," he said. "What I said and what was written (in the blog) are two different things." He challenged the person who recorded the video to release the entire footage and the transcript of what he had said. Last week, pro-Umno blogger Papa Gomo posted a two-minute clip in which Deepak is seen speaking to a few people off camera. Aside from Anwar, Deepak also mentioned Subang MP R Sivarasa and PKR vice-presidents N Surendran and Nurul Izzah in the video. "So he said I give you the place, whatever you want to do I help you, but you have to help me lah. Of course it is understood lah," said the man in the video. The video, according to Papa Gomo, was proof that Deepak had met with Anwar before he began his attacks against Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor on Nov 27.
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| ‘Rosmah told me to look for Bala’ Posted: 11 Dec 2012 06:18 PM PST Deepak Jaikishan alleges that the PM's wife rang him at about 6pm on the day private investigator P Balasubramaniam made the first statutory declaration. Leven Woon, FMT Carpet dealer Deepak Jaikishan today claimed that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's wife Rosmah Mansor told him to look for private investigator P Balasubramaniam on the day the latter's statutory declaration (SD) was made public. Revealing the identity of "the female friend" whom he mentioned at his recent press conferences, Deepak claimed that Rosmah called up many people for favours on the day Balasubramaniam disclosed his first SD, which linked Najib to the murder of Mongolian national Altantuyaa Shaariibuu. "At about 6pm or 7pm that day, Rosmah called me, asking me to help resolve the matter. I don't know Bala in person, but we have a mutual friend," he told FMT. The well-connected businessman repeated his earlier claim that Rosmah was rushing because one of the five individuals involved in the murder case was going to come forward to speak against Najib. Although he did not mention the date, it is likely that the incident took place on July 3, 2008. Deepak said he managed to get hold of the private investigator within a few hours of Rosmah's phone call but the latter was sceptical over what he said. "He asked to meet with Najib. I went to Najib's house to discuss this, but Najib did not want to see him. "Then Rosmah proposed to have Najib's brother Nazim to meet him." Deepak said a meeting between him, Balasubramaniam and Nazim was later held at The Curve, where Nazim asked the private investigator what he wanted in return for making the second SD. He said Nazim took Balasubramaniam to the Hilton Hotel in Kuala Lumpur after the meeting. He claimed that Najib had arranged for a senior lawyer who is now a Tan Sri to prepare the second SD for Balasubramaniam. 'My biggest mistake' Deepak said he now regretted getting involved in the case. "It was the biggest mistake I have made," he said, adding that he could have saved himself a lot of trouble if he had, like the other friends Rosmah had called, refused to do help her out. The 40-year-old businessman claimed Balasubramaniam was speaking the truth in the first SD. Asked how he knew that the premier and his wife were involved in the murder of Altantuya, he said: "I think this is pure fact. I was involved in the case. I knew that." He claimed that when Rosmah was asking for his "favour" in the phone call, he already knew the nature of the "favour" because there were already news reports of Balasubramaniam's SD on the Internet. Deepak said his friendship with Rosmah, whom he once referred to as "Elder Sister", deteriorated following a land dispute involving him and Umno senator Raja Roopiah Abdullah.
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| PAS: Sorry, we can't use MCA’s benchmark for public decency Posted: 11 Dec 2012 05:18 PM PST
(Harakah Daily) - MCA and its mouthpiece The Star's allegation that non-Muslims had been fined in Kelantan for committing the Shariah offence of khalwat or close proximity between Muslims of opposite sex, is again slammed by PAS, describing the latest anti-PAS propaganda as an act of desperation. "This issue is part of MCA's political agenda to regain lost ground among non-Muslims because MCA is trying to survive in the political chess with DAP," said PAS secretary general Mustafa Ali.
