Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Pakatan’s Manifesto: The future is here!
- Cousins out to oust Kula from Ipoh seat
- Pesawah Kampung Jelapang Rugi; Hasil Padi Merosot Teruk
- The Indefeasibility of Malaysia’s Territorial Sovereignty Over Sabah
- Spotlight on alleged abuses of Filipinos as Sulu incursion continues
- Engineer lodges police report on PKR flag
- Probe Umno links to Sulus
- Whose tool is Fareez?
- GE13: Who Will Be Selangor MB If Barisan Nasional Wins?
- M’sian caped crusader?
- The Politician and the Intellectual Mandarin
- Kamalanathan: Pakatan rule is no different from BN
- Battle over 'souls' of the people
- A pattern of Sultanate deception
- No certain votes for BN despite uniform pay hike, say analysts
- Recovering Queen signs Commonwealth charter
- ‘Even women, children targeted in Sabah’
- Sulu envoy to talk peace with Malaysia?
- Hindraf Makkal Sakthi had it coming!
- Where Malaysia Today's readers come from
- PI Bala: I wasn’t promised RM700,000
- Wong Tack Should Not Stand on PKR Ticket Unless Anwar Ibrahim & Him Clarify Their Stand on Lynas
- The real story of Anwar’s Sodomy 2 ( Part 1)
- Heckling, mocking and debating
- ‘Prepare for future security threats’
- ‘Anwar promised RM700,000 to PI Bala’
- Saiful’s dad joins PKR
- Saiful, father’s Sodomy II tiff won’t alter GE13 results, say analysts
- Who will win the 13th general election?
- ‘Kick out those who sodomise the nation’
- Pakatan capable of forming Perak govt
- Mistake to rekindle Saiful affair
- Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: Lahad Datu — How might Malaysians vote in the GE?
- A Solution to the Blueprint-Manifesto ‘spat’
- Malaysia a failure in Sabah, Sarawak
- Handling the hype behind Sabah crisis
- Kiram daughter slams Aquino anew
- Why Malaysia Slaughters Filipinos?
- ‘We’re treated like animals’
- At what cost high-speed rail
- The 2 ASEANs must meet
- Serb-Croatian Kiss Is The Bravest Thing Ever (PHOTO)
- The Deepak-Bala marriage: in Deepak’s own words
- Anti-Wan Azizah letter writer fears for his safety
- Why must I like Anwar?
- Ask, don’t threaten and jostle for seats, says Anwar
- Pakatan says will revamp media system under its rule
- Pakatan ke mahkamah untuk bersihkan daftar pemilih
- For UIA students, ‘invite only’ screening of ‘Tanda Putera’
- ‘Lim is not a Chinese champion’
| Pakatan’s Manifesto: The future is here! Posted: 11 Mar 2013 01:01 PM PDT
This writer is not duty-bound to rationalise how Pakatan would pay for the many reforms that it vouches to undertake as opposed to presenting a budget. Nonetheless this small writing would attempt to allay the anxieties of those who seemed so concern that Pakatan would bankrupt the national coffer in the first year of being in office in Putrajaya. Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, Harakah Daily The task for the next Malaysian Government with regard to national transformation is of a different order of magnitude to that witnessed thus far, from the time of Merdeka. Doing more of the same things would not place us on a different trajectory of change and competitiveness.
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| Cousins out to oust Kula from Ipoh seat Posted: 11 Mar 2013 12:57 PM PDT
(NST) - IPOH: There is no love lost between DAP vice-chairman M. Kulasegaran and his arch-rivals, Perak DAP chairman Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham and its secretary, Nga Kor Ming, as the former is convinced that the duo are trying to oust him from his Ipoh Barat constituency. A DAP insider revealed that Kulasegaran's recent tirade against Ngeh and Nga on social microblogging site Twitter stemmed from alleged attempts by the cousins to replace him with their supporter. "Kulasegaran views the cousins' act of not inviting him to a dinner they had organised in his constituency as a way to embarrass him among party members. He also believes that their intention to discredit him is to kick him out in preference for compliant personalities aligned to their camp." The source, who is closely acquainted with Kulasegaran, said Nga, who is Pantai Remis assemblyman, harboured dreams of contesting the Kepayang state seat in the coming polls, which was one of three state seats within the Ipoh Barat parliamentary constituency. Last year, incumbent Kepayang assemblyman Loke Chee Yan had announced that he would not be seeking reelection. "Apparently, Kepayang is ideal for Nga, who resides in Ipoh. His potential successor in Pantai Remis state seat is a 35-year-old woman, who is a member of the DAP Pantai Remis branch and Nga's henchman." The source, who described Nga as the "architect of DAP's destruction", said Kulasegaran was not favoured by Ngeh and Nga as the duo felt Kulasegaran was the reason for their poor popularity within the Indian community. "It is said that the state DAP leaders are not worried about losing Kulasegaran and they are confident of winning all 18 state seats which the party won in March 2008. "Their impression is that winning the Ipoh Barat parliamentary seat will come easily and guaranteed regardless of the candidate fielded." It is learnt that Kulasegaran, Ngeh and Nga were only on talking terms in public, but did not make any attempt to mend the rift. Kulasegaran recently took to tweeting his frustrations about being sidelined by Ngeh and Nga, and went as far as tagging them in the March 8 postings, which were still on his Twitter account.
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| Pesawah Kampung Jelapang Rugi; Hasil Padi Merosot Teruk Posted: 11 Mar 2013 12:50 PM PDT
(Buletin Online) - SETIU - Cita-cita kerajaan Umno dan Barisan Nasional (BN) khususnya Menteri Besar Terengganu untuk mengujudkan sebuah jelapang padi baru di negeri ini hanyalah tinggal 'angan-angan' sahaja apabila hasil yang dituai dari sawah padi di kampung Jelapang dekat sini, merosot teruk. Seorang pesawah, Abdul Rahman Awang berkata, hasil tuaian padi pada akhir tahun lalu telah merosot sehingga lima puluh peratus menyebabkan para pesawah mengalami kerugian. Beliau berkata antara faktor yang menyebabkan keugian tersebut adalah diskriminasi pembahagian input baja dan racun selain sistem saliran yang tidak sempurna dan giliran mesin menuai yang mendahulukan mereka yang rapat dengan Jawatankuasa Keselamatan dan Kemajuan Kampung (JKKK) "pilih kasih dalam pemberian bantuan baja dan racun...........hasil padi tidak menjadi kerana serangan penyaki, menyebabkan sebahagian besar pesawah rugi teruk, giliran jentera penuai juga diutamakan kepada 'suku-sakat', "sistem saliran yang tidak betul, sawah tak kering molek.........jadi mesin (menuai) padi 'lekat',"katanya. [Gambar - daun padi kekuningan kerana tidak cukup baja........ dan ada yang diserang oleh penyakit 'karah padi' kerana masalah 'diskriminasi' agihan input benih, baja dan racun yang mendahulukan suku sakat Umno] Menurutnya, petani bersusah payah bekerja siang dan malam, tetapi projek penanaman padi Kampung jelapang yang dilancarkan oleh bekas Perdana Menteri Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi tidak mendatangkan hasil yang lumayan. Katanya, hampir RM50 juta dibelanjakan kerajaan untuk sistem saliran, punca air tidak ada dan pegairan tidak sempurna menyebabkan pertumbuhan padi menghadapi masalah.
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| The Indefeasibility of Malaysia’s Territorial Sovereignty Over Sabah Posted: 11 Mar 2013 12:46 PM PDT
So, what does Jamalul Kiram want? He has been shifty about this. On one count he said he doesn't want to claim Sabah. On another, he said he wants recognition. Okay. So we call him a Sultan. Is that recognition enough? Of course not. At the end of it, he said he is the poorest Sultan in the world. That is more than sufficient answer to the question. He wants money. Art Harun The incursion into Sabah by a ragtag "army" of a now defunct "Sultanate" with the intention of having a picnic in their "homeland" (to borrow the description by a self-styled Princess of the said "Sultanate") would be comical, if not for the utterly tragic consequences that follows. In weeks after the incursions, eight Malaysian policemen were killed, some of whom were allegedly tortured, killed and their body mutilated by the "army" of the now defunct Sultanate. As of the date of writing, a total of 62 people have been killed. That the so-called Sultan declared a Jihad and the self-styled Princess calling the Malaysian army un-Islamic lend a surrealistic aura to the whole episode which would make Salvador Dali green in envy. The fact remains that their acts were an act of terrorism perpetrated by armed bandits on an unsuspecting State and her people. There was nothing Islamic about those acts. To use Islam and Jihad in this totally illegal and inhumane act of aggression against a peaceful State which has been treating some of them with unlimited generosity is a misuse and abuse of the religion and God of the worst kind. So, what does Jamalul Kiram want? He has been shifty about this. On one count he said he doesn't want to claim Sabah. On another, he said he wants recognition. Okay. So we call him a Sultan. Is that recognition enough? Of course not. At the end of it, he said he is the poorest Sultan in the world. That is more than sufficient answer to the question. He wants money. Forget altruism. Forget the advancement of his so-called people. Forget honour. Forget dignity. It is just about money. However, why must Malaysia, as a State, give money to some delusional people who live in the 17th century? What would prevent this very same people from coming back to ask for more when the money runs out? What basis do a people have to hold a State to ransom every now and then just because this people do not have a source of income other than from partaking in piracy, kidnapping and now, terrorism as well as prostituting Islam? Read more at: http://art-harun.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-indefeasibility-of-malaysias.html
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| Spotlight on alleged abuses of Filipinos as Sulu incursion continues Posted: 11 Mar 2013 12:26 PM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) - The ongoing armed conflict in Sabah appears to have opened a can of worms for Malaysia as hundreds of Filipino immigrants, now back in their homeland, are recounting horror tales of torture and sexual abuses inflicted for years on their community here. Bantilan Esmail II, a brother of Sulu "Sultan" Jamalul Kiram III, said the stories did not even surprise him as Malaysian authorities have allegedly been abusing Filipinos in Sabah long before the Sulu incursion began. Esmail, who is in talks with the Philippine government over a possible pullout of the Sulu "army" in Sabah, said that while the alleged abuses were "un-Islamic", they were common knowledge in the Philippines. "They have been treating the Filipinos there not as human beings. What they are doing is un-Islamic and are acts of non-believers of Islam," he said in a report in The Philippine Daily Inquirer today. Malaysian security forces and a group of armed followers of the Kiram clan have been locked in gunbattles since March 1 in the coastal district of Sabah's Lahad Datu, where the Sulu Sultanate's army had landed to lay claim over the east Malaysian state. The fierce gunfights have so far claimed the lives of 63 individuals, including 54 Sulu gunmen, eight Malaysian policemen and one teenage boy, and spurred thousands of Filipinos living in Sabah to flee back to their homeland out of fear of capture. According to the media in the Philippines, more than 1,000 Filipinos have already left their homes in Sabah, many of whom are MyKad holders, carrying with them horror tales of abuse and arbitrary killings during raids by Malaysian authorities to hunt down Sulu sympathisers. The Inquirer carried an interview last weekend with a 32-year-old Filipino named Amira Taradji who alleged that her brother had been killed at the hands of the Malaysian police during their rounding-up of suspected supporters. "They dragged all the males outside the house, kicked and hit them," she told the daily in a phone call from Patikul, Sulu, shortly after she arrived in the Philippines last Friday night along with some 200 other refugees. Taradji claimed that Malaysian security forces stormed villages in the coastal constituency of Sandakan where she was staying on Monday night, and in the ordeal, her brother Jumadil was allegedly gunned down after he was forced by the police to run as fast as he could. Like Esmail, Taradji's abuse claim was similarly described as old news and just the "tip of the iceberg", the Manila Bulletin reported today, quoting an official of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). The source said Filipinos in Sabah, particularly those who were undocumented migrants, have always been complaining of abuse but no attention has ever been paid to their claims. "Finally, the sufferings of Filipinos in Sabah drew notice from Malacañang. We got similar, if not harsher, complaints directly from victims and made appropriate reports to higher authorities to no avail years ago," the official reportedly said. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/spotlight-on-alleged-abuses-of-filipinos-as-sulu-incursion-continues/
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| Engineer lodges police report on PKR flag Posted: 11 Mar 2013 12:01 PM PDT
(Bernama) - A Malaysian engineer who worked for 11 years in the United States and has since returned home, yesterday lodged a police report on Parti Keadilan Rakyat's (PKR) flag claiming it bore similarities to the currency of a foreign country.
Mohamad Ridhwan Batumalai Abdullah, 41, lodged the report at the Ipoh police headquarters at 10.30am.
"I ask Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (the de facto leader of PKR) to explain the meaning of the blue, red and white colours in the flag and reveal who designed the party's flag and logo." he told reporters after fining the report. He added that he would be calling a press conference on the matter if no answers were forthcoming from Anwar. He also urged Muslims in the country not to vote for opposition because they were causing disunity in the country.
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| Posted: 11 Mar 2013 11:49 AM PDT
The bigger fear among Umno leaders is that any drastic military action would have destroyed the reservoir of potential voters among the Filipinos with Malaysian Identity Cards. Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz, Free Malaysia TodayUmno Baru godfather Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the government misread the situation in Lahad Datu. He said: "At first we did not think the intrusion was as an external threat for they [Sulu gunmen] were on our shore. But now that it is clear that the invasion is an attack from outside, the military was ordered to move in." Since this was an invasion by a group of foreign nationals threatening the safety of our country and citizens, the army should have stepped in from the very begining. Why was the Malaysian government dilatory in dealing with the Sulu invaders? Mahathir claims the government "acted cautiously" because the intruders were Muslims. But the likelihood is greater that the bigger fear among Umno leaders was that drastic military action would have destroyed the reservoir of potential voters among the Filipinos with Malaysian Identity Cards, beneficiaries of Mahathir's "Project IC" in Sabah. To unleash our military might would be to destroy a fixed deposit that has kept Umno-Barisan Nasional in power here for decades. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2013/03/12/probe-umno-links-to-sulus/ |
| Posted: 11 Mar 2013 11:21 AM PDT
(Free Malaysia Today) - The timing of Fareez's letter and his attack on both Wan Azizah and Nurul Izzah hardly lend any credibility to his so-called concern for PKR's well-being. An opposition party loyalist is learning it the hard way that it takes guts to face the aftermath of his actions – but youngster Mohd Fareez Kamal Intidzam sorely lacks conviction when he attempted to turn the tables on PKR chief Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail. Fareez, 24, had authored a letter calling for the removal of Wan Azizah in which he alleged that she and her eldest daughter Nurul Izzah Anwar were out to destroy his career as he was "close" to Anwar Ibrahim, the opposition adviser and husband and father of Wan Azizah and Nurul Izzah respectively. Claiming to be working for Anwar as his private secretary for international affairs since 2008, Fareez is now a worried man, fearful that his letter has unleashed the wrath of Wan Azizah and Nurul Izzah's supporters. Besides his no-confidence vote in Wan Azizah, in his letter, too, Fareez urged PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang to save the opposition pact from the mother-daughter duo. Now that the letter has gone public after controversial blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin posted it on his Malaysia Today website on March 6, its writer claims his life is in danger and wants police protection. Fareez, the former parliamentary secretary of PKR women chief Zuraida Kamaruddin, says he is being "hunted down" by the party and its leaders after the letter's contents became accessible to the rakyat. In penning his letter, Fareez clearly threw caution to the wind, relying instead on his false conviction that he, like the Barisan Nasional front, was doing the country a favour by eliminating it of "unwanted" personalities. "The duo wants to eliminate anyone close to Anwar as they are jealous. As PAS president, only you [Hadi] can pressure Wan Azizah to quit her post before the 13th general election," Fareez wrote, among others, in his letter. Fareez had also copied the letter to DAP chairman Karpal Singh. Fareez and his hidden agenda The letter's timing and Fareez's attack on both Wan Azizah and Nurul Izzah hardly lend any credibility to his so-called concern for the party's well-being. In fact, the letter has only revealed the insecurity and apathy assaulting Fareez. Is Fareez aiming for a higher political standing or is it an attempt to tear PKR apart by attacking its roots? There seems no doubt that this youngster is pursuing an agenda of his own using Anwar as his crutch – the letter an obvious hint of a move within PKR to oust Anwar and family before the 13th general election takes place. Would one be wrong to assume that those working at ousting Anwar, Wan Azizah and Nurul Izzah are agents provocateurs of BN? Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2013/03/12/whose-tool-is-fareez/ |
| GE13: Who Will Be Selangor MB If Barisan Nasional Wins? Posted: 11 Mar 2013 11:20 AM PDT
(Malaysian Digest) - Considering the fact that Selangor is a state rich in various resources, BN at this point may need to prepare a list of candidates who possess a strong corporate background, just like Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR)'s Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, the current MB. Who will be the Selangor Menteri Besar if Barisan Nasional (BN) regains power in the state in the coming general election? This lingering question not only remains in the minds of politicians but the rakyat as well.
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| Posted: 11 Mar 2013 11:11 AM PDT
Malays could be the masters of their own destiny, but decades of spoon-feeding, reinforced by an unhealthy belief that they are morally and spiritually superior, has robbed many Malays of the power of critical thought and analysis. It is as if the strain of thinking for oneself, is too great a challenge. Mariam Mokhtar, Hornbill Unleashed When a Malay criticises the ruling party, he is seen as 'ungrateful'. He is told that he should be appreciative for all that Umno has done for him – all the opportunities for education and work. It is conveniently forgotten that not all Malays benefit from the New Economic Policy (NEP). Many middle-class Malay families complain that scholarships or study loans go to the children of well-connected parents. In businesses, and especially in government tenders, the same applies – connections count more than skills or expertise. Many senior politicians and their wives are more commonly known as Mr or Mrs "Ten percent". Conversely, Malays have not realised that receiving an education or business opportunity via the affirmative action policies, should not deprive them of a voice. Malays must learn that keeping the government on its toes does not mean that they are unappreciative or disloyal. Some Malays have a child-like version of the world. In a discussion with a non-Malay, the Malay who cannot present his facts in a logical manner may invariably blurt out, "Go back to where you came from". It is like the frustrated child who does not get his way and threatens his sibling with, "I'll tell father what you did". He does not care about the consequences. He just wants to hurt and get retribution.
