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• Singapore Armed Forces Conducts Readiness Exercise
• Ex-EO detainee: My 34 days of solitude
• Najib and Co spent millions for PR

Singapore Armed Forces Conducts Readiness Exercise Posted: 01 Aug 2011 09:20 PM PDT MINDEF SINGAPORE The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) conducted a readiness exercise on 2 August 2011. The exercise involved troops from 1st Guards Battalion conducting a battalion coastal hook, supported by elements from the Army, the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN). The exercise featured the recapture of an offshore island that had been occupied by an enemy force. Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen was present to witness the exercise today at Pulau Sudong. This was the first time Dr Ng visited an SAF exercise since he took over the defence portfolio in May 2011. The exercise demonstrated the integration and operational readiness of the SAF. Dr Ng first observed SAF troops and M113 Armoured Personnel Carriers disembarking from the RSN fast crafts to secure the beach area with support from the RSAF F-16 fighter aircraft and Apache AH-64 helicopters. The troops then proceeded to advance inland supported by Light Strike Vehicles to capture the airstrip located in the centre of the island. After the airstrip had been secured, Dr Ng saw a Super Puma helicopter deliver additional logistics supplies to the troops and evacuated simulated casualties. After viewing the exercise, Dr Ng spoke about the SAF's readiness and capability to execute a complex exercise involving elements of the three services, as well as the confidence of our soldiers. He said, "They (the soldiers) must have confidence in the machines that we buy, the equipment that they have, their ability to execute these operations. I would say that at a professional level, it is not easy to do. It is tri-service which means that it involves elements of the Navy, the Air Force, and the Army. And your command and control systems need to be up to scratch. Your coordination and your ability to execute real time. It is complex." Dr Ng was accompanied by Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant-General Neo Kian Hong and Chief of Army Major-General Ravinder Singh. READ MORE HERE

Ex-EO detainee: My 34 days of solitude Posted: 01 Aug 2011 07:21 PM PDT PSM's Choo Chon Kai shares his thoughts and feelings when he was detained under the Emergency Ordinance and placed under solitary confinement. "There were times, at night, when the loneliness was unbearable because there's not a single person to talk to. When I meet my interrogators in the morning, I was then able to assure myself of reality, that I'm still alive and conscious and not crazy," he said. Teoh El San, Free Malaysia Today He was kept in solitary confinement for 34 days, every detail of his life was brushed with a finetooth comb and he had to endure hours of daily interrogation. But Emergency Ordinance (EO) detainee Choo Chon Kai has not been cowed by his ordeal. Instead, it has strengthened his resolve to be a more dedicated social activist. The forced isolation has also brought out the humourous side of the 33-year-old Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) central committee member. "They were asking me so many details of my life, perhaps they want to help me write my autobiography," he said. Choo said he used his days and hours of solitude as a retreat and to reflect on life. He even said that he looked forward to meet his Special Branch interrogators. "There were times, at night, when the loneliness was unbearable because there's not a single person to talk to. When I meet my interrogators in the morning, I was then able to assure myself of reality, that I'm still alive and conscious and not crazy," he said. Choo was among the six PSM members who were re-arrested and detained under the Emergency Ordinance 1969 without trial when their 24 comrades were released on July 2. All 30 of them were first arrested in Penang on June 25 on suspicion of "waging war against the King". The police had justified the EO detention by saying the six were involved in "foreign elements" and "had subversive tendencies". The six EO detainees were released last Friday after languishing in solitary confinement for 34 days – six days in police remand when first arrested, followed by 28 days under the EO. "They gave me everything, except my freedom," said Choo when asked to summarise his experience. He said the cops were actually quite soft in their approach, adding that the police on the street should be more polite like that. War against the King? Initially he was worried when accused of "waging war against the King". "I was shocked when told of the first charge under Section 122. Then when they used the Emergency Ordinance, I told myself 'Okay, so they're finally using the EO now'. "Then after thinking to myself about how they don't have anything against us, I relaxed and kept calm all the time, I didn't fight back. Just cooperate, I thought," he said. Choo said he mentally prepared himself for the worst case scenario: two years in Kamunting; so he was pleasantly surprised when he was released last week. Choo was first held in Penang in a small confined cell which he described as "very warm" and said the rooms during EO detention were actually slightly better. He said during the detention in Penang, he was questioned by three or four officers from the special branch division as well as the criminal investigation department. "They kept asking about Bersih: are we going, how are we campaigning, what was our plan, and why were there communism t-shirts. But we were not really the Bersih organisers, they got the wrong people," he said. Choo said he had nothing to hide and even told the police that he fully supported Bersih and would be there if he wasn't detained. "They just kept saying 'Bersih is a threat to public order we cannot let people get in'," he said. Choo said there was drama when they were released and re-arrested on July 2 by plainclothes policemen but all he was worried about was the Bersih rally. "At that time, when they used the EO, I worried it was going to be a major crackdown on Bersih rally supporters and leaders. I was worried that it (Bersih rally) won't happen. But before I was re-arrested, I managed to tell my friends who saw me that they have to be there," he said. Choo said that he believed the police were simply using all sorts of "scare tactics" but these tactics didn't work on the PSM EO6, as they are now known. "We are not wrong. If you say that we are against BN government means we're against the King…then that's an insult against the King," he said. Choo, who only got to meet his detained PSM colleagues when they changed clothes or were brought out blindfolded, said the EO detention was much better than the police detention in Penang as they had soap and toothbrushes and two sets of lock-up clothes "During the first detention, I didn't brush my teeth for a week!" he said. Choo said a normal lunch consisted of rice with fried fish, curry chicken and vegetables. On the types of questions they asked , Choo said it covered almost every minute detail of his life. "At first it was very tense questioning. There was a team of interrogators, four of them, and they asked me about my involvement in my university days, my involvement in Suaram and PSM ideologies. At that point, they asked very little about Bersih," said Choo. Choo, who was born and raised in Penang, is a Universiti Sains Malaysia chemical science graduate and has been in student activism since his university days. A one-semester suspension from studies when he was found wearing and selling anti-ISA badges in 2001 spurred him to further his activism instead of deterring him from politics. The former Suaram Penang coordinator is also involved in helping local communities, especially plantation workers. He joined PSM in 2005 and worked for Dr Michael D Jeyakumar as his assistant in 2008.     READ MORE HERE.

Najib and Co spent millions for PR Posted: 01 Aug 2011 03:50 PM PDT Why are Malaysians paying for Najib and BN leaders' global public relations campaign? Huge sums of money, RM57 million over the past two years, have been paid out to a UK media company FBC Media as fees for a "Global Strategic Communications" campaign. Clare Rewcastle Brown, Free Malaysia Today Some months ago we noticed that the once secretive Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud was suddenly being featured in international TV news programmes. Alongside this was also a number of positive reports about Sarawak's development and the benefits of palm oil. These reports were being featured in some of the major global news networks, without mentioning any of the state's dire environmental, human rights and economic problems. Our team at Sarawak Report decided to investigate what was going on and where the funding for all this lay. Following hard on the heels of the current revelations on phone and computer hacking by some UK newspapers, we have exposed a disgraceful scam selling slots on TV news shows to the highest bidder. We can also reveal that Barisan Nasional's top leaders in Malaysia have been at the heart of the corruption, using taxpayers' money to promote themselves on business shows and documentaries. The evidence for these expenses has been written into the Malaysian government's own budget records. Huge sums of money, RM57 million over the past two years, have been paid out to a UK media company FBC Media as fees for a "Global Strategic Communications" campaign. RM57 million for air slots PKR general-secretary Saifuddin Nasution had in fact queried the amount in Parliament last year. Well, in the absence of any answers from BN, we can now supply him with the reason. FBC Media is not only a public relations company offering image-building advice to anyone rich enough to afford them but they also double up as a TV production company. The company focuses on producing business and sports news programmes, as well as current affairs documentaries for some of the World's top TV companies such as CNBC, CNN and BBC World. Among its distinguished Malaysian clients are current Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, his predecessor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Sime Darby chairman Musa Hitam. Taib has also now joined FBC Media's stable of clients. All these leaders have been corruptly buying, through FBC Media, airtime slots to promote themselves on these networks and channels. Several top TV executives in the UK and the US and their company bosses are now going to have to answer some highly embarrassing questions from their licencing authorities. How could these companies possibly commission such dodgy programmes from a PR company all these years? The reason, of course, has been the scramble for cheap programming. With too many competing TV channels chasing after diminishing advertising revenues, it is now a clients' market and slots go to the highest bidder. READ MORE HERE

