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• Sex, Lies and Videotape in Malaysia
• Bersih denies it’s anti-govt
• Don’t walk away from democracy

Sex, Lies and Videotape in Malaysia Posted: 23 Jun 2011 08:58 PM PDT Three who exposed Anwar video – if it was him – are  happy to plead guilty  Anwar's strategy may have backfired, since it allowed the three, who appeared in court Friday, to deliver what they said was an analysis by experts from Dartmouth College in the United States that the video was authentic. Thamby Chik's lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah later told reporters that the experts said it was "99.99 percent certain" that the man in the video was Anwar.  Asia Sentinel Three men known collectively as "Datuk T" pleaded guilty Friday in a Kuala Lumpur magistrate's court to screening a videotape in March allegedly featuring Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim having sex with a Chinese prostitute earlier this year. The three are former Malacca Chief Minister Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik, a stalwart of the United Malays National Organization, Shazryl Eskay Abdullah, formerly a close friend of and fundraiser for Anwar, and Shuib Lazim, former treasurer of the Malay supremacy NGO Perkasa, which is closely aligned with former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.   The three said they had made the video to demonstrate that Anwar wasn't qualified to be prime minister. The three are Datuks, a minor honorific about equivalent to the British title of squire and the lowest level in the country's list of titles bestowed on businessmen and others.  They entered the courtroom wearing broad smiles and waving to the crowd. Anwar, his family, his political party Parti Keadilan Rakyat and the opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat have continued to insist that a stunt double made the film, which was shown to reporters under mysterious circumstances at a prestigious hotel.  They have been demanding that charges of distributing pornography be lodged against the three over the video, which has since pretty much gone viral across Malaysia. That strategy may have backfired, since it allowed the three, who appeared in court Friday, to deliver what they said was an analysis by experts from Dartmouth College in the United States that the video was authentic. Thamby Chik's lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah later told reporters that the experts said it was "99.99 percent certain" that the man in the video was Anwar. "Results of the analysis by experts from Dartmouth College, Handover, New Hampshire in the US verified the authenticity of the video, that there was no tampering or any act of super-imposing and that it originated from a DVR camcorder taken from Datuk Shazryl," deputy public prosecutor Kamalluddin Md Said was quoted as saying in local media. Anwar's allies insist that whether the video was or wasn't tampered with, it wasn't Anwar in the picture. In fact, the video so far appears to have done little damage to Anwar's reputation. He has been ensnared for months in a long-running trial for allegedly having homosexual sex a then-23-year-old aide.  He was imprisoned for six years on similar charges in a trial that is universally regarded as having been trumped up. READ MORE HERE

Bersih denies it’s anti-govt Posted: 23 Jun 2011 08:34 PM PDT ... if the government is for free and fair elections, says Haris Ibrahim in FMT RAW's maiden broadcast "If the government is going to wake up to the need to clean up, and effect these reforms, why would anyone be against the government? We say again and again, Bersih is not pro-Pakatan Rakyat. Neither are we anti-Barisan Nasional. We are pro-reform." He said Bersih sent invitations to both sides of the political divide, but "it's not our fault if BN chooses to stay away". Teoh El Sen, Free Malaysia Today A Bersih 2.0 leader today sought to correct a misconception that the movement is anti-government. "If the government stands for free and fair elections, then we are not anti-government," said Haris Ibrahim, who sits on the steering committee of Bersih 2.0. "But if the government is going to stand in the way of free and fair elections, we are against anyone who is against free and fair elections." He made his remarks in an interview on FMT RAW, a half-hour online broadcast that made its debut at 3pm today. Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin recently accused Bersih of having a "dirty political agenda" in its plan to rally Malaysians for a "Walk for Democracy" on July 9. In the interview with FMT reporter Stephanie Sta Maria, Haris said the conduct of the recent Sarawak election underlined the need for electoral reform in Malaysia. He added that a post-mortem showed that "it was corruption upon corruption upon corruption". Elaborating on Bersih's purpose, he said: "We are just acting against anyone acting against the interest of the rakyat. We have eight simple demands. I think they are all legitimate demands. "If the government is going to wake up to the need to clean up, and effect these reforms, why would anyone be against the government?" "We say again and again, Bersih is not pro-Pakatan Rakyat. Neither are we anti-Barisan Nasional. We are pro-reform." He said Bersih sent invitations to both sides of the political divide, but "it's not our fault if BN chooses to stay away". nOujvlBn5bE  SEE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOujvlBn5bE Pre-emptive arrests He renewed his invitation to all parties to participate in the rally. "Join us," he said. Referring to plans by Perkasa and Umno Youth to hold their own rallies, Haris said he respected their "right to peacefully assemble and  I hope they respect ours". However, he accused the two organisations of attempting to taint Bersih's objectives with their racial rhetoric. "Every time they get involved in something like this, they bring in the race issues." But he added: "Malaysians are more mature, and are not so easily swayed by race rethoric, thank God." On the possibility of police action against the rally, Haris said Bersih was hoping that the police would realise that their function was to facilitate. "Article 10 of the Federal Constitution guarantees the rakyat the right to peacefully assemble," he said. It supersedes the Police Act, which was enacted by Parliament. READ MORE HERE

Don’t walk away from democracy Posted: 23 Jun 2011 04:16 PM PDT The Bersih spirit will live long enough to surface again with greater force when the whole country walks to the polls for democracy. It is unlikely that Bersih will light the fuse to blow up the country. Trouble makers like Perkasa and all those self-anointed sentinels who have lodged police reports are more likely to do the incendiary job. The government's "goon squads" have always disrupted peaceful forums in the past while the law enforcers stood idly by.  Editorial, Free Malaysia Today There is nothing wrong if tens of thousands take to the streets in a stroll for democracy, come July 9. It is the right of citizens to express their displeasure when the government of the people, by the people, for the people becomes a government of the few for the few. People elect politicians to high office on the understanding that they will respect all the venerable institutions that govern the lives of the people. When the elected misuse their powers and undermine the vital organs of the government, they have lost the right to stay in office. There are two ways to punish political perverts who have raped democracy: vote them out or take to the streets. The ballot box is the ideal choice, but the date with destiny has not been fixed. In the meantime, the people can send a strong message to the recalcitrant government to mend its ways – by taking to the streets. The streets are the most effective platform to bring a wayward government to its senses. They are better than pumping fists or making pointless speeches in the stadiums. Stadiums are meant for concerts, football matches, circus shows. More often than not, a new country is born in the streets. But this is not a "spring offensive". The walk for democracy is not designed to overthrow the government by violent means or to whip up public hysteria. Its aims are simple: "to press for electoral reform, take a stand against corruption and strengthen public institutions". It is not a cheap tactic to gain political mileage. The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) is a civil movement fighting for these causes that the government has long ago abandoned. It has become the voice of the people and has taken up the cudgels on their behalf. Unfortunately, the picture has been deliberately muddled by the government to make demons out of the organisers of the peaceful march. If you believe the government's tall tale, the rally will create chaos and in the ensuing mayhem, the whole country will slide into anarchy. Foreign investors will take to their heels and all those grandiose economic plans will lie in ruins. People will suffer and perhaps die of starvation. It is unlikely that Bersih will light the fuse to blow up the country. Trouble makers like Perkasa and all those self-anointed sentinels who have lodged police reports are more likely to do the incendiary job. The government's "goon squads" have always disrupted peaceful forums in the past while the law enforcers stood idly by. Instead of clamping down on the interlopers, the organisers were given the stick. Any attempt to show up the weaknesses of the government were foiled by thuggish third parties. Yet again, the government is displaying the same pattern of loutish behaviour when Bersih announced it will take its peaceful fight in the open. It tacitly encouraged the trouble makers to jump into the fray and organised its own rally. Right on cue, the seemingly concerned ministers raised the alarm that the country is heading towards the brink with two opposing rallies on collision course. Perkasa, helmed by an addled brain demagogue, and all the other like-minded dimwitted firebrands are determined to turn the walk for democracy into a run for life. READ MORE HERE

