Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Anwar demands proof of Sulu allegations by defence minister
- Tycoon dodges millions in land tax
- Temporary BN operations post in Kuantan torched
- Name the three, Zahid told
- ‘Who killed Altantuya?’ billboards demolished
- Hudud is PAS’s agenda, not Pakatan’s, says Mustafa
- Bishop jabs ‘Mat’ Tyson
- SAPP won’t support ‘any’ reverse takeover of Sabah
- Immediate response to grievances
- Online petition grows against agency behind BN ads
- GE13: Chua blames violence on politics of hatred by opposition
- GE13: More incidents of violence reported
| Anwar demands proof of Sulu allegations by defence minister Posted: 27 Apr 2013 02:32 AM PDT
(THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Parti Keadilan Rakyat leader Anwar Ibrahim has demanded proof behind allegations by Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi that the opposition was involved in the Sulu gunmen intrusion in Lahad Datu in February. "I would like to know what so-called proof do they have. It seems that the opposition is blamed for everything - the next time Manchester United loses, they will say it is our fault," he said at a ceramah at the house of Beaufort PKR candidate Datuk Lajim Ukin here. He alleged that Mr Zahid's statement that three opposition leaders were involved in the intrusion was yet another attempt to link him to the intrusion. Mr Anwar added he had no issues with the Sulus, some of whom provided vital labour for Sabah's construction sector. "The Sulu people are not our enemies. But we stand against any form of terrorism," he added. Mr Anwar's remarks came as PKR member Darell Leiking claimed he might be named as one of three opposition members Mr Zahid said were involved. The defence minister had said authorities had evidence that the unnamed trio were the culprits behind the intrusion that decimated two villages and killed 10 Malaysian servicemen. Mr Darell said he might be one of the three names, as he had made a trip to Manila before the February intrusion with PKR leaders R. Sivarasa and Tian Chua. He said the trip had nothing to do with the Sulus but that they were there to get information on wanted conman Manuel Amalilio, who is accused of cheating 1 billion ringgit (S$407 million) from thousands of Filipinos and now jailed for two years in Sabah for holding a fake Philippines passport. "We condemn the Sulu incursion and we hope no one distorts the facts to make us look bad," said Mr Darell who is embroiled in a David-and-Goliath match with seasoned Kadazandusun chief Tan Sri Bernard Dompok for the Penampang parliamentary seat in Sabah. Mr Darell urged the authorities to publicly name the three opposition leaders accused of the plot so they can defend themselves in court. |
| Tycoon dodges millions in land tax Posted: 26 Apr 2013 11:33 PM PDT
Mark Baker, The Age One of Asia's richest tycoons has avoided tax on tens of millions of dollars in profits from Australian property deals over the past two decades. Onn Mahmud - brother of the billionaire chief minister of Sarawak - has used an elaborate global financial network to export his earnings from a portfolio of Sydney commercial and residential properties worth an estimated $100 million. In one deal, Mr Onn sold an apartment development site in Sydney's Potts Point for $15.5 million in 2007 - realising a profit of $10.8 million. A former senior business associate of Mr Onn said no capital gains tax was paid on the deal and all of the proceeds were transferred to a trust based in the Cayman Islands tax haven. ''All his operations were carefully structured to ensure that he paid no tax in Australia,'' said Farok Abdul Majeed, who ran Mr Onn's Sydney property deals for several years. Documents obtained by Fairfax Media indicate that Mr Onn gave conflicting information to authorities to secure an Australia business visa and build the property portfolio he ran through Cayman Island trusts managed by merchant bankers Merrill Lynch in the Isle of Man. Mr Abdul Majeed is fighting to recover millions of dollars he claims to be owed in unpaid fees, commissions and expenses. Leading architects Crone Partners also claim to be owed more than $500,000. Onn Mahmud is reported to be the second-richest person in Malaysia with a fortune in excess of $2 billion - most of it drawn from deals involving timber exports that have decimated the tropical rainforests of Sarawak. Mr Onn's wife and children live in a mansion in Carrara Road, Vaucluse, with sweeping views across Sydney Harbour, but he spends most of his time in Singapore and Malaysia. His 2002 business visa application was sponsored by Ryan Park Limited and three associated companies which he and his family controlled: Ferncroft Limited, Golden Arrow Limited and Cherry Blossom Limited. In the application, Mr Onn said Ryan Park and the other companies had invested more than $50 million in Sydney real estate. Mr Abdul Majeed said he believed Mr Onn's total property investments in Australia were double that amount. Ryan Park's Australian Business Number registration describes it as an ''Australian private company'' but it has no record with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and was in fact registered in the Cayman Islands in 1991 as a ''non-resident'' entity. In March 2007, executives of Merrill Lynch swore in a statutory declaration in the Isle of Man that Ryan Park was ''an unregistered foreign company'' that ''does not carry on business in Australia''. Ryan Park and the three other companies also registered in the Cayman Islands were struck off the islands' company register several years ago. The property portfolio assembled by Mr Onn between the early 1990s and 2007 included a hotel and restaurant complex in central Sydney and an office building in Elizabeth Street, Sydney, which was sold in 2005 for a profit believed to be in excess of $5 million. Mr Abdul Majeed, a Malaysian-born property development and project management consultant, has resumed legal action to recover more than $5 million he claims to be owed by Mr Onn. In August 2007, a NSW Supreme Court judge ordered Mr Onn to pay $2.2 million to Mr Abdul Majeed for outstanding fees and commissions. The order was discontinued after he failed to appear at a subsequent hearing at which the order was challenged by Mr Onn's lawyers. Mr Onn did not respond to a series of questions from Fairfax Media sent to his Singapore lawyers last week.
