Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Nazri: Receiving foreign funds is not treason
- Malaysia's Auditor-General points to billion dollar cost overrun in train project
- AG report: Top marks to Pakatan states
- Sisters of Islam call for Syariah law review
- Hindraf to back Pakatan, provided…
- Defamation suit against FMT dismissed
- 'Who says Islam and democracy can't propel a nation?' asks former MCA V-P
- Pakatan’s minimum wage plan will backfire, says Soi Lek
- Animal lovers slam local councils’ move to enter houses and remove dogs
- Selangor says has cheaper water treatment option
- Scotland moves step closer to independence vote
| Nazri: Receiving foreign funds is not treason Posted: 14 Oct 2012 06:50 PM PDT
The de facto law minister reiterates today in Parliament that no charges can be brought against a organisation just for receiving foreign funding Teoh El Sen, FMT There are no laws stopping organisations from receiving foreign funding, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Abul Aziz despite several parliamentarians pushing for prosecution against those they considered "treasonous". "There can't be any prosecution against those who receive foreign funding. Charges can only be made on bodies which are illegal and go against other laws under the Companies Act or Society Act," the de facto law minister told Parliament during his winding-up speech of the Budget 2013. Several BN-friendly independent MPs such as Ibrahim Ali (Pasir Mas) and Zahrain Mohamed Hashim (Bayan Baru) today urged again for new legislation to address the issue of channelling of foreign funds to local organisations aimed at "toppling the government" or threatening the nation's security. But Nazri firmly repeated several times that no prosecution can be made based on those assumptions alone. "If it can't be linked to any offences that threaten security, or linked to anything that amounts to acts of treason, then we cannot act based solely on the fact that they are receiving foreign funding," he said. PKR's Batu MP Tian Chua then asked if the RM40 million smuggled out of Hong Kong by a businessman meant for Sabah Umno, and other genuine bodies such as Red Crescent, Girl Guides, and World Wildlife Fund, would come under the same category. Zahrain argued that Suaram, which he called "Suara Haram", was obviously trying to topple the government. And there is a clear distinction between funds that are "genuinely for nation building" and (funds) "to topple the government" While debating the issue, BN-Sri Gading Mohamad Aziz stood up and asked: "Why do they insist on defending traitors?" "Because they are traitors themselves!" retorted Ibrahim. PAS' Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad then commented that the main agenda of NGOs such as Suaram was to expose corruption. "I'm surprised. Suaram exposes corruption, is that something that is considered an act of treason? Or are the protectors of corruption commiting treason," he said. In recent months, several NGOs critical of the government, including Suaram, newsportal Malaysiakini, and Lawyers for Liberty, had been "exposed" as receiving foreign funding. Authorities initiated extensive probes on the financial structures of these organisations, which the NGOs described as an act of intimidation. Some quarters, including a UN rapporteur, had argued there was nothing unusual about NGOs receiving foreign funds, adding that even the government received international funding.