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| CID chief denies home minister meddles with police Posted: 11 Dec 2012 05:10 PM PST
(Malaysiakini) - Federal police CID director Mohd Bakri Zinin today denied former inspector-general of police (IGP) Musa Hassan's claim that the home minister meddled with police affairs, and went on to stress that the police has never practise favouritism in their investigations. Malay daily Berita Harian today reported Bakri as saying that every aspect of an investigation carried out by the police is done according to the law and without interference from other parties. "The police always ensure that each aspect of an investigation that is carried out does not breach the boundaries of the law as the investigations are determined according to the crime committed by the offender. "Hence, in its execution, there is no interference whatsoever from any individual or parties that will influence the investigation," he is quoted as saying after chairing a meeting for of CID heads yesterday. Bakri said this when asked about Musa's recent allegation that Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein had issued orders to junior officers and a district police chief without his knowledge during his tenure as the nation's top cop. Bakri said that he believes Musa was not referring to criminal investigations, as such allegations do not exist in the CID. "On what angle do you (reporters) mean? If it's from the policy'angle, I can't comment. However, as for the question of investigation, it is based on the perception of the case investigated by us and nothing else. "We don't play favouritism when dealing with investigations as we can't do that in the criminal context. We investigate a criminal case by following the laws and the offence committed. So how does the element he (Musa) allege exist?" Bakri said.
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| MIC men accused of roughing up Jui Meng Posted: 11 Dec 2012 03:51 PM PST Johor PKR chief was allegedly manhandled after a meeting with NRD offcials in an attempt to resolve stateless Indians issue. K Pragalath and G Lavendran, FMT PUTRAJAYA: PKR vice president Chua Jui Meng who is also Johor PKR chief was allegedly manhandled by MIC members after a meeting with National Registration Department (NRD) officials in Putrajaya this morning. "It is shocking that the police allowed MIC gangsters into a federal government building. There were about 50 MIC members waiting outside the meeting room. "When we stepped out of the room after the meeting, about seven to eight of the MIC goons manhandled Chua, pushing and shoving him," said N Surendran. Surendran, the PKR vice president had earlier led a delegation comprising Chua, Latheefa Koya, Charles Santiago and R Sivarasa to meet NRD director general, Jariah Mohd Said. They were representing hundreds of people in a bid to resolve the issue of stateless Indians. Surendran said a police report will be lodged against the MIC members who roughed up Chua. "We will also release a video which proves the assault," he said. MIC Youth information chief S Subramaniam was quick to deny Surendran's allegation. "We were there as part of a special task force. Chua reacted harshly when one of our members asked what he had done for the community when he was in the cabinet," he said. Chua was Health Minister in the BN government from 1990 to 2004. He joined PKR in 2009.
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| PKR still waiting for MIC defectors Posted: 11 Dec 2012 03:41 PM PST M Ravi tells Muthu Palaniappan to make good on his promise. Zefry Dahalan, FMT PORT DICKSON: Teluk Kemang PKR chief M Ravi today demanded that party colleague M Muthu Palaniappan fulfill his promise to pull in 80 MIC branches into the opposition. Muthu, a former MIC vice president, made the pledge when he defected to PKR early this year. "We are still waiting and I hope he can bring in the former MIC members from the 80 branches to join PKR before the next GE," Ravi told FMT. The 80 branches are all in Negeri Sembilan. Ravi, who is the state assemblyman for Port Dickson, also dismissed speculation that Muthu will contest the Teluk Kemang parliament seat in the coming election, saying the PKR leadership had not given any word to that effect. Referring to an FMT report last week about Muthu's candidacy, he said: "Anybody can declare which seat he wants to contest, but according to the party constitution the candidacy for any seat can only be confirmed and announced by the party president. "Even I can't confirm to defend my Port Dickson state seat as long as I haven't received a confirmation letter from the party president." However, Ravi invited Muthu to lend his experience to PKR's political work in Teluk Kemang. "As an experienced politician and former state exco member, he can play a role as adviser for me and Teluk Kemang PKR. "I'm willing to work together with him for the people of Teluk Kemang." Ravi also called on former Barisan Nasional figures who recently joined PKR not to be greedy for positions. "If a person who joined the party just a year ago is asking for position or GE candidacy, what about the PKR members who have been contributing to the party's struggle since 1998?" he said. "When joining PKR, the ultimate aim should be to uplift the people's welfare and not to get position or candidacy."
