| Quek takes stake in American Airlines parent AMR Posted: 17 Aug 2011 05:06 AM PDT 
(Dallas News) - Malaysian investor Quek Leng Chan and a series of related companies have purchased 7.3 percent of AMR Corp.'s shares, according to disclosures filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The disclosures listed Quek and eight companies with sole or shared power over the 24.4 million shares bought, out of about 335.2 million AMR shares outstanding. Shares of Fort Worth-based AMR, parent of American Airlines Inc., fell to 28-month lows late last week before recovering slightly. AMR climbed 22 cents, or 6.2 percent, to close at $3.78 in trading Monday on the New York Stock Exchange. Based on Monday's close, the shares purchased by the investment groups would be worth $92.2 million. AMR's market capitalization, or shares outstanding multiplied by the share price, was about $1.27 billion. An AMR spokesman declined to comment on the investment. Quek, 67, who also lives in London, heads Hong Kong-based Guoco Group Ltd., which led the group of companies that have invested in AMR and is the only one listed with shared control of all 24.4 million shares. Other companies involved include Asia Fountain Investment Co. Ltd., based in Hong Kong; two companies based in the Cayman Islands, Newton (Cayman) Ltd. and Chaghese Ltd.; GuoLine Capital Assets Ltd., Jersey, Channel Islands; GuoLine Capital Ltd., Bermuda ; and Hong Leong Company (Malaysia) Berhad and HL Holdings Sdn Bhd, Malaysia. "Our portfolio and strategic investments cover global capital markets," Guoco Group says on its website, "and we invest in business and industries where our management knowledge and competencies can enhance creation of capital value in line with Guoco's vision to achieve superior long-term sustainable returns for shareholders." Its 2010 annual report did not list any airlines among its holdings, although hospitality and leisure are listed among its core businesses. When AMR filed its proxy statement in April, its largest shareholders as of April 1 were PRIMECAP Management Co., with 12.5 percent of AMR's outstanding shares; Capital Research Global Investors, 9.4 percent; Capital World Investors, 8.4 percent; and BlackRock Inc., 5.4 percent. BlackRock subsequently disclosed that as of April 8, its holdings had dropped to 3.5 percent of AMR's shares. |
| CIMB denies receiving letter from Nazri Posted: 16 Aug 2011 09:48 PM PDT 
(Bernama) - CIMB Group Holdings Bhd said today that it has not received any letter from the government, which has been reported in the media as having been sent to government-linked gompanies (GLCs) with regards to an out-of-court settlement of legal suits involving Tajudin Ramli. According to media reports, a number of GLCs are negotiating for global settlement of all civil suits and at all level of courts against the former executive chairman of Malaysia Airlines.
The reports said that Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Aziz confirmed that there was a proposal for settlement out-of-court.
Nazri had said that the government had thought over settlement for the past six months for the benefit of the parties involved as the cases if taken through the courts, would take a long period for resolution.
"Any settlement of the counterclaim where CIMB is named as a party would be subject to the board's endorsement and will be announced accordingly," CIMB told Bursa Malaysia today. 
