Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Dr M must apologise to Ambiga, Bar Council
- Place winning Putrajaya before candidacy, Zuraida tells Sabah PKR reps
- Dr M: Struggle for PM post dividing Malays, empowering minorities
- Ignore Deepak, Dr M tells Najib
- Over 1,700 Malaysians abroad register for postal voting
- ‘BN leading Malaysia to destruction’
- ‘High property prices due to Pakatan policies’
- Hindraf’s ‘carrot’ to Pakatan
- Fresh DAP candidates likely for Penang
- Opposition leaders urged to retract decision on use of 'Allah'
- Whitney Houston, died 11th February 2012, hit voted best love song in US poll
- Don’t boycott postal votes, Nurul Izzah tells overseas citizens
- Muslims told at Friday prayers to ‘hate’ Valentine’s Day
- Ronnie Liu's aide resigns, citing dissatisfaction
- ‘BN to win election but no two thirds’
- Yazid’s wife denies terrorist links
- Yazid charged with promoting terrorism
- Bukit Koman air full of poison, says green group
- Rais: Media should be thinkers, critics prioritising harmony
- Slashed over hanging of BN flag, banner
- Ex-ISA detainee Yazid held under security laws
- Asia at heart of matchfixing, ex-FIFA man says
- Bumburing’s men slam Yong for ‘attacks’
- Produce new evidence, Karpal tells Deepak
- MCA: Liew’s predictions on Johor cocky
- Shahrizat blows it for Umno in S’wak?
- UMNO leader 'shows the money' - piles of it - at event
- Berjasa: Third force for Malay voters?
- Deepak: Police intimidating me
- Know your numbers, Musa tells Hisham
- Immunity: Pakatan tells Deepak to ask AG
- SAPP stands alone with dignity
- Explain ‘missing’ land, S’gor govt told
- Don’t pour oil on ‘Allah’ flames, Hasan Ali tells MCCBCHST
- Deepak seeks immunity, vows more exposés after
- Wong Tack still a man on fire
- Perak Speaker Ganesan sues for defamation over lewd VCD
- Sabah Kita joins the polls fray, splitting votes
- ‘Re-open Altantuya murder probe if…’
- ‘Nazri told us mainstream media govt tool’
- Minister draws flak for spooking Christians
- M'sians trust online information most: Edelman survey
- Multi-cornered fight on the cards in Sabah
- Let Sabah parties rule state, SAPP tells Pakatan
| Dr M must apologise to Ambiga, Bar Council Posted: 08 Feb 2013 05:24 PM PST
Bersih says Dr Mahathir Mohamad should not make threats to revoke S Ambiga's citizenship. (FMT) - Bersih wants former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to retract his statement that the federal constitution must be amended to revoke the citizenship of "errant lawyers" like Bar Council leaders and Bersih co-chairperson S Ambiga. Bersih, a coalition of non-governmental organization fighting for free and fair elections, said Ambiga did not deserve such a comment. "What did Ambiga do to deserve such comments. There is nothing wrong in wanting a free and fair election. We just want for the government to deliver what the rakyat want," Bersih steering committee member Maria Chin Abdullah told FMT. Earlier today, the former prime minister said the government needed to amend the constitution if it wanted to strip off the citizenship of lawyers such as Ambiga who go against the government. "To strip a person's citizenship, you need to amend the constitution. And to amend the constitution you need two-thirds majority in Parliament. So, I ask that you give two-thirds majority to the BN government," said Dr Mahathir. He said this in response to a question after a talk on national security and the constitution at a forum. Mahathir was asked how the government could strip the citizenship of errant lawyers like Bar Council leaders and Ambiga, who were persistent in challenging the government and questioning the federal constitution. Maria said it was very unbecoming of Mahathir to make such a statement. "He is no better than Ibrahim Ali (Perkasa president). We want Dr Mahathir to retract and apologise to Ambiga and the Bar Council. "The statement is actually very racist in nature. Dr Mahathir should not put himself so low as to want to strip people of their citizenship. They are not terrorist or did anything to endanger the lives of fellow Malaysians. "We are fighting for the better Malaysia. We are trying to do good for the country and her people…so Dr Mahathir should not use us as political pawns to win votes for the ruling Barisan Nasional," she said. He said Dr Mahathir should not use race as a tool to divide and threaten Malaysians.
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| Place winning Putrajaya before candidacy, Zuraida tells Sabah PKR reps Posted: 08 Feb 2013 05:18 PM PST
Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider In the aftermath of Thursday's resignations by 14 Sabah Wanita PKR members, Zuraida Kamaruddin has reminded all party members to prioritise Pakatan Rakyat's (PR) Putrajaya dream instead of clamouring to be candidates in the coming polls. The Wanita PKR national chief admitted to The Malaysian Insider that there is still a lingering dissatisfaction among Sabah PKR leaders over the possibility of losing their bid to contest the coming polls. But she pointed out that this was inevitable as the party would have to cede some seats to accommodate PR's new Sabah allies Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS) and Pertubuhan Pakatan Perubahan Sabah (PPPS). "I can't say there is none (dissatisfaction). But they have to be rational. Are they in this for the short term or the long term?" Zuraida (picture) said in a phone call from Sabah yesterday afternoon. "In the interest of fighting Barisan Nasional (BN) and Umno, what we are doing is we are putting out our best in the contest," she added. APS is led by Tuaran MP Datuk Seri Wilfred Mojilip Bumburing, formerly the deputy president of BN's United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (UPKO), while PPPS is led by Beaufort MP and former Umno supreme council member Datuk Seri Lajim Ukin. Both men left BN last year to form the PR-friendly movements are currently working out a seat-sharing formula with PR's DAP, PKR and PAS, turning the Sabah opposition front into a very crowded battle. Winnie Juani, who is Sabah Wanita PKR vice-chairman, Penampang wing chief and the wing's Sabah election strategist, quit the party on Thursday along with 13 other elected and appointed leaders from the division. She told The Malaysian Insider that they had no particular reason for leaving, except that they needed to "take a rest" from the hectic life of politics. The 52-year-old Juani also denied that she had left because her party leadership could not confirm her candidacy in Moyog, a state seat under the BN-held Penampang parliamentary constituency. Zuraida said she spoke to Juani after the latter's sudden move to quit and decided to respect her decision. "She said she wants to rest and take care of her family. Some can't take the stress and the pressure and need time to rest... so let them take their rest, we are not short of leaders and women candidates," she said. Zuraida would not confirm speculation that Juani had left because of the candidacy issue but said repeatedly that in the interest of PR's plan to wrest federal power, all party members need to put their personal interests aside.
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| Dr M: Struggle for PM post dividing Malays, empowering minorities Posted: 08 Feb 2013 03:07 PM PST
Zurairi AR, The Malaysian Insider Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today likened the Malay politicians in both Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) to "political beggars", saying their scramble to be prime minister has led them to plead for support from the country's minority races. The influential Umno veteran pointed out that while these minority groups become more politically powerful, the Malays were becoming increasingly divided by fighting among themselves. "The majority is split into three, we're fighting among ourselves," the former prime minister said here. "Umno, PAS, PKR all have become beggars." He likened the situation to the strife between the Islamic sects of Sunnis and Shiites in the Arabic world, which has resulted in violence and killings. Dr Mahathir (picture) also compared the disunity to how the Malays were united when they were fighting against the British rule. "Back then when we were fighting the British, we had political strength. The Malays were united under Umno. "The British became so afraid seeing Malays united, that they had to drop the Malayan Union."
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| Ignore Deepak, Dr M tells Najib Posted: 08 Feb 2013 03:03 PM PST
Zurairi AR, The Malaysian Insider Datuk Seri Najib Razak should not entertain any accusations put forward by controversial carpet dealer Deepak Jaikishan, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad advised today. The businessman has been in the limelight of late, lobbing repeated accusations against Najib and Umno leaders, and has promised to dish more dirt on other scandals linked to other politicians and even the prime minister's family members. "I don't think he should do anything," Dr Mahathir (picture) told reporters here. The longest-serving prime minister said that Najib should expect various allegations to surface while holding a political post, drawing parallels to his time in administration. "When I was prime minister also they accused me of corruption ... I don't have to respond."
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| Over 1,700 Malaysians abroad register for postal voting Posted: 08 Feb 2013 02:58 PM PST
A total of 1,779 applications for postal voting have been received from Malaysians abroad so far since online registration was launched on December 21 last year. Election Commission deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar said the highest number of applications came from Australia with 406, followed by the United Kingdom (323), the United States (131), China (104) and Qatar (91). "The EC's decision to allow all Malaysians abroad to register online and through e-mail has proven to be effective as many took the opportunity to do so. "We estimate about 100 Malaysians abroad will register with the EC each day and we hope this trend will continue and increase daily," he said on Bernama TV's Helo Malaysia show here tonight. He said among the requirements for Malaysians to vote overseas were that they must already be a registered voter and have returned to Malaysia within 30 days in a five-year period before Parliament is dissolved. Wan Ahmad said Malaysians overseas who have registered as a voter and would like to use postal voting can download the application form (Borang 1B) through the EC website, http://www.spr.gov.my.
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| ‘BN leading Malaysia to destruction’ Posted: 08 Feb 2013 02:41 PM PST The litany of scandals revealed in the past year, has shown that 'BN will not change". Joseph Tawie, FMT KUCHING: Sarawakians were today warned not to succumb to the guiles of the hypnotic 'snake' which spun illusions of cheer, harmony and promises of development in their bid to continue ruling the country for the next five years. Alluding to Barisan Nasional, Sarawak DAP said the Dragon Year (2012) had exposed a litany of scandals involving the ruling regime in Putrajaya and in Sarawak. The finals weeks of the dragon year was filled with testimonies and disclosures of 'high level' involvement in a systematic plan to re-engineer the population's race and religious ratio in Sabah (and across the nation). In a Chinese New Year statement on behalf of the party, state secretary Chong Chien Jen said: This is very frightening if we view the many scandals that are happening in the country. "As we welcome the Year of the Snake, we witness the Barisan Nasional leading Malaysia down the path of destruction. "We see scandals like the exposures by (Sabah) Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) of the BN government granting Malaysian ICs to illegal immigrants in Sabah in the 90s for the purpose of overthrowing the then ruling opposition party. "We see also that the Malaysian Anti-corruption Commission's non-action in the last two years in respect of allegation of corruption against Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud." Chong, who is the MP for Bandar Kuching, said that the nation is also being burdened by national debt which had escalated to RM500 billion. He said other scandals that could destroy the nation included a rising household debts (housing loans, car loans, credit card debts, etc) reaching RM700 billion, the illicit outflow of money from Malaysia amounting to more than RM196.4 billion in 2010 alone and the call by extremist PERKASA to burn Malay versions of the Bible bearing the term 'Allah' and the worsening of security due to thefts, burglaries and murders. "The decline in the standards of mathematics and science in our secondary schools as revealed by the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is also a cause for concern," he said.
