Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

---

Missing a large hole in Sarawak kitty Posted: 17 Nov 2011 03:59 PM PST How on earth did the Auditor-General give Sarawak's finances a 'clean bill of health' when for the past nine years billions have been chanelled to 'phantom agencies'? How can the Auditor-General not see this annual big drilled hole in the state public accounts? This kind of criminal act is akin to bank robberies where a robber or gang of robbers would drill a big hole into the bank strong room to get the hard cash out. Awang Abdillah, Free Malaysia Today The annual Auditor-General's Report which is supposed to be professional and independent is grossly inaccurate, especially on Sarawak. Giving the state government a clean bill of health for nine consecutive years (until 2010) is not only inaccurate but unbelievable and disgusting. In fact, it is simply the Audtor-General lying to the public . For professional accountants coming up with such reports only show that the Auditor-General's officers are either not qualified to check the financial health of a government or that they are "on the take". "On the take" here means the officers were rewarded to cover up bad practices and financial criminal acts committed by the head of government, which is tantamount to not only making false reports but can be construed as being an accomplice to the wrongdoing . Of the two possibilities, I am of the opinion that the second one is the right answer. The Auditor-General's officers should read the reports from the on-going international investigations into the ill-gotten wealth and investments of the Chief Minister (Taib Mahmud) overseas. They should not ignore the claims made by the opposition parties and the information from online news portal. They must research and obtain a fair, better and accurate picture of the public accounts of the state government. The Auditor-General should check and investigate the following gross malpractices perpetuated by the Sarawak government: Allocation of state funds to phantom agencies According to the DAP reports, the following are the biggest irregularities in the state budget estimates: Year allocation of funds (in billions) 2007 – RM1.257 2008 – RM1.719 2009 – RM1.825 2010 – RM1.416 2011 –RM1.7 These huge allocations were channelled to unknown recipients. A client without identity would make it difficult for the Auditor-General's office to monitor or check how these funds are spent, which is understandable. But they can still question and check from the state finance ministry the actual funds spent and given out to these phantom agencies based on these budget estimates. And reports could be made accordingly. Missing the large hole How can the Auditor-General not see this annual big drilled hole in the state public accounts? This kind of criminal act is akin to bank robberies where a robber or gang of robbers would drill a big hole into the bank strong room to get the hard cash out. Don't tell me the investigating police officer cannot see the big hole! The only deduction we can make is that the money, all those years, was channelled to the Chief Minister's own private companies and later these funds were transferred overseas. These public account malpractices are widely reported in the online media news portals which the Auditor-General cannot ignore but should check before making the final reports, which are not only improper but a scam and a crime. For public accounting principles and rules, the most serious abuse of public funds is insider stealing/theft of public money . The chief minister is literally stealing the public funds which should be the Auditor-General's priority to investigate and expose. If your investigation proves to be true, then your office should report to the Malaysian Anti- Corruption Commission (MACC) accordingly. I have never heard of any government allocation of funds of such a magnitude approved by a State Legislative Assembly only to be stolen later by politicians who control the government! This kind of unique practice is only found in Sarawak. These funds are taken out from the development funds, which is supposed to be for development projects for the people. Our brothers at MACC are another kind who do not bother who steals what. Looks like the Auditor-General and MACC are two birds of the same feather. Closed-door tenders given to Taib's family and cronies Contracts worth hundreds of millions of ringgit are given every year to Titanium (Management), CMS (Cahaya Mata Sarawak) and Naim (Holdings) without going through the open tender system. The prices of these projects are marked up way beyond the actual prices. Since the projects do not go through the open tender system, they themselves will do the "fix-and-approve" of the prices, according to their greed. The Auditor-General should check the prices they quoted vis-à-vis the actual costs of these projects. Substandard works Not satisfied with the profits from the mark-up prices from these projects, Taib and his cronies build the projects without following the standard building/construction procedures. That is why the road infrastructures in Sarawak are in bad shape and need repairs. Even roads in Kuching city are of substandard quality. Substandard infrastructure then calls for maintenance jobs. Again the contracts go to the same companies. Maintenance jobs Maintenance works for roads and bridges again go to the chief minister and his bandits without the open tender system. A large sum of state funds is paid out every year for such purpose. As to whether they do the job or not, the national auditor should check these out. READ MORE HERE

You are subscribed to email updates from Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

---

• Talking Bibles: PAS won’t entertain Hasan
• Few non-Malays in vocational schools
• Ex-minister: Saifuddin has distorted NFC cattle purchase
• Malaysia’s economy likely to slow despite earlier boom
• Businessman says Khairy non-factor in ECM Libra’s RM330m valuation
• PAS stirs more discomfort in Kedah
• RM100mil meant for Miri port repairs missing
• RM250 Million From Govt A Loan, Not Grant - NFC
• Zahid not in Russia to sign arms deal
• Ling trial: 12 Ministers to be called in defence
• Solar bibles: Hasan Ali insulting Muslims, says Asri
• RM70k rental for cattle condo ‘unbelievable’, say property gurus

Talking Bibles: PAS won’t entertain Hasan Posted: 17 Nov 2011 07:13 PM PST Selangor PAS Commissioner says that responding to Hasan would be giving a small issue great importance. (Free Malaysia Today) - Selangor PAS Commissioner, Abdul Rani Osman, today said that PAS will not entertain the latest claim by his predecessor, Hasan Ali, that solar-powered talking Bibles are being used to convert Muslims in Selangor. Hasan, who heads the state's Islamic affairs portfolio, yesterday announced this as part of research conducted by the state's religious authority (JAIS). His statement has earned him a tongue-lashing from Islamic scholar, Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin, for insulting both Muslims and the Islamic faith. But no PAS leader has publicly chastised Hasan as yet and Abdul Rani said he doubted that any would take the bait. "Hasan's statement is a provocative move and unfortunately we don't have a state disciplinary body," he said. "But entertaining this would only have a negative affect on Pakatan Rakyat." Hasan's claim comes just three months after a controversial raid by JAIS on the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) following allegations of proselytisation during a charity dinner there. But Abdul Rani dismissed speculation that it could further resurrect tensions between Muslims and Christians in the state. "PAS is not at all worried about that because this issue is not as big as certain quarters hope to make it," he said. "So we will turn a blind eye rather than add fire to it. With elections around the corner, we have bigger issues to focus on like corruption." Baptism certificates Abdul Rani, the Meru assemblyman, also confirmed rumours of controversial booklets being distributed in Selangor aimed at triggering Muslim-Christian conflict. According to a source, these booklets are being circulated by suraus in the state and depict Muslims holding baptism certificates with a background image of DUMC. READ MORE HERE

Few non-Malays in vocational schools Posted: 17 Nov 2011 06:31 PM PST (The Malay Mail) - Malays and Bumiputeras seem to dominate the government's vocational and technical secondary schools as well as its tertiary training institutions, leaving Malaysia's other ethnicities behind with only a two per cent representation in these establishments. This was the concern highlighted by the Action Committee on Technical and Vocational Education Malaysia who tried to submit a memorandum titled: Malaysian Technical and Vocational Education in Malaysia's Future Development to Deputy Prime Minister also Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. Sadly, the Committee was left disappointed despite attempts to meet an officer from the Deputy Prime Minister's Department. "We emailed them, called them, sent them letters time and again for months without success. So today we decided to come here and try our luck but all we got was to submit it to the Department's mailroom," said the disappointed Committee's Programme Director Ho Yock Lin. The Committee chairman Tan Chin Yim said he believed the government needs to take a more pro-active reasure to ensure an ethnic balance in vocational and technical institutions in light of the nation's move towards being a developed nation by 2020.