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Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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• Vandals strike in Perlis in bid to 'provoke' Bersih
• GLCs won’t indulge Bumi agenda, says Azman Mokhtar
• Undaunted, Khairy says July 9 march still on
• Sex Video: US Experts Confirmed It's Anwar
• Sex video: New clip on "possibilities" man is not Anwar
• Datuk T: ‘Mission accomplished’
• 30pc of Customs officers fail to declare assets
• US experts confirmed Anwar as man in video, court told
• RM300m for 1km of rail line
• Pua: Why pay for high power reserve margins?
• ‘Datuk T’ fined for sex video
• ‘Datuk T’ charged over sex video
• GST a way to fund the poor, says Idris Jala

Vandals strike in Perlis in bid to 'provoke' Bersih Posted: 24 Jun 2011 12:04 AM PDT (Harakah Daily) - A spate of vandalisation of private properties here has Perlis PAS sounding a warning of attempts to paint a negative image on the electoral reforms rally planned in Kuala Lumpur on July 9. In one incident, vandals spray-painted the word "Bersih 2.0" on a  Toyota Camry car parked near a supermarket here, while a wall nearby was painted "Joint Bersih 2.0" [sic] in large letters. A stone's throw away, another wall was sprayed with the graffiti "Hidup PAS" ("Long Live PAS"). Perlis PAS, saying the party's supporters were not behind such acts of vandalism, cautioned against attempts to create tension among people in the state. State PAS deputy commissioner Azmir Azizan described the acts as "provocations". "This kind of acts could be the work of some mischievous children or quarters encouraged by certain organisations, and are part of attempts to portray Bersih negatively and sow the seeds of hatred among the public. "Perlis PAS is not involved in such acts and the PAS leadership will never allow its members to carry out such silly and uncivilised actions," he said. 'Agent provocateurs' Azmir (left) called on those attempting to create provocations to stop doing so, saying the people were clear on the objectives of Bersih. "We advise these agent provocateurs to stop their extreme acts. The more you provoke, the more people will be coming to Kuala Lumpur on July 9. "Bersih is a peaceful assembly with the noble aim of demanding fair elections," he added. He also called on those victimised by such provocations to lodge police reports. Prior to this, UMNO Youth said it would hold its own rally coinciding Bersih's, while UMNO's sister organisation Perkasa said its members would gather on the same day to clash with Bersih supporters. Perkasa leader Ibrahim Ali had also raised the spectre of a racial riot should Bersih go ahead with the rally. His supporters called Bersih chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan "a dangerous Hindu woman" and stomped on her photo, attracting condemnations from Muslim scholars, politicians and NGOs.

GLCs won’t indulge Bumi agenda, says Azman Mokhtar Posted: 23 Jun 2011 10:03 PM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - The federal government's committee on government-linked corporations' performance said today it will not bow to pressure to implement pro-Bumiputera policies that will undermine their own operations. The Putrajaya Committee on GLC High Performance (PGC) moved to allay fears that recent pressure from Malay hardliners would derail the Najib administration's commitment to liberalise the economy and put in place merit-based policies. PGC secretariat chief Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar said today that it had "active and proper" programmes for Bumiputeras, which were part of a national development agenda under the New Economic Model (NEM). He added that these would be inclusive, and see growth with equity for all communities. "It is important that these companies are not a burden on themselves or on their shareholders or the public. They should be part of the solution and not the problem. "Our programmes are not just for Bumiputeras but all local vendors," said Azman, adding that GLCs were also fair in terms of employment. Putrajaya has come under heavy pressure recently from Malay hardliners with regards to contracts from the RM50 billion Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit project, and the proposed Pudu Jail redevelopment plan under UDA Holdings, which could be worth up to RM4 billion. The agency tasked with ensuring Malays have a bigger stake in urban economic activity came under fire recently from right-wingers in Umno and Perkasa as well as Utusan Malaysia for allegedly abandoning the Bumiputera agenda after it chose not to appoint Bumiputera joint-venture turnkey investors for the proposed Bukit Bintang City Centre (BBCC). Azman, who is also Khazanah Nasional managing director, added that GLCs were strictly merit-based with their contractors even though it was an unpopular policy. "It is merit-based, you must deliver. Sometimes it is unpopular but we are strict with them," he told reporters at the GLC Open Day launch today.

Undaunted, Khairy says July 9 march still on Posted: 23 Jun 2011 09:56 PM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - Umno Youth will not let the withholding of police permission dissuade it from holding its July 9 rally to counter Bersih. Instead, movement chief Khairy Jamaluddin said the rally was now growing larger, with MIC Youth and PPP members set to join its ranks. MCA Youth has opted out, however. Election watchdog Bersih 2.0 is planning a massive rally on the day to push for electoral reforms, with PAS aiming to galvanise all one million of its members to take part in the assembly. Aside from the Umno Youth-led assembly, Malay rights group Perkasa is also planning a separate counter-protest. Authorities maintain they will deny permits to all three and have repeatedly warned they will treat the rallies as illegal assemblies. The first rally in 2007 saw up to 50,000 people take to the capital's street before they were dispersed by police armed with tear gas and water cannons.

Sex Video: US Experts Confirmed It's Anwar Posted: 23 Jun 2011 06:59 PM PDT (Malaysian Digest) - US video experts consulted by the Malaysian police have identified the man in the controversial sex video screened by Datuk T as Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, a magistrate's court was told this morning. Counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said that US video experts had compared images of the man in the video with a photo of Anwar and confirmed that both were identical. "This means that A and B is the same person," he said. The result of the examination conducted by experts from Dartmouth College, Handover, New Hampshire was raised in the facts of the case read out today after the Datuk T trio of Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah, Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik and Datuk Shuib Lazim pleaded guilty to their involvement in the screening of the video on March 21. Eskay, together with former Perkasa treasurer-general Shuib, were jointly charged with possession and distribution of pornography under Section 292(a) of the Penal Code. They had allegedly committed the offence between 10:30am and 12pm at the Carcosa Seri Negara hotel on March 21. Rahim, however, was charged under section 109 of the Penal Code for abetting Eskay and Shuib in "openly" screening the pornographic material. All three pleaded guilty to the charges. All three were slapped with fines under section 292 of the Penal Code. Shafee further said that according to the June 4 report by professors Hany Farid and Lorenzo Torresani from Dartmouth College there is a 99.99 percent match of the male in the video clip to a known photo of Anwar based on facial recognition analysis. "Results of the analysis by experts from Dartmouth College, Handover, New Hampshire in the US verified the authenticity of the video, that there was no tampering or any act of super-imposing and that it originated from a DVR camcorder taken from Datuk Shazryl (Eskay)," deputy public prosecutor Kamalluddin Md Said said when reading the facts of the case this morning. As such, he told the court that Anwar should be charged under sections 192, 193 or 199 of the Penal Code for lodging a false report, denying his identity in the video. In the statement of facts, it was also stated that the sex tape was taken in an apartment in Ampang, Kuala Lumpur. This was uncovered when Shuib gave his statement to the police on March 25. "The police took a CCTV recording from the apartment and also found that Anwar was with Eskay at the lobby of the apartment on Feb 21," said the statement of facts. It was previously reported that Eskay had told reporters that the video was taken in a spa in Kuala Lumpur instead. The court also heard how Eskay met Shuib and Rahim to expose the sex tape. Eskay had met Shuib at the end of February with the recording in his thumbdrive, with a video said to be of Anwar engaging in various sex acts with a Chinese national believed to be a prodtitute. They then decided to meet Rahim, considering that the recording was "sensitive" and had "national interest", before all three agreed to screen the video to members of the media. Rahim then called one Kamarulail Sulaiman to book a room at Carcosa Seri Negara, an exclusive hotel in the hilly outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, while Eskay contacted The Star's chief reporter Sirajinisa Habibu Mohd to round up the other reporters at the hotel for a story of "high national interest". "Sirajinisa then invited other reporters, who then turned out to spread the word to other reporters," said the statement of facts. Earlier, the trio's counsel had listed down their clients' credentials to prove their credibility as upstanding Malaysians. The court also screened the 21-minute recording to ensure that the evidence had not been tampered with but magistrate Aizatul Akmal Maharani ordered the pornographic portions to be fast-forwarded. In appealing for a lenient sentence for Rahim, Shafee pointed out that the ex Melaka chief minister was a first-time offender, that he had not caused any injury, his action was not for the purpose of obtaining profit and was in fact more for "public benefit". "We cannot let these men leave here thinking that justice was not served. We must show that justice has been done. Use your discretion wisely to look at their three cases here, in particularly my client, who only came in to assist in securing the room in Carcosa. "He was driven by compassion to expose probably the biggest fraud in Malaysia," he said. Eskayl's lawyer Mohd Zamani Ibrahim agreed with his colleague's submission, saying that his client had even performed the "sumpah laknat" to prove that he was not lying. "Until today, Anwar has not responded. What he did was for public good," he said, adding that Eskay was also a close associate of Anwar's since 1996. Lawyer Suhaimi Salleh, arguing for Shuib, appealed for a light sentence for his client, saying that by pleading guilty the latter had saved time and money. He also said that Shuib is a pensioner, a senior citizen and a diabetic.