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| ‘High property prices due to Pakatan policies’ Posted: 08 Feb 2013 02:39 PM PST Penang developers now have to pay the state government three times more dues than under BN. Athi Shankar, FMT GEORGE TOWN: Nibong Tebal MP Tan Tee Beng has blamed the inflated property prices in Penang on the Pakatan Rakyat state government's policies. He said the exorbitant increase in developer contribution for not building low-medium cost (LMC) units and in development charges for increase in build-up plot ratio were the main causes for the unscrupulous property price hike in the island state. Under the urban housing policy, he said the developer must pay contributions to the local government for not building the pre-conditioned 30 per cent unit of LMCs in a housing development scheme. "The government will then bear the responsibility to build the affordable housing," Tan told newsmen here yesterday. Since Pakatan took over Penang five years ago, he said the LMC contribution charge has leapt to RM120,000 per unit, three times up from previous RM40,000 per unit under Barisan Nasional pre-2008 rule. For instance, he said a developer has to fork RM3.6 million per 100-residential unit if they chose not to constructing 30 LMCs now. Previously they would have paid RM120,000. For an increase in build-up plot ratio rate, a developer has to pay RM15psf for the extra units. Previously it was RM5psf. Increase in costs Citing an example, Tan said if a developer increased the build-up per plot ratio from 15-units per acre to 87 – units per acre, the developer would have to pay some RM930,000 for the extra 62 units. This was based on RM15 x 1000sf per unit x 62-unit.
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| Posted: 08 Feb 2013 02:34 PM PST But the opposition coalition must first endorse Hindraf's blueprint on alleviating the Indian community's problems. Anisah Shukry, FMT Hindraf has offered Pakatan Rakyat "thousands of volunteers" which it says is crucial for the opposition pact to overthrow Barisan nasional in the upcoming general election. The 'carrot' however comes with a catch. Pakatan must endorse the group's six-point blueprint to "bring the Indian marginalized and poor into the mainstream of National Development", said Hindraf chairperson P Waythamoorthy. "We are no doubt willing to make Pakatan's dream to capture Putrajaya a reality but we have a dream too – we dream to find a permanent solution to the problems of the Indian poor and marginalized. "Hence it is crucial that Pakatan endorses the Hindraf Blueprint which encompassed this dream before we activate thousands of our volunteers to go nationwide to campaign for Pakatan," Waythamoorthy said in a statement yesterday. The movement had previously said that it would support any political organisation that would agree in writing to adopt the blueprint, which recommends a five-year programme aimed at the betterment of the Malaysian Indian community. The six points of the blueprint are: 1) Stop displacing Indian plantation workers and provide reasonable compensation as well as offer skills training to them; 2) Resolve Indian stateless issue; 3) Provide equal education opportunities to all Indian students via meritocracy; 4) Provide equal job and business opportunities to Indians; 5) Stop police brutality and death in custody, and set up the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC); and 6) Stop institutionalised racism and ratify United Nations convention against racial discrimination. But the blueprint appears to have been largely ignored by parties from both sides of the divide since it was launched on Nov 25 last year. Thus far only Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM), a Pakatan-leaning party, has announced its support for the six demands. "It is in the interest of PR (Pakatan) to sign the blueprint soonest rather than hoping that Hindraf would compromise on its Blueprint program at the last minute," said Waythamoorthy. "We are ready to activate our machinery and start joint campaigns with Pakatan the moment there is a signed agreement," he added. Indians on the fence Waythamoorthy added that almost 50% of Indian voters were still undecided on whom to cast their ballots for, and said this was because Hindraf had not declared its support for any party.
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| Fresh DAP candidates likely for Penang Posted: 08 Feb 2013 02:32 PM PST Speculations are rife that several incumbents in Penang may move to give way to the party's 'young and capable talents'. Hawkeye, FMT Bukit Bendera MP Liew Chin Tong is expected to be part of an anticipated reshuffle in DAP's list of candidates for the coming general election. Barring last minute changes, which is common in any party's line-up, Liew, 36, is expected to relocate to Johor, a state declared as a frontline battleground by Pakatan Rakyat. It is learnt that the academically-inclined politician had revealed to his inner circle in Penang that he was willing to relocate to Johor to help PKR strongman Chua Jui Meng to penetrate Barisan Nasional's fortress there as well as to help boost the morale of the opposition's alliance. If true, Liew will be the second Pakatan leader to relocate to Johor after PAS vice-president Sallehuddin Ayub. Sallehuddin had earlier reportedly declared that he would move from his Kubang Kerian parliament seat in Kelantan to his birth-state in Johor. Liew however has reportedly urged the public not to read too much into the speculation. When asked, he reportedly said: "Nothing is confirmed. There's no point for us to go into the discussion (of me contesting in Johor)." Liew's move is expected to spark speculations of similar moves by other DAP leaders in Penang. Among them, are Deputy Chief Minister II Prof Dr P. Ramasamy and state DAP chairman Chow Kon Yeow. Other assemblymen likely to move are Koay Teng Hai (Pulau Tikus), Koid Teng Guan (Sungai Pinang), Tan Beng Huat (Jawi), Phee Boon Poh, Paya Terubong (Sungai Puyu), Yeoh Soon Hin (Paya Terubung) and Lau Keng Ee (Pengakalan Kota). Ramasamy and Chow are put in a spot due to the insistence of DAP chairman Karpal Singh that all DAP candidates should only contest in one seat as the party is now brimming with young and capable talent. Karpal's assertion, was confirmed by a state DAP insider here, who preferred not to be named. The insider claimed that besides the 45 party incumbents in Penang, there are some 30 other aspiring candidates, who are also keen to contest in the 13th general election. DAP has become a brand name here. Ramasamy and Chow hold one parliament and one state seat each. Both had earlier said they were fine with contesting one seat. Their willingness sparked speculations that both Ramasamy and Chow may only retain their state seats since DAP was aiming to consolidate its clout in Penang.
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| Opposition leaders urged to retract decision on use of 'Allah' Posted: 07 Feb 2013 08:06 PM PST
(Bernama) - Some 30 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and PAS members today held a rally urging opposition leaders to retract the decision allowing use of the word 'Allah' in the Malay version of the Bible. Jaringan Melayu Pulau Pinang spokesman Arif Ibrahim said the opposition's persistence in defending their stance had turned the issue into a polemic among the people. "We also appeal to the Conference of Rulers that will meet at the end of this month to issue a decree prohibiting the use of the word 'Allah' in the Malay Bible to immediately stop debate on the issue," he told reporters after Friday prayers at Masjid Kampong Rawa here. During the rally lasting 30 minutes, the group also trampled on banners that read 'January 8 decision brings woes' while chanting words of protest against the decision. They also distributed stickers that read 'Save Kalimah Allah' to Muslims after Friday prayers. Some 10,000 stickers were printed for distribution to Muslims in Penang. On January 8, the Opposition Leadership Council decided that the word 'Allah' can be used in the Malay bible provided it is not misused. The decision was announced after a meeting of top opposition leaders attended by PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang and PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
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| Whitney Houston, died 11th February 2012, hit voted best love song in US poll Posted: 07 Feb 2013 05:45 PM PST  (Reuters) - With Valentine's Day just a week away, singer Whitney Houston's classic ballad "I Will Always Love You" has been voted the most popular love song in a US poll. The signature song of the Grammy-award winning singer, who died suddenly a year ago, scored 38 per cent of the vote among all adults in the Harris Interactive survey, and was the top pick among all divorced, separated or widowed Americans. Houston's hit from her 1992 movie, "The Bodyguard" was a cover of a 1974 song written and recorded by country singer Dolly Parton. The Righteous Brothers' "Unchained Melody," Percy Sledge's "When a Man Loves a Woman," Joe Cocker's "You Are So Beautiful," and the Bees Gees' "How Deep is Your Love" rounded out the top five songs. "Romance is about making an emotional appeal to the senses, and to the heart," Aaron Levine, of Sony Electronics Home Audio, which commissioned the poll, said in a statement announcing the results. "So, turn down the lights and turn up the sound." More than 2,000 adults who voted in the online poll were asked to pick their favorite love songs from a list of more than 40 tunes spanning several decades. Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" came in sixth, followed by Patsy Cline's "Crazy", Foreigner's "I Want to Know What Love Is," Bryan Adams' "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" and "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye. To mark the first anniversary of Houston's death on February 11, organisers of the Grammy Awards said they will honour the singer with an hour-long TV special entitled "The Grammys Will Go On: A Death in the Family" that will air tomorrow, the day before the 2013 Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. yDhxKVuVYaY SEE ON YOUTUBE HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDhxKVuVYaY
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| Don’t boycott postal votes, Nurul Izzah tells overseas citizens Posted: 07 Feb 2013 05:20 PM PST
Zurairi AR, The Malaysian Insider PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar today asked overseas voters not to boycott postal voting despite disagreeing with its implementation. She reminded voters that they may risk their suffrage if they do not return home to cast their votes, or at least register to become postal voters. "Malaysians who have for so long been deprived the right to vote must take this opportunity to return the principle of one citizen, one vote," Nurul Izzah (picture) told reporters here. Despite that, the Lembah Pantai MP shares the same position as election watchdog NGOs Bersih and My Overseas Vote that changes to the postal voting regulations by the Election Commission (EC) are unconstitutional, discriminatory and arbitrary. Nurul Izzah however declined to state which part of the changes is unconstitutional, asking reporters to refer to Bersih instead. According to her, the EC has informed PKR that as of Wednesday morning, only 1,574 voters have registered to become postal voters. She put the number of voters residing overseas at around one million people, with 400,000 in neighbouring Singapore alone.