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| Cops admit using preventive arrests after ban on confessions, says leaked US cable Posted: 16 Aug 2011 07:07 PM PDT 
(The Malaysian Insider) - A senior officer said in 2006 that police had to resort to using preventive detention after an amendment then to the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) barred the use of police-obtained confessions in trying defendants, according to a leaked US cable. The diplomatic note sent from Kuala Lumpur to Washington cited current Bukit Aman criminal investigation chief Datuk Seri Mohd Bakri Zinin as criticising the amendment that eliminated prosecutors' use of police-obtained confessions in trying criminal defendants. The cable leaked by whistleblower site Wikileaks and published on the Malaysia Today news portal quoted Mohd Bakri, who was then acting Sabah police chief, as saying that the amendment — which only allows for confessions made before a magistrate — "will hurt our ability to get convictions." "As a result, we'll likely make greater use of (Malaysia's four preventative detention laws), even though we know this will bring criticism from Suhakam and the NGOs," he was quoted in the document. According to the document penned by David Shear, then deputy chief of mission, the US embassy here believed in late 2006 that 700 to 1,000 Malaysians suspected of criminal activity were being detained under the Emergency Ordinance (EO) alone. READ MORE HERE |
| Utusan editor says Muslim schoolchildren being proselytised Posted: 16 Aug 2011 05:11 PM PDT 
(The Malaysian Insider) - An Utusan Malaysia editor said today that Muslim primary schoolchildren are being taught about Jesus by Christian youths aiming to convert them, which is illegal under Malaysian law. Its assistant chief editor Datuk Zaini Hassan wrote in his column today that poor Malay children living in squatters along Jalan Klang Lama. Lama were singing "Yes, I know Jesus loves me" and reciting the story of Jesus Christ's crucifixion in their primary school. He said that an Indian teacher from the school, known only as Cikgu S, had informed him Malay children were being given free English classes by young Christian evangelists every Sunday. "To me, what is happening in these tuition classes is a subtle move. It is not done out of fun," he wrote in the Umno-owned newspaper today, adding that the same was true of a dinner held in Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) last week. The Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) was accused of raiding and interrupting a thanksgiving dinner held by a local NGO but the religious authority said that it was acting on a complaint that 12 Muslims were being proselytised at the event. "This is not a coincidence but planned in detail," Zaini added. In his Cuit column in the Umno-owned daily, he said that Cikgu S told him how the students from Standard One to Six "could sing with vigour songs that praise Jesus." "They can even tell stories about Jesus including how he was crucified," he quoted Cikgu S as saying. READ MORE HERE |
| Close fight likely for Kapar in next polls Posted: 16 Aug 2011 04:52 PM PDT 
There is no assurance that PKR will be able to retain its Kapar seat in the 13th general election. (Free Malaysia Today) - The intervention of the Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM) in Kapar will turn the fight for the Kapar parliamentary seat into a close call. The seat is held by PKR's S Manikavasagam. He wrested it from MIC's Komala Devi by a 12,297- vote majority in the 2008 general election. Last month, MCLM introduced Dr Nedunchelian Vengu as the Barisan Rakyat independent candidate (BRIC) for Kapar, taking the battle for the seat to a new level. The local-born dentist, who chose to run in Kapar, has a thriving dental practice in the constituency and has been actively involved in social work for 20 years. Kapar is the largest constituency in the country with 125,000 voters. Despite PKR having won the seat with a comfortable majority, there is no guarantee that the party will retain the seat in the 13th general election. A local Umno leader, who declined to be named, told FMT that PKR would be facing a tough fight in Kapar. "Internal problems in the division and the clash between Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim and Manikavasagam are a few things that might drown the PKR 'ship' in Kapar in the upcoming election," he said. MIC could still win He said that Nedunchelian, who is better known as Dr Nedu, is a prominent figure in Kapar, especially among the Indian community. "We should understand that in 2008, PKR won the seat because of a major swing of the Indian community to Pakatan Rakyat after the rise of the Hindraf movement. "This time we cannot expect the same scenario," he said. He also said that Nedu will definitely play a major role among Indian voters. "Although Manikavasagam had done some good stuff to the Kapar people, it is still not enough," he said, adding that the current political climate favoured parties and not candidates.. When asked about MIC's contribution in the constituency, he said that the Barisan Nasional ally was a "forgotten history". "MIC has already lost ground in Kapar. The party is now riding on Umno shoulder," said. He, however, believes that Kapar could return to MIC if the Malay votes swing back to BN. He said in the 2008 general election, PKR won with a 14% vote majority, which was considered small in a constituency like Kapar. "I believe MIC will regain the seat if 5% of the Malay votes go back to Umno and 15% of the Indian votes are clinched by MIC," he said. READ MORE HERE |
| A-G’s Chambers objects to Bersih bid Posted: 16 Aug 2011 04:45 PM PDT 
The affidavit affirmed by Ambiga to support the leave application was defective, says federal counsel. (Free Malaysia Today/BERNAMA) - The Attorney-General's (A-G) Chambers is applying to strike out the leave application for a judicial review filed by the Bersih 2.0 movement to remove the order declaring it an unlawful society. The High Court will hear the A-G's Chambers preliminary objection to strike out the application on Sept 19. Judge Rohana Yusuf set the date in chambers after meeting the parties involved. On July 8, 14 members of the movement's steering committee, including S Ambiga, filed the leave application naming the Home Minister, Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and the government as respondents. They were represented by counsel Tommy Thomas, Fahri Azzat and K Shanmuga, while senior federal counsel Kamaludin Md Said, Azizan Md Arshad and Andi Razalijaya A Dadi acted for the respondents. Kamaludin told reporters that the A-G's Chambers wanted the court to strike out the application on the grounds that the affidavit affirmed by Ambiga to support the leave application was defective.