Sex video: New clip on "possibilities" man is not Anwar Posted: 23 Jun 2011 06:49 PM PDT A 40-minute clip has emerged showing the "possibilities" of identifying the man in the Datuk T sex video which implicated Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The clip, more of a documentary on why the man in the video is not Anwar, was narrated by PKR's Sungai Petani MP Datuk Johari Abdul. It was shown to reporters during a press conference at the PKR headquarters Friday. "The video will be uploaded on Youtube," said Johari. "We plan to make copies of the video to be sold to the public," he said.

Datuk T: ‘Mission accomplished’ Posted: 23 Jun 2011 03:49 PM PDT   (The Malaysian Insider) - The "Datuk T" trio behind a sex video allegedly featuring Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim emerged victorious today despite their criminal convictions, declaring they had "accomplished" their mission to prove the opposition leader's immorality. The three — businessman Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah, former Malacca chief minister Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Tamby Chik and former Perkasa treasurer-general Datuk Shuib Lazim — were given a hero's greeting when they left the Jalan Duta court complex here after being fined for screening the video in public. Shuib was first to be whisked off into a waiting vehicle but Abdul Rahim and Shazryl, both with wide smiles on their faces, stood at the top of the stairs leading to the court complex entrance to address the hundreds that surrounded them. "Mission accomplished today and we are very happy. We have proven to the people, through the judicial system of the country. Now, it is up to the people to decide the future destiny of the country," Abdul Rahim boomed to the crowd. Beside him, Shazryl maintained his silence but nodded at his comrade's every word. Abdul Rahim, who himself once faced persecution for his sexual assault on a minor, shredded Anwar's morality to bits in his four-minute victory speech, drawing inferences from the points that were raised in court today. "Today in court, we have seen that the truth has been revealed. We are confident that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was the man in the video who has committed vice. "We did this to defend our country, our national security, from a leader who is corrupt and immoral, we see him as a man who is a hypocrite, who does not deserve to be our nation's leader," he said. MORE TO COME

30pc of Customs officers fail to declare assets Posted: 23 Jun 2011 03:09 PM PDT By Jason Gerald John, NST MALACCA: Some 3,900 Customs officers could soon see themselves in cold storage if they fail to declare their assets by year-end. Customs deputy director-general Datuk Khazali Ahmad said they formed 30 per cent of the 13,000 Customs officers required to declare their assets. "These irresponsible officers face the risk of being barred from promotions." They could also be banned from getting scholarships to further their studies, going on holidays abroad or getting overseas postings. Khazali said declaring assets enhanced the department's image. According to him, a Customs officer must declare his or her assets upon being appointed or when there were changes in their assets. "Even officers getting promoted must declare their assets," he said after a gathering of state Customs officers at the Customs Complex in Ayer Keroh. Present was state Customs director Datuk Mohd Nasir Said. As for the Malacca Customs, Khazali said 80 per cent of its 236 officers had made the declaration. Earlier, Khazali opened the Internal Tax Clinic, the first in the country, that would act as a one-stop-centre for clients requiring assistance on the payment of internal tax. "The clinic will help companies in the state answer all their questions on taxes. In Malacca, there are 884 companies paying service tax while another 601 are contributing sales tax. "Last year, the Malacca Customs collected RM1.63 billion in taxes, including RM28.7 million service tax and RM402.2 million sales tax."

US experts confirmed Anwar as man in video, court told Posted: 23 Jun 2011 03:06 PM PDT   By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, June 24 — US authorities have identified the man in the controversial sex video screened by "Datuk T" as Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, a magistrate's court was told this morning. The point was raised in the facts of the case read out today after the "Datuk T" trio of Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah, Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik and Datuk Shuib Lazim pleaded guilty to their involvement in the screening of the video on March 21. "Results of the analysis by experts from Dartmouth College, Handover, New Hampshire in the US verified the authenticity of the video, that there was no tampering or any act of super-imposing and that it originated from a DVR camcorder taken from Datuk Shazryl," deputy public prosecutor Kamalluddin Md Said said when reading the facts of the case this morning. Abdul Rahim's lawyer Datuk Seri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, who also submitted on the point, told reporters later that according to the experts' report, it was 99.99 per cent certain that the man in the video is Anwar.  MORE TO COME HERE

RM300m for 1km of rail line Posted: 23 Jun 2011 02:28 PM PDT By Patrick Lee, FMT PETALING JAYA: It costs more than RM300 million to build one kilometre of railway track here. In China, however, the cost is much lower – at less than RM15 million for the same length of railway. In Parliament this week, PKR-Telok Kemang MP Kamarul Bahrain Abbas asked the Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak why the 150km Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit needed a budget of more than RM50 billion. He compared this with the RM15 billion that was used to build the 1,140km-long line from Golmud in Qinghai Province, Western China, to Lhasa, Tibet. In a written response, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Abdul Aziz said that it was difficult to compare the two lines. "The comparison of costs between two different systems without detailed information is very difficult and would not give the right picture," he said. However, Nazri said that the vast difference in costs between the two lines could be due to: the period in which the lines were built; track alignments above or below the ground; the track's location, which was dependent on the population density in the area; and the system's configuration due to size and complexity. READ MORE HERE.

Pua: Why pay for high power reserve margins? Posted: 23 Jun 2011 02:00 PM PDT By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, June 24 — The government needs to explain why Malaysians should continue paying for high electricity reserve margins when countries such as Thailand, Indonesia and the United States are paying much less, Tony Pua said today. The DAP national publicity secretary pointed out that Malaysia's electricity reserve margin has been consistently close to 50 per cent over the past decade, while the reserve margins for Thailand and Java in Indonesia are only 25.4 and 26 per cent. "Is the (Energy, Green Technology and Water) minister (Datuk Seri Peter Chin) claiming that both these countries, who have been attracting greater foreign direct investments than Malaysia consistently over the past five years, do not have sufficient margins?" Pua (picture) said in a statement. He said even in the United States and Canada, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation's (NERC) study indicated a reserve margin of 28.6 per cent despite both countries being more "advanced and developed." "The minister should perhaps enlighten Malaysians as to what makes Malaysia so special that Malaysians are forced to pay for electricity reserve margins which have been consistently close to 50 per cent over the past decade?" added Pua. Chin has defended the country's reserve margin of 45 per cent as an intended government policy to prevent any sudden rise in electricity demand. Pua continued his attacks against Chin for saying that independent power producers (IPPs) were not being subsidised by the government. "While the minister and the IPPs are absolutely right 'technically' and 'legally' speaking, the subsidies have allowed the IPPs to mask the high electricity prices they sell, particularly to Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB). "For example, despite subsidising less in Thailand where natural gas is sold at RM23.10 per MMBTU to IPPs compared to RM13.70 per MMBTU in Malaysia, the electricity tariffs in Thailand are similar, if not cheaper than that in Malaysia... (The) average commercial tariff rate today is RM40/kWh after the recent tariff hike compared to RM38/kWh in Thailand," Pua said. He also said that this showed that the government was "insincere" about renegotiating the power purchase agreements (PPAs) with the IPPs.   READ  MORE HERE.