Ex-minister: Saifuddin has distorted NFC cattle purchase Posted: 17 Nov 2011 06:02 PM PST (The Star) - A former minister has slammed PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution for allegedly distorting the facts surrounding the purchase of cattle from the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC). Ex-federal territories minister Datuk Seri Zulhasnan Rafique admitted there was a delay in the payment for 25 cows bought to celebrate Hari Raya Aidil Adha three years ago, but it was because the invoice was only sent a month later. He said NFC only faxed the invoice for the RM70,000 purchase to his service centre in Setiawangsa on Jan 28, 2009 more than a month after the purchase on Dec 17, 2008. "Upon receipt of the invoice, the service centre issued full payment on Jan 29, 2009, via a cheque handed over to NFC on the same day," he said in a statement yesterday. Saifuddin was quoted in news portals yesterday as claiming that Zulhasnan had bought the cows on credit in 2008 and only settled the debt in 2009. Zulhasnan, who is also Setiawangsa MP, accused Saifuddin of taking his statement in bad faith. "It was a manipulation of facts in an attempt to make political insinuations," he said. Works Minister Datuk Seri Shaziman Abu Mansor, meanwhile, said NFC had donated two cows worth RM5,281.87 to the poor in the Tampin constituency in 2009. Shaziman, who is also Tampin MP, said he was shocked to learn of the Opposition's claim on Wednesday that the cattle was given to him, and had ordered an immediate investigation.

Malaysia’s economy likely to slow despite earlier boom Posted: 17 Nov 2011 06:01 PM PST (The Malaysian Insider) - Malaysia should brace for a protracted economic slump despite the expected announcement today that its economy has grown by up to 4.8 per cent in the past three months, analysts have warned, as the mushrooming debt cloud from the US and Europe spreads eastwards. As the country heads into the last six weeks of the year, Bloomberg News reported today that most Asian currencies have been falling in the past three months on concern the nations that led the recovery from the 2009 global recession will falter. File photo of a weekly night market in Kota Kinabalu. Analysts have said Malaysia should brace itself for a slump despite the recent growth in the economy. — Reuters pic "It's part of monetary easing if they let their currencies weaken," the business news agency reported United Overseas Bank economist Ho Woei Chen as saying. The ringgit has fallen more than five per cent in the past three months while the Thai baht has weakened 3.3 per cent but neither countries have cut their rates even as Indonesia and Australia lowered borrowing costs in this last quarter. "Probably they are not cutting interest rates that aggressively but letting their currency depreciate," Ho said, adding he expects Malaysia and Thailand to highlight the risks to growth going forward. Citing United Overseas Bank Ltd, Bloomberg reported that policymakers throughout the region may allow more weakening to support non-oil exports to Europe and the US, which have been crashing across the board in Singapore. The republic's main electronics sector has been battered and dropped by 31 per cent last month compared to the same period last year due to poor demand for disk drives and integrated circuits which plunged more than 50 per cent. Analysts observed that Malaysia's growth spurt in the last quarter was due to its strong domestic demand and export before the sovereign debt-crisis deepened in Europe. READ MORE HERE

Businessman says Khairy non-factor in ECM Libra’s RM330m valuation Posted: 17 Nov 2011 05:59 PM PST (The Malaysian Insider) - Businessman Datuk Seri Kalimullah Hassan denied today Khairy Jamaluddin's involvement with ECM Libra Bhd resulted in the investment bank's valuation to rise to RM330 million in the reverse takeover of South Peninsular Industries (SPI) in March 2004. The former New Straits Times Press (NSTP) deputy chairman told the High Court here in his defamation suit against lawyer Matthias Chang that the son-in-law of then-Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi only joined the company as "a junior staff" after the deal was done. Chang's lawyer Datuk R. Kamalanathan had said that ECM Libra was preparing to make the Rembau MP a shareholder "on the basis of his relationship with the prime minister, who was also the finance minister", allowing the board of directors to value the company at 10 times its projected earnings for the year. "Absolutely not true. Khairy is not relevant. That is untrue and scurrilous," Kalimullah said. He said the valuation was based on "industry norms and a willing buyer, willing seller basis," citing Kencana Petroleum's recent 25 times valuation in its merger with SapuraCrest. Kalimullah said "there is nothing wrong" with hiring Khairy as a director in ECM Libra for his connections but stressed that this was "not just politicians but with industries, this is how business is done." "Wouldn't you agree that this is entirely corrupt? Stealing a march on an ordinary person who has no connections?" Kamalanathan asked. "Then every investment banker in town is corrupt," Kalimullah replied. READ MORE HERE

PAS stirs more discomfort in Kedah Posted: 17 Nov 2011 05:23 PM PST MCA has alleged that non-Muslim business operators in the state are being forced to 'close-shop' for 15 minutes during prayers times. (Free Malaysia Today) - A directive by the local councils in Kedah for non-Muslim shops to cease operations for 15 minutes during prayer times has riled the Kedah MCA. Crying foul, the party cited several other regulations imposed by the local councils which infringe on the rights of non-Muslims. In a statement today, Kedah MCA chairman Chong Itt Chew criticised the Pakatan Rakyat led state government for emulating Kelantan in its approach which he described as 'a failure'. Kedah is helmed by PAS' Azizan Abdul Razak (photo). "Although the Syariah Criminal Enactment, which was passed in Kelantan in 1993, has yet to be enforced in the state itself, Kedah's local councils readily adopted its doctrines," said Chong. For starters, Chong said, business premises including those that belonged to non-Muslims, are told to cease operations for 15 minutes during Muslim prayer times. "They are also forced to close their business at 3pm during Ramadan," alleged Chong. Threat to license He claimed that the local councils had also threatened to confiscate their business licenses should the businessmen fail to comply with the regulation. Chong also raised the unresolved issue of the 40-year swine abattoir which was demolished in 2009. READ MORE HERE

RM100mil meant for Miri port repairs missing Posted: 17 Nov 2011 03:49 PM PST Barisan Nasional's 'crony-orientated policies' has also been blamed for the 30-year-old squatter problem in Miri. (Free Malaysia Today) - KUCHING: Where has the RM100 million federal allocation to resolve the silting problem in Miri port gone? This question was posed by Piasau assemblyman Ling Sie Kiong during the debate on the state's 2012 budget. "And what had happened to the RM5 million fund allocated for study and RM100 million allocated by the federal government to solve the Miri port problem?" he asked. Ling said Miri port is facing problems of shallow waters due to silting and big ships can no longer dock there. Hence many ships now bypass Miri for Bintulu port instead. "The Miri port is the notorious 'white elephant' that is grossly under-utilized after its costly construction and expensive maintenance to keep it running. "There is still a never-ending debate about whether to dredge the waters regularly at heavy costs or relocate the port further away from the river mouth, " he said. He described the Miri port as an epic wastage and a result of bad planning by the BN government. "The same can happen with dams, and such situation must be avoided for the sake of the people and environment," he said referring to the Bakun dam and the proposed 12 other dams. "Hydro-electric power dams are both a boon and a bane for the people around the world, and the larger they are, the larger their effects," he added. 30-year-old squatter issue Ling, who slayed his six-term predecessor and former deputy Chief Minister George Chan in the April 16 state election, also highlighted Miri's perennial squatter issue. He blamed Miri's unresolved squatter problems on the government's crony-orientated politics. He said there was no reason for sprawling Miri division to experience squatter problems. "It is ironic that the largest state in the country could not even provide land to house the poor and needy people in the large division of Miri, when so much state land in Miri had been alienated to big companies over the past few years. READ MORE HERE