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| Businessman denies ex-IGP’s allegations Posted: 11 Dec 2012 03:32 PM PST Robert Phang also rubbishes Musa Hassan's allegation that the former played a role in the transfer of a senior policeman. Teoh El Sen, FMT Businessman and philanthropist Robert Phang today denied the allegations levelled against him by former inspector-general of police Musa Hassan. At a press conference here, Phang said that he had never asked to be an advisor to Musa. He also rubbished an allegation that he had caused a senior police officer to be transferred with regard to a walkie-talkie contract. However, Phang admitted that he was appointed as an independent advisor to a telecommunications company which was awarded a contract with the police. Recounting an incident in 2008 when he "first engaged with" Musa, Phang said he was about to reveal a RM98 million case of police malpractice when Musa called him. "Musa called and told me to call off my press conference. This is interfering with feedom of expression. This is straight up abuse of power," said the former MACC advisor.
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| Posted: 11 Dec 2012 03:24 PM PST
Marina and I went to see him play in Manchester in June last year: Raja Petra Indian sitar legend Ravi Shanker died in a hospital where he was preparing to undergo surgery. (AFP) - Legendary Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar, a major influence on Western musicians ranging from The Beatles to Yehudi Menuhin, has died at the age of 92, officials said today. Shankar, who was the father of the American singer-songwriter Norah Jones, died in a hospital in San Diego where he was preparing to undergo surgery, according to Indian television news channels. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed his sadness over the death and hailed Shankar as "a national treasure and global ambassador of India's cultural heritage". "Mourn (the) passing of a musical genius and gentle soul," Nirupama Menon Rao, the Indian ambassador to the United States, said on her Twitter feed. Shankar, who was living in California when he died, was born into a high-caste Bengali Brahmin family in the Hindu holy city of Varanasi in northern India on April 7, 1920. He taught close friend the late Beatles George Harrison to play the sitar and collaborated with him on several projects, including the groundbreaking concert for Bangladesh in 1971. The Beatles called him "The Godfather of World Music".
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| No ‘political tsunami’ in Sabah, says PBS Posted: 11 Dec 2012 03:18 PM PST Anwar Ibrahim is inconsequential in Sabah and his feud with Umno won't affect the state, says PBS. (FMT) - KOTA KINABALU: Parti Bersatu Sabah (PSB) has dismissed its former ally's claim that the KadazanDusun and Murut (KDM) communities in Sabah are no longer with Barisan Nasional. Rebutting former Upko deputy chief Wilfred Bumburing's views, PBS information chief Johnny Mositun said there would be no "political tsunami" in Sabah. He said that playing up the prospect of a political tsunami in Sabah was "another lie made up by the opposition". "The fact is the issues that led to the erosion of support for BN in the 2008 general election did not have an impact on Sabah or Sarawak. It is no different today. We remain staunchly pro-BN. "His [Bumburing's] claims are fanciful and not substantiated by facts, " he said. Bumburing recently said that the KDMs in the state were shifting their alliances away from BN and that Sabah would experience the same "tsunami" felt by Peninsular Malaya in 2008. He made these claims during a DAP organised dinner last Thursday in Labuan. In his speech, Bumburing, who is Tuaran MP, said he has been travelling extensively in Sabah since July (after his defection from Upko) and was confident that KDM allegiance to BN was shifting rapidly. Bumburing's tour around Sabah was to promote his own platform, Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS), which he claimed stood for Sabah rights and Sabah for Sabahans. APS is aligned to peninsula-based Pakatan Rakyat. Mositun yesterday claimed that ties between BN partners PBS, Upko and PBRS were "intact" and that they were collectively confident that KDMs were still with the coalition. Commenting on Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, he said the former deputy prime minister was not a factor in Sabah and that his feud with Umno had "negligible" effect on Sabah. He said it is the local issues which would determine how the people will vote in the next general election. That being the case, then key local opposition groups – Jeffrey Kitingan's State Reform Party (STAR) and Sabah Progressive Peoples Party (SAPP) – are on top it. Many here see Sabah at a crossroads again. The last time it was there was in 1985 when PBS roared in to wrest the reins from Berjaya. The rumblings of dissatisfaction are similar but the roar this time is coming from the STAR, which is eyeing the KDM seats. STAR is confident of taking away at least 10 seats from the BN bank. But speculations are rife that the numbers could go up to 14. And this is not counting the other parties which are also confident of winning some seats. Sabah has 60 state seats which will be up for grabs in the 13th general election.