‘Datuk T’ fined for sex video Posted: 23 Jun 2011 01:57 PM PDT   By Clara Chooi,The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, June 24 — The "Datuk T" trio pleaded guilty and were fined in a magistrate's court here this morning over their involvement in the screening of a sex video allegedly featuring Pakatan Rakyat de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Former Malacca Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik was charged with abetting former Perkasa treasurer-general Datuk Shuib Lazim and businessman Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah in "openly" screening the pornographic material featuring sex acts between a man and a woman at the prestigious Carcosa Seri Negara Hotel here on March 21. Shazryl was fined RM3,000 or three months' jail, Shuib was fined RM1,500 or two months' jail while Abdul Rahim was fined RM1,000 or one month's jail. The three committed the offence between 10am and noon at the Seri Makmur room in the hotel. Shazryl and Shuib were charged under section 292 (a) of the Penal Code while the charge against Abdul Rahim, also under the same section, was read together with section 109 of the Penal Code for abetment. The three face a maximum three-year jail term, or fine, or both. The trio's lawyers had earlier protested against the charges when they were read in court and requested to meet with magistrate Aizatul Akmal Maharani in chambers. After a 30-minute discussion, the lawyers emerged and the trio pleaded guilty to the same charges. READ MORE HERE

‘Datuk T’ charged over sex video Posted: 23 Jun 2011 11:22 AM PDT   By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, June 24 — The "Datuk T" trio were charged this morning for their involvement in the screening of a sex video allegedly featuring Pakatan Rakyat de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Former Malacca Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik is charged with abetting former Perkasa treasurer-general Datuk Shuib Lazim and businessman Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah in screening the pornographic material at the prestigious Carcosa Seri Negara Hotel here on March 21. Earlier this morning, the three men arrived at the Jalan Duta court complex here to screams from scores of supporters who had gathered outside from 8am. Dressed smartly in neatly-pressed suits, the men waved as they made their way into the complex. They finally entered the packed courtroom at 9.17am. On March 21, a mysterious "Datuk T" had screened a video purportedly showing Anwar having sex with an unidentified woman, believed to be a foreign prostitute. Abdul Rahim, Shazryl and Shuib later claimed responsibility for the video, saying they screened the video to show "a man who wants to be prime minister is not qualified." Following police investigations into the screening, the trio claimed to have surrendered the original copy of the sex video to the police. MORE TO COME HERE

GST a way to fund the poor, says Idris Jala Posted: 23 Jun 2011 09:29 AM PDT By Lee Wei Lian and Boo Su-Lyn, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, June 24 — Putrajaya believes the Goods and Services Tax (GST) could help widen the government's tax base and provide funds for the poor now reeling from a global rise in commodity prices. Economists also do not foresee any issues with implementing the GST despite the country's low tax base which appears to suggest chronic tax evasion. But the government has shied away from pushing the tax due to outrage from most Malaysians, where only one million pay income tax. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Idris Jala (picture) said yesterday Malaysians have to accept that "we have to move away as only then the government will have sufficient money to go around for everyone, especially the poor." "To widen our tax base, we need to get rid of sales and services tax and replace it with GST. Currently, only one million of the 28 million Malaysians pay tax. "With the GST in place, all 28 million Malaysians will pay a little bit which then allows us to reduce corporate tax and income tax and that's how we can find money enough for poor people," Idris said at a forum. He said this was the reason 143 countries were now enforcing the GST. Critics however say Malaysia's natural resources are enough to fund programmes for the poor but economic leakages and an extravagant government have frittered away most of the money. Only about 10 per cent of Malaysians currently pay income tax but economists say that GST will be harder to evade and will help improve tax collection efficiency. Detractors say the government must be more efficient in collecting tax, citing the number of mansions and high-ends cars seen in the country despite the low tax base. Kenanga Investment Bank economist Wan Suhaimi Wan Saidi said the GST will improve the efficiency of tax collection in the long run. "There will be initial hiccups," he told The Malaysian Insider. "It's a necessary evil now so that they'll be more efficient in collecting taxes," he said.   READ MORE HERE.

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• Second Epistle to the Church in Malaysia
• Another day, another bogeyman raised
• Umno goes berserk with Bersih

Second Epistle to the Church in Malaysia Posted: 23 Jun 2011 08:47 PM PDT To behave in fear and trembling in the face of challenges and contending situations conveys an expression of insecurity of faith. Even in the face of persecution involving suffering, imprisonment, detention under the Internal Security Act (ISA) or even death, we should not waver from our faith and principles, but hold high our heads in dignity as the people of God.  By Thomas Lee Seng Hock One of the saddest things in the Church in Malaysia today is perhaps the passive and paranoid culture gripping both the leadership and members in the matter of the church's responsibility, role and relationship in society. Many Christians are confused, perplexed and bewildered in the face of challenges in the process of nation-building, particularly in the area of politics. They seem to live in fear of almost anything perceived by them as being anti-establishment, and cling persistently in dread and apprehension to the dictated status quo even if the state of affairs is authoritarian, harsh and oppressive, and violate their rights to freedom of worship and freedom of expression. Take the case of an incident which involved an article I wrote on the history of a church. To put the history in its context I had to narrate certain political events that took place in the nation. The church leaders became so intimidated by the mere mention of certain opposition personalities that they insisted on removing what they considered as "sensitive" or "seditious" parts. The joke is that what is written is common knowledge and is included as part of the nation's history. Certainly, such paranoia is unwarranted and reflect poorly not only on the insecure mental condition of the leaders but more so on their personal faith in the higher power of Jehovah-Elyon and their poor understanding of biblical dialectics on issues concerning the church and state. It is so unfortunate and sad that such foolishness still exists in this age of the incredible universal mass medium Internet. The Christian faith is not just a matter of the heart, it concerns the head too. It involves the totality of body, mind, soul and spirit. The whole person is involved. We are to "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength" (Mark 12:30). And the Christian, being a person who has been saved, redeemed and is now a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), must be one who is committed to a comprehensive worldview encompassing an acknowledgement and high view of Almighty God as Creator and Father, the belief in the Lord Jesus Christ as the real and ultimate ruler of the whole universe, the empowerment of the blessed Holy Spirit to the realization and fruition of the will and purpose of God in creation, history and our destiny as his people. To behave in fear and trembling in the face of challenges and contending situations conveys an expression of insecurity of faith. Even in the face of persecution involving suffering, imprisonment, detention under the Internal Security Act (ISA) or even death, we should not waver from our faith and principles, but hold high our heads in dignity as the people of God. As the apostle Paul said, "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs -- heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." (Romans 8:15-17). The Lord Jesus has given us a mandate to be salt of the Earth and light of the World (Matthew 5:13) and it is obligated upon us as his followers to exercise these two roles of being salt and being light. Salt is an element that can be used for preservation, and, as salt of the Earth, Christians are to play their role in preserving the truth of God on Earth. Salt is also used as a cleansing agent, and, hence, Christians must be cleansing agents in society, getting rid of the dirt in the immoral and corrupt political culture in the nation. Salt is also used for giving flavour to food. As such, Christians are to provide a distinctive taste of quality living to those who are lonely, sick, bed-ridden, old, poor, widowed, orphaned, abused and abandoned. Salt is also used for healing. It is therefore the mission of the Christians to bring about healing to those who are sick, not only physically, but spiritually. Many people are in the grip of demonic superstition and are living like spiritual goons and zombies, and they need the healing touch of loving, caring and concerned Christians to get relief from their demonic bondage. When describing Christians as the light of World in his Sermon on the Mount, the Lord Jesus explained: "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:14-16) The whole purpose of a light is just that, to provide light. The Christians, being the light of the World have the task of shinning in the dark, dark World to expose the dark evils hovering around the people. The Lord Jesus himself is the true Light of the World. He has declared: "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12). Christians merely reflect the light of the Lord Jesus in their life, lifestyle and work. As the light of Christ, Christians must expose the evil, immoral and corrupt culture in society, especially in the area of politics. We are not to hide our light but to be visible, vigilant, vocal and vibrant in society, expressing and demonstrating our opposition to what is unrighteousness, unjust, unfair, immoral and corrupt. We cannot close an eye to the improper hanky-panky in the political arena. Of course, as a church, we need to be non-partisan in our political stand, but that does not mean we cannot make value judgment on the agenda and practices of any political party based on our understanding of the biblical teaching on truth, justice, honesty, equality and sins. We need to exercise our citizen role by examining, evaluating and critically analyzing the platforms and manifestos of the contending parties in an election before casting our votes. As the light of the World, we are like the beacon from a lighthouse guiding souls through the troubled waters of the sea and the storms of life. We cannot deviate on this responsibility. This is especially true of the pastors, elders and church leaders. They should lead by example, not diverge from the biblical injunctions in fear and trembling. Like the apostle Peter who was brought before the authorities on some unjust allegations, they should be brave and bold to declare: "Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed." (Acts 4:8-10) And in Acts 4:19-20, Peter and John challenged the authorities: "But Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." That, my brothers and sisters in Christ, is what leadership in the church is all about, not like what the Cantonese call the "sook thau woo kyai" (tortoise who withdraws its head when coming across an obstacle). The Bible tells us that "In him (Christ) was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it." (John 1:4,5) And Paul said in his letter to the Philippians, "For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him" (Phil 1:29). And in his letter to the Romans, Paul said: "we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:37-39). So, my dear sisters and brothers in Christ, you should be bold and brave in taking a stand for the truth, and reject all immoral and corrupt leaders, who practise cronyism, nepotism, bribery, and injustice. If you belong to a party headed by such a leader, than you either work to remove him as the leader, or quit the party. You cannot remain and be part of the evil, immoral and corrupt leadership. Your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Way, the Truth and the Life demands that you cannot associate with the wicked leadership. God bless you real good.

