Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

---

Anti-American fury sweeps Middle East over film Posted: 14 Sep 2012 03:13 AM PDT (AFP) - Fury about a film that insults the Prophet Mohammad tore across the Middle East yesterday with protesters attacking US embassies and burning American flags as the Pentagon rushed to bolster security at its missions. The obscure California-made film triggered an attack on the US consulate in Libya's city of Benghazi that killed the US ambassador and three other Americans on Tuesday, the anniversary of the Sept 11, 2001 al Qaeda attacks on the United States. In Tunis, at least five people were wounded by police gunfire near the US embassy, and a Reuters reporter said a big fire had erupted within the embassy compound. Protesters had earlier leapt over the compound wall. Witnesses said Sudanese police fired tear gas at thousands of protesters to stop them approaching the US embassy outside Khartoum, but some jumped over the wall. A Reuters reporter heard gunfire from the scene. The wave of indignation and rage over the film, which portrays the Prophet Mohammad as a womanizer and a fool, coincided with Pope Benedict's arrival in Lebanon for a three-day visit. The protests present Obama with a new foreign policy crisis less than two months before seeking re-election and tests Washington's relations with democratic governments it helped to power across the Arab world. It also emerged that Libya had closed its air space over Benghazi airport temporarily because of heavy anti-aircraft fire by Islamists aiming at U.S. reconnaissance drones flying over the city, after President Barack Obama vowed to bring the ambassador's killers to justice. The closure of the airport prompted speculation that the United States was deploying special forces in preparation for an attack against the militants who were involved in the attack. A Libyan official said the spy planes flew over the embassy compound and the city, taking photos and inspecting locations of radical militant groups who are believed to have planned and staged the attack on the US consulate. There were protests in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Marines to Yemen The Pentagon said it had sent a "fast" platoon of Marines to Yemen to bolster US embassy security after clashes in Sanaa. US embassies were the main target of anger and protest but most embassy staff were not at work because Friday is the Muslim weekend across the Arab World. The frenzy erupted after traditional Muslim Friday prayers. Fury over the film has been stoked by Internet video footage, social networks, preachers and word-of-mouth. Protesters clashed with police near the US embassy in Cairo. Two Islamist preachers in Egypt told worshippers that those who made the movie deserved to die under sharia (Islamic law) but they urged protesters not to take their anger out on diplomats or others. Sudanese demonstrators broke into the German embassy in Khartoum and hoisted an Islamic flag, while one person was killed in protests in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli. Police in the Sudanese capital had fired tear gas to try to disperse 5,000 protesters who had ringed the German embassy and nearby British mission. A Reuters witness said police stood by as a crowd forced its way into Germany's mission. Demonstrators hoisted a black Islamic flag saying in white letters "there is no God but God and Mohammed is his Prophet". They smashed windows, cameras and furniture in the building and then started a fire. Staff at Germany's embassy were safe "for the moment", Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said in Berlin. He also told Khartoum's envoy to Berlin that Sudan must protect diplomatic missions on its soil. Sudan's Foreign Ministry had criticized Germany for allowing a protest last month by right-wing activists carrying caricatures of the Prophet and for Chancellor Angela Merkel giving an award in 2010 to a Danish cartoonist who depicted the Prophet in 2005 triggering protests across the Islamic world. Bashir under pressure President Omar Hassan al-Bashir is under pressure from Islamists who feel the government has given up the religious values of his 1989 Islamist coup. The official body of Sudan's Islamic scholars called for the faithful to defend the Prophet peacefully, but at a meeting of Islamists, some leaders had said they would march on the German and US embassies and demanded the ambassadors be expelled. The Foreign Ministry said in its statement: "The German chancellor unfortunately welcomed this offence to Islam in a clear violation of all meanings of religious co-existence and tolerance between religions." Sudan used to host prominent militants in the 1990s, such as Osama bin Laden, but the government has sought to distance itself from radicals to improve ties with the West. A Lebanese security source said a man was killed in Tripoli as protesters tried to storm a government building. Earlier, a US fast food restaurant was set alight. Twelve members of the security forces were wounded by stones thrown by protesters, the source said. Protesters also clashed with police in Yemen, where one person died and 15 were injured on Thursday when the US embassy compound was stormed. US and other Western embassies in other Muslim countries had tightened security, fearing anger at the film may prompt attacks on their compounds after the weekly worship. Obama has promised to bring those responsible for the Benghazi attack to justice, and the United States also sent warships towards Libya which one official said was to give flexibility for any future action. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Washington had nothing to do with the crudely made film posted on the Internet, which she called "disgusting and reprehensible", and the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff called a Christian pastor in Florida to ask him to withdraw his support for it. Palestinians staged demonstrations in both the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. Israeli police, some on horseback, used stun grenades and made a number of arrests outside Jerusalem's Old City as a few dozen demonstrators tried to march on the nearby US consulate. "Israeli police prevented an illegal demonstration from reaching the US consulate in East Jerusalem and used stun grenades after rocks and bottles were thrown at them," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. In Nablus, in the northern West Bank, several hundred people protested and burned an American flag, witnesses said. American flags burned The largest protests were in the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by Islamist group Hamas, with at least 30,000 Palestinians staging rallies across the coastal territory. Some 25,000 took to the streets of Gaza City, answering a call by Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad faction and waving the green and black flags of the two factions. American and Israeli flags were set alight, along with an effigy of the film's producer. Protesters in Afghanistan set fire to an effigy of Obama and burned a US flag after Friday prayers in the eastern province of Nangarhar. Directing their anger against the US pastor who supported the film, tribal leaders also agreed to put a US$100,000 bounty on his head. About 10,000 people held a noisy protest in the Bangladeshi capital. They burned US flags, chanted anti-US slogans and demanded punishment for the offenders, but were stopped from marching to the US embassy. There was no violence. Thousands of Iranians held nationwide protests. There were also rallies in Malaysia, Jordan, Kenya, Bahrain, Qatar, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Iraq.

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

---

• PKR tour bus again comes under paint attack
• Egyptians clash with police barring way to US embassy
• LGE’s priorities warped, says Boo Chang
• Parti Cinta spews hate on ‘hooligan’ DAP
• Chinese vote, US backing not enough to propel Pakatan to Putrajaya, says don
• May 13 witness defends Kit Siang in flagpole incident
• Reveal palm oil AP holders, says PKR
• Conflict of interest in Langat 2 dam deal
• 'Innocence of Muslims' producer's identity in question; actors say they were duped, overdubbed

PKR tour bus again comes under paint attack Posted: 14 Sep 2012 03:09 AM PDT (Bernama) - A bus carrying opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and 18 members of his delegation was hit by red paint hurled by two youths on a motorcycle when it stopped near the Masjid Jamek Bandar Tangkak at Jalan Hasan, here this afternoon. The two youths suddenly stopped their machine and splashed the paint on the ride side of the bus, which carried Anwar's photograph, before fleeing. This was the third time that the bus carrying the delegation for the "Jelajah Merdeka Rakyat" programme had been splashed with paint by unknown attacked. The bus driver, Faizal Abdul Kadir, said the incident occurred at about 1.45pm when the opposition leader's delegation had just completed performing the Friday Prayer at the mosque. "The bus carried 19 passengers including Anwar, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, Johor PAS commissioner Datuk Dr Mahfodz Mohamed, Johor PKR head Datuk Chua Jui Meng," he said. Meanwhile, Ledang District police chief Supt Harun Idris, when contacted, confirmed receiving a report on the incident at about 3.05pm. He said police were identifying the two youths concerned and based on initial investigation, the registration number on the motorcycle used was false.