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| JAIS raid video appears on pro-Umno blogs Posted: 16 Aug 2011 04:18 PM PDT 
A video of JAIS' raid on DUMC claims proof of proselytising and implicates Annou Xavier and Teresa Kok in covering up the issue. (Free Malaysia Today) - A video purportedly showing scenes of a raid by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) on the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) surfaced on a number of pro-Umno blogs yesterday. The six-minute clip has been presented by the bloggers as evidence of the church proselytising to the 12 Muslims who attended its multiracial thanksgiving dinner two weeks ago. The clip, which was first posted on a blog called "Screwkuat", showed snippets of JAIS officials entering the church, a man sharing his Muslim upbringing with the crowd and the officials questioning guests dressed in the Malay national costume. The man sharing his religious upbringing was accused of having converted out of Islam although he made no mention of being a Christian. A woman named Sophia – who was clad in a baju kebaya – was accused of being involved in the event organisation by inviting Muslims for the purpose of conversion. One of her guests, a Chinese women, later told JAIS that no Muslims had attended the dinner. The blogger then trained his guns on Seputeh MP, Teresa Kok, and Annou Xavier of the Catholic Lawyer's Society as conspirators in concealing DUMC's attempts to convert Muslims. Xavier is also the lawyer for the dinner organiser, NGO Harapan Komuniti, which has insisted that the dinner was for a HIV/AIDS support group. "Annou Xavier has plotted with Teresa Kok to defend the 12 but has only managed to 'control' eight so far," wrote the blogger of Screwkuat. "He also issued a letter requesting a postponement of the statement that the 12 meant to give JAIS last week." "This is an insult to JAIS and the Sultan of Selangor (Sharafuddin Idris Shah). The question is, why are the 12 being defended by a lawyer from the Catholic Lawyer's Society?" Clip an 'afterthought' The blogger claimed that in order to cover up their conspiracy, the duo had engaged Muslim lawyers who shared their views as well as secured the support of Father Goh Kiat Ping who is reputed to have an in-depth understanding of Islam. "The 12 will hold closed-door talks with PAS because Teresa Kok believes that only PAS can be used to cover up these acts of conversion," the blogger concluded. "So we will await the next statement from PAS. No wonder PAS keeps blaming Umno in this issue." In an immediate response, Xavier branded the clip as an "afterthought" to justify the raid. He pointed out that the clip was taken from a narrow angle by an anonymous person and questioned its authenticity. But he stopped short of speculating that JAIS had leaked the clip to the blogger. "What I will say is that it's very irresponsible for bloggers affiliated to a certain political party to come up with an insinuation that puts down their fellow Malaysians," he told FMT. "Investigations are still ongoing but these bloggers are acting as investigators and prosecutors." Xavier drew attention to Section 6 of the Syariah Criminal Offences (Selangor) Act 1995 under which the 12 Muslims are being investigated. "This section states that anyone who accuses a Muslim of converting and the accusation is found to be false the accuser can be liable for up to a fine of RM5,000 or three years in jail or both," he said. "This is a very serious offence and carries the same sentence as the offence of conversion. So just because one is a Muslim and with JAIS doesn't mean he knows the law." When contacted, Kok told FMT via text message that she was unable to comment due to the gag order imposed by Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim, pending the investigation findings. READ MORE HERE |
| 3,500 voters over 100 years old in Sabah Posted: 16 Aug 2011 01:52 PM PDT 
By Michael Kaung,, FMT KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Election Commission (EC), which is still verifying the status of some 3,500 registered voters aged over 100 in the state, will retain "active" centenarians in its electoral rolls. State EC chairman Md Idrus Ismail said the commission is verifying with the National Registration Department (NRD) whether those centenarians are still "active". He said those who are verified as "inactive" will be struck off the electoral rolls. He added that this is in line with the nationwide programme announced by EC chairman, Abdul Aziz Yusof, recently to clean up the rolls of dubious voters. Responding to recent statements by PKR Sabah and DAP on the matter, Idrus said the 3,500 names of centenarian voters were collated from the state electoral rolls over the last few months. He said ridding the electoral rolls of "inactive" and dubious voters is an on-going process nationwide. He said it wil take quite a while to obtain verification from the NRD on the status of the centenarian voters. "We cannot expect to obtain the verification and strike out the inactive voters overnight. It will take some time," said Idrus. However, he believes that some of the centenarians are alive and active. "We are verifying their status with NRD because the department is responsible in issuing the death certificates," he said in response to the PKR Sabah deputy chairperson Christina Liew's statement that more than 200 voters here are between 100 and 120 years old. Liew, who is also Kota Kinabalu PKR division chairperson, said that the party has brought the matter up with the state EC for verification but the officials claimed that they cannot do anything unless the family members of the registered voters come forward to rectify the matter Report deaths According to EC record, as of Dec 31 last year, a total of 848,473 people have registered as voters in Sabah. Abdul Aziz, in his recent statement, said that those aged above 90 and "considered" to be "inactive" will be struck off in line with the effort to clean up the roll, which is updated every three months. |