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| Playing race, religion card could backfire Posted: 11 Dec 2012 11:45 AM PST There are more pressing demands for Malay voters. (fz.com) - "Economic issues are more important to me. As for the status of bumiputeras and religion, it's all in the constitution and it is unlikely to change whoever comes to power" Playing the race and religion card to win Malay support may not prove to be the winning hand in the lead up to the next general election, political observers say. This is mostly to do with the more pressing demands of Malay voters and how non-Malay voters could react to politicising race and religion. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's Prof Datuk Mohammad Agus Yusoff said religion and race issues are not currently at the forefront of Malay voters' minds. "Urban voters are feeling the pinch in terms of cost of living and job opportunities. Religion and racial issues don't concern them much. "These issues may work for some rural Malay voters but it is certainly not their main thing anymore," said Agus, who is an associate professor in political science. But this certainly does not mean that issues of race and religion will be conspicuously absent from the campaign. Over the years, Malaysia's political scene has been studded with highly charged racial and religious issues. These include public discussions over bumiputera special rights, issues surrounding conversions into Islam, apostasy and whether non-Muslims can use the word Allah to describe god. Matters involving faith and race still do matter to some voters. Two Malay voters who spoke to fz.com for this story illustrate the diversity in voter demands and underscores how voter behaviour is influenced by the complex intertwine of ethnicity, class, location, age and socio-economic background. Mismilimi Sairan is your quintessential rural Malay voter. She is a mother of nine who raised her family in an oil palm settlement set up under the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) in Johor. Mismilimi is probably used to voting for the incumbent since she hails from Johor, the traditional stronghold of Umno. Asked what her main considerations at the ballot box are, the 59-year old answers: "I don't know. I never had any criteria for candidates so when I vote, I just vote". But when prodded on possible issue choices – bread and butter issues, governance, religion – Mismilimi quickly says that religious issues are important to her. Contrast Mismilimi's voting preference with that of Khairil Rizal Ahmad, a 27-year-old first time voter who lives in Kuala Lumpur. Khairil Rizal said he is more concerned with economic issues and what policies a candidate will support. Khairil Rizal also said he prefers to evaluate a candidate's merit instead of voting based on a candidate's party. "Economic issues are more important to me. As for the status of bumiputeras and religion, it's all in the constitution and it is unlikely to change whoever comes to power," he added. Non-Malay voters watching Political analyst Ooi Kee Beng maintains that race and religious factors may turn out to be less important as Malaysia's landscape moves toward a battle between Malays of different political persuasions. Malay voters, especially the urban and semi-urban voters, are said to be split as they have been courted by Umno, PAS and PKR. In this scenario, invoking race and religion could inadvertently spook the non-Malay and non-Muslim voters. "Hudud and all those religious issues are making some Chinese voters a bit nervous of course. But people do remember that it wasn't PAS that started the Islamisation of the entire country. "So trying to win points on race and religion may backfire," said Ooi, the deputy director of the Singapore-based Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. It is interesting to note that in recent months the issue of hudud law and PAS's governance of Kelantan have been played up instead by the non-Malay component parties of Barisan Nasional (BN). BN component parties like MCA and Gerakan used issues such as hudud law implementation and Islamic state as a way to discredit DAP for aligning itself with PAS under the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) banner. In crafting his key messages, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has been careful to balance the delicate issue of bumiputera rights and his message of inclusivity under the 1Malaysia concept. In fact, it was Perkasa, a non-governmental organisation fronted by independent Member of Parliament Datuk Ibrahim Ali, that was the loudest voice championing bumiputerarights after the 2008 general election. Scrutinising the policies put forth by both BN and PR, it appears that the main battleground will be fought on issues of bread and butter and governance.