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• Malaysia orders 7 floating facilities to leave port of Pasir Gudang
• Dr Ahmad Zahid: Barisan will win big in general election
• MACC slammed for 'dancing to UMNO's tune'
• Evidence shows Sarbaini’s death was accidental, not suicidal, pathologist tells Coroner
• Kua: France will unlock Scorpene truth
• PSM’s EO6 to be charged tomorrow
• Mindef says RM 493.3m additional budget necessary to ‘maintain’ Scorpene subs
• Malaysians studying overseas can register as postal voters, says EC chairman
• Dissent no longer allowed in Umno, says Abdul Kadir

Malaysia orders 7 floating facilities to leave port of Pasir Gudang Posted: 02 Aug 2011 06:20 AM PDT (Reuters) – Malaysia's government has ordered seven floating storage facilities with a capacity to hold about 1.9 million tonnes of crude or fuel oil anchored off the southeastern port of Pasir Gudang to leave by the end of this month, industry sources said on Monday. When contacted, a senior Malaysian government source confirmed the directive, but declined to give details or the reasons for the move. ''Yes, I can confirm that the directive has been issued, and it was decided last month,'' he said. These players must find alternative homes for their vessels either at nearby Tanjong Pelepas -- also a floating storage hub, Indonesia's Karimun island, or in international waters. Some could destock their inventories and exit the floating storage market, due to higher costs at the alternative locations, the industry sources said. ''There might be some short-term impact in the market if the destocking volumes are high, but it's too early to tell now,'' a fuel oil trader said. The reasons for the move are unclear but industry sources said it could be because Malaysian authorities want to improve access to several existing and planned oil terminals around Pasir Gudang, including the new proposed Petronas refinery. ''They have been talking about wanting to do some dredging works at the water-channel for a while , as the draft is quite shallow, and it can't even take a fully-laden aframax,'' a Singapore-based storage operator said. ''Right now, there are two shore terminals in the area, but more are coming up, including the site of Petronas' proposed refinery. But the new projects won't be ready for at least four years, so I don't understand why they are doing it now.'' Currently, there are two land terminals in the area -- Cosco Feoto's 200,000-cubic metre (cu m) facility in Pasir Gudang and the 500,000-cu m plant in Tanjong Langsat, occupied solely by Trafigura. Another new terminal, with a capacity of 1.3 million cu m, is being built further east in Pengerang, where the proposed 300,000 barrels-per-day Petronas refinery is also to be located. The Pasir Gudang area has been used by floating storages for the past 8-9 years at least, with the Malaysian government issuing licences to operators, such as Hong Kong-listed Titan Petrochemicals. Demand for the floating facilities has grown tremendously, with the Malaysian government opening up the south-western port of Tanjong Pelepas for the same purpose later.

Dr Ahmad Zahid: Barisan will win big in general election Posted: 01 Aug 2011 06:56 PM PDT (The Star) - Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has dismissed the findings of a recent polls dry run which showed Barisan Nasional losing the Negri Sembilan and Perak state governments to the Opposition. He said Barisan would in fact win a bigger majority due to stronger support, not only from the Malays but from the other races as well. "This will be proven at the next general election," he told reporters at Mindef here, Tuesday. Dr Ahmad Zahid, who is also the Defence Minister, was responding to an online news portal report on Monday. He was confident Umno would perform better than it did at the 2008 general election "because voters have seen that Pakatan Rakyat is not a viable alternative". "Voters who voted for the Opposition at the 12th general election thought they will have a better government," said Zahid. "Now they realise it's actually not true."

MACC slammed for 'dancing to UMNO's tune' Posted: 01 Aug 2011 04:06 PM PDT (Harakah Daily) - Kelantan has slammed the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission for being UMNO's spokesman, over a statement on the recent conclusion by the Commission that the state government was free of corruption. Yesterday, it was reported that MACC's Kelantan branch announced the PAS-led government to be free of corruption. This involved allegations by UMNO that there were corrupt practices involving state officials in the Ladang Rakyat and Bazar Tok Guru issues. "There is no element of corruption in the Bazar Tok Guru issue and we reject the allegation that we did not any work on the case. If there had been corruption and abuse of power, we will go in, but to date nothing (substantive) is found," Kelantan MACC director Nasaruddin Mohd Noor told Malay daily Sinar Harian. L-R: Sutinah and Nasaruddin of MACC "On the issue of Ladang Rakyat, there has yet to be any report lodged on it, but we have carried out investigation based on media reports and monitoring is still in progress," he added. However, a senior MACC officer in Putrajaya countered Nasaruddin's statement, arguing that Kelantan was not free of corruption "because there was no report made". Sutinah Sultan, MACC's deputy commissioner, said as there was no report made, Kelantan Menteri Besar Tuan Guru Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat did not have right to declare his administration was clean. The statement was immediately publicised by pro-UMNO media, with a special slot on television. 'Cheap publicity'  Kelantan deputy Menteri Besar Ahmad Yakob (right) blasted the MACC for being "childish". "The statement by them is so childish. It shows that the officer is dancing UMNO's tune. It is nothing more than a cheap publicity stunt," he said. Ahmad Yakob said questioned why Sutinah jumped to dispute MACC Kelantan's conclusion.   READ MORE HERE.

Evidence shows Sarbaini’s death was accidental, not suicidal, pathologist tells Coroner Posted: 01 Aug 2011 03:52 PM PDT   By Lisa Goh, The Star KUALA LUMPUR: Selangor Customs assistant director Ahmad Sarbaini Mohamed was found to have died because of severe head injuries and positional asphyxia, a forensic pathologist told the Coroner's court on Tuesday. Associate Prof Dr Faridah Mohd Noor, who is attached to the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC), said that based on a post-mortem she carried out on Ahmad Sarbaini on April 6, this year, he was found to have a total of 42 external and internal injuries. "The pattern of injuries are consistent with a fall from height. "His death was caused by severe head injuries and positional asphyxia due to fall from height," she said when questioned by deputy public prosecutor Hanim Mohd Rashid Tuesday. She explained that "positional asphyxia" happened because Ahmad Sarbaini could not breathe because there was too much blood around his mouth and nose area after he fell. He was found face down in a pool of blood. She added that he had fallen on his out-stretched left arm (in an attempt to break his fall), which showed that he was still alive during the fall. Dr Faridah placed his time of death between 7am and 11am on April 6. She said that when she examined his body after she arrived at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) building on Jln Cochrane, she found his body still warm, but rigor mortis (stiffening of the joints and muscles of a body after death) had set in. She told the court that the post-mortem also found Ahmad Sarbaini had fractured both his arms and legs, and he had lacerations, abrasions and cuts on his face. The right side of his chin, as well as his skull, was fractured. She also said that based on the pattern of injuries, and circumstantial evidence, she found his death to be accidental, not suicidal or homicidal. However, when questioned by lawyer Awtar Singh, who is representing Ahmad Sarbaini's family, she said she could not conclude that his death was "accidental". "I can't say. That is for the court to decide. "But my findings were based on the fact that he did not have hesitation marks on his body (wound marks caused by persons who are suicidal), or defence wounds (wound marks caused by a person trying to fight off an attacker)," she said. Awtar: But it is possible he was thrown out? Dr Faridah: Possible, but it would not have been easy. There would surely be signs of struggle between the deceased and the attacker. Ahmad Sarbaini, 56, who was attached to the Port Klang Customs office, was found dead on the first floor of the MACC building on April 6. He was reported to have gone to the commission's office to meet the investigating officer assigned to corruption cases involving 62 customs officers. Hearing before Coroner Aizatul Akmal Maharani continues Wednesday.