When all else fails, some Malays bring Allah into the argument. Malays are adept at emotional blackmail, especially when the threat of eternal damnation is involved. Malays fiercely defend their religious rights and condemn non-Muslims for entering the discussion. Some claim that as they do not interfere with other religions, then non-Muslims should not interfere in theirs. Could this be an explanation for the muted Muslim voices when a band of renegade Malays dragged a cow's head through the streets of Shah Alam? Why have Malays not acknowledged that for centuries, the word 'Allah' was used with no problems until Umno Malays decided it was wrong? Suffering trial by ordeal Malays swearing on the Quran in a mosque debases the religion. Compare this with trial by ordeal in medieval England. If someone was accused of a crime against the monarch, he might suffer trial by ordeal. If he did not sustain injuries when his arm was placed in a vat of boiling oil, then he is found innocent.
Why don't Malays consider a range of other views, to help shape theirs? Sadly, some non-Malays also fall into the trap of not entering into a discussion because they are told that "it does not concern them". Islam is the official religion of Malaysia, so all Malaysians are free to express the opinion on any aspect of Islam. Malays dislike being told that they are in the wrong. Instead of having a rational discussion, some prefer to bottle their emotions, than risk running amok. Decades of 'Ketuanan Melayu' have reinforced this flaw in their character. Mahathir said that the opposition would destroy the Malays and bumiputeras in Selangor. Mahathir's 'Project M' allowed illegal immigrants into Sabah. Najib and the Election Commission (EC) permit illegal immigrants into Malaysia. Malays are being betrayed by Umno Malay leaders. These policies of offering citizenship to illegal immigrants have contributed to the loss of lives in Lahad Datu.
A news blackout did nothing to quell criticisms of the handling of the crisis, it merely festered the spread of rumours. Najib has only himself to blame for this debacle. The country is being crippled by abuses of power, corruption, police brutality and high levels of crime, and the man in the street knows the perpetrators. Both Mahathir and Najib have portrayed Anwar as an agent of various foreign governments, a stud (from the various sex videos produced by Umno), and the one who will bring the Malays down. Anwar may be portrayed by Umno as a supervillain, but he is not responsible for these crimes. Contrariwise, he is the superhero who would like to avenge them. Read more at: http://hornbillunleashed.wordpress.com/2013/03/12/42993/
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| The Politician and the Intellectual Mandarin Posted: 11 Mar 2013 11:08 AM PDT
Making Anwar Ibrahim PM, is secondary. The primary purpose is to install a good government. Now, a good government is constituted by good people. That is the fundamental requirement. We need good people, qualified, dedicated and selfless who work the system to make the country better. Sakmongkol AK47 Let us make this country better. This country is now owned by all Malaysians. We are all equal stakeholders. We can make this country better by changing the government. That is why we are calling for a regime change. Surprisingly that simple proposition is too difficult for some people to understand. Chandra Muzaffar despite his intellectual self finds it difficult to understand precisely because he cannot understand the motivations, the hopes and fear of the people. These are but people riding the Clapham Omnibus. Mahathir on the other hand is worried about the change because a regime change will expose all his hollow achievements. Like someone close to him said- history will judge Mahathir on corruption. Why does Mahathir busy himself with desperate efforts to maintain the tyranny of the status quo? Mahathir's growing involvement in present politics is nothing short of a damning indictment on Najib. Mahathir's overshadowing presence in UMNO politics clearly shows that Najib is an incapable leader who is impotent most of the time. Mahathir considers Najib a useless and utterly ineffective leader. Long in form, very very short in substance. Therefore if Najib can become PM, anyone else can too. This coming election is not about the culmination of efforts to make Anwar Ibrahim Prime Minister. Mahathir and his followers would want us to believe in that big lie. It is a lie that we must politely refuse if we still can do so politely. Making Anwar Ibrahim PM, is secondary. The primary purpose is to install a good government. Now, a good government is constituted by good people. That is the fundamental requirement. We need good people, qualified, dedicated and selfless who work the system to make the country better. When we say that, it is easy for people like Mahathir and Chandra Muzaffar to pour scorn and ridicule. How could the others do and accomplish what we have done? It's only we the good people with the power who can do good whereas the others outside are evil and can do evil things. It's impossible for good people like us to do evil. That is unnatural. Now, how is it possible and easy for people like Chandra Muzaffar and a practising politician like Mahathir who has been PM for 22 years, demean those outside their group? How is it possible for these people to believe and consider themselves as the only group eminently qualified to rule this country?
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| Kamalanathan: Pakatan rule is no different from BN Posted: 11 Mar 2013 11:04 AM PDT
(fz.com) - CONTRARY to claims that it would be more inclusive in its administration, the Pakatan Rakyat practises the same things it accuses the Barisan Nasional of doing, according to Hulu Selangor member of parliament P Kamalanathan. This clearly shows that when a federal opposition party takes over a state, it is no different from the ruling power in its actions, he said. In addition, the electorate in the vast Hulu Selangor parliamentary constituency, located at the northern edge of the country's richest state, are distressed from having to constantly endure the politicising of their problems, Kamalanathan claimed. Most voters in this semi-rural constituency are employed in the manufacturing sector. The locals earn between RM600 and RM2,500 monthly, and are generally sheltered from the increasing inflation that affects people in the urban centres. Prices of food items remain affordable and rent is relatively low due to a plateau in property values. However, the one thing that would vex the populace, which includes more than 84,200 voters, is the patchy infrastructure maintenance and gaps in public works and services. Kamalanathan said the problem starts with the councillors appointed to the Hulu Selangor Municipal Council (MDHS). "The officers are very helpful and nice but unfortunately they have to follow instructions from the councillors, who are very difficult. "Letters written by BN representatives or machinery are unheeded. For example, if we write in saying the roads were not properly paved or about potholes that were not properly treated, nothing is done," he complained. "Street lights in many areas here don't work. When I check with Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), they say the lights are okay but the municipal council has not paid the bill," exclaimed the first-term MP. According to him, the council owes TNB a few hundred thousand ringgit. MDHS was not immediately available for comment. Kamalanathan estimates that the Pakatan Rakyat-led state has used less than 60% of the federal allocation meant for road maintenance in Selangor under the Malaysian Road Records Information System (Marris). "Where has the other 40% gone? In Hulu Selangor, several roads have yet to be resurfaced because there is not enough money from the state government. "If these monies where properly channelled to the state's councils then all these problems would have been solved," he said. Despite repeated demands for clarification, said Kamalanathan, the state did not respond to the allegation. He pointed out a spot where soil erosion caused by heavy rainfall last year at the road corner opposite his service centre in Bukit Beruntung has yet to be attended to. The site of the erosion and its surroundings, have since become a dumping ground for business operators in the area. "It's been more than a year and it's still there. They are not being inclusive, they are not even willing to have a meeting with me. They are not walking the talk. It's the same culture they claim was practiced by BN," he said, referring to the lack of cooperation from the councillors. "I don't have enough to provide for people who come asking me to help repair roads in their housing areas."
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| Battle over 'souls' of the people Posted: 11 Mar 2013 11:00 AM PDT
(The Sun Daily) - Will PAS's magic triumph again in the upcoming 13th general election which has been shaping up into a fierce "mother of all elections"? In 2004, it came close to losing it and the BN is sparing no efforts to capture it. FOR much of its post-Merdeka history, Kelantan has been ruled by Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS), so much so that it is not difficult for most people to fall in line with the quip, now being promoted as a battle cry, that Kelantan and PAS are synonymous. It has been more so after the state leadership of the party passed to the religious ultra conservatives led by the charismatic Mentri Besar, Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat. Everywhere in the state are posters of him supplicating to God to take care of his "people", the Kelantanese. The overall message of the battle cry and the supplication of Nik Aziz is "we don't want outsiders." It is only in Kelantan that an orang luar (outsider) son-in-law is not fully accepted but merely tolerated. But the orang luar often meant here is Umno. The PAS-Umno rivalry has been intense and became more so after PAS formed the government in 1959. It was only in the elections following several months of federal emergency rule that PAS lost Kelantan in 1978. But an Umno breakaway group, calling itself Parti Semangat 46 and led by the man who helped Umno capture the state, joined forces with PAS to edge out the federal ruling party in 1990. When Semangat 46 left in 1996, PAS remained the dominant party in Kelantan until today and with the wily ulama at the helm. Will PAS's magic triumph again in the upcoming 13th general election which has been shaping up into a fierce "mother of all elections"? In 2004, it came close to losing it and the BN is sparing no efforts to capture it. Umno, at the head of the BN coalition, is trying to win over voters to its side by promising to bring more infrastructure to Kelantan while PAS wants to preserve values which it thinks are good for the people of the state. PAS too wants infrastructure for its people but lacks the means. But it is capitalising on such Islamic issues as the use of the term "Allah" in Malay language Bible and the implementation of thehudud. To edge out PAS, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak has pledged, among other things, seven major projects for Kelantan. These include: the building of the Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) urban campus for 5,000 students; - 3,000 public housing and affordable homes; - an iconic mosque costing RM50 million; - a solution to Kelantan's water woes; - a modern public transport system for Kota Baru; and - a state-of-the-art stadium for the state capital. Kelantan has been raining projects. With the completion of the dual-lane bridge over Kelantan river linking Kota Baru to Pasir Mas, the prime minister now promised to build the much talked about but little done Kota Baru-Kuala Krai highway. Construction of the 73km highway was planned during the Fifth Malaysia Plan at the end of the 1980s to alleviate heavy traffic during festive season. However, the project was cancelled after BN lost the state in 1990. The project was later revived by the fifth prime minister, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, as one of the projects under the Ninth Malaysia Plan, but was cancelled again after the BN's disastrous outing in 2008. Meanwhile, the PAS state government, taking advantage of the federal government's inability or unwillingness to build the highway, decided to embark on a populist scheme to construct the highway through public donations under the slogan of "if they don't want to do it for us, we will do it ourselves." The project was inaugurated by Nik Aziz on May 28, 2012. It is also seen as PAS's way of mocking the BN government for its failure to keep its word. It is also a significant campaign weapon in its armoury to defend the state and to frustrate the BN's efforts. This time, the mother of all weapons is the petrol royalty issue. After much public debate, PAS expects the voters to know the issue and decide. To PAS, Kelantan would be more grateful for the RM12 billion oil royalty due rather than the seven promises made by the prime minister. Kelantan is one of the five oil-producing states in Malaysia. In an agreement signed in 1975, Petronas agreed to a cash payment of 5% of the value of petroleum from the state. However, the state government has been locked in a legal battle with Petronas for direct payment of oil royalties. Currently, Kelantan's share is funnelled to the state via different federal development projects. Kelantan has seen a rather chequered history and much of it is caused by the tussle between PAS and Umno over the "souls" of the people of Kelantan. It will be interesting to see whether finally the Kota Baru-Kuala Krai highway gets to be built.
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| A pattern of Sultanate deception Posted: 11 Mar 2013 10:54 AM PDT
This is the same Jacel Kiram who has been accusing the President Benigno S. Aquino III (P-Noy) government of acting as a Malaysian puppet for not supporting their Sabah misadventure. She and her family knew from Day 1 that the Philippine government no longer has a role in pursuing the Sultanate's Sabah claim — yet they ranted for days for being abandoned and that P-Noy didn't protect fellow Filipinos. William M. Esposo, Phil Star By the very admission of Sultanate of Sulu Princess Jacel Kiram, daughter of Sultan Jamalul Kiram, in a March 8 GMA Network "Unang Hirit" interview — the Sabah issue is strictly between the Sultanate and Malaysia. Racel Kiram admitted that the authorization given by their family to the Philippine government in 1962 lapsed automatically when nothing was accomplished in pursuing the claim after 20 years. Jacel Kiram was quoted: "Nag-lapse na po ito. Nakalagay po 'dun sa kasulatan na in 20 years time, kung wala pong nagawa ang gobyerno... may expiration 'yung authority. So back to the Sultanate of Sulu na ulit. (This lapsed already. It's in the agreement that if nothing is accomplished in 20 years, the agreement automatically expires. That's why it's back with the Sultanate.)" This is the same Jacel Kiram who has been accusing the President Benigno S. Aquino III (P-Noy) government of acting as a Malaysian puppet for not supporting their Sabah misadventure. She and her family knew from Day 1 that the Philippine government no longer has a role in pursuing the Sultanate's Sabah claim — yet they ranted for days for being abandoned and that P-Noy didn't protect fellow Filipinos. Now from her own mouth, she announced last Friday that the Sabah issue is strictly between them and Malaysia. In an earlier media report, a recruit of the Sultan's royal army in Sabah admitted that they were lured to join by promises of $600 in wages, land and position. Early on during the Sabah misadventure, the Kirams kept boasting that they were willing to fight and die for their rights to Sabah and that many Filipinos in Sabah will rally and join their cause. Again, these boasts reflect deception. The 200-man royal army expedition would not have been as courageous if they knew there were no reinforcements to be expected from Filipinos in Sabah. Amazing how those of our supposed "sober-minded analysts" and "Sabah experts" missed the pattern of deception in this Sabah caper. Nobody ever thought of the safety of the over 800,000 Filipinos in Sabah that became exposed to risks of deportation because of Sultan Kiram's boast that they'll join his misadventure. Not only did they not join the Kiram misadventure — they condemned it for putting their lives, livelihood and assets at risk. Now, they're returning home where they have no jobs or shelter. This admission of Jacel Kiram is evidence that there was a conspiracy in this Sabah misadventure. It's a conspiracy to stir Filipino emotions to further the Sultanate's interest in what's strictly a Sultanate and Malaysia row. It's a conspiracy to involve the Philippine government and the Filipino people both here and in Sabah in a violent episode that the Sultanate instigated when it turns out all along that we have no role in this Sabah row. How could all those so-called analysts, intellectuals of our academe miss this grand deception and even reinforce the misplaced desire to reclaim Sabah? Charlatans they all proved to be. They were proclaiming the Sabah invaders as romantic Tausug warriors — and that they were Filipinos our government was duty bound to protect. Such idiots they are, people who don't know the truth even when it stares them in the face. Nobody among these charlatans realized that when you create a national security threat in another country, you are liable to the laws of that country and our government is duty-bound to respect that. When captured and tried, the best our government can do is to provide legal service and when convicted — plead for clemency. In my opinion, the Sultanate should provide for the legal service. They started this mess so let them pay for its outcome and attendant costs. Read more at: http://www.philstar.com/opinion/2013/03/12/918608/pattern-sultanate-deception
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| No certain votes for BN despite uniform pay hike, say analysts Posted: 11 Mar 2013 10:50 AM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) - Putrajaya's move to increase the pay of the police and the armed forces personnel close to Election 2013 may not necessarily mean strengthened support for the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, say analysts. The Najib administration agreed to streamline the salaries of uniformed voters to be on par with other civil servants, announcing yesterday an extra allocation of RM1.5 billion to boost the wages of those without increment last year in a move seen to be shoring up support for BN in the upcoming polls. The common perception was that such announcements mean stronger support from the security forces as the army and police are seen as BN's key traditional votebank. But with freer information through the Internet, a crucial campaigning platform for the opposition, analysts say that conventional belief may now be challenged. "Traditionally, they are known to support the government but to say that they will not be able to make an informed decision with the free flow of information now is an overstatement," Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia lecturer Agus Yusof told The Malaysian Insider. Before the announcement, PAS moved to pre-empt Najib's last minute push to woo civil servants by promising to match and improve on any promise by the prime minister to raise salaries and allowances under a Pakatan Rakyat (PR) government. The move illustrated the race to court civil servants, who form a key demographic among the 13.3 million voters eligible to cast their ballots in this year's general election. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/no-certain-votes-for-bn-despite-uniform-pay-hike-say-analysts/
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| Recovering Queen signs Commonwealth charter Posted: 11 Mar 2013 10:45 AM PDT
(BBC) - The Commonwealth, which accounts for 30% of the world's population, has for the first time drawn up a charter that details 16 core beliefs, which was adopted by all 54 member states in December. The Queen has signed a charter setting out the Commonwealth's values and commitment to equal rights. She made her first official public appearance in more than a week at the Marlborough House reception in London. Earlier, the Queen was forced to pull out of the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey, for only the second time since becoming monarch. Buckingham Palace said she was still recovering from the symptoms of gastroenteritis. The Commonwealth, which accounts for 30% of the world's population, has for the first time drawn up a charter that details 16 core beliefs, which was adopted by all 54 member states in December. These include upholding democracy and opposing "all forms of discrimination" although it does not explicitly include discrimination against gay people. In some Commonwealth countries, homosexual acts are illegal. The charter states: "We are implacably opposed to all forms of discrimination, whether rooted in gender, race, colour, creed, political belief or other grounds." Guests at Marlborough House including Commonwealth high commissioners heard the Queen say the charter "represents a significant milestone as the Commonwealth continues its journey of development and renewal". She told them: "We have now, for the first time, a single document that captures the core values and aspirations of the Commonwealth and all its members." Read more at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21737817
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| ‘Even women, children targeted in Sabah’ Posted: 10 Mar 2013 09:52 PM PDT
(Phil Star) - Tawi-Tawi has been overwhelmed by refugees who have fled Sabah amid horror stories of Malaysian forces targeting even pregnant women and children in a security crackdown. Small boats have been docking in Tawi-Tawi, loaded with refugees fleeing the crackdown. A worker who asked not to be named said even pregnant women and children who were long-time residents of Sabah have been hunted down and killed as the Malaysians fire mortars and embark on a house-to-house search to flush out supporters of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III. Residents have fled on any boat available, even on traditional wooden lepa, used by Badjaos in the Sabah town of Semporna, the worker said. The increasing flood of refugees from Sabah is turning into a humanitarian crisis in Tawi-Tawi. The provincial government has appealed for help from the national government to provide food, medicine and other needs for the refugees. Malacanang said the alleged human rights violations perpetrated by the Malaysian police and military on non-combatants caught in the crossfire in Sabah are "unacceptable." The worker, who is among the refugees, told The STAR that Malaysian forces were targeting members of the Tausug tribe. Members of the Sulu sultanate are mainly Tausugs. "They have been rounding up Tausugs. Either they kill them or they imprison them," the worker said. Malaysian forces reportedly dragged the men out of their homes in Sabah, then kicked and beat them. Jumadil Taradji was told to make a run for it, and when he did so, he was shot dead, according to his sister Amira. "This kind of treatment on our Filipino citizens or Filipino nationals is unacceptable," deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte told radio station dzRB. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) expressed "grave concern" over the reports of human rights violations. "The department urges the Malaysian government to take steps to clarify these alleged incidents. The allegations are alarming and should be properly and immediately addressed by concerned authorities," the DFA said. It is still waiting for the Malaysian government to give Philippine embassy officials and Filipino humanitarian teams in Lahad Datu and nearby areas full access to the Filipinos being held in several locations in Sabah but outside the zone of armed conflict. Valte said "notes verbale" were sent to the Malaysian government precisely to seek humane treatment for the sultan's supporters. She said reports of extrajudicial killings of Filipinos "will have to be validated," adding that the treatment of Filipinos "certainly will be the subject of the discussion of the DFA and their Malaysian counterparts." Thousands of Filipinos have fled Sabah after clashes escalated following a three-week standoff between the followers of the sultanate and Malaysian forces. Tawi-Tawi Vice Gov. Ruby Sahali called on the national government to help the evacuees. She pointed out that even Tawi-Tawi residents are running out of rice. Over 1,000 evacuees have so far arrived, in separate batches, at the country's nearest entry points from Sabah. The latest batch of 512 evacuees reportedly arrived on Turtle Island, also called Taganak, on Saturday night. Sahali said there were more refugees than residents on the island and the food supply was good only until breakfast yesterday. Tawi-Tawi residents purchase rice and other food supplies in Sabah. Taganak Mayor Mibaral Tang said the 512 included 254 men, 122 women including pregnant and lactating mothers, and 136 children. Tang said some children were sick due to exposure to the elements during their sea travel. The evacuees from Sandakan, Lahad Datu, Sempornah and Tawau in Sabah are also flooding into the Tawi-Tawi islands of Sibutu and Simunul. Read more at: http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/03/11/918191/even-women-children-targeted-sabah
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| Sulu envoy to talk peace with Malaysia? Posted: 10 Mar 2013 09:50 PM PDT
(Rappler) - An envoy of the Sulu sultan said on Monday, March 11 he is waiting for the Malaysian government to allow him to travel to Kota Kinabalu to discuss the resolution of the conflict in Sabah. After a first proposed meeting in Brunei did not push through, Esmail Kiram II hopes this time he will be able to talk to the Malaysians. "I am appealing to my brother Malaysians and the Association of Sultans— let's together resolve this issue (…) as soon as possible," said Kiram, brother of self-proclaimed Sultan Jamalul Kiram III andstandoff leader Raja Muda Kiram. The Kirams proposed for the meeting to be held in another country, but the Malaysian government insisted on Kota Kinabalu. "What we are focusing [is] to let our government know our sincere help from the government side in connection with that statement from the Malaysian government [that the Kirams do not negotiate with authorities]," Esmail Kiram II said in a press conference in Makati after meeting Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas in Camp Crame, Quezon City. After the encounter, they refused to divulge specifics of their discussion, saying the details will first have to be reported to President Benigno Aquino III, although Roxas confirmed that the government is open to more talks with the sultan's brother, who has a "direct line" with Malaysia.