| Odds against ‘betting for education’ fund winning Chinese votes Posted: 16 Aug 2011 12:45 PM PDT 
By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider A Putrajaya-backed plan to pump up to RM20 million in gambling profits annually into Chinese and Indian vernacular education is unlikely to sway the Chinese vote back to the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN), pundits say. The RM2.1 billion takeover of billionaire Ananda Krishnan's Pan Malaysian Pools Sdn Bhd by a consortium of Chinese tycoons led by Tan Sri Lim Kok Tay of gambling giant Genting last week, will also lead to profits channelled to "Jana Pendidikan" — a trust fund for vernacular schools. But politicians and analysts told The Malaysian Insider that the purchase will not be seen as a government effort, or worse, a case of the Najib administration abdicating its responsibility to the education needs of minorities. "I don't think this will translate into votes for Barisan Nasional at all. I fail to see any fundamental change in government policy toward mother tongue education," said Chinese educationist Kua Kia Soong (picture). DAP publicity chief Tony Pua also agreed, pointing out that "all this time, Chinese businessmen have donated to Chinese schools, so what is the difference now that its profits from a company run by Chinese?" The Singapore Straits Times had recently cited financial executives involved in the deal as saying that it could improve Barisan Nasional's (BN) standing among Chinese and Indians who swung away from the ruling coalition in the landmark 2008 election. Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who is expected to call an election within the year, has been tasked with reversing losses that denied BN its customary two-thirds majority of Parliament and five state governments. The take-over of the gambling company came just before Najib announced a parliamentary select panel to review the electoral system and an end to crude media censorship this week, in a concession to the middle class and urban vote after being criticised for the security crackdown on the July 9 Bersih rally. Education has also long been a source of dissatisfaction from the Chinese and Indian community. While Malays enjoy extensive state support for education including financial grants, scholarships and enrolment quotas in public universities, Chinese and Indian schools struggle each year for funding. Kua said the government's cap on the number of state-funded vernacular schools has seen the number of Chinese and Tamil schools drop from 1,350 and 880 respectively in peninsular Malaysia at independence in 1957, to just 1,280 and 550 today despite their combined population doubling. READ MORE HERE. |
| Page accuses Putrajaya of ‘buying time’, wants English-language option restored Posted: 16 Aug 2011 12:27 PM PDT 
By Debra Chong, The Malaysian Insider The Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (Page) wants Putrajaya to restore 'teaching science and maths in English' option before it kicks off a new policy next year. Its vice-chairman, Sulaiman Mahran, ticked off Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for saying the Education Ministry will study further the possibility of using two languages to teach the two subjects in national schools, as reported by state news agency Bernama yesterday. "It's only buying time until 2012 when the MBMMBI will be fully implemented," Sulaiman said in a statement, referring to the "Upholding the Malay Language and Strengthening Command of English" policy that is to take over the existing language policy for science and maths (PPSMI). The English-language lobbyist pointed out that the long-term advantages of English had been identified during the Mahathir administration but that its implementation was miscarried during the Abdullah administration. "Datuk Seri Najib's administration should repair its implementation, not dismantle it, "What should be studied deeper is MBMMBI, which is clearly defective because it reduces the students' exposure to English by 50 per cent," Sulaiman said. Prior to the Sarawak polls on April 16, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had also announced he would consider using dual languages as the medium of instruction for Mathematics and Science in schools. PPSMI was first introduced in 2003 but the Education Ministry decided last year to stop it by 2012 after consulting with teachers and parents around the country. READ MORE HERE. |
| Malaysia's Najib Calls for Electoral Reform Posted: 15 Aug 2011 10:43 PM PDT 
By Asia Sentinel Apparently bending to widespread criticism of a government crackdown of a July 9 march demanding electoral reform, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said Tuesday that a parliamentary select committee is to be formed as soon as possible to seek to reform the current system. The announcement appears to answer a central demand of the reform group Bersih, a coalition of good-government organizations backed by opposition parties to clean up the electoral process.