RM250 Million From Govt A Loan, Not Grant - NFC Posted: 17 Nov 2011 10:59 AM PST (Bernama) - GEMAS -- The National Feedlot Corporation(NFC) obtained a loan of RM250 million from the government and it is not a grant, said its . executive chairman, Dr Mohamad Salleh Ismail. He said the loan must be repaid as any commercial loan, albeit certain concessions given. The RM250 million, at an interest rate of two per cent, was repayable commencing on the third year of full disbursement of the said loan and upon completion of the construction of an export quality abattoir, he said. "Currently the loan has not been fully disbursed to the NFC. There is RM69 million of the remaining loan to be utilised," he told a press conference to address allegations by PKR on the NFC's performance here, yesterday. Mohammad Salleh said the loan was placed in Special Loans Account but a drawdown process was required before funds could be utilised by the NFC. On the allegation that the Meatworks chain of restaurants received special discount amounting to RM2.9 million in 2009, Mohammad Salleh said the same discount was received by all 70 customers it had during that time. Creating Meatworks as a brand name in selling quality meat had enabled NFC to penetrate into an already tightly managed and controlled market, Mohammad Salleh said. "People cannot believe that Malaysia can produce good quality premium meat," he added. On the higher price of NFC cattle compared to cows purchased in Malaysia, Mohammad Salleh said the NFC cows usually weighed 70-100 per cent more than local cows. Mohammad Salleh said NFC now had 150 client companies and a few of its biggest clients were Jusco, Giant and Cold Storage. NFC supplied 46 per cent of its meat to wet markets, 20 per cent to hypermarkets, 22 per cent went to processing meat for burgers and patties and only 11 per cent to hotels, restaurants and catering companies, he said. He said in the three years since its inception, NFC had managed to develop infrastructure such as feedlot, abattoir, feedstore and cold rooms. Next year, he said NFC would embark on contract farming. "We have already broken-even and expect to register a profit," he added.

Zahid not in Russia to sign arms deal Posted: 17 Nov 2011 10:58 AM PST (The Sun) - An aide to Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has denied claims that he was in Russia to sign a deal to purchase fighter jets. His media director Kol Fadzlette Othman Merican told theSun in a text message yesterday that Zahid was invited to visit Russia by its government. "It's a long overdue visit. He was not there to sign any deal," she said. Fadzlette declined to state if any negotiations took place during the visit. It is believed that this was Zahid's first visit to Russia since being defence minister. The Russian state news agency Ria Novosti had created a stir when it reported that Zahid might sign a contract to buy 18 Sukhoi Su-30MKM fighters during the visit. Zahid had recently been reported as saying that plans to purchase 18 new multi-role combat aircraft for the Royal Malaysian Air Force had been postponed due to the lack of funds. The Russian news agency cited a report in the Izvestia daily which said that Malaysian had plans to buy 18 fighters fit to carry the Russian-Indian Brahmos supersonic cruise missiles. The paper, citing miitary sources, reported that Zahid would visit the Irkut aviation plant, producing Su-30MKI fighters. Izvestia reported one such aircraft would cost Malaysia about US$50 million (RM150 million). The minister "may sign a contract to buy 18 Su-30MKM multirole fighters," the paper said. The paper had said that Zahid also plans to discuss installing new missiles, including the BrahMos, on the 18 MKM fighters that Malaysia received under the US$900 million (RM270 million) contract signed in 2003.

Ling trial: 12 Ministers to be called in defence Posted: 17 Nov 2011 10:48 AM PST By S Tamarai Chelvi, The Sun The defence in former Transport Minister Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik's cheating trial intends to call a dozen former and present cabinet ministers, including prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak and his two predecessors: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Ling's lawyer Wong Kian Kheong said this after the prosecution closed its case after the 25th witness, Investigating Officer Supt R Rajagopal completed his testimony at the High Court today. Senior DPP Tun Majid Tun Hamzah closed the prosecution case and offered 113 prosecution witnesses to the defence team. "We will make them available upon request," said Tun Majid. At this point, Wong said the defence will be calling Najib, Mahathir, Abdullah, Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, Tan Sri Musa Mohamed, Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Zainal Abidin, Tan Sri Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir, Tan Sri Leo Moggie, Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid, Datuk Seri Utama Rais Yatim, Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil and Tun Dr Lim Keng Yaik. At this point, the judge Datuk Ahmadi Asnawi asked: "You are calling almost all the cabinet ministers?", causing those seated at the public gallery to break out into laughter. Wong explained that the charge stated that Ling cheated the cabinet and asked the court for more time to obtain instruction from Ling on other witnesses. Wong said the defence is calling cabinet members who were present at a meeting chaired by Najib, who was then Deputy Prime Minister on June 27, 2007. The meeting gave retrospective approval for the Port Klang Free Zone project development cost to balloon from RM1.08 billion to RM4.6 billion in 2007. Several other ministers who Wong intends to call were in the cabinet in 2002. Also on the list of intended witnesses is Tan Sri Ali Abul Hassan Sulaiman, who was special economic adviser for Mahathir during the period. Judge Ahmadi then fixed Dec 12 and 13 for both parties to submit at the end of the prosecution case. He also said the parties can prepare written submissions to highlight important points. Ling, 68, is charged with cheating the government by not disclosing to the Cabinet an additional interest rate of 7.5 percent per annum on the purchase price of the land for the PKFZ project, which had been fixed at RM1,088,456,000 by the Valuation and Property Services Department (JPPH) based on RM25 per sq ft inclusive of the coupon/interest rate. He also faces two alternative charges, of cheating and intentionally omitting from the Cabinet that the 7.5 percent per annum was an additional interest rate on the land price. The offences were allegedly committed at the fourth floor of the Prime Minister's Office, Perdana Putra building in Putrajaya, between Sept 25 and Nov 6, 2002.

Solar bibles: Hasan Ali insulting Muslims, says Asri Posted: 17 Nov 2011 10:46 AM PST By G Manimaran, The Malaysian Insider Islamic scholar Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin sniped at Selangor PAS leader Datuk Dr Hasan Ali today for "insulting Muslims" by claiming they would be influenced by Christians using high-tech devices to proselytise to them. "It is an insult to Muslims and the Islamic faith. As if Muslims who listen to Bible readings would eventually be swayed. "This is as if the Bible's influence surpasses that of the al-Quran," Asri (picture) said in a statement to The Malaysian Insider. The former Perlis mufti added Hasan's remarks were unsuitable as they had come from a person living in the age of technology. "These days all readings, whether the al-Quran or the Bible, can be sourced from the Internet. "All sorts of gadgets, whether the computer or others, can be used to download these readings," he pointed out. Asri said by publicising the matter, Hasan was indirectly promoting the reading of the Bible to those of other faiths. "But even then, it is not an offence. The world is not a closed one. Those who hear and evaluate for themselves can find the truth they seek. "The role of religion in this era is not as a blockade but to help explain and educate in a mature manner," he said. Hasan, the Selangor executive councillor in charge of religion, said yesterday that evangelical Christians were using high-tech devices such as solar-powered talking bibles to proselytise to Malay Muslims in the state. He said the state's religious authority (Jais) had discovered that Christian missionaries were now spreading their gospel through technologically-advanced means apart from setting up welfare groups providing cash and other financial aid to single mothers and the destitute. He added that Jais's research showed Christian evangelists were spreading their faith to young Muslim students in free tuition classes and counselling sessions, besides distributing Christian pamphlets in public places, homes, universities and places that were ostensibly called "community centres". According to a website called Book of Joe, the palm-sized radio-like device contains all the books in the New and Old Testaments and is fitted with batteries that will run for almost 10 hours before needing to be recharged, whether by the sun, a light bulb or a nine-volt AC adapter. It costs only US$99.95 (RM310).   READ MORE HERE.