Another day, another bogeyman raised Posted: 23 Jun 2011 04:44 PM PDT Don't get me wrong. I love my country, and I have no wish to see it descend into Arab Spring-like chaos, but I think our politicians should give us a bit of credit too. Most of us are actually mature adults capable of holding rational discussions. Farah Fahmy, The Malaysian Insider In all the furore surrounding the Bersih 2.0 rally, I couldn't help noticing that all the things and events used to scare us are being dragged out yet again, presumably so that we would all be scared of history repeating itself and therefore stick to the status quo. First up is of course the spectre of May 13. Time and again self-serving politicians bring this up to remind us to toe the line. You know what? I was born after 1969. I didn't live through those events, and all I know about May 13 I learnt through my own endeavours. If May 13 is so important to us, and if we're always exhorted to remember it, then why, if we so much as try to discuss what happened then, are we told NOT to do so because it may be detrimental to our racial sensibilities? I mean, come on. How can we be expected to remember something that we don't fully know about, and that nobody seems to want to discuss objectively? It's as if we rakyat are little children told by our adult politicians not to open a cupboard because monsters hide in there. What rubbish. Don't get me wrong. I love my country, and I have no wish to see it descend into Arab Spring-like chaos, but I think our politicians should give us a bit of credit too. Most of us are actually mature adults capable of holding rational discussions. Yes, the events of May 13 were horrendous, and I fervently wish that it would not happen again, but I also think that we need to bust the myth of May 13 by discussing it openly so that we can learn from it — the lessons learnt in its aftermath might need reviewing after more than 40 years. Then there's the other favourite bogeyman — the Jews. For a country that doesn't even have a Jewish population, politicians of a certain type in our country are obsessed by the Jews. Anyone accused of blackening the country's name is denounced as an "agent of the Jews." Have any of these people even met a Jewish person? Funnily enough, they're just like you and I (contrary to what an ustaz told me years ago, they don't have hooked noses either!) and quite frankly, I think most Jewish people have other things to think about than worrying about our country! I don't quite get this obsession with the Jews actually. Is it because of Israel, and its treatment of the Palestinians? Is it because we want to show solidarity with the Arab world? Is it just because they're Jews? Well, at the risk of sounding callous, the Israeli treatment of the Palestinians is no better and no worse than the treatment of the Talibans towards their fellow Muslims when they were in power in Afghanistan (where were the demonstrations and agitations against the Taliban then, eh? And what about those Saudis and their penchant for beheading maids who have the temerity to strike back against employers who abuse them?). There are bad people everywhere. Should we demonise an entire race just because one country oppresses some of its people? Yes, I too feel anger when I see the demolition of houses in the West Bank; when I see the shelling in Gaza. I too feel anguished when I read about men and women forced to abandon their ancestral lands simply because a wall has arbitrarily split their land into two. I too feel loathing when I read about the attitudes some of the Israeli settlers have towards the Palestinians. But you know what? If I was an Israeli I would probably feel a lot of hatred towards the Palestinians too, because Hamas and its ilk have made life unpalatable. All I'm saying is, there are two sides to every story. Neither the Israelis nor the Palestinians are whiter than white and I find it extremely tiresome when a Malaysian politician peddles the Jewish line to score some points because it just comes across as being ill-informed and plain nasty. READ MORE HERE

Umno goes berserk with Bersih Posted: 23 Jun 2011 04:10 PM PDT If the Arabs had their defining moment in the form of the Arab Spring, Malaysians might well have their day of reckoning in our Summer of Change. The Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and the Inspector–General of Police, Ismail Omar have refused to act against Ibrahim who is aware that he is protected by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Ibrahim is free to continue his tirades. Mariam Mokhtar, Free Malaysia Today Ambiga Sreenevasan, the Bersih chairman, may yet be the person who leads this country out of the quagmire. Ambiga was the Malaysian Bar chairman from 2007-2009 and in March 2009, received the US Secretary of State's Award for International Women of Courage from Hillary Clinton, with the US First Lady, Michelle Obama in attendance. Mrs Clinton praised Ambiga for her pursuit of judicial reform and good governance. She described Ambiga as a champion of religious tolerance, a staunch advocate of women's equality, whose work and influence was felt in Malaysia and in other countries. Early yesterday morning, Ambiga received a text message; she was threatened with death if she persisted with her "Walk for Democracy" on July 9. The chilling contents of the SMS were in Malay and part of the message read: "If the rally takes place my people and I will kill Ambiga and all those around her one by one including the idiot politicians who are in cahoots with this infidel. This is my warning. You watch out." The sender also accused Ambiga of being manipulated to spread discord amongst the Malays. It said, "The PAS and PKR camps are both deaf and blind. If the Election Commission wasn't clean, how could they have won Selangor, Kedah, Penang, Kelantan and Perak?" The DAP was dubbed "Cina sial" for its role in the perceived downfall of the Malays. It was accused of plotting to rule the country and converting everyone to Christianity. Ambiga has managed to galvanise the nation to demand free and fair elections. She has urged all politicians, from both sides of the political divide, to unite and seek clean elections and to advocate electoral reforms. As soon as Ambiga announced the date for the proposed rally, many tried to undermine her. Chief amongst her detractors was Ibrahim Ali, president of the Malay NGO Perkasa. Ibrahim Ali said that the "Chinese should stock up food" in a thinly veiled reference to ensuing violence if the march went ahead. The Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and the Inspector–General of Police, Ismail Omar have refused to act against Ibrahim who is aware that he is protected by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Ibrahim is free to continue his tirades. Ibrahim's stance will provide the excuse for police intervention, possibly with the use of violent tactics, purportedly in the name of national security. Umno Youth has also said it too would take to the streets. With two Malay groups, each vying for attention, the use of force by the police is unavoidable. Our Summer of Change The nation is well aware that the chaos in the middle-east has rattled despotic nations around the world. The Malaysian authorities know only too well that their authoritarian rule is not immune from the changing world order. The rakyat has exercised caution and acted with restraint in pursuance of its rights. But how much longer can it tolerate all the injustices? Are they prepared to wear the yoke for another 54 years under Umno? If the Arabs had their defining moment in the form of the Arab Spring, Malaysians might well have their day of reckoning in our Summer of Change. So who stands to lose the most, when Bersih marches on July 9? Umno of course! Umno, and the various people who benefitted from its largesse in the form of contracts, awards, scholarships, directorships and donations are desperate. If the rakyat triumphs and true democracy is restored, Umno and its cohorts stand to lose everything – their riches, the false respect they have been accorded, their supposed elevated status in society and naturally, their freedom. Their fall from grace is palpable. Ambiga is focused on her mission, to save the Malaysian soul. She is leading us to exercise our right to freedom of peaceful assembly on July 9. She has the rakyat's backing. The authorities may be left standing on the beach trying to stop a tsunami. When the various ploys to make Ambiga change her mind had failed, Umno got to work, possibly at the instigation of APCO. Bernama reported that 'several political analysts' criticised Ambiga for "tarnishing Malaysia's image as a nation blessed with peace, harmony and prosperity". Although Bernama was not able to name one credible political analyst, these analysts avoided all reference to the simmering tensions and cruel acts practiced on people who are non-Malay and non-Muslim. These analysts decried Ambiga for distracting the rakyat from the sodomy trial of the Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim. The chairman of the NGO '1Agenda' lodged a police report against Bersih for inviting international media coverage. The Bernama report described how the assemblies of 1998 and 2007 had inconvenienced the public, caused damage to public property and attracted negative publicity abroad. One lecturer from the University Utara Malaysia in Kedah, condemned the march because it would mean Malaysia would not be seen as a "paradise for shoppers and tourist and be seen as a place of chaos". Since when are lecturers in our higher institutions of learning more concerned about the frivolities of shopping rather than true democracy and principles of good governance? What sort of lecturer has our Minister of Education, Muhyiddin Yassin cultivated? READ MORE HERE