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| Temporary BN operations post in Kuantan torched Posted: 26 Apr 2013 09:32 PM PDT
(The Star) - KUANTAN: A temporary Barisan Nasional operations post under a canopy in Kampung Padang here was torched in an apparent arson attack. Taman Impianku Umno branch chairman Abdullah Mohd Sidek said the incident had happened at about 3.30am Saturday when several people nearby noticed the banners around the canopy were on fire. "None of our workers were there at that time. The residents here were the ones who helped put out the fire," he said when contacted. Abdullah said no one saw who had started the fire but they found a plastic bottle believed to have contained petrol. He said several banners, flags, posters and parts of the canopy were scorched in the incident. Abdullah said he had lodged a police report. Meanwhile, Taman Impianku PKR deputy branch chief M. Manoharan said he and four campaign workers were at their operations room nearby and called for help when they saw the fire. "What I am sure of is this is not the work of our members. We are all from the same neighbourhood and get along well with each other," he said when met at the scene. When contacted, Kuantan OCPD Asst Comm Mohd Jasmani Yusoff (picture) declined to comment.
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| Posted: 26 Apr 2013 06:08 PM PDT
PKR gives the defence minister 24 hours to reveal the opposition leaders purportedly behind the Sabah intrusion. (FMT) - PKR has given Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi 24-hours to reveal the identity of three opposition leaders said to be behind the Lahad Datu intrusion by Sulu rebels some two month ago. PKR vice president N Surendran challenged Zahid to come clean and name the three opposition leaders as claimed. He was responding to a statement by Zahid yesterday that three opposition leaders are behind the Lahad Datu intrusion. Surendran claimed that the statement was an attempt to cause political damage to Pakatan Rakyat — the opposition coalition made up of PAS, PKR and DAP — as Zahid failed to provide any evidence to support his allegation. "I challenge Zahid to immediately name the so-called three opposition leaders involved with the Lahad Datu incident within 24-hours. "Failure to reveal the names and evidence will be proof of irresponsible slander," said Surendran. Zahid said on Friday the ministry had enough evidence to link the three – two from Peninsular Malaysia and one from Sabah — to the intrusion. He said the evidence would be submitted to the Attorney General's office for further action after the general election. Surendran also called on the BN leadership to stop slandering and engage in debates the with opponents instead.
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| ‘Who killed Altantuya?’ billboards demolished Posted: 26 Apr 2013 05:59 PM PDT
DAP's Chong Chieng Jen says the billboards were put up to send a simple but clear message to Najib Tun Razak. Joseph Tawie, FMT KUCHING: Three billboards with the words "Siapa bunuh Altantuya" that were erected in strategic points in conjunction with Barisan Nasional chairman Najib Tun Razak's visit to Kuching today have been demolished. DAP Bandar Kuching candidate Chong Chieng Jen said the billboards were torn down by Kuching South City council's enforcement officers last night. Chong said the billboards were erected because the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder case continues to remain a mystery. "The motive of the murder still remains a mystery, and until now there is no answer as to who 'C-4' Altantuya," he said. "I regret that last night, after we erected the three billboards, immediately two were taken down by the Kuching South City council enforcement officers. "One of the officers of the city council who is working as an enforcement officer for Bandar Kuching went overboard in his action when he went to Stampin to dismantle the billboards. The Stampin constituency is not within his jurisdiction, so he has abused his power," he added.