RM70k rental for cattle condo ‘unbelievable’, say property gurus Posted: 17 Nov 2011 09:29 AM PST By Lee Wai Lian, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 18 — The reported RM70,000 in monthly rental for not one but two condominiums owned by the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) has property consultants and real estate agents shaking their heads in disbelief. The experts say that the highest rental that can be expected for even the penthouse at Bangsar's One Menerung condominium is about RM24,000 per month. They also point out that even if the tenants were renting the biggest condominium unit at One Menerung, which is between 6,000-7,000 square feet, the tenants would be paying least RM10 per sq ft, which is double or more the rate at KLCC's Binjai On The Park, currently KL's most expensive condominium address. The NFC also said yesterday that the rental yield for the two condominiums had hit 12.9 per cent, which is far in excess of the industry benchmark of three per cent or less. "Who is the tenant?" asked one veteran property consultant. "It is unbelievable. To get RM70,000 for a condominium is unheard of. Usually when renters pay more than RM15,000 they expect to get a whole luxury bungalow." He pointed out that multinationals were very unlikely to have such a huge budget for rent and wealthy Arab businessmen would prefer to buy their own place rather than rent. Real estate agents for One Menerung contacted by The Malaysian Insider said that it was "not possible" to get RM70,000 in monthly rent and that it would be difficult to find anyone willing to pay even RM4 a sq ft. Figures from a valuation report on One Menerung obtained by The Malaysian Insider pegged rents for the penthouse at about RM24,000 and between RM14,000 and RM17,000 for the smaller units below 5,000 sq ft. "Nobody would pay RM70,000 for a condo," said one valuer. NFC executive chairman Datuk Mohamad Salleh Ismail reportedly said at a press conference yesterday that it bought two condominiums at RM6.9 million and rented them out at RM70,000 a month, giving a yield of some 12.9 per cent. The size of the purchased units was not reported.     READ MORE HERE.

You are subscribed to email updates from Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

---

• NFC scandal: Will BN do it right?
• It’s a mad, mad world
• Empty vessels make the most noise
• Our third submarine stirs up muddy waters
• When both BN and Pakatan will fail us
• Keep it simple and indelible

NFC scandal: Will BN do it right? Posted: 17 Nov 2011 06:33 PM PST The facts before us point irresistibly to an abuse of power in the award of this project, as well as criminal negligence (of the government) and breach of trust (of the project operator) in the misuse of public funds. The correct thing to do is to nail the culprits, recover the fund and appoint a competent entrepreneur to spearhead the project. Kim Quek After almost one month of inexplicable silence, National Feedlot Corporation Sdn Bhd (NFC), which is the target of brick-bat and center of swirling controversy both inside and outside Parliament, finally broke its silence. Mohamad Salleh Ismail, chairman of NFC and husband of Women, Family and Community Developmet Minister Shahrizat Jalil, gave a press conference on Nov 17 to defend NFC. He said everything was dandy; the project was right on target, and there was no impropriety. But the facts given by him are far from convincing.  In fact, they are merely cover-ups for a botched job, in line with a series of stubborn denials advanced by BN leaders before him. Before we go into the main subject, let me touch on two side issues. FIRST, Salleh's press conference was an exclusive event that admitted 6 media that consisted of only the Malay press and TV channels.  All others, including all the Chinese press were barred from the press meet.  If NFC is sincere in telling the truth, why should it be fearful of journalists other than those from the BN-controlled media, which are generally regarded as BN's propaganda instruments? Isn't it obvious that NFC has no confidence to take on questions from reporters who are not under the tight control of BN?  Isn't it obvious that BN wanted to ensure that what the public read is what BN wanted them to read?   CONDO PURCHASE EXCUSE UNACCEPTABLE SECOND, Salleh wanted us to believe that his purchase of two luxurious condominiums at RM14 million was a legitimate deployment of the government soft loan by telling us that these condos fetch fantastic returns.  He said monthly rental for one condo is RM70,000, which no one seems to have believed.  Credibility aside, who does Salleh think he is that the public wouldn't mind lending his family a long term loan at 2 % interest for them to earn returns (exorbitant or not) from real estate investment? The excuse that it was only a temporary investment for surplus cash that could only be utilized later for the project is unacceptable, as NFC shouldn't have requested and the government shouldn't have granted the disbursement of such large amount of idle cash from the Special Loan Account in the first place, the disbursement from which were supposed to be under the strict scrutiny and control of both the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Agriculture.  Or, is NFC telling us that no projected cash flow and projected profit and loss account for the project had been presented prior to the government awarding this contract to NFC? That such misuse of funds has occurred indicates that the government has failed to safeguard public funds, or even worse, criminal conflict of interest (known as corruption) for awarding a contract to a crony without proper basis, if there was no proper project paper considered sufficient to justify such an award. Now, let us look at the facts presented by Salleh to support his claim that this project is doing well. PROJECT 'SUCCESS' AN ILLUSION Salleh said this is only the third year of its operation, and teething problems are expected.  Wrong.  His own son, Wan Shahinur Izran, the then CEO, said during the signing ceremony for the RM250 million facilities on 6 Dec 20027 that "operations are scheduled to begin in February next year".  So, four years have lapsed since then. Salleh said his company had "raised" 8,016 head of cattle in 2010, "surpassing its target of 8,000 head of cattle".  Wrong. The criterion should be the number of cattle slaughtered, not "raised", as this is a beef supply project.  The number of cattle in the feedlot cannot be the measure of production, otherwise, large numbers of freshly arrived cattle from overseas could be counted as "production".  So, the Auditor General was right in his report that the 3,289 head of cattle slaughtered in 2010 constituted 41% of the scaled down target of 8,000.  The original target was 60,000 per year as announced by CEO Wan Shahinur Izran during the loan signing ceremony. Salleh further said that "at the outset of operation in 2009, NFC had yet to find the market while abattoir was only approved in April that year, halal certification two months later and the Veterinary Health Mark, which was compulsory before meat could be sold, in 2010." Salleh also added that NFC needed to send its employees for training to acquire specific skills to run the operation. These words from Salleh seem to be those uttered by a novice in this field who is appealing for understanding for his faltering performance.  They stand in stark contrast to the stirring speech by CEO Izran back then in 2007 when he said: "We intend to play an instrumental role to lead, structure and transform the industry to meet 40% self-sufficiency". Izran further said the company's activities will "include cattle feedlotting and fodder production through contract and satellite farming, slaughtering, processing, marketing, and other upstream and downstream activities." As for contract farming, NFC would "assist the selected parties in getting financing, provide start-up and follow-up training in production and business administration as well as supply feeder cattle, feed materials and veterinary  services".  In fact all these activities are also found in NFC's website as its scope of activities. INEPTITUDE CONFIRMED It is apparent that there is a huge gap between rhetoric and realities in the NFC adventure. Salleh said, NFC only started operation in 2009.  But why not in 2008 since it was already granted a huge loan earlier? (Incidentally, was the company operating completely on the soft loan without significant equity input from its shareholders?  If so, this would be another anomaly that would pile on the case of criminal impropriety in awarding the contract to the recipient.) Salleh indicated that market demand had been a constraint that caused its slow pick up even in 2010, but how could that be when the country has been importing 80% of its beef from overseas?  Such complaint only reveals the lack of wherewithal to run a business. As for the slow procurement of approval for this and that, these are lame excuses that reflect the ineptitude of the company to take on a project of this size. The facts before us point irresistibly to an abuse of power in the award of this project, as well as criminal negligence (of the government) and breach of trust (of the project operator) in the misuse of public funds. The correct thing to do is to nail the culprits, recover the fund and appoint a competent entrepreneur to spearhead the project. Will the BN government do what is right, or will it be business as usual?