Gov't did not ignore our claim - Kiram Asked about his meeting with Roxas, the sultan's brother commented: "We have discussed strategies and means to act on the statement given by the Malaysian government." Esmail Kiram II defended the Aquino administration from allegations it had ignored the family's claim over Sabah and said the President has his top men taking care of the issue. The government will also sponsor the trip to Kota Kinabalu once the Malaysian government gives the green light, he added. Read more at: http://www.rappler.com/nation/23571-sulu-envoy-peace-malaysia
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| Hindraf Makkal Sakthi had it coming! Posted: 10 Mar 2013 09:36 PM PDT
If Hindraf decides to contest these seats, it's unlikely to win any, but nevertheless can succeed in demonstrating that its Indian support base equals or exceeds that given by the community to BN and PR combined. Joe Fernandez Ipoh Barat MP M. Kulasegaran penned an irrelevant, certainly self-serving, piece on Sunday in Malaysiakini which once used to be all about making a difference; Hindraf is no longer the force they were (http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/223413). The MP appears to be implying thereby, among others, in his bleeding heart piece that any ethnic-specific reform proposals put forward by the ad hoc apolitical human rights movement, no matter how well meaning, can be trashed unceremoniously. His approach to Hindraf, at the risk of repetition, is not the merits or otherwise of its reform proposals but rather the delusion that the NGO movement is past its shelf life since it insists like Jeffrey Kitingan on quarrelling now rather than later. Besides, he alleges like his fellow mandores and oodampillai (Tamil for running dog), that Hindraf is really too kurang ajar (ill-mannered) for his new statesmanlike station in life up in the clouds. The word "Indian" is not to be uttered in public at the risk of being labelled not only kurang ajar, but racist or worse! He made scant references, no doubt grudgingly, to Hindraf's 25 Nov, 2007 Rally in the streets of Kuala Lumpur and the mid-Feb 2008 Rose Rally in Putrajaya. He thinks, in an attempt to seize the moral high ground, that perhaps these two events played a role in denying the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) the coveted two-third majority in Parliament at the last outing. But too much should not be made of Hindraf's role in the political tsunami of 2008, belabours Kula and his kind, quickly returning like snails to the mud which they prefer as their comfort zone.
Also, there's the little matter of Hindraf labeling Kula and others like him with kurang ajar terms of "endearment" like mandore and oodampillai. Kula may be in good company with the proxies, stooges, and rogue elements in Sabah and Sarawak politics which bedevil Jeffery's and the Orang Asal's ties with the Malaysian state. If the cap fits, wear it. Siapa yang makan cili akan rasa pedasnya! Otherwise, why bother! The Indian Nation in Malaysia, in any case, is much bigger than the fate of a few individuals who get their proverbial 15 minutes of fame and cling on for dear life to public life for self-serving reasons and strut around as if the Gospel Truth is with them. Hindraf had it coming considering Kula's tirade and the virtually racist and derogatory comments elsewhere directed at it in the wake of the controversy which erupted in Opposition ranks over its Blueprint for Indians in Malaysia.
The Blueprint and its earlier 18 Point List of Indians Demands have certainly sowed the seeds of suspicion and doubt on Pakatan Rakyat's (PR) Buku Jingga and Manifesto and the BN's various Transformation Programmes. Hindraf does not appear to be so concerned about the BN Programmes which the movement has dismissed so far as nothing but hot air. The Buku Jingga and Manifesto are a different matter altogether since much thinking appears to have gone into it. Hindraf is concerned that they omit mention of Indian-specific issues. Hindraf certainly had it coming considering that the political mandores and oodampillais they refer to in PR see the movement as having no mandate from Indians to negotiate with the Opposition Alliance, the BN or anyone else for that matter. The little matter of 85 per cent of Indians voting for PR in 2008, thanks to Hindraf, seems to have been all but quickly forgotten. There's a point here. Hindraf too has made much of "evidence of public support" it has been demonstrating through dinner functions held with opinion leaders from various walks of life, Town Hall- style Meetings and tea parties, the last taking a leaf from Jeffrey's successful Borneo Tea Party gatherings. Still, where's the mandate, shriek the "ungrateful" mandores and oodampillais in the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and Democratic Action Party (Dap) in unison. Kula and Co are fine ones to ask!
The mandores and oodampillais certainly don't have a mandate either from Indians, having been elected largely by non-Indian votes attracted by the Rocket sign and the blue-black eye suffered by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim at the hands of a former Inspector General of Police. So, they have no business either asking whether Hindraf has any mandate from the community to negotiate with PR or BN for that matter. The question of Hindraf getting a mandate from Indians does not arise. There are no ethnic Indian-majority seats in Parliament or any state assembly. The marginalisation and disenfranchisement of Indians over the last 56 years, under the Umno-led BN Government, has been complete. Their voices have not been heard in the legislature since independence in 1957. Indians in the legislature, all elected by non-Indians by and large, are kidding themselves! To add insult to injury, 350,000 Indians have been deliberately kept stateless to keep them out of the electoral rolls and at the same time provide a readily-available domestic pool of slave labour in the twilight zone. There are 67 parliamentary seats in Malaya, and related state seats, where Indians decide.
If Hindraf decides to contest these seats, it's unlikely to win any, but nevertheless can succeed in demonstrating that its Indian support base equals or exceeds that given by the community to BN and PR combined. Such a bold move by itself would be damaging to PR since the opposition needs Indian votes much more than the BN does as the 2008 General Election results proved. In the 12th GE, BN obtained only 15 per cent of the Indian votes cast. Yet, it has been the BN wooing the Indians all the time since 2008 and not PR. The suspicion is that this is just a ploy to weaken the Opposition in the run-up to the 13 th GE. The BN doesn't expect to ever regain its two-third majority of 2004 and the years before. After the GE, the BN will promptly forget the Indians again until the next time when a GE is due and the coalition hopes that the community would have forgiven them if not forgotten their sins. Outside the 67 parliamentary seats, and the related state seats, it will be damaging to both PR and BN if Hindraf urges Indians to vote against all incumbents on the grounds of "non-performance". The jury is still out on which coalition, BN or PR, will be hurt more by this Indian strategic approach, and how this will translate into the total number of seats lost. If Hindraf is yet to burn its bridges, put it down to the movement's leaders being perhaps more than a little naïve, or clinging on like "idealistic fools" to romantic notions of 2007 and 2008 – "Oh! Those were the days!" – and perhaps even a sincere although not too apparent desire to genuinely protect the Opposition leaders, the much-reviled and universally detested mandores and oodampillais included, from themselves.
In the end, there's only so much Hindraf can do. They can't continue to be gluttons for punishment. If Opposition leaders refuse to be saved, the movement has no choice but to cut its losses and move on. In any case, whether BN or PR takes Putrajaya, Indians are more likely to get the short end of the stick as usual. There's no need for Indians to turn to anyone. Their best bet is to avoid party and coalition politics and vote strictly on the basis of the candidates offering themselves to the electorate. If good fortune favours the Indian Nation in Malaysia one day, the Federal and state governments will fall every GE like tenpins in a bowling alley and keep falling until there's a realization all around that it's time – better late than never -- to make difficult choices and necessary compromises if we are to move on. You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time. Abraham Lincoln
Joe Fernandez is a mature student of law and an educationist, among others, who loves to write especially Submissions for Clients wishing to Act in Person. He feels compelled, as a semi-retired journalist, to put pen to paper -- or rather the fingers to the computer keyboard -- whenever something doesn't quite jell with his weltanschauung (worldview). He shuttles between points in the Golden Heart of Borneo formed by the Sabah west coast, Labuan, Brunei, northern Sarawak and the watershed region in Borneo where three nations meet.
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| Where Malaysia Today's readers come from Posted: 10 Mar 2013 06:58 PM PDT 30-day statistics
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| PI Bala: I wasn’t promised RM700,000 Posted: 10 Mar 2013 06:02 PM PDT Raja Petra Kamarudin is writing bullshit stories, says private investigator P Balasubramaniam. Anisah Shukry, FMT Private investigator P Balasubramaniam swears he was not promised payment for the 2008 statutory declaration (SD) linking Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to the murder of Altantuya Shaaribuu. Bala said this in response to claims by blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin that Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim had personally promised the private investigator RM700,000 if he agreed to come up with the first SD by July 1, 2008. Citing a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) source, Raja Petra had said Anwar wanted the SD to implicate Najib, who was then defence minister, so that his Sept 16 plan of becoming prime minister would succeed. "I swear on my mother, I do not know anything about this RM700,000. All these accusations against me are bullshit," Bala told FMT today. "In fact, I had only met Anwar twice: once in 1994, when I was on official duty, and the second was the day I signed my first SD during the [July 3, 2008] press conference. I never met him again afterwards, either." Bala stressed that the question of money never came up in his preparation of the first SD, denying even the RM100,000 he allegedly received from lawyer Puravelan. "My purpose has always been the truth, never money. What can I do with money? I can't bring it to my grave," he said. But Raja Petra had claimed that Bala had contacted businessman Deepak Jaikishan after he did not receive the full payment of the RM700,000 – an encounter that eventually led to the second SD, which reversed all claims made in the first one. Responding to this, Bala said: "Raja Petra has nothing to write about, so he comes up with bullshit. He's my friend, but I don't know how to advise him." He conceded that he had met with Deepak, but reiterated that the ensuing second SD was done out of duress. "I changed my statement out of duress, but then when Najib became prime minister in 2009, I openly said what happened to me, and my statement has been consistent since then." Bala also admitted to having received payment from Deepak after making the second SD, and said that the money had been used for travel, food expenses as well as the education of his children.
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| Wong Tack Should Not Stand on PKR Ticket Unless Anwar Ibrahim & Him Clarify Their Stand on Lynas Posted: 10 Mar 2013 05:57 PM PDT
Khoo Kay Peng Speaking to an Australian media, the PKR de facto leader and PR's prime minister designate Anwar Ibrahim has appeared to have soften his stand against Lynas. According to the news media, Malaysia's Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim has pledged to back Australian miner Lynas operating a controversial rare earths processing plant, if a new public inquiry proves it to be safe. Earlier he had demanded the plant's closure. Dr Anwar confirmed that if he won power, he would fast-track the inquiry but until then he would move quickly to shut the plant near the coastal town of Kuantan, 194 kilometres north-east of Kuala Lumpur. Dr Anwar said he would offer the company and others the opportunity to testify before any inquiry. He would also seek to involve world experts on rare earths that are used to make high-tech products such as smartphones, iPods, flat-screen televisions, hybrid cars and missiles. "If Lynas can come out with a convincing argument there is no risk to people's safety and security I will be the first to champion the plant there," Dr Anwar said. A friend and a renowned Malaysian socio-political scientist teaching in Singapore reacted when he first read Anwar's statement: " Apparently Anwar also said that Lynas might not be postponed if it is reviewed under PR???? WTH?? Im trying to confirm if he actually said this to the Australian press...Dude, what the hell Anwar has been smoking???" Anwar's stand is putting his PR's manifesto in jeopardy. The document has clearly stated that it shall STOP Lynas if the coalition comes into power. No compromise, no further enquiry and without a doubt. The argument is simple; the project has brought psychological pain and stress to the people surrounding the area. Fishermen are afraid of water contamination. Families are afraid of rare earth particles in the air. Anwar in his interview, which can be viewed from the link provided, said that he has confided in Wong Tack on his recent move to grant Lynas an opportunity to redeem itself by coming out with a convincing argument that there is no risk to people's safety and health. Hence, it is best that Wong Tack clarifies with Anwar Ibrahim his recent stand on Lynas. It would be prudent for Wong Tack to state his own stand too since his name was brought up by Anwar in the interview.
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| The real story of Anwar’s Sodomy 2 ( Part 1) Posted: 10 Mar 2013 04:41 PM PDT
From Yuktes Vijay, via e-mail I read with anger the news that Saiful's dad has joined PKR. I knew from Day 1 that the party was devoid of any integrity but for it to stoop to this extent is just mind boggling. I was working with one of Anwar's long-time lawyers during the whole course of Sodomy 2 and was involved in A-Z of the trial itself. When I say A-Z, it means from meeting the forensic and DNA experts to reviewing of the documents to finding case laws for his submissions. I was involved in everything. I do not wish to mention the name of the lawyer here as I revere him as my mentor and I do not wish to drag him into this frustration and anger pouring of mine. Why Anwar never took the stand? Anwar claimed that he was never offered a fair trial. The truth is he was never brave enough to take the stand. He was never going to withstand the questions that were about to be put forward to his now ally Datuk Yusof. If you Pakatanians have doubts, why not ask him these questions and get valid, acceptable and not logically challenging answers for it.