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| Malaysia's Auditor-General points to billion dollar cost overrun in train project Posted: 14 Oct 2012 06:42 PM PDT
(The Straits Times) - Malaysia's annual audit report released yesterday listed a familiar litany of hefty wastage in public spending, including a RM3.6 billion (S$1.4 billion) cost overrun in the building of a double-track railway line. The Auditor-General's Report also highlighted overspending in several other infrastructure projects like a bridge in Kelantan and rural roads in Sarawak. Of that, RM2.41 billion are interest costs arising from a loan to fund the project. |
| AG report: Top marks to Pakatan states Posted: 14 Oct 2012 06:35 PM PDT The 2011 Auditor-General's report showed that apart from a few minor glitches, all four states showed good financial standing. Syed Jaymal Zahiid, FMT The 2011 Auditor-General's report indicates good fiscal management by all four Pakatan Rakyat-controlled states with revenues improving. DAP-held Penang led the way in terms of revenue collection, recording a RM192.19 million or 46.8% increase compared with the RM410.70 million made in 2010 while Selangor, Malaysia's richest state, increased by RM62.50 million or 4% for the same period. Kedah, on the other hand, saw its surplus drop when it recorded an increase in operating expenditures despite boosting its revenue, but the report noted that the PAS-led state government had more or less maintained a "satisfactory" balance sheet. But the rice-bowl state, considered as one of the country's poorest, is still far from achieving its debt target, said the report. "The state government's commitment to the remaining public debt now stands at RM2.60 billion compared with RM2.61 billion in 2010; it is still high," it read, adding that Kedah must do more to improve its revenue collection. Oil-rich Kelantan, too, was rated satisfactory due to the increase in its consolidated fund by RM86.17 million or 58.1% to RM234.47 million as compared with the RM148.30 million recorded in 2010. The PAS-conrolled-state also saw investments in 2011 increase by RM95 million from RM16.33 million in 2010 to RM111.33 million in 2011. The state's overall financial performance statement, whereby revenue as compared to total management and development expenditures for 2011, recorded an increase from total deficit of RM171.70 million in 2010 to RM141.53 million in 2011. But the AG report highlighted poor debt management by Kelantan. "Public debts increased by RM27.85 million from RM1.11 billion in 2010 to RM1.14 billion in 2011. The arrears of debts repayment to the federal government also increased from RM121.57 million in 2010 to RM179.81 million in 2011″. Meanwhile, the report noted marked improvements in the performance of state agencies with most rated "excellent" compared to 2010, although it recommended Kelantan and Kedah to provide more training for its officers to improve. Selangor and Penang were praised for their initiatives to bolster their financial management performance.
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| Sisters of Islam call for Syariah law review Posted: 14 Oct 2012 06:28 PM PDT They say the Syariah Criminal Offences Enactment and its record of enforcement is questionable and can lead to abuse. Leven Woon, FMT The Seremban High Court judgment on four Muslim transgenders last week has prompted NGO Sisters In Islam (SIS) to call for a comprehensive review on the Syariah Criminal Offences Enactment. SIS manager Suri Kempe said this when commenting on the court's dismissal of the transgenders' application to seek for the right to dress in women clothes under Article 8 of the Federal Constitution. Justice Siti Mariah Ahmad, when delivering the judgment, had said that the applicants are Muslims and hence are subjected to Section 66 of Syariah Criminal Enactment 1992, that bars Muslim men from dressing or posing as women. Suri said the Syariah Criminal Offences Enactment and its record of enforcement is questionable as it can be abused. "Is it the duty of the state, under the name of bringing about a moral society, to turn what it considers 'sins' into 'crimes against the state'? "Should the state extend the long arm of the law to what should be best left to the religious conscience of the individual?" she asked. She said the reality is that sexual minorities in Malaysia, especially Muslims, are vulnerable to numerous abuses by the state, "We urge the government to form a committee which includes representation from women's groups, human rights groups, progressive Islamic scholars and constitutional experts," she said. She said the government needed to adopt a more humane way that embraces the Islamic spirit of justice, equality and compassion.
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| Hindraf to back Pakatan, provided… Posted: 14 Oct 2012 03:16 PM PDT A blueprint for the resolution of the Indian dilemma will be tabled at upcoming Anwar-Waytha talks. Athi Shankar, FMT BATU KAWAN: Hindraf will support Pakatan Rakyat if the bloc agrees to implement the pressure group's blueprint for the wellbeing of Indians in the country, which it will present at an upcoming meeting with PKR. Hindraf deputy chairman W Sambulingam said his organisation was keen to forge an alliance with Pakatan to face the next general election but would not give it or any other political group a free ride. "We are not going to give anyone a free lunch like in 2008," Sambulingam told some 500 supporters at a fund-raising dinner here last night. The blueprint will be tabled during a second round of Hindraf-PKR talks, which could be held at the end of this month or early next month. PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim and Hindraf chairman P Waythamoorthy are expected to attend. The Anwar-Waythamoorthy meet-up was agreed upon last month at a meeting between PKR and Hindraf officials. Neither Anwar nor Waythamoorthy was present at that meeting. Since his return from exile, Waythamoorthy has had meetings with top PAS leaders, including Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat. Sambulingam said Hindraf would prepare a "comprehensive and constructive" blueprint containing recommendations and proposals for "permanent, practical, applicable and effective" solutions to resolve problems faced by the Indian community, including those unresolved since colonial days. Hindraf has written to both BN and Pakatan to propose talks on the blueprint. Unlike PKR and PAS, BN has yet to respond. Sambulingam said he regarded BN's silence as a "rejection of Hindraf's olive branch". He said Hindraf would call on Indians to support Pakatan only if the bloc agreed to implement the blueprint. Issues regarding education, land, and settlement areas for Indians are expected to feature heavily in the blueprint. Sambulingam said these were not commercial issues, but were matters that bore heavily on fundamental principles of human rights. "The government of the day is duty bound to fulfil these rights for rightful citizens, not to illegal immigrants," he said at last night's dinner.