Egyptians clash with police barring way to US embassy Posted: 13 Sep 2012 08:13 PM PDT (Reuters) - Egyptians angry at a film they said was blasphemous to Islam today hurled stones at a line of police in Cairo blocking the route to the US embassy, where demonstrators climbed the walls and tore down the American flag earlier this week. "God is greatest" and "There is no god but God", one group near the front of the clashes chanted, as police in riot gear fired tear gas and threw stones back in a street leading from Tahrir Square to the embassy nearby. About 300 people had gathered to protest, some waving flags with religious slogans. State media reported that 224 people had been injured since Wednesday night. The initial protest, in which the embassy walls were scaled, took place on Tuesday. The Muslim Brotherhood, the group that propelled President Mohamed Mursi to power, had called for a peaceful nationwide protest against the film today after it sparked demonstrations across the region. Many Muslims regard any depiction of the Prophet Mohammad as blasphemous. Gunmen killed the US ambassador in Libya on Tuesday and protesters attacked the US mission in Yemen yesterday. Mursi, Egypt's first freely elected president, has to strike a delicate balance, fulfilling a pledge to protect the embassy of a major aid donor while also being seen by his Islamist backers to take a strong line against the film. Mursi said yesterday he had spoken to US President Barack Obama and had asked him to act against those seeking to harm relations. His Cabinet said Washington was not to blame for the film but urged legal action against those insulting religion. "Before the police, we were attacked by Obama, and his government, and the Coptic Christians living abroad," shouted one protester, wearing a traditional robe and long beard favoured by some ultra-orthodox Muslims, as he pointed to the police cordon. Egypt's Coptic Orthodox church has condemned what it said were Copts abroad who had financed the film. "No longer an ally" In the middle of the street lay an overturned and burnt out car. Behind the police line, the authorities had erected a wall of large concrete blocks barring access to the fortress-like embassy, which is close to Tahrir, the centre of protests against ousted former President Hosni Mubarak and the scene of many demonstrations since. The United States, a close ally of Egypt under Mubarak, has long been wary of Islamists, only formally opening contacts with the Muslim Brotherhood last year, several months after Mubarak's 30-year rule was ended by a popular uprising. Al-Masry Al-Youm highlighted comments Obama made to a Spanish-language network saying Egypt was neither an enemy nor an ally. "America: Egypt is no longer an ally," the daily newspaper wrote in a front-page headline. The United States has a large embassy in Cairo, partly because of a vast aid programme that began after Egypt signed a peace deal with Israel in 1979. Washington gives US$1.3 billion (RM3.95 billion) in aid each year to the army plus additional funds to Egypt. Though some demonstrators wore clothes favoured by ultra-orthodox Islamists, many were young men in jeans and T-shirts. Some perched on barriers along the street watching the ebb-and-flow, as demonstrators pushed forward to hurl stones, and then ran back towards Tahrir under a volley of tear gas. "I came here to have a look at the people, to see what they are saying and see if what they say is right," said Mohamed Ahmed, sitting with friends as teargas wafted through the air. Some Egyptians have been angered by the violence. One picture circulating on Facebook showed a burnt out car accompanied by the words: "People go to defend the Prophet with petrol bombs and religious insults to the police. They don't pray at noon or in the afternoon. Who are they?" Police had tried to clear the street leading to the embassy and Tahrir around dawn today with clouds of teargas after a second night of violence. But protesters returned soon afterwards. One banner held aloft by demonstrators read: "It is the duty of all Muslims and Christians to kill Morris Sadek and Sam Bacile and everyone who participated in the film." The two people named are both linked to the film. Sadek, a Copt living in the United States, told Reuters this week he promoted the film to highlight discrimination against Christians who make up about 10 per cent of Egypt's 83 million people.

LGE’s priorities warped, says Boo Chang Posted: 13 Sep 2012 04:30 PM PDT 'Penang needs improved social conditions more than mega projects.' Hawkeye, FMT GEORGE TOWN: A veteran politician today lashed out at Pakatan Rakyat for what he said was its warped sense of priorities in governing Penang. Lim Boo Chang, who quit PKR last year and is now a social activist not affiliated with any political party, said Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's administration appeared to be more interested in implementing mega projects than fighting poverty or improving social conditions in the state. "The priority should be about eradicating all forms of poverty and improving the quality of life here instead of engaging in grandiose projects such as an underground tunnel and a major convention hall," he said after presenting food hampers to poor families in Kampung Makam. Kampung Makam, which lies off Datuk Keramat Road, is a community of about 70 poor families living in decaying conditions, which observers say are due to the rapid physical development in surrounding areas. The drainage system is faulty and flash floods are frequent. Although Lim Boo Chang has a tainted reputation as a politician, having quit Gerakan to join MCA and quitting that party to join PKR, his remarks appeared to resonate with some members of the public. Businessman Ismail Ali and his brother Hamdan said the state administration seemed to be on "auto-pilot". They agreed with the maverick politician that Guan Eng was spending too much time trying to deflect criticism and too little addressing such issues as living costs, spiralling property prices, traffic jams, environmental degradation and the lack of good jobs for wage earners. They acknowledged, however, that there had been some positive outcomes of Pakatan's takeover of the state in 2008, citing improved service by local authorities, a more transparent administration and a much cleaner environment. "The problem is that Penang residents want more than this," said Ismail. "They want good jobs and quality living, where road traffic is better managed, for example." Hamdan said Lim's government seemed unaware that the public was more interested in supporting better administrators than better politicians.

Parti Cinta spews hate on ‘hooligan’ DAP Posted: 13 Sep 2012 04:18 PM PDT PCM vice-president Huan Cheng Guan says a recent incident in Perak proves that DAP is capable of uncivilised politics and therefore must be rejected by voters. Athi Shankar, FMT GEORGE TOWN: DAP often accuses its rivals of practicing uncivilised and uncouth politics but Parti Cinta Malaysia (PCM) vice-president Huan Cheng Guan said the former does the same. He cited a recent incident in Ipoh's Taman Kaya as an example. "With this type of nonsense, they want to rule Putrajaya?" he said, calling on voters to punish the arrogant DAP for behaving like a "tokong". He was referring to an article and video posting in the Perak-based media portal – Media Perak – that showed DAP Ipoh Garden East branch chairman Lee Chee Seng and his wife Irene Yow, with a group of residents, blocking a car from leaving Taman Kaya. Media Perak claimed that its two reporters and a social activist were held like hostages in the car for nearly two hours. It claimed that the trio were also abused with racist slurs such as "Indian Pariah", "Indian Pariah Lawyer" and "Malay Kui." Media Perak claimed that the residents were DAP members and Lee's branch came under DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang's Ipoh Timur parliamentary constituency. The article claimed that during the incident, the trio contacted in vain the area's elected representative, Canning assemblyman Wong Kah Woh, for help. But the assemblyman only returned the call to one reporter the next day merely to tell that he cannot possibly attend to their needs because Lee and the other residents were his voters. Huan said the video clearly showed DAP leaders and members being aggressive and intimidating against independent journalists. He said DAP leaders should learn to walk the talk on freedom of press and expression, human and democratic rights. "The party often calls its rivals hooligans when it is no better. It's like the pot calling the kettle black. The video showed [DAP) was blacker," slammed Huan. READ MORE HERE

Chinese vote, US backing not enough to propel Pakatan to Putrajaya, says don Posted: 13 Sep 2012 03:15 PM PDT Amin Iskandar, The Malaysian Insider Pakatan Rakyat (PR) will not capture Putrajaya with only the support from the minority Chinese voters and international recognition from the United States, an analyst specialising in Malaysian politics said in the run-up to Malaysia's tightest electoral race. According to Prof William Case, acting head of department for Asian and International Studies at the City University of Hong Kong, the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition will not fall to PR without the majority support from the Bumiputera voters even if the opposition pact wins strong support from the Chinese community. He added that the BN will still win the 13th general election but with a reduced majority compared to Election 2008 due to more urban middle-class Malay voters swinging towards PR. "Whatever the Chinese sentiment, at a figure of 26 per cent of the population their numbers are not big enough to defeat BN. "Unless the Chinese consolidate with a majority of Bumiputera voters it will not happen. "We must observe too the number of Chinese voters who returned to support Najib," he told The Malaysian Insider in a recent email interview, referring to the BN coalition led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. Case feels that the US leans more towards a PR victory at the polls because of Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's image as a moderate Muslim the world superpower is able to deal with. "Washington is certainly continuing its support to democracy. "However, Washington is not so opposed to Najib as those who look down on Abdullah or are sceptical towards Mahathir," the academic said, referring to Najib's two predecessors, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad respectively. Abdullah had taken over the leadership of BN from Dr Mahathir after the latter resigned as prime minister in October 2003, and led the 13-member coalition to its biggest win only to lose its customary two-thirds control of Parliament and four states in Election 2008. "In fact, some may feel a little respect for Najib as a visionary manager in a difficult and imbalanced situation. "Whatever Washington's views, it will only have a little impact to the votes in Malaysia," the professor said. Case is not a foreign name in Malaysian politics and administration, having written much about the country and who is now making a study on the state of federalism here. He has predicted that BN will still win the 13th general election but with a reduced majority compared to Election 2008. READ MORE HERE