Kua: France will unlock Scorpene truth Posted: 01 Aug 2011 03:48 PM PDT PETALING JAYA: When Kua Kia Soong says he has been concerned about arms spending in Malaysia for "a long time" he means for about four decades. The years spent in keen observation of the government's defence spending culminated in 1994 when he blew the whistle on the "Arms-for-Aid scandal. The fiasco revolved around the funding of the Pergau hydroelectric dam which was linked to RM5 billion in arms sales to British overseas aid in the form of Aid and Trade Provision (ATP) funding. Kua, who was Petaling Jaya MP for DAP at the time, was disgusted that while the British media pounced on the scandal, its Malaysian counterparts chose to turn a blind eye. He has since then traded his parlimentarian seat for that of Suaram director but the swap has done nothing to abate his vigilance of the government's arms spending. It has instead propelled him into the heart of the country's most high profile arms deal – the purchase of two Scorpene submarines from France. The deal is mired in controversy with allegations of kickbacks and linked to the murder of Mongolian national, Altantuya Shaariibuu. "The Scorpene French provider, DCNS, is well-known to have given commissions in the Karachi case and also in its sale of frigates to Taiwan," Kua, 60, explained to FMT. (The Karachi car bomb in May 2002 was reported to be related to a case of retro-commissions and kickbacks involving the Pakistani state and French politicians for an arms deal.) Suaram's suspicions arose as it studied the scandals involving DCNS and it began enquiring about the possibility of pursuing the commissions involved in the Scorpene deal. "We discovered that (French human rights lawyer) William Bourdon was pursuing the cases in the French judicial system so we got in touch with him," Kua said. "Bourdon responded positively as he had been shadowing the Karachi and Taiwan cases which were linked to DCNS". Suaram applied through its French lawyers as a civil party for a judicial review in the French court in November 2009 to investigate the submarine deal. In April 2010, the French courts accepted the request to investigate Suaram's claim of corruption. The French investigative judge who will hear the case will be picked next month. Bourdon however was given the boot back to Paris by the Malaysian government during his visit here last month after he spoke at a Scorpene fundraising dinner in Penang. His deportation was decried by various quarters as an attempt by the government to muzzle the truth. Here are excerpts from the interview with Kua:   READ MORE HERE.

PSM’s EO6 to be charged tomorrow Posted: 01 Aug 2011 03:44 PM PDT   By K Pragalath, FMT PETALING JAYA: Recently released six Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) leaders are expected to face fresh charges at the Butterworth Sessions Court tomorrow. While it is unclear what the charges would be, party leaders speculate that the case to be preferred against the six would be related to the July 9 Bersih 2.0 rally and for allegedly being involved in subversive activities. "I believe that they would be charged for Bersih related charges – over their alleged association with an illegal association under the Societies Act and for leafleting Bersih agenda," PSM secretary-general S Arutchelvan told FMT. The six – Sungai Siput MP Dr D Michael Jeyakumar, PSM deputy chairman M Sarasvathy, central committee members Choo Chon Kai and , M Sukumaran, youth chief R Saratbabu and Sungai Siput branch secretary A Letchumanan – were released from the Emergency Ordinance last Friday after being detained for 28 days. They were arrested in Kepala Batas on June 26 while embarking on a PSM campaign with 24 other PSM members. The authorities later accused them of waging war against the King. They were then released and re-arrested on July 2 under the Emergency Ordinance which allowed the police to detain suspects for up to 60 days without trial. It was later revealed that they were detained for allegedly being "movers" for the July 9 rally organised by Bersih 2.0.   READ MORE HERE.

Mindef says RM 493.3m additional budget necessary to ‘maintain’ Scorpene subs Posted: 01 Aug 2011 03:40 PM PDT   By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal The Defence Ministry received an additional RM493.3 million allocations this year, and said today the amount was needed to maintain the country's two Scorpene submarines. The additional amount raises the ministry's total budget to whopping total of RM11 billion. "The main purpose is to maintain our Scorpene submarines as that expense was not included in the budget," The Star quoted Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (picture) as saying. The purchase of Malaysia's RM7 billion Scorpene submarines has been a subject of wide controversy, after authorities deported a French lawyer who has been pursuing judicial investigations into the matter in the French courts, the day after he spoke on the issue in Penang. Pakatan Rakyat (PR) MPs have accused the Najib administration of wanting to keep the facts hidden in the purchase of the submarines from French defence firm DCNS and up to RM16 billion in defence deals over the past three years. The purchase of two submarines from French defence company DCNS in 2002 was made when Datuk Seri Najib Razak was still defence minister and a company run by Abdul Razak Baginda, said to be a close aide of the then-deputy prime minister, was reported to have received commissions of over RM500 million from the deal. Human rights groups and opposition parties here also linked the episode to the 2006 murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu.   READ MORE HERE.

Malaysians studying overseas can register as postal voters, says EC chairman Posted: 01 Aug 2011 10:38 AM PDT   By Rashvinjeet S Bedi, The Star PETALING JAYA: Malaysian students overseas need only to inform the Election Commission (EC) that they are out of the country so that they can vote. EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Yusof said the students could register themselves as postal voters. "As long as they are above 21 and are studying overseas full-time, they can vote. However, they need to inform us that they are going overseas," he said yesterday. Abdul Aziz said students who turned 21 while overseas could register as voters with the embassies in the respective countries they are in. The embassies would send the ballot papers to the addresses provided by the students. The students could then return their postal votes to the embassies, who would subsequently submit them to the EC, he added. Besides students, under the Elections (Registration of Electors) Regulations 2002, those who could vote while residing abroad included members of the armed forces and public servants. Spouses of the three aforementioned categories are also eligible to vote. To a question, Abdul Aziz said he did not have details about the number of overseas postal voters but said they were "negligible". He also said many postal ballots arrived at the EC headquarters several days after a general election. "Currently, postal votes can only be counted if they reached the polling centres by 5pm on polling day," he added. He said that in Singapore, postal votes were valid for up to two weeks after the polling date. "However, they announce the results on polling day as the number of postal votes are insignificant," he added. Abdul Aziz said the EC was looking into the possibility of allowing other Malaysians overseas to vote as well, but admitted that logistical problems affecting postal voting needed to be looked into.

Dissent no longer allowed in Umno, says Abdul Kadir Posted: 01 Aug 2011 10:21 AM PDT   By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider Tan Sri Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir laments Umno's present disdain for dissent and open debate, charging it as a "regression" from the eras of Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj and Tun Abdul Razak.   The former Umno minister and supreme council member told The Malaysian Insider he was "worried" about the Malay party's current political culture, saying it starkly contrasted with the Najib administration's push for transparency and openness. "Unfortunately things have changed a lot within Umno since the times of the late Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak and Tun Hussein Onn. Back then there was a lot of freedom to voice out our opinions, a lot of room for dissent and open debate.. "But now you don't have that kind of environment," Abdul Kadir told The Malaysian Insider, citing the current circumstances has pushed him to join Angkatan Amanah Merdeka (Amanah) where he can voice out issues that could not within his own party. The former tourism minister cited the backlash to Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah's stand on the Bersih 2.0 rally, where the deputy higher education minister disagreed with the way the government had handled the July 9 event. "It was just a comment, it did not mean he was going against his party or the government, but now there are calls within Umno for him (Saifuddin) to be sacked. "This never happened in the past," added Abdul Kadir. He also compared the present Umno leadership to the past ones, and used the case of former Umno Youth Chief and Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Harun Idris to illustrate his point. "Most of us in Umno Youth did not agree when Datuk Harun was charged with corruption. We became witnesses against the government back then. We went against our own government to campaign for Datuk Harun around the country...but no action was taken against us, even though there was a difference of opinion. "It did not mean we were going against BN or the government, it was just a difference of opinion," said Abduk Kadir. Between 1975 to 1977, the late Harun was found guilty on various charges of corruption and was sentenced to six years' jail. In 1981, Harun was pardoned by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on advice of the then Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed, after serving three years of his sentence.     READ MORE HERE.

