PKR: Reform Torchbearer still?

October 12, 2010

PKR: A Torchbearer of Reform Still?

By Josh Hong@www.malaysiakini.com

If there is anything that one can say about Parti KeADILan Rakyat (PKR) these days, it is that the party now looks increasingly like an epitome of Barisan Nasional.

No doubt, the party is of no fixed abode when it comes to ideology, mostly due to its diverse membership and volatile public support, as seen from its dramatic jump from one parliamentarian to 31 at the last general election.

But elasticity does not equal opportunism. Possession of the former quality means a party is able to adapt to constantly changing realities and voter demands without bending its long-held principles, whereas cashing in on others misfortune and shambles in utter disregard of consequences could signal the downward spiral leading all the way to eventual demise.

Unless the term reform means no more than building a populist coalition backed by members and leaders of all shapes and sizes, PKR still has to convince the electorate that its raison dtre is to dismantle the obnoxious race politics in Malaysia and effect real changes with ideals and capabilities.

Sadly, this is not how the party appears to be. Ever since the party elections got under way, PKR has been beset with factional conflicts, bitter accusations and brawls. While one may accept that inexperience with direct party election which involves the grassroots and makes all outcomes highly unpredictable is responsible for the chaos, some elements that the public has witnessed so far are clearly inexcusable.

Endless Mudslinging

Granted, factions are a necessary evil in party politics. But a broad church can only be strengthened and buttressed by healthy debates and constructive engagements o! f all st reams. On the other hand, resentment, acrimony and personal vendetta will destroy a party in no time, however promising it once was.

So far, I am yet to hear things that sound close to the word reform from any of the leadership hopefuls, and it is hard not to agree with many that all that the public is getting from PKR over the past few weeks is endless mud slinging that goes right to the highest echelons of the party, with each side trading bemusing and even childish accusations one after another.

The contest between Azmin Ali and Zaid Ibrahim, the two heavyweight candidates for deputy president, has now descended into a melodramatic pot-boiler. There is certainly a huge audience out there, but the quality leaves much to be desired.

Instead of taking pot shots at each other, why cant the two men campaign to win the hearts and minds of the masses on concrete programmes such as reform on the judiciary, economy, education, human rights and political structure of the country?

Stop using the much abused pretext that Malaysia as a developing nation is ill-equipped for policy debate and that Malaysians are generally more interested in form rather than substance. If this is the case, there would not have been a series of massive demonstrations calling for change and reform over the past few years.

Even if I were to consider this substandard excuse, it still would not absolve politicians of their obligation to raise the levels of Malaysian politics by moving beyond personal feuds and sensationalism.

For reasons best known to himself, Zaid agreed to pull out of the race only if Nurul Izzah entered the fray for the deputy post. Yet most major political parties in the country are already more feudalistic than their counterparts in the Indian subcontinent: UMNO (Najib Abdul Razak, Khairy Jamaluddin, Mukhriz Mahathir, etc), Gerakan (Lim Keng Yeik and Lim Si Pin), DAP (Lim Kit Siang and Lim Guan Eng). Do Malaysians deserve another political dynasty?

Dodgy character

And then there was news of Lee Chong Meng quitting MCA and joining PKR yesterday[ Application to join PKR rejected a few days ago]. Nicknamed Doktor Ayam, Lee was suspended by his previous party two years ago over allegations of misuse of government funds. He has yet to clear his name.

To say that Lees track record as Bukit Bintang MCA chief has been unmemorable is an understatement. In fact, he did nothing to improve the political culture in the country, and is totally bereft of refreshing ideas and views.

Has anyone heard him speak up on justice, police brutality, corruption and transparency? I only remember he sought to deter a female candidate from being fielded in Bukit Bintang by saying that the rough area was ill-suited for a woman politician. Thank goodness, he went on to lose by nearly 15,000 votes in March 2008.

It defies logic for a party that is premised on reform to offer political refuge to a dodgy character like Lee. Should the party field him just to satisfy his ambitions, I would be ready to campaign against him.

If reform is really what PKR stands for, it must do its utmost to show that it is much more than just a recycle bin for political has-beens. Start conducting party affairs in a fashion that is remarkably different from the BN, or risk making a mockery of new politics and end up losing more public trust than UMNO. Id shed no tears when the day comes.

Letter & Opinion From Joe Public

VISION 2020 BETTER THAN NEM

from LIBERTY by a. ghani ismail

Is Prime Minister Najib Razak being openly sabotaged by Level Four? The question arises after it became clear ‘his’ New Economic Model (NEM) and the recently unveiled Economic Transformation Plan (ETP) are based on very big bucks for super-mega projects to run the country into a high income economy by 2020.

The ETP costs about RM 1.4 trillion from 2010 to 2020 without a minimum wage for workers, with no subsidies and affirmative actions allowed that can or may distort the operations of the market economy and which will also see many of the Government-Linked Companies (GLCs) privatized.

In short, it is a promised Laissez-faire Shangrila seeded at a time when the leading capitalist nation (USA) is slapping tariff protection on a large number of Chinese goods and while the USD and the Euro are likely to collapse at any time, the PIIGS in the EU having become bankrupt and Greenland recently busted too, giving a sum of 17 countries unable to service their external debts so far.