May 13 witness defends Kit Siang in flagpole incident Posted: 13 Sep 2012 03:08 PM PDT Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider A 64-year-old man claiming he was in the vicinity of the former Selangor mentri besar's home during the May 1969 racial riots came out today to refute allegations that DAP's Lim Kit Siang had urinated on a flagpole inside the residential compound and perpetrated the bloody incident. Ahmad Habib, who made a surprise appearance at a press conference with Lim this morning, told reporters that based on his memory of the residence's layout, it would have been "impossible" for the politician to have survived committing the offensive act. "On any normal day, I believe no unauthorised person would have been able to enter the compound, let alone do some funny business like urinating on a flagpole. It would be practically impossible. "If a person tries to do this, I do not think he would have gotten away scot-free... he would have been arrested, hurt or even killed," the father of two told the press conference. Witness Ahmad Habib made a surprise appearance. — Picture by Choo Choy May Ahmad was speaking today in support of Lim's denial that he had even been present in Kuala Lumpur when the May riots took place in 1969. The issue was raised earlier this year following reports that the controversial movie "Tanda Putera", to be released this November, on the re-telling of the May 1969 incident features a scene depicting Lim as having urinated on a flagpole of the then Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Harun Idris's residence. Ahmad explained that he happened to be within the vicinity of the Selangor mentri besar's residence on May 13 "by accident", and had taken refuge for some 10 hours in an unknown individual's house for some 10 hours when the bloody clashes erupted. He said that after the police declared that it was safe to return to the streets in the early hours of May 14, he had walked some 200 metres from Lorong Raja Uda 1 to Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz where the mentri besar's house was located. "There were a lot of people there. It was a huge compound. From inside, we saw the setting of the house. It was fully fenced and there was a guardhouse there. So I presume that with the guardhouse, there would definitely be someone manning this place," he said. Ahmad said the distance from the gate of the mentri besar's home to the flagpole was some 20 metres, repeating that it would not have been possible for Lim to have traversed the distance just to urinate on the flagpole. READ MORE HERE

Reveal palm oil AP holders, says PKR Posted: 13 Sep 2012 03:01 PM PDT PKR claims that at least half of the AP holders are not genuine palm oil players and the government is losing about RM4 billion in tax revenue due to the APs.  G Vinod, FMT Reveal the names of companies benefiting from the palm oil approved permits (AP), said PKR's chairman of investment and trade bureau Wong Chen. Speaking at the press conference held at the party headquarters today, Wong claimed that palm oil industry players were surprised when told that the names were protected under the Official Secrets Act (OSA). "In a palm oil forum held a few days back, a prominent palm oil analyst asked for the names of the AP holders but one of the panellists dismissed him saying the list is under the OSA," he said. However, he said that the panellist was not a government official. The government introduced the palm oil AP system in 2000 to selected companies due to declining crude palm oil (CPO) prices and stock surpluses. It was also introduced to help local companies who wanted to send CPO to their refineries established in foreign countries. Under the system, the AP holders would not be imposed the 23% duty fee which was usually imposed on palm oil players who bypassed local refineries. In August, The Star quoted an industry source saying that palm oil refiners wanted transparency in the allocation and distribution of the quota to the beneficiaries dubbed "kings of palm oil APs". The source was also quoted as saying that industry players believed that at least half of the 50 companies enjoying the APs were not genuine palm oil industry players On the AP system, Wong said the government was losing about RM4 billion in tax revenue for this year alone due to the system introduced over a decade ago. "The government allows AP for 5.6 million metric tonne of CPO. Maybank estimated the average price per metric tonne for CPO this year at RM3,150. "So when you times those numbers with 23% tax rebate the companies are enjoying, we are losing RM4.0572 this year in tax revenue," he added. The PKR leader urged the government to relook the system, saying continuing such a policy would tantamount to nothing short but a fiscal irresponsibility. "By just giving the APs to genuine palm oil players, we can at least save about RM2 billion. That sum is half of what Pakatan Rakyat needs to provide free education to all Malaysians," he said.

Conflict of interest in Langat 2 dam deal Posted: 13 Sep 2012 09:54 AM PDT (Free Malaysia Today) - Two companies that conducted a study in 2000, speculating water shortage, have been given engineering design contracts. Klang MP Charles Santiago has raised concerns over a case of conflicting interest in the Langat 2 dam construction. "In 2000, the government commissioned a study on water shortage to three companies – SMHB Sdn Bhd, Ranhill Consulting Sdn Bhd and Zaba Sdn Bhd," said the DAP leader. Pengurusan Aset Air Bhd's (PAAB) CEO and director Ahmad Faizal Rahman announced that three companies had been appointed to undertake the engineering design of the Langat 2 plant. The three were SMHB Sdn Bhd, Ranhill Consulting Sdn Bhd and KTA Tenaga Sdn Bhd. "This is a clear case of conflict of interest because the contracts have been given to the people who conducted the study," said Santiago, who is also the coordinator of the Coalition Against Water Privatisation (CAWP). He also accused the companies of creating an environment to secure more contracts and urged the government to re-evaluate the study done in 2000. "Did they write the report to secure contracts?" he asked. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/09/14/conflict-of-interest-in-langat-2-dam-deal/

'Innocence of Muslims' producer's identity in question; actors say they were duped, overdubbed Posted: 13 Sep 2012 09:39 AM PDT (Fox News) - Most of the dialogue that relates to Islam or religion in the trailer looks like it was overdubbed in post-production, with many suggesting that the dialogue was translated with words something completely different to lines delivered. The man who identified himself as the filmmaker behind the anti-Islam film "The Innocence of Muslims" may have used a pseudonym and spent time in federal prison. Meanwhile several actors in the movie say they were duped, and are now distancing themselves from the film that was cited as a spark to the violence in Libya that resulted in the murder of the United States' ambassador to that country. Initial reports stated an Israeli-born producer who identified himself as Sam Bacile had gone into hiding following the violence in Libya. FoxNews.com's research on public and private databases, business filings, and people finding services came up empty on that name. Israeli authorities also claim to have no records of him being a citizen, although he said in interviews to be both a citizen of America and Israel. The Associated Press first reported that they spoke with Bacile via phone as he was remaining incognito in an undisclosed location following the violence in Libya. "Bacile" said that he was sorry for the death of the U.S Ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens, and blamed his death on the "no good" security systems in place at the embassies. When Bacile's legitimacy began to be questioned, the AP traced the phone number they had called to Nakoula Basseley Nakoula. Nakoula, 55, a Coptic Christian, said he was the manager of the company that produced the anti-Muslim movie, but denied that he had posed as Bacile. However, other connections to the Bacile persona have been unearthed. Nakoula has frequently used alias names in the past, including Erwin Salameh and Nicola "Bacily," among others. In 2010, he pleaded no contest to federal band fraud charges in California and was ordered to pay over $790,000 in restitution, sentenced to 21 months in federal prison and ordered not to use computers or the internet for five years. Thus, hosting a "Sam Bacile" YouTube channel may be deemed a violation of his probation. 'There is absolutely no way that film could have cost five million. More likely, five dollars… It looks like a hoax' - Independent film producer An attorney for Nakoula, listed as James Henderson Sr., did not respond to FoxNews.com's request for comment. On his legal website, the Santa Monica-based lawyer is described as a specialist in "white collar criminal defense and federal criminal violations." Pastor Terry Jones of Gainesville, Fla., who burned Qurans on the ninth anniversary of 9/11, said he spoke with the movie's director on the phone Wednesday. He said he has not met the filmmaker in person, but the man contacted him a few weeks ago about promoting the movie. "I have not met him. Sam Bacile, that is not his real name," Jones said. "I just talked to him on the phone. He is definitely in hiding and does not reveal his identity. He was quite honestly fairly shook up concerning the events and what is happening. A lot of people are not supporting him." "Bacile" also claimed in his initial interview with the AP that "The Innocence of Muslims" was shown to a mostly empty theater in Hollywood earlier this year, which has since been pinpointed as L.A's Vine Theater. A worker at the theater told FoxNews.com:"The film we screened was titled 'The Innocence of Bin Laden'," adding that the film was in English without any subtitles or Arabic. The worker said it was a "small viewing." The L.A Times reported it was an "earlier version" of the movie, and fewer than ten seats in the theater were filled. Another of the film's promoters, Steve Klein, told The Atlantic that he did not know Steve Bacile's "real name," and that they only met once and spoke for about an hour. "He's not Israeli… His name is a pseudonym," Klein told the magazine. "All these Middle Eastern folks I work with have pseudonyms. I doubt he's Jewish. I would suspect this is a disinformation campaign." Read more at: http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/09/13/innocence-muslims-producer-identity-questioned-actors-say-were-duped/#ixzz26OsDk2Np