Fearing that Anwar will not be able to withstand the onslaught by the Prosecution, the defence team then decided to ask him not to take stand uder the pretext that he was not offered a fair trial. Anwar excelled in conning, deceiving and cheating the public by assuming a Mandela like persona. He is no Mandela, merely a good con artist. Fund for the overseas experts The surprising factor here is why no one has ever questioned the fees that were involved in paying the forensic experts, Dr Brian Macdonald and Dr David Wells. Contrary to what the general public have been made to believe, they were paid hefty sums to defend him. When they were here, they stayed in Shang-ri La Hotel for a number of days. Where did the money to pay the hotels come from? Did Anwar pay from his own pocket? No, he does not even pay his lawyers. So, he had very rich Datuks funding him. I do know the name of the Datuk, but for the reasons known close to me I will not disclose the name. The problem is if PKR can throw questions as to the wedding expenditure of the Prime Minister, why not question where the money to pay these experts came from? If a former convict and a mere Opposition Leader can have Datuks funding his legal expences, what is wrong in having Datuks funding the wedding of the PM's daughter? Saiful I don't know much about Saiful. The only thing I can say is that the reason he was denied justice is that the Investigating Officer, Jude Perreira, ignored the protocols told to him by Jabatan Kimia and decided to do his things his own way. There were traces of Anwar's DNA in his rectum. The only thing that stopped the judge from convicting Anwar was the "break in the chain of evidence". I will write a full piece on this soon. This drama itself deserves a full piece write up. In a nutshell, there was evidence of Anwar's semen in Saiful's rectum. However, due to a break in chain of evidence and the question mark over the integrity of the samples, the evidence was not used. So the judge had no other way of corroborating Saiful's evidence. Conclusion for Part 1 Anwar is a consummate liar. He is using Saiful's dad to play up his victim role in order to garner votes. We all know for a fact that since he got acquitted he has lost that bit of "charm" about him as he has nothing to yell about anymore. I really hope he sues me so that I can prove in Court what I have just mentioned. Remember Anwar Ibrahim, I grew up adoring you. I know your modus operandi and I aspired to be you. Sue me please. Let the public watch Anwar vs Anwar clone (which is me) in action. And remember the e-mails, Astroboy? I have all of them saved. Come get me! The writer, a former Anwarista, worked in Anwar's Sodomy 2 trial for the defence
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| Heckling, mocking and debating Posted: 10 Mar 2013 04:10 PM PDT
I detest hecklers. And that is what a few readers who comment in Malaysia Today are, hecklers. But they imagine themselves as philosophers who are making wise comments that are going to help change entire humankind for the better. And that is why of late I have been putting down these hecklers with my own responses to their silly heckling comments. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin There are people who do not understand the difference between heckling, mocking and debating. I suppose these are the types of people who also do not understand the difference between making love, screwing and raping. To these people, brutally grabbing a female and ravaging her against her will comes under the category of 'making love'. Absolutely no class! Manners of country bumpkins! But then I suppose we can't blame them. These people did not receive an education at good schools like the Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK) or the Victoria Institution (VI) -- both schools that I went to. Many of them were schooled in obscure small towns that still had bucket latrines up to the 1960s or 1970s, or in kampong schools or vernacular/mother-tongue hole-in-the-wall schools. You can take the village idiot out of the village but you can't take the village mentality out of the village idiot, as the saying goes. Hence you can send them to school but that does not necessarily mean they will receive an education. Education is not just about going to school. After all even monkeys can be taught tricks and then sent into space after being taught these tricks. Hence you may have gone to school but whether you are still a monkey is yet to be seen. I detest hecklers. And that is what a few readers who comment in Malaysia Today are, hecklers. But they imagine themselves as philosophers who are making wise comments that are going to help change entire humankind for the better. And that is why of late I have been putting down these hecklers with my own responses to their silly heckling comments. I remember an incident that happened about 30 years ago back in the early 1980s. Tan Sri Tan Kay Hock, the Chairman of Johan Holdings Berhad and George Kent (M) Bhd, took me (and our wives) for dinner at The Paddock in the (old) Kuala Lumpur Hilton. There was a comedian on stage and he was pretty good. But we could not hear what the comedian was saying because there were two Malay chaps pissed-drunk at the table behind us who were heckling him. I noticed the manager, escorted by a security guard, going up to them to request them to tone down a bit because everyone was staring at them and were clearly quite upset with the disturbance. But these two pissed-drunk Malay chaps continued heckling the comedian until it came to a stage that he became quite flustered and did not know how to continue with his routine. That was when I stood up and walked over to the table of these two very drunk hecklers and told them to shut the fuck up. The manager and security guard knew that the whole thing was about to turn ugly but before they could separate us one of the Malay chaps stood up and made a move towards me. In that type of situation there is more room for talk. I punched the chap and he fell back into his chair quite stunned. For the rest of the night he remained very quiet and just 'enjoyed' the show. I think he must have been 'boiling' because after a while he came over to my table and demanded to know why I had punched him. The manager quickly grabbed him and pulled him back to his table before I could rearrange his face. Well, okay, that was 30 years ago and I was still in my early 30s and hence quite darah panas (hot headed). Nevertheless, although I am not so fist-of-fury any longer, as I used to be, I still have zero tolerance for hecklers. A few years ago (before the 2008 GE) I attended a debate between Umno Youth and PKR Youth at the PWTC. The Umno Youth and Puteri Umno members in the audience were very well behaved. The PKR Youth members, however, were heckling the Umno Youth debaters every time they stood up to debate. The Umno Youth and Puteri Umno members did not do the same to the PKR Youth debaters when they stood up to debate. They Umno boys and girls behaved well and they allowed the PKR Youth debaters to say their piece without any interruptions. And even as the PKR Youth members heckled the Umno Youth debaters the Umno Youth debaters still smiled and continued in a civil manner without showing any signs of irritation. The PKR Youth hecklers were sitting in the row right behind me (I was sitting next to Cikgu Bad so he can confirm this incident) so I could not hear the debate due to all the commotion. I turned to the PKR Youth chaps and told them to shut up and show some respect to the debaters. They kept quiet for a while and then continued heckling. I got so fed up I walked out of the hall although I wished I could just punch these hecklers in their faces. Looking back now, I should have punched them in their faces because these people have now all joined Umno and are amongst the greatest critics of Pakatan Rakyat. And if I had known they would one day leave the opposition to join Umno I might have whacked them in the face to shut them up. Anyway, as I said, Malaysia Today, too, has its share of hecklers who do not address, rebut or reply to the points in the article or report. They totally ignore the issues and instead just heckle. And these are the people I respond to with my sarcastic comments. It is not so much bringing myself down to their level but more to give them a taste of their own medicine. After all, I too can be nasty and post racist comments as well as they can. But the most important thing, though, is that I put my name to my comments while they heckle under false identities without revealing who they are. And this is because they have not been properly educated and brought up like I have. I mean, they may have gone to school but they still demonstrate the mentality of their forefathers from the new villages, fishing villages, padi-fields, rubber estates, tin mines, and so on. You can bring the descendants of people from the new villages, fishing villages, padi-fields, rubber estates and tin mines out of the new villages, fishing villages, padi-fields, rubber estates and tin mines, but you can never remove the new village, fishing village, padi-field, rubber estate and tin mine mentality from their brain. Do I sound pompous? I hope so because I intended it to be so. |
| ‘Prepare for future security threats’ Posted: 10 Mar 2013 02:39 PM PDT The on-going security crisis is a "slap in the face of Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein" who had earlier said the intruders were neither militants nor violent. Queville To, FMT KOTA KINABALU: With the east coast of Sabah being turned into a military command centre, Sabahans must brace themselves for the long haul in overcoming the security threats faced by Sabah, said former chief minister Yong Teck Lee. "Security operations of this nature can last up to 20 years, or one generation, because of the inherently delicate tasks of identifying who the real enemies are in this troubled region of East Asean, particularly in the Southern Philippines," he said. He cited how the Moros fought the Spanish conquerors for 300 years and then the Americans for 50 years and then Manila for another 50 years until the present day, without any sign of a long lasting solution in spite of peace agreements like the Tripoli accord of 1976 and with the Moro National Liberation Front in 1996 and with Moro Islamic Liberation Front in 2012. He told the reporters this when approached at the mobile service booth of Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) in Gaya Street here today, when asked to comment on the Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's announcement in Lahad Datu last Friday of the establishment of a special security area (SSA) in Sabah to safeguard the sovereignty and security of the state's east coast. Najib said the Sabah Special Security Area encompassed the districts of Kudat, Tawau, Kunak, Sandakan, Semporna and Lahad Datu. Yong who is also president of SAPP pointed out that the East Coast Security Area is an 'Eastern Command' that by its nature is meant for the long haul in the same way that the Sarawak Rajang Security Command (RASCOM) was established in the 1970s to combat communists and the Armed Forces Philippines Southern Command that was set up to combat separatists. He said the on-going security crisis is a "slap in the face of Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein" who had assured the people that the intruders are not militant and not violent. Yong also said he believes the armed intrusion by a group from the Southern Philippines has crossed the point of no return.
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| ‘Anwar promised RM700,000 to PI Bala’ Posted: 10 Mar 2013 02:32 PM PDT However, Raja Petra says the money was not paid in full and this resulted in Balasubramaniam contacting Deepak Jaikishnan. (FMT) - In his latest posting, Raja Petra Kamarudin has revealed how private investigator P Balasubramaniam was allegedly conned of the RM700,000 promised to him by Anwar Ibrahim. Citing a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) source who quoted carpet businessman Deepak Jaikishnan's statement to the MACC, the Malaysia Today webmaster claimed that Balasubramaniam was promised the amount in return for his first statutory declaration to implicate Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor in the murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu. In July 2008, Raja Petra said a prominent lawyer introduced Balasubramaniam to lawyers R Sivarasa and Americk Sidhu. "Sivarasa then arranged for Balasubramaniam to meet Anwar to discuss signing a SD to directly implicate Najib and Rosmah in Altantuya's murder. "Balasubramaniam met Anwar twice, the first time a few days before the SD was signed and the second time on the SD day itself wherein he sat beside Anwar and gave his press conference flanked by his lawyer," he added. The first time the prominent lawyer brought Balasubramaniam to meet Anwar, Raja Petra said he was promised RM700,000.00 if he agreed to come up with the SD by July 1, 2008. "Anwar had agreed to pay the RM700,000 through the lawyer and the payment was to be made in two stages – Part A, RM200,000, immediately and Part B, RM500,000, after the press conference. On July 1, 2008, Balasubramaniam made the SD and proceeded to conduct the press conference on July 3, 2008, organised by Anwar and his lawyers at the PKR headquarters. "Unfortunately for Balasubramaniam, after the press conference, the lawyer only paid him RM100,000 although he had received RM200,000 from Anwar. "The lawyer told Balasubramaniam that Anwar had instructed for the balance to be paid after a few days. The balance of RM500,000 – the lawyer pocketed all to himself without Balasubramaniam knowing," he added. 'Perfect timing' Raja Petra said a vexed Balasubramaniam then tried to contact Anwar through Americk and other people he knew in PKR such as Sivarasa. However, he added that Anwar never responded at all to him because the latter believed that Balasubramaniam was fully paid. At the same time, Raja Petra said Balasubramaniam started getting calls from the Brickfields police station and he became worried. "He started to panic as Anwar was not responding and the lawyer had just cheated him of his only income to enable him and his family to leave Malaysia. Balasubramaniam didn't know that the lawyer cheated him. "Balasubramaniam, the next day after waiting for Anwar or his lawyer to call him, realised that he had been cheated of his promised money. He then contacted Deepak [Jaikishan] through a mutual friend, Suresh, and asked to meet Deepak so that he could relate what had happened. Deepak informed Suresh that he would first discuss this matter with Rosmah and get back to him as soon as possible," he added. That afternoon, Raja Petra said, Rosmah called Deepak regarding the SD matter and the discussion got to Balasubramaniam.
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| Posted: 10 Mar 2013 02:21 PM PDT Azlan Mohd Lazim said that he had supported PKR since 1998 and hopes that Pakatan Rakyat would win in the general election. G Vinod, FMT Saiful Bukhari Azlan's father, Azlan Mohd Lazim, announced that he will be joining PKR today. He submitted his application form to PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution at a press conference held at the party headquarters here today. Azlan was flanked by PKR MPs Abdullah Sani and Johari Abdul. Last week, Azlan, 60, dropped a bombshell when he said that Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim was innocent of the allegations in Sodomy II. He also said that his son, Saiful Bukhari, was a pawn in high-level political conspiracy to frame Anwar, masteminded by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's special officer, Khairil Annas Jusoh. However, Saiful denied his father's claims and insisted he was sodomised by Anwar. Azlan, a retiree, said that he had always supported PKR and Anwar since the Reformasi era. "I hope PKR and Pakatan Rakyat as a whole will win big in the 13th general election," he said. On Saiful standing firm on his accusations, Azlan refused to comment on the matter. However, Azlan said that he was heartened by Saiful's statement that he would always love his father. "I apologise to Saiful if my decisions had affected him. It's not my intention to betray my son. "I will always love my children. Just because I have joined PKR does not mean I'm going to ignore my blood," he said. During the question and answer session, Azlan dodged many queries posed to him, including on why he revealed on Anwar's innocence only five years later. " As a Malaysian, I can decide for myself. Besides, I have thought a lot about it and its implications," he said. He also dodged questions on why he did not stop his son from taking a religious oath on the sodomy case in 2009 if he had known Anwar was not guilty.
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| Saiful, father’s Sodomy II tiff won’t alter GE13 results, say analysts Posted: 10 Mar 2013 02:12 PM PDT
Zurairi AR, TMI The political conspiracy claims by Saiful Bukhari Azlan's father about his son's sodomy complaint against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will have little impact on the general election and will be eclipsed by other issues, say analysts. Questions also have been raised over the timing of Azlan Mohd Lazim's revelation on Friday describing an "evil conspiracy" behind the opposition leader's second sodomy charge, and his subsequent apology to Anwar's family. "I suppose it's all related to the election, even Saiful's father is willing to come out and speak up," Merdeka Center for Opinion Research director Ibrahim Suffian told The Malaysian Insider. "It (happened) before the elections, so that there will be more time (for the issue) to be discussed prior to the campaigning period." Ibrahim expressed dismay that the ugly issue has once again reared its head, which will further sensationalise the political scene in the country. He suggested that PKR had the most to gain, as Azlan's (picture) revelation appeared to implicate the country's leadership, by linking the Prime Minister's Office and Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail in the conspiracy. "Anwar has been accused in the past, but the statement by Saiful's father changes how the storyline goes so far," said Ibrahim, who run's the widely respected polling agency. "It further points to the impression that Anwar is innocent," he added. Anwar's acquittal last year has also factored in support for his Pakatan Rakyat (PR) pact and that most Malaysians generally viewed the prosecution with some scepticism. PAS spiritual adviser Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat had also said over the weekend that Anwar's reputation was getting cleaner by the day following the latest revelations. "Lies will one day be revealed ... It's impossible for Anwar to pay Saiful's father off, especially when Cabinet ministers earn much more than Anwar," Nik Aziz was quoted in the Saturday editon of the Malay-language daily Sinar Harian. UiTM political science lecturer Asri Salleh conceded that the issue could be played up by both Barisan Nasional (BN) and PR, as both sides could potentially lose or gain ground from the issue. "This issue will not last long. Kejap je panas (It's a hot issue for just a short time)," Asri told The Malaysian Insider.
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| Who will win the 13th general election? Posted: 10 Mar 2013 01:57 PM PDT
Lee Hwa Bang, TMI The coming 13th general election will be interesting as nobody can say for sure which coalition will win Putrajaya. However, one thing that we can all agree on is that Barisan Nasional (BN) can no longer win a two-thirds majority and whoever wins, the margin of victory will be narrow. Many analysts have been making forecasts recently but (in my humble opinion), most of these articles are political spin to make their paymasters look good. As a disclaimer, I have no agenda in providing the below. I have drafted a list of what I think are thought-provoking questions for the astute reader to use in order to come to an informed conclusion on whether Pakatan Rakyat (PR) can improve their GE12 performance. In my analysis, I have relied on the results of the last elections (see table) and sparingly highlighted the results of the by-elections, crossovers and those MPs who have become independents since GE12. In the last elections, BN won 140 seats and Pakatan 82 seats in Parliament. In Peninsular Malaysia, BN won narrowly with 85 seats to Pakatan's 80 seats. However, in east Malaysia, Pakatan won only two seats, one each in Sabah and Sarawak, while the rest of the parliamentary seats were won by BN. Since then, PAS wrested the Kuala Terengganu seat from Umno in a by-election; MIC wrested the Hulu Selangor seat from PKR; six MPs from PKR and one MP from PAS have resigned; one joined KITA and six became BN-friendly independents. The DAP has wrested an additional seat from SUPP in the Sibu by-election; two SAPP MPs have left BN to become independents; one MP from Umno and one from UPKO in Sabah have resigned and become Pakatan-friendly independents. Before you attempt to predict which coalition will win GE13, you should answer the following questions: 1) Peninsular Malaysia (BN 85: PR 80) Is the overall anti-BN sentiment expressed in 2008 stronger or weaker in 2013? If the anti-BN sentiment is worse now among the Chinese, will the MCA and Gerakan be able to retain their existing 17 seats (MCA 15, Gerakan 2)? Will the Indian voters return to BN when most people agreed in the last election 60 per cent of them voted for Pakatan? Will PAS be able to wrench away some of the 65 Umno seats in Peninsular Malaysia and improve on the 23 seats that it won in GE12? Quite a number of these seats were won marginally by either Umno or PAS. Will Pakatan be able to retain the seats of their seven MPs (Gobalakrishnan-Padang Serai/Kedah; Zulkilfi Noordin-Kulim/Kedah; Tan Tee Beng-Nibong Tebal/Penang; Zahrain Hashim-Bayan Baru/Penang; Mohd Fadzil-BaganSerai/Perak; Wee Choo Keong-Wangsa Maju/KL and Ibrahim Ali-Pasir Mas/Kelantan) who have resigned from Pakatan and become BN friendly? 2) Sarawak (BN 30: PR/DAP 1) During the 2011 state elections (where there were no parliamentary elections), many were surprised when the DAP won 12 state seats and PKR three state seats. If we use the results of the state elections to extrapolate on the potential result of parliamentary elections, the DAP would win six Parliament seats. It is noteworthy that the DAP was able to win the Sibu by-election in addition to the Kuching seat it won in 2008. In a nutshell, the Chinese voted overwhelmingly for the DAP during the 2011 state elections. Will the DAP be able to hold on to its Chinese support and increase its indigenous support to add more seats? Will PKR and the DAP be able to win a couple of seats in the parliamentary constituencies that are composed of "mixed" seats with Chinese and native support especially the 15 seats now held by SUPP (5), SPDP (4) and PRS (6). Whatever the case, most pundits predict a range of 6-10 seats for Pakatan Rakyat in Sarawak. 3) Sabah (BN 25: PR/DAP 1) (Labuan as part of Sabah) Since the last election in 2008 (GE12), the SAPP with two MPs has left BN and become independent. An Umno MP and an UPKO MP have also resigned from their parties and have aligned themselves to Pakatan. Will Pakatan be able to negotiate and ultimately, co-operate with Jeffrey Kittingan's STAR and Yong Teck Lee's SAPP in order to ensure a direct, one-to-one fight in all the state and parliamentary seats? Will the on-going Lahad Datu conflict have any effect on the Muslim voters in Sabah, especially among the Suluk voters? If you are able to answer the questions above, there you have it, you have just come to your own conclusion of who will win the next GE13. Remember a coalition needs a minimum of 112 seats to form the government out of the total of 222 seats. The current standing is BN with 142 MPs (135 plus seven BN-friendly independents), Pakatan with 77 MPs (75 plus two Pakatan-friendly Independents), SAPP two MPs and one vacancy due to the death of the PAS MP in Titiwangsa where no by-election has been held. * Datuk Lee Hwa Beng is the former MCA state assemblyman for Subang Jaya (three terms from 1995-2008). Stood as the BN candidate for the Kelana Jaya parliamentary seat in 2008 and lost. Appointed Port Klang Authority chairman to investigate the PKFZ scandal from 2008 to 2011 and the author of "PKFZ: A Nation's Trust Betrayed."
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| ‘Kick out those who sodomise the nation’ Posted: 10 Mar 2013 01:49 PM PDT Anwar Ibrahim may have sodomised a few fellows but BN leaders have been sodomising the entire nation for decades, argues one voter, with a shaving blade in hand. RK Anand, FMT Sporting a French beard is cumbersome, entailing a trip to the neighbourhood barbershop at least twice a week just to keep the darn thing in shape. Its fate hinges on the deft hand that wields the shaving blade. During the last visit, I was mortified to discover that the regular Indian national barber was absent and in his place, slumped on the worn-out sofa, was an elderly Malaysian Indian gentleman. His oil-slicked hair and loud red batik shirt did not inspire confidence but I was desperate. It was late, there was an important dinner on the schedule and I needed to look sharp. The slightest error would leave me no other option but to clean shave, which would feel queer. With a stern expression, he smothered the shaving foam. In the background, the TV3 newscaster ranted about Saiful Bukhari Azlan's insistence that Anwar Ibrahim sodomised him despite his father claiming otherwise. I decided to break the ice and prod the barber's views on this delicate subject. His reaction was astounding and left me wondering about his sexual orientation. "So what if it's true!" he thundered, as he inserted the blade into the shaving kit. "Anwar might have sodomised a few fellows but these… [Tamil vulgarities censored]… have been sodomising the country for decades. So it's time for us to sodomise them in the elections," he hollered with excitement, waving the shaving kit in a menacing manner. I regretted bringing up the topic. To the sapiosexual voter, Anwar's heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual bedroom romps mean little. It is a matter of grave concern to his wife but not to the nation. Attempting to discredit him on this note has little impact on most but on those that it does, these people are torn between believing the allegations and his claim that it is an insidious plot to frustrate his march towards the administrative capital. Sexual escapades is a potent weapon in the arsenal of politicians the world over, who have exploited it to great effect against their rivals. Even here, one or two heads have rolled. But it fails to hurt Anwar because the cases against him are riddled with holes, giving the impression of being ill-conceived conspiracies hatched in the minds of mediocre conspirators. And in the case of the infamous sex videos, it was unwise to use those with tainted characters to character assassinate him, and thus failing the first litmus test of Conspiracy 101. Assets and liabilities Can Anwar be trusted? Of course not. Like all politicians, his tongue is forked and from it, will sprout a venomous trail of falsehood. Umno used to run in his veins, and now he wants to slit its throat and bleed it to death. However, he claims to be a reformed man after being sacked, beaten, jailed and humiliated. Should he be extended the benefit of doubt? Yes. Because we too have made mistakes and learned from them. To err is human. Both Anwar and PKR are the federal opposition bloc's greatest assets and at the same time, its biggest liabilities. To those who desire regime change, Anwar's shortcomings and purported transgressions can be forgiven because he is the most important tool in their endeavour to demolish the Barisan Nasional fortress. Until the advent of the new Anwar, there had been no strong Malay opposition leader to lead the charge against Barisan Nasional. Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, during his Semangat 46 sojourn, was too much of a polished aristocrat to appeal to the Malay voters of all classes. Anwar, on the other hand, is a street combatant and also regarded as a pious Muslim. He brings to the table what no other Umno politician has – guts. And his boldness has captured the imagination of the voters irrespective of class and age. Credit must also be given to his wife and children, who stood alongside him throughout the numerous trials and tribulations, therefore lending more credence to his claim of being a victim of an evil plot. Furthermore, when a venerated Muslim leader, garbed in robes, such as the PAS spiritual adviser can place his faith in Anwar's leadership, then the simple God-fearing Muslim voter wonders about the basis of the allegations by the designer-suit clad Muslim leaders in Umno, whose alleged scandals, if arranged in a straight line, can cover the entire length of Putrajaya. So attacking Anwar is counter-productive to BN, especially when it comes to winning the hearts and minds of those whose disdain for the ruling coalition far outweighs their reservations towards the opposition leader. To these voters, he is an indispensable saint or sinner at this juncture.