Chong said the billboards were simple but contained a clear message for Najib regarding an innocent woman who had been murdered in the most cruel manner. "We are not only concerned with the murder, but also with the implication of the murder on our security in the ministry of defence. The C4 explosives are only available from an army camp. "A serious matter like this happened without an investigation being carried out. It is really ridiculous that we don't know when the bomb was missing and who the officer in-charge was," he added. "So don't be too sensitive. This is the issue the people want to know and it will do justice to Altantuya and her family," he said. The Mongolian national was murdered and her remains were destroyed with C-4 explosives in October 2006 in a deserted area in Shah Alam. The Shah Alam High court meted out the death sentence to two of the accused on April 9, 2009. The case continues to make news due to the alleged involvement of persons close to Najib. The latter has denied any wrongdoing.
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| Hudud is PAS’s agenda, not Pakatan’s, says Mustafa Posted: 26 Apr 2013 02:19 PM PDT
Mohd Farhan Darwis, TMI Hudud is a PAS agenda and not Pakatan Rakyat's (PR) but the Islamist party will only implement the Islamic criminal law through democratic means when the coalition wins power, party secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali said today. He said Umno has been using the Islamic law to trap PR component parties and show that there were differing views in the hope of wrecking the coalition. "This is PAS's agenda and not PR's agenda. If PAS wants, we do it through the democratic process ... not automatically," Mustafa told a press conference at the PAS headquarters here. "This is the reason Umno-BN is making this an issue. I plead to all PAS and DAP leaders to not continue disputing this issue in the media because it will enter into Umno's and BN's trap," he said, adding that the discussion must stop as the issue had been resolved last September. Mustafa said his party acknowledged the DAP has never accepted hudud and the issue shows up the glaring difference between the two PR parties, but stressed that they had more things in common. "There are differences, that we admit. And I can give a guarantee that the hudud issue will not split PAS and the other PR members. "As it is we are quite united and we are always frank... our focus is to fight Umno, fight BN," he said.
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| Posted: 26 Apr 2013 01:55 PM PDT
Bishop Paul Tan has criticised Muhammad Muhammad Taib for his shocking remarks on the alleged Christian propensity for violence. RK Anand, FMT PAS' latest recruit has irked Bishop Paul Tan with his statement that Christians have done more killing in their time than the Muslims. According to the head of the Johor and Malacca diocese, the remarks made by former Selangor menteri besar Muhammad Muhammad Taib during a ceramah here was "the sort of statement one would expect from a wild-eyed radical living in Timbuktu rather than a member of a responsible political party." In the course of remarks voiced in apparent regret that Islam had been misconstrued to be a militant religion, Muhammad Taib had said the misperception was the work of Jews and Caucasians who harbored evil intent against a peaceful religion. Muhammad Taib – popularly known at 'Mat' Tyson – then compared the track records of Christians and Muslims, claiming that the former had done more killing than the latter. 'Fantastic and shocking in their ignorance' Commenting further, Tan said Muhammad's remarks were "fantastic and shocking in their ignorance". The bishop added that he could not understand how a man of the former MB's stature could utter such patent nonsense.