People with money are hedging themselves against the impending Depression and currencies collapses. They pushed gold price above USD 1,360. Yet some in Malaysia wanted to trade the Ringgit in the money market. What for?

There’s a currency war going on. Some say it is due to the cheap Yuan. But that is clearly only one of numerous reasons - money printing on hitherto unknown scales in a few countries is another.

We know when too much money is printed and flushed into the market and lots of loans are given to trail huge stimulus packages, the ensuing inflation will become a depression should production fall.

Now we are told the 33 industrialized (OECD) countries have collectively run a 0.1 percent negative growth in August 2010.

A world depression follows should that become a trend. Truth is, economic experts have all been saying that depression is already a swinger in the neighborhood and should claim a space on your bed the next time you blink.

Hence, we need to ask what is Najib’s RM 1.4 trillion 10-year injection to bring in high income about in a world economy that is already going down once again?

He is an economist and he must himself know the NEM with its ETP (Economic Transformation Plan, or whatever) is seriously a threat, not merely to the 40 percent of households in Malaysia that earn RM1500 or less per month but to the reality of households that cannot make ends meet earning twice that amount because of (present) rising prices. More than 70 percent of these are Bumiputras.

Was there anything in the ETP or the NEAC’s NEM that suggested the price spiral of essential items can or will be contained?

There are plans for FELDA to produce food and for some pharmaceutical industries to produce an assortment of drugs. But will that contain the inflation that is rising on the back of stimulus packages, money printing, unwinding of subsidies and bubble-making like in the case of housing where prices suddenly leapt 35 percent in the space of three months?

Neat packets of projects have already been given out in principle to the country’s mega companies, the Gamuda-MMC rapid-transit trains alone said to be worth more than RM43 billion, much of the money to be raised by issuing bonds.

YTL will be building a high-speed (280 kmph) train from Penang to Singapore, a much needed facility no doubt but most of that money must be quickly mopped or it will add on to the burdensome inflation.

MMC, which is reported to be already super-geared, want to develop some pieces of government land for some tens of billions while it also wishes to buy out UEM, which owns the lucrative cash-cow, PLUS, that built, maintains and runs the North-South Highway with the right to raise the toll every few years, and it does that.

This is assets sale. It is rumored MMC along with a few other companies are also interested in buying over PNB, the largest Bumiputra trust company.

We are now running into “super-mega projects” to raise the per capita income to more than US15,000, projects that make the RM12 billion KLIA and the RM19 billion Putrajaya look like penny buns.

The seven entry-point projects of the ETP alone, which are earmarked for takeoff before the year ends, cost RM118 billion, you see. It does not include the 10th Malaysia Plan spendings.

People, therefore, find the NEM and ETP a big threat. Until now this writer has not read a single positive acceptance of both anywhere in the pages of Internet discussions. Even economists writing to the government-inclined mainstream media have been highly skeptical.

What’s up then? Can it be true Najib is stuck with a Level Four that’s making him look like a super-dreamer compared to his predecessor and find himself knotted into a rot in less than a year or is Najib so aloof he believes he can stand above the impact of another world depression?

The world is certainly going into a Depression again. Is the ETP and the NEM really some kind of a solution to that? Is the Laissez-Faire economy magic?

Every critical writer on the subject has decided the NEM and the ETP are threats to the larger body of Malaysians and this writer joins the chorus. It will fail. Vision 2020 was far better.--- a. ghani ismail, 12 September, 2010.

Moles in MACC

from rights2write by drrafick

1. The NST published a story where it was reported that MACC lodge a police report over the release of confidential investigation papers from their safekeeping. These papers are related to the news leak that appears on Malaysia Today. For those who appreciate the value of national interest and national secrets, MOLES are considered dangerous. They can be considered as traitors to the organization that they represent and to the nation.
   

2. Only God knows how much RPK knows and how much materials in the police strong room, MACC super duper confidential cabinets are actually in RPK possession. Only god knows what type of documents and the level of importance of the documents out there that is within RPK access. I wonder how many of the materials out there are of relevant to national interest.
   

3. While security organization worldwide finds ways to weed out moles, it appears that our security organization is breeding them. These new breed of moles risk their lives in revealing detail information that does not normally meets the public eye. Whether they gave it out for free or for a fee, it is something that people should consider. My assessment based on the selective disclosure by RPK for many years, it appears that these are good moles. Moles with conscience that had no choice but went public with their information because they felt the system that they are in are rotten and cannot defend the right and the weak. The system that they are in is neither neutral nor professional in approach.
   

4. In my assessment, I find RPK has been equally responsible in his releases. He is very careful in not release any security papers that has an impact on the nation but rather has been releasing information about people in the service that has abused their positions in the government service. For this RPK deserves more than a praised. He deserves to be knighted.
   

5. My only worries are that our system is so loose that there could be MOLES that is selling the nation secrets to foreign countries. Valuable information is a commodity and neighboring nations willing to pay top dollar for it. Money is never an object for these countries as valuable information can bring greater value. For example it can be use as collateral information is solving long standing bitter issues between two nations. It also can compromise the nation security.
   