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| Pakatan capable of forming Perak govt Posted: 10 Mar 2013 01:38 PM PDT A DAP leader feels that Pakatan can capture at least 42 state seats to form the next state government. Athi Shankar, FMT IPOH: Pakatan Rakyat can win 38 to 42 state seats to form the next Perak government, declared DAP's Tronoh assemblyman V Sivakumar. The former Perak State Legislative Assembly Speaker said based on reliable intelligence information, Pakatan was on the verge forming the state government with a two-thirds majoriy in the state's 59-seat legislature. Pakatan allies – DAP, PAS and PKR – mustered only 31 state seats against Barisan Nasional's 28 seats in the 2008 general election. The narrow Pakatan win, he said, had enabled BN to stage a coup via defections to capture the state government in early 2009. Pakatan lost the state government when PKR assemblymen Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi of Behrang and Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu of Changkat Jering, and DAP Jelapang representative Hee Yit Foong defected and declared themselves as BN-friendly independents. A year later, DAP's Malim Nawar assemblyman Keshvinder Singh followed suit. Sivakumar said people in Perak were still bitter with how BN's took over the state. He said issues like corruption and abuses of power would be the main reason behind the forecasted massive vote swing towards Pakatan. "If we win with two-thirds, then we will see what BN is going to do," he told a fund-raising dinner themed "Matram Nite – Dine With V Sivakumar" held here. DAP's Taiping MP and Pantai Remis assemblyman Nga Kor Min, Beruas MP and Sitiawan assemblyman Ngeh Koo Ham, and Buntong assemblyman A Siva Subramaniam, and PAS leaders Nizar Jamaluddin and Husam Musa were all present. Sivakumar said Pakatan was confident that it could garner some 85% of ethnic Chinese voters, not less than 60% Indian votes and some 40% Malays not only in Perak, but across the Peninsula.
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| Mistake to rekindle Saiful affair Posted: 10 Mar 2013 12:32 PM PDT
PKR cannot accuse Umno of using dirty tactics when the former itself is guilty in abundance of doing the same thing. CT Ali, Free Malaysia Today You would think that after all that he has been through, Anwar Ibrahim understands that he, above every other politician, should lead Pakatan Rakyat away from the gutter level of discourse that passes for politics in our nation. In this latest twist and turn of the Saiful sodomy saga, we see it all happening again – albeit in a more precarious situation than before for Anwar. He has already got his "get out of jail" card, so why in the name of common sense does he want to revisit the site of his near political death? And whatever the outcome of this Saiful Bukhari Azlan's father's latest "awakening" is, I believe it will result in no political gain for Anwar, PKR or Pakatan Rakyat. I do not understand the need for any party within Pakatan Rakyat to resort to the tactics that PKR is now stooping to in revisiting the Saiful sodomy on its own volition. That was that Sungai Petani PKR MP Johari Abdul who accompanied Saiful's father, Azlan Mohd Lazim, to the press conference, was it not? So let nobody deny that PKR is complicit in this disgusting circus of pitting father against son and vice versa. What are they doing here? Accusing Umno of using gutter politics to try and score cheap points with the Malaysian public and bring Anwar down? Surely it is a case of the pot calling the kettle black. PKR cannot accuse Umno of using dirty tactics when the former itself is guilty in abundance of doing the same thing. Visiting the Saiful case serves no purpose for our nation or our people except to remind them again of the abyss our politicking is now drowning in. You do not have to tarnish the image of Najib and Umno – they have already been doing it to themselves quite adequately. Why not take the level of political discourse to a more sensible level? Why not challenge Umno and BN on an ideological and political level? But no, Anwar and PKR prefer to take the low road – gutter politics. Drama from the father Already you question the credibility of what this father of Saiful has to say. He mentions Najib's special officer, Khairil Annas Jusoh, and yet has never met him. So he tells us that he had stood by his son to provide moral support. So what has changed? Saiful's morality or his? He says his son is a good person, so what has changed with Saiful to make him change his mind – or again is it himself that has changed? And why the change – a sudden rush of religious morality or financial inducements? Do not bring race or religion into this. What has being Malay got to do with it all? If you talk about religion, then what is more kosher – Saiful taking an oath in the name of Allah that he has been sodomised by DSAI or his father using religion as an excuse of supposedly coming clean. So his previous statement had been scripted by his son's lawyer Zamri Idrus? Who is now scripting his statement now? And why the presence of Johari – that in itself smacks of politics being behind it all, not morality, not religion, not race. He tells us that the government did not meet with him or even ask his opinion on the case. Why should the government meet with him and discuss the case? Was it not his son that was sodomised and not he? And again invoking the name of Allah, he wants to ask for forgiveness from Anwar's family and from Anwar himself. Do not use the name of Allah in vain; use it so often and in all circumstances that it no longer has any credibility in announcing your guilt or innocence to any of us – what more to Allah? Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2013/03/11/mistake-to-rekindle-saiful-affair/ |
| Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: Lahad Datu — How might Malaysians vote in the GE? Posted: 10 Mar 2013 12:28 PM PDT
Should Najib be rewarded now that Malaysia appears to have won the battle but only after the loss of eight Malaysian police officers? Should Sabahan voters instead punish the BN for the failure of coastline control for decades and the treacherous project of enfranchising foreigners which led to this incident? THE Malaysian security forces finally launched a military offensive against Filipino militants who landed on Sabah's shores on 9 February 2013 to reclaim it for the Sulu Sultanate. Deaths have mounted, with more than 50 Sulu militants and eight Malaysian police personnel killed. (Update: an unidentified teenager was shot by Malaysian forces on 10 March.) But the Barisan Nasional (BN) government initially appeared more interested in negotiating with the armed intruders and downplaying their hostile intentions. The Nut Graph asks political scientist Dr Wong Chin Huat what to make of the government's response and what impact it may have on the coming general election. TNG: What are your comments on the BN government's initial response to the invasion? The government seemed to initially adopt an appeasement policy towards the foreign combatants who invaded our land and openly claimed ownership of it. The invaders landed on 9 February and on 18 February, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein actually claimed they were neither terrorist nor militant. It took 25 days for the Malaysian security forces to take action on 5 March. By then, two police commandos had been killed on 1 March in Lahad Datu and another six the following day in Semporna. Hishammuddin had tweeted on 28 February that our security forces had not fired any shots but were shot at that morning. It does seem that our government was initially bending over backwards to downplay the threat from the invaders. Especially when compared with their contrasting attitude when they detained Australian Senator Nick Xenophon at the Low Cost Carrier Terminal and thendeported him. What do you think are the reasons for the government's slow response? There are three possible answers to our government's initial appeasement policy. First, our authorities could be pacifist to the core. They might beat up unarmed Malaysiandemonstrators to maintain public order but they will not mess with foreign combatants. In that sense, Xenophon's problem was not that he interfered in Malaysian internal affairs, but that he didn't do so backed up by over 100 militants. In Hishammuddin's words, "Since they had guns, it is important our action does not lead to bloodshed."  Mahathir (© Syrenn | public domain) Second, there are the conspiracy theories. Against the background of Tun Mahathir Mohamad's Project IC, some theorise that the Sulu militants are part of the BN government's plot to enfranchise more foreigners. The talk of the militants coming to claim land offered to them, claimed by Filipino sources, fuelled this line. Another variant pursues the possibility that the crisis was manufactured to either frighten the Sabahans to vote BN or to generate patriotic sentiments which BN may ride on. Alternatively, this could be used to justify an emergency in Sabah. The traditional media accusing the opposition leaders of triggering the crisis adds credibility to this variant of conspiracy theory. The third possibility is of course that the authorities have acted flawlessly. The appeasement in the first three weeks was part of the game plan to make the Sulu invaders look unreasonable, hence paving the way for their annihilation later. In other words, the delay and seeming indecisiveness were all part of the master plan. Which possibility is the most likely? It is difficult to say. It is unlikely that the claim about land being offered can be validated. Even if this is true, the Kiram clan may not press this as they may be busy negotiating to avoid criminal charges by both the Philippines and Malaysia. It is also subjective whether the three-week delay and appeasement manifested by Hishammuddin emboldened the Sulu militants' aggressiveness and contributed to avoidable loss of Malaysian lives. A critical assessment that truly puts national interests before partisan interests may not be possible for now as the nation is seemingly engulfed in a mood of unconditional patriotism. What effect could this invasion and the BN government's response have on the election results in Sabah and in Malaysia as a whole?  Thatcher (© Jay Galvin | Flickr) It really depends on whether Sabahan and Malaysian voters will accept a Johnny-come-lately Margaret Thatcher in Datuk Seri Najib Razak. When the Falkland Islands were invaded by the Argentineans on 2 April 1982 in an undeclared war, an emergency Parliament meeting was convened. Thatcher rallied her Parliament and the nation to start a campaign which saw the British triumph in 74 days. Looking like another determined and brave war leader after Winston Churchill, Mrs Thatcher won the nickname "Iron Lady". In contrast, Najib let his ministers handle the crisis while he went on his election campaigns, showing little sense of urgency. No emergency Parliament sitting has been convened despite calls from the opposition and the public to do so to enable national deliberation and resolution. Instead, the home minister made unimaginably appeasing remarks, as described earlier. Read more at: http://www.thenutgraph.com/uncommon-sense-with-wong-chin-huat-lahaddatu-how-might-malaysians-vote-in-ge/
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| A Solution to the Blueprint-Manifesto ‘spat’ Posted: 10 Mar 2013 12:19 PM PDT
It is also very evident that pre-election promises are seldom kept by politicians from both sides of the political divide. As such HINDRAF feels that it is all the more important that a binding agreement is in place so that history does not repeat itself. Paraman Subramaniam There has been much heated debate going on in the reluctance of PR to have a binding endorsement with HINDRAF regarding its 5 year blueprint. The HINDRAF blueprint which is based on social justice as the foundation had proposed a specific, pointed and targeted program of rehabilitation measures, quite similar to existing Felda settlers program, to a specific group of community, Displaced Estate Workers (DEW). This covers proposal for intervention in 6 major problem areas that transcends racial and religious barriers: 1) 800,000 internally displaced estate workers. PR leaders had agreed in principle to the blueprint but fell short of giving a binding agreement citing certain wordings and languages need to be reviewed. HINDRAF had reciprocated by not only agreeing to go through with the PR team to review these issues but were even willing to debate allocations of the necessary budget to be allocated for the realization of the various programs in the blueprint proposal. Ironically PR till date has failed to come forward to iron out these details with HINDRAF. Recently Anwar Ibrahim had to do a damage limitation exercise of claiming that PR will include specific details of the Indian community's needs into the PR manifesto. This was in response to pressure from mainly HINDRAF leaders who slammed the manifesto for leaving out specific concerns of the Indian community while mentioning almost all other races. Anwar claims that PR will now include 5 points into the manifesto: 1) Resolving the 'long standing issue of stateless people' in Malaysia, without excluding Indians, in the first 100 days of Pakatan's administration. These points appear to have been taken in part from the HINDRAF blueprint but are not comprehensive in nature. It also does not explain how it will be implemented considering the huge 'BTN brain washed UMNO bureaucracy' hurdle that it will need to overcome to do so. On the other hand the HINDRAF blueprint spells out clearly how to overcome this. Both PR and HINDRAF are not willing to give in regarding the requirement of a binding agreement of the HINDRAF blueprint to bring about a political electoral pact in the coming General Elections. HINDRAF particularly are aggrieved that for the Tsunami that they created for PR in 2008, there has not been even a single attempt by PR in the past 5 years to engage with them into drawing up plans for the grouses of the 1.5million marginalized Indians that they represent. It is also very evident that pre-election promises are seldom kept by politicians from both sides of the political divide. As such HINDRAF feels that it is all the more important that a binding agreement is in place so that history does not repeat itself. A solution to this predicament lies within the PR's Buku Jingga itself which PR claims is their comprehensive and holistic policy document. It proposes a set of policies to lead the nation to a new and better future. A clause under the heading 'Prosperity, solidarity and social justice with PR' clearly states that PR will 'set up a council of experts to formulate and change existing national policies with regard to key economic, political and social challenges'. The HINDRAF blueprint falls well within this jurisdiction and as such PR must activate the clause within the Buku Jingga and accept it as after all PR leaders have already claimed to have accepted it in principle. Failure to do so may invite doubts of credibility on the very foundations of the Buku Jingga. PR will also be able to prove to the nation that it has raised the bar in its credibility to its election promises.
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| Malaysia a failure in Sabah, Sarawak Posted: 10 Mar 2013 12:05 PM PDT
Internal colonization is a winner take all in Sabah and Sarawak: on the one-hand take away all the resources and revenue of the two Territories; and at the same time give very little back so that both territories continue to remain at the bottom of the dung heap and thereby unable to pose a serious threat in any shape or form to Putrajaya. Joe Fernandez It's patently pointless getting into rhetoric and polemics on Malaysia in Sabah and Sarawak, at this juncture, in the wake of the Lahad Datu Standoff. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has vowed that Sabah will remain forever within Malaysia. Apologists for his Administration swear that Malaysia was properly constituted in Sabah as well. Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet, Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) in The Ballad of East and West
Malaya on the one hand, and Sabah and Sarawak on the other hand, are poles apart. It would be more pertinent to examine, with an eye on the forthcoming 13th General Election, that Malaysia whether properly constituted or otherwise in 1963, has indeed failed in these two Borneo nations. It follows therefore that it's high time that they regained and/or restored their self-determination status of 31 Aug, 1963 and 22 July, 1963 respectively when they opted for independence and no word of Malaysia was mentioned in the declarations. Four points would suffice. In Dec 2010, the World Bank released a damning report in Kota Kinabalu on poverty in Sabah and Sarawak. The report, based on figures from the Economic Planning Unit and the respective State Planning Units, confirmed that both Nations were the poorest in Malaysia. Sabah had the dubious distinction of being the poorest. The 2nd point is the fact that both Singapore and Brunei has grown by leaps and bounds since 1963 when Malaysia was set up on Sept 16. Singapore was expelled from Malaysia two years later and has built an economy almost as large as that of Malaysia. Brunei stayed out of Malaysia at the 11th hour and is among the richest countries in the world.
Sarawak another Sabah in the making Thirdly, as the on-off Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) proves, the Orang Asal of Sabah would lose their country altogether to the illegal immigrants from Indonesia in particular, and from the Philippines, if Sabah continues to remain within the Federation of Malaysia. The fact that the illegal immigrants are Muslim and the Orang Asal largely Christian is beside the point. The marginalization and disenfranchisement of the Orang Asal, as part of Putrajaya's internal colonization policies in Sabah and Sarawak, continues unabated. In 2005 alone, the statistics indicated that there were 1.7 million foreigners in Sabah vis-a-vis 1.5 million locals. Of the 1.7 million foreigners, who are often collectively dismissed as illegal immigrants, no less than 600,000 had Malaysian personal documents in the form of the MyKad held only by citizens by operation of law. Fourthly, the energy-intensive SCORE region in Central Sarawak has plans to attract 1.2 million foreign workers over the next decade or so. Already, there are 600,000 foreigners in Sarawak and of these no less than 240,000, it has been estimated, are illegal immigrants from Indonesia and elsewhere. Sarawak in Malaysia seems to have embarked on the same ruinous path as Sabah to marginalize and disenfranchise the Orang Asal who also include the local Sarawak Malays, who are actually Bidayuh and Iban converts to Islam in the last 300 years. Why any Government worth its salt would want to deliberately create jobs for foreigners when its own citizens have numerous needs unmet is a million dollar question as recent protests in Singapore on the same issue show.
Internal colonization is a winner take all in Sabah and Sarawak Even so, it won't be exactly a walk in the park for Sabah and Sarawak to exit Malaysia. For starters, there's the question of numerous foreigners in both states being on the electoral rolls. Then, there's the wedge that successive administrations in Putrajaya/Kuala Lumpur had driven between the local non-Muslim and Muslim population in Sabah and Sarawak to create disunity and thereby prevent any possibility of their nations exiting the Federation of Malaysia and denying the ruling elite valuable resources to add to their already considerable looting of the Public Treasury in Malaya. More damaging is the reality that Sabah and Sarawak, except for the Stephen Kalong Ningkan and Joseph Pairin Kitingan periods respectively, have been run by local proxies, their stooges and rogue elements of Putrajaya. This kind of rotten politics, in return for the proverbial 30 pieces of silver, has facilitated Putrajaya's internal colonization policies in the two Borneo nations in Malaysia. Internal colonization is a winner take all in Sabah and Sarawak: on the one-hand take away all the resources and revenue of the two Territories; and at the same time give very little back so that both territories continue to remain at the bottom of the dung heap and thereby unable to pose a serious threat in any shape or form to Putrajaya. In any case, the days of the local proxies, stooges and rogue elements via local political parties seem to be numbered.