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

---

Putrajaya: gays, sponges and stones Posted: 13 Sep 2012 03:50 PM PDT When will Putrajaya realise that people who exhibit homosexual tendencies are human beings, too? Mariam Mokhtar, FMT Deep in the bowels of Putrajaya there exists a little known department that is out to drive the average Malaysian crazy. Yesterday, the latest plan of this department was revealed. It also gave us a tiny insight into how it works. Under the guise of the Yayasan Guru Malaysia Bhd and the Putrajaya Consultative Council of Parents and Teachers Associations, a guideline was issued so that parents and teachers could detect homosexuality in schoolchildren and students. The taxpayer should ask the government how much of the public's money was spent to fund this study, how long the study lasted, which experts were consulted, what criteria were used and how they arrived at their conclusions? Instead of improving the standard of education, and its delivery, the Education Ministry has misplaced its priorities. When will Putrajaya realise that people who exhibit homosexual tendencies are human beings, too? If the truth be known, and despite what Islam preaches, every other Malay family has a closet homosexual in its midst. Is society to deny them a right to live as respected members of the community? For starters, the "guide" said that gays could be detected by their muscular bodies, and their propensity for wearing "V-necks" and sleeveless tops. Have the people conducting this study been watching too many videos of Freddie Mercury and George Michael gyrating on stage, and been mesmerised by their rippling muscles and sleeveless tops? Perhaps they have been side-tracked by Dolce & Gabbana handbags for men? They should spare a thought for the many men who go on the haj. Some of them claim that the best way to carry all their travel documents and other paraphernalia is in a handbag. What about the many muscular teenagers who keep fit because they believe in a healthy lifestyle and like sports? The latest Putrajaya guide views them as potential homosexuals. Not all homosexuals have muscular bodies, like the celebrity who performed at Genting Highlands, recently. Sportsmen and women wear sleeveless tops to reduce air resistance, to allow their skins to breath and they prefer clothes that will not hamper their movements. Under the new homosexual detection guidelines, wearing tight-fitting lycra is out. If our Olympic cyclists were students, they would be ostracised. What should sporty Malaysian students wear then? The jubah or hijab? If Pandelela were a man, would she be diving wearing a sarong? One wonders what Abercrombie and Fitch, Burberry and Aquascutum have to say about the new guide? Will these designer labels suffer a drop in sales for their V-neck jumpers, sleeveless tops and handbags for men? After all, the offspring of Umno politicians and their cronies are the ones who are seen to frequent these stores, especially in London, where a number of them go to escape the claustrophobic Malaysian social mores. Far removed from reality V-neck jumpers form part of the school uniform for schoolchildren in UK where many Umno offspring go to study. Is this report indirectly saying that homosexual children linked to Umno are sent overseas to prevent them from being vilified? The Putrajaya guide for detecting lesbians is just as laughable. The people who devised this study are far removed from reality and have excluded many known lesbian traits. In Malaysian life, any Malay girl who "hangs out, sleeps and dines" with men would be hounded by the religious and moral police. So, under these rules, sleepovers with friends are disallowed. In Malaysia, especially Malay society, the two sexes are deliberately kept apart. There is little chance for either sex to interact normally with each other. This hampers any mental, social and moral development, so girls do not know how to react with men. When they go abroad to study, the girls are "liberated" from the strict confines of their upbringing and mingle with the other sex. Then they often go wild, like a dam that has broken. What will the Putrajaya guide make of that? It was reported that during the unveiling of these guidelines, Deputy Education Minister Mohd Puad Zarkashi said: "The time has come for the LGBT issue to be discussed openly and not seen as a 'taboo'". READ MORE HERE

Stop spamming my phone, Raja Nong Chik! Posted: 13 Sep 2012 09:49 AM PDT Zan Azlee (The Malaysian Insider) If there is one thing that I hate to death, it is spam. Getting spam email is one of the most annoying things ever. Even more annoying are spam SMSes... you know, the ones that tell you about cheap beer at various nightclubs or discounts at popular restaurants. But recently, the most annoying spam SMSes I have received are from a certain politician and Cabinet minister who goes by the name of Raja Nong Chik. It started when I decided to register to vote slightly less than a year ago. Registration went fine with no glitches (i.e. suddenly finding out I'm registered to vote in Sabah!) My constituency, according to my IC address, is Lembah Pantai. As we know, the current MP in that area is PKR's Nurul Izzah Anwar. Since I didn't vote in the last general election, I can't claim to have played a role in getting her into office. And now that the 13th general election is coming up, rumour has it that Umno will be fielding Raja Nong Chik in Lembah Pantai. Now right after I had registered to vote (at the Election Commission office in Shah Alam), I started receiving the SMSes. The first one wished me Selamat Hari Raya Aidiladha, signed off with "RAJA NONG CHIK." I was quite shocked! I had only just registered a couple of weeks ago and now this Cabinet minister already had my mobile phone number. I was about to cry "personal data theft!", but quickly restrained myself. Good thing I did because, apparently, there is no such law against that in Malaysia. After that, it just went on and on. I started receiving New Year greetings, advice on how to spend my Ramadan and even an invitation for Lailatul Qadar prayers. Last month, I even received an SMS that had the hash tags #MERDEKA55 and #JANJIDITEPATI! He could be using the same bot service as #YORAIS! The last straw came last Tuesday. My iPhone blew out the fog-horn ring tone, indicating that an SMS had come in so I quickly checked my phone. When I noticed it was from Raja Nong Chik, I just got annoyed. But what pushed me to the edge was the content of the SMS itself. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/opinion/article/stop-spamming-my-phone-raja-nong-chik/

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

---

Kelantan's Green Revolution: the march to Putrajaya Posted: 13 Sep 2012 07:43 PM PDT SEE MORE PICTURES HERE

New wine, old wineskin Posted: 13 Sep 2012 05:06 PM PDT This lack of knowledge is of concern naturally because we are talking about a public servant with a great deal of power (he can shoot us with his pistol after all), and it is important that he understands that the limits on his power does not depend simply on whatever Standard Operating Procedure he may have but also our rights as citizens. However, knowledge can be gained. Police officers do take courses and some of these courses will have components of Constitutional Law in them. I have taught a diploma course on Constitutional Law and the officers in my class appeared to have grasped the concept. Knowledge, therefore, is not really the issue here; it is the corresponding attitude towards that knowledge which truly matters. In the past few weeks there have been many incidents that illustrate the paradox that occurs when one pays lip service to a principle without truly understanding its importance and ideals. The Peaceful Assembly Act was supposed to be a law that would allow a more liberal approach to public gatherings, but instead we see it being used to actually hinder such gatherings. The Janji Demokrasi gathering was deemed illegal before it occurred because proper procedures for asking permission was not followed as demanded by the Act. Investigations on organisers and participants of Janji Demokrasi are also currently being conducted, again under the auspices of the Act. A green rally in Pahang is being investigated because a person who is deemed underage by the Act was suspected of taking part. All this fuss over what were peaceful gatherings. I have said before that there was little wrong with the previous laws (the Police Act) regarding public gatherings. The Police Act gave a lot of discretion to the police to allow or not allow public gatherings, this is true; however if there was a proper understanding and appreciation of the Constitution, the police should, by and large, allow any public gathering as long as it is not dangerous or violent in nature. The problem with the Police Act was one of attitude and not the law per se. This same attitude persists and it can be seen in the implementation of the new Peaceful Assembly Act. What is needed in the country therefore is not even more, so called liberal laws, but a true appreciation and respect for the human rights of the people of this nation. The police have to understand that their role is not simply about enforcing the law for whatever government is in power. Their role is to enforce the law in the spirit of the Constitution and the freedoms that it guarantees for everybody. 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

---

PAS mahu Pusat ikut Selangor jika mahu PRU serentak Posted: 13 Sep 2012 03:13 PM PDT Pesuruhjaya PAS Selangor, Dr Abdul Rani Osman (gambar) berkata, isu pembaziran masa dan Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) terpaksa menyediakan kos tambahan tidak timbul sekiranya Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13 (PRU13) diadakan pada waktu yang sepatutnya. "Kalau nak elak bazir masa dan kewangan, tak payah buat sebelum tempoh berakhir penggal. Buat sekali tahun depan dan biar sampai habis penggal, jangan buat awal. "Mereka (Barisan Nasional) kata Pakatan Rakyat (PR) tidak menepati janji. Bagaimana nak realisasikan semuanya kalau masa tidak cukup. Bagi masa sebab kami nak selesaikan manifesto yang ada," menurutnya yang dipetik dari akhbar Sinar Harian hari ini. Menurut Abdul Rani lagi, jika tidak mahu menyusahkan rakyat terutamanya mereka yang tinggal di luar Selangor dan terpaksa pulang semata-mata kerana pilihan raya, kerajaan pusat perlu mengadakannya serentak dengan Selangor tahun depan. Bagaimanapun katanya, beliau akan cuba memanjangkan cadangan untuk menyediakan sedikit peruntukan jika ada keperluan bagi membantu meringankan beban rakyat Selangor pulang mengundi dua kali. "Memang baik buruknya pilihanraya berasingan, tetapi kalau betul jadi seperti itu, kita cuba fikirkannya. Cuba panjangkan dan bagi cadangan kepada parti dalam mesyuarat parti nanti," katanya lagi. Beliau juga tidak menafikan, tindakan mempercepatkan PRU13 membuktikan BN takut dengan manfaat yang diperoleh rakyat melalui program Kerajaan Negeri PR memandangkan program yang tiada dalam manifesto pun dilaksanakan seperti "Jom Shopping" dan sebagainya. Dalam pada itu katanya, tarikh PRU13 sepatutnya diumumkan lebih awal kerana yang akan mengundi berhak mengetahuinya.