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| Defamation suit against FMT dismissed Posted: 14 Oct 2012 03:01 PM PDT Judge orders MIC's Mugilan to pay costs. (FMT) - The Shah Alam High Court today dismissed a defamation suit brought against FMT by MIC's deputy Youth chief, V Mugilan. Justice Ahmad Zaki Husin said FMT did not commit any offence in an article entitled "MIC's Mugilan accused of swindling temple", which was published on July 28, 2011. He ordered Mugilan to pay RM30,000 in costs. The FMT article was about a police report filed against Mugilan by the Serendah Indian Community Association, which alleged that Mugilan worked in cahoots with certain officials of the Sri Selva Vinayaga Temple to take out RM400,000 from a RM2 million fund without authorisation. The report also quoted Mugilan as denying the allegation, saying the money was used to pay a deposit to a contractor appointed to build a crematorium. He sued FMT for RM500,000, claiming the report was false and politically motivated. The judge said Mugilan's accusation had no basis. FMT was represented by Clement G Lopez.
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| 'Who says Islam and democracy can't propel a nation?' asks former MCA V-P Posted: 14 Oct 2012 02:59 PM PDT
(Harakah) - Former MCA vice-president Chua Jui Meng has dismissed the argument that Islam should not have any role in the country's political system, and cited how Turkey's blend of Islam and democracy have yielded positive results for the European nation. "The brave Turkish people went for change with [Turkish prime minister] Tayyip Erdogan in 2003 and today, about 10 years after, Turkey registered a 300% economic growth.
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| Pakatan’s minimum wage plan will backfire, says Soi Lek Posted: 14 Oct 2012 02:26 PM PDT
(The Star) - Many small and medium companies, and even eateries will close down, triggering massive unemployment if Pakatan Rakyat's RM1,100 minimum wage is implemented. MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said Pakatan's proposed minimum wage had caused anxiety among the business community. "Some people even asked me whether the proposed RM1,100 minimum wage was a joke as it would be disastrous to their businesses and the country's economic competitiveness," he said. He noted that Pakatan's bid to increase the minimum wage by RM200 would backfire. "It will create massive unemployment in our country," Dr Chua told reporters at the MCA mega dinner themed "Stability Above Chaos" at Stadium Indera Mulia here last night. He also challenged Pakatan to show their economic model. "The various populist polices in Pakatan's manifesto (Buku Jingga) amounting to almost RM200bil a year will bankrupt the country within two years if they take over Putrajaya," he warned. These populist policies include ensuring every Malaysian household has a minimum monthly income of RM4,000 which will cost the Government RM93bil a year. Others include abolishing tolls, loans owed to the National Higher Education Fund Corporation and car taxes. In another development, Dr Chua said the party would focus on winning the seats it contested in the last general election. The MCA, the second largest Barisan component party, contested 40 parliamentary seats and 90 state seats in 2008. Dr Chua, who is also Perak MCA chairman, said Barisan was confident of retaining the state.  Full house: Guests enjoying their meal during the MCA mega dinner in Ipoh. Citing the overwhelming response to last night's mega dinner, he said many people could be seen waiting at the venue as it could only accommodate 700 tables. He said it was a similar scene at the mega dinners in Malacca and Klang, leading to the organisers adding more tables. Dr Chua said the tremendous response reflected unity and high spirits within the party and community. He also said the RM500,000 raised at last night's mega dinner would be given back to society for education purposes.