The big question, however, is how soon the select committee will meet, and whether the reform provisions it comes up with – if any – could be put in place before national elections expected to be called late this year or early next. In that, the announcement of the committee carries certain dangers. If the committee is still meeting when the election comes and goes, the decision to create it is likely to be regarded as a public relations gesture.
Wong Chin Huat, one of the leaders of Bersih, told Asia Sentinel that Najib must hold up the polls until the reforms can be implemented.
Bersih itself, in a prepared statement, said it welcomed Najib's announcement of a bipartisan committee, asking that immediate reforms be carried out before the next state and general elections and that other reforms be put in place within two years after the formation of the committee.
The process is bound to be complicated and subject to possible delay. The Malaysian constitution must be amended after the legislative, policy drafting and enforcement mechanisms are finished, then laws must be put in place by the executive branch to carry out the mandate.
That will require an automated voter registration system. The government has already said it is creating a so-called biometric registration system which would use fingerprints or other biometric data for voter identification. Bersih, however, charges that the system is open to abuse and wants a system in which voters will be marked with indelible ink once they have voted.
The government took a severe beating in the international press after police cracked down on the so-called Bersih 2.0 rally, blocking entrances to Kuala Lumpur, dousing the marchers who got through with water cannons and firing tear gas at them despite the fact that most were determined not to fight back. Nonetheless, anywhere between 10,000 and 30,000 marchers got through depending on who was doing the counting. Some 1,700 people were arrested, many for merely appearing in yellow tee-shirts, the Bersih color.
Najib's international image took a further beating when it was discovered that in an effort to turn around its negative image the government had paid RM86 million in two contracts to a British public relations company to plant favorable interviews and news stories with the international media. The contract was withdrawn abruptly when its existence was exposed by a Sarawak NGO, the Sarawak Report.
Just days ago, Najib was likening the Bersih marchers to the hooded rioters that torched buildings and caused violence in London and other cities. The abrupt about turn is being regarded in Kuala Lumpur as an indication that the government crackdown and attempt to demonize the marchers has backfired badly and hurt Najib's standing.
The prime minister reportedly is already under fire from members of his own party, particularly those who advocate so-called Ketuanan Melayu, or Malay rights to take precedence over those of the country's other races. Although some reports had him returning early from an Italian vacation to put down a party rebellion, those reports have been denied. But he clearly has been weakened from the affair.
"The prime minister must have realized that middle Malaysia will not tolerate a government that fanatically makes 'clean'(Bersih, in Malay language) a dirty word, and losing the middle ground will erode his edge as a moderate leader in the increasingly rough intra-UMNO rivalry," said Wong Chin Huat.
