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Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- PKR still working on candidates’ list
- PNSB confirms Dijaya land deal
- Leaked emails show Zionist lobby group did work for PKR official
- GE13: Trouble brewing in Malacca DAP
- GE13: Pakatan to field strongest candidates in Selangor
- GE13: DAP's incumbent Seremban MP Fernandez to go independent
- SAPP takes on Pakatan and BN
- Nik Aziz’s son steps into the fray
- ‘ROS does not recognise DAP’s CEC’
- BN, too, offers free water in bid to recapture Selangor
- Hindraf-BN to ink deal to improve Indians
- Rare-Earth Protesters in Malaysia Forge an Election Alliance
- GE13: Book running down Mukhriz widely distributed
| PKR still working on candidates’ list Posted: 17 Apr 2013 07:33 PM PDT
Party hopes to iron out niggling problems in its final candidates' list for a number of parlimentary and state seats Alyaa Azhar, FMT PKR is working to resolve its candidates for several seats which the party will be contesting in the 13th general election. After a closed meeting between PKR candidates and the party's de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim today, the candidates were given their watikah (letters of authorisation). However, the candidates for a number of seats were not announced, including both the parliamentary and state seats of Negeri Sembilan, and even the Batu parliamentary seat. At a press conference later, PKR deputy president Azmin Ali said that Anwar will be holding talks with party leaders this evening and hoped to finalise the list. As for the Labuan parliamentary seat where both PKR and PAS are now staking a claim, he said that negotiations were still ongoing. "Everything will be discussed by both parties [PKR and PAS] and we still hope for a one on one fight between Pakatan Rakyat and Barisan Nasional," said Azmin. PKR wants to field corporate bigwig Ibrahim Menudin while Labuan PAS had announced that its information chief Hadnan Mohamad would be the Pakatan candidate for the seat. On the Semenyih state seat, he said that PSM had been told of PKR's decision to field Serdang PKR division chief Hamidi Hassan and PKR is now awaiting a response from PSM. PKR considers all views Yesterday, PSM secretary-general S Arutchelvan said that PSM will contest the seat using its own party symbol if PKR stood by its decision to field Hamidi for the Semenyih seat.
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| PNSB confirms Dijaya land deal Posted: 17 Apr 2013 03:55 PM PDT
Selangor Menteri Besar, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, was misquoted as saying the agreement was not set in stone. (The Star) - Permodalan Negeri Selangor Bhd (PNSB) has cleared the air over the land deal with Dijaya Corporation Bhd over the latter's acquisition of about 1,172 acres of prime development land in Canal City, Selangor. Its chief executive officer Datuk Ahmad Omar said on Thursday that the multi-billion ringgit deal was legal despite that the agreement was signed after dissolution of Selangor state assembly He also said the Selangor Menteri Besar, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, was misquoted as saying the agreement was not set in stone. On April 15, Dijaya entered into an agreement to acquire the land from PNSB for about RM1.3bil via a deferred payment method which spans over a period of up to 20 years. The purchase consideration comprised of land purchase price of RM587mil, interest cost, share of gross development value (GDV) and profit entitlement from the development of the land. At the signing of the agreement, Dijaya had stated this land development through smart partnership with PNSB was expected to contribute significantly to the group's prospects in the coming years. Dijaya would progressively fund the acquisition and development cost via internally generated funds and bank borrowings.