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| Karpal calls on Hadi to announce PAS' stand on gender segregation issue Posted: 11 Dec 2012 11:44 AM PST (Bernama) - DAP chairman Karpal Singh has called on PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang to publicly make the party's stand on the by-law on gender segregation issue, and not to leave the matter to the Kelantan exco. Karpal, who is Bukit Gelugor Member of Parliament, said the silence by the Kelantan exco to review the by-law on gender segregation that forbids non-Muslim women to cut hair of non-Muslim men, and vice versa in salons in Kota Baru did not speak well of a responsible government. "PAS leaders should realise that silence is not the way out and it only aggravates the position. The by-law should be outlawed without further ado," he said in a statement here Tuesday. Karpal said the justification on enforcement of the gender segregation made by the Kota Baru Municipal Council was publicly announced by the State Local Government, Cultural and Tourism Committee chairman Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan on Nov 24. "To him (Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan) the ruling was a non-issue and he said the by-law was introduced in 1991 in line with the PAS state government's slogan 'Growing with Islam' that applied to both Muslims and non-Muslims, and in 1999, stricter conditions were imposed by the council," he added. However, Karpal said the justification certainly evoked fear on the part of non-Muslims that attempts were being made to apply Islamic law to them, which would ultimately mean the introduction of hudud to non-Muslims. He said the vehement public justification by Takiyuddin of the by-law was obviously the cause of the silence on the part of the Kelantan state exco to review it. "The last that the DAP would want to do would be not to scuttle efforts by the opposition pact in its quest to capture Putrajaya in the coming election," Karpal said. "However, that the objective cannot, and must not, mean sacrificing principle at the altar of political expediency. The DAP is committed to opposition to any attempts to extend Islamic law to non-Muslims, whether directly or indirectly," he added. He said PAS must respond quickly on the issue, in view of the upcoming polls.
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| JP Morgan: Better for Barisan to stay in power Posted: 11 Dec 2012 11:43 AM PST
(The Star) - The equities market and economic outlook in 2013 will be positive if the Barisan Nasional continued to remain in power, says investment bank JP Morgan. JP Morgan Securities (M) Sdn Bhd executive director of equity research Mak Hoy Kit (pic) opines that there would be "some risk" if the Opposition were to take over the Government. He said the Barisan's Economic Transformation Programme (ETP), government infrastructure programmes and rail-related projects would kick off if the political status quo remains. "We are now Neutral' on Malaysia because of the general election overhang. Investors will be worried if the Opposition wins. When there is uncertainty, investors typically act negatively," he said yesterday. JP Morgan is also positive on the construction sector, and sees this as a domestic growth opportunity with some RM160bil worth of rail projects up for grabs next year. On the oil and gas sector, with Petronas committing to some RM300bil capital expenditure over the next five years, Mak is expecting to see more contract wins and an increase in earnings of the local oil and gas players. Mak sees the ETP creating some 452,066 jobs by 2020, per capita income growing to US$15,000 (RM45,000) from US$6,700 (RM20,000) in 2009. It was recently reported that Eastspring Investments Bhd Chief Investment Officer (Equities) Yvonne Tan Hong Yean cautioned that foreign funds might opt to stay out of Malaysia if there was a change in government.
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