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

---

• Open letter to the Ministry of Education [via email]
• What's the difference between BN & George Soros?
• Defence Ministry Acquisition of Rapid Intervention Vehicles
• Kenyataan Mukhriz Sahkan Negara Hilang RM3.5 Bilion Setiap Tahun Kerana Agihan AP Yang Tidak Telus
• Tanda Putera: Deconstructing Prejudice
• What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander, Tun
• Why Tun M is terrified of the opposition!

Open letter to the Ministry of Education [via email] Posted: 13 Sep 2012 03:58 PM PDT For the attention of Tan Sri Dato' Hj Muhyiddin Hj Mohd Yassin. Re: MOE support/endorsement of 'LGBT' guidelines MCLM strongly objects to the Ministry of Education's support and endorsement of guidelines purportedly designed to enable schools and parents to identify behaviour allegedly associated with the 'LGBT' community. We are appalled by this decision because the MOE has arbitrarily taken upon itself a task and/or responsibility that is not mandated by law. Your ministry's primary and only purpose is to provide academic opportunities and infrastructure at all levels of the social strata for every Malaysian citizen. The MOE's vision and mission states: Vision: Excellent schools producing distinguished generations Mission: Developing the potential of individuals through quality education Objectives: • To produce loyal and united Malaysians • To produce individuals who are devout, honourable, knowledgeable, competent and contented • To provide manpower for the development needs of the nation • To provide educational opportunities to all Malaysians We do not see a pre-qualification on acceptable behaviour of students inserted in this statement. In fact, we would go so far as to say that it is exemplary because it does not contain any specific reference to gender, race or religion but rather, focuses on creating a united Malaysia. Actions like this endorsement of the LGBT guidelines go against the admirable spirit of your Ministry's vison and mission statement because it engenders discrimination within our schools. Your deputy, Dr. Mohd Puad Zarkashi, did not make it clear what steps the MOE took to verify the accuracy of these guidelines as well as the credentials of those who formulated them. However, even a layman can see that every single point is spurious and without merit. They merely serve to legitimise prejudice and bigotry in our society. The mental and emotional damage it will certainly cause to our children is incalculable. A person's time in school is already fraught with identity crises and peer pressure. Being labelled as LGBT will  compound this situation as it will exacerbate sexual confusion, self-doubt and fear. By endorsing these guidelines, the Ministry is presenting bigots in schools with more ammunition to disenfranchise and terrorise those students who do not conform. Tan Sri Muhyiddin, we urge you to rescind your Ministry's endorsement of these guidelines for the sake of our youth who are the future of our nation. MCLM believes that the right to choose one's own journey to fulfillment in life is a personal choice, just as one is legally allowed to vote a representative into parliament without interference by the state. Malaysia will only excel to higher aspirations and achievements if its citizens truly believe in their hearts that they belong, without fear or favor. For that to happen, everyone matters.   Sharifuddin Abdul Latiff MCLM President

What's the difference between BN & George Soros? Posted: 11 Sep 2012 10:36 AM PDT Dr Kua Kia Soong, SUARAM Adviser In the BN Government's on-going witch hunt against SUARAM to try to discredit us for pursuing the suspected corruption scandal over the Scorpene deal in the Paris court, they now try to suggest that there is a problem with us having received funds from George Soros' Open Society Institute. The Domestic Trade Minister wants Bank Negara to investigate if there is "money laundering" involved. In so doing, the Minister has unwittingly put Bank Negara in an embarrassing position. George Soros is well known as a currency speculator, philanthropist and promoter of open society. What is baffling is the BN Government's problem with Soros. From the BN Government's propaganda, there seem to be two problems: (i) He is a currency speculator (ii) He is Jewish.   The Jewish Question The fact that being ethnically Jewish (rather than being a Zionist) can be the basis for derision and condemnation in Malaysia (especially in the UMNO press) is evidence of the racist nature of the governing regime. This speaks volumes about UMNO's capacity for providing a non-racist path to progress in Malaysia. SUARAM certainly does not have a problem with Soros' ethnicity.   Who is NOT a Currency Speculator? Soros has a reputation as a smart currency speculator. But he has made his millions through his own means and devices. On the other hand, our own Bank Negara under Dr Mahathir's watch speculated in the international currency markets from 1992-94 using the rakyat's money and incurred losses cited as ranging from RM10-30 billion! It has been claimed that the maximum exposure of Malaysian taxpayers' money in the forex market during that irresponsible fling was as much as RM270 billion. (Malaysian Business, April 1994) It was the biggest disaster ever for Bank Negara which had to be bailed out by the Finance Ministry in 1994 but the biggest heads have yet to roll! It was after this fiasco and one of Dr Mahathir's most humiliating performances that he, in a pique of rage, called Soros a "moron". When the 1997 Asian financial crisis struck, Soros was again blamed. However, Mahathir eventually had to eat humble pie at a press conference with Soros on 15 December 2006 at which he accepted that Soros had not been responsible for the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Thus, after the 1992-94 forex scandal one would have thought that the BN government would think twice about denouncing currency speculators!   SUARAM's Principled Stand on Justice, Democracy & Human Rights Through the 23 years of SUARAM's existence, we have never compromised our principled stand on freedom, justice, democracy and human rights. We have never been beholden to any funders, whether foreign or local, as our anti-imperialist stand and actions in the Anti-War Coalition testify.   Malaysia sliding down the slippery road to banana republicanism From the Domestic Trade & Consumerism Minister's irresponsible statements about charging our company while CCM is still investigating the case and this latest gaffe involving Soros, the BN Government appears to be shooting itself in the foot. On the one hand, the Prime Minister is trying so hard to present himself as a reformer by promising more democracy, the rule of law and human rights in the run-up to the 13th general election; On the other, his minister continues to violate all these principles of good governance in his haste to try to discredit SUARAM. This seems to be the Prime Minister's dilemma. His words do not seem to match the BN Government's actions and with every gaffe by blundering ministers, we seem to be sliding down the slippery road to banana republicanism.

Defence Ministry Acquisition of Rapid Intervention Vehicles Posted: 11 Sep 2012 10:28 AM PDT The reprimand by the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Ismail on the acquisition of Rapid Intervention Vehicles (RIVs) at exhorbitant prices highlights the malaise in the Ministry of Defence procurement exercises Tony Pua On Saturday 8 September 2012, the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Ismail asked that "nobody should take advantage of the situation for personal gains when acquiring equipment for the Special Forces," adding that recently four Rapid Intervention Vehicles (RIV) were purchased for RM2.76mil or RM690,000 each by the Ministry of Defence. Sultan Ibrahim then displayed one of the RIV vehicles and another personal vehicle that he purchased for RM150,000.   "Which of these will be your choice? I do not understand why government purchases involve exorbitant charges that do not make sense," Sultan Ibrahim, who is also a Colonel in the Special Forces, was reported to have said.   The above acquisition follows a series of controversial procurement of defence vehicles by the Ministry of Defence that have raised major question marks over whether the tax payers are getting value for their money.   In 2008 the Ministry of Defence has acquired 12 Eurocopter Cougar EC725 for RM2.3 billion or RM193 million each despite the same model helicopter being acquired for only RM82.8 million each by the Brazillian government. The Ministry had attempted to justify their higher purchase price to the Parliamentary Accounts Committee on the basis that there were "customisations" on the vehicle to meet the needs of the local air force.   Last year, the Ministry also awarded a RM6 billion contract to Boustead Naval Shipyard to build 6 offshore patrol vessels and a RM7.55 billion contract to purchase 257 units of 8x8 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) from DRB Hicom Bhd.   The RM6 billion contract was subsequently inflated to a RM9 billion contract and the Minister of Defence, Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi had justified the both the acquisition and the increase in price on the fact that Malaysians are acquiring the state of the art "littoral combatant ships" (LCS).   It was subsequently exposed that the Ministry of Defence had merely "renamed" the German-made "Gowind Class" naval vessels into "LCS", which is the name for the more technologically advanced ships built for the United States. We can only interpret that the "renaming" of the ships is done to mislead the public into believing that we were indeed acquiring the best-in-class ships with the RM9 billion contract.   Similarly, it was exposed that while we are buying 257 APCs from DRB-Hicom for RM7.55 billion, DRB-Hicom is acquiring the 257 APCs from Turkish defence contractor for RM1.7 billion. While DRB-Hicom will still need to install certain optional equipment, such as the turret guns and software systems onto the APCs, it is beyond reasonable believe that such additional "customisations" will cause the bill to be inflated from RM1.7 billion to RM7.55 billion; or from only an average of RM6.6 million to RM29.4 million for each vehicle.   When the above controversies were exposed, I was accused by the Minister of Defence as a foreign spy seeking to expose national defence secrets and criticised as being ill-informed with regards to defence technology.   However, when the critique comes from the Sultan of Johor, the Minister has no choice but to concede an investigation into the glaring financial irregularity. Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi had responded yesterday that "the Defence Ministry takes note of the comment positively. [He] will look into the difference in prices between the RIV awarded by Sultan Ibrahim priced at RM150,000 compared with the RM690,000 sold by the supplier."   We call upon all of the above deals to be investigated and scrutinised not the Ministry of Defence itself, but by an independent Parliamentary Oversight Committee. Malaysians have no faith that the Ministry will be able to conduct an investigation that is fair and above board.   In the light of procurement transparency promoted by the Government Transformation Programme, it is critical that the Ministry of Defence supports the set up of the Oversight Committee to prove that all is above board. After all, if all the above transactions are of value for money to the Government, then surely there is nothing to hide from this independent panel.