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| Animal lovers slam local councils’ move to enter houses and remove dogs Posted: 14 Oct 2012 02:18 PM PDT
(The Star) - Animal rights groups here are upset with local councils for engaging private companies that apparently trespass homes to catch pets. The discussion among representatives from about 15 groups, including PAWS, KL Pooch Rescue and SPCA, became animated when they voiced their displeasure against such actions, usually instigated by complaints from neighbours of dog owners. "This is a disturbing trend," said Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better (MDDB) founder Wani Muthiah during a press conference here. "When you're not at home, the local councils' dog-catchers, as well as those from private companies employed by them, cannot remove your dogs," she pointed out. "Now, owners have become paranoid. They have to lock their dogs inside their houses when they go out to work," she said. Wani said the authorities should instead take up the complaints with the house owner, and not capture the dogs. "And, certainly not when the owners aren't home." Shown at the conference was a YouTube clip that was uploaded on Sept 27, showing several men, believed to be dog-catchers subcontracted by the Ampang City Council (MPAJ), entering a house compound and removing several dogs there. Wani said she had compiled about 50 police reports made after the video went online since Wednesday. It can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwqnI88boFs. However, MPAJ deputy president Abd Hamid Hussain said it was all a misunderstanding. "In the video, the contractors were actually trying to remove stray dogs which had wandered into the house," he said. "We had permission from the owner to remove them." Yesterday, G. Darwin, 27, and his wife Cynthia Moey, 26, from Kota Kemuning, related how the local authority had removed their dogs. "I returned from work at about 8pm, and found my porch in a mess," said Moey. "I thought someone had broken into my home. I found my dogs missing," she said. "My neighbour told me that she had called the council to come and take away my dogs. "The council had actually trespassed my home using my neighbour's house to jump inside." DwqnI88boFs
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| Selangor says has cheaper water treatment option Posted: 14 Oct 2012 01:57 PM PDT
Amin Iskandar, The Malaysian Insider Selangor has a cheaper water treatment option without the need to raise tariffs to foot the construction of Langat 2, a new treatment plant proposed by Putrajaya to cope with a forecasted supply shortage, says Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim. The Selangor mentri besar claims to have found a viable alternative method from a Canadian company that utilises membrane technology to extract fresh water from existing plants and turn them into water suitable for household use. "The total cost will be in the vicinity of RM500 million to RM750 million compared to the RM3 billion to RM5 billion to build Langat 2," Khalid told The Malaysian Insider in an exclusive interview. He explained that the Canadian company's technology involved taking water from several treatment plants and treating them separately to produce one billion litres of water daily, instead of doing all the work from one main plant, which was the purpose of Langat 2. "But you have several plants so you can add 50 litres a day and three million more from elsewhere and you add that all, you get one billion litres a day. "In short, we will have cheaper water resources at very, very low prices," he said, adding that through this new method the government will not have to raise tariffs to produce treated water. The tussle for control of treated water supply in the country's most developed state has become major election fodder in the run-up to national polls due soon after the state's sole water distributor, Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas), raised an alarm earlier this year of a possible crisis in the near future due to the near zero reserves at the state's water treatment plants. The Pakatan Rakyat (PR) state government has steadfastly opposed the Barisan Nasional (BN) federal government's Langat 2 project, citing the high costs involved that would force the state to increase the tariffs for water and renege on its pledge to provide the utility cheaply, a policy PR had introduced after winning power in Election 2008. "It will cost at least RM3 billion to RM5 billion just to build Langat 2, a treatment plant capable of storing water from Pahang and to treat it before it is distributed, without taking into account the cost of digging the tunnel and all that," Khalid said. Despite this, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has reportedly suggested that the federal government may go ahead with building Langat 2 without first getting the agreement of the state government. Muhyiddin, who has been tasked with chairing a federal panel to resolve the water issue, said he has asked the Attorney-General's Chambers to see whether the National Land Code or the Land Acquisition Act will allow a project deemed to have national importance to be built, enabling the federal government to circumnavigate the state without causing any detriment to Putrajaya. "The Attorney-General's Chambers has yet to respond, negotiations with the state government are continuing in efforts to get them to issue a development order for the construction of Langat 2," the country's No. 2 told reporters over the weekend. Langat 2, which is part of the RM8.9 billion Pahang-Selangor Raw Water Transfer project, would be able to bring in 1,130 million litres a day with which to supply residents in Selangor and the two federal territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.