The voice of Borneo in the Malaysian Parliament Putrajaya no longer wants to take a risk as evident from the presence of Umno in Sabah since 1994. The parti parti Malaya, on both sides of the political divide; seem determined to eliminate local parties from the political theatre. If the parti parti Malaya call the shots in Sabah and Sarawak, the voice of the people of Borneo in the Malaysian Parliament will be extinguished. As it is, Malaya has more seats than it should have in Parliament. The Malaysia Agreement envisaged that Malaya should not have more than two-thirds less one seat. Given the 165 seats that Malaya has at the moment in the 222-seat Parliament, the Territory has 18 seats more than it should have. At the same time, to add insult to injury, some of the 57 parliamentary seats in Sabah and Sarawak are held by the parti parti Malaya.
Najib should admit failure in southern Philippines No one in his right mind would believe that the Sulu people have the resources to take on Malaysia in Sabah. They have been no threat since the days of the Spanish in the Philippines and the American did a thorough job over 50 years of decimating what little power they had and pacifying the Sulu Islands. Najib should admit his role in the imminent failure of the peace process in southern Philippines. Instead, Najib is picking on the Opposition pledging to honour the Autonomy of Sabah and Sarawak as the reason for the Lahad Datu standoff. Does he want to continue ketuanan Melayu (Malay political supremacy, dominance, hegemony) in Sabah and Sarawak? The Autonomy of Sabah and Sarawak is implicit. The political salvation of Sabah and Sarawak hinges on the people of the two territories forming a united front and presenting their case on internal colonization before the UN Security Council. This was the route taken by Southern Sudan which was allowed by the UN Security Council to break away from Sudan.
Malaysia an Equal Partnership of Nations As an addendum to the Sabah, Sarawak Petition before the UN Security Council would be the fact that No Referendum was ever held in Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei and Malaya on Malaysia. The Cobbold Commission report is No Referendum. Malaya cannot continue to masquerade as the Federation of Malaysia and refer to Sabah and Sarawak as the 12th and 13th States in Malaysia (Malaya). The written Constitution of Malaya cannot continue to be passed off as the written Constitution of Malaysia. Malaysia, if it's continued, in fact has an unwritten Constitution based on the written Constitution of Malaya, Batu Sumpah and other constitutional documents from Sabah and Sarawak on the Malaysia concept. Malaysia, if it had been indeed constituted on 16 Sept 1963, would have been 50 years this year, not 56 years this year as Putrajaya claims. Malaysia was supposed to be an Equal Partnership of the Nations of Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei, Singapore and Malaya.
Joe Fernandez is a mature student of law and an educationist, among others, who loves to write especially Submissions for Clients wishing to Act in Person. He feels compelled, as a semi-retired journalist, to put pen to paper -- or rather the fingers to the computer keyboard -- whenever something doesn't quite jell with his weltanschauung (worldview). He shuttles between points in the Golden Heart of Borneo formed by the Sabah west coast, Labuan, Brunei, northern Sarawak and the watershed region in Borneo where three nations meet.
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| Handling the hype behind Sabah crisis Posted: 10 Mar 2013 12:02 PM PDT
We need to constantly remind ourselves that this situation was never the desire of the Philippine government, and we should not blame the Philippines as a whole for what has happened. Farish A. Noor, NST CHECK THE INFO: There are many actors in the Sulu saga and there is a need to separate fact from fiction THERE are times when I do believe we ought to be more circumspect and perhaps even cynical when reading the news we get. As the Sabah crisis continues at its own pace, different contenders have come to the fore offering their opinions as to how the crisis ought to be settled. Among them has been Nur Misuari, leader of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), who was once a player in the regional dynamics of Southern Philippines, but who now seems to be taking the opportunity to foreground himself once again. I was somewhat alarmed to read a report in the Borneo Post when Misuari claimed that "Sarawak is also part of his clan's ancestral lands". I had to read the article several times to convince myself that my failing eyesight was not deceiving me and that the article was genuine and not a spoof. Misuari had also suggested that he be given a role as mediator to end the Sabah incursion, despite his claim that Sarawak belongs to his clan. Then came other reports about how the MNLF was threatening "chaos" in the region, and that 10,000 Filipinos would be sent to Sabah in a show of support for the pretender to the Sulu throne there. Once again, I had to read the reports several times to convince myself that my eyes were working and that I was not seeing things. In a state of crisis, one of the first conditions that has to be met is information management and verification of reports. While sensational headlines may sell newspapers, they do not calm an already delicate situation and may, in fact, have the opposite effect of rousing fear and anger among readers or viewers. It is for this reason that we ought to remember some salient facts that are pertinent to the Sabah situation at the moment. First, Misuari's MNLF is today a spent force, with around a few hundred followers left. If Manila had chosen to broker a peace accord with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) instead, it was for the simple reason that MILF claims to have 15,000 followers and is perhaps the strongest armed force in Mindanao at the moment. They are in fact the only power brokers and if peace is to be restored to southern Philippines, it cannot be done without the support of the MILF. Second, the other splinter groups that have been largely responsible for the incursion into Sabah happen to be those who felt left out of the peace accord and who may have felt that they had been denied a slice of the pie. This is indeed unfortunate, but it has more to do with who the government in Manila recognises as legitimate actors, and who are not. No other country in Asean has the right to intervene in this process, but can only help it along by mediating when asked. Third, it ought to be clear by now that the incursion into Sabah was certainly not the desire of the Philippine government. As President Benigno Aquino Aquino has noted in his presidential address last week, the constitution of the Philippines does not allow for the creation of private armies, the ownership of weapons without permits, and the unilateral declaration of war on another country by a citizen who does not represent the state. On these grounds, the incursion into Sabah has no legal standing and was, in fact, contrary to Philippine law itself. Malaysia cannot pick itself up and relocate itself in some other quiet corner of the world, and we should not deny our long historical and diasporic links to all the mobile, fluid communities that make up the complex social landscape. Indeed, for centuries, people from Sulu have moved in and out of Sabah along with Bruneians, Malays, Chinese, Indians, Arabs, Bajaus, Ilanuns and Bugis. What is at issue here is how an internal domestic crisis in the Philippines has erupted and spilled over into the territory of another country, namely Malaysia. The Malaysian public in turn may be wary or even angered by a Philippine citizen who suddenly claims to be their sultan out of nowhere, but we cannot allow our judgment to be clouded by fiery rhetoric, disinformation and propaganda that may be designed to upset us. We need to constantly remind ourselves that this situation was never the desire of the Philippine government, and we should not blame the Philippines as a whole for what has happened. In the meantime, some of the stories that are emanating from the likes of Misuari ought to be taken with a heavy dose of salt too: the man who now claims to wish to mediate the crisis also happens to be the same person who, during his younger left-leaning days, was inclined to criticise the traditional rulers of southern Philippines for their feudal culture and elite status. The solidarity shown for those claiming to be the descendants of the sultan of Sulu seems hollow and more instrumental, as are the claims that tens of thousands of southern Filipinos are about to invade Borneo. If these leaders truly wanted peace in the region, they ought to begin by tempering their own rhetoric for starters, and stop making claims like Sarawak is also part of his clan's ancestral lands.  Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Philippines President Benigno Aquino witnessing the signing of the peace accord between the Philippines and Moro Islamic Liberation Front in Manila. Splinter groups that have been responsible for the incursion into Sabah happen to be those who felt left out of the peace accord.
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| Kiram daughter slams Aquino anew Posted: 10 Mar 2013 12:00 PM PDT
(Global Nation) - Jacel Kiram, 32, said that if there was any conspiracy, it was between President Aquino's government and the political party of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO). MANILA, Philippines—The daughter of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III maintained Saturday that no conspiracy was involved in the decision of her family and their followers to reclaim Sabah and slammed the Aquino administration for pursuing this angle to discredit the Sultanate of Sulu. "The conspiracy theory is an insult to the Filipino people and to the Sultanate of Sulu, more so to the Rajah Mudah and his people," Princess Jacel Kiram said in a press conference.
Jacel Kiram, 32, said that if there was any conspiracy, it was between President Aquino's government and the political party of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO).
"(It is) purely for political exigency and popularity. This issue (about Sabah) to them is not important, especially at election time in Malaysia. To gain points instead of adhering to the call of the United Nations to a peaceful resolution, Razak did the opposite. He sent seven battalions supported by the Naval, Army, and Air Force to pulverize the Royal Army, disregarding life," Jacel Kiram said.
She said the conspiracy theory of the government was also meant to divert the public's attention from what she described as Malacañang's "mishandling" of the Sabah standoff that began a month ago.
She also accused Malacañang of acting as a "spokesperson against the interest of our own people in order to pacify the role of Malaysia in facilitating the peace process."
"Question: How can PNoy allow the Filipinos in Sabah to be the sacrificial lamb in order to protect the political ambition of Razak at the same time propping up (his) declining credibility in crisis management?" Jacel Kiram said.
"I call on the Filipino people to be more circumspect and not to allow disinformation to formulate their beliefs," she said. Read more at: http://globalnation.inquirer.net/68035/kiram-daughter-slams-aquino-anew
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| Why Malaysia Slaughters Filipinos? Posted: 10 Mar 2013 11:51 AM PDT
The Filipino activists in Sabah are ordinary men of valor. They are not armed with the most sophisticated weapons available in town. The best they can do is to protect themselves with knives and simple guns. They did not undergo rigid training so as to qualify them as self-declared commandos. These royal warriors, as they call themselves, are just ordinary citizens possessed with passion to claim what this country actually owns. Atty. Aleck Francis "Koy-koy" T. Lim, The Bohol Standard Malaysia continues to slaughter Filipino Muslims who were suspected of being followers of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III of Sulu. The royal army of Kiram had tried but failed to bring back Sabah to the arms of the Philippines as its rightful owner historically and legally. While it is true that a violent takeover or invasion is not the best solution to resolve a territorial dispute, killing defenseless people without affording them the opportunity to stand in court trial is holocaust in Asia in the making. The Filipino activists in Sabah are ordinary men of valor. They are not armed with the most sophisticated weapons available in town. The best they can do is to protect themselves with knives and simple guns. They did not undergo rigid training so as to qualify them as self-declared commandos. These royal warriors, as they call themselves, are just ordinary citizens possessed with passion to claim what this country actually owns. Ordinary as these men of valor from Southern Philippines are, yet the Malaysian government has used its military might, army commandos and jet fighters, in order to obliterate from the face of the earth this band of brave Filipino-Muslim soldiers. In the first place, the number of Kiram's followers would fall short to the requirement of brutal force necessary for a complete Sabah takeover. Kiram's soldiers, truth to tell, are all full of sound and fury but signify nothing earth-shaking as they have no match against Malaysia's military forces. But then again, why does Malaysia continue to mercilessly massacre our brothers and sisters in Sabah? How can the Philippine Government stop this ruthless killing of Filipinos in the eyes of an apathetic international community? What can the United Nations do in order to stop Malaysia from committing crimes against humanity? If the so-called invaders of Sabah were citizens of China, do you think Malaysia would do the same acts of atrocities as they did to the Filipinos? No. Truly, Malaysia would exhaust all efforts in order to resolve the Sabah stand-off. Hypothetically, Malaysia cannot afford to face the anger of China. Malaysia cannot just slaughter Chinese warriors without suffering the terrible consequence of China's retaliation. So it boils down to military might. Malaysia knows their armed forces are more powerful and potent and updated than ours. Malaysia knows that whatever it does to wipe out Filipinos who truly own Sabah would be treated with impunity by the Philippine government, including the international community of nations. Read more at: Why Malaysia Slaughters Filipinos?
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| Posted: 10 Mar 2013 11:46 AM PDT SLOW BOAT TO FREEDOM AND SAFETY A police sweep of the Filipino community in Sandakan drove its residents into "extreme fear" forcing them to escape into the night boarding whatever available boat that would take them. An initial wave of 400 evacuees from Sabah arrived in Sulu on Friday. A thousand more are expected in the next few days. KARLOS MANLUPIG/INQUIRER MINDANAO (Philippine Inquirer) - "Soldiers and policemen stormed their houses and even those with legitimate working papers like passports and IC papers were not spared. These documents were allegedly torn before their eyes. Men were told to run and were shot if they did. Those who refused were beaten black and blue. Filipinos in jail were executed" "They dragged all the men outside the houses, kicked and hit them," 32-year-old Amira Taradji said on Friday as she recounted her family's ordeal in Sandakan, which started when Malaysian security forces launched a crackdown on suspected supporters of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III in Sabah.
Taradji said Malaysian policemen ordered Filipino men to run as fast as they could and shot them.
Among those killed on Monday night during the police sweep of a Filipino community in Sandakan was her brother, Jumadil, she said.
Taradji, who was originally from Calinan in Davao City, was among some 400 Filipinos who fled Lahad Datu, Semporna, Tawau and Kunak in Sabah for Sulu as the violence sparked by the intrusion of the followers of Jamalul into the eastern Malaysian state spread at the start of the week.
In other Philippine areas near Sabah, hundreds more have arrived since the police crackdown started and many more Filipinos are expected to return home anytime soon, according to government officials.
Speaking to the INQUIRER by phone through the help of a Sulu local official shortly after arriving in Patikul town by a commercial vessel from Sabah late Friday, Taradji said the police sweeps had become dreadful for both Filipinos and Sabahans known as Orang Suluk (people who originated from Sulu).
Taradji reported the arrest of Filipino men in Tawau and Kunak.
Some of the arrested men, who showed immigration papers, were shot dead, she said, recounting reports by other Filipinos who fled Sabah with her.
"Some of those arrested did not see jail because they were shot and killed," Taradji said.
She said those who had been locked up were also unlucky, as the Malaysian authorities were not feeding them.
Extreme fear Taradji had lived in Sandakan since she was 6 years old and she was a holder of MyKad, the identification card issued to Malaysian citizens and permanent residents.
She said that despite her and her family's being holders of MyKad, they hastily abandoned their home when the police sweeps started Monday night.
She said that from a distance, she saw how those caught during the raid suffered in the hands of Malaysian policemen.
"We sailed from Sandakan to nearby islands. From one island to another, until we reached a small island where we took [an outrigger] for the Philippines. We begged hard so they would allow us into one of the [their boats]," she said.
Carla Manlaw, 47, said the extreme fear of Malaysian policemen, with stories of abuses and killings, prompted her and other Filipinos to leave for Bongao in Tawi-Tawi.
Manlaw and 99 others, including children and elderly people, reached Philippine waters in two motorboats after sailing for about two hours from Sandakan. They were intercepted and escorted by a Philippine Navy ship to Bongao late Friday.
"My employer had no problem with having a Filipino worker. But what bothered me was the police," she said. Manlaw said the other Filipinos in her boat fled because of fear. "What will they do to us?" she said, quoting her fellow refugees.
She said that when she heard that a vessel was leaving for Bongao from Sandakan, she immediately grabbed her things and went for it.
Investigate now Mayor Hussin Amin of Jolo, Sulu, said the accounts of Filipinos fleeing police abuse in Sabah were "alarming and disturbing" and the Philippine government should look into it.
He said he had spoken with many refugees and their stories were the same: Malaysian soldiers and policemen do not distinguish between illegal immigrants and MyKad holders.
"Soldiers and policemen stormed their houses and even those with legitimate working papers like passports and IC papers were not spared. These documents were allegedly torn before their eyes. Men were told to run and were shot if they did. Those who refused were beaten black and blue. Filipinos in jail were executed," Amin said by phone late Friday.
What's really happening? "We are asking our government to investigate now. Refugees from Sandakan and Sabah had spoken to us about their ordeals. If indeed what they have been telling us is true, then Malaysian authorities are not just targeting the Kirams in Lahad Datu," Amin said. Read more at: http://globalnation.inquirer.net/67981/were-treated-like-animals
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| Posted: 10 Mar 2013 11:38 AM PDT
Based on 2010 data, the Kristom study says infrastructure maintenance costs in Europe are around €100,000 per km. For the 350km KL-Singapore route and based on an exchange rate of RM4 to one euro, maintenance could total a hefty RM140 million a year. Second, will the Malaysia-Singapore HSR have sufficient passengers to make it commercially viable? Tan Siok Choo, The Sun Daily MAGNETIC levitation (maglev for short) trains are to railways what Lamborghinis are to cars. Like Lamborghinis, maglev trains are super speedy, ultra-pricey and transportation's status symbols. Currently, there are only two commercial maglev trains globally – the 30km Pudong-Shanghai maglev and the 8.9km Aichi maglev, near Nagoya in Japan, built in 2005 at a cost of over US$100 million per km. Given the exorbitant costs involved, Malaysia's decision to rule out buying maglev trains is a relief. Whether building a high-speed rail (HSR) to connect Kuala Lumpur with Singapore is economically justifiable is debatable. HSRs are the equivalent of Bentleys – cheaper than Lamborghinis but out of reach for 95% of car owners. Commonly defined as trains that travel on specially-built lines at speeds of 200kph, HSRs have been installed in several countries, mainly in Europe, China and Japan. If asked, frequent travellers to Singapore – whether Malaysians or foreigners – are likely to vote overwhelmingly in favour of replacing sluggish Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) trains with HSRs. Some economists and Malaysian taxpayers, however, may be more cautious for several reasons. First, will the costs for construction and maintenance be affordable? Research reports published in Malaysian newspapers suggest the tab for the proposed KL-Singapore HSR could be around RM40 billion comprising RM30 billion in construction cost plus RM10 billion for rolling stock or trains. This figure appears to be a massive understatement. A study titled "Economic evaluation of the High Speed Rail" by Bengt Kristrom, Mikael Asell and Agnus Allgulin in December 2011 says the construction cost per km of HS2 in UK is estimated at €70 million (RM280 million). This suggests the 350km KL-Singapore HSR could cost RM98 billion. Admittedly, HS2's costs are due to high land values and the need to build tunnels. HS2 is the planned second high-speed rail link from London to Manchester and Leeds via Birmingham. Equally important – and often overlooked in Malaysia – is the need for an adequate budget for maintenance costs. Based on 2010 data, the Kristom study says infrastructure maintenance costs in Europe are around €100,000 per km. For the 350km KL-Singapore route and based on an exchange rate of RM4 to one euro, maintenance could total a hefty RM140 million a year. Second, will the Malaysia-Singapore HSR have sufficient passengers to make it commercially viable? In 2010, Australia's Transport Ministry said it rejected the proposed HSR linking Sydney and Melbourne because it was too costly and wouldn't attract enough passengers. According to the ministry, an HSR needs about six million passengers a year to be viable. Third, will the HSR benefit Malaysian taxpayers? One benefit of HSR often cited is its speed. However, it is misleading to talk of maximum speed, what matters is operational speed. Because the HSR will have to slow down considerably before and after a station, opting for more stations will reduce the operational speed. Because of its speed, proponents also claim HSRs offer considerable savings in time. One figure often glossed over is door-to-door time. This comprises four segments – time from home to airport or railway station, waiting time, actual travel time, and from railway station or airport to destination. While cities often build dedicated highways to airports, the same cannot be said for high-speed railway stations. One example is the HSR from Beijing to Jinan in Shandong province. In November 2011, my husband and I took this HSR. Door-to-door time was about four hours 15 minutes. Actual travel time was three hours, the Jinan station was just 10 minutes from the hotel in Jinan. But the savings in time were negated by the 90 minutes it took to reach Beijing South railway station from our hotel in Beijing. Flying from Beijing to Jinan, the door-to-door time would have been three hours 45 minutes – one hour from hotel to Beijing airport, one hour waiting time, one hour flying time and about 45 minutes from Jinan airport to hotel. Moreover, the lack of escalators in Jinan railway station meant we had to carry our suitcases up and down two flights of stairs. Forecasts for future passenger travel by HSR often overlook a growing corporate trend – the rising popularity of video-conferencing, enabling top executives to minimise physical travel and maximise their time more effectively. A non-quantifiable benefit of the KL-Singapore HSR is that it reflects the improved relationship between the two countries. What is notable is this HSR proposal was possible only because the prime ministers of both countries were unencumbered by the fallout from Singapore's separation from Malaysia. Going forward, implementing this project will ensure Malaysia and Singapore will be inextricably linked by fast-track rail – a physical bond that cannot be severed unilaterally – and fortified by this tangible acknowledgement of their shared economic interests.