6. While we reward the good moles, we need to be careful about the bad moles. I feel the government should focus on these bad moles. The good moles should be rewarded. In my case, I have several moles on my belly.
   
   
   

VIDEO Tian Chua: Pakatan is more than just sharing seats

from Malaysia Chronicle by admin@ malaysiachronicle

PKR strategic director Tian Chua explains that Pakatan Rakyat is not just a marriage of convenience for the sake of parliamentary seats but with real vision for a new Malaysia.
Read also: PKR ready to welcome Penang Gerakan members
Zaid seen going for PKR No. 1 and then resignation...



Pakatan Is Not Just About Sharing Seats In The Parliament
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If Malaysia Can Survive The Next Ten Years ...
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1Malaysia berharap hanya dgn lubang Saiful

from Perjuangan adalah perlaksanaan kata - kata by cheguBard

Saya tidak menganggap rakyat Malaysia memerlukan drama politik sebegini, sama ada sebagai hiburan untuk meredakan tekanan hidup harian, mahupun sebagai rancangan realiti untuk meningkatkan pengetahuan seks masyarakat umum merentasi sempadan umur.

Saya tidak pasti apakah kesudahannya, malah saya lebih mencurigai apakah ia mempunyai kesudahan. Saya tidak tahu sama ada benar atau mampu Anwar Ibrahim melakukannya, saya juga tidak berminat sama ada Saiful Bukhari Azlan mencuci duburnya, bahkan saya tidak pasti versi akuan bersumpah (SD) Rahimi Osman (gambar kiri, kedua dari kiri) manakah yang ditandatanganinya tanpa paksaan.

Apa yang pasti, dubur Saiful Bukhari Azlan akan terus dijadikan tumpuan satu Malaysia, malah satu dunia. Ruang dada akhbar akan sarat dengan berita pendedahan demi pendedahan untuk menghakis dan menggoyah keyakinan rakyat terhadap Anwar Ibrahim; bekas rakan seperjuangannya akan tampil seorang demi seorang untuk membongkar "wajah sebenar" Anwar, dan ruang rencana akan menyiarkan artikel demi artikel untuk mengupas, menganalisa, malah meramalkan masa depan Anwar Ibrahim, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) dan Pakatan Rakyat (PR) - yang sudah tentu akan hancur dan ranap dalam masa terdekat, kononnya.

Jelas, ini kes politik

Saya menghormati proses perbicaraan mahkamah yang sedang berlangsung, malah untuk mendukung prinsip keadilan saya terpaksa menghormati juga mereka yang berhempas-pulas menegakkan keadilan, kononnya, untuk Saiful Bukhari Azlan. Namun demikian, segala-gala ini gagal mengubah hakikat bahawa Kes Sodomi II ini merupakan kes politik.

Dari segi undang-undang, Anwar Ibrahim didakwa di bawah Seksyen 377B Kanun Keseksaan - kesalahan melakukan hubungan seks di luar tabii yang melibatkan dua pihak secara sukarela. Dengan kata lain, Saiful Bukhari Azlan perlu tampil sebagai tertuduh bersama Anwar, dan bukannya pengadu yang memberi keterangan - seandainya mengikut Seksyen 377B.

Namun demikian, Saiful mendakwa dirinya diliwat tanpa kerelaan sejak awal lagi. Jadi, Anwar seharusnya didakwa di bawah Seksyen 377C, iaitu hubungan seks di luar tabii secara paksaan - barulah Saiful boleh tampil ke mahkamah sebagai "pengadu". Apa yang berlaku kini memperlihatkan kontradiksi yang ketara antara pertuduhan dengan keterangan pengadu.

Justeru itu, sukar untuk kerajaan Najib Abdul Razak meyakinkan rakyat bahawa sistem kehakiman profesional dan bebas ketika membicarakan Kes Sodomi II ini. Malah, tidak mungkin ia sekadar "kes jenayah" biasa, seandainya dilihat kepada pendekatan lidah UMNO, Utusan Malaysia membuat liputan berita ini.

Liputan luas diberikan kepada kandungan soal-jawab dalam perbicaraan mahkamah. Malah, perbincangan isu ini dilanjutkan dengan wawancara bersama bekas pemimpin PKR, yang menyindir agar "Anwar tidak perlu takut", sambil mempertikaikan "Kenapa mahu tangguh perbicaraan kalau tidak bersalah?" Kemudian bekas orang kanan tampil memohon maaf, "Kerana membela Anwar Ibrahim dalam kes liwat pertamanya". Sumpah-seranahnya bagaikan ludah ke langit, dan jatuh bagaikan hujan kebetulan ketika menjelang pilihan raya kecil...

Buktikan liwat tanpa tusukan?

Saya tidak nampak bahawa ulasan, kupasan, atau analisa yang terpampang di depan mata ketika kita menyelak akhbar ini memberi makna. Laporan pemeriksaan doktor telah menyatakan bahawa tiada kesan tusukan ditemui, namun perbicaraan tetap berjalan. Jadi, segala-gala ini seolah-olah cubaan untuk membuktikan kepada satu Malaysia, malah seluruh umat manusia di dunia ini bahawa air mani Anwar boleh sampai ke dalam dubur Saiful tanpa tusukan.