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| Muslims told at Friday prayers to ‘hate’ Valentine’s Day Posted: 07 Feb 2013 04:42 PM PST
(The Malaysian Insider) - "Create a feeling of anti-Valentine's Day in your hearts and minds, start hatred of celebrating it," Jakim's sermon told Muslims nationwide. Federal religious authorities today warned Muslims against celebrating Valentine's Day next week, in a message that consistently crops up annually in February, by pointing out that it could lead to pre-marital sex. Today's Friday sermon by the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim), read out at mosques nationwide, comes amid a campaign called "Mind the Valentine's Day Trap" launched together with about 250 non-governmental organisations last month. "Create a feeling of anti-Valentine's Day in your hearts and minds, start hatred of celebrating it," Jakim's sermon told Muslims nationwide. Jakim expressed its worry that Muslims celebrating the day will go dancing and organise candlelight dinners, which will then lead to "kissing in gardens" and pre-marital sex to prove their romantic loyalty. The religious department referred to an oft-quoted writing of a Ken Sweiger (sic) who allegedly said that "Valentine" was a Latin term, meaning "The Mightiest, The Strongest, and The Most Powerful", used to exalt Nimrod and Lupercus, the deities of ancient Rome. Therefore, Jakim warned that by asking someone to "be my Valentine" is tantamount to idolatry by glorifying a mortal to the same level as God. In his online article "Saint Valentine's Day: Should Biblical Christians Observe It?" a pastor called Ken Swiger warned his congregation called the Seventh Day Christian Assembly of the celebration. Swiger linked Valentine's Day celebration to a pagan celebration of intimacy dedicated to a primitive deity called Lupercus, who might refer to the biblical Nimrod the great hunter, the great-grandson of Noah. He wrote that the name Valentine came from the Latin word "valens", meaning "the strong, powerful or mighty one", in reference to Nimrod, thus making the celebration "blatant idolatry". Muslims were also told in Jakim's sermon that the directive against the celebration should not portray the department as killjoys who are against the latest trends, but it was just following the Quran and the Prophet's teachings. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/muslims-told-at-friday-prayers-to-hate-valentines-day/
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| Ronnie Liu's aide resigns, citing dissatisfaction Posted: 07 Feb 2013 03:57 PM PST
Edmund Lee, The Sun Daily The Selangor exco Ronnie Liu's special assistant Jafrei Nordin has announced his resignation with immediate effect after voicing his dissatisfaction towards his boss Ronnie and the DAP party. Jafrei made the announcement with the presence of Nibong Tebal MP Tan Tee Beng at around 10.50am at the latter's residence in Silverton today. When asked why he chose Penang to announce his resignation instead of in Selangor, the shaken Jafrei pointed out that he was worried about his family's safety as it would be a big implication after his resignation. "That's why I contacted my friend (Tan) and ask for his permission to hold a press conference in Penang today," the nervous-looking Jafrei told a press conference early this morning. Jafrei added that he will be submitting his resignation letter in a couple of days. Throughout the press conference, Jafrei who was appointed by Liu in 2008, said his resignation was due to loss of confidence towards Liu and that he has a deep disappointment after Liu had failed to explain the various allegations of graft and misuse of power against him. Jafrei claimed that Liu and Selangor DAP had no respect over PAS and PKR in the state as he alleged there were intentions by certain quarters inside the party to unseat the two parties, which as a result, the state DAP could hold on as a dominant party in the Pakatan Rakyat (PR). He also alleged that he knows every single plan by Liu and state DAP to undermine PAS and PKR, including plans to persuade Malay leaders such as prominent lawyer Datuk Zaid Ibrahim to contest under DAP ticket in the upcoming 13th general election. "This will ensure that DAP could form a new state government in Selangor and sideline PKR candidate to become Mentri Besar." Jafrei who is also DAP activist since 2004 claimed that Liu and other DAP leaders had even labelled current Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim as "Khalid Gagap" (Nervous Khalid). He also claimed that DAP had been using their "election specialist" in shifting their target from UMNO to PAS as the party believes Barisan Nasional (BN) would lose up in the election battle anyway, therefore makes PAS the more relevant target for now. Meanwhile, Liu has denied that Jafrei was his special assistant as he had already terminated one who was holding the position under his portfolio. "He is talking nonsense and a liar," Liu said when contacted today questioning why Jafrei held a press conference in Penang if he was indeed Liu's special assistant. He alleged that Jafrei had secretly printed a business card to prove that he was Liu's assistant. Liu added that he had also maintained a very good relationship with the state PAS members and even with the Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim.
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| ‘BN to win election but no two thirds’ Posted: 07 Feb 2013 03:25 PM PST The Economist Intelligence Unit predicts Barisan Nasional as likely winners because of Pakatan Rakyat's costly promises. Lisa J. Ariffin, FMT The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has predicted Barisan Nasional (BN) as the likely winner in the upcoming general election. However, analysts predict the ruling coalition will probably fail to attain the two-thirds parliamentary majority to make constitutional changes unchallenged. The Economist Intelligence Unit is part of London's Economist, a weekly global news magazine. In a recent report on their website, EIU claims Pakatan Rakyat (PR) have been making "costly promises" to gain power. However, the opposition alliance's efforts have attracted less attention than the generosity of BN, which had spent lavishly in two consecutive budgets to please voters. "In addition, the government is offering many local incentives to ensure the return of BN representatives at federal and state level," it said, elaborating that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak recently offered Penang's Pakatan-controlled state assembly 20,000 affordable houses and a monorail to ease traffic congestion. "The next election is likely to be a tight race, but we do not expect the outcome to lead to a dramatic improvement in the public finances," it added. The EIU also said it is "clearly not feasible" for Pakatan to implement all of its campaign promises in one go. "For example, providing free secondary education would cost the government RM43 billion, while abolishing car duty would cut tax revenue by RM4.6 billion a year," it explained. It also pointed out that Pakatan had been accused of breaking its promises that include financial assistance for pre-school education, and for university students, senior citizens and the disabled; free healthcare for those over 65; lower property taxes; and assistance for home buyers. Citing Malaysia's richest state Selangor as an example, the report quotes BN as claiming Pakatan had implemented only 15 per cent of the RM2.4 billion-worth of its 31 election pledges made in its 2008 manifesto. "Selangor's Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim, commented that a manifesto is not a promise but conceded that voters may think otherwise," it then said. The report also quoted latest opinion polls which showed Najib's approval rating of more than 60 per cent, but noted 47 per cent ofthose surveyed saying that they were satisfied with the government.
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| Yazid’s wife denies terrorist links Posted: 07 Feb 2013 03:21 PM PST The 48-year-old mother of four says that her husband was with her all the time. K Pragalath, FMT Former Internal Security Act detainee Yazid Sufaat's wife Chomel Mohamad has denied that her husband has contacts with a Malaysian terrorist shot dead in the Philippines as alleged by the police. Speaking about Yazid's arrest yesterday, the mother of four said she returned from the market at 11.30am and saw their assistant Mohd Hilmi Ahsin being handcuffed. "There was a huge crowd at the canteen and I even spotted the arresting officer who arrested my husband previously, Inspector Ravi," said the 48-year-old mother of four. "Yazid said the police mentioned someone by the name of Fikrie. "We were never in contact with Fikrie and my husband doesn't go anywhere. He only helps me to operate my business from 7.30am to 4pm. I know his activities. We don't even know who Fikrie is," she added. According to The Philippine Star, Mohammad Noor Fikrie Abdul Kahar is a suspected Jemaah Islamiyah bomber who was killed in Davao City in December last year. Yesterday Yazid, Hilmi and Halimah Hussein were detained under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (SOSMA) for promoting terrorism. Under SOSMA, police could detain anyone for 28 days without trial, and deny access to lawyers during the first 48 hours. Yazid an ex-ISA detainee was formerly detained in 2001 and released seven years later for alleged involvement in an Indonesian-based terrorist movement called Jemaah Islamiyah since 1993. Hilmi is Yazid's worker. Both were detained at the Jalan Duta High Court canteen where Yazid's wife operated a cafetaria. Halimah was detained in Taman Sutera, Kajang at noon. National news agency Bernama yesterday reported that the trio were believed to be active members of Jemaah Islamiyah attempted to recruit more than 50 students from institutions of higher learning. Quoting police sources, the report stated that the recruits were trained in a neighbouring country for specific missions such as suicide missions in Europe. The sources also believed that there were training grounds within the country. 'Deeply flawed law' Meanwhile, Chomel also told the press that after Yazid's arrest, the police raided their house in Taman Bukit Ampang.
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| Yazid charged with promoting terrorism Posted: 07 Feb 2013 03:07 PM PST Yazid Sufaat, a former ISA detainee, is facing a 30-year jail sentence after being accused of promoting acts of terrorism in Syria. K Pragalath, FMT Yazid Sufaat was not charged under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act. He was instead charged under Section 130 G (a) of the Penal Code for promoting acts of terrorism. He was accused of promoting acts of terrorism in strife-torn Syria. The section provides for a maximum prison sentence of 30 years for inciting, promoting or soliciting property for the commission of terrorist acts. The charge sheet stated that Yazid committed the offence between Aug 1 and Oct 20 last year at his house in Ampang. Meanwhile, housewife Halimah Hussin, 52, was charged under the same section as well as Section 109 of the Penal Code for abetting Yazid during the same period of time. The pair were charge at the Ampang magistrate's court this afternoon. Earlier, the defence counsel for both Yazid and Halimah argued on the legality of Section 130 G (a) of the Penal Code. "The section was amended on Dec 25, 2003 but there are no gazetted dates for the enforcement of this section," argued Amer Hamzah Arshad. "This proceeding cannot proceed and this court has no jurisdiction to hear this case," he added. The prosecution team led by deputy public prosecutor Hanafiah Zakaria countered that the gazette date cannot be given but it is still enforced before magistrate Zulyana Zollkapli. This prompted Zulyana to adjourn the court for 30 minutes. Following this, Hanafiah clarified that the section in question had been gazetted in March 2007. Hanafiah also requested for both cases to be transferred to the Shah Alam High Court which Zulyana allowed. After the hearing, Yazid, a former Internal Security Act detainee, was sent to Sungai Buloh Prison whereas Halimah was sent to Kajang Prison. The date for the hearing in Shah Alam High Court has not been fixed.