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Sumber Asal Berita :-

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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• BERSIH 2.0 Announcements: Upcoming Road Shows & Global Solidarity
• The Dog-Fight for Scholarships
• That Effing Show #56: The Obedient Wives Club
• Bersih 2.0 Stands for Democracy
• Where is Y.B. Khir Toyo's RM80 Million?
• BERSIH Rally - Letter to International Organisations to make representations to Malaysian Government

BERSIH 2.0 Announcements: Upcoming Road Shows & Global Solidarity Posted: 23 Jun 2011 04:36 PM PDT It is 16 days before Perhimpunan BERSIH 2.0 on 9 July 2011. We are increasing activities on the ground in ensuring that as many people as possible receives information regarding the demands of BERSIH 2.0. Road shows BERSIH 2.0 would like to announce that this weekend will mark our second leg of our national road shows. Our road shows are intended to spread awareness to the general public the issues pertaining to the Malaysian electoral system and explain our demands for electoral reform. The road show will also promote the upcoming Perhimpunan BERSIH 2.0. Details for this week's road shows: 1.      Shah Alam, Selangor Date            : 24 June 2011 Time            : 10:00pm Venue   : Kompleks Muhibbah, Jalan Taugeh 24/17, Persiaran Sultan, Seksyen 24, Shah Alam Speaker : Syed Shahir, former President of the Malaysian Trade Unions Congress  (MTUC) and one of the leaders of BERSIH 1.0 2.      Kuala Selangor, Selangor Date            : 25 June 2011 Time            : 8.30pm Venue           : Dewan Asam Jawa, Kuala Selangor Speaker : Zaid Kamarudin, BERSIH 2.0 Steering Committee member 3.      Johor Bahru, Johor Date            : 25 June 2011 Time            : 8.30pm Venue           : Pusat Aduan Rakyat Kempas, Taman Dahlia, Johor Baru Speaker : Hishamuddin Rais, Non-Governmental Individual (NGI) 4.      Sungai Siput, Perak Date            : 26 June 2011 Time            : 8.30pm Venue           : Dataran PSM, Taman Orkid, Sungai Siput Speaker : Wong Chin Huat, BERSIH 2.0 Steering Committee member BERSIH 2.0 hopes that residents of this area will attend our road shows to find out for themselves why electoral reform is needed in Malaysia. BERSIH 2.0 merchandise will be available at the road shows. Global Solidarity During the launch of the rally on 19 June 2011, BERSIH 2.0 announced that there will be rallies held in UK and Taiwan in solidarity with Perhimpunan BERSIH 2.0. All the overseas solidarity rallies held were initiated by Malaysian citizens living abroad who supported the demands for Perhimpunan BERSIH 2.0. They personally contacted BERSIH 2.0 and expressed interest in organising a rally where they were. We regard this wide interest by the Malaysian diaspora as an indication that Malaysians from all walks of life believe in the need for electoral reform and the upholding of democracy. We would like to announce that there are rallies confirmed in more countries: 1.      Korea Date            : 9 July 2011 Time            : 3.00pm Venue           : Malaysian High Commission, 4-1 Hannam-dong, 140-210, Seoul 2.       Australia Date            : 9 July 2011 Time            : 12.00pm Venue   : Malaysian Consulate in Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney (simultaneous) 3.      Japan Date: 9 July 2011 Time: 3.00pm Venue: Tower of the Sun, Osaka 4.      USA a.      Los Angeles Date: 9 July 2011 Time: 10.00am Venue: Consulate General of Malaysia, 550 South Hope Street, Suite 400, Los Angeles b.      San Francisco Date: 9 July 2011 Time: 9.30am Venue: Chrissy Field Picnic Area, Presidio, San Francisco c.      New York City Date: 9 July 2011 Time: 10.00am Venue: Consulate General of Malaysia, 313 East 43rd Street, New York BERSIH 2.0 calls on all Malaysian citizens living in UK, USA, Taiwan, Japan, Korea and Australia to attend the rallies if they too believe in the need for clean, free and fair elections in Malaysia. Malaysian citizens living abroad should rise to the occasion and demand for their right to vote via postal ballot in the upcoming 13th General Elections. Issued by, Steering Committee Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH 2.0) The Steering Committee of BERSIH 2.0 comprises: Dato? Ambiga Sreenevasan (Chairperson), Andrew Khoo, Arumugam K., Dr Farouk Musa, Haris Ibrahim, Liau Kok Fah, Maria Chin Abdullah, Richard Y W Yeoh, Dr Toh Kin Woon, Dr Wong Chin Huat, Datuk Yeo Yang Poh, Zaid Kamaruddin, Dr Subramaniam Pillay and Arul Prakkash. Temme Lee Bersih 2.0 Secretariat 13 Lorong 4/48E 46050 Petaling Jaya Selangor, Malaysia Tel: 603 77844977 Fax: 603 77844978 Email: temmelee@bersih.org