It is the mechanics of the process that are important. Although the prime minister said the committee would include lawmakers from both the Barisan Nasional, the ruling national coalition, to "discuss all the questions and issued raised about electoral reform so that a mutual agreement could be reached," Deputy Speaker Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, a member of the United Malays National Organization, told local media that it would take at least year before the committee could finish its work and the reforms, if any, could be implemented. READ MORE HERE |
| Polls reform panel useless if under government control, says PAS Posted: 15 Aug 2011 04:23 PM PDT 
By Lisa J Ariffin, The Malaysian Insider The parliamentary select committee on electoral reform is useless if it is under the control of the government, PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub said today. "There is no use having a select committee if it is still follows parliamentary culture and the government is in charge and we are the minority," he told reporters at the PAS headquarters this afternoon. His remarks today followed the Najib administration's announcement yesterday that it would form a select committee on electoral reform. "We were not informed. There was no consultation with us at all. What type or structure of select committee, we do not know. So now we are waiting for the terms of reference of the committee," Salahuddin said. "We are disappointed as to why the PM rushed to form the committee when all political parties were not consulted," he added. READ MORE HERE. |
| Felda loses RM200mil defamation suit against ex-deputy minister Posted: 15 Aug 2011 03:59 PM PDT  By M Mageswari, The Star KUALA LUMPUR: Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) and its investment company Felda Global Ventures Holdings Sdn Bhd have lost their RM200mil defamation suit against former Deputy Land and Cooperatives Minister Datuk Dr Tan Kee Kwong. In court papers, the two had claimed that Dr Tan had caused the publication of defamatory words in Suara Keadilan in its June 22-29 edition last year. In the suit filed on Jan 25,the two claimed that the words implied that the plaintiffs were involved in corruption and had committed an unlawful act. Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Justice Zabariah Mohd Yusof held that the plaintiffs failed to prove that Dr Tan uttered defamatory words and was responsible for the publication of such words in the newspaper report. Felda has to pay RM100,000 in costs to Dr Tan. However Felda has to pay only RM70,000 in costs as the defendant has to pay RM30,000 costs to plaintiffs for the preliminary point raised in the suit earlier. In his statement of defence, Dr Tan had admitted to have given an interview to a Suara Keadilan newspaper reporter named as Faizal Zakaria, but claimed he did not defame the two plaintiffs. Alternatively, Dr Tan said the words were true, in fact, and that they were published on an occasion of qualified privilege. |
| PAS, DUMC meeting called off Posted: 15 Aug 2011 03:25 PM PDT 
The Damansara Utama Methodist Church had cancelled the scheduled meeting with PAS leaders today due to "recent developments"and because it was sensitive in nature. (Free Malaysia Today) - Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) has cancelled the scheduled meeting with PAS today on reasons that there have been "recent developments" and that the case was sensitive in nature. Confirming this, PAS information chief Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said that DUMC had sent a letter of postponement to the PAS secretary-general Mustafa Ali last night. PAS was scheduled to meet with the church this afternoon as part of their internal probe over the controversial raid by Selangor Islamic Religious Department(JAIS) during a thanksgiving dinner at the church two weeks ago. "The decision by the church was to diffuse tension over the issue. It may also be the Selangor Sultan's advice to JAIS not to meet any parties to ensure information from the investigation is not leaked to anyone," said Tuan Ibrahim. JAIS, supposed to meet PAS yesterday, had also put off meeting. "If the meeting with PAS and JAIS occured yesterday, perhaps we'd still be meeting the church," the PAS Pahang commissioner said, adding that the meeting may be re-scheduled to after the Ramadan month. A DUMC spokesperson said both parties had agreed to postpone the meeting. He said it was due to "recent developments" and sensitive nature of the case, without elaborating further. PAS youth vice-chief Ahmad Sabki Yusof said DUMC's explanation over the postponement was unclear and that the postponement would be indefinite. READ MORE HERE |
| Parents of blogger hauled for questioning Posted: 15 Aug 2011 11:08 AM PDT  By Pauline Wong, The Sun The parents of provocative blogger Mohd Nur Hanief Abdul Jalil, 27, were yesterday brought in for questioning by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC). It was after a five-month silence since he was first hauled in by the police following his controversial blog post on March 1. The post was on allegations of a sex scandal between a member of the Selangor royalty and a well-known local model, which Mohd Nur Hanief had plucked from another blog while adding his own comments below. The post has received 150 comments to date. Abdul Jalil Ashaari, 61, and Kamalia Chek, 60, went into the MCMC Investigations Division office in the Sultan Abdul Samad building here at 2.15pm yesterday and were questioned for more than two hours. "I maintain my son did not post anything seditious and that he had merely copy-and-pasted opinions of other blogs and expressed his own opinion," said Abdul Jalil, after the questioning. Mohd Nur Hanief, who blogs primarily about socio-political topics, was arrested under the Sedition Act and questioned by the police on March 18, before being released the next day. He has also been questioned by the MCMC. In investigations, computers belonging to him and Abdul Jalil were were seized from their home. Since