It’s a mad, mad world Posted: 17 Nov 2011 06:19 PM PST In our own country, 54 years of single-party incumbency is now unravelling and showing similar symptoms. After many failed attempts, a scheme to construct a monolithic dam in Bakun, Sarawak was put into motion, with the outlandish idea of sending hydroelectricity to the peninsula via 670 kilometres of undersea cables. Zairil Khir Johari, The Malaysian Insider Those whom the gods wish to destroy, they first make mad. So goes the ancient phrase that has, throughout the millennia, remained an appropriate and relevant dictum to this very day. The systemic trait of madness has been an inherent hallmark of declining autocratic regimes since time immemorial. Take, for example, the story of the Roman emperor Caligula, whose reign began with much promise and great popularity, but who quickly succumbed to the luxuries of power and who, towards the end of his short-lived rule, attempted to appoint his favourite horse as a consul of the Roman Senate. And then of course there is the late totalitarian President Saparmurat Niyazov of Turkmenistan who, apart from styling himself Turkmenbashi (Leader of Turkmens), also deigned to rename calendar months after members of his own family, in addition to outlawing long hair and beards for Turkmen men and advising the citizenry to gnaw on bones in order to strengthen their teeth, because apparently it works for dogs. History is rife with more examples of self-aggrandising eccentricities and excesses by leaders inebriated by power. Of the African and Middle Eastern variety, we have colourful characters such as the tyrannical Ugandan President Idi Amin, who insisted on being called the King of Scotland and Conqueror of the British Empire, and of course the recently-deceased erratic demagogue Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and his coterie of 40 virgin Amazon bodyguards. Closer to home, who can forget the epitome of public extravagance, Imelda Marcos? The Filipino Iron Butterfly was the pillar supporting her husband's iron-fisted rule, while making headlines for her multi-million dollar shopping sprees and famed collection of 2,700 pairs of shoes. The lesson to bear in mind, however, is the fact that every single one of the above megalomaniacal regimes eventually found themselves pulled, almost willingly, into an inescapable whirlpool of self-destruction. Truly, delusion and egomania are signs of a waning regime. In our own country, 54 years of single-party incumbency is now unravelling and showing similar symptoms. After many failed attempts, a scheme to construct a monolithic dam in Bakun, Sarawak was put into motion, with the outlandish idea of sending hydroelectricity to the peninsula via 670 kilometres of undersea cables. A decade later, after billions of ringgit in cost overruns and the successful displacement of 10,000 indigenous people, we have a spectacular white mammoth (an elephant in this case an unbefitting term) that can produce 2,400 MW of electricity for a state that would be hard-pressed to consume even half that amount. At the very least, the untenable idea of sending electricity through cables on the seabed has been safely buried, along with a crooked bridge that an infamous prime minister wanted to build halfway to Singapore. Remember that one? Another rampant scam involving public funds is the Port Klang Free Zone fiasco, where at least RM12.5 billion of public funds has been squandered in an elaborate scheme that involves a trail of prominent characters leading all the way to the federal Cabinet. False claims, payments for imaginary works and ministerial "support letters" are all part of the unfolding drama. Daylight robbery in this country is also often accompanied by grandiose acts of personal extravagance, such as a late Selangor state assemblyman who (illegally) built a 16-bedroom palatial mansion in the midst of a low-income working-class neighbourhood, complete with a tower that loomed condescendingly over his fiefdom. But he was really only trying to emulate his boss the former mentri besar who, besides constructing an even larger palace, also spent millions of state funds on purported "study trips" to Europe, Hawaii and Disneyland with his family. READ MORE HERE

Empty vessels make the most noise Posted: 17 Nov 2011 03:56 PM PST MCA leaders are gutless con artists pandering to the demands of Umno just to ensure that they still get a slice of the pie. When you have dissenting voices within a coalition, this is normal and healthy as a form of public debate. Throughout this entire episode, not once did the DAP say that it would abandon Pakatan Rakyat. Wee represents a party which has no say, so expressing its own views on national issues is an alien concept. Douglas Tan, Free Malaysia Today Remember the adage: silence is golden? I'm sure many parents have taught their children that if you do not have anything nice to say, you should keep quiet. However in politics these days, we have mud-slinging from both sides of the political divide. It appears that the less relevant you have become, the more you have to shout at the top of your lungs. For the MCA, it is able to see that it is fast disappearing off the political scene just like Gerakan. The party has been criticised over the years for being gutless and pandering to the demands of Umno, just to ensure that it still gets a slice of the pie. It arrogates to itself the divine duty of representing and fighting for Chinese interests in Malaysia. Are we still under the illusion that we need elected representatives of the same ethnicity? If Barisan Nasional component parties still believe this after having the "1Malaysia" concept shoved down their throats and pinned on their lapels, it quickly becomes clear that they are only interested in serving themselves. The Malaysian Chinese diaspora in Malaysia is made up of clans which include the Hokkien, Cantonese, Hainanese, Hakka, Foochow, Teochew, among others. From the beginning, they settled in this country and worked hard to get to where they are today. What has the community asked for? Just freedom to do business, educate their children well and be allowed to live and prosper. However, even going back to the days when Umno pushed forward the NEP (New Economic Policy), did the MCA speak up at all? Bashing the DAP Nowadays, the MCA has resorted to attacking the DAP at every opportunity it gets. Not a day goes by without Dr Chua Soi Lek or Wee Ka Siong making a press statement in The Star and the Chinese language press about the "shortcomings" of the DAP, with their favourite targets being Lim Guan Eng, Lim Kit Siang and Karpal Singh. Kit Siang and Karpal Singh have been a constant thorn in the side of the MCA. Due to the consistency of the DAP as both a party and a state government, the MCA has struggled to find issues to harp on. So it brings up old issues or flogs dead ones. Wee has just hit out at Karpal, after the latter expressed his support for Anwar Ibrahim to be the next prime minister. Going back to the Sept 16, 2008 fiasco, Karpal was not impressed that Anwar wanted to form a government with frogs coming over from the Barisan Nasional. This issue has been long resolved as the event has already taken place. When you have dissenting voices within a coalition, this is normal and healthy as a form of public debate. Throughout this entire episode, not once did the DAP say that it would abandon Pakatan Rakyat. Wee represents a party which has no say, so expressing its own views on national issues is an alien concept. Hudud again? Not stopping there, Wee then continues to flog the hudud horse and how it would infringe on the rights of non-Muslims. After discussing the matter with several Malay friends and colleagues, it is clear that the principle of hudud is seriously misunderstood. The MCA is guilty of propagating misinformation in order to make its position look better. Although opposition parties are not immune from doing this, at the very least the MCA could be creative about it, apart from its "No to Hudud" and "No to DAP" campaign. The DAP and PAS have already reached a consensus about the issue. Constitutionally, it has been clearly established that hudud cannot be implemented. Despite this, the debate rages on, fuelled by the irresponsibility of BN component parties, especially the MCA, to spook the non-Muslim community. READ MORE HERE