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| Bukit Koman air full of poison, says green group Posted: 07 Feb 2013 01:09 PM PST
(Free Malaysia Today) - 'Cyanide exposure is more than 30 times higher than the level permitted in New York.' An environmental group has claimed that the use of cyanide in gold mining activities is causing excessive air pollution in Bukit Koman, Pahang. The pollutants include hydrogen cyanide gas, according to Sherly Hue, a leader of the Pahang Ban Cyanide in Gold Mining Action Committee. She told FMT that on a certain day in early January, the amount of hydrogen cyanide in the air around Bukit Koman was recorded at 1.1 ppm (parts per million), a level that World Health Organisation (WHO) considers hazardous. The reading was taken some time after Jan 3, the date on which the Pahang Department of Environment (DOE) erected a monitoring station next to SJK (C) Yuh Wah. The station measures the gas level for 15 hours a day. "According to WHO, the permissible levels for the gas exposure are 0.03 ppm in New York and 0.009 ppm in the Czech Republic," Hue said. "The cyanide exposure in Bukit Koman is 30 times above the safety level of New York." However, DOE has set the maximum exposure level at 10 ppm, as displayed on a board next to the monitoring station. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/02/07/bukit-koman-air-full-of-poison-says-green-group/ |
| Rais: Media should be thinkers, critics prioritising harmony Posted: 07 Feb 2013 01:05 PM PST
(Bernama) - MEDIA practitioners, especially journalists, need to be thinkers and critics who always place importance on harmonious relations between countries in their writings, said Malaysia's Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim. He said in the context of Malaysia-Indonesia relations, journalists were an important component in imbuing thinking of whether to report the truth or not. In his keynote address at a grand dinner to mark the Indonesian Press Day and 67th anniversary of the Indonesian Journalists Association here Thursday, he said although the media or journalists were free to write, report and criticise on whatever, they must uphold the regional Malay spirit, harmony and mutual respect that had existed for such a long time. "We come from the same stock and if we, as writers, cannot convey our similarities to the masses, these similarities do not guarantee us anything. "We should therefore think of what would happen to the regional Malay community if we as writers don't play our role from the perspective of promoting the meaning of humanity and Malay brotherhood," he said. Also present were his wife Datin Seri Maznah Rais, North Sulawesi governor SH Sarundajang and Malaysia's Informaton director-general Datuk Ibrahim Abdul Rahman. Rais, the first minister outside Indonesia to be given the honour of delivering the keynote address at such a function which was attended by over 1,000 Indonesian journalists, noted that he came to Manado with the aim of strengthening Malaysia-Indonesia ties. Recognising the role of the media and journalists as writers, messengers and critics, he said that role could have a meaningful impact on society. He said as writers, especially in Indonesia where they were free to report on anything, their reporting must still be balanced. As such, he said, good things like the Indonesian workers in Malaysia remitting home about RM6 billion a year and that more than 90 per cent of traders in Kuala Lumpur's Chow Kit area were Indonesians, should be given due news coverage. "As writers we must always infuse a sense of responsibility in all our articles in order to prevent others from getting angry with what we write," he said. Rais also suggested that the television programmes on TVRI and RTM which had such a positive impact on the two countries' ties be revived with new content. When met by the media after the event, Rais said he was touched by being honoured to deliver the keynote address and to convey the message of enhancing the already close Malaysia-Indonesia relations. "It was a result of the roles played by Ikatan Setiakawan Malaysia-Indonesia and Yayasan Ikatan Rakyat Malaysia-Indonesia. This noble initiative should be continued in the interest of the region's Malay community," he said.
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| Slashed over hanging of BN flag, banner Posted: 06 Feb 2013 10:21 PM PST
(NST) - A 31-year-old man was slashed on the back of the head after a quarrel over the placing of a political party flag and banner at Kampung Batu 5 1/2, Jalan Bendang Nyior here, yesterday. Mohd Dasuki Yusoff said he had scouted for a place to hang a Barisan Nasional flag and banner at a bridge, near his village, at 6:45pm when a car with three occupants in it stopped.
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| Ex-ISA detainee Yazid held under security laws Posted: 06 Feb 2013 08:48 PM PST Bukit Aman says that three people were arrested for allegedly recruiting others for terror activities. (FMT) - Ex-ISA detainee Yazid Sufaat was today arrested under the new security laws for alleged terrorism. Two others were held with him. The trio become the first persons to be arrested under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012, the law which replaced the preventive law, the Internal Security Act. A team of police officers from Bukit Aman made the arrests. Bukit Aman said in a statement that the three were involved in recruiting others for terror activities. It did not release the names of the detainees. Human rights watchdog Suaram, however, identified Yazid and his worker Mohd Hilmi Ahsin as those being detained. It did not mention anything about the third arrest. Suaram said Yazid and Mohd Hilmi were arrested at about 12.30pm today at the Jalan Duta High Court canteen. The canteen was operated by Yazid's wife. It added that the arresting officers had said that they were being arrested for "promoting terrorism". No other details are available. Yazid was previously held under the ISA in December 2001 following a crackdown on terrorism activities here after the al-Qaeda attacks on the US Twin Towers in New York earlier that year. He was released in December 2008. Suaram also stated that Yazid was taken to his house in Taman Bukit Ampang where the police conducted a thorough check. It is unclear if they took anything from Yazid's house. Under the new security law, Yazid and the two others can be detained for 48 hours, after which they should be allowed access to their lawyers. It is not known where Yazid and the other two were held. Suaram, meanwhile, criticised the detention of the trio under the new law, stating that everyone had a legal right to be brought to the court within 24 hours after the arrest.
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| Asia at heart of matchfixing, ex-FIFA man says Posted: 06 Feb 2013 03:39 PM PST (Reuters) - SINGAPORE: Gambling houses in Southeast Asia form the foundation for organised crime gangs to generate huge profits from sports match-fixing, according to Chris Eaton, ex-FIFA head of security and director of Qatar's International Centre for Sport Security. European police shone a spotlight on the region on Monday when they announced a Singapore-based syndicate had directed match-fixing for at least 380 football games in Europe alone, making at least 8 million euros (7 million pounds). The number paled in comparison to the gang's profiteering in Asia, Eaton told Reuters in a telephone interview on Wednesday. "It's infinitesimal compared to what was made in the Asian market. You can probably multiply that by a hundred," he said. The known cases of match-fixing occurred mostly in the West, but the real profits for the syndicates were in Southeast Asia, where the size of the gambling market completely dwarfed that of Europe. The region's lax regulation coupled with the sheer scale of the betting market made it far more attractive to people wanting to manipulate it, such as those accused of match-fixing by Europol. Gone were the movie images of people entering smoke-filled rooms with bags of money and betting slips. Today's gambling institutions most closely resembled international finance, with its banking, derivative trading and commodities trading, according to Eaton, a former Interpol operations manager. "It's all done with algorithms and machines, almost like any commodity house in the US or London. The three largest houses each transact US$2 billion a week – a hell of a lot of money." To put this into perspective, Eaton said this sum could purchase four international-standard hospitals or pay for a thousand police officers for a year. Although recent match-fixing scandals have struck South Korea, China and Italy, corruption in football has long been a global problem. Eaton believes the real facilitator of this is the opportunity it provides to commit betting fraud and the susceptibility of the Southeast Asian betting market, where most betting fraud is committed. Lack of will "If you don't focus on betting fraud, then you won't be able to properly address sport corruption. Sport corruption is borne of betting fraud – it's a cycle" he said. "It could just as well be betting on tiddlywinks, or on flies crawling up a wall." Eaton said that, instead of governments and agencies targeting betting, they targeted corruption in the sport itself, which was simply a means to an end. "There's no will to regulate gambling houses in Southeast Asia. There's a lack of commitment. Their responsibility isn't just to attract business but to properly regulate business," said Eaton. "This is bigger than Coca-Cola, which is a trillion a year. This is a global economy, a growing global economy, and it needs to be regulated and supervised, and governments aren't doing this." Italy was one of the major targets of the match-fixers identified by European police forces, despite having what Eaton considers to be one of the best gambling regulators in Europe. The international nature of the betting frauds meant the Italian authorities' supervision ultimately amounted to little when deterring corruption in sport. Eaton estimates that 30 percent of all gambling on sports in Italy goes through registered Italian bookmakers. The other 70 percent is unregistered, often channelled through Southeast Asian websites. "If they focused on transparency in gambling houses in Southeast Asia, being able to see who did what, when and how, this alone would have a major effect on addressing the issues of sport corruption," he said. "You have under-regulated, grey-area gambling where the regulators are not really serious, transparency rules are not to best practice and government oversight is almost non-existent." This "grey area" gambling lies between legal betting and "black area" gambling, which Eaton identifies as illegal, cash-based betting with a trusted clientele known to the bookmakers. Biggest concern The grey gambling market's lack of oversight undermined the efforts of countries such as South Korea, where 41 players from its K-League were banned for life by FIFA for match-fixing, and authorities have allied with sports agencies and police to combat the corruption. "The grey-area betting businesses, particularly out of Manila, are the biggest concern to us. We don't know enough about them and the government has an under-regulated environment," said Eaton. "It's almost impossible to measure how they do business and what weaknesses they have that allow organised crime to take advantage of them." The three largest gambling houses in Asia, IBCBET, SBOBET and 188BET, are all in Manila in the Philippines. Eaton describes their operations as "very opaque" and said what was known of them came purely from talking to people familiar with their workings, as there was no government record. Their huge profits made them ideal for exploitation by organised crime syndicates. These online businesses operated as an exchange, rather than a traditional risk-taking bookmakers which would bet against the gambler themselves. Instead they took a commission and farmed out the bets to bookmakers around the world, seeking to make slightly more than a one percent turnover, according to Eaton. "They're turning over so much money the organised crime is almost invisible to them," he said. Because the bookmakers were the ones taking on the risk, there was little incentive for the Manila-based exchanges to work against match-fixing. The match-fixers were also able to exploit the gambling house system by writing computer programs to place hundreds of bets at the house's maximum limit in a matter of seconds, mostly while the rigged matches were still being played. Typically this occurred late in the game, to lessen the odds of alerting the gambling house to the fraud. "These are very sophisticated frauds. They're not very easy to disguise, so the fixers have to time it in such a way as to get it past the houses," said Eaton. Eaton believes that until governments and authorities work to close these lucrative channels of profit for organised crime, match-fixing will continue to be a global problem for all sports.
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| Bumburing’s men slam Yong for ‘attacks’ Posted: 06 Feb 2013 03:34 PM PST Wilfred Bumburing's group has accused SAPP of being on 'sabotage' mode. Joseph Bingkasan, FMT KOTA KINABALU: Pakatan Rakyat ally Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS) is irked by accusation that its leader Wilfred Bumburing and Beaufort MP Lajim Ukin who helms another Anwar Ibrahim friendly grouping – Pakatan Perubahan Sabah – are bribing Anwar for seats in the coming general election. Lashing out at SAPP president Yong Teck Lee, APS said it was an insult and a poor reflection of Yong who was once held in high respect for pulling his party out of the BN coalition in 2008. Said APS information chief Lesaya Sorudim: "What Yong had uttered is an insult not just to Bumburing and Lajim but to the people of Sabah, the majority of whom are now coming together in support of these two leaders." Yong accused the two former Barisan Nasional MPs who quit the ruling coalition in July last year of "kow-towing" to Kuala Lumpur-based opposition parties in order to be Pakatan candidates. The accusation published in a local newspaper yesterday has infuriated APS, who believe Yong is sabotaging the opposition's chances in the coming election. APS, which comprises mainly native leaders, said the criticism by Yong is an insult to the Kadazandusun and Murut (KDM) community who are looking up to the two leaders as their flag-bearers for political and social reforms in Sabah. "Can anyone in their right frame of mind ever imagine Bumburing and Lajim disembarking from an airplane in KLIA armed with a bucket load of tiger prawns or lobsters or even a bundle of bird nests under their armpit purportedly to be given to some leaders in Kuala Lumpur in order to be chosen as candidates? "Could anyone have ever imagined that SAPP, which gained so much popularity and respect when it first left BN, would now resort to such low-level political mindset?" Sorudim asked. Yong claimed that the two leaders were bringing those goodies for their "political master" whenever they travelled to Kuala Lumpur. "Speaking of Bumburing, let me remind Yong that if ever it was the desire of Bumburing that he only wants to be a candidate, it would have been better for him to remain in BN because being the deputy president of a BN component then, he had every opportunity to make himself as one of the BN candidates. "After all being an incumbent [MP], he is the best person to retain the Tuaran parliamentary seat for BN," Sorudim told FMT. 'SAPP's politically short-sighted' "Yong's statement and accusation only goes to show how politically short-sighted SAPP is and how it is deprived of any issue to portray itself as an alternative to BN," he added. Sorudim said he was surprised that Yong, instead of attacking BN and Umno, chose to attack his fellow Sabahan opposition leaders. "This only goes to prove that SAPP's ultimate objective is to gain political power for itself."