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| Leaked emails show Zionist lobby group did work for PKR official Posted: 17 Apr 2013 03:35 PM PDT
(Malaysiakini) - Leaked email correspondence obtained by The Choice (see letter here) confirms that the infamous Zionist lobbying firm Orion Strategies did work on behalf of senior PKR officials – despite the party's vigorous denials. Speaking to Free Malaysia Today (FMT) on 2 April, top PKR official Rafizi Ramli categorically denied that his party had anything to do with Washington DC-based Orion: "Any attempts to link PKR to any paid foreign agents is just an election gimmick to defame Anwar Ibrahim, that has been done previously. It did not bear any fruit the last time. I am sure it will backfire this time around as well." But the emails obtained by The Choice show that Orion employee Mike Mitchell wrote to the offices of American Congressmen, soliciting meetings with PKR counsellor and former SUARAM Chief Executive Cynthia Gabriel. Mitchell wrote: Dear [name expunged by The Choice], I hope this finds you well. I am arranging meetings for two Malaysian democracy/civil society activists who will be visiting Washington late next week. I know there are many demands on the Congressman's time but was hoping for a short window where they can pay a courtesy call to your office. Both are excellent English speakers. Details are below. Please let me know if you have any questions. Best, Mike. Ibrahim Suffian of the Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research was due to accompany Gabriel on her lobbying trip. It is believed that they postponed their trip at the last minute, for unknown reasons. DUOS' DENIAL In a joint statement both Gabriel and Suffian vigorously denied any knowledge of Orion Strategies or the Washington trip. "We are dismayed to learn at how the wheel of false propaganda has turned once again to create lies and false impressions to demonise us nearing the general election," Gabriel and Ibrahim told FMT. POST-ELECTION VIOLENCE In his emails to the American Congressmen, Mitchell warns that "un-resolved issues" are "threatening the integrity of Malaysia's electoral process" and could "plunge Malaysia into deep, post-electoral civil crisis." Gabriel could "discuss political developments", with the Congressmen, Mitchell suggests. Anwar's PKR have been accused of planning violence and unrest on Election Day. In an article in FMT on 10 April, former Transparency International-Malaysia (TI-M) president Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim claimed to have proof the opposition planned to create "chaos" on polling day. "We have seen an internal PKR document dated Dec 15, 2012, which lists out various steps to create chaos and dissatisfaction against the Elections Commission on polling day by raising repeated protests at the polling station so as to cause the other voters waiting in the queue to be unhappy and dissatisfied with the EC," Tunku said. ISRAEL'S LOBBYISTS Orion Strategies represent numerous right-wing politicians in the United States and are also one of the fiercest defenders of the Israeli government. They are infamous for launching smear campaigns against American politicians deemed critical of the Jewish state. Orion's Vice President, Michael Goldfarb, launched a smear campaign against President Barack Obama during his re-election campaign last year, accusing the President of associating with critics of Israel. Randy Scheunemann, a former advisor to U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, heads Orion Strategies. Scheunemann helped establish the 'Emergency Committee for Israel', a lobbying outfit which has close links to the hard right of Israeli politics and the Likud government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In his denial to FMT, Rafizi suggested that PKR would not be in a position to hire Orion Strategies because "the cost itself will be prohibitive given the limited financial resources available to us."
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| GE13: Trouble brewing in Malacca DAP Posted: 17 Apr 2013 03:28 PM PDT
(The Star) - DAP candidate for the Alor Gajah parliamentary seat Damien Yeo has threatened to pull out of the general election if party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng continues to meddle in the list of candidates for the state. In a Facebook posting last night, Yeo wrote that he would withdraw if Lim did not "give respect" to Malacca DAP chairman Goh Leong San's decision on the candidates. Earlier, at another function, Goh had named Yeo as the candidate against MCA's Koh Nai Kwong for the seat. It was learnt that Goh had also threatened to pull out all his candidates should there be no amicable consensus to the stalemate in the next few days. The issue began after Lim's wife Betty Chew Gek Heng decided not to re-contest the Kota Laksamana seat. Malacca DAP had then submitted the names of three female candidates for the Kota Laksamana seat but they were all reportedly rejected by Lim. They were Teoh Lee Lan, the sister of political aide Teoh Beng Hock, Kuek Teng Ling and Chong May Lee. When the state DAP announced its list of candidates earlier, the candidate's name for the Kota Laksamana seat was left out. State DAP publicity chief and Ayer Keroh assemblyman Khoo Poay Tiong was also absent from the function, fuelling speculation over disagreement between Malacca DAP and Lim over the choice of candidates. It is no secret that there are two factions in the Malacca DAP, one aligned to the state DAP and the other to Lim and Chew. It was learnt that Lim had lobbied for Dr Wong Ho Peng to be slotted for the seat vacated by Chew.