his release, however, no charges have been filed against him. Abdul Jalil said he was surprised when he was served the notice to appear before the MCMC. "They (MCMC) completed their investigations and did not contact us for months," he said, adding that he had accompanied his son when he was questioned in March. The retired bank officer said the officers were amicable during the questioning as he and his wife gave their full cooperation. The two were met by their counsel Fadiah Nadwa Fikri and Farhana Abdul Halim from Lawyers for Liberty before they were escorted by an MCMC officer into the office. However, the lawyers were not allowed to accompany them. After the questioning, Fadiah said it was disturbing that the parents were denied counsel. "We cannot stress enough on the right to have legal counsel present during questioning by the authorities." This brings the question of why his parents would be questioned over their son's alleged offence, said Fadiah. "It is nothing more than intimidation. The questions asked were absurd," she said, adding that MCMC officers had pressed the elderly couple about who the internet service provider account was registered to, or who had uploaded the pictures on Mohd Nur Hanief's blog. |
| Media Censorship - Changes Ahead? Posted: 15 Aug 2011 11:06 AM PDT  (Bernama) - KUALA LUMPUR -- Najib Tun Razak said the government would study how to implement media censorship in line with the changing socio-political landscape. The prime minister said this step was taken so that the government would not be seen as failing to understand media censorship and how to deal with the issue. At the same time, he said, the government would respond to allegations in the local and international media and would take action under the law if the allegations were defamatory. "If we want to carry out media censorship in this new era, (and) new landscape, we should ask ourselves whether the censorship is effective and relevant or not. "Is it meaningful in the first place?...and any form of censorship actually does us more bad than good," he said when speaking at a breaking-of-fast with the media hosted by Bernama at Wisma Bernama, here, on Monday. For example, he said, censoring of parts of a news article on Malaysia in "The Economist' magazine recently, had instead turned the issue written about into a bigger news item. "So, is this action necessary? I think we no longer need to do this. If the international media wants to criticise us, let it be. If we need to (respond), we engage them; we give our side of the story and if they cross the line, we have to resolve it through legal means. Najib also noted the case of Information Communication and Culture Minister Dr Rais Yatim winning a defamation suit against a local blogger recently. "That is a very good example where we can resolve it (defamation). If the media has published a story that is defamatory, we should take legal action but censoring is no longer an effective means and should be reviewed. The government will review its policy towards censorship," he said. He said the landscape and surroundings had changed as there were three elements that had about a radical change, namely the information technology explosion that was still going on, globalisation that had created a borderless world, and the people's increasingly high level of education.
The prime minister said the media was indeed a very vital channel and media practitioners had the huge responsibility of disseminating news, and accurate and true information. "For us running the government's administration, we too depend on the media as one of our responsibilities to make our efforts acceptable to the people." He said effective communication was not only through the conventional way but the approach taken should take into consideration the changing landscape and environment. Najib said the big challenge was that reality was seen differently from perception. "The war of perception is not sometimes, but always bigger than truth or reality," he added. Also present at the "buka puasa" was Najib's wife Rosmah Mansor and their children, Norashman Razak and Nooryana Najwa. |
| Bersih wants thorough polls reform, panel recommendations made public Posted: 15 Aug 2011 11:02 AM PDT  By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal and Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider Bersih 2.0 has welcomed the Najib administration's move to form a parliamentary select committee to examine the current electoral system, but stated that the panel's final recommendations should be made available to the public. Bersih chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan stressed the election watchdog's eight demands for electoral reform should be taken into account, and that NGOs as well the public should be involved in the entire process. "Yes, we certainly welcome this move. It is without doubt a step in the right direction and is a positive response to the aspirations of the rakyat. "We hope NGOs will be involved in the process and that our eight demands will receive attention before the 13th general election," said Ambiga in a text message to The Malaysian Insider. "We are ready to assist," said the former Bar Council chairman. Bersih steering committee member Maria Chin Abdullah said the select committee's final recommendations should include feedback and views from the public. Maria told The Malaysian Insider last night the government should poll views of Malaysians in the country before deciding on the said recommendations into the current electoral system. "Bersih welcomes the parliamentary select committee but we want full transparency in the process. "There should be public consultation, and it should be included in the final recommendations. The finalised report of the select committee should also be made available to the public," she said. Maria said Bersih will give the parliamentary panel three months to "meet, discuss, and finalise" its report on electoral reform recommendations. READ MORE HERE. |
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