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| Produce new evidence, Karpal tells Deepak Posted: 06 Feb 2013 03:28 PM PST The lawyer-politician says that the carpet businessman must provide his evidence to the authorities so that the police can reopen the Altatntuya's murder case. G Vinod, FMT New evidence must be produced to help the police reopen investigation on the murder of Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu, said DAP chairman Karpal Singh. "Carpet dealer Deepak Jaikishan must come forward with the evidence. Tell us what you have," said the lawyer-politician. Yesterday, former Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan said that the police must reopen Altantuya's case if there is new evidence found pertaining to the murder. In December, Deepak alleged that the prime minister's wife, Rosmah Mansor had sought his help in getting private investigator P Balasubramaniam to retract his first statutory declaration which implicated the premier's family in Altantuya's death. The businessman also claimed that the prime minister's brother, Nazim Razak, had helped him to seal a deal with Balasubramaniam. Deepak is slated to approach the Attorney-General Chambers, to request protection under Whistleblower Act 2010 and Witness Protection Act 2009 before making further expose. On providing legal protection to Deepak, Karpal said,"Protection must be given to him, especially since this is a high profile case." On related matter, PKR vice president N Surendran said that the police should reopen the investigation as there are two men sentenced to death for Altantuya's murder. "There is no statute of limitation for murder cases. We must prevent a miscarriage of justice by looking at the new evidence," he said. In 2009, two police officers, Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar and Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri were sentenced to death by the High Court for murdering Altantuya. They have since filed an appeal against the verdict. Trial date is yet to be fixed.
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| MCA: Liew’s predictions on Johor cocky Posted: 06 Feb 2013 03:17 PM PST
Labis MP Chua Tee Yong says the DAP's crystal-balling a possible win in Johor will not be taken seriously by BN. Anisah Shukry, FMT DAP's predictions of a possible win in Johor based on the support of 35% Malay, 80% Chinese and 50% Indian voters is "arrogant" and "presumptuous", a BN state leader said today. Johor, the birthplace of Umno and considered Barisan Nasional's last bastion, has been under the control of the ruling coalition since Independence. While Pakatan barely made a dent in 2008, winning just one federal and six states out of 26 and 56 seats respectively, DAP's Liew Chin Tong said that Johor could "fall like dominoes" in the 13th general election. Responding to this, Labis MP Chua Tee Yong, said: "It is worrying that DAP has assumed that the Chinese and Indians in Johor have no choice but to support PKR and DAP. "They assume that they will garner 50% of the Indian votes and at least 65% of the Chinese votes. This is very arrogant of them." Liew, who is Bukit Bendera MP, had listed several possible post-election scenarios in Johor, assuming Indian support for Pakatan was consistent at 50%:
But Chua, who is also Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry, said that as long as the votes were not announced, no one could say for sure whether BN or Pakatan would win. 'BN doesn't make assumptions' He also refused to say if there was a possibility BN could actually lose to Pakatan in Johor, stressing that he did not dare make any assumptions. "Unlike Pakatan, we don't assume. That's why we still continue to work to gain the votes and confidence of the people," said Chua.
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| Shahrizat blows it for Umno in S’wak? Posted: 06 Feb 2013 03:13 PM PST Umno wanita chief Sharizat Abdul Jalil's arrogance and ignorance has made her a laughing stock in Sarawak. Joseph Tawie, FMT KUCHING: If former Umno Women, Family and Community Development 's Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil had been observant, she'd have noticed the incredulous looks on the faces of the crowd when she recently warned Sarawakians to be 'wary' of peninsular-based opposition leaders who stoke racial and religious issues. Here was a minister, who seemed oblivious to the fact that it was her bosses in Umno who had fine-tuned the art of stoking and perpetuating racial and religious disharmony in their bid to stay in power. "If you talk about propagating racial politics and religious issues, Umno is the worst. "As Umno Wanita chief, she should be the last person to tell the people of Sarawak what to do about racial and religious unity," said Sarawak PKR vice chairman See Chee How. See, who is also Batu Lintang assemblyman, said peninsular leaders such as Shahrizat should know that Sarawak is above race and religion. "Here we don't play politics with race and religion. It is not difficult for her to find out that there are no such things as racial and religious issues here. "And this is because in Sarawak there is no Umno," said See. See was alluding to shocking testimonies of witnesses in the ongoing Sabah Royal Commission of Inquiry which revealed the extent peninsular Umno-BN leaders and their agents in Sabah went – following its entry into Sabah – to nuetralise the Christian community and consolidate their vote-banks by offering citizenships-for-votes to illegal immigrants who were Muslims. Sarawakians have been closely monitoring the unravellings of the RCI and former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's admission of guilt as well his counter claim that Tunku Abdul Rahman had done the same by giving away citizenships to a million aliens at the time. He had also reportedly called for an RCI on this. Shahrizat, who was handpicked by Mahathir into his cabinet, bloomed under Mahathir's guidance and thinking. Currently Umno women's chief and national Barisan Nasional chairperson, she was in Kuching in connection with the launching of 'program Gagasan Aspirasi Wanita' last weekend. During the launch, she told the crowd that the opposition would make all kinds of election promises but that most of them would be lies.
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| UMNO leader 'shows the money' - piles of it - at event Posted: 06 Feb 2013 12:28 PM PST
(Harakah Daily) - "This money is proof to residents that I, as the Tanah Merah UMNO chief, have the financial means to help the locals in the estates," said Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz. A Kelantan UMNO branch chief's act of arranging piles of cash during a ceramah programme has taken one step further the well-known cash-for-votes campaign practised by Barisan Nasional.
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| Berjasa: Third force for Malay voters? Posted: 06 Feb 2013 12:19 PM PST
(fz.com) - BERJASA, the party which rose from the "ashes" of the 1977 Kelantan Emergency before finding itself eclipsed after the 1990 polls, is set to resurface and contest the next general election. Sources say an official announcement will be made "very soon" – possibly on Friday. The party, which has been "quiet" for a long time, had first expressed its intention to take part in GE13 last March when talk was rife that polling would be held then. But their "announcement" last year did not get much attention in the media. But this time, it is said Malay/Muslim-based Berjasa is "ready to offer itself as the third force" and could provide the platform for individuals who want to take the plunge into the political arena but do not have a party for backing. The party has always portrayed itself as "a cross between Umno's nationalism stance and PAS' Islamic belief". Perhaps that would "appeal" to the likes of former PAS leaders Datuk Hasan Ali and Nasharudin Mat Isa – don't forget that Berjasa is a PAS breakaway. Or would former Umno man and current Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali be interested? It is not known how many members the party has at present or its reach nationwide. Hence, on its own it is not expected to cause a huge impact on the political landscape of the country. But it could be a different scenario should the party form a pact with other political entities. Berjasa will eye Malay/Muslim constituencies. That's a given so to speak. Its entry into the political arena will see a further split in Malay votes. Berjasa or Barisan Jemaah Islamiah Se-Malaysia was formed in 1977 following a political crisis in Kelantan, which led to a declaration of emergency in the state. And it played a big role in toppling the then Kelantan PAS state government. Since Merdeka Kelantan has always been ruled by PAS. And when the party joined the BN in 1973 it was agreed that Kelantan remain a PAS stronghold, with Umno having a "share" in the PAS dominated government. Thus the Kelantan Menteri Besar then was the late Datuk Mohammad Nasir from PAS. The party then was led by Datuk Asri Muda. Soon after, PAS-Umno rivalry intensified in Kelantan. Menteri Besar Datuk Mohammad Nasir, despite being a PAS man, was seen to be "siding" with Umno and frequently defied party instructions. Irritated, annoyed and angry even, PAS demanded his resignation. Mohammad Nasir refused and was later sacked from PAS but he remained menteri besar. A "no confidence" motion against the MB was tabled in the state assembly and carried by the 20 PAS assembly members. The 13 representatives from Umno and one from MCA walked out in protest. Mohammad Nasir's response was to call for the dissolution of the state assembly. A legal impasse ensued. Followers of Mohammad Nasir held demonstrations in the streets of Kota Baru, expressing their support for him. Violence and looting were reported. The federal government headed by Prime Minister Tun Hussein Onn rushed an emergency bill in parliament which was passed. A state of emergency was declared and curfew imposed in the Kelantan state capital, Kota Baru. PAS was thrown out of the BN. Three months later, the federal government called for a snap election in Kelantan. Held on March 11, 1978, the election saw the participation of PAS, Umno and a third party formed earlier by Mohammad Nasir. It was named Berjasa. Read more at: http://fz.com/content/berjasa-third-force-malay-voters |
| Deepak: Police intimidating me Posted: 05 Feb 2013 06:25 PM PST Carpet dealer claims the police and MACC are getting orders from "higher ups" to stop him from revealing the truth behind Altantuya Shaariibuu's murder. Anisah Shukry, FMT Deepak Jaikishan has accused policemen of working "in synergy" with the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) to stop him from implicating Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak in the 2006 murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu. The controversial businessman told reporters today he suspected they were receiving "instructions from above" to pressure him from disclosing all he knew regarding the premier and his family. He cited as example his latest appointment with the MACC on Jan 25, in which the police had allegedly disrupted him as he was recording his statement over P Balasubramiam's second statutory declaration. "I was in the middle of writing out my statement. I had only completed two pages when the police called me up. They were in my office and wanted me to go over to the Jalan Duta Court Complex immediately to give evidence under Section 111A," recalled Deepak. Deepak said he had asked the presiding MACC officer to explain to the policeman over the phone that he was in the middle of recording his statement, but the officer refused. "He said 'no, we cannot talk to him, but you go, then you come back again.' So I know the MACC and the police are all in synergy. They want to stop me from continuing with my statement," he said. Deepak claimed that when he arrived in court, he was then told by the police to go to the Jalan Duta ACP's house in Bangsar to record a statement regarding what he knew of Altantuya's murder. There, he said, he was met by the ACP and proceeded to record his statement for four hours before finally returning home at 11pm. "It was all done in a cloak and dagger style to intimidate me," claimed Deepak. According to Deepak, that wasn't the first time the MACC had attempted to undermine his efforts to "reveal the truth". He said that during his first appointment with the MACC on Jan 18, the officers had refused to look through all the documents he had brought. He also said that while he was in Putrajaya for that appointment, several people went to his office to create a "ruckus". "I had to go back to the office, then went to Putrajaya and recorded my statement with MACC that lasted half an hour." Pressure from all sides Deepak said he was now under duress from all quarters, and was receiving "love letters" from various government agencies such as the customs department relating to cases dated back from 2000. "They tell me all these cases will come to me in February, by sheer coincidence," Deepak added sarcastically. "I know the tactics they are employing." He said that even Boustead Holdings' takeover of his company, Astacanggih, was a form of intimidation so that he'll drop his lawsuit against Putrajaya for an alleged breach of agreement over land in Bukit Raja, Selangor.