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| GE13: Pakatan to field strongest candidates in Selangor Posted: 17 Apr 2013 03:25 PM PDT
(The Star) - With the battle for Selangor heating up, Pakatan Rakyat is not leaving anything to chance and will continue to field some of their strongest generals to lead the charge. While PKR has taken the lead to defend Selangor by announcing its candidates on Monday night, both DAP and PAS are still keeping their cards close to their chest. State PKR chief Azmin Ali and caretaker Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, who are both eyeing the coveted top post in Selangor, were appointed as "generals of the battle" with the latter being picked as the state Pakatan election director. According to sources in DAP, most of the incumbents are expected to stay put but the top leaders in the state may be moved around as strategic chess pieces. It is understood that former PJ Utara MP Tony Pua will be moved to the Serdang parliamentary seat after its incumbent Teo Nie Ching was announced to stand in Kulai in Johor. Election strategist and former academician Dr Ong Kian Ming has been tipped to move to PJ Utara, a seat which DAP considers "safe". Its state chief and most senior leader in Selangor, Teresa Kok, is speculated to be dropped from her state seat in Kinrara to only focus on her parliamentary seat in Seputeh after complaints that holding on to two seats was more than she could handle. Exco in the caretaker Selangor government Ronnie Liu is expected to be dropped from the state line-up completely after a massive fallout with the warring factions in the state DAP. State assemblymen, including Dr Cheah Wing Yin (Damansara Utama), Jenice Lee (Teratai) and Philip Tan (Teluk Datuk) are also speculated to be dropped. However, sources said last minute horse trading among the potential candidates had intensified, resulting in the party postponing their announcement of the Selangor candidates to tonight. Selangor PAS election director Jaafar Samsudin said although most of its incumbents in Selangor were expected to be retained, it would field 40% new faces. Among those retained are Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad (Kuala Selangor), Dr Rani Osman (state seat Meru) and Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud (Kota Raja) and Khalid Samad (Shah Alam).
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| GE13: DAP's incumbent Seremban MP Fernandez to go independent Posted: 17 Apr 2013 03:17 PM PDT
(The Star) - Incumbent DAP Seremban MP John Fernandez will likely defend his seat as an independent in this general election. Fernandez, a lawyer, had before this said he would not be defending the seat which he won by defeating Barisan Nasional's Datuk Yu Chok Tow by a 3,948 vote majority in 2008. He had also won in Rasah (which was then a state seat) in the 1974 general election on a DAP ticket. Another lawyer, S.Karthigesan, who had represented several Human Rights Party members for being involved in an illegal organisation in 2011, would also be standing as an independent in Nilai. The DAP won the Nilai seat in 2008 when its candidate Yap Yew Weng defeated Barisan's Datuk Peter Lai with a 1,894 vote majority. Both are scheduled to hold a press conference later today. The DAP has yet to officially announce its candidates for both seats. However, Barisan will be represented by Datuk Dr Yeow Chai Tiam in Seremban and Gan Chee Biow in Nilai.
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| Posted: 17 Apr 2013 03:07 PM PDT
It will be an uphill task for Tawau incumbent Chua Soon Bui, from SAPP, who won the seat in 2008 with Umno's support. Luke Rintod, FMT KOTA KINABALU: Local opposition party, the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) will contest in eight parliamentary and 41 of the 60 state seats, paving the way for fierce fights with other opposition as well as Barisan Nasional parties contesting in Sabah. The eight MP seats are Kudat, Kota Marudu, Sepangar, Putatan, Kimanis, Sipitang, Tenom and Tawau. Already PKR has announced it is going for 19 parliamentary seats and 43 state seats with the remaining seats at stake to be contested by its partner under Pakatan Rakyat, PAS and DAP. Another opposition party, State Reform Party (STAR) will announce its list today and it is believed that the party will also be gunning for around 40 state seats and perhaps eight to 15 parliamentary seats. SAPP president Yong Teck Lee in announcing his list last night said that under an amended state constitution only registered political party may form the state government and that is why SAPP is contesting a majority of state seats in Sabah. "Tonight we announce the final eight for MP and only 38 of the 41 state seats we are contesting as we still want to see how other parties put up their candidates," he told a crowd of about 400 gathered at the Kepayan Low Cost Housing shop complex near here under a light drizzle. Yong himself has decided to go back to his old state seat of Likas which he had to vacate on a high court's order following an election petition against him several years ago. SAPP deputy president Eric Majimbun, the incumbent MP for Sepanggar meanwhile is now contesting for his hometown Inanam state seat which falls within Sepanggar constituency. The only other SAPP parliamentarian, Chua Soon Bui, got another opportunity to defend Tawau for SAPP, an uphill task now as the last time she won it was with the support of then SAPP's ally Umno. Sabah State Assembly deputy speaker, Frankie Chong, meanwhile will contest the Sook state seat in the interior against the PBRS-BN candidate.