Persoalannya, jikapun dibuktikan keajaiban ini berlaku di tanahair yang tercinta ini, apakah kehebatan ini bakal mengundang pelabur asing untuk menyuntik dana ke Malaysia? Padahal, belumpun paip ekzos Saiful terbocor, seramai 304,358 orang bakat buatan Malaysia telah mengalir ke luar negeri, antara Mac 2008 hingga Ogos 2009, apatah lagi kemerosotan 81% dalam pelaburan asing langsung di Malaysia, dari US$7.32 bilion (RM23.47 bilion) pada tahun 2008, kepada US$1.38 bilion (RM4.43 bilion) pada tahun 2009?

Apakah makna yang tersirat di sebalik segala-gala ini? Ertinya, sementara kerajaan Malaysia bertungkus-lumus dalam usahanya untuk "menghilangkan keyakinan" rakyat terhadap Anwar Ibrahim, rakyat Malaysia yang terpaksa menanggung akibatnya - kehilangan keyakinan daripada pelabur asing dan anak watan yang berbakat.

Jelas, Anwar Ibrahim (gambar kiri) diletakkan pada kedudukan sedemikian bukan kerana beliau Ketua Umum PKR, atau kedudukannya sebagai pemimpin utama Pakatan Rakyat. Bahkan, adalah kurang tepat jikalau beliau sekadar Ketua Pembangkang dalam parlimen. Kita tidak perlu menjadi Profesor Sains Politik untuk memahami hakikat Anwar Ibrahim berpotensi menjadi Perdana Menteri, dan kita tidak perlu membaca Sun Tze untuk memahami percaturan politik yang berlangsung di depan mata.

Teorinya mudah - musnahnya Anwar, maka terselamatlah Barisan Nasional.

Politik menabur dendam

Untuk tidak dilihat naif dalam politik, saya menerima babak ini sebagai sebahagian daripada pergelutan kuasa antara pemerintah dengan pembangkang, atau dalam realitinya, antara Barisan Nasional dengan Pakatan Rakyat. Dalam konteks Malaysia, serangan politik yang menyentuh keperibadian kadang-kala tidak dapat dielakkan, meskipun pendekatan ini amat dipertikaikan. Kita masih jauh dari persaingan politik yang sihat - perdebatan politik yang diangkat martabatnya untuk membicarakan soal struktur dan sistem.

Berbalik kepada persoalan, apakah keperluannya untuk mengaibkan musuh politik dan keluarganya dengan cara sebegitu rupa? Untuk ramai warga Malaysia yang prihatin terhadap politik, babak perebutan kuasa yang paling dahsyat dalam sejarah Malaysia melabuh tirai pada 2 September 2004 - apabila Anwar Ibrahim dibebaskan dari penjara. Ianya bukan soal sama ada benar Anwar Ibrahim terlibat dalam kelakuan sodomi, tetapi pengaiban dan penghinaan secara terbuka yang melampaui batas.

Pengaiban secara terbuka terhadap Anwar dan keluarganya telah menyemai benih dendam di kalangan penyokongnya. Ia amat berbeza dengan persaingan politik "siapa lebih Islam atau siapa lebih Melayu", antara UMNO dengan PAS, atau Semangat 46 pada zaman 1990-an. Penghinaan secara terbuka untuk mengaibkan seorang isteri bernama Wan Azizah Ismail, tanpa mempertimbangkan perasaan anak-anaknya - dengan aksi-aksi lucah, gambar-gambar yang diubahsuai, kata-kata yang kasar lagi kesat seperti "kaki buntut" dan sebagainya ketika berkempen, terlalu biadap namanya.

Usaha Abdullah Ahmad Badawi untuk membubuh noktah kepada babak politik yang menabur dendam ini disia-siakan begitu sahaja apabila UMNO-BN semakin terdesak di ambang hilang kuasa. Kita tidak lupa bagaimana doktor Hospital Pusrawi, Mohamed Osman Abdul Hamid membuat akuan bersumpah untuk mempertahankan laporannya (berbunyi Saiful tidak diliwat) selepas memeriksa dubur Saiful, dan kemudian menghilangkan diri kerana tidak tahan dengan gangguan dan tekanan daripada pihak berkuasa.

Dan drama ini dipentaskan semula, selepas satu dekad. Anak-cucu yang melanggan Utusan Malaysia atau Berita Harian kerana sisipan DIDIK, SKOR dan sebagainya, pada masa yang sama ditayangkan adegan bagaimana kelakuan liwat boleh berlaku - dalam bentuk bertulis... Satu generasi membesar dalam suasana media yang sarat dengan istilah "liwat", "sodomi" - imaginasi masyarakat awam digarap dengan tilam yang naik turun di mahkamah pada akhir tahun 1990-an; kini kita pula menyaksikan satu generasi lagi yang membesar dalam suasana media yang tidak banyak berbeza, mungkin cuma tilam digantikan dengan KY jelly untuk mencungkil imaginasi...