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How BN has Debased Commissions of Inquiry Posted: 01 Aug 2011 01:17 PM PDT By Dr Kua Kia Soong, Director of SUARAM The presumptuous conclusion by the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) that Teoh Beng Hock (TBH) committed suicide even though the experts had not concluded so should be an occasion for Malaysians to ponder the debasement of Commissions of Inquiries set up by the BN / Alliance government all these years.   1. No Public Consultation over Composition of the RCI During the recent phone hacking scandal by the News of the World in Britain, the Prime Minister David Cameron was forced to immediately set up a commission of inquiry. He did this first of all by consulting the leader of the opposition, Ed Miliband and they then discussed the composition of the commission. The moment the scandal had been exposed by The Guardian, the expectations of the people regarding the composition of the commission were widely discussed in the British media. David Cameron could not ignore this or the commission of inquiry would have been denounced at the outset. Thus, the first condition for the composition of any RCI must be BROAD PUBLIC CONSULTATION. The BN has time and again ignored this requirement whenever it appoints commissions in this country and this includes SUHAKAM commissioners as well as other commissions. To ensure the composition of RCIs is credible, certain procedures must be in place to ensure the commissioners' INDEPENDENCE, IMPARTIALITY and COMPETENCE. These conditions can only hold if the government consults the Parliamentary Opposition and respected members of civil society. Membership of the RCI must include representation by appropriate groups to ensure plurality and fairness. The RCI could be headed by a judge but the members do not necessarily have to be entirely made up of judges. The Teoh Beng Hock RCI was a rushed job by the BN government due to public pressure and only after dragging its feet for so long after Beng Hock's death. Competence would include expertise in human rights and humanitarian law. On this point, former High Court and Court of Appeal judge Datuk N. H. Chan has commented that the Teoh Beng Hock commission had no business forming such an opinion as none of the experts it called upon gave the opinion that Teoh committed suicide. He pointed out that this went against Section 45 of the Evidence Act 1950, which states that when a court has formed an opinion on a point of science, the opinions of experts are relevant facts. "Without any relevant fact, that is to say, without an opinion from an expert, a court is unable to form an opinion upon... the scientific point that Teoh Beng Hock took his own life. In this case, none of the experts gave the opinion that Teoh took his own life," (The Malaysian Insider, 1 Aug 2011)   2. Ignoring Recommendations by RCIs The BN (including its predecessor Alliance) government has also debased RCIs by ignoring their salient recommendations. This is an affront to the people and a total waste of public funds. The Athi Nayappan RCI on Local Government had recommended the reintroduction of elected local government during the sixties but the BN government has chosen to ignore this important recommendation to restore Malaysian democracy to what it was at Independence. What sort of transformation is the Najib talking about when we have regressed compared to our democratic institutions at Independence? The RCI on the Police in 2005 had a most important recommendation which has direct bearing on Teoh Beng Hock's death, namely, the setting up of an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Committee (IPCMC). Up until today, the BN government has been dragging its feet on this. Independent Police Complaints Committee Now, if the IPCMC had existed prior to TBH's death, it could have stepped in and investigated his death from the moment his body was found. The MACC and the police would have been obliged to step aside for the IPCMC to complete its full investigation and bring the culprits to justice. The longer the BN government puts off the establishment of the IPCMC, the more it must be responsible for other deaths and torture under the police or enforcement agencies' custody. The British IPCMC covers not only the police but also enforcement agencies including the customs and Inland Revenue. And as we know too well, torture under detention without trial continues under BN rule and that is all the more reason for an IPCMC. The government must also ratify the Convention against Torture. This will ensure international scrutiny to stop torture in Malaysia.   3. Justice for Teoh Beng Hock While we dispute the conclusion by the RCI that TBH committed suicide, it is very clear from the report that the MACC officers had harassed him to a point that was unacceptable. Therefore, the government must bear responsibility for allowing such a culture to pertain in its enforcement agency, the MACC. Consequently, the government must compensate adequately the family of Teoh Beng Hock for the loss of someone so dear to them. This does not detract from the fact that the culprits responsible for TBH's death have still to be brought to justice.

Malaysia in the Era of Globalization #76 Posted: 31 Jul 2011 11:23 AM PDT Only the Koran is perfect. Contrary to accepted wisdom, the sunnah is not the practices and sayings of the prophet, rather what some scholars interpret to be so. M. Bakri Musa Chapter 9: Islam in Malay Life Reform in Islam The Quest For Answers Present-day Muslims look askance at the sorry state in which the vast majority of our ummah live. Muslim nations, even those well endowed by Allah with abundant rich natural resources, live in abject poverty. Human rights abuses are the norm in many Islamic countries. As painfully noted by Abdullahi An-Naim, the vast majority of Muslims live at a superficial level of both Islam and modern civilization. Although we claim adherence to Islam and exhibit apparent commitment to its ritualistic formalities, we fail to appreciate and live up to its moral and spiritual essence. Likewise most Muslims benefit from modern civilization but have little appreciation of the values and ways of thinking that underlie and sustain those technologies and institutions. Further, many Muslims' understanding of Western civilization is often reduced to the gaudy simplistic images propagated by Hollywood, and the seamier aspects highlighted by Muslim fundamentalists eager to denigrate the West. Muslim leaders are no better. They smugly and gleefully gloat over the ills of the West without once pausing to look over the inadequacies of their own society. Meanwhile the West progresses while Islamic societies stagnate. Envy and jealousy are common human faults. As a result today there is considerable rage against the West among Muslims. The 9-11 Al Qaeda's attacks on America are only the latest and most vicious manifestation of this ugly emotion. I suggest that Muslims emulate, not hate the West. The energies of Muslim leaders and scholars should instead be directed to picking the best out of the West for emulation. Condemning (or destroying) does not take any talent. Bernard Lewis's critique of Islamic societies in What Went Wrong, suggests that contemporary Muslims in pondering their fate should stop asking the question, "Who did this to us?" and more usefully substitute, "What did we do wrong?" and, "How do we right it?" That Lewis is not a Muslim does not in any way diminish the wisdom of his observation. Muslims can begin to answer the "What we did wrong?" by first critically reexamining the sunnah and Shari'a. Foremost we must remember that both are the creations of man and have qualities inherent in all such endeavors, including the possibility of errors and imperfections. Only the Koran is perfect. Contrary to accepted wisdom, the sunnah is not the practices and sayings of the prophet, rather what some scholars interpret to be so. It is instructive that the collection of ahadith (plural for hadith) considered most authoritative is that of Imam Bukhari. But he was not even born until nearly two hundred years after the prophet's death. It is equally instructive that he rejected thousands of purported sayings of the prophet (pbuh). The essential criterion he used was the lineage of the oral propagation (isnah), relying heavily on the piety and reputation of the transmitters. The assumption is that the pious would not willingly fabricate or embellish. May be not willingly or consciously, but our memory does play fools on us, regardless of our piety or wisdom. Being a mere mortal, we can expect errors on Bukhari's part both in including the less-than-truthful ahadith as well as excluding some legitimate ones. Remember, only Allah is perfect. Had Imam Bukhari and the early scholars not put as much effort on evaluating the theological pedigree of the transmitters and instead concentrated their intellectual energies on reconciling the purported sayings and practices of the prophet (pbuh) with the message of the Koran, their ensuing treatises might have been considerably different. Or perhaps Bukhari, knowing full well how entrenched some of the beliefs in the purported sayings and ways of the prophet (pbuh) were in the minds and culture of the Muslims then, dared not personally challenge the perceived wisdom. He knew only too well the fate that befell "deviationists." Thus he ingeniously devised the "science" of hadith by using his considerable intellect and prodigious memory to tracing the lineage and transmission of each hadith. With this "science" he found a neutral or objective way of dispensing with the more outrageous and embellished sunnah and ahadith. Were he to simply dismiss them through his own independent research and critical thinking, he would have been lynched. As it was, he had his share of denigration and banishment for daring to dispense with some of the more popularly accepted but obviously preposterous ahadith. Today over a millennium later, there is no possible way of independently ascertaining the veracity of the lineage and pedigree of the sunnah. In the interpretation of the Koran, modern scholars pay as much attention to the "occasion of the revelation" as to the text, thus giving us a much richer and more perceptive reading. We should likewise do the same in interpreting the various ahadith, that is, examine the occasion of the purported sayings as well as analyzing their historical and sociological contexts. Many scholars, past and present, have cautioned Muslims on attributing infallibility to the sunnah and Shari'a. We should reserve that only for the Koran. Kassim Ahmad has suggested doing away completely with hadith. For that audacious position, his book was banned in Malaysia and he was branded an apostasy. So much for Muslim tolerance in Malaysia! I disagree with Kassim, but I find his views refreshing even though his analyses and reasoning are less than rigorous. We must have an open mind and treat the hadith and sunnah as historical and sociological vignettes in order to understand the Koran better. To me the current debate on whether Malaysia should adopt the Shari'a and whether it is an Islamic state is futile, nonproductive, and highly divisive. Such controversies are nothing more than wayang kulit (shadow play) or sandiwara (staged theater) between UMNO and PAS out to display their religious aroma. At least wayang kulit and sandiwara are entertaining and help bring people together. The bigger question that has yet to be addressed and is being shunted aside in the preoccupation with trivia, is how to make the present laws and institutions conform to the ideals of the Koran. Next: Islamization of Education