Our third submarine stirs up muddy waters Posted: 17 Nov 2011 03:47 PM PST How much did the Malaysian taxpayer pay for the Agosta-class submarine? When was it purchased and when was it decided to hand it over to Ali Rustam? Why has there been no mention of the Ouessant until we hear that it will be made into part of Malacca's maritime museum? Gaining ownership of the Ouessant is akin to learning to drive in a 20-year-old Proton Saga, then buying the car for RM200,000 only to use it as a reban ayam (chicken coop). Mariam Mokhtar, Free Malaysia Today When the Malaysian government signed a deal in 2002 with the joint naval builders, DCNS of France and Navantia of Spain, to commission two Scorpene-class submarines, it did not realise that the purchases would create an international scandal. The controversy surrounding the Scorpene-class submarines refuses to sink into oblivion. Now, attention is focused on the little known Agosta-class submarine, the Ouessant (S623), which was completed in 1978 and served the French navy until she was decommissioned in 2001. It appears Malaysia also owns the Ouessant. A few readers may recall very sketchy details about a third submarine which was used to train the Malaysian submariners. That was the Agosta-class Ouessant, which the "Asia Sentinel" described in its reporting on the Scorpene scandal as a "retired submarine manufactured by a joint venture between DCN and Spanish company Agosta". Opposition politicians have bombarded Umno with questions about the submarine deal but have been thwarted by unintelligent and conflicting answers from the Defence Ministry. Now, the curious case of the Agosta-class submarine, the Ouessant (S623), is only just surfacing. "The Asia Sentinel" stated in April 2010 that this third ageing submarine was leased for training purposes. However, we are now told that the Malaysian Navy has bought the Ouessant, the Agosta-class submarine. If so when? And, for how much? Why has there been no mention of the Ouessant until we hear that it will be made into part of Malacca's maritime museum? Gaining ownership of the Ouessant is akin to learning to drive in a 20-year-old Proton Saga, then buying the car for RM200,000 only to use it as a reban ayam (chicken coop). So, was the Agosta thrown in as as sweetener for the purchase of the two Scorpenes? Did the French try to appease the Malaysians because one of the Scorpenes was faulty? Malaysians first read of the Agosta-class submarine in a rather obscure report by Bernama on April 22, 2011, when the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) chief Admiral Abdul Aziz Jaafar said that the Ouessant was unsuitable for naval operations but would be converted into a museum piece to show the progress made by the RMN. Abdul Aziz said, "We are expecting its arrival in August. There will be a signing ceremony between the Defence Ministry secretary-general and the French side before it is handed over to us. "It is a second-hand submarine we bought for training RMN personnel. Now that its services are no longer needed, it will be brought to the Lumut naval base in August". RM12.6 million museum project Abdul Aziz explained that the Ouessant had been used as a training submarine for the submariners of the two Scorpene-class submarines KD Tunku Abdul Rahman and KD Tun Abdul Razak, which were commissioned in 2009 and 2010. Then on the Sept 23, the Malaysian Ambassador to France, Abdul Aziz Zainal and the Director of International Development in the French Defence Ministry Yves Blanc, signed the documents for the transfer of ownership of the Ouessant. The submarine was then transported on a floating dock to Malaysia in early October in an operation organised by Felda Transport. After being at sea for 32 days, the Ouessant arrived off the Malacca coast. Malacca Chief Minister Mohd Ali Rustam said that the submarine would be transported to the exhibition site at the 1Malaysia Square, Klebang. During the site visit, Ali explained that the Malacca government had been given custody of the French-made Ouessant. The submarine museum project, he said, had cost RM12.6 million and would attract more tourists to Malacca. Earlier, Abdul Aziz denied that Malaysia's first two Scorpenes, KD Tunku Abdul Rahman and KD Tun Abdul Razak, were not operational and he affirmed that they were "in the open sea and operating smoothly". He also rubbished claims that kickbacks were involved in the purchase of the two Scorpenes, and by way of assurance, stated that neither the European Union nor the RMN condoned such acts. Is Abdul Aziz really that naïve? The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) convention states that it is a crime to bribe foreign public officials in international business transactions. The OECD convention may have been signed by countries in Europe but it didn't prevent former premier Tony Blair from stopping investigations into allegations of kickbacks by the arms company BAE and the Saudi royal family, under the guise of national interest and security for Britain. There are numerous questions about the purchase of Malaysia's Scorpene submarines. Why did the Malaysian government omit to procure the weapons systems for the two submarines and why did they purchase submarines that were not fitted out for use in tropical waters? The empty shells that were purchased then had to be equipped with torpedoes, sea-to-surface missiles and mines, all of which cost the taxpayers several millions more ringgit. Perimekar Sdn Bhd, which received the kickback in the Scorpene deal, is intricately linked with Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak through his friend Razak Baginda and Baginda's wife, Mazalinda. Baginda and his wife are co-owners of Perimekar and it is alleged that the Scorpene deal involved kickbacks, money-laundering and a series of unexplained "co-ordination services". READ MORE HERE

When both BN and Pakatan will fail us Posted: 17 Nov 2011 03:35 PM PST Corruption is the mother of all problems which neither Barisan Nasional nor Pakatan Rakyat want to sort out, says Zaid Ibrahim. Stolen moneys will have to be refunded. Those ill-gotten assets will be confiscated. Laws will be passed so that any corruption and abuse of power of more than a million but less than RM10 million will attract mandatory five-year jail sentence. Zaid Ibrahim, Free Malaysia Today In the coming general election the people have an excellent opportunity to elect good and responsible governments at both the state and federal levels. But regrettably, the people will probably continue to be disappointed after the election euphoria dies down. If the Barisan Nasional wins, there will be more of the same: there will be no institutional independence and integrity; corruption will still be rife; wastage and senseless over-spending will continue; the national debt will keep on rising; and EPF will still lend money to the government regardless of the risks involved. Malaysia will be bankrupt in 2020. If the Pakatan Rakyat wins and Anwar Ibrahim is the PM there will not be any meaningful reform either. We can expect them to espouse generalities like "Justice" and "Fairness for All". In fact the first violation of institutional integrity will take place. For Anwar to be PM, Pakatan will need to appoint an Attorney-General who will play ball to help clear Anwar of the crimes he is charged with. For this, Pakatan will not have a truly independent inquiry because they want Anwar exonerated at all costs. They cannot allow "God's gift to Malaysia" (or so Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail describes him) and the "man touched by God" (as Chua Jui Meng calls him) not to be the Prime Minister. For them the ends justify the means. This is exactly the sort of questionable ideology they have always accused BN of obeying. So, the first thing they will do is to violate the integrity of the Attorney-General's Office. They have already said they will not do anything about the bloated civil service. They will not reform the education system—they have said this as well. They are against the Goods and Services Tax and they have said so. By that they probably mean to do nothing to make fiscal polices more progressive and attractive to increase government revenues. Of course they say they will reduce corruption and wastage, but this is something easier said than done. Doling out taxpayers' money to Pakatan assemblymen is corruption, and yet they are proud to match the BN's political strategy in this. Handing out cash to win votes is also corruption but both the BN and Pakatan do this routinely. READ MORE HERE

Keep it simple and indelible Posted: 17 Nov 2011 10:55 AM PST By Azmi Sharom, The Star Why must the use of indelible ink need a constitutional amendment? If you have the right to vote under Article 119 and as long as that right is not taken away from you, there should be no problem. I HAVE always advocated respect for the Constitution and constitutionalism. I had no idea that the Attorney-General was of the same mindset. In fact, he is so concerned about ensuring the Constitution is adhered to that he seems to have spotted constitutional issues where there appear to be none at all. Right to vote: Under Article 119 of the Constitution, you can vote if you are a citizen who is past the age of 21, resident in your constituency (or an absent voter), duly registered, not mad and not a convict. You see, according to him, if we were to use indelible ink during our elections, where those who have voted will be smeared with a bit of ink to ensure they don't vote again, it would require an amendment to Article 119 of the Constitution. Dutifully, I whipped out my copy of the Constitution and checked out the said article. Good news, it does exist and furthermore it is about the electorate. Examining Article 119, I see that it is about who is entitled to vote. Basically you can vote if you are a citizen who is past the age of 21, resident in your constituency (or an absent voter), duly registered, not mad and not a convict. I read it and I read it again, but I can't for the life of me see how the use of indelible ink is going to need a constitutional amendment. In essence, Article 119 is about who can vote. If you have the right to vote under Article 119 and as long as that right is not taken away from you, I don't see what the problem is. You can smear my index finger with indelible purple or draw an intricate pattern on my face as a sign that I have voted if that's what you want, but as long as you don't stop me from actually voting, there's nothing unconstitutional here. I tell you what should be amended though; the need to register to be a voter. Why can't we just be automatically registered once we have reached the age of 21? It's not difficult to ascertain a Malaysian citizen who is over 21; they are the ones with the blue identity cards which say their birthday is over 21 years ago. See, simple. I like simple things. For example, I like the simple pleasure of making a cross on a piece of paper next to the candidate of my choice. I like that if you can count, you can count the votes. I like that anybody can check if there is hanky panky in the electoral process because checking little pieces of paper does not require any sort of qualification. I don't like complex things like e-voting. It sits uncomfortable with me that my vote is converted into electronic form and then disappears into the ether where who knows what's being done to it. All I want is to go with my MyKad to a voting centre, get my piece of unmarked voting paper slip and a pencil, make my choice, get my finger or whatever digit they choose smeared with ink, then leave knowing I have done my civic duty. Simple. Maybe that is why I can't see what the AG is getting at, I am far too simple.