Bebas dari politik dubur

Untuk hampir dua dekad sejak tahun 1981, satu Malaysia berfikir menggunakan otak Mahathir. Atau dengan kata lain, otak Mahathir yang menentukan Malaysia dalam jangka kira-kira dua puluh tahun ini. Dan ia hanya berubah mulai tahun 1998, apabila seluruh warga Malaysia diajak untuk berfikir menggunakan dubur.

Bukankah Sasterawan Negara tahun 1982, Shahnon Ahmad memberi gambaran yang paling tepat, melalui bukunya yang berjudul Shit @ PukiMak @ PM, apabila menyifatkan ahli politik yang rasuah, menyalahgunakan kuasa bagaikan najis yang saling menghimpit dalam usus besar?

Dan bukankah inilah senario yang sedang berulang dan berlaku, apabila politikus saling membaling najis, untuk membusukkan dan dibusukkan? Dan kita wajib tanya, sampai bilakah rakyat Malaysia perlu bergelut dalam najis, sebelum terkeluar dari politik dubur yang busuk lagi membusukkan?

Sebagai warga Malaysia muda yang mendahagakan perubahan, saya sedia akur seandainya kerajaan negeri Pakatan Rakyat (PR) tumbang kerana gagal mengota janjinya terhadap rakyat; bahkan saya sedia tunduk kepada realiti, jikalau terbukti PR kurang mantap dan belum bersedia untuk mengambil-alih kuasa pentadbiran daripada BN.

Malah, saya sedia akur jikalau PR terlepas peluang kerana gagal meyakinkan kaum Melayu yang termakan dengan propaganda UMNO-BN; saya sudi menunggu, sama ada satu penggal, satu dekad mahupun berdekad-dekad lagi untuk pertukaran kuasa kerajaan persekutuan, jikalau kita gagal melakukannya pada detik saat PRU ke-13 yang akan datang.

Namun demikian, saya tidak rela sama sekali jikalau perubahan digagalkan hanya dengan satu dubur milikan Saiful Bukhari Azlan. Saya tidak rela sama sekali untuk melihat bagaimana penceramah politik berbuih-buih meyakinkan pakcik-makcik FELDA bahawa Saiful boleh diliwat tanpa dubur terkoyak.

Saya tidak sampai hati melihat seorang wanita bernama Wan Azizah Ismail diperlakukan untuk tampil mempertahankan suaminya di depan khalayak ramai. Saya tidak sampai hati melihat anak-anak Anwar diperlakukan untuk hadir di mahkamah dan dibacakan tuduhan bagaimana ayahnya memasukkan zakar ke dalam dubur bekas pembantunya.

Sememangnya, politik adalah permainan jatuh-menjatuhkan politikus dari jawatan dan kedudukannya, tetapi bukan untuk memijak maruah musuh politik sebagai seorang manusia. Betapa terdesak sekalipun, garis ini haram dilangkaui - bukan sahaja sebagai kayu ukur demokrasi (bagaimana musuh politik dilayan), tetapi juga sebagai benteng ketamadunan.

Dan yang paling penting, sudah tiba masanya untuk rakyat Malaysia membebaskan diri daripada politik dubur. Rakyat Malaysia harus membebaskan diri - untuk berfikir menggunakan otak sendiri, dan bukannya otak Mahathir Mohamad mahupun dubur Saiful Bukhari Azlan. Malaysia wajib keluar dari dubur Saiful Bukhari Azlan. Saya doakan agar ia masih belum terlewat, sebelum satu Malaysia terhumban ke dalam jamban dan dijirus arus globalisasi.

10th October deadline? Since when? Yesterday?

Malaysiakini reports today that according to election administrator Raden Shamsulkamar Raden Shamsudin, all divisions had to officially submit their nominations by last Sunday, 10th October.

A quick check with divisions in Selangor, Penang and Sabah had many responding that this was the first they were hearing of this cut-off date.

Raden has also claimed that none of the 35 divisions that missed the deadline nominated candidates who had not yet qualified, including Nurul Izzah.

Is this correct?

Keningau, Sabah sent in its nomination results to HQ before 10th October.

The nomination that Nurul got for the post of deputy president and the only nomination for her which the party HQ acknowledges was from the Keningau division.

This is the one nomination that Aidila Razak spoke of in her Malaysiakini report yesterday.

Yesterday, the Semporna division, one of the 35 divisions referred to by Raden, faxed their division’s nomination results to the party HQ.

Nurul for deputy president.

Today, Selangau, Sabah Sarawak, another one of the 35 divisions referred to by Raden, faxed in their nomination results.

Nurul for deputy president.

Both these divisions claim not to have been notified of the cut-off date.

The results of one more division where Nurul was nominated for the position of deputy president, also from Sabah, will soon be faxed to party HQ, I am told.

HQ has of course been tracking these results and is aware of them, even if official confirmation has not been received.

The documents from the Semporna and Selangau divisions faxed to party HQ are reproduced below.