Kenyataan Mukhriz Sahkan Negara Hilang RM3.5 Bilion Setiap Tahun Kerana Agihan AP Yang Tidak Telus Posted: 11 Sep 2012 10:21 AM PDT Jika jumlah AP yang dikeluarkan mencecah 70,000 setiap tahun seperti yang dianggarkan, negara dan rakyat kehilangan hasil sekitar RM3 bilion hingga RM3.5 bilion setiap tahun kerana kementerian yang turut diketuai Datuk Mukhriz kini hanya mengenakan caj RM10,000 sahaja setiap AP apabila ia diagihkan kepada pihak-pihak tertentu tanpa melalui proses tender terbuka.  Rafizi Ramli,YB Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad Saya mengalu-alukan maklumbalas pertama Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir terhadap isu penurunan harga kereta memandangkan beliau adalah antara orang penting yang bertanggungjawab menggubal dasar automotif negara, atas kapasiti beliau sebagai Timbalan Menteri Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri (MITI). Saya sertakan laporan BERNAMA bertarikh 7 September 2012 mengenai kenyataan yang dibuat beliau semasa merasmikan Persidangan Perwakilan Wanita Umno Bahagian Jerlun: Mukhriz: 'BN tidak berani buat janji kosong' 7 September 2012 JERLUN - Barisan Nasional (BN) tidak akan membuat janji yang tidak mampu ditunaikan oleh parti, kata Timbalan Pengerusi Badan Perhubungan Umno Kedah Datuk Mukhriz Tun Mahathir.     Beliau berkata semua yang tertulis di dalam manifesto pilihan raya BN akan dianggap sebagai janji kepada rakyat dan semua itu perlu ditepati untuk memberi kesenangan kepada rakyat.     Mukhriz yang juga Timbalan Menteri Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri berkata BN tidak akan berani untuk membuat sebarang janji yang ia tahu tidak akan mampu dilaksanakan.     "Lainlah dengan pembangkang. Mereka kata manifesto yang dibuat itu bukannya janji sebaliknya hanya cadangan, sebab itu mereka tidak serius dalam menunaikan semua yang ditulis dalam manifesto pilihan raya yang lepas.     "Apabila mereka sendiri dah kata macam tu, apa kita nak harapkan lagi daripada mereka," katanya kepada pemberita selepas merasmikan Persidangan Perwakilan Pergerakan Wanita Umno Bahagian Jerlun di Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Permatang Bonglai di sini hari ini.   Beliau berkata janji menurunkan harga kereta yang dibuat oleh Pengarah Strategi Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Mohd Rafizi Ramli sekiranya pembangkang berjaya mentadbir Putrajaya pada pilihan raya umum ke-13 akan datang adalah bersifat populis.     Katanya strategi pembangkang ialah menggunakan isu-isu yang bersifat populis seperti hendak hapuskan pinjaman Perbadanan Tabung Pendidikan Tinggi Nasional (PTPTN), hapuskan tol dan turunkan harga kereta.     "Mereka tidak jelaskan dari mana datangnya duit malah ada pemimpin PKR mengatakan untuk mengumpul dana kerajaan, mereka akan jual AP (permit import) kereta menggunakan kaedah opsyen.     "Seperti kita tahu, kalau guna kaedah itu, orang yang menawarkan harga tertinggilah yang akan menang. Jadi daripada anggaran kami setiap AP akan berharga RM50,000 hingga RM60,000. Kalau itu dilakukan, bagaimana nak turunkan harga kereta? Itu baru AP, belum kira lagi harga kereta tersebut," katanya.     Mukhriz berkata pembangkang hanya pandai membuat cadangan tetapi tidak memikirkan bagaimana hendak menjayakan cadangan tersebut termasuk dari mana hendak dapatkan punca pendapatan untuk menampung semua itu.     "Silap-silap kita (negara) akan menjadi muflis," katanya. Kenyataan Datuk Mukhriz yang mengesahkan anggaran kementerian beliau bahawa permit import (AP) akan menarik bidaan setinggi RM60,000 setiap satu jika dikendalikan secara telus melalui tender terbuka mempunyai kesan yang besar kepada kewangan negara. Jika jumlah AP yang dikeluarkan mencecah 70,000 setiap tahun seperti yang dianggarkan, negara dan rakyat kehilangan hasil sekitar RM3 bilion hingga RM3.5 bilion setiap tahun kerana kementerian yang turut diketuai Datuk Mukhriz kini hanya mengenakan caj RM10,000 sahaja setiap AP apabila ia diagihkan kepada pihak-pihak tertentu tanpa melalui proses tender terbuka. Bagi setiap AP, negara dan rakyat rugi sehingga RM50,000 dan jumlah itu masuk poket pihak berkepentingan yang mengaut untung besar akibat dasar tidak telus Umno/Barisan Nasional. Jumlah RM3 bilion hingga RM3.5 bilion ini adalah lebih tinggi berbanding anggaran yang dibuat KEADILAN dalam menentukan sumber kewangan untuk menampung dasar menurunkan harga kereta melalui pemotongan cukai eksais secara berperingkat. Ia juga membuktikan kemampuan kewangan kerajaan untuk melaksanakan dasar ini, jika Umno/Barisan Nasional benar-benar serius mendengar desakan rakyat. Kenyataan Datuk Mukhriz juga menggambarkan beliau masih belum faham mekanisme yang boleh digunapakai untuk menurunkan harga kereta kerana terlalu terbawa-bawa dengan pandangan yang berpihak kepada tauke kaya dan pengedar kereta yang membuat untung berlebihan dari sistem AP sedia ada. Rungutan beliau, kononnya harga AP yang tinggi jika dilelong secara terbuka akan menyebabkan harga kereta bertambah tinggi membayangkan beliau mahu mempertahankan kadar keuntungan berlipat kali ganda yang kini dinikmati pihak-pihak berkepentingan ini. Menurut perkiraan beliau, bila kadar keuntungan ini dipertahankan, sebarang peningkatan kos kepada pengedar kereta akibat harga AP yang lebih tinggi perlu ditanggung oleh rakyat. KEADILAN mengesyorkan supaya pengedar-pengedar berkepentingan ini bersaing sesama mereka dengan mengurangkan kadar keuntungan demi mendapatkan pelanggan. Apabila harga AP meningkat dan harga kereta mula turun, mereka tidak ada pilihan melainkan mengurangkan kadar keuntungan yang tidak berpatutan yang mereka nikmati selama ini. Demi menerangkan lagi mekanisme ini kepada Datuk Mukhriz, KEADILAN ingin menjemput Datuk Mukhriz untuk turut sama hadir ke Forum #turunhargakereta yang diadakan pada hari Khamis ini (13 September 2012) jam 8 malam di Dewan Perhimpunan Cina Kuala Lumpur & Selangor yang bakal menemukan YB Tony Pua, YB Dr Dzulkifly Ahmad, Saudara Wan Saiful Wan Jan, Saudara Rafizi Ramli dan YB Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad. Jika beliau benar-benar berjiwa besar demi kepentingan rakyat, kami yakin Datuk Mukhriz akan sudi singgah bersama-sama dengan rakyat berbincang kaedah terbaik untuk menurunkan harga kereta, terutamanya apabila beliau sendiri sudah mengesahkan bahawa kerajaan mempunyai dana yang mencukupi untuk melaksanakannnya.