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| Nik Aziz’s son steps into the fray Posted: 17 Apr 2013 03:03 PM PDT
While the son will start his political journey, this likely to be the last term for the father. Hawkeye, FMT PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat's s son is all set to start his political career while this is likely to be the last term for his father. For Nik Abduh, 42, it will be a baptism of fire. He has been picked to contest in the Pasir Mas parliamentary seat but he is likely to run into heavyweights like businessman Che Johan Che Pa and Perkasa founder Ibrahim Ali. According to a PAS official here, Nik Aziz, who has served as menteri besar for 22 years and as the PAS spiritual adviser, had indicated to the caretaker state executive councillors here that this is his last term. "Nik Aziz will lead PAS into battle but he will probably step down after it. One or two to three years later, it is up to him. He is a great servant to the cause of Islam in Kelantan. We are grateful for him," said a party insider. Others predict that Nik Aziz, aged 82, who is on track to be the oldest candidate, will even retire within the next few months. He is ailing with a host of ailments associated with old age and recently could not walk to a function in Johor, and had to be literally carried across. While his son has been named as a candidate, there was no place however for his son-in-law, Nik Fahmi Abdul Rahman, 36, a young upstart with a technocrat background. Thirteen of the 45 candidates are new, but PAS has encountered a technical issue with PKR, where the party is unable to announce its candidates for the Guchil and Paloh state seats at this 11th hour. State PAS deputy commissioner Ahmad Yakcop, who met the media, assured that PKR will field their candidates come nominations on Saturday. The party will contest five state seats while PAS, the remainder 40. PAS will also do battle in 11 parliament seats and PKR three. Another development was the departure from the state of PAS deputy secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan to contest the Kota Baru parliamentary seat, leaving a large vacancy to fill, as he was the legal brains in the state administration. His peer – Husam Musa is also preoccupied in trying to fight an uphill battle as he had declared a wish to contest in the Putrajaya parliament. Husam, who was missing when PAS revealed its state candidates list here last night, will however defend his Salor state seat, giving rise that he is in the running to replace his mentor Nik Abdul Aziz as mentri besar.
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| ‘ROS does not recognise DAP’s CEC’ Posted: 17 Apr 2013 02:43 PM PDT
In a letter to Lim Guan Eng, the Registrar of Societies states that until the dispute surrounding its elections are resolved, the CEC will not be recognised. (FMT) - The Registrar of Societies (ROS) has stated that it does not recognise DAP's newly elected Central Executive Committee (CEC). In a letter sent to DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng yesterday, ROS director-general Abdul Rahman Othman said this was due to the dispute surrounding the party elections. "Until the disputed matters are resolved, the ROS under Section 3A of the Societies Act does not recognise the office bearers in DAP, formed by the CEC on Dec 15, 2012," he said. Abdul Rahman also warned that the explanations put forth by the party leadership with regard to the disputed matters must be satisfactory or DAP faced the risk of being de-registered. Among others, the ROS wanted DAP to submit a list of legitimate CEC members and the steps taken to resolve the disputes within a month. The letter was also copied to Election Commission chief Abdul Aziz Yusof. After the CEC election results were announced, none of the eight Malay candidates who contested were elected. On Jan 3, DAP announced that there was a technical error in the vote tabulation and declared defeated candidate Zairil Khir Johari Abdullah as a duly elected member of the CEC. This prompted various quarters to accuse the party leadership of manipulation and demand for a fresh polls but Lim refused to do so. Reports were also filed with the ROS.
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| BN, too, offers free water in bid to recapture Selangor Posted: 17 Apr 2013 12:49 PM PDT
(Malaysiakini) - In its bid to wrest Selangor from Pakatan Rakyat, BN tonight unveiled that it is offering free water for the first 20 cubic metres of usage.