The Dog-Fight for Scholarships Posted: 23 Jun 2011 02:26 PM PDT By batsman  When Bersih 2.0 leaders are facing death threats and the Chinese in Malaysia are being picked upon as easy targets for threatening genocide, the perception still persists that reforms are nothing more than dog-fights over scholarships, no, not just over scholarships but those scholarships that guarantee a place to study overseas. Since RPK is also talking about perception, let us see what such a dog-fight over choice scholarships mean in terms of perception.  Most things contain the seeds of both good and bad. Human beings too have the ability to do both good and bad. Both good and bad are contained in a singular entity.  This can only mean that people have to use good judgement when making decisions. They have to be able to differentiate not only between many colours but in various shades of colour.  Physically humans are able to differentiate between many thousands of colours and shades of colours just with their eyes and nervous system. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for human intellect. Too often when asked to make decisions on social or political issues, humans are encouraged to differentiate only between black and white. They are not even encouraged to see the various shades of grey not to mention all the varied multi-colours and shades of colours of life.  When there is a question over the granting of scholarships to our brightest and best students, there is just cause to do so. After all UMNO is using government scholarships to offer to family and cronies. Beyond that, Malaysia is so rich that scholarships are being used to buy votes. Beyond that still, Malaysia is so well endowed that the ruling elite wants to monopolise all that wealth and use scholarships to implement policies of divide and rule to keep people quarreling amongst themselves.  Such a phenomena should involve Bersih 2.0, since Bersih is concerned about clean elections and scholarships are being used to buy votes and support for the ruling elite. It should come as no surprise if the leaders of NGOs threatening Bersih 2.0 have at one time or another been able to get scholarships for their children or other family members through corrupt crony contacts.  So the fight over scholarships contain both good and bad points. If it is to expose the ruling elite for using scholarships to buy votes and support as well as exercising corrupt monopoly of scholarships for their own family members and cronies, then the fight is just and good for democratic reforms in Malaysia.  Unfortunately if the dog-fight is over who gets the best scholarships to study overseas and who is more qualified to get these elite scholarships, then a bad perception sets in. How many students get 8As or 10As out of the tens of thousands? The perception arise if the fight is just for an extremely small minority? This is going beyond the just fight against cronyism, favouritism, corruption and vote buying. It has gone into the fight that elites on both sides are more concerned with.  It is not a question of who gets the scholarships but whether our institutions for award of scholarships is transparent and effective – whether they have integrity and are trusted to do an honest and effective job of encouraging the best students to achieve their dreams and pay back the favour by contributing their best for the country.  The fight is being distracted from the reforms of our institutions especially the electoral reforms, by our Prime Minister going on FM radio to provoke questions on who gets the best scholarships. This is using government assets and services for party political gains. It is the same as using the wealth of the country for personal or private gains such as arranging for the marriage of one's own daughter even if it is just by partially using government expenses.  Similarly, anyone who tunes in to RTM 1 can see that it is campaigning openly for BN's party political advantage. Again, this is using government assets, government money and government services for party political or even personal gain. It is not uncommon for RTM 1 to give exposure and advertisement for private businesses under the guise of documentaries. If people are unable to see that government power and money must never be used for party political gains or for personal gains, then it comes as no surprise that our institutions are slowing being corrupted and going down the drain.  Even in Parliament, someone is bold and arrogant enough to say, "You MPs cannot chase me out but I can chase you out" (quoted from newspapers). This clearly shows a person well on the way to abuse his powers, a person who believes he is not answerable to anyone and who can act against MPs as he wishes – on mere whim and fancy. Such clearly dictatorial tendencies are slowly corrupting our institutions even those of the seat of our democracy – our Parliament.  So it is important to see the good and bad enmeshed together in singularities and be able to differentiate them. The fight for who gets the best and choicest scholarships is a distraction. Cronyism and abuse of powers is bound up with Bersih 2.0's fight for clean elections and electoral reforms. Do not get distracted. If you are more concerned about who gets what scholarship or who hopes to get what future houses in the old RMAF Sungei Besi grounds than about Bersih 2.0's fight of clean elections, then you have been distracted.

That Effing Show #56: The Obedient Wives Club Posted: 23 Jun 2011 02:09 PM PDT By Mark Teh The club that has garnered more attention and buzz than all of those in Jalan Changkat combined. Its spreading like wildfire, even Singapore is not spared. What exactly is Kelab Taat Suami? And in these post-modern, politically correct times, what is an appropriate or inappropriate response? In this episode, semua ada: feminism, sexism, activism, egalitarianism, and truth be told, any other -ism you can hope for:  http://yumm.my/luy6E8 From us all at, PopTeeVeezzzz -- Five Arts Centre: http://www.fiveartscentre.org PopTeeVee:  http://www.popteevee.net

Bersih 2.0 Stands for Democracy Posted: 23 Jun 2011 09:17 AM PDT By batsman  All Bersih is calling for is clean elections. This is an absolute democratic right of free citizens. Up till now, the UMNO government has been completely unresponsive and arrogant in denying electoral reforms. Not only that the PM himself has blatantly indulged in bribing of voters (You scratch my back and I will scratch yours, you do good by me and I will make sure you get just rewards thingy). RTM 1, a government owned TV station has been campaigning openly in favour of BN party politics. The government machinery has been used in elections campaigns on behalf of the BN as claimed by Dragon Blood himself in his book.  All these and more need to be corrected such that democracy may exist and thrive in Malaysia. Bersih 2.0 is therefore for democracy and is proving itself to be the most patriotic NGO in Malaysia.  Those who call for the suppression of Bersih and make threats of reacting to Bersih's actions by unleashing chaos and genocide are anti-democratic. This is very clear. There can be no doubts about this.  Luckily PAS has responded to all these threats against Bersih with resoluteness and integrity. PAS therefore stands together with Bersih 2.0 for democracy. PAS understands that if Bersih 2.0 is suppressed, much of the democratic rights of Malaysians will be rolled back as well. Evil people will reign supreme. Arrogance will strut its stuff. The checks against corruption will be greatly weakened. Good people will be cowed. Even more good people may fall off tall buildings.  There has been a lot of threats, claims and statements issued of late whether for or against Bersih 2.0. It is time for proving and testing.  Will those who are against Bersih 2.0 be proven to be full of hot air or smelly fart or will those who say they support Bersih 2.0 be proven to be full of hot air and smelly fart?  Will the Malaysian national character be determined by those for Bersih or against Bersih?  The Arabs proved that their characters are made of stern stuff when they responded to violence against peaceful demonstrations with even greater determination and bigger demonstrations. Will Malaysians prove to the world that their national character is one to be respected by the whole world or full of hot air and smelly fart? The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

Where is Y.B. Khir Toyo's RM80 Million? Posted: 23 Jun 2011 01:00 AM PDT Further examination of the historical financial record has revealed the misappropriation of resources which has directly denied Yayasan Selangor its revenue generating stream where more than approximately RM500 million was plundered and failed to be recorded in the respective Financial Statement of Yayasan Selangor. By Yayasan Selangor Yayasan Selangor is an entity duly registered under the Companies Act 1965 as a Company limited by Guarantee. The Yayasan establishment is unique as it is a hybrid of a Trust and a Company. The State Government of Selangor has incorporated Yayasan Selangor as an economic self-sustaining entity via the injection of resources and initial grants. Yayasan's existence is deemed socially desirable by the State Government in discharging the states' obligations to assist deserving and needy Selangor students towards betterment of their education. Being a functioning Bare Trust organisation, Yayasan control of management direction is entrusted to a Board of Trustees which is chaired by the Menteri Besar of the ruling State Government. The Board has a fiduciary duty to discharge to Selangor citizens to ensure that Yayasan's available resources is protected and enhanced for the designated beneficiaries. The issue raised is the trustworthiness, integrity and how diligent has the Board of Trustee chaired by Y.B. Dr. Khir Toyo been in discharging their fiduciary responsibilities in managing Yayasan's available resources towards Yayasan's desirable set of objectives and/or prescribed ways. The measurement or yardstick used to evaluate the Board of Trustee and Management Team performance and effectiveness are: 1. A Balance Sheet ending as at the end of financial year which in the case of Yayasan Selangor is the calendar year i.e. from the month of January to December of any financial year which discloses the resources available to Yayasan Selangor, then. 2. A Statement of Revenue and Expenditure which discloses the flow of liquid resources for the period from January to December of any Financial Year. Ergo, we shall let the audited records speak for themselves whether Y.B. Dr. Khir Toyo's statement can be substantiated that he left Yayasan Selangor with a cash surplus of RM80 million. Following are the extract of the audited balance sheet during Y.B. Dr. Khir Toyo's administration: As at 31st December           Total FD/Cash (RM'm) 2000                                    10.45 2001                                    15.24 2002                                      9.42 2003                                    11.49 2004                                    12.60 2005                                      9.75 2006                                      9.22 2007                                    22.47 The present State Government's Menteri Besar took over the Chairmanship of the Trustee Board from Financial Year 2008 and the result of his administration are as per the extract of the audited Balance Sheet, as follows: As at 31st December           Total FD/Cash (RM'm) 2008                                    45.55 2009                                    60.86 2010                                    57.69 Following are the extract of the audited Income Statements disclosing the result for the period of the respective financial year when Y.B. Dr. Khir Toyo held the Chairmanship of the Board of Trustee: Period ending 31st December            (Deficit) / Surplus (RM'm) 2000                                                  (29.06) 2001                                                  (3.65) 2002                                                  (3.57) 2003                                                  (6.06) 2004                                                  (4.98) 2005                                                   6.93 2006                                                  (8.23) 2007                                                  34.77 Net cumulative Surplus/ (Deficit)     (13.85)                                        The results of the present Chairman administration are as follows: Period ending 31st December            (Deficit) / Surplus (RM'm) 2008                                                  127.60 2009                                                    18.69 2010                                                    (5.09) Net cumulative Surplus/ (Deficit)      141.20    Assets movement in Year 2008-2010: Period ending 31st Dec           Cost as at 1st Jan (RM'm)      Additional (RM'm)     Cost as at 31st Dec (RM'm) 2008                                        196.40                                    114.12                       310.53 2009                                        310.53                                        2.30                       312.83 2010                                        312.83                                        5.92                       318.75             Further examination of the historical financial record has revealed the misappropriation of resources which has directly denied Yayasan Selangor its revenue generating stream where more than approximately RM500 million was plundered and failed to be recorded in the respective Financial Statement of Yayasan Selangor. Accordingly this led us to believe that there was a Breach of Fiduciary Duty on the part of the Trust of the Board of Trustee during the period of UMNO Mentris Besar pre-March 2008 including Dr. Khir Toyo's administration and the matter has been reported to MACC for appropriate action.