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| SAPP won’t support ‘any’ reverse takeover of Sabah Posted: 26 Apr 2013 01:53 PM PDT
As far as SAPP is concerned, neither Sabah PKR and its NGO allies - PPPS and APS – nor STAR, will qualify to form the government irrespective of how they fare in the GE13. Quevllie To, FMT KOTA KINABALU: A week into the campaign period, things are not looking comfortable for the Independents and at least one of the two registered local opposition parties. Early indications are that SAPP is struggling to win over voters and its president Yong Teck Lee, a former Sabah chief minister, has shifted tactics and taken the fight to the national opposition front Pakatan Rakyat. However, the party's manoeuvre may also be construed as helping the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition which is facing what appears to be a downslide in support. He said that in the event the BN loses Putrajaya to Pakatan and consequently some of the Sabah Umno YBs defect to PAS and PKR to make up a majority of Sabah state seats, "SAPP will reject such reverse takeover of Sabah which replaces Umno with another Umno using 'frogs'". "This is unacceptable as, it will do more harm to Sabah," said Yong. He said that should the BN lose power at federal level on May 5, then it was probable that BN component parties like Upko, PBS and LDP would abandon the coalition paving the way for political autonomy at state level. Yong, like other local politicians struggling to make their voices heard in an atmosphere of change in the state, said it would be a waste of time and effort for the people of Sabah to vote for those political parties which are not registered in Sabah, especially if they are contesting in the state constituencies. This, he said, is because of a 1990 amendment to the Sabah Constitution which states that the leader of a political party that has won the majority of seats will be made the chief minister. He noted that the amendment was made just before the PBS state government faced off against the Usno-LDP-AKAR pact in the state elections of 1990. He said the amendment came about to prevent a repeat of the 1985 power grab by Berjaya and Usno assembly representatives who won a combined 22 seats as opposed to PBS's 25 seats out of a total of 48 at the time. One seat, Moyog, went to an independent. "The effect is that for the purposes of forming the state government under the state constitution, the combined number of seats won by Usno, LDP and AKAR does not count as one bloc," said Yong. "This is because Usno, LDP and AKAR were contesting as separate parties and not under one party with one common symbol. "As far as the constitution is concerned, it is the political party that counts. Electoral pacts using different symbols by different parties do not count as one single entity under the law," he said.
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| Immediate response to grievances Posted: 26 Apr 2013 12:09 PM PDT
(Borneo Post) - He reiterated that the true defenders of NCR land was Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, who fought against the abolishment of NCR land status in 1965. Issues on compensation for acquired land and issuance of NCR titles affecting villagers at Kampung Rayang in Serian will be solved soon.
This assurance was given by Second Minister of Resource Planning and Environment Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan when told of the plight of the villagers by Kampung Rayang community leader Jim Bujang during a leaders-meet-the-people session at the village on Thursday.
The grouses concerned delay by the government in compensating 17 villagers whose land were acquired for the building of access roads into Kampung Rayang, located in Mambong parliamentary constituency.
Another complaint brought up by Jim was that Native Customary Rights land titles had not been issued to seven villagers.
"I was actually blown away by the courageous yet honest speech (by Jim).
"My ministry will look into the issue and the Land and Survey Department will be roped in to conduct perimeter survey on the affected land immediately," Awang Tengah promised.
He stressed to those present that the state government would never acquire the people's land without paying compensation.
He said the Land and Survey department had conducted perimeter survey on more than 380,000 hectares of NCR land in the state since 2010.
On a related matter, Awang Tengah said it was important for the Bumiputera community to defend their special right to NCR land.
"If Pakatan Rakyat becomes the government, their policy would be to introduce the `Malaysian Malaysia' concept, which abolishes the right to NCR ownership.
"Right now they (opposition) are merely fanning NCR issues for political mileage."
He reiterated that the true defenders of NCR land was Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, who fought against the abolishment of NCR land status in 1965.
On Mambong constituency, he said the government pumped in RM751.7 million for development there.
"Under the Rural Electricity Supply programme, an allocation of RM85.6 million was allocated, while for Rural Water Supply the allocation was RM500 million."
For roads, he added, an allocation of RM120 million was given.
"Some of these projects have been completed and others still on-going."
BN candidate for Mambong Datuk Seri Dr James Dawos Mamit, who was also present, advised the Bidayuhs in the area to tap the tourism industry.
"The tourism industry is the second biggest industry in Malaysia. It generated RM60 billion for the nation's coffers last year," said Dawos, who is also Deputy Minister of Tourism.
He suggested that the villagers pursue home-stay initiatives or become tour guides to earn more income. "We have many eco-tourism products in Mambong, and they should not go to waste."
He said another attractive feature of Mambong for tourists was that it is only an hour's drive from here. #myvotes13 #ge13 |
| Online petition grows against agency behind BN ads Posted: 26 Apr 2013 12:03 PM PDT
(KiniBiz) - Rapp, a communications company owned by Foetus International, has come under fire for creating a series of incisive political advertisements for Barisan Nasional (BN). The ads have irked netizens to start a petition after it ran extensively in mainstream newspaper, The Star, and other newspapers from last Sunday and was shared on Facebook.