To my ‘Is Nurul Izzah being stonewalled…’ post yesterday, Troy sent in a comment and, amongst other things, asked :

“If you have proof , provide it. If not, stop the rumor mongering-it is unprofessional as a representative of the Peoples’ Parliament”.

Is this proof enough for you?

Page 1 of the Semporna document faxed to PKR HQ

Page 2 of the Semporna document faxed to PKR HQ

Page 1 of Selangau document faxed to PKR HQ

Page 2 of Selangau document faxed to PKR HQ

Reject Dr. Ayam, PKR Leadership Told

PKR leaders and members have called on the party to reject former Bukit Bintang MCA division head Datuk Dr Lee Chong Meng’s membership application.

They held placards which read Keadilan Tolak Dr Ayam (Keadilan Rejects Dr Ayam), Say No to Dr Ayam and Reject Lee Chong Meng at MBPJ‘s BU3 multi-purpose hall here yesterday.

National PKR youth information chief Lee Khai Loon said they would send documents citing reasons why Chong Meng should not be allowed into the party.

Khai Loon claimed at a press conference yesterday that Chong Meng had been inconsistent about his MCA membership status and his intention to join the party.

“It looks like he is using PKR to draw attention and only said he applied to join when he was rejected by MCA.

“We hope the leadership will never accept him into the party,” he said, adding that they had sent two letters to the party leadership to reject Chong Meng.

Khai Loon said they had received a lot of feedback from the grassroots against Chong Meng’s inclusion.

Also present at the press conference were Bukit Lanjang assemblyman cum Selangor executive councillor Elizabeth Wong, Rawang assemblyman Gan Pei Nee, Selayang division committee member Chee Chu Song, PJU branch Wanita chief Chua Yee Ling and Ampang Jaya councillor Lee Shok Jing.

The MCA disciplinary board had earlier recommended that Chong Meng be suspended for three years for misusing funds allocated by the Government in 2008.

Cartoon of the day

Ngeh claims crisis solved

By Clara Chooi

October 12, 2010

Ngeh: So we are going to work together to solve these issues at the micro level involving the branches and some individuals.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 12 — Perak DAP chairman Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham claimed today that the spat with his deputy M. Kulasegaran was officially over.

“The matter is settled. We have settled it,” he firmly insisted to The Malaysian Insider at Parliament lobby this morning.

Apparently both sides had ironed out respective grouses and were ready to resolve supporters’ issues, ahead of state party elections.

“A lot of the issues are not between me and Kula. They involve the branches, some individuals... a lot of local matters involving our supporters, not us.

“So we are going to work together to solve these issues at the micro level involving the branches and some individuals. But between us, it is okay now,” he said.

Ngeh admitted that both he and Kulasegaran had been summoned to meet with DAP national chairman Karpal Singh in Parliament today but claimed it was merely to brief the leader and update him on the issue.

“We have so far only been in contact with the secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, with (adviser) Lim Kit Siang, (national vice-chairman) Tan Kok Wai and (life adviser) Dr Chen Man Hin so as a chairman, Karpal just wanted us to brief him,” he explained.

Ngeh also gave his assurance that the party’s state convention will go on as planned this November 14, despite rumours of suggestions from party members to postpone it to allow time for the crisis to be settled.

“We will try to solve everything before the convention,” he promised.

However, Ngeh added that if members still had grouses, the best place to thrash out their differences was during the convention.

“They can raise any issue that is party-related. It is the best place to raise it and we will work it out there,” he said.

Kulasegaran and Ngeh, as well as his cousin Perak DAP secretary Nga Kor Ming, have been at loggerheads for months now over several leadership issues.

Their squabble reached its climax earlier this month when Kulasegaran dropped a bombshell during a special leadership meeting and said he wanted to quit his state party post, citing his dissatisfaction with both Ngeh and Nga.

During the meeting, both warring factions had reportedly erupted in argument over several issues and failed to strike a compromise on the matter.

The Malaysian Insider understands that one of the central issues plaguing both factions are the formation of DAP branches in the state.

Ngeh and Nga have been accused of forming a large number of new branches without the consent of the state committee, allegedly to shore up support for themselves during their contest in the state party elections in November.

Kulasegaran on the other hand, has been accused of illegally reviving dead branches, also for the same reason.

Both parties however finally met in Ipoh on Sunday, together with Tan, Dr Chen and Kit Siang, where they supposedly thrashed out their differences.

A source however told The Malaysian Insider that the duo still disagreed on several matters but did well to tone down their arguments.

Both Ngeh and Kulasegaran later issued a joint press statement, agreeing that they would keep their grievances within the confines of the party.

They later put on a show of unity by appearing at two ceramah dinners together, along with Guan Eng.

Today, Ngeh said that he was sure that despite Kulasegaran’s outburst earlier this month, the latter had realised his mistake in publicising his grouses in the media.

“He knows now.... the big issue was because it reached the media. In any organisation, we all have differences, it is normal, but we will solve it from within,” he said.

Sarawak govt rapped for failure in Rajang mess

By Chris Reubens

The state government was taken to task by Sarawak PKR for failing to prevent the “ecological disaster” that saw the Rajang River being clogged by timber mass and debris since last Friday.