You are subscribed to email updates from Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

---

• Rafizi: NFC akhirnya mengaku…
• Fidlot: Rafizi hantar surat ajak Khairy debat
• Hudud mampu cegah murtad
• BN lebih bertanggungjawab berbanding Pakatan
• Konvoi ‘Titian Kasih ke Memali’
• Khir Toyo: Fail kes di mahkamah
• MB dedah penyelewengan pemimpin BN S’gor

Rafizi: NFC akhirnya mengaku… Posted: 17 Nov 2011 07:10 PM PST Malah beliau menerimanya dengan terbuka memandangkan dakwaan yang dibuat PKR selama ini tidak dinafikan Pengerusi Eksekutif NFC,  Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Salleh Ismail. "Tiga pengakuan Mohamad Salleh mengesahkan keresahan rakyat bahawa anugerah projek ini kepada sebuah syarikat milik keluarga menteri mempunyai unsur-unsur penyelewengan," katanya dalam sidang media di Ibu Pejabat PKR di sini hari ini. Pengakuan itu adalah NFC tiada kepakaran dan pengalaman untuk mengendalikan projek ini sehingga menyebabkan syarikat menghadapi masalah operasi dan kewangan, serta perjanjian RM250 juta "tidak menyatakan jadual pembayaran balik". "Ini mengesahkan pendedahan PKR sebelum ini bahawa walaupun dana RM250 juta disebut sebagai pinjaman, ia lebih berupa geran kerana NFC tidak dikenakan sebarang jadual pembayaran atau caj faedah seperti pinjaman biasa," katanya. Beliau turut kesal dengan kenyataan Mohamad Salleh yang bukan sahaja mengesahkan pendedahan PKR tentang pembelian kondominium mewah yang bukannya RM9.8 juta, tetapi RM13.8 juta. Katanya, ketiga-tiga pengakuan NFC mengingatkan rakyat bahawa isu pokoknya adalah soal kebertanggungjawaban menteri dan kerajaan menjaga wang rakyat. Surat debat kepada Khairy Sehubungan itu, beliau menggesa supaya Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak segera menjawab sama ada berlaku penyelewengan di peringkat kabinet semasa penganugerahan projek kepada NFC dan penglibatan Shahrizat dalam proses membuat keputusan. READ MORE HERE

Fidlot: Rafizi hantar surat ajak Khairy debat Posted: 17 Nov 2011 07:01 PM PST Dalam surat yang salinannya dihantar kepada Harakahdaily hari ini, beliau menyatakan tarikh cadangan debat tersebut dibuat pada 12 Disember ini. "Mengambil kira kekangan jadual kerja seperti yang saudara suarakan di dalam media, saya mencadangkan supaya debat tersebut diadakan pada hari Isnin 12 Disember 2011," kandungan surat itu dipetik. Beliau melalui surat tersebut juga mencadangkan supaya perkara-perkara lain seperti tempat dan format debat dipersetujui bersama setelah tarikh debat dimuktamadkan "Saya percaya saudara seorang pemimpin Umno yang berjiwa besar dan memiliki kekuatan intelek yang mengkagumkan. "Kesudian saudara untuk membahaskan isu-isu rakyat seperti penyelewengan wang rakyat melalui NFC akan dikenang orang muda selama-lamanya," ujar Rafizi. Khairy Jamaluddin beberapa hari lalu memaklumkan beliau bersedia untuk bertemu Rafizi dalam debat berhubung dakwaan penyelewengan RM250 juta oleh NFC iaitu syarikat milik anggota keluarga Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil. Beliau ini memberitahu bahawa "saya sentiasa bersedia untuk berdebat dengan sesiapa pun." "Pada dasarnya saya bersedia. Tetapi soalannya adalah masa," kata beliau dengan merujuk kepada perhimpunan agung tahunan partinya akhir bulan ini. Sebelum ini, Rafizi telah mencabar Khairy agar berdebat dengannya sambil mendakwa Ahli Parlimen Rembau itu sebahagian daripada "Budak Tingkat Empat" — yang merujuk kepada pengaruhnya ke atas Pejabat Perdana Menteri ketika era pentadbiran Tun Abdullah. Pentadbiran Abdullah meluluskan Pusat Fidlot Kebangsaan pada 2006. Minggu lalu Khairy mempertahankan projek itu dengan merujuk kepada pembelian hartanah kondominum hampir RM10 juta di Bangsar menggunakan wang projek tersebut. Khairy menyifatkan pembelian itu sebagai pelaburan yang selamat.

Hudud mampu cegah murtad Posted: 16 Nov 2011 05:54 PM PST Tanpa merujuk kepada mana-mana negeri dalam Malaysia, beliau berkata, ini berpandukan kepada pengalaman negara-negara luar  yang berjaya menangani masalah (murtad) ini. "Murtad boleh dicegah melalui pelaksanaan undang-undang Islam misalnya hudud dan salah satu jenayah hudud ialah murtad," katanya ketika menjawab soalan lisan daripada Datuk Mohd Shamsudin Lias (Sungai Burong-BN) pada sidang Dewan Undangan Negeri Selangor di sini hari ini. Shamsudin bertanya mengenai apakah langkah dan tindakan yang diambil oleh Jabatan Agama Islam Negeri Selangor (Jais) untuk mencegah orang Islam keluar dari agama Islam. Unit Selamatkan Akidah Hassan berkata Jais komited melaksanakan beberapa pelan tindakan mengatasi gejala murtad dengan menubuhkan Unit Selamatkan Akidah pada Ogos lalu. Katanya, Jais bertindak menguatkuasa dua enakmen iaitu Enakmen Agama Bukan Islam (Kawalan Perkembangan Dikalangan Orang Islam) 1998 terhadap mana-mana individu, persatuan atau pertubuhan yang mendakyah agama selain Islam kepada orang Islam. "Jais juga menguatkuasa Enakmen Jenayah Syariah 1995 di bawah Seksyen 10 kesalahan menghina atau menyebabkan Islam dipandang hina atau mana-mana kesalahan berkaitan," terang beliau. Isu murtad menjadi hangat ekoran tindakan Jais membuat pemeriksaan di Gereja Methodist Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya pada 3 Ogos lalu, setelah mendapat maklumat tentang percubaan untuk memurtadkan orang Islam di satu majlis makan malam anjuran Komuniti Harapan. READ MORE HERE