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| Scotland moves step closer to independence vote Posted: 14 Oct 2012 01:27 PM PDT
(Reuters) - EDINBURGH: Scotland takes a big step on its path towards an independence referendum today when its leader meets Britain's prime minister to finalize arrangements for a vote which could lead to the demise of Scotland's three-centuries-old union with England. Scotland's drive for sovereignty, led by its nationalist leader Alex Salmond, echoes separatist moves by other European regions such as Catalonia and Flanders at a time when a crisis-hit European Union undergoes deep changes to its identity. Expected to be signed in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh, the deal will allow Scotland to decide in a 2014 referendum whether it should become an independent country or stay within the United Kingdom. Nationalists have timed the vote to coincide with the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn when Scottish forces led by Robert the Bruce defeated English invaders. Prime Minister David Cameron opposes Scotland's push, arguing that Britain is stronger together. But London agrees it is up to Scotland to decide its future for itself in a vote. "There are many things I want this (government) to achieve but what could matter more than saving our United Kingdom?" Cameron said in a speech last week. "Let's say it : We're better together and we'll rise together." Following months of negotiations, both sides have made major concessions to pave the way for the final accord to be signed on Monday by Cameron and Salmond at Edinburgh's St Andrew's House – the seat of the Scottish government. "The agreement will see Scotland take an important step toward independence, and the means to create a fairer and more prosperous Scotland," Salmond said ahead of the meeting. "I look forward to working positively for a yes vote in 2014." Scotland already has many of the trappings of an independent nation such as its own flag, legal system, sports teams, as well as a distinctive national identity following centuries of rivalry with its southern neighbor. London argues an independent Scotland – home to about five million people – would struggle to make ends meet as the bulk of its current funding comes from a 30 billion pound ($48 billion) grant from the UK government. But one of the most contentious issues at stake is the ownership of an estimated 20 billion barrels of recoverable oil and gas reserves beneath the UK part of the North Sea. Britain is also worried about the future of its nuclear submarine fleet based in Scotland which says there would be no place for atomic arms on its soil following independence. Moving the fleet elsewhere would be costly and time-consuming. Many Scots themselves are unconvinced. Opinion polls show only between 30 and 40 percent of them support independence – a range that has changed little as negotiations intensified. "Independence is about Scotland leaving the UK, becoming a separate state, taking on all the burdens and risks that go with that and losing the benefits and opportunities that we have as part of the UK," UK Scottish Secretary Michael Moore told the BBC on the eve of the meeting in Edinburgh. "When we look at the economy, at defense, at our place in the world, on all these big issues, people across Scotland will continue to support Scotland being in the United Kingdom." Scotland and England have shared a monarch since 1603 and have been ruled by one single parliament in London since 1707. In 1999, for the first time since then, a devolved Scottish parliament was opened following a referendum. Intrigue over wording Both sides have been tight-lipped on the contents of the final agreement, with much intrigue and speculation surrounding sensitive issues such as how to phrase the referendum question. Salmond is expected to have accepted London's demand that there should be only one straight-forward "in or out" question on whether voters want to be part of the United Kingdom. He had earlier campaigned for a second question on whether Scotland should be given more powers in the so-called "devo max" form of enhanced devolution that stops short of independence. For its part, London is likely to agree to allow Salmond to lower the voting age to 16 from Britain's countrywide 18 – a coup for Salmond who believes that young people are more likely to vote overwhelmingly in favor of independence. "(The) agreement will ensure that the decision taken by the people of Scotland is one that will be fully respected by both governments," Scotland's Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said ahead of the meeting. She would not elaborate. "The referendum is the biggest opportunity the people of Scotland have had for 300 years to determine the kind of nation we all wish to live in." But for Salmond, convincing his people to support independence remains an uphill task given tough economic times. There are concerns as to what would happen to Scotland's debt or whether it would automatically become an EU member. A former oil economist, Salmond says Scotland would be prosperous, entitled to the lion's share of North Sea oil revenues and that it should be able to borrow at rates no worse than London, should people vote "yes".
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