PKR state information chief See Chee How, at a press conference here Tuesday, said this shows the poor governance and incompetence among the present state administrators.

“They have failed to contain the problem of the massive timber mass and debris that clogged the Rajang River,” said See who also warned that Sarawakians will suffer greater losses in terms of socio-economic costs and ecological damage.

He pointed out that whenever it rains in the upper reaches of the major rivers, floods are reported in the towns along and at the lower reaches of the rivers, in Sibu and the central region, and now also in Sri Aman and Miri.

See also accused Second Finance Minister Wong Soon Koh of being irresponsible by saying that the mess would be cleared after the debris and logs are washed into the South China Sea.

“If everything is solved by it floating into the sea, does that mean that all unwanted materials can be dumped and let it flow into the sea?” he asked.

Sarawak Land Development Minister James Jemut Masing was not spared for calling on cabinet members not to take an “ostrich approach” in dealing with the Rajang River mess.

Showing the reports in a local paper, See said it was time for Masing not to keep his own head in the sand and tell the people what he has done in the state cabinet.

Masing, who is also state assemblyman for Baleh, had called on the government to act sternly against the culprits behind the massive debris where tons of dead fish were seen floating in rivers from Ulu Baleh to Kanowit stretching over 100km.

See said Masing was pointing fingers at his own people to show that he is angry but helpless to do anything. See doubted that anyone will be prosecuted or held responsible for the river mess.

He added that the State Disaster and Relief Management Committee had identified the sources from where the massive flow of log and debris were believed to originate from. They are Puntai and Nungan in the upper reach of Baleh River.

See noted that this was the third ecological havoc that has affected the people of Baleh. The first two were in Sungai Ga’at in 2008 and Sungai Tunoh last year.

See said the Baleh folk have suffered much from the incident and he hoped that such an incident would not occur again in future.

On another issue, See wanted a Royal Commission of Inquiry or a Parliamentary Commissioner of Inquiry set up to find the final cost of the Bakun Hydro-electric Project and where the money had been spent.

Calling it an “economic rip-off” and not a development for Sarawak, See said the whole dam project smacks of a get-rich-quick scheme as the state “has exhausted our timber resources and almost all our agricultural land have been leased out”.

He pointed out that from the original costing of RM3.95 billion estimated in 1983 and RM4.09 billion in 1985, plus the cost overruns, compensation for delays and interests, the final cost is believed to have escalated to RM15 billion today.

“But Malaysians are kept in the dark as to the final costs and where the substantial additional sums have gone to,” See said.

“Even with the cost now placed by the Federal government at RM7.3 billion. . . there is a need to re-examine the cost-benefit analysis and the economic viability of the Bakun Dam project.”

“It is to be borne in mind that only one out of the originally planned 8 hydro turbine will be commissioned next year, reducing its power generating capacity from 2,400MW to 300MW,” he said.

He cited an example in India where they had more than 3,000 dams, 60% of them are economically non-viable financial disasters and not able to back the investment.

“The Sarawak BN government owes all Sarawakians an explanation, and we would demand that the Second Planning and Resource Management Minister Awang Tengah Ali Hassan gives us his justifications for saying that the Bakun HEP is not a white elephant.” said See.

He said this is because Sarawakians, amongst all Malaysians, have paid their share of the costs of the RM15 billion project and “we are now to fork out another RM7 billion to buy over the federal project.”

He assured that Pakatan Rakyat would highlight such matters in the coming state elections. He said the people has a right to know the “mismanagement and poor governance in implementation of Bakun”.

He said the planning of the other HEP projects will expose the myths of development propagated by the BN government and convinced the electorates the need for a change in the governance of Sarawak and management of resources.

Rais Makes Police Report Against Rocky

By Syed Akbar Ali

I heard this at lunch today and then received an sms too that Rais Yatim, the Minister of Information had made a Police Report against Rocky of Rocky's Bru.

Rocky has been called by the MCMC for questioning tomorrow morning. There is no complete clarity on this matter at this point in time but I think the Minister got annoyed over the following post by Rocky : Who gets Santa Rais' RM1 billion handout?There is also mention of two other Blogs that were mentioned in Rocky's post but I am not clear on that yet. Maybe more details by tomorrow.

If we have forgotten, Rais is the fellow who burned his bridges with UMNO at one time and then got a welder to weld the bridge back so that he could do the King Louie from Badawi's c*j*nes.

Once upon a time my friends and I thought that there was hope in Rais as a capable leader of this country. How wrong we were.

There are a few unsavoury things that are becoming obvious about Rais. In a meeting with Bloggers a long time ago now, he reminded the Bloggers of the various ways in which action could be taken against the Bloggers. I think today's Police Report is just one example of what he had in mind.

That seems to be his frame of mind - how to take action against the Bloggers. Since then few Bloggers have bothered to attend Rais' functions or reply his invitations. This Police Report against Rocky is proof enough that the Minister has lost it.

Lets consider two things : what exactly did Rocky write about that warrants a Police Report. Secondly - a Police Report is serious business - it could lead to criminal investigation and prosecution. What for ? For writing a Blog? Is this the desired outcome the Minister has in mind?