BN lebih bertanggungjawab berbanding Pakatan Posted: 16 Nov 2011 03:42 PM PST Naib Presiden PBS, Herbert Timbon Lagadan, membidas pimpinan Pakatan terutama ketuanya Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim sebagai hanya suka menabur janji kosong kepada rakyat Sabah dan Sarawak, sebaliknya pimpinan BN telah terbukti mengambil langkah membantu rakyat miskin di negeri itu. "Kalau ada parti pembangkang janji mahu tabur wang membantu rakyat bila ia memerintah, itu hanya cakap bohong saja. Tiada kerajaan yang baik yang akan buat begitu. "Anwar pada tahun 1994 beri janji "Sabah Baru", Sabah maju dalam 100 hari tapi bila Sabah tukar kerajaan, mana itu janji? Kini Anwar ada Buku Jingga janji Malaysia jadi negara maju, kamu fikirlah sendiri…" katanya ketika berucap dalam majlis penyampaian 26 rumah PPRT kepada keluarga miskin di Kadamaian di sini kelmarin. Lagadan yang juga Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (Adun) Kadamaian seterusnya berkata kerajaan BN adalah yang terbaik kerana akan terus beri bantuan kepada rakyat jelata dengan cara berhemah, bukannya terus "tuang duit"  sekali gus, seperti digambarkan sesetengah pemimpin pembangkang yang suka memberi janji pembangunan secepat kilat. "Kita tidak tuang duit… Tak mungkin kerajaan tebang pokok yang memberi kita buah, atau sembelih lembu yang beri susu kepada rakyat kita, kerana kalau kita buat begini, selepas itu tiada apa lagi yang akan kita dapat beri kepada rakyat," kata Lagadan yang juga Pembantu Menteri Pembangunan Masyarakat dan Hal-Ehwal Pengguna Sabah. Sejak kebelakangan ini, para pemimpin PBS, UPKO dan PBRS, tiga parti yang berasas kepada sokongan Kadazandusun di Sabah, dalam ceramah-ceramah mereka, sering mengulas mengenai janji-janji pemimpin Pakatan dan juga Buku Jingga. READ MORE HERE

Konvoi ‘Titian Kasih ke Memali’ Posted: 16 Nov 2011 03:31 PM PST Konvoi yang diterajui sendiri oleh Ketua Penyelaras SAMM Badrul Hisham Shaharin @ CheguBard, akan bermula dari Seremban pada malam hari Jumaat, 18 November ini dan singgah di Pulau Pinang untuk berkumpul dengan komrad SAMM dari utara sebelum meneruskan perjalanan ke Memali. Penyelaras SAMM Segmentasi Anak Muda, Yasir Sheikh Abdul Rahman, dalam satu kenyataan media hari ini berkata, konvoi ini dianjurkan bagi memperingati tragedi berdarah Memali yang memperlihatkan kekejaman kerajaan Malaysia menyerang kedudukan Ustaz Ibrahim Libya di Memali, Baling, Kedah. "Kesudahannya, 14 pejuang Islam termasuk Ibrahim Libya telah syahid di medan demi mempertahankan Islam dan berpuluh yang lain telah ditahan serta dipenjarakan. "Status mereka sebagai syahid disahkan oleh ahli Majlis Fatwa Kerajaan Negeri Kedah, Tuan Guru Haji Yahya Junid dan Ustaz Azahari Abd Razak. Tetapi pihak kerajaan telah menuduh kematian pejuang-pejuang Islam ini adalah 'bughah', iaitu penderhaka kepada pemerintah," katanya. Kebenaran disorok Menurut Yasir, tragedi Memali adalah sejarah hitam yang disorokkan kebenarannya. Pejuang-pejuang Islam yang gugur syahid ekoran mempertahankan hak mereka yang mahu di tangkap oleh Kerajaan Malaysia yang dipimpin oleh Umno-Barisan Nasional, telah dituduh dengan pelbagai label supaya pembunuhan ini dihalalkan. Tegas beliau, sudahlah mereka dibunuh dengan kejam, Ibrahim Libya dan pengikutnya dituduh pula sebagai penjenayah, mengamal ajaran sesat, pelampau, komunis, bughah dan sebagainya. Tuduhan-tuduhan ini kekal bersama sejarah dan seterusnya memberi kesan yang amat besar terhadap waris-waris as-syahid. READ MORE HERE

Khir Toyo: Fail kes di mahkamah Posted: 15 Nov 2011 02:46 PM PST "Failkan kes di mahkamah kalau betul ada bukti. Jika benar terbukti mahkamah boleh mengisytiharkan bahawa pilihan raya tidak sah." "Jangan tuduh sembarangan," kata Khir yang juga Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri Sungai Panjang. Beliau berkata demikian ketika diminta mengulas tindakan blogger pro-PAS, Tulang Besi yang berdoa agar Allah menghukum sesiapa saja dan agensi kerajaan mana sekalipun yang terlibat dalam usaha memanipulasi pilihan raya umum ke-13. Antara lain Tulang Besi menamakan Umno, Barisan Nasional (BN), Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara, Kementerian Pertahanan, Kementerian Dalam Negeri, Imigresen dan Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR). Tulang Besi menulis di dalam blog Malaysia Waves sedemikian kerana mendakwa menerima maklumat daripada sumber dalaman Umno bahawa Umno-BN pasti memanipulasi pilihan raya kerana Umno telah pun mendaftarkan seramai 200,000 rakyat Indonesia sebagai pengundi di Selangor. Khir turut berkata bahawa meskipun berdoa adalah hak blogger tersebut, ia adalah tindakan kurang bijak kerana membawa masuk aspek agama ke dalam politik. READ MORE HERE

MB dedah penyelewengan pemimpin BN S’gor Posted: 15 Nov 2011 02:43 PM PST Ketika sesi penggulungan Belanjawan 2012 di Dewan Undangan Negeri (Dun) di sini semalam, beliau berkata Ketua Pembangkang, Datuk Mohammad Satim Diman telah membuat beberapa transaksi berhubung penjualan tanah di Science Park 2 semasa Selangor ditadbir BN. Selain itu terdapat usaha pengambilan tanah oleh bekas Menteri Besar, Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo; isteri Menteri Pertanian dan Industri Asas Tani, Datuk Seri Noh Omar serta pemimpin politik setempat bagi mendapat beberapa lot tanah di kawasan elit. "Saya mengingatkan Ketua Pembangkang tentang transaksi jualan tanah di Science Park 2 di mana tanah kerajaan negeri telah diberikan kepada Perbadanan Kemajuan Pertanian Negeri Selangor (PKPNS) dan dijual dengan harga murah kepada Nikmat Inai Sdn Bhd di mana Satim adalah salah seorang pemegang saham dan Ahli Lembaga Pengarah syarikat itu. "Belum selesai syarikat Satim membuat bayaran belian kepada PKPNS, atas kuasa politik yang beliau pegang, tanah itu dijual kepada Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Selangor (PKNS) dengan harga berlipat kali ganda. Untung atas angin "Inilah kejayaan Satim sebagai orang tengah untuk mengaut untung atas angin atas nama Bumiputera," sindir Khalid. Menyentuh mengenai tanah Revolusi Hijau di Alam Perdana, tanah itu telah dijual kepada Barisan Elit Sdn Bhd untuk taman perindustrian walaupun tanah masih berstatus pertanian. Menurut Khalid, tanah itu merupakan milik kerajaan negeri yang diberikan kepada PKPNS untuk tujuan pembangunan pendidikan sains. "Meskipun Barisan Elit belum dibenarkan mengusahakan projek perindustrian, namun yang berkuasa adalah orang berkepentingan maka projek tersebut dijalankan sedangkan rakyat Selangor kerugian puluhan juta ringgit dalam bentuk bayaran premium," katanya. READ MORE HERE

You are subscribed to email updates from Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net