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| Know your numbers, Musa tells Hisham Posted: 05 Feb 2013 05:15 PM PST The former top cop hits out at the home minister for undermining the crime index. G Vinod, FMT Former inspector-general of police Musa Hassan criticised Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein for undermining crime statistics recently. Speaking to FMT, Musa said that everyone needs some sort of statistics for research and studies for future improvements. "How can he [Hishammuddin] say statistics are not important? The police allocate a lot of money and manpower to compile crime statistics. "Hishammuddin should know what he is doing," he said. Last month, The Malaysian Insider quoted Hishammuddin as saying that the crime index is not important as the numbers can be disputed and belittled as has been seen in the run-up to the coming general election. He also said that the government was committed to battling crime and the people are feeling safer on the streets now. Musa said that not only the police collect statistics, but all other government departments do as well. "Even to gauge the progress of a nation's economy, we need statistics. The whole world needs data. "If statistics are not important, why do we need the Statistics Department?" he asked. Nonsensical comments MyWatch chairman R Sri Sanjeevan agreed with Musa, saying the government should consider closing down the Statistics Department, going by Hishammuddin's logic. He urged Hishammuddin to understand his role better and not just give nonsensical comments. "He should stop acting like he is the inspector-general of police," said Sanjeevan.
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| Immunity: Pakatan tells Deepak to ask AG Posted: 05 Feb 2013 05:07 PM PST The businessman now wants the AG to provide him with immunity so that he can reveal more about the alleged links between Najib and Rosmah to the Altantuya Shaariibu case. Anisah Shukry, FMT Pakatan Rakyat will not provide immunity to controversial businessman Deepak Jaikishan and instead asked him to turn to Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail instead. Responding to this, the carpet dealer, who met PAS vice-president Mahfuz Omar this morning, said he would write to the AG and was optimistic about the outcome. "It would be impossible for him [Gani] to deny me immunity. Here I am with all the evidence, surely he would want to listen to me," he pointed out. However, Deepak vowed to continue with his revelations regarding Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor and not wait for the AG's response to his request. "I would continue [without waiting for the AG's response] but cautiously within the law. But if they give the greenlight, I would go all the way out with the evidence," he stressed. The businessman hoped for a prompt reply from Gani. "I hope the AG would answer me immediately so that I may expose in detail all the documents involving money, and the Official Secrets Act which Rosmah gave to me," he added. Deepak said that his next press conferences would be held in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Dubai because the local mainstream media was "unable to reveal the truth". PAS to provide legal aid Meanwhile, Mahfuz told reporters that Pakatan felt that the Whistleblower Act 2010 and Witness Protection Act 2009 were sufficient in according protection to Deepak. "We unanimously agreed that immunity already exists in the country's Witness Protection Act, so there is no need for a guarantee of any other immunity for Deepak," said the Pokok Sena MP. "We find that he deserves protection based on the documents he has shown us and all that he has explained. But he must write a letter to the Attorney-General's Chambers to formally request immunity," he added. Mahfuz said PAS' lawyers would help provide legal aid and support for Deepak throughout the application process. Commenting on this, PAS chief lawyer Asmuni Awi said: "After we obtain information from Deepak, I would write a letter to the AG to ensure that he receives protection from any actions that incriminate him." "Deepak explained to us that he was only following orders. But according to the law, action could be taken against him and he requires protection," added the lawyer.
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| SAPP stands alone with dignity Posted: 05 Feb 2013 04:13 PM PST In recent weeks SAPP president Yong Teck Lee has been heard accusing BN and Pakatan Rakyat of trying to subdue any party that fights for Sabah autonomy and the peoples' rights. Luke Rintod, FMT TUARAN: Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) appears to have abandoned any lingering hope of working together with Pakatan Rakyat for the coming general election in Sabah. If the latest speeches by SAPP leaders are any indication, all that is left now is for the party to try and work it out with another opposition party, the State Reform Party (STAR), which has adamantly refused to "work under" any peninsular party. For the past one week SAPP president Yong Teck Lee, in his speeches, has been very critical of all peninsula-based parties. He has been accusing them of trying to subdue any party that fights for Sabah autonomy or to regain whatever glory the state had before the entry of the hegemonic central power. In Tenghilan, Tuaran recently, Yong repeated his call for the people to give priority to Sabah-based parties like SAPP and urged them to ignore Pakatan and Barisan Nasional if they want an autonomous state within the federation. "Under Pakatan and BN, everything will be decided in Kuala Lumpur, there is no autonomy for Sabah. They want to decide and control everything in Sabah… "[Unlike SAPP], their candidates need not come down to the kampungs to get nominated for election. All they have to do is go to Kuala Lumpur and lobby the leaders there for their candidacy in Sabah," Yong told 160 SAPP grassroots leaders. According to him, whether in Pakatan or BN, the authority to appoint candidates lay with leaders in Kuala Lumpur and that explained why aspiring Sabahans more often than not tried to please their Kuala Lumpur bosses rather than listening to and fighting for issues close to the heart of ordinary Sabahans. "This is dangerous for Sabah's fight for autonomy. People must reject leaders who do not have the audacity to [make] demands for Sabah.. They don't fight for Norikoh [murdered girl in a suspected attempted rape in Kota Marudu recently] or ask why the [Nomad] plane crashed [in 1976 killing then chief minister Fuad Stephens and other ministers]. "And mind you, Kuala Lumpur leaders dislike those who ask questions or question them…" said Yong. He also questioned the rationale of 500 Sabahans being flown to Kuala Lumpur recently during the Pakatan-organised "Himpunan Rakyat" when Sabah needed them most here. "How much did the 500 spend to go there? RM1 million was spent just to be seen and rubbing shoulders with their KL leaders. If they so wanted to serve the kampung folks, come down to the kampungs lah," he said.
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| Explain ‘missing’ land, S’gor govt told Posted: 05 Feb 2013 04:07 PM PST MIC Youth chief T Mohan claims that the Selangor government is planning to build a fully residential Tamil school in a land allocated as compensation to the former Coalfield estate workers B Nantha Kumar, FMT The Pakatan Rakyat-led Selangor government has been taken to task over a two-acre land, which was initially reserved for the construction of the country's first fully residential Tamil school. MIC Youth chief T Mohan said the state executive councillor in charge of Health, Estate Workers, Poverty and Caring Government, Dr Xavier Jeyakumar, should clear the air over the "missing" two- acre land which was awarded to the former Coalfield estate workers as compensation. Speaking to FMT, Mohan said the fate of the two acres of land is unknown while Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim had been giving contradictory statements on the matter. He said while MIC welcomes the idea of setting up a fully residential Tamil school, the state government needs to be transparent on its plans. "The state should answer all allegations pertaining to the land. Khalid said in total 10 acres were awarded for the construction of the school. But launching the project last week he announced that the state had allocated eight acres for the project. "Why is there a reduction in the size? Where is the balance of two acres? This is a serious issue and the state government should reveal details of the project," said Mohan. On Feb 13, last year, Khalid announced that the state would build a fully residential Tamil school on the 10-acre land. However, during the Tamil school ground-breaking ceremony on Feb 2, Khalid said the government has allocated only eight acres. Mohan claimed the state government's silence on the matter can be construed as "admission of guilt". He also demanded that Jeyakumar discloses details on the 10-acre plot given to the former Coalfield estate workers.
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| Don’t pour oil on ‘Allah’ flames, Hasan Ali tells MCCBCHST Posted: 05 Feb 2013 03:55 PM PST
Debra Chong, The Malaysian Insider Lawmaker Datuk Hasan Ali warned today the country's main non-Muslim interfaith council against adding more fuel to the "Allah" debate that has already inflamed tensions nationwide, a day after the group accused Selangor's Islamic authority of attempting to curb their religious rights. The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) has yesterday chided the Selangor Islamic Council (MAIS) and a former top judge for trying to control the rights of Malaysia's religious minorities in the tussle over "Allah", which they said was unconstitutional. "Rightly, the MCCBCHST which is represented by those with authority and learned in the nation's social culture should not pour oil on fire that is starting to flare. "The wisdom that is in the MCCBCHST leaders should be used properly to determine the peace and harmony that have been and is being enjoyed will continue to be enjoyed by future generations," the Independent Gombak Setia assemblyman said in a statement today. Hasan also urged the council not to involve itself in "unhealthy political games" but to advise the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) federal opposition, which supports the right of non-Muslims to call their gods "Allah", which many Muslims here believe is exclusive to Islam. "It is suggested the MCCBCHST should not entrap themselves in unhealthy political games. "They should instead take a positive attitude and find the best way, or at least, advise the Pakatan Rakyat political leadership to be reasonable and to study if their actions for short-term political gains can guarantee a peaceful racial and religious relation in the long run," he said. The president of right-wing Malay group Jalur Tiga (Jati) lashed out at the interfaith council, saying it had failed to take into account that non religious adherent, including Christians, had never applied to use the word "Allah" for their gods. "The MCCBCHST should understand that the federal and state governments, including the Islamic bodies have never tried to control non-Muslims or disturb their religious practices," he said. Hasan, a self-described champion of Malays and Islamic, said the "Allah" row only started recently, in the run-up to Election 2013 and questioned the motive for non-Muslims to demand to the right to call their gods by the Arabic word. "Only recently with GE13 approaching, the Allah issue is being raised which to this day has never been explained the real motive behind that application," he said. While he acknowledged that Christian Bumiputeras in Sabah and Sarawak had the right to use the Arabic word to refer to their god, as they had been doing so for a long time, he insisted that such use should not be allowed in peninsular Malaysia. "What is happening is an attempt by those irresponsible to go against existing limits by asking for the word Allah that is the exclusive right of Muslims to also be used by non-Muslims," he said. "This is in truth an unhealthy practice that can cause tension among races and religion," he added. The "Allah" row, which first erupted shortly after Election 2008, is again in the spotlight in the run-up to Election 2013 and is threatening to drive a wedge between non-Muslims and the Malay-Muslim community who form 60 per cent of Malaysia's 28 million population. Sikhs also use the word 'Allah" in their holy book, but Christians in Malaysia make up just under 10 per cent of the total population, and most of them hail from Sarawak and Sabah where worship is conducted in Bahasa Malaysia or their native languages that use the word "Allah" to refer to "God the Father" in the Christian belief of god as a trinity.