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| Posted: 10 Mar 2013 11:33 AM PDT
Are we, ASEAN citizens, and are the states of ASEAN, ready for multiple citizenship? Farish A. Noor, Rappler During my student days in England, I saw an advertising campaign by a certain commercial airline. The slogan read: "XYZ Airlines, Bringing the World Together." It was accompanied by images of people from all over the world, who were presumably now connected thanks to the wonder of modern aviation technology: There was an image of an American farmer, and next to him an Indian farmer. I recall how I reacted to this image with a combination of bemusement and cynicism. For it struck me there and then that the promise of globalization was a delicious lie. The farmer from America could perhaps afford to fly to India to have a cup of tea with some Indian agriculturalists, but it would be a long time before an Indian farmer could afford to fly to Texas to share some tacos with his American counterparts. And even if he could afford it, he probably would have been denied a tourist visa, on the grounds that he may have been an economic migrant. That's the reality of capital-driven globalization, and it sucks. It ain't new, this Globalization Thingy. As a lecturer of Southeast Asian politics and history I constantly find myself warning my students not to use trendy terms. Among the terms I loathe the most is "globalization" because it is such a prissy, self-conscious, oh-am-I-not-too-sexy-for-my-shirt sort of term. The word has been bandied about so much by now that it is old hat, and yet for so many people it sells itself as something novel and exciting, when in fact it is not. When people talk about globalization in Southeast Asia today, they seem to have conveniently forgotten the facts of 2,000 years of recorded history. We talk about globalization as if it is only now – today – that we realize that we live in a crowded Southeast Asia with neighbors all around us. But this impression merely underscores the fact that our consciousness, epistemologies and vocabularies have been so deeply marked and shaped by the colonial encounter and the regime of the political border. It is only because we – the ASEAN citizens of the postcolonial era – have no tactile memory of the precolonial past of our region that we think that being able to hop on a plane from Manila to Singapore, to Kuala Lumpur, to Jakarta, to Bali is such a funky experience. Well, let the historians remind you that centuries ago our ancestors were a million times funkier than we are today, as they lived in a world without passports. (Yes, Bob Marley's Utopian world can be backdated that far.)
If we were really honest with ourselves, and comfortable and confident enough to accept our mottled past, most of us would admit to having such mixed, multiple origins too. Scratch the skin of any Southeast Asian and one would find the multiple, overlapping bloodlines and personal narratives of all of Asia beneath. Yet the impact of Empire, and the advent of the modern (post)colonial state, has rendered us boxed-in, compartmentalized, classified and registered subjectivities. Living as we do in the postcolonial age as both modern citizen-subjects and inheritors of a premodern fluid past, no wonder these tensions come to the surface once in a while. And recently it did so with a vengeance. More Sulus to come What the Sulu-Sabah debacle has done is bring to the fore what can only be described as the growing gap between two virtual ASEANs: On the one hand an ASEAN that is connected via the modern communicative infrastructure that is used by the region's technocrats, business elites, middle-class professionals and globe-trotters who can afford to fly; and, on the other hand, an ASEAN that is populated by hundreds of millions of other ASEAN citizens who may feel that the capital-driven march towards globalization has left them behind. In the case of the former, we see the emergence of a new generation of ASEAN-minded citizens whose sense of belonging across the region is rendered all the more comfortable by the poolside bar and their sushi power-lunches; in the case of the latter their dreams of becoming global citizens extend only as far as the gated compounds of the rich which they cannot ever penetrate, and the cold glass window of the shopping malls brimming with luxury goods they can never afford. Somehow, the nation-states of ASEAN need to bring these two communities together, lest we end up living in a bifurcated ASEAN divided against itself. I am not condemning ASEAN here, for I consider myself a committed ASEAN-ist. And while there are those who think that ASEAN has gone past its sell-by date and has nothing left to offer, I would beg to differ. For all of ASEAN's failings, weaknesses and internal contradictions; it did do what it set out to do, which is to prevent wars between states from 1967 until today. Look across the globe today and we will see that ASEAN and the European Union are perhaps the only multi-national bodies that have managed to prevent conflict when so many other regions were blighted. But unlike the EU, the convoy of states that make up the ASEAN flotilla is a diverse one indeed. For a start, there remain enormous differentials in terms of GDP and income levels across the region. Then there remains the fact that structurally the nation-states that make up the ASEAN flotilla are so very different too, ranging from republics with centralised rule, monarchies, constitutional monarchies and federations. The very fact that the ships of the ASEAN flotilla have managed in sail in more or less the same direction for more than four and a half decades is, for me, an achievement in itself. But from the very beginning until now, ASEAN has been made up of nation-states whose cordial relations were maintained only because these were states that were interacting with each other according to well-established norms of diplomacy and statecraft. Read more at: http://www.rappler.com/thought-leaders/23374-the-2-aseans-must-meet
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| Serb-Croatian Kiss Is The Bravest Thing Ever (PHOTO) Posted: 10 Mar 2013 11:29 AM PDT
(Huffington Post) - When asked why she was walking next to a Serb, a Croatian girl responded by kissing him. The moment took place during a parade in Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina. Students from the United World College, Mostar, were walking through the town with flags for a cultural parade. "My Serbian friend was walking hand in hand with his Croatian girlfriend," Reddit user EvolvedBacteria explained. "When an old lady asked her how she could dare to walk next to a Serb, she kissed him." Story continues after photo The user said more than 40 different nationalities are represented in the student body of the United World College, making it a symbol of unity in a city that for some, remains divided by war. Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/10/croatian-girl-kisses-serb_n_2839945.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003
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| The Deepak-Bala marriage: in Deepak’s own words Posted: 10 Mar 2013 12:00 AM PST
That afternoon, Rosmah called Deepak regarding the SD matter and the discussion got to Bala. Deepak told Rosmah what he had found out from Suresh and she asked Deepak to try and help to resolve the attempt to frame her husband with the murder case. Deepak told Rosmah he will speak to Bala directly and get a true picture of the entire events and how this thing can be resolved. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin
Deepak Jaikishan was called to the MACC office a few times. This is already public knowledge and is no secret. What is still a secret, though, is what did Deepak tell the MACC? Until today we have not been given the gist of Deepak's statement. And what we are also not being told is why after more than a month still no action is being taken. From what we know, based on the newspaper reports, Deepak's first couple of visits to the MACC office came to naught. Deepak told the MACC that he was 'not yet ready' to give his statement and went home, promising to return another day. Finally, on 25th January 2013, Deepak gave his statement to the MACC. However, until now, no one knows what he told the MACC. Neither Deepak nor the MACC are talking. We are still trying to get our hands on a copy of the MACC report, and there is a strong possibility that that may happen very soon. In the meantime, while we try to get our hands on that report, maybe we can share with you the gist of what, according to our Deep Throat, Deepak told the MACC. Let us see whether this part of Deepak's story is going to appear in his 'official statement'. What our Deep Throat said appears consistent with what Bala said in his exposé at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH) on 27th February 2013 plus what he related in his Singapore interview (which you can see on YouTube) and in the London press conference earlier. It is also consistent with Deepak's interviews with Malaysiakini and Free Malaysia Today. The only part that remains hazy is: did Bala contact Deepak or did Deepak contact Bala that resulted in the meeting in Rawang that same evening that the first SD was released? Both claim that 'the other person' initiated the meeting. Nevertheless, the rest of the story appears consistent -- except for the part that Bala was allegedly promised RM700,000 by M. Puravalen as payment for the first SD, which Bala has thus far never mentioned but which Deepak says did happen. Anyway, read what our Deep Throat has to say about the matter. *****************************************
In October 2006, Bala was in Razak's office at the time when they received a phone call from Puravalen (picture above). Puravalen said he had something very urgent to discuss with Razak concerning Altantuya. Razak then agreed to meet Puravalen who arrived not long after that. Puravalen told Razak that the police were about to arrest him (Razak) for the murder of Altantuya. Razak suddenly went pale and started to panic. Puravalen told Razak not to worry and that he will handle this matter provided that he (Razak) agreed that he (Puravalen) will act for him as his lawyer. Later Razak's family found out that Puravalen was actually linked to Kalimullah and was feeding information to the 'other side' (Karpal Singh included) through Kalimullah. Razak's family suspected that Puravalen, who is very close to Sivarasa, was trying to fix up Razak so they decided to sack Puravalen and replace him with Shafee Abdullah.
In July 2008, Puravalen was the one who introduced Bala to Sivarasa and Americk. Sivarasa then arranged for Bala to meet DSAI to discuss signing a SD to directly implicate Najib and Rosmah to Altantuya's murder. Bala met DSAI twice, the first time a few days before the SD was signed and the second time on the SD day itself wherein he sat beside DSAI and gave his PC flanked by his lawyer. The first time Puravalen brought Bala to meet DSAI, he was promised RM700,000.00 if he agreed to come up with the SD by 1st July 2008. DSAI had agreed to pay the RM700,000.00 through Puravalen and the payment was to be made in two stages -- Part A, RM200,000.00, immediately and Part B, RM500,000.00, after the PC. On 1st July 2008, Bala made the SD and proceeded to conduct the PC on 3rd July 2008, organised by DSAI and his lawyers at the PKR HQ. Unfortunately for Bala, after the PC, Puravalen only paid him RM100,000.00 although he had received RM200,000.00 from DSAI. Puravalen told Bala that DSAI had instructed for the balance to be paid after a few days. The balance RM500,000 Puravalen pocketed all to himself without Bala knowing. This angered Bala and he tried to contact DSAI through his lawyer, Americk, and other people he knew in PKR such as Sivarasa. But DSAI never responded at all to him because DSAI believed that Bala was fully paid. At the same time, Bala started getting calls from the Brickfields Police Station and he became worried that the police will lock him up again like the last time during the Altantuya case. He started to panic as DSAI was not responding to him and the lawyer had just cheated him of his only income to enable him and his family to leave Malaysia. Bala doesn't know that Puravalen cheated him. Bala, the next day after waiting for DSAI or his lawyer to call him, realised that he had been cheated of his promised money by DSAI and the lawyers. He then contacted Deepak through a mutual friend, Suresh, and asked to meet Deepak so that he could relate what had happened. Deepak informed Suresh that he will first discuss this matter with Rosmah and get back to him ASAP.
That afternoon, Rosmah called Deepak regarding the SD matter and the discussion got to Bala. Deepak told Rosmah what he had found out from Suresh and she asked Deepak to try and help to resolve the attempt to frame her husband with the murder case. Deepak told Rosmah he will speak to Bala directly and get a true picture of the entire events and how this thing can be resolved. Deepak spoke to Bala on the phone number given by Suresh and asked him if he was prepared to tell the truth of about SD conspiracy, which was now being exploited as a political asset by Najib's competitors. However, Bala was reluctant to do so as he said he didn't want to trust any politicians as DSAI had cheated him on the amount of money promised and at the same time he was worried that Najib's people were going to get him arrested again like during the Razak Baginda case. Deepak told Bala don't worry because if he was willing to tell the truth he will be protected and will not be harassed by the police. He can get this assurance. After a long chat, Bala was still unconvinced and told Deepak he will call back later. Deepak then called Rosmah and reported the entire conversation to her. She then told Deepak to come to the Putrajaya house and meet her husband to explain all the matters. Deepak went to Putrajaya, Sri Satria, and met Najib and Rosmah on the first floor lounge and detailed his conversation with Bala. Najib asked Deepak to convey to Bala that it was important that he speak the truth and tell about RM700,000 promise by DSAI. The reason DSAI had asked Bala to make the SD was because to stop Najib from taking over PM post from Pak Lah and DSAI informed Bala that he needed Najib and Rosmah to be directly implicated. The timing was perfect and DSAI wanted this whole thing to implicate Najib and Rosmah to prevent him from becoming PM and thus allowing him to succeed with his September 16th plan to get the MPs in Sabah to defect so that he could become PM as they were demoralised at that time under PM Badawi's administration. Deepak met Bala in Rawang at about 9pm and they had a long discussion about the entire affair involving the SD and his experience during the time he was employed by Razak Baginda. The next day Bala signed his second SD to contradict the first SD that he had signed.
Private investigator P. Balasubramanian's interview in Singapore Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXX0l1V_Ms4 Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZdiTk48400 Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tVzHDuyzyE
Deepak Jaikishan's statement corroborating Bala's story http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2o7lIVH1Dg
Previous news reports on the matter 1. Lawyer Puravalen to give police statement in PI Bala case http://www.malaysianbar.org.my/bar_news/berita_badan_peguam/lawyer_puravalen_to_give_police_statement_in_pi_bala_case.html 2. Lawyer M. Puravalen claims libel by NST, seeks apology or will sue http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/lawyer-m.-puravalen-claims-libel-by-nst-seeks-apology-or-will-sue 3. Explain alleged conspiracy, duo told http://www.nst.com.my/nation/general/explain-alleged-conspiracy-duo-told-1.127878 |
| Anti-Wan Azizah letter writer fears for his safety Posted: 09 Mar 2013 05:22 PM PST Mohd Fareez Kamal Intidzam has lodged a police report at the Dang Wangi police station yesterday, asking for police protection for himself and his family against those who are looking for him. (FMT) - A former aide of PKR women chief Zuraida Kamaruddin is claiming that he is being "hunted down" by the party and its leaders after details of his letter which had called for the removal of PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail had become public. Mohd Fareez Kamal Intidzam, 24, now wants the police to provide him with security as he feels his safety is at stake. "I am being hunted down by certain people who I think are either supporters or people acting on behalf of Wan Azizah. "Since the details of my letter became public, they had even managed to track me down to the hotel in which I was staying," he said in a statement today. Fareez has lodged a police report at the Dang Wangi police station yesterday, asking for police protection for himself and his family against those who are looking for him. Last Thursday popular blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin posted in his website Malaysia-Today a handwritten letter purportedly by Fareez urging PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang to save the opposition pact from PKR president Wan Azizah and its vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar. Fareez alleged in his letter that Wan Azizah and Nurul wanted to destroy his career as he was "close" to Anwar. He also claimed to be working for Anwar as his private secretary for international affairs since 2008. "The duo wants to eliminate anyone close to Anwar as they are jealous. As PAS president, only you (Hadi) can pressure Wan Azizah to quit her post before the 13th general election," he said in his letter. He also said that Wan Azizah's departure would not make much difference because the former Permatang Pauh MP cannot contest for a parliamentary seat in the coming election anyway. The letter was also copied to DAP chairman Karpal Singh.