The petition also urged Naga DDB, the parent of Rapp to stop the ad campaign. David Mitchell, Naga DDB's Chief operating officer (COO) however told KiniBiz that Rapp was a separate company from Naga DDB, related only by their common parent Foetus International. Lim Wai Yee, Rapp's COO did not respond to queries at publication time. Rapp KL is owned by Foetus International, a leading communications company headed by Vincent Lee. Lee is also the executive deputy chairman of Star Publications (M) Bhd. Read more at: http://www.kinibiz.com/story/corporate/17427/online-petition-grows-against-agency-behind-bn-ads.html
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| GE13: Chua blames violence on politics of hatred by opposition Posted: 26 Apr 2013 12:02 PM PDT
(The Star) - MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said the incidents of arson, explosions and political violence nationwide were due to the politics of hatred by the opposition against the Barisan Nasional. He feared if the opposition parties do not control and reel in their supporters, Barisan supporters may become angry and retaliate and this could result in chaos. "If they (the opposition) continue to practise political hatred, they would not be able to control their members. "Our (Barisan) members, seeing all this, may become emotional and not be able to control themselves. That could lead to chaos," he warned. Dr Chua was speaking to reporters ahead of lunch with over 20 non-governmental organisations at the Seng Kee restaurant in Jementah, near here, yesterday. He said, however, that despite the attacks at Barisan operations centres, he had not given any instructions to increase security at the MCA centres nationwide. Dr Chua said the politics practised by the Barisan continues to be relevant, adding that in the past three days several PAS leaders had issued statements that the party will implement hudud should the opposition front come into power. "For Johor, this must not happen. Or else, it will destroy the economy and racial harmony that had long been seen among the different races here." Dr Chua said Johor has seen the most development among all states, with more than 250,000 jobs created over the past five years. The figure, he added, was higher than in Penang and Selangor. He said the opposition was full of lies and their biggest lie was telling the country (in 2008) that 30 Barisan MPs were jumping ship and joining the Pakatan coalition to form a new Federal Government. On PKR, led by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, he said 34 founding members of the party had since left because they were fed up with the lies of its leaders. |
| GE13: More incidents of violence reported Posted: 26 Apr 2013 12:00 PM PDT
(The Star) - Incidents of violence are increasing in tandem with the rising political temperature, with an assault with a steel rod, torching of a party base and threatening of party workers with a parang among the latest cases. Three suspects arrested in connection with an explosion near the Barisan Nasional ceramah in Nibong Tebal, Penang on Tuesday, have been remanded for four days. The Inspector-General of Police Secretariat's assistant head Asst Comm Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf said 1,166 cases of polls-related violence and intimidation had been reported since nomination day on April 20, with 43 people arrested so far. He said police were also investigating a death threat allegedly received by DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng on Monday. "He lodged a report on Thursday and we are taking this very seriously," he said, adding that police were also probing an SMS sent to the Hulu Selangor OCPD claiming that a candidate was being blackmailed by party workers for RM30,000. He said a total of 20 reports of violence and threats were made in six states on Thursday. "In Rembau, Negri Sembilan, a party worker was beaten with a steel rod, suffering injuries on his head, neck and body," he said. In Perak, three men threw molotov cocktails at the Barisan Nasional command base at Taman Rishah Indah, Jelapang, at about 5.30am, causing a fire. "They drove off in a car but the driver lost control of the car and crashed it on a curb near Taman Emas, Farlim. "The men then fled on foot," he said, adding that police found several molotov cocktails and parang in the car. In Grik, Perak, a party worker was attacked by a group of men who tore down banners and burned one of them before kicking a table, which hit a worker. ACP Ramli said in Tenang, Johor, a man was arrested for using a parang and threatening party workers from putting up flags near a restaurant. In Klang, Selangor, a car belonging to a candidate's daughter was torched. Two days earlier, a 37-year-old man in Bandar Putra Klang threatened to kill his friend over differences in political views. In Sabah, a man was assaulted by several people for asking a question related to politics. ACP Ramli said in Besut, Terengganu, a group of party workers were stopped from entering a village by two men and threatened with a golok (a short parang). Among the victims in Kedah was an 11-year-old boy in Felda Teloi Timur, in Sik, who was kicked in the groin for supporting Barisan Nasional on Monday. Kedah Barisan chairman Datuk Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah said the assault on Mohamad Ismadinel Ar Samsudin was "shameful and uncivilised". In Kuching, a scuffle nearly broke out between DAP members and workers of a contractor over a party billboard near the OneTJ commercial centre located in the Stampin constituency. The billboard, one of the three erected yesterday afternoon, was the last one standing after two others were said to have been dismantled by the Kuching City South Council. |
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