Tanda Putera: Deconstructing Prejudice Posted: 08 Sep 2012 04:04 PM PDT I really doubt the capacity of Ms Shuhaimi to "look at all angles" if after looking at the records produced in my book she still insists that the communists were responsible for May 13. Dr Kua Kia Soong, SUARAM Adviser   I am in full agreement with the director of the forthcoming film 'Tanda Putera', Shuhaimi Baba that we should withhold any critique of the film until we have seen it. I have so far merely warned Malaysians about the record of the Barisan National in resurrecting the spectre of 'May 13' at every general election since 1969. Others have protested against some of the images posted on the Facebook for the film. But judging from Shuhaimi's interview in an online media (FMT, 6.9.2012), I am not too sanguine about her impartiality and capacity to discern fact from prejudice in a mature manner: "When I first read Dr Kua (Kia Soong's) book, I thought what came out first and shining through was his prejudices against Malays and his resentment against the office of the prime minister then. His accusations – alluding to who was responsible for May 13- that is, Tun Razak, was not only atrocious but irresponsible. But then he knows that, I am sure, since he's more intelligent than most men, and he does it for effect and propaganda and to rile up Chinese sentiments. It was too easy for him. As a writer, he preferred to be biased and did not shed any light on the riots but even considered the communists had nothing to do with it. His obvious biasness – not questioning why in Tunku's own book, and later in an authorised biography of Tunku as late as 1990 – Tunku did not cast aspersions on Tun Razak. There were reports and books written by people who were not present during May 13. Some were based on third party reports. Yet in one publication, no mention was made that the writer was not in the country, the author did not point out he was not present but his comments and observations on May 13 were like a first-person report. Complete with prejudices against the Malays and the Malaysian government. How is it that this author can be quoted as a reliable source? He had deliberately too omitted details of what were the insulting behaviours towards the Malays before May 13. I find the NOC (National Operations Council) report on May 13, 1969, may not be as complete, but it was more useful and reliable because they were verified with statistics and signed support reports and documents. The NOC report was also verified by a committee appointed by Tun Ismail. The head of the committee was a person of high integrity. So that's where I am coming from when I say I looked at all angles…"   Prejudices against Malays? First, I would like to thank her for reading my book although I am very disappointed that she has drawn very odd conclusions from it. I have read such accusations of my supposed "prejudices against Malays" among the mindless blogheads in cyberspace but I would expect better of an artist who seeks a reputation for integrity. For a start, she fails to provide any evidence for my supposed "prejudices against the Malays and (my) resentment against the office of the prime minister". Many respected Malay intellectuals have critiqued my book and made no mention of it being "prejudiced against Malays". I may be guilty of using class analysis in my writings but you will not find a more committed anti-racist crusader than me in this country… The late Rustam Sani (bless his soul!) wrote in his blog on 13 May 2007 after attending the launch of my book: "May 13: A Sunday morning well-spent at the book launch. There was absolutely no doubt in my mind that Dr Kua had penned a very important book – indeed, to my mind, he has made "publishing history" of sorts. I came out of the book launch feeling only half-satisfied with the discussion that took place and half-pessimistic about the future. It did not, however, diminish my appreciation of Dr Kua's book as an important contribution to my understanding of Malaysia's contemporary history, and for such interesting and thoughtful presentations by the guest speakers." Among the guest speakers was highly respected Malay intellectual, Professor Syed Husin Ali who  disputed my "coup detat" thesis but he did not think that my book displayed "prejudices against the Malays". Azmi Sharom, writing in The Star on 31 May 2007, had this to say about the book: "As with Kua's earlier works, it is written in a passionate style that drives the narrative forward with a sense of urgency, so much so that reading it was a pleasure. I think that this is an important book. It raises issues and questions that challenge the official story of the riots and it adds new information that is vital if we as a nation are ever to truly understand that horrible period of our history."    Again, he did not get the impression that I was "prejudiced against the Malays". Likewise, my socialist comrade Dr Mohd Nasir Hashim has not mentioned to me that he finds my account "prejudiced against Malays" because he also subscribes to class analysis of society and history. I am therefore dubious about the amount and the quality of research done by Ms Shuhaimi on May 13 and whether she seriously read my book. She says that "no mention was made that the writer was not in the country, the author did not point out he was not present but his comments and observations on May 13 were like a first-person report."   The Full Story of May 13 is Yet Untold First, my book uses declassified documents which I researched first-hand in London and made available in The British Public Records Office, Kew Gardens. That's a lot of valuable legwork that is potentially helpful research for Ms Shuhaimi's film. The suggestion that I was trying to portray this as a first-hand account is puzzling, as the title itself clearly states the fact that such first-hand accounts are extracts from the declassified documents themselves. Ms Shuhaimi is certainly the first person to make such an observation. The reason my book created such a sensation was because many Malaysians do not find the official versions credible. Contrary to what Ms Shuhaimi says, the official statistics on the casualties during May 13 are the least credible of all. I may not have been there but my brother in law was a professor at the University Hospital at the time and my brother was a medical student at Malayan University too. They saw the number of bodies that were tarred to conceal their ethnicity and they certainly exceeded the official figures. The documents in my book testify as much to this fact. I provided a class analysis based on the available evidence provided by the records at the time. A fuller story will only emerge with a Truth & Reconciliation Commission when families of the victims, the police, the army, hospital doctors and staff come forward to tell us their stories. A serious artist should welcome as many stories from the people as possible and not be beholden to the official version.   The Tunku's Views on Tun Razak Ms Shuhaimi accuses me of bias and claims that the Tunku didn't cast aspersions on Tun Razak. Again, this reflects on the quality of her research and her capacity to weigh historical documents. Obviously Ms Shuhaimi does not consider the documents produced in my book to be worth consideration or to be objective. She falls back on the Tunku's early writings and apparently, "the Tunku's authorised biography". For the information of Ms Shuhaimi, K. Das was the Tunku's official biographer and they had carried out a series of interviews which can be read in my 2002 title: "K. Das & the Tunku Tapes". Yes, a copy of the tapes was given to me by K.Das' family. Can any records beat these audio recordings done in the twilight of the Tunku's life when he could finally speak his mind? Will Ms Shuhaimi challenge me to produce the Tunku tapes to verify if the Tunku actually said these words to K. Das? "You know Harun was one of those – Harun, Mahathir, Ghazali Shafie – who were all working with Razak to oust me, to take over my place…" (Kua Kia Soong, 2002: 112) For the further information of Ms Shuhaimi, I am not the first person to see May 13 as a coup detat against the Tunku. A Malay (yes, Malay!) intellectual, Subky Latiff had already put forward this thesis in an academic journal, Southeast Asian Affairs, Singapore in 1977. Although I was not at the seminar when Subky Latiff presented his paper, I am sure there were no gasps of "how atrocious and irresponsible!" among the academics gathered there.   Why the deference to Authority? We can understand deference to authority in a feudal society. But why do we need to be deferential to the people we elect? Ms Shuhaimi refers to the Prime Ministers as if they are deities to worship. In fact, whenever a general election approaches, that is the time when the politicians including prime ministers eat humble pie and plead for our support. What are prime ministers but the leaders of the respective parties who happen to win a majority in the general election? If we take the trouble to research into Malayan/ Malaysian history, we will invariably find that the leaders of political parties often use foul underhand means to maintain their political positions. This goes not only for the incumbent but also for the opposition parties. My recent "Patriots & Pretenders" gives an account of the way the British colonial power connived to ensure the victory of the Alliance in the pre-Independence manoeuvres. Take UMNO as an example. If political chicanery had not come into play, Dato Onn Jaafar leading the Independence of Malaya Party could have become Prime Minister at Independence. If the British colonial power had not backed the Alliance, the PMCJA-PUTERA coalition could have given the Alliance a good run for their money and we could have had a socialist prime minister who would not want such feudal deference from the people! The proclamation of The Emergency in 1948 through to 1960 was to ensure the British colonial power passed political power onto their local custodians at Independence and not to the PMCJA-PUTERA coalition. Then again, if it had not been for Dr Mahathir's "tengkolok trick" in 1990, Tengku Razaleigh might have become Malaysia's prime minister. Likewise, the arrest of Anwar Ibrahim in 1998 altered the history of UMNO and assured Dr Mahathir's hold on power into the 21st century. Yes, like any democrat I have a healthy disrespect for authority in an oppressive regime and I would have imagined an artist with ideals and integrity would share such aspirations for truth, justice, freedom, democracy and human rights.   Were the Communists Responsible for May 13? I really doubt the capacity of Ms Shuhaimi to "look at all angles" if after looking at the records produced in my book she still insists that the communists were responsible for May 13. In my book I have shown that in the Tunku's broadcast at 2230 on 17 May 1969, he had qualified his earlier assertion that the disturbances were caused by communists, putting the blame instead on assorted "bad elements". Is this Ms Shuhaimi's own prejudices or does she have stronger evidence to show that the communists were indeed responsible for May 13? The regime used the communist bogey at the time because it was necessary for it to justify imposing a state of emergency and to carry out the agenda of the new Umnoputras. To conclude, I fervently hope that Ms Shuhaimi will seriously study my views like any honest artist and ponder the deconstruction of prejudice. Perhaps, this is an opportunity for Ms Shuhaimi as an artist to be more circumspect – be more of a calligrapher with a deft brush rather than follow the mindless mob that tars and feathers any detractors…