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| Posted: 09 Mar 2013 04:02 PM PST
I know some of you like or maybe even love Anwar. I have no problems with that. But just because you like or love Anwar that does not mean I too must do so. And just because I do not like or love the same people that you do this does give you the right to vilify, disparage, mock and curse me. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin There are people who are of the opinion that if I am a reformist, if I am loyal to the cause, if I really wish to see change, then I should love Anwar Ibrahim and sing his praises. If I do not love Anwar, then I am not a reformist, I am not loyal to the cause, and I do not wish to see change. Well, you have probably figured this out by now (and if you haven't then you are dumber than I thought) but I do not love Anwar Ibrahim. But that does not mean I hate him either. Not loving does not necessarily translate to hate. For example, I do not love Britney Spears's music. But that does not mean I hate her music either. In fact, I rather like her slower numbers such as 'I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman', 'Born To Make You Happy', 'Don't Let Me Be The Last To Know', 'From The Bottom Of My Broken Heart', and so on. However, I would not regard her music as 'to die for', unlike Emile Sandé's song 'Clown', which I play every day, a few times a day. Now that is a song 'to die for' that gives me goose pimples (in fact, I'm listening to that song even as we speak). My 'displeasure' with Anwar, if I may be permitted to call it that, started around August 2004. I was then the Director of the Free Anwar Campaign, which I headed for roughly five years of the six years that Anwar was in jail. And I funded it from my own pocket except for the RM1,000 that Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail gave me in 2000 and the RM2,000 that Anwar's brother, Rosli, gave me in 2002. That was all: RM3,000 in total from Anwar's family. But that was not an issue. I was not doing all this for money anyway. Then, in August 2004, one of Anwar's lawyers, Pawanchik Merican, spoke to me to ask me how much I was receiving every month to run the Free Anwar Campaign. I replied that other than the RM3,000 I had received thus far, I was not receiving any money and that the cost to run the Free Anwar Campaign came from my own pocket. Pawanchik was very upset when I told him this. He knew I was travelling all over the country campaigning not only for Anwar but also against the Internal Security Act. And he also knew that Anwar's people had raised a few million Ringgit in the name of the Free Anwar campaign. Hence he thought that the money actually went into financing the Free Anwar Campaign. Pawanchik then informed me that he had visited Anwar in the Sungai Buloh Prison and had told Anwar about this but Anwar did not respond. He just kept quiet. Pawanchik then advised me to close down the Free Anwar Campaign to stop Anwar's people from using it to raise money. I told Pawanchik I would only close down the Free Anwar Campaign once Anwar is free from prison and not a day earlier. Pawanchik replied that Anwar is going to remain in prison for at least another six years. So am I prepared to keep running the Free Anwar Campaign for another six years? I told Pawanchik that Anwar was going to be released in another few weeks, after which I will then close down the Free Anwar Campaign. Pawanchik laughed and said that none of Anwar's many lawyers believed that he would be free in another few weeks. They were very confident that Anwar would spend no less than ten years in jail in total, maybe even 12 years. I then wrote an article that Anwar would see freedom on 2nd September 2004 and one of Anwar's lawyers came to see me at my home in Sungai Buloh to scold me. And this lawyer told me that he is scolding me on Anwar's behalf because my article that Anwar would be freed on 2nd September 2004 is a lie and not true at all. Anyway, I was right and Anwar and his lawyers were wrong. Anwar was freed on 2nd September 2004 as I had written. On that same day I put the Free Anwar Campaign to sleep and began to focus on Malaysia Today fulltime, which I had launched two weeks earlier on Friday, 13th August 2004. On that day, 2nd September 2004, Anwar's lawyer (the one who had come to my house to scold me) phoned me and said that Anwar wanted to see me. I told him to go to hell. The next day, 3rd September 2004, Anwar's brother, Rosli (the chap who had given me RM2,000) phoned me and, again, told me that Anwar wanted to see me. And, again, I told him to go to hell. On the third day, 4th September 2004, Dato' Kamarul Bahrin Abbas (the current MP for Teluk Kemang) phoned me and pleaded with me to come and see Anwar. Dato' told me that Anwar was leaving for Germany that same night and he wanted to see me before he leaves. I told Dato' that Anwar can leave for Germany and maybe I will see him when he returns. Dato' said Anwar wanted to see me before he leaves. I felt bad because I have great respect for Dato' Kamarul, who was my boss in the party newspaper, Berita Keadilan, later changed to Seruan Keadilan. I asked my wife, Marina, what I should do and she replied that if I wanted to go and see Anwar then I will have walk there because she was not going to drive me. Finally Marina agreed to drive me as long as she can wait outside the house and not have to go into the house to also see Anwar. I went to see Anwar that 4th September 2004 not because he wanted to see me but because I segan with Dato' Kamarul. Dato' Kamarul, in fact, was waiting outside the house when we arrived and he escorted me into Anwar's bedroom. Anwar's first words to me were, "Allah, anak Raja ni, susah sungguh nak panggil datang jumpa." I replied, "Why do you want to see me? After all you are not happy with me." So you see, as early as back in August 2004 when I launched Malaysia Today and Anwar was spending his last fortnight in prison I had already 'washed my hands' of him. And I made that very clear by refusing to go and see him even when his lawyer and brother phoned me. I relented on the third day only because I wanted to 'give face' to Dato' Kamarul because I segan with him, my boss in the party newspaper. When I segan with someone I will give him/her face even if I am not happy doing what they request from me. Hence I 'stayed' with Anwar not because I love Anwar but for the sake of Dato' Kamarul who I have great respect for. In the 2008 general election, I campaigned for DAP, but not for Pakatan Rakyat. I declined all the invitations to speak at the PAS and PKR rallies/ceramah. I told them I would only speak at the DAP rallies. And I did, all the way to Penang. Then they approached me and asked me to speak at Nurul Izzah's ceramah. At first I said 'no'. No PKR ceramahs. Then a friend pleaded with me to help Nurul. Because of this friend who I also segan, an Indian chap, I relented and said that only at Nurul's ceramah, but not at the other PKR ceramah -- exclusive for Nurul Izzah only. And until today I still support Nurul and even helped raise money for her (which I did last year). I know some of you like or maybe even love Anwar. I have no problems with that. But just because you like or love Anwar that does not mean I too must do so. And just because I do not like or love the same people that you do this does give you the right to vilify, disparage, mock and curse me. I love Tok Guru Abdul Hadi Awang and Tok Guru Nik Aziz Nik Mat. When I meet them I kiss their hands to demonstrate my love for them. Many of you, however, do not like these two PAS leaders. Some of you, in fact, hate them. But I do not vilify, disparage, mock and curse you because you do no like them or you hate them. I like Karpal Singh. In fact, I have great respect for Karpal and his sons, Gobind in particular. Many of you do not like Karpal. Some of you even hate him and feel he should just retire and keep his mouth shut. But I do not vilify, disparage, mock and curse you because you do no like Karpal or you hate him. I know some of you do not like Dato' Kamarul, the only person in Malaysia who can get me to go and see Anwar. But I do not vilify, disparage, mock and curse you because you do not like Dato' Kamarul or you hate him. In fact, I even know that some of you are going to sabotage Dato' Kamarul in the coming general election to make sure he loses his seat. But I still do not vilify, disparage, mock and curse you. So, no, I have not 'turned' of late, as some of you allege. I already 'turned' -- if you wish to use that word -- back in August 2004 when I first launched Malaysia Today. Nothing has changed. In spite of that I still went to Penang to campaign and ceramah for Anwar during the 2008 Permatang Pauh by-election (and he did not even thank me for that). And when Anwar went to London a few times I travelled down to London to meet him at my own expense. And let me share a secret with you. The more you vilify, disparage, mock and curse me because I do not love Anwar the more I am going to write articles and exposés uncomplimentary to Anwar just to teach you a lesson. Nobody tells me whom I can and cannot love or like. And I will keep whacking until you get this through your thick head. And if you do not like that, tough, that is your problem, not mine.
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| Ask, don’t threaten and jostle for seats, says Anwar Posted: 09 Mar 2013 01:50 PM PST
(The Star) - Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahimslammed those threatening and jostling for seats within Pakatan Rakyat as "having shallow minds". Admitting that there were threats and lobbying for seats within the coalition, he said it occurred mostly at the grassroots level. "One should not threaten for seats but one can request for it," Anwar said at the Penang Pakatan convention at Komtar here yesterday. Chief Minister and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng announced that the theme for the state Pakatan manifesto was "Safer, Cleaner, Greener and Healthier Penang" but much of the focus at the event was the surprisingly dismal turnout. Although about 1,000 members of the DAP, PKR and PAS were expected to attend, there were at most only about 500 attending the event in the morning. The crowd dwindled progressively after Chief Minister and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng spoke. After Anwar's speech, there were only about 200 people left. Lim said the members were tired due to the tight schedule. "Why do you want to focus on the numbers?" he asked when questioned about the poor turnout. Meanwhile, in Sungai Petani, about 100 PKR members staged a demonstration, calling for an Indian candidate to be named for the Bukit Selambau state seat. The group's spokesman S. Muthu, 38, said the members were unhappy over rumours that Kedah PKR deputy chairman Senator Zamri Yusufhad been picked. PKR's Datuk S. Manikumar currently holds the seat.
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| Pakatan says will revamp media system under its rule Posted: 09 Mar 2013 01:41 PM PST
Clara Chooi, TMI The media will be just, more credible and better organised under Pakatan Rakyat's (PR) rule, the opposition pact has pledged as part of its commitment to widen civil liberties here should it win Election 2013. In his speech while debating the pact's national manifesto at the Penang PR convention yesterday, PAS leader Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said this was the first promise he would see through after the polls. "The media system must be transparent, must have credibility... not like what it is today, lacking in integrity, displaying a decline in journalistic ethics and showing a penchant for spreading slander," he was quoted as saying in PAS organ Harakah Daily today. The Kuala Selangor MP added that should PR opt to maintain the current media system, which is largely controlled by the ruling Barisan Nasional-led (BN) government, the public would likely punish the pact for failing to live up to its pledges. He said it has become a primary duty of PR parties PAS, PKR and DAP to ensure media freedom, largely since the parties have had to endure over 50 years of allegedly being bashed in the media with "lies". The PAS central working committee member said these "lies" must stop as many among the Malays are easily swayed by them, even to the extent of being convinced of their obligation to vote for BN. "Umno and BN aren't actually strong parties. They are weak, but because they control the mainstream media, whatever they say gets repeated on the ground to ensure that the people continue voting for BN," he added, according to Harakah Daily. PR, a loose pact of opposition parties PKR, DAP and PAS, expects to topple BN from its over half a century rule of Malaysia in Election 2013, which must be held by June. The pact is believed to have grown significantly in strength and in numbers since it was hurriedly formed after the last general election in 2008, when BN suffered unprecedented electoral losses.
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| Pakatan ke mahkamah untuk bersihkan daftar pemilih Posted: 09 Mar 2013 01:25 PM PST
Zurairi AR dan Ida Lim, TMI Pakatan Rakyat (PR) telah memohon untuk semakan kehakiman bagi memaksa Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) membersihkan daftar pemilih di Selangor, selain dari semakan pengesahan bagi mengelakkan pengundi yang mencurigakan, kata penggubal undang-undangnya. Anggota parlimen Klang Charles Santiago akan mengetahui pada Khamis depan jika percubaannya untuk "memaksa" SPR menyemak daftar pemilih di kawasannya berjaya, tetapi dia juga terkejut suruhanjaya itu berpendapat adalah "normal" untuk mempunyai 28 peratus pengundi tidak dikenalpasti daripada 500,000 yang terbaru di negeri Malaysia paling maju, kerana masyarakat bergerak ke seluruh negara. "Apabila saya baca berita tersebut, saya merasakan ianya kenyataan paling tidak bertanggungjawab," kata Santiago berhubung kenyataan Timbalan Pengerusi SPR Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar Jumaat lalu. Santiago telah memfailkan semakan kehakiman di Mahkamah Tinggi Shah Alam bulan lalu untuk memaksa suatu penyiasatan oleh SPR, yang beliau dakwa cuba melengah-lengahkan ke atas isu pengundi diragui. Santiago mengatakan terdapat 6,000 pengundi diragui, 3,457 pengundi dikeluarkan dari daftar pemilih tanpa kebenaran dan tidak diberitahu serta 2,195 pengundi dipindahkan tanpa kebenaran. Pemimpin PR lain sedang memerhatikan keputusan "percubaan" Santiago sebelum mengikutinya termasuk anggota parlimen Shah Alam Khalid Samad. "Sebenarnya, pilihan yang tinggal kepada kami adalah untuk membawa ke mahkamah," kata ahli parlimen PAS itu, walaupun beliau percaya peluangnya mungkin tipis. Mahkamah Shah Alam akan membuat keputusan pada Khamis depan mengenai pemberian kebenaran bagi permohonan semakan kehakiman Santiago manakala Khalid bergantung kepada sokongan orang ramai untuk meneutralkan kesan pengundi hantu. Teresa Kok dari DAP bersetuju dengan Khalid, mengatakan beliau akan mengarahkan penyokongnya untuk mengumpulkan pengundi sebenar untuk keluar semasa hari mengundi. Beliau mencadangkan agar pengundi membantu semasa tempoh berkempen, dan untuk berkhidmat sebagai agen mengundi dan agen mengira bagi memantau sebarang kemungkinan penipuan. "Tidak banyak yang boleh kita lakukan, kerana semua (pegundi diragui) digazetkan dalam daftar pengundi, katanya yang juga Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) Kinrara, mengatakan akan memastikan senarai pengundi yang tidak dikenali disemak di kawasan DUN beliau. "Diperingkat kami, kami sudah sediakan orang-orang kami, mereka diberikan senarai nama pengundi tidak dikenalpasti, kata Zuraida Kamaruddin dari PKR kepada The Malaysian Insider. "Jadi jika orang-orang ini keluar mengundi, kami akan melakukan inisiatif sendiri untuk mengesahkan mereka sebagai pengundi," kata anggota parlimen Ampang itu, menjelaskan tiga peringkat pengesahan yang beliau akan lakukan. Dua langkah awal adalah ahli parti akan membantah kepada SPR termasuk melalui borang-borang berkenaan, jika pengundi disenarai hitam atau pengundi dengan alamat meragukan muncul dalam daftar pemilih terkini yang digazetkan. Terakhir mereka akan membantah jika terdapat penyelewengan semasa semakan pada hari mengundi, dimana ahli parti akan menyemak sama ada pengundi adalah rakyat asing atau tidak tinggal begitu lama dalam negara sebelum menerima kad pengenalan. Sebarang penyelewengan dalam daftar pemilih akan difailkan dan direkodkan untuk tujuan dokumentasi supaya tindakan mahkamah boleh diambil selepas pilihan raya jika diperlukan, kata Zuraida. "Tetapi pada masa sama, kami tidak menolak kemungkinan untuk menghalang mereka dari mengundi, katanya walaupun beliau sedar ia merupakan satu kesalahan pilihan raya untuk melakukan perkara tersebut. Khalid walau bagaimanapun berkata, walaupun agen mengundi boleh menyemak daftar pemilih berbanding senarai Selangor, tidak banyak yang boleh dilakukan kerana mereka akan dilihat menghalang pengundi sah daripada mengundi. SPR telah mengatakan mereka tidak boleh menghalang mereka yang berdaftar daripada mengundi, kerana ini adalah hak mereka walaupun mereka tidak boleh dikenalpasti.
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| For UIA students, ‘invite only’ screening of ‘Tanda Putera’ Posted: 09 Mar 2013 01:15 PM PST The film's maker, Shuhaimi Baba, said "creative licence" was used in the depiction of historic events in "Tanda Putera". Nomy Nozwir, TMI The controversial "Tanda Putera" film on the May 1969 riots was privately shown last night to a group of 600 students in an "invite-only" screening at Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia (UIA). The university's Student Affairs Department had earlier confirmed that the film would be shown to students and was organised by Kelab Wawasan UIA with co-operation from the department. The film has raised the ire of opposition politicians who say some scenes are not historically accurate. But the film's director had stressed that the film is not a documentary, but a movie "with dramatic elements and creative licence responsibly exercised in its making" and with research done beforehand. According to a student group, it was mandatory for Police Undergraduate Voluntary Corps and Air Force Reserve Officer Training Unit (PALAPES) members to attend, while UIA's residential colleges have been asked to send six members each. "Those who attend would also be awarded 'Star Points'," news portal Malaysiakini quoted We Unite for Islam UIA president Mohd Najib Abdul Rahim as saying, referring to the institution's participatory merit point system. The Malaysian Insider was turned away from attending the 9pm screening last night, which appeared to be tightly guarded by security personnel. One security guard told The Malaysian Insider that the event was "invite-only" and was strictly meant for students, stressing that the media was not permitted to attend the screening. "Reporters not allowed, only invited students," he said. When approached in the surrounding areas of the campus, several students said they were unaware of the private screening. "There is an event in the auditorium? I was not aware," said Nurul Huda Abdul Hamid. Another student, Azuandi Mohd Zainal, a final year law student, said he came to know about the screening from a friend who was part of PALAPES. "My friend is in there, but he did tell me that only selected individuals are permitted," the student told The Malaysian Insider. The Twitter page of student movement @UIAM4PEACE confirmed that the screening took place last night. "Filem #TandaPutera dah bermula.. Kami X Boleh Merakam Sebarang Gambar dan Video dlm Ini.Nytakan Pndangan Anda dgn guna Hashtag #TandaPutera," it wrote. [Translaton: Tanda Putera has started. We cannot snap any photographs or video in here. State your views by using the hashtag #TandaPutera]. "Tak nampak perkauman pun movie ni .yang aku nampak yang jahatnya sisa saki baki pihak komunis #TandaPutera," a student @YuFakhrulLah who attended the screening wrote. [Translation: This movie does not look racist. The ones who I see are the villains here are the communist remnants]. Last month, over 3,000 Felda settlers were shown a surprise preview of "Tanda Putera". The film was shown during a special gathering of settlers at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC), which was also attended by former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
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| ‘Lim is not a Chinese champion’ Posted: 09 Mar 2013 12:41 PM PST A former DAP branch leader slams Penang chief minister saying that the Chinese community should not be hoodwinked into labelling Lim Guan Eng as the "Chinese champion". Athi Shankar, FMT The Malaysian Chinese community needs to clear the misconception that DAP secretary general Lim Guan Eng is the community's "champion" protecting their interests and rights, a former Selangor DAP branch leader charged today. Former DAP Taman Seri Sungai Pelek branch chairman Tan Tuan Tat alleged that Lim was, in fact, a true champion of capitalists' interests but masquerading as someone who had the peoples interest at heart. He said the Chinese community should not be carried away with Lim's Chinese opera stage performance that deceived their eyes. Tan said if one were to scrutinise his five-year performance as Penang Chief Minister, Lim had not championed ordinary Chinese rights as he potrayed. For instance, he claimed Lim had transferred his son from a Chinese school to a national secondary school. "If he was a champion of Chinese education, why he did it?" Tan asked a rally held by disgruntled ex-DAP members in Jelutong here on Friday night. Other speakers were former DAP vice chairman and ex-Senator Tunku Abdul Aziz Ibrahim, former Pantai Sepang branch leader R Vellasamy and former Serdang life member DAP Yap Kon Min.
He said these homes were beyond the reach of even the economically vibrant local Chinese, let alone others. Tan blamed Lim's drastic policy to hike up various development-related charges as the main cause for property prices to soar to an extraordinary level in Penang today. Tan alleged Lim had also allowed developers to build only houses worth RM1 million each in so-called prime areas across Penang. But, Tan noted Lim had not commenced a single project to build affordable homes for the lower income group anywhere in the city. He claimed that currently only rich foreigners can buy properties in Penang while developers were laughing all the way to the bank, thanks to Lim's pro-rich policies. Tan said Lim's pro-capitalist stance had violated basic citizenry right and deprived locals from buying homes in their birthplace. "Lim did not safeguard the peoples rights. He was once DAP socialist youth leader but today he champion's the capitalist cause. Chinese community should right their wrong conception on Lim," urged Tan.
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Although many wouldn't doubt that Malaysia is at a cross road, many others would also not doubt that the UMNO-BN's formula of socio-economic development has failed us to achieve the socially just development that all the rakyat cherished and dreamt of. The long deferred reform agenda must be now addressed.
When our leaders act in the same manner, this presents a very poor example for the Malays. As an example, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had encouraged the stripping of Ambiga Sreenevasan's (right) citizenship because she wanted true democracy.
Saiful Bukhari's father, Azlan Mohd Lazim, has claimed that the sodomy charges against opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim had been politically motivated. Umno leaders treat Malays as simpletons. Will Malays ask Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to respond to Azlan's latest revelation and also address the accusations made by carpet dealer Deepak Jaikishan and former inspector-general of police (IGP) Musa Hassan?
Whilst Najib fell under Psy's charms in Penang, and Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had reportedly been in Indonesia for Chinese New Year, armed Sulu invaders had slipped into Sabah where they were allegedly plied with food and drink by the Umno government during negotiations.
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