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‘Tiada rundingan PKR-Kita’ Posted: 01 Aug 2011 03:45 PM PDT Ketua PKR Temerloh Ahmad Nizam Abdul Hamid berkata keputusan itu dibuat pada mesyuarat Pakatan Rakyat negeri dua minggu lalu. "Keputusan kita jelas, Pakatan Rakyat tidak boleh berunding dengan Kita. PKR tidak boleh, PAS dan DAP pun tidak boleh. Asas penolakan rundingan dengan Kita ialah parti itu bukan gabungan Pakatan Rakyat," katanya ketika dihubungi hari ini. Beliau mengulas kenyataan bekas Timbalan Ketua PKR Pahang, Mohd Nor Jaafar yang juga Ketua Cabang PKR Jerantut yang mahu mengadakan rundingan pembahagian kerusi dengan Kita dalam PRU 13. Mohd Noor meninggalkan PKR dan menyertai Kita dan dilantik sebagai Penyelaras Kita negeri Pahang kerana parti itu belum ditubuhkan secara rasmi di negeri itu. Mengulas lanjut, Ahmad Nizam yang juga AJK PKR Pahang berkata, Mohd Nor memang mahu berunding dengan pimpinan PKR negeri kerana mahu menuntut beberapa kerusi untuk Kita. Bagaimanapun katanya, PKR tidak mahu dan tidak boleh berunding dengan Mohd Nor kerana parti beliau, Kita bukan gabungan Pakatan Rakyat. READ MORE HERE

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• Tribute to Aleesha (alias Ashraf)
• Taib Paid Out $5 Million To Attack Sarawak Report! – International Expose
• Misteri gentar mempertahankan 1 Malaysia

Tribute to Aleesha (alias Ashraf) Posted: 01 Aug 2011 04:48 PM PDT That's when I realised how important gender recognition and acceptance was for her, and how without it, life was not worth living. I had this strange fear that she was going to take her own life. Of course, the hospital and doctors now tell us she died of a heart problem and low blood pressure. It would not be proper for me to think otherwise. We as a nation must not let her death go to waste, for we can learn something from this tragic loss of life. If we do nothing, then more lives will be wasted, and more families will be heartbroken or will suffer in silence. Questions about sexuality, gender, belief, faith and personal freedom are important matters to the individuals concerned. To many of us, they constitute the core of our existence. That's why the Government (and that includes the Ministers, the Registration Department, religious authorities and judges) should handle these issues with care and gentle consideration. I know it's difficult for this Government to be gentle and respectful of minorities, or anyone different. They have begun to believe their own spin: that they are the great protectors of the religion, race and general wellbeing of the Malays. They have taken it upon themselves to decide for the Malays (who are by law Muslims) everything under the sun, big and small. For example, if the Malays want to sell a piece of property, chances are the Menteri Besar and his Exco have to approve the transaction. I tried to sell a small shop lot after owning the property for four years,but my application was rejected. Maybe one day during a recession when prices have gone south, I will finally get the approval to sell from these great protectors of my race. It seems that as a Malay, I am not considered fit enough to decide when I can sell my own property. I am not fit to take advantage of the market situation. I must be really incapable and weak, like a walking handicap. My rights as a property owner are restricted, but the Government will say it's for my own good. I apologise for the digression, but this same lack of recognition of our right to choose is reflected in Aleesha's case. In future, if a Malay says she is a woman, whether by birth or by biological transformation in adult life (and scientifically or by hormonal testing one can easily establish that assertion to be largely correct), then I hope the Registration Department will just accept that fact. Why is the Department so interested in denying her proper identity? READ MORE HERE

Taib Paid Out $5 Million To Attack Sarawak Report! – International Expose Posted: 01 Aug 2011 04:02 PM PDT We can expose FBC Media, a TV production company which doubles as a "strategic communications" firm, for conducting an illicit scam over the past decade, secretly selling slots across a number of supposedly impartial TV news programmes to promote its international clients, including Najib Razak and Taib Mahmud. The practice, which is designed to deceive hundreds of millions of TV viewers, has netted the company tens of millions of dollars, providing characters like Taib Mahmud with positive publicity on prime international TV shows.  It is all paid for, of course, by their own taxpayers, whom they are also seeking to dupe and impress. Our evidence further shows that FBC Media are also linked to the vicious online blogging campaigns in the US which have defamed both Anwar Ibrahim and Sarawak Report over the past months [see Sarawak Reports Dirty Tricks Coverage]. Top global TV stations in trouble Our in-depth investigation into the scandal implicates some of the world's most prestigious broadcasting networks, including CNBC, CNN and even BBC World, which is supported by the British government. All these stations have carried programmes made by FBC Media, containing items promoting their multi-million dollar PR clients. Allowing characters like Taib Mahmud to buy positive coverage on editorial news shows is rightly banned under broadcasting laws and it is those broadcasting companies themselves that hold ultimate legal responsibility for all the content they put out. READ MORE HERE