What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander, Tun Posted: 08 Sep 2012 04:00 PM PDT Isn't Mahathir, in his desperation to ensure the BN remains in power forever, indulging in undemocratic actions to deny the opposition the space and opportunity to form an alternative government that would guarantee the demise of the BN, wonders P Ramakrishnan.   Tun Dr Mahathir's warning that the country may never see a Barisan Nasional (BN) government again if Pakatan Rakyat (PR) is voted into Putrajaya, would provoke the response, "Good riddance to bad rubbish!" from many Malaysians who are totally fed up with BN rule. After 55 years of BN rule, it is time to say, "Enough is enough! It's time to go!!" Mahathir should stop whining that the federal opposition would do "everything possible" to stay in power forever if they were to form the next government. What's wrong with that, Tun? Didn't you do that, Tun, to stay in power forever? Why is it when you did "everything possible" to cling on to power, it was the proper thing to do but it is utterly wrong now for others to aspire to, as you did. Didn't you refuse our beloved Tunku, the honest Hussein Onn, the fearless Tengku Razaleigh and others admission into Umno Baru so that you could remain in power forever without any opposition from within the party? Didn't you introduce the system of 10 bonus votes for every nomination you received from Umno divisions to ensure that you would continue to be the President of Umno without any threat of a challenge? Didn't you fix a minimum number of nominations from Umno divisions to be eligible to contest the president's post? And didn't this effectively prevent Tengku Razaleigh from challenging for the president's post? Didn't the BN amend the federal constitution to disqualify those who resigned and thereby forced a by-election so that you could not be put to the test again? The amendment came soon after Shahrir Samad resigned as a BN parliamentarian in 1988, forcing a by-election in Johor Bharu, which he won convincingly as an independent, thus embarrassing you in the process. Didn't you have absolute control of the party and government so that your position would remain unassailable as long as you chose to stick around? Wasn't the BN guilty of gerrymandering to ensure that the BN had the best advantage to win the elections so that you and the BN could lord over the nation forever? Didn't you destroy the judiciary in 1988 when you played a role in the sacking of the then Lord President, Tun Salleh Abas? Wasn't it to preserve and perpetuate your position? Didn't you shackle the powers of the royalty by holding semarak gatherings throughout the country to run down the royalty and by amending the constitution so that you and the BN could remain in power forever without any obstacles or obstruction? Didn't the BN deny allocations for all elected MPs and State Assembly members – unfairly and unjustly – so that the BN could continue to rule forever by pulling the purse strings? Didn't the BN engineer the overthrow of the legitimately elected Pakatan government in Perak ignoring the choice of the voters so that the BN could forever continue to be in power by whatever means? Isn't the BN hounding Anwar through trumped up charges and all other foul means to prevent his political ascendancy, which threatens the BN's greed to remain in power forever? Isn't it because the BN wants to be in power forever – and by any means – that it is going after the brave Bersih leaders who had inspired Malaysians to march in their thousands demanding free and fair elections? Aren't you in your desperation to ensure the BN remains in power forever indulging in undemocratic actions to deny the opposition the space and opportunity to form an alternative government that would guarantee the demise of the BN? Why is it, dear Tun, that only you and the BN can have the licence to do everything possible to remain in power forever? Why are you denying the loyal opposition the same opportunity to protect and preserve their position? Haven't you heard of the saying, "What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander"? Your hypocrisy is really nauseating, Tun! P Ramakrishnan, the immediate past president of Aliran, now serves on the Aliran executive committee.

Why Tun M is terrified of the opposition! Posted: 08 Sep 2012 03:17 PM PDT Daniel John Jambun If we look at how Tun Dr. Mahathir has been making political comments during the last few months we would have noticed very clearly that he is actually very worried, yes, utterly terrified, about of the possibility of the opposition taking over the government. The basis of this fear is real. Mahathir is not merely having a nightmare for nothing. And he has a lot of good reasons to see it all coming. Firstly, the great tsunami of 2008 changed the way the BN looks at itself. It made BN realize how fragile the national coalition is. In fact 2008 was such a close call that had it been without Sabah and Sarawak, the powerful BN leaders would no longer be sitting in Putrajaya right now. And he knows things had gone further downhill for the BN since then. In spite of all the dirty tactics, all the scandals against opposition leaders, all the manufacturing of endless good news about the economy, the Santa Claus programs, the people had continued to lose confidence in the BN. Now wonder Mahathir had gone into the bad habit of saying a lot nonsensical and downright stupid things! In desperation he said it's better to have a devil that you know that a devil you don't know. It was admittance that the BN is a devil. He had justified the huge influx of illegal immigrants into Sabah and made the totally ludicrous proposal that as long as they can speak Malay, they qualify to become citizens of Malaysia. This statement set off a barrage of firings from both the opposition and the BN leaders. It made us wonder what kind of mind was ruling us for 27 years. Now he had gone into fear mongering by saying again and again that if the opposition takes over the country, it would lead to total chaos, which goes in line with PM Datuk Seri Najib's idea that the opposition is not qualified to take over the government. Well tell that to Lim Guan Eng and Datuk Khalid Ibrahim.   But to top it all, Mahathir's most interesting remark was his idea that if the PR takes over the government, it will rule Malaysia forever. The funny thing about this childish remark is that it is actually a compliment to PR! Mahathir said if the PR takes over, it will do things to make sure the BN can never come back to rule again, saying he "knows a few things." What he said here is very telling about what kind of government the BN has been running for 27 years under Mahathir. He doesn't know a few things; he actually know A LOT of things, meaning underhanded tactics and dirty tricks to ensure the opposition can never take over the government. Well, if he knows all these tricks and he had used them over the years, how come the BN is in real danger of toppling over now? Maybe Abraham Lincoln was right when he said, "You can fool some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time" or as the Malay proverbs says, "Sepandai-pandai tupai melompat akhirnya jatuh ke tanah juga."   Or maybe Mahathir's many tricks – increasing the population of Sabah with immigrants by four folds, gerrymandering, threatening and penalizing the opposition leaders and dissenters with draconian laws, manipulating the economy to keep Sabah and Sarawak poor so they continue to be beggars and dependants in Malaysia, suffocating the press, promoting social polarization through manipulation of race and religion, etc. etc. – had failed to put Malaysians under anymore control because they have had enough of it and realized it is time to change the government. He thought he could continue to put on a benign face and manipulate the people forever. But guess what, you can't fool the people forever.   It is interesting that he believes that a new Malaysian government will become more corrupt than his government. Only a dictator who controlled a regime which put on a benign face for so long can think like this. He is actually telling the world, that by knowing "a few things" he was really corrupt and evil as a Prime Minister. By saying all these things he is actually admitting that he is a Machiavellian politician who would stop at nothing to get what he wants. And now, frustrated that he no longer calls the shots, he thinks he is helping Najib's government by going into fear mongering. And poor Najib can't say or do anything because Mahathir has a lot of clout, being able to play the role of a puppet player behind the scene. Najib has to keep quiet, or else. And when we fully realize the reality of this situation, in which our Prime Minster is at the mercy of his predecessor, we will have reasons to have even less confidence in the present BN government! So Mahathir is not doing Najib any favour by talking endlessly like a drunken and frightened monkey. Despite his praises for Najib, he only causes the people to see out PM as a weak puppet.   It will be very interesting to observe what Mahathir will say on the next few days. You can bet he won't be able to keep quite more than a few days. He is too paranoid to keep quiet more than a few days. But what he needs to understand is that his ideas are getting more and more ridiculous and only to serve to convince us even more that our former PM is losing his marbles and showing clear signs of senility.   But what is the real reasons Mahathir is so frightened of the prospect of the BN falling? Believe me Mahathir's reasons are less patriotic than what he tries to show to the public. The real reasons are personal. If BN falls, protective walls around him will crumble and he stands to face the music for a lot of misdeeds during his heydays. Why else is he so paranoid about the RCI and so eager to defend the illegals? Because of the reality of the Projek IC Mahathir. And this is not the only can of worms that are waiting to be exposed. There will be so many that the whole world will have to reel back in shock and disgust. But what can he do now, that the dark clouds are descending on his head and his family? The days of reckoning are here and nobody, even Mahathir with all his clout and money, can stop it.

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