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| Deepak seeks immunity, vows more exposés after Posted: 05 Feb 2013 03:51 PM PST
Syed Jaymal Zahiid, The Mlaaysian Insider Controversial businessman Deepak Jaikishan said today he will seek immunity under the Witness Protection Act 2009 before exposing further alleged power abuse involving the country's top leadership. "I will apply for protection and write a letter to the Attorney-General (A-G) and hope he will reply immediately so I can make detailed exposés," he told reporters after meeting PAS leadership at the party's headquarters here. The meeting took place after PAS vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar promised to look into the carpet dealer's request for protection after Deepak claimed he had been a victim of government intimidation. Mahfuz said PAS was ready to provide legal help should Deepak face problems in his application for immunity as a whistleblower. "Our lawyer is ready to provide legal service to Deepak should he face obstacles in his application. He is qualified to receive protection under the Act," the Pokok Sena MP said. The carpet dealer claimed today the authorities had tried to intimidate him when they sent five police officers to bring him to "a certain officer's house" to have his statement recorded on his alleged involvement in the second sworn statement on the murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shaaribuu. "Instead of the Duta police station where I was supposed to record my statement, five police officers had escorted me to record my statement at a certain officer's house. "This is the typical cloak-and-dagger style to intimidate. I know how they work. The government is very powerful but they cannot hide the truth," he said. Deepak further said the police had asked him if he knew who had murdered Altantuya. "I replied I know the personality involved but I'm not 100 per cent sure who was at the location (of the murder)," he said while refusing to divulge the name of the person in question. The carpet dealer had recently admitted that he helped private investigator P. Balasubramaniam repudiate the latter's earlier statutory declaration on the 2006 murder, including finding two lawyers to draft the new statement. The Bar Council subsequently launched an investigation on the identity of the lawyers and possible misconduct in the drafting of the second sworn statement on the matter but said Deepak had refused to co-operate. A cloud of mystery has hung over the identity of the lawyer who drew up Balasubramaniam's second SD, dated a day after his first on July 3, 2008, regarding Altantuya's 2006 murder, for which two elite police commandos have been convicted and are facing death sentences.
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| Posted: 05 Feb 2013 03:43 PM PST
(The Star) - Himpunan Hijau chairman Wong Tack is standing by his statement that he will burn down the Lynas rare earth refinery if it is not shut down by the elected government after the general election. He admitted that it was a statement of violence but said the public should take into account the dangers posed by a rare earth refinery. It was reported that Pakatan Rakyat leaders had disagreed with Wong's statement and had distanced themselves from the group. In response to that, Wong said Pakatan should be proud that he was placing so much confidence in the Opposition coalition. "Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has given his commitment to shut down Lynas if Pakatan comes into power. It is with that assurance that I made the statement," he said, adding that the same step would be taken if Barisan Nasional was re-elected but did not shut down the plant. In Putrajaya, Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili said: "We have laws in this country. The law enforcers will know what to do." The Science, Technology and Innovation Minister also called on the public not to listen to people like Wong, "who wants to take the law into his own hands." Dr Ongkili was speaking to newsmen after signing a memorandum of understanding with Myanmar on cooperation in the science and technology fields at his office yesterday. Wong has threatened to burn down the plant if the newly-elected government fails to shutter it. Meanwhile, Bentong MCA division chief Datuk Hoh Khai Mun said DAP's politics of hatred has spread to civil societies and Pakatan Rakyat must take responsibility for it. In referring to Wong's threat, Ho said the DAP and its coalition partners had often called for their members and the public to take to the streets in their bid to topple the government. "This time, one of their followers has taken Pakatan's call too far in wanting to burn down a plant without considering the immediate and long-term repercussions to the public," he said in a statement.
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| Perak Speaker Ganesan sues for defamation over lewd VCD Posted: 05 Feb 2013 03:37 PM PST
(The Star) - Perak state assembly speaker Datuk R. Ganesan on Wednesday filed a RM25mil suit for defamation against five Opposition lawmakers over a VCD with a lewd picture of him and a woman on the cover He named assemblymen V. Sivakumar (Tronoh), A. Sivasubramaniam (Buntong), Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham (Sitiawan), Nga Kor Ming (Pantai Remis) and Lim Pek Har (Menglembu) as the defendants in the suit. "I have lodged a police report on Dec 22 for investigations to be carried out and I have stated then that I will take stern action against those who have defamed me. "On Jan 15, I issued a letter through my lawyer demanding that these parties retract their statements and apologise to me on certain terms but until now I have not received anything. "Therefore, I've decided to file a defamation suit to clear my name," he told reporters at the High Court. On Dec 22, Sivakumar and Sivasubramaniam claimed they received a brown envelope outside the state assembly, apparently containing a VCD with the lewd picture. The contents in the VCD could not be verified as the recipients claimed they had not watched it and decline to show it to the media. There was also a printout of an image from a blog and an envelope with the sender's address as "Perak MIC liaison body".
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| Sabah Kita joins the polls fray, splitting votes Posted: 05 Feb 2013 03:21 PM PST It is likely that the general election will see four-cornered fights in almost all the seats, given the interest of several smaller parties, alongside STAR and SAPP. Joseph Bingkasan, FMT KOTA KINABALU: It is getting increasingly crowded in Sabah's political arena. The latest party to "consolidate" itself under a new chief and reiterate its stand to contest all 60 state and 25 parliamentary seats is the Sabah chapter of Parti Keadilan Insan Tanah Air (Kita). Former assemblyman Thomas Anggan, who lost his deposit in the 2008 general election and who now heads Sabah Kita, said candidates have already been identified and the main aim is to bring down Barisan Nasional. "We are willing to work with Pakatan Rakyat to face the might of BN but if the Anwar Ibrahim-led opposition coalition declines our offer to cooperate, Sabah Kita will go on its own for all the state and parliamentary seats in Sabah," said Anggan. Anggan, a police inspector before contesting in 1985 for PBS and a former political secretary, will himself be contesting in Bingkor state and Keningau parliamentary seats. Keningau is currently held by his former boss, PBS president Joseph Pairin Kitingan. Anggan took over the leadership of Sabah Kita on Feb 1 after former federal minister Pengiran Othman Rauf tendered his resignation last month, citing health reasons. Anggan, who was Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) assemblyman for Bingkor in 1985, called a party supreme council meeting last week and adopted a resolution that was taken by Othman last year that the party will field candidates in all the 60 state and 25 parliamentary seats in Sabah in the coming general election. The supreme council of the party, an expansion of the Peninsula-based Kita, once headed by lawyer businessman Zaid Ibrahim, also made key appointments during its recent meeting. Its new deputy chairmen are Sylvester Mutang Dawat and Johan Asik Shah. Sabah Kita's director of strategy and information chief is Abdul Rashid Kobod while Timis Sambadi is the secretary and Betty Edwin Malangkan, the women's wing chief. The three supreme council members appointed are Jounal Bibi, Wahid Susu @ Suyoh and Saidi Jaimin. These officials are also set to contest in the general election. Dawat is set for Tenom, Johan in Kota Belud and Abdul Rashid is going for the Semporna parliamentary and Senallang state seats. More players advantageous to BN With this latest announcement, Sabah Kita is now the second smallest Sabah party contesting all the seats in the state. The other is Parti Bersatu Sasa Malaysia (Bersama) or Malaysia United People's Party. Bersama, headed by Suhaidin Langkap, is also planing to field candidates not only in Sabah but in all the 222 parliamentary and 502 state constituencies in the country.
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| ‘Re-open Altantuya murder probe if…’ Posted: 05 Feb 2013 03:07 PM PST Responding to the revelations by Deepak Jaikishan, Musa Hassan says the probe should be re-opened if there is new evidence. G Vinod, FMT There must be a fresh probe if there is new evidence about the death of Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu, said former inspector general of police Musa Hassan. Pressed on private investigator P Balasubramaniam's second statutory declaration, Musa, who is also crime watchdog MyWatch patron, repeated:"If got new evidence, there should be a new investigation." In December last year, carpet dealer Deepak Jaikishan alleged that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's wife Rosmah Mansor had sought his help to get Balasubramaniam to retract his first statutory declaration which implicated the premier's family in Altantuya's death. Deepak, allegedly in working in cahoots with Nazim Razak, brother of Najib Tun Razak, had sealed a deal with Balasubramaniam to retract his allegation. However, Najib had since dismissed Deepak's allegation, saying the latter was not a credible person. Crime index manipulation He claimed that from January to October 2011, there were 43,792 cases of burglary and house break in, but the government changed the figure to 30,200. "For snatch thief and robbery without firearms, 17,882 cases were recorded for the same period. However, the government tweaked it to 7,324 cases only. "IGP Ismail Omar must explain this," said Sanjeevan, who is also a Negeri Sembilan PKR youth exco member. He added that the police should also make public of its Standard Operation Procedures on gauging the crime statistics so that the people would have better knowledge of it. "It's because we believe some calculations are not done correctly. "For example, for a vehicle theft case, our police consider the crime is solved when the vehicle is found, not when the culprit is apprehended which is against the Interpol standard," he alleged.