Misteri gentar mempertahankan 1 Malaysia Posted: 01 Aug 2011 03:21 PM PDT Maka, mana mungkin sesiapa gentar mempertahankan 1 Malaysia? Mungkin kita jadi gentar sebab orang UMNO , parti yang di ketuai oleh PM kita, mengalami tekanan kelam kabut serta tidak karuan fikiran mereka. Bayangkan, semenjak 1981 dan berkemuncak pula dari 1988 apabila UMNO baru di ujudkan, orang UMNO hanya ada satu sahaja paradigm- iaitu bercakap segala gala nya dari sudut kepentingan orang Melayu. Tiba tiba, tahun 2010, setelah lebh 30 tahun bercakap dari sudut Melayu sentrik, orang UMNO di suruh bercakap mengenai 1 Malaysia. Bagaimana mereka tidak bercelalru fikiran? Selama ini mereka hanya tahu bercakap serta beroperasi atas landasan pro- perkauman, Najib pula suruh mereka cakap tidak perkauman. Sebab itu, ketika selesai Perhimpunan Agung UMNO tahun lalu, saya melihat para perwakilan semua menolak idea idea besar Najib. Secara keseluruhan idea Najib mengenai 1 Malaysia, mengenai transformasi ekonomi, mengenai segala nya lah, di tolak. Namun, akhbar arus perdana tidak menghuraikan perkara ini. Maka elok pula saya mengingatkan nya. Bila Najib cakap mengenai 1 Malaysia, perwakilan bercakap mengenai ketuanan Melayu atau Melayu di dahulukan. Apakala Najib bercakap mengenai transformasi ekonomi, para perwakilan mendesak dasar ala DEB di kembalikan. Akhirnya, modal untuk Najib mempertahankan diri ialah mengistiharkan bahawa dia anak Tun Razak. Yang ini, tentulah tidak ada orang boleh nafikan. Tapi apakah penilaian kita apabila seseorang hanya boleh mempertahankan diri nya, dengan resort kepada mengingatkan perwakilan bahawa dia anak Tun Razak? Kepada saya itu sudah jelas menunjukkan Najib tidak terdaya mempertahankan idea idea besar nya atas dasar merit. Jadi deep down orang Melayu curiga dengan wawasan Najib. Setelah 30 tahun bercakap dan menghidupkan cita cita Melayu Raya dalam segala aspek kehidupan, kita di kehendaki mengubah haluan. Sampai bila bila pun, matlamat dan agenda orang Melayu tidak akan dapat di capai dan ianya akan di tunda untuk jangka waktu yang tidak dapat di tentukan. Keadaan yang melanda orang Melayu hari ini, terutama nya orang UMNO tidak ubah seperti orang yang baru hendak belajar solat dan puasa. Seorang ustaz bertanya pada sahabat nya, wok weh, mengapa kamu tidak berpuasa, maka sahabat nya menjawab, bagaimana mahu puasa sedangkan aku tidak sembahyang. Bukan kah ulamak mengingatkan kita, kalau kita puasa tapi tidak sembahyang, maka puasa kita jadi sia sia kerana yang kita dapat ialah berlapar. READ MORE HERE

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• End of the rope for Najib
• It’s About Time
• Is the PR serious about becoming the next government of Malaysia?
• Let me tell you more about Tan Kay Hock
• UMNO, Najib and the 24 million ring

End of the rope for Najib Posted: 01 Aug 2011 04:09 PM PDT From Douglas Tan, via e-mail, Free Malaysia Today Over the past few months, we have all seen the steep decline of our Prime Minister. From calling on youth to "defend Putrajaya" as though the nation is expecting an invasion, to being unable to back up his own 1Malaysia policy when asked by a student at a recent Malaysian Student Leader's Summit. It truly seems that Najib is unable to do anything right at the moment. First he attacks the Opposition parties outright, claiming that they would destroy this nation and that Barisan Nasional is the shining light to guide the nation forward. To ask the youth to help defend Putrajaya against the Opposition is nothing short of pretentious, as though Umno/BN has the divine right to govern this country infinitum. This was quickly followed by Bersih 2.0, where he exposed himself as a lame duck leader. Instead of assuming a non-partisan role and showing true leadership, he aligned himself more as Umno president than the Prime Minister of Malaysia by demonising the coalition as an "illegal organisation" and stooping so low to the extent of roping in mosque ceramahs to spread their propaganda of the so-called "perhimpunan haram". His handling of Bersih 2.0 in itself was nothing short of despicable. If he truly recognised the event to be a national crisis, he himself should have been in Kuala Lumpur that day to defuse the situation. Instead, he found himself in Terengganu, with his tail between his legs, smiling at the co-op event, as though he found the hyped-up illegal rally in Kuala Lumpur to be a mere inconvenience to his schedule. In the lack of true leadership, he "tai-chied" all of the responsibility onto his cousin's shoulders. Hishammudin didn't fair much better, especially with his justification of the clampdown on civil liberties, to the extent that those who knew him declared him as sounding "mentally impaired"! As though this was not bad enough, the cover up of Tung Shin Hospital episode, the police violence and the subsequent spread of lies through the media had caused a self-inflicted international black eye. Ignoring all of this, he proceeded to meet the Queen of England in a stunning yellow dress, just in case he failed to get the message. Although he had managed to establish ties with the Vatican, his subsequent comments to the Christian community did little to them to endear him, especially when he implied that Christians were intolerant, when that clearly is not the case. His wife's extravagance would distance him further from the grassroots as allegations that she purchased a US$24 million ring had sent shock waves through the community, especially at a time that the Rakyat are told to tighten our belts in the midst of reduced subsidies and rising prices. READ MORE HERE

It’s About Time Posted: 01 Aug 2011 01:11 PM PDT By Chee Chook Ying I can't believe we are turning 54 this year. With what has been happening recently, it does seem we are rolling back to "ancient" times, since some still want to hang on stubbornly to former social structures that are no longer suitable. Admittedly, we do need institutions put in place to prevent anarchy. However, humankind is constantly changing, led by the evolution in every sphere of life, be it technology, education, social, political, etc. Clearly, what were creatures of their time cannot be relevant today. If it were the case, what have we achieved to account for, these last 54 years? Nothing? Do skyscrappers mean anything if our mentalities have not changed? No wonder a part of our society appear to be in crisis! Are some of us still hanging on to ancient structures that are ill-adapted to present situations? I think it's quite dangerous to entertain the thought that by returning to the past, we can reestablish order. Definitely, some institutions today have to make way for a better tomorrow, for Malaysia. The reality today is, there's no room for absolute power. An enlightened conscience will tell you that. We are no longer a people afraid to make our own decisions. We are no longer a people afraid to take initiatives. We are not some medieval nation where theoretically, the leader will be God's representative and his people's servant but in reality, he will serve his own ambitions and oppress his people! We are a democracy, no leader is indispensable. Don't let some far-fetched propaganda convince you otherwise. We are going to face our 13th General Election soon. How should we vote? Who do we vote for? Bulging tummies are not a sight for sore eyes! They do say something about the owners. Lean and mean? Like the lean but not the mean. Saul, the first king of the chosen people, was courageous, yet obstinate, not wanting to take risks and was rather attached to the ideas of his time. He failed as a king as he was considered not humble enough to undertake new and great things without being afraid of possible failures. Granted that there is no political life without parties but one cannot confuse responsibility with abuse of authority, by not listening to the voice of reason, especially when one is so entrenched in a party that is so used to having its own way and this voice of reason is not from within. A leader cannot act according to his own judgement, especially when one is isolated from others (usually true when one is in the highest authority), becoming arrogant or worst still, pessimistic. As a leader, his destiny goes beyond the ordinary. He is the sacrificial lamb, not the other way around. Though he is not required to do an-Abraham, he cannot very well direct the destiny of a nation or measure up to such a responsibility if he does not listen to the voice of reason or that of his people, for that matter. We should not choose a leader who pretends to be more than the man (or woman) that he or she is. It is necessary to discover the values of this person and not be deceived by appearances, "to look into his or her heart". If we do this, perhaps we will be able to find the right people needed to animate our community instead of the purely ambitious ones who are full of rhetoric. If we care to take a leaf from out of the story of David and Goliath, we will realize that victory does not come to the ones who are physically stronger or heavily armed. Just ask anyone from the just concluded "Bersih Walk for Free and Fair Elections". Anyone dispirited from the experience? The resounding answer would be that all those who took part would work even harder now for change, for a better Malaysia, for all. It's about time. It's about time leaders get it into their thick skulls that we, the majority of Malaysians are rather united in wanting to build a better Malaysia for all. It's about time some of you numbskulls realize that the majority of Malaysians are very aware of the fact that they have been robbed of their birthright and that those of you purportedly looking out for the welfare of your kin are actually the culprits. It's about time, we deny those who seek to advance their own progress or that of their family another opportunity. It's about time those who wish to be elected realize that once elected, they are servants and not masters. They are to persevere in bringing about a Malaysia worthy of humankind, one where food, shelter and dignity are given to all. Why should anyone go hungry when those we put in office, spend billions on gadgets that don't work. It's a sin. Such elected representatives should be anathema, come GE 13th. It's about time we, Malaysians, all of us, practise what we preach. It really is about time we coexist as one, all of us. We can do this, we really can.