BERSIH Rally - Letter to International Organisations to make representations to Malaysian Government Posted: 23 Jun 2011 01:00 AM PDT By P. Waytha Moorthy (Chair, HINDRAF) Urgent Request to make Representations to the Government of Malaysia on the possible violence by PERKASA, UMNO sponsored NGOs on Human Rights Advocates and the general public on the BERSIH 2.0 public rally for free and fair election in Malaysia on 9th July 2011. I write to you with the utmost urgency for your attention on the above matter.  BERSIH is a coalition of NGOs that advocate free and fair elections and intend to march peacefully with the public in Malaysia on July 9, 2011 in line with the fundamental rights contained in the Malaysian Federal constitution under Article 10. The purpose of the march is to express the collective desire of the Malaysian people for a free and fair election in the forthcoming General Election. PERKASA is a Malaysian NGO and is a tool used by the UMNO-led Malaysian government in extending its ugly hands into politically extreme policies topped up by fear inducing methods to ensure that whatever is sacred in the Federal Constitution for the good of the multi-ethnic polity is compromised through this fear and state-sanctioned threats from a seemingly independent organisation - PERKASA. Malaysiakini, one of the few independent online news portals, reported on June 19th 2011 quoting PERKASA as saying,  "Imagine, ladies and gentlemen, if the Bersih rally is not called off and they go ahead with it - if they don't cancel it on July 8 or 9 - I believe the Chinese community, many of them, will have to stock up on food at home. "Anything can happen on that day" On 13th of June 2011 Malaysiakini quoted PERKASA chief as saying they are ready to "fight to the end" (lawan habis-habisan) to stop the rally if the organisers insist on taking to the streets of Kuala Lumpur on July 9. "(If they proceed) there will be a clash (pertembungan). If that happens, it is for the better," he told a press conference in the Parliament lobby. The insinuations above falls short of an orchestrated attempt to riot or to promote some form of violent action by UMNO sponsored PERKASA against the public for their participating in this peaceful march on July 9, 2011 just for free and fair elections.    The fear of the Malaysian community is real and should not be underestimated or downplayed at this crucial moment as state sponsored gangsters PERKASA and its allies PEKIDA (another organization of ex-police and army personnel) and 3 Line (a known large street gang) blatantly came forward in this aggressive and belligerent manner against what is a natural and legitimate grievance of the people. This march is nothing other than an expression of a collective voice of Malaysians.   The international community whilst accepting Malaysia as a member of the United Nations cannot sit in silence when such threats and fear mongering methods are pursued by fascist elements in the ruling party with the implicit sanction of the UMNO-led government. Your public statement in opposing this tendency of state sponsored violence against its people is of paramount significance as it is a fundamental human rights issue and not just political theatre. The minorities, marginalized and discriminated face these kinds of human rights abuses daily through the racist and fascist agenda of the Malaysian government..     I write to urge you to make urgent representations to the Malaysian government that the BERSIH rally should be allowed to proceed unhindered and the peaceful protesters be provided protection from any untoward violent reactions by the state sponsored PERKASA, PEKIDA and other fringe elements. cc - William J.Burns The Under Secretary for Political Affairs U.S. Department of State  2201 C Street NW  Washington, DC 20520 Rt.Hon.  William Hague MP Foreign Secretary Foreign & Commonwealth Office, King Charles Street, London. SW1A 2AH Ms Heidi Hautala Chair of the Human Rights Sub Committee European Parliament Rue Wiertz Wiertzstraat B-1047 Brussels Richard Ottaway MP House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee 4 Millbank City of London SW1P 3JA Ms Navanethem Pillay High Commissioner for Human Rights. Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)  Palais Wilson  52 rue des Pâquis  CH-1201 Geneva, Switzerland +41 22 917 9656       civilsociety@ohchr.org Mr. Githu Muigai Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance Palais des Nations CH-1211 Geneva 10 Switzerland  Fax: +41 22 917 9006 Email: racism@ohchr.org Mrs. Margaret Sekaggya Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Palais des Nations CH-1211 Geneva 10 Switzerland  Fax: +41 22 917 9006 Email: urgent-action@ohchr.org Gay McDougall Independent Expert on Minority Issues Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Palais des Nations CH-1211 Geneva 10 Switzerland Fax: + 41 22 917 9006 Mr. Frank La Rue Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression Palais des Nations CH-1211 Geneva 10 Switzerland Fax: +41 22 917 9006 Email: freedex@ohchr.org  Gabriella Habtom Human Rights Officer and Secretary of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination  Human Rights Treaties Division Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Tel.  +41.22.917.9193       - Fax +41.22.917.90.08 e-mail: ghabtom@ohchr.org / tb-petitions@ohchr.org  Palais Wilson - 52, rue des Pâquis, CH-1201, Geneva, Switzerland Frank William La Rue Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression UNOG-OHCHR  CH-1211 Geneva 10 Switzerland Tel:  +41 22 917 93 32        Fax: +41 22 917 90 22 Amnesty International 1 Easton Street London WC1X 0DW, UK Telephone: +44-20-74135500      Fax number: +44-20-79561157 Email: activism@amnesty.org.uk Human Rights Watch Address: 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor New York, NY 10118-3299 USA Tel:             +1-212-290-4700       Fax: +1-212-736-1300 email: spiegem@hrw.org Minority Rights Group International 54 Commercial Street London E1 6LT, UK Telephone: +44 (0)20 7422 4200       Fax: +44 (0)20 7422 4201 Email: minority.rights@mrgmail.org Front Line – The International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders  Head Office, Second Floor, Grattan House  Temple Road, Blackrock  Co Dublin, Ireland  Tel: +353 (0)1 212 3750         Fax: +353 (0)1 212 1001  E-mail: info@frontlinedefenders.org OSCE Secretariat Wallnerstrasse 6 1010 Vienna Austria Tel: +43 1 514 36 6000       Fax: +43 1 514 36 6996 E-mail: info@osce.org NAACP Washington Bureau 1156 15th Street, NW Suite 915 Washington, DC 20005 Phone: (202) 463-2940       Fax: (202) 463-2953 Email: washingtonbureau@naacpnet.org European Union External Action Service Menara Tan & Tan, Suite 10.01   207 Jalan Tun Razak  50400 Kuala Lumpur  Malaysia  Tel.: +6 03 2723 7373        Fax: +6 03 2723 7337 E-mail: delegation-malaysia@ec.europa.eu US Embassy Malaysia Mr Brian D. McFeeters - Political Counselor 376 Jalan Tun Razak Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia  Tel No:               (03) 2168-4946      , Fax  No : (03) 2168-5165, Email : mcfeetersbd@state.gov Rainbow Push Coalition National Headquarters 930 East 50th Street Chicago, IL 60615 Phone: 773-373-3366      Fax: 773-373-3571 Email : info@rainbowpush.org National Action Network House of Justice 106 West, 145th Street, Harlem ,NY 10039 Tel No: (212) 690 3070      Fax No ( 877)-  626  4651 Email : rachel@noerdlingermedia.com

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