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| ‘Nazri told us mainstream media govt tool’ Posted: 05 Feb 2013 12:35 PM PST
(FMT) - According to European Muslim delegates, de facto law minister Nazri Aziz said it was normal for mainstream media to suppress the opposition's voice. De facto law minister Nazri Aziz has dismissed allegations that the opposition's voice has been suppressed in the mainstream media, saying it was something "normal". He also justified the opposition pact's limited access to the mainstream media, stating that the latter was a "government tool". Members of the European Muslim Election Assessment Committee said this when briefing reporters on their two-day fact-finding mission here. According to the delegates, who were here on Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim's invitation, opposition members had expressed concerns that they were unable to reach out to Malaysians through the Barisan Nasional-controlled mainstream media. But when the delegates relayed these concerns to Nazri, he allegedly pooh-poohed the suppression of the opposition's voice in mainstream media as "normal." "We told the law minister that in Europe, all parties have the possibility to express their views to the mainstream media," said Fadime Örgü (photo, right) who is former member of parliament in the Netherlands. "But Nazri told us the structure of the media is different in Malaysia. That here, the mainstream media is a government tool," Fadime said at a press conference. But she said Nazri had assured her that opposition members would be allowed access to the mainstream media during the campaign period prior to the general election. "He said this is normal in Malaysia, and if the opposition came into power, it would do the same," added Fadime. This prompted PKR member Fuziah Salleh, who was also present, to quickly interject: "That is not true. Nazri has no right to voice out what he thinks Pakatan will or will not do when it comes to power." The observers declined to comment outright on Nazri's alleged remark, but they pointed out that freedom of the media was a cornerstone of democracy. "We are not here to give our opinion, but just to relay what we noticed and observed," said Zouhair Amri (photo, left) CEO of Oumma Media, which is the largest Muslim Media Company. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/02/05/%E2%80%98nazri-told-us-mainstream-media-govt-tool%E2%80%99/ |
| Minister draws flak for spooking Christians Posted: 05 Feb 2013 11:12 AM PST
(FMT) - Bernard Dompok's bid to stoke the fears of Sabah and Sarawakian Christians over PAS' Islamic state agenda has made him look like a fool in view of the RCI testimonies, says a local politician. Are Sabah Barisan Nasional leaders' senses so warped that they can no longer discriminate between right and wrong? It seems that way listening to Upko president Bernard Dompok's reasoning for Umno-Barisan Nasional to continue its rule in Sabah, said State Reform Party (STAR) deputy chairman Daniel Jambun. Dompok, a federal minister, had two days ago called on Christians in Sabah to reject PAS and instead continue to return "evil" Umno-led BN at the coming poll as a counterbalance against Islamic party PAS. Lambasting Dompok's scare tactic, Jambun said the ongoing Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) was providing substantive evidence why the Umno-BN rule must be ended. "Didn't Dompok hear the testimonies? Substantive evidence is now being exposed at the on-going investigation by the RCI. "Whose names did the witnesses mention having led and (was) involved in the Projek IC for illegal immigrants in Sabah? Were not these leaders of BN and Umno? "If Dompok believes that BN and Umno are different from Pakatan Rakyat or PAS, let me remind him that it was under BN rule (when Anwar Ibrahim was also deputy prime minister) that the Muslim transient population exploded out of proportion in Sabah under Umno's dream to Islamise the whole of Sabah," he added. Jambun pointed out that so far no leaders from PAS had been cited as being involved in the Projek IC. "I do not want to defend PAS or Pakatan as we too believe they tend to harbour the same twisted aspirations of Umno as far as an Islamic country is concerned. Perhaps they only differ in approach and volume or velocity," he said. He said that if Dompok, a federal minister, was trying to scare Christians into voting for Umno and BN at the coming general election, he was being selective in his fear-mongering. "Let me remind him that Umno and BN also have Perkasa as its extreme wing or affiliate that demanded for our Bibles to be defaced and burned. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/02/06/minister-draws-flak-for-spooking-christians/ |
| M'sians trust online information most: Edelman survey Posted: 05 Feb 2013 10:55 AM PST
(Bernama) - Malaysians in the general public trust information resulting from online search engines highest, followed by traditional and social media, according to the findings of Edelman Malaysia's, Edelman Trust Barometer 2013 survey. "What is apparent here is that the online space, encompassing both digital and social media, cannot be ignored as trusted sources of information. "The high trust scores in 'owned media' point to an urgent need for all organisations to fully update and utilise their corporate assets such as web portals, newsletters, YouTube and even Twitter to disseminate information," said Edelman Southeast Asia Managing Director, Bob Grove. While overall trust scores were generally higher in the survey, it is pertinent to note the trust gap between key institutions and leadership, pointing to a potential crisis in leadership. The findings also indicated that while the general population respondents trust business, only 26 per cent trust business leaders to tell the truth. Mirroring this, only 21 per cent trust government leaders to tell the truth. Edelman Malaysia Managing Director, Raymond Siva said the Malaysian findings of the 2013 Edelman Trust Barometer, clearly demonstrated that Malaysians are expecting organisations to deliver on societal attributes over the expected operational attributes in order to gain their trust. "It is apparent that influence and authority are moving away from Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and government leaders to experts and peers," he added. Presenting the findings of the survey at a press conference here today, he said, both business and government leaders must change their management approach to become more inclusive by seeking the input of employees, consumers, activists and experts such as academics, and adapting to their feedback. He said the dynamics of trust had evolved from the traditional Pyramid of Influence, in which information is a monologue, controlled and dictated by a few, to a more complex Diamond of Influence where information is a dialogue, co-created by many to empower. "In this environment where trust is still fragile, this is a clear opportunity for business and government to re-claim the licence to lead," he added. The survey also showed that non-governmental organisations (NGOs) continued to be the most trusted institution in Malaysia, growing from 68 per cent to 76 per cent this year. Edelman is the world's largest independent public relations firm, with 66 offices and more than 4,500 employees worldwide, as well as affiliates in more than 30 cities. Other findings of the survey among the informed public in Malaysia, is that the most trusted industry sectors are technology (85 per cent), banks (82 per cent) and energy industry (81 per cent). The least trusted were brewing and spirits (56 per cent) and media (66 per cent), although both industries saw double-digit growth. Globally, the survey noted that corruption and wrong incentives driving business and policy decisions were cited as key reasons for distrust in business and government. It said the poor performance and incompetence were also a leading factor in trusting government less. In terms of multinational corporations, Malaysians placed a higher trust in companies headquartered in Germany, Canada and Sweden over companies based in the emerging markets of Brazil, China and India. Following trends across the Asia Pacific, Malaysians also trust big businesses more over small businesses. The 2013 Edelman Trust Barometer in Malaysia was produced by research firm Edelman Berland and consisted of 20-minute online interviews conducted from Oct 16 to Nov 29, 2012.
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| Multi-cornered fight on the cards in Sabah Posted: 05 Feb 2013 10:53 AM PST Uphill task: (From left) Bumburing, Lajim, Dr Jeffrey and Yong are facing tough decisions as the general election looms. (The Star) - The 13th general election is heading for a multi-cornered fight in nearly all seats with the Opposition unable to hammer out a deal in Sabah. The squabbling between national and local Opposition parties make one-on-one contests unlikely, and this is expected to give Barisan Nasional a stronger hand in retaining Sabah. Talks between local-based Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) headed byDatuk Yong Teck Lee and Sabah STAR led by Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitinganwith Pakatan Rakyat are bogged down. All indications show that SAPP and Sabah Star will likely do a deal to push the Sabah agenda while Pakatan Rakyat with its local-based allies Tuaran MP Datuk Wilfred Bumburing and Beaufort MP Datuk Lajim Ukinwill go it alone for the 60 state and 25 parliament seats. "Pintu sudah tutup tapi belum kunci (The door is closed, but not yet locked),'' Bumburing said yesterday, hinting that PKR, DAP and PAS under Pakatan will work with him and Lajim. Bumburing said that traditionally Sabah voters have chosen between only two parties. "The choice this round is between Barisan and Pakatan,'' he claimed, adding that he did not believe that Sabah-based parties would make a dent. When contacted, Dr Jeffrey, whose party is being approached by a Sabah DAP leader, said that a free-for-all was on the cards but there were talks to ensure "one-on-one'' fights in 12 of the 25 parliamentary seats. "We are okay with the idea of a pact for certain parliament seats,'' said Dr Jeffrey, whose party has called for the national opposition to stay out of Sabah. "We are ready (to go it alone) irrespective of any seat arrangement,'' said Dr Jeffrey, whose party has teamed up with the unregistered Usno Baru under the Borneo Alliance. Yong said that Pakatan has communicated a seat arrangement offer to the SAPP through a letter but he wants the coalition to make a public announcement before SAPP's supreme council decides on it. This, he said was to prevent things turning messy as the national opposition coalition had many entities and were also in a deadlock over seats in other states including Sarawak. Yong did not want to reveal the details of the Pakatan seat-sharing formula but it is widely speculated that the 85 state and parliamentary seats in Sabah will be shared equally between six entities PKR, DAP, PAS, SAPP, Lajim and Bumburing. The Pakatan offer is likely to be rejected by SAPP as both Lajim and Bumburing were planning to use the PKR symbol and this would give the party the largest chunk of seats in Sabah.
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| Let Sabah parties rule state, SAPP tells Pakatan Posted: 05 Feb 2013 10:49 AM PST
(The Malaysian Insider) - The Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) has insisted to Pakatan Rakyat (PR) that Sabah-based parties must contest the majority of seats in the state legislative assembly, saying this was in keeping with the Borneo state's right to autonomy as enshrined in the 1963 Malaysia Agreement. Repeating his refrain, SAPP president Datuk Yong Teck Lee said his party was willing to relent to PR contesting a majority of the state's federal seats, allowing the federal opposition pact its dream to claim power in Putrajaya. But administrative power over the state must stay in the hands of parties with roots in Sabah, the former Sabah chief minister insisted, saying that to achieve this, the state-federal seat ratio should follow his party's formula. There are 60 state and 25 federal seats in the east Malaysian state of Sabah, often referred to as Barisan Nasional's (BN) "fixed deposit" together with neighbouring Sarawak. "We have stated that this GE13 is about restoring the autonomy of Sabah (and Sarawak) as promised in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 and the spirit of the formation of Malaysia. "The Kuching Declaration that says that Sabah, Sarawak have equal status as Malaya is relevant," Yong wrote in an email to The Malaysian Insider here yesterday. The outspoken politician was referring to the recent declaration announced and adopted by PR's DAP, PKR and PAS during the September 16 Malaysia Day celebrations at Chonglin Park in Kuching, Sarawak. Key among the seven-point declaration was a pledge to restore the spirit of the Malaysia Agreement and the position of Sabah and Sarawak as equal partners within Malaysia, "by restoring autonomy to Sarawak and Sabah within the framework of the Federal Constitution". "Consistent with these promises and principles, local parties should contest a majority of state seats, and PR can contest a majority of MP seats," Yong pointed out. The opposition front in Sabah is a crowded one and in the months leading up to the coming 13th general election, all players have been scrambling for their share of the state's 60 state seats up for grabs. PR, the opposition pact that was formed in the peninsula after BN suffered significant losses in Election 2008, has set its sights on toppling the ruling pact from its Sabah bastion. But Sabah residents are said to have grown more communal over the years, with opposition politicians in the land below the wind often blaring the "Sabah for Sabahans" war cry, fuelling the already deep-rooted anti-Malaya sentiment felt by locals there. Like SAPP, another party ― the State Reform Party (STAR) ― led by political maverick Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, also believes that administrative power over the state must be retained with Sabahans. Both PR and SAPP have yet to make inroads in seat negotiations with Kitingan, who insists on fielding his own in the majority or all of the state's 60 seats. But with SAPP adamant on contesting the lion's share and PR unwilling to concede to this request, it appears that it will likely be a fractured opposition front that will face political giant BN for the Sabah contest in the coming polls. The Malaysian Insider reported yesterday that seat talks between PR and SAPP have come to temporary halt, according to PR ally Datuk Seri Wilfred Mojilip Bumburing. Yong did not dispute this, only saying that his party was waiting for PR to decide on its own seat sharing formula among its three parties, Bumburing's Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS) and Datuk Seri Lajim Ukin's Pertubuhan Pakatan Perubahan Sabah (PPPS). Both Bumburing and Lajim were former strongmen in Sabah BN but left their respective parties UPKO and Umno last year to form the two PR-friendly political movements. "We are waiting for PR or PKR to make their formula official and to announce it because we are accountable not only to our parties but also to the rakyat. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/let-sabah-parties-rule-state-sapp-tells-pakatan/
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