This was in the manifesto launched by state BN chief and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak (right in photo) in Shah Alam tonight. - Providing additional cost of living assistance of RM250 to eligible single mothers, the elderly, the disabled and the poor. Read more at: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/227139 |
| Hindraf-BN to ink deal to improve Indians Posted: 17 Apr 2013 12:46 PM PDT
(FMT) - Hindraf will be signing a MoU with Najib Tun Razak later this evening in which BN will agree to do more to uplift the lot of the Indian community. Indian rights movement Hindraf will be inking a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak later this evening to put to paper the government's commitment in uplifting the Indian community. Some of the concessions agreed by Najib is said to come directly from Hindraf's five-year blueprint. Hindraf's blueprint, among others, highlights issues related to displaced Indian plantation workers, the need for tertiary-level education for Indian students, job opportunities in the government sector, financial loans to Indian entrepreneurs, and the establishment of a Minorities Affairs Ministry. The MoU today is a result of weeks of meetings and negotiations with Najib on the Hindraf proposal for the Indian community Hindraf had a meeting with Najib on March 25, and following that there had been a series of talks between them. The first indication that Najib was willing to look into Hindraf's proposals came when he included the setting up of a special unit to oversee Indian affairs in the BN manifesto. Though this was a far cry from the ministry which Hindraf sought, it however gave them the belief that Najib was willing to meet them half way to help uplift the Indian community. Hindraf chairman P Waythamoorthy had previously said that Hindraf would support whichever party that endorsed its blueprint. Alternatively, he had declared that Hindraf supporters would abstain from voting if neither Pakatan nor BN was willing to endorse the blueprint. He had also embarked on a hunger strike on March 10 in order to get either BN or Pakatan Rakyat to endorse the Hindraf blueprint. He ended his hunger strike on March 31. By this stage, the movement and Najib had officially started talks. He had also expressed his disappointment with Pakatan and its leader Anwar Ibrahim for not taking them seriously despite having several meetings. With the MoU being inked today, it looks certain that Najib and BN would be benefiting from Hindraf's support although it is uncertain as to the extent of Najib's acceptance of Hindraf's proposals. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/04/18/hindraf-bn-to-ink-deal-to-improve-indians/ |
| Rare-Earth Protesters in Malaysia Forge an Election Alliance Posted: 17 Apr 2013 12:39 PM PDT Save Malaysia Stop Lynas is focusing its campaign on the states of Johor and Negeri Sembilan, two strongholds of the ruling coalition that analysts say could fall in the coming elections. Chuin-Wei Yap, WSJ A group protesting Australian Lynas Corp.'s rare-earth refinery in Malaysia has found common cause with the political opposition ahead of the country's general election. "Save Malaysia Stop Lynas" is the name of the group that is tying its fortunes to a campaign to mobilize the anti-establishment vote on May 5 in two potential swing states. It is based in Kuantan, capital of the eastern Malaysian state of Pahang, and is run by volunteers. For more than a year, Save Malaysia Stop Lynas has kept up an Internet-based campaign to disrupt Sydney-based Lynas' $800 million rare-earth production plant in Pahang. Lynas' refinery would help break China's near monopoly over the global production of the 17 metallic elements crucial to the manufacturing of high-tech products, such as missile systems and iPhones. Save Malaysia Stop Lynas objects to what it describes as potentially dangerous radioactive waste that comes from processing the commodities. The company and the Malaysian government maintain the project is safe. But it is election season in Malaysia, and the ruling National Front is fighting to extend its decades-old rule in what is likely to be a fierce election. The opposition has vowed in its manifesto to review the Lynas project if it is voted into power, and possibly to shut it down, Save Malaysia Stop Lynas Chairman Tan Bun Teet said. "If we want to stop Lynas, one way is to vote for change, so that we have a change of government," Mr. Tan told The Wall Street Journal. Lynas spokesman Alan Jury said the company had no comment on the group. The environmental group has printed 20,000 stickers and 2,000 flags publicizing the Lynas issue for the election, and is distributing flyers by hand and on the Internet, Mr. Tan said. Read more at: http://blogs.wsj.com/searealtime/2013/04/18/rare-earth-protesters-in-malaysia-forge-an-election-alliance/ |
| GE13: Book running down Mukhriz widely distributed Posted: 17 Apr 2013 12:31 PM PDT
(The Malay Mail) - In what appears to be a sign of sabotage, a book running down the credentials of Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir (pic), tipped to be the menteri besar if Barisan Nasional regains Kedah, is being widely distributed in Umno circles. It is understood that all committee members of the 15 party divisions in the state have received the 20-page book titled Anak Abah (Daddy's Boy) in their letter boxes since Sunday. Among other things, the book written anonymously and does not carry a publisher's name, compares Mukhriz's political acumen to that of the state liaison chief Datuk Ahmad Bashah Md Hanifah and former state exco member Datuk Mat Lebai Sudin. A committee member who received the book said: "It is well written with good language structure, unlike languages used in poison pen letters or even blogs. "We can interpret it as an attempt to prevent Umno members from supporting Mukhriz, from being chosen as menteri besar or an attempt to even field Mukhriz for a state seat." Another committee member of a division believed that the book originated from within Umno. "It is a well-known fact within Kedah Umno that many are aiming for the post and Mukhriz is an obstacle to their ambitions," he said. Committee members also said it was surprising that the book appeared just a night before BN chairman gave out the candidates' list to the respective state chiefs. Mukhriz, the son of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, is rumoured to be fielded for the Kuah state seat under the Langkawi Parliamentary constituency. He is currently the MP for Jerlun. His name has been bandied about as the potential menteri besar since early last year, as BN began its focus to take back Kedah from PAS. BN's effort however, is hampered by lack of unity, as Kedah Umno's 15 divisions have their own preferences. |
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