Is the PR serious about becoming the next government of Malaysia? Posted: 31 Jul 2011 08:02 PM PDT By batsman  With talk of the 13th GE being just around the corner, all political parties should be desperately gearing up for the upcoming electoral battle that is going to decide whether Malaysia finally gets to have an equally matched 2 party political system. Unfortunately the component parties of the PR still appear to be frozen in limbo unable to take the leap to eternal glory. 3 years after the 2008 tsunami, component parties of the PR are still unable to come up with a shadow cabinet. Instead they are jealously guarding their own turf in the old ways and with the tenacity of old habits. With this, the Buku Jingga looks like just another excuse to engage in self-denial, to avoid coming up with a shadow cabinet and fail in their bid to become the next government of Malaysia.  I wonder if in 3 - 4 short months when they do get elected into government, will they screw up the whole works with petty quarrels and old jealousies? Will they be able to form an effective working government or will they allow UMNO to play another successful dirty trick to re-capture the government without even going through the trouble of another GE while they quarrel furiously over who is to be Prime Minister or who gets the choice ministerial posts?  All this is entirely possible unless the PR start to think of themselves as the next government of Malaysia and not just permanent opposition parties, fit only to govern a few states, but never the whole country.  I admit I have never read C.H. Cooley, but this is what Martindale has to say..  "From Cooley's point of view, social organization is inseparable from collective psychology. Public consciousness comprises the conscious and unconscious process of forming mutual ideas and attitudes to which names "fashion", "tradition", "institution", and "tendency" are attached. At the bottom, social organization is a differentiated structure of thought and symbols. Social structure is a pattern of institutions. But institutions are, in turn, nothing other than definite and established phases of the public mind, ultimately akin to public opinion." (Don Martindale – Institutions, Organizations and Mass Society)  This means that what constitutes a particular society is nothing more than shared ideas, psychology, values and belief systems. For political parties whose platform is reform, this is critical. If the political parties themselves are unable to create a common set of ideas, values and belief systems, what reforms are they talking about for the whole of Malaysian society in general and the Malaysian political system in particular? When they continually avoid reformist public opinion that they coalesce, strengthen and firm up their organization and structures to get ready to be the next government of Malaysia?  As an example of permanent opposition thinking, let me quote the example of DAP's Tony Pua challenging NTR to defend 1Malaysia. NTR is the fisherman and 1Malaysia is the bait. Tony Pua is thinking like a leader of the fish in appealing to his shoal whether to decide to swallow the bait or not.  If Tony Pua were to think like a member of the next government of Malaysia, he would be trying to be a fisherman in competition with NTR, not the leader of some fish species and the bait he would be using will be the policies of the PR if they were to be the next government of Malaysia.  Unfortunately all these seem to be missing or lacking in substance. Instead, the opposition continues to challenge the fisherman over his 1Malaysia bait instead of competing with the fisherman himself.  It is no wonder that UMNO has seldom used the lack of a shadow cabinet to attack the PR. This is because once there is a shadow cabinet, the PR will be starting to think of itself as the next government of Malaysia instead of being a permanent opposition. Besides, if there is a shadow cabinet, the transition to a full-fledged government will be fast and automatic, not delayed and giving time for UMNO to play dirty tricks.  On the contrary, UMNO has always empathized those features and characteristics that split the PR and freeze it into the role of a permanent opposition including cultivating and manipulating the image of DSAI as a misfit to be the opposition leader and the next Prime Minister of Malaysia - throwing the PR into uncertainty and indecision.  I think it is time for the PR to think of itself as the next government of Malaysia – with or without DSAI as the Prime Minister. The time for decisiveness and action is at hand. PR, please stand up to the plate. Translate reforms into reality through determination, belief in self and decisive action.  The really hard question however is…. "Will the SUPPORTERS of the component parties of the PR allow these parties to forge ahead and become the next government of Malaysia or will they just cling on and hold back their parties in a clingy, insecure, small-hearted, small-minded fashion?"

Let me tell you more about Tan Kay Hock Posted: 30 Jul 2011 04:08 PM PDT Healthy move: Muhyiddin witnessing the handing over of the mock cheque from George Kent chairman Tan Sri Tan Kay Hock to Dr Chua as MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai looks on yesterday. — Bernama Dear YM Raja Petra Kamarudin, In your latest posting dated 28th July, on the now very famous Tan Kay Hock, golfing buddy of current Prime Minister of Malaysia, I see you are very well-informed despite the fact that your feet (like mine) are not on Malaysian soil. I left the country I loved during Mahathir's regime when he was turning "the Malay Dilemma" to Chinese Dilemma. Like you, I still keep contact with my old schoolmates who remain in Bolehland, and update myself through these grapevines with the goings-on in my old homeland. Apparently, Business Times (NST) reported on 7th July, 2011 that George Kent (TKH's company) was confident of winning RM1.5 billion worth of contract for infrastructure works on the Ampang LRT line, and Tan Kay Hock openly boasted about it. Who gave him such confidence, and how was he to know about this even before the Ministry of Transport or PM made any such announcement? By the way, Tan Kay Hock is not working on bringing in CHEC (too messy after the Penang Bridge). He is said to be holding the representation of China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC), and not China Railway Engineering Corporation (CREC), the latter has given him a wide berth after your revelation of the RM500 million demand, proven true. In the Business Times of 7th July, CRCC was mentioned as Tan Kay Hock's horse. Can you imagine how a water meter maker with annual revenue of RM30 million and profit RM3 million take on a job of this magnitude? Where is the experience, let alone the financial requirements? Ah, but you need to go back just a little in time, say my old schoolmates via modern Internet, to see the link ("pun" unavoidable) that TKH has shrewdly built of late. Recently, TKH took George Kent shareholders' RM500,000 and donated to MCA medical fund to promote his own interest. In the cheque presentation photo published in a local daily, there were MCA President Soi Lek, Minister of Tranport Kong (MCA man), Idis Jalal (Minister in PM Dept in charge of SPAD, all mega projects) and DPM Muhyiddin Yassin. TKH is a very smart cookie for he knows MCA man always holds the Transport portfolio, so he sought out MCA to show his "generosity and care" for the poor needing medical assistance, with the money hijacked from shareholders of George Kent. Did you notice something amiss in that photgraph above? MCA Liow, the Minister of HEALTH was conspiciously absent though the stolen money was meant for medical purposes. Reason: TKH was not after a hospital project, he was going for a rail project, so the Transport Minister's favour must be high on his priority, not Health.  With this impressive line-up, he is ready to boast to one and all, including the Chinese where his power lies. Also, it is with this line-up, Tan Kay Hock aims to be the super-crony-super-tycoon killer with guns pointing at the likes of Quek Leng Chan, Low Keng Huat, Syed Mokhtar Al Bukhary, Francis Yeoh, Vincent & Brother Danny Tan, as you said, Pete. But I can assure you that TKH can never get near to touch Lim Kok Thay and Robert Kuok, the empires of both these Malaysian billionaires have spread wings beyond the shores of Malaysia, and way beyond the crooked hands of TKH. Recently, TKH was rumoured to be scheming something with Tan Sri Khoo Kay Peng of MUI; do you know about this? The presence of Muhyiddin seems to tell us another story. TKH probably shaken by your first article about him demanding RM500 million (RM200 million for PM's wife, rest his). so he is changing horses (at both ends in China and Malaysia) for a number of reasons: 1. TKH knows Najib is about to fall flat on his face with all those unsavoury bric bracs hurled at the PM, and he also knows that Muhyiddin is knocking very hard at the PM's door impatiently to be seated on Najib's chair. UMNO insiders must have also approached him for fund to be channelled to DPM's aides, don't waste time with Najib. 2. Hishammuddin, besides being a Johorean and deemed an asshole, is also Najib's cousin, so TKH not using the son of Tun Hussein. But Tan Kay Hock needs Johor support to secure his second target, the RM7 billion Gemas-Johor Bahru double track rail, after the Ampang LRT, and probably he thinks he will need the Johore Royal seal which only Muhyiddin could deliver. 3. Unscrupulous TKH may even do a coup de grace to hasten the unseating of Najib and prove to Muhyiddin of his powess. His wife and Desmond's wife Cindy are very close to Lady Rose; they finance all her overseas shopping sprees. TKH may devise a plan to trap uncanny Lady Rose, and let Opposition (with interested UMNO's help) expose her corrupt life style, putting the last coffin nail to Najib's premiership. 4. Talking about Desmond Lim; his mammoth Pavilion Mall is not really as glorious as it looks since most of the shops and outlets are not doing good business. Many daily visitors to the Pavilion yes, but not many are shoppers, mostly there to enjoy the air-conditioning and bird-watching and drinking. Lately, there was a report that Malton (owners of Pavilion) was seeking KLSE's approval to list Pavilion (and suck public money) to pay off loan from Kuwait Finance. They must be close to defaulting now, the way it looks. So these two crafty Chinamen, TKH and Desmond, are prepared to sell (oops, urge) their wives to goreng Lady Rose while TKH ropes in Muhyiddin to do the "big kill". It does not matter what colour (Rosmah or Muhyiddin) the cat is just so long as it catches the rat, so said Deng Xiaopeng. Both Desmond and TKH were reported in The Edge as front runners in the Gemas-JB project. So Pete, there you have it, some unknown and untold tales of the Man who twists and turns in so many ways to achieve his evil goals (note the plural is used here, as his ambitions are boundless). Regards JO Justice For All

UMNO, Najib and the 24 million ring Posted: 30 Jul 2011 12:37 PM PDT Rosmah and her USD120,000 Birkin handbag, one of the many she has in different colours By ViewAct Has it ever crossed your mind how and why dirt keeps being kicked up against PM Najib and his wife recently? Yet there doesn't seem to be much activity from his deputy. Have you also noticed that not many came to Najib's rescue when he screwed up big time against Bersih 2.0? Instead of his "Championed" Malay brothers, we saw MCA sending two representatives trying to shine his dirty shoe but to no avail. We also have a 24 million ring, and a "worth-a-fortune" bracelet allegedly belonging to the wife of the PM, and its photo and custom screenshot of the alleged purchase surfacing all over the internet. Well, this too receives much lesser "backing up" from all PM Najib's assistants. What is wrong with them now? Aren't they very good at jumping at trivial issues to "show" that they are loyal to the President, and display the "Please do notice me and pull me up and give me a ministerial post or something like that" attitude? Well, maybe they have smartened up and are now saving their breaths against making more mindless statements which will not only smear the issue further but make them look stupid. Just like what happened to the two MCA "tukang gosok" mentioned earlier. However, I think this is very unlikely as they wouldn't possibly be that "smart". The other possible explanation would be that, PM Najib has lost the support of his "backupers"; and they have decided to leave him to rot whilst asking around to "guess" who'll be put up next so that they can start "bodeking" him now. I think, very soon we'll see someone coming out to say something "important" and tons of others will start making opened/press statements supporting him. This man would then be the likeliest person to be fielded as the next "PM" candidate. Do observe their attitude and responses to statements made by any of their "high ranked" members and you may soon be able to guess who the man is. One character to look for is the one man who has hoped to get some high post by marrying a PM's daughter, only to find that PM being replaced before he could reach safe grounds. His desperation will have him trying to impress the next potential premier-in-line, to regain what he lost in 2008. It wouldn't be too hard to sniff this out as his "pheromone" level would surely be high then. I sometimes feel pity towards our PM as he is facing threats and challenges everywhere. His rivals, his subordinates, and now EVEN HIS WIFE is threatening his position as a PM. I am amazed at how he managed to hang on amidst all these "stresses". Maybe money's the motivation. But now, his challenge isn't only on threats to his POSITION. The threat is now on his character. He will either be seen as a man with no guts, or a man that would attract curses and spit when his name is mentioned. Why so? GE 13 is just around the corner, and his reputation is already in the gallows. His "gang" is abandoning him as there is no where he can take them to anymore. They need a better "ship" to sail on. While his successor can still win the GE with a simple majority and retain his presidency during UMNO's general assembly, Najib may not be so lucky as to go through all that now. His words are of very much lesser weight now and thus, UMNO is finding someone better to replace him before GE 13, or else, the majority (if there is any) would be even smaller. He cannot command the required support to sail through the election anymore. For that same reason, he wouldn't be able to stage an exit like Pak Lah did, for the pressure from the rakyat as well as the opposition back then wasn't as strong as it is now. Pak Lah was merely "inactive"; this one has too much "shit". However, if he quits now, he would be seen as a coward, who fails in times of turmoil. And if he hangs on, he's going to be ousted in a terrible manner too, and this would be a great shame to his family, especially to his late father. Besides that, his wife would surely get upset too as the jewelry and bags would stop. He is thus stuck, cornered everywhere. Story after story of the wrongs he has done keep surfacing, and I have a feeling they come from within the party itself. Just like how the Altantuya murder case got linked to him, I think many more shall surface, and it is all controlled by someone sitting in a high chair behind them all, the one man who wished to literally OWN Malaysia indefinitely. To me, the possession of the 24 million ring and the bracelet was a very stupid move by Najib and his wife. Someone might have seen her interest in jewelries and bags and cast the bait for her to fall for, and she did. Next time, if you want to assassinate a politician, GET THEM INTERESTED IN THOSE FANCY STUFF and gather evidence when they make purchases. Easier still, give it to them as gifts, and provide evidence of the transaction. Correct me if I am wrong. Gifts given by a corporation or any leaders of any country to a minister and his wife officially are PROPERTY OF THE GOVERNMENT and not for individual possession. They cannot sell or transfer the possession of these items to any individual. Due to the nature of their position they should also not accept expensive gifts personally, especially when it is unofficial and done secretly. Such an act can be classified as a bribe. So whether Rosmah bought the ring and the bracelet or not, they are doomed. If she claims that it is a gift, it would either be a case of bribery, or it would belong to the government and she would need to surrender it one day. On the other hand, if she claims that it was bought by herself, or by her husband, they would need to justify how they got the 24 million to buy that ring. And saying that they won Toto, Magnum or Damacai is totally unacceptable. The next question would be, was she really wearing them, or was the photo doctored? This, I shall leave to the experts and witnesses who have or have not seen her wearing it. Hmmm, by the way, for someone to notice the ring in the first place, that someone must either be really "expert" in high classed jewelry or he/she was leaked the news by some hidden hands. All in all, I have a feeling that UMNO is all out to kick Najib out. And they are not going to let him know until the very last minute. And by then, some devastating news would probably be deliberately leaked to get the public to force him down. At these crucial moments, a wrong move by PR's leader would also land them in Kamunting; and GE 13 would be one shocking General Election in the history of Malaysia. However, I do hope I am wrong on this.

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