BigDog has said "The development of this posting which meant to ask for transparency for a purpoted grant to develop the 2.6GHz connectivity as part of the National Broadband Initiative has now turned into something interesting, but probably ugly"

Yes it is ugly. If the Minister feels offended just issue a statement lah, denying the whole thing. It is the right of the citizenry to express their doubts and their concerns about big Government. Police Report untuk apa? If the State wants to play tough guy and use State machinery to muscle the Bloggers, it does not say much of the State machinery.

Rocky has been called to the MCMC (the communications and multi media commission or whatever). The MCMC has recently been given more teeth through some new laws which give the MCMC the power to investigate 'annoyance' cases. The Blogger Mat Skodeng was recently charged in Court under this new law.

What riles me the most is that the MCMC comes unde! r the pu rview of Rais Yatim the Minister of Communications. First he makes a Police Report, then the MCMC under his own Ministry calls Rocky for questioning. And the subject matter of the Police Report are allegations about the Minister. Isnt that just neat for Rais? Certainly it does not smell right.

The Blogs have also said many things about other arms of Government. No other Cabinet Minister has made any Police Report against any of the Blogs. So what is so special about Rais?

This one is going to cost the Government plenty. You are going to lose the support of the Bloggers again.
See What Barisan Nasional Gotta Say?

Tony Pua: Why no open tender for Najib's 4 new tolled-highways

DAP information and economic chief Tony PuaKUALA LUMPUR The Najib administration should explain the tender awards process of four new tolled highways, amid reports of them being directly awarded, DAP MP Tony Pua said today.

The DAP national publicity secretary said that recent news reports on the tender acquisition of the four highways in Peninsular Malaysia proved that none of the projects were being tendered on a open and competitive basis.

This piece of news comes as a surprise, first with the Government and Economic Transformation Programmes prioritising and focusing on public transportation, while secondly and more importantly there appears to be no indication at all that these projects are being tendered on an open and competitive basis as promised under the Prime Ministers New Economic Model (NEM), Pua said in a statement.

The Edge Financial Daily reported yesterday that PLUS Expressways Bhd would be the concession operator of two of the expressways, while Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) would run the rest.

The highways to be operated by PLUS are from Sungai Dua to Juru in Penang, and from Kinrara to Damansara in the Klang Valley, while the PNB-operated highways are said to be from Ampang to Cheras and from Damansara to Sungai Buloh.

It is understood that the new toll highways are likely to be announced during Datuk Seri Najib Razaks Budget 2011 speech on Friday.

One doesnt have to look into the NEM to see that the PM knows full well the negative impacts of a poorly managed, directly awarded privatisation exercises, said Pua.

The Petaling Jaya Utara MP added that if the news reports of PLUS and PNBs acquisition of the toll highways were true, it would contradict points of a speech given by Najib at the Jeddah Economic Forum back in 2007 when Najib was deputy prime minister.

According to Pua, the prime minister had then said that the government should pu! sh for c ompetitive bidding for privatised assets and ensure that process was transparent and fair.

Najib (pic) is not following his own promise, claims Pua.
There is nothing transparent about the tender awarding of the four new toll highways.

Should the report by the Edge Financial Daily be true, then we fear that the government is clearly not making its best effort to help the rakyat increase their quality of living and reduce the cost of living by ensuring that toll tariffs are kept to the minimum and imposed only when necessary, he said.

Pua said that Najib, as the finance minister, should explain during his upcoming budget speech on Friday if open tenders were actually going to be practiced for the awarding of mega-projects under the public finance initiatives (PFIs) or public-private partnerships (PPP).

The Najib administration has promised a slew of mega projects, under the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) which will see a focus in the participation of the private sector.

The various projects in the ETP include the MRT system, the River of Life Klang River beautification project in the Greater KL region as well as future 1 Malaysia malls in China and Vietnam.

Other plans include building a huge oil storage facility next to Singapore to form a regional oil products trading hub. A casino project in Sabah is also being considered.

The Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) said it had identified investments worth RM1.38 trillion over 10 years, of which 60 per cent would come from the private sector, 32 per cent from government-linked companies and eight per cent from the government.

The investment aims to double per capita income and push Malaysia into the ranks of developed nations by 2020, rebalancing Asias third-most export-driven economy towards domestic demand and the service sector. - Malaysian Insider
See What Barisan Nasional Gotta Say?

Sarawak govt rapped for failure in Rajang mess

By Chris Reubens

The state government was taken to task by Sarawak PKR for failing to prevent the ecological disaster that saw the Rajang River being clogged by timber mass and debris since last Friday.

PKR state information chief See Chee How, at a press conference here Tuesday, said this shows the poor governance and incompetence among the present state administrators.

They have failed to contain the problem of the massive timber mass and debris that clogged the Rajang River, said See who also warned that Sarawakians will suffer greater losses in terms of socio-economic costs and ecological damage.

He pointed out that whenever it rains in the upper reaches of the major rivers, floods are reported in the towns along and at the lower reaches of the rivers, in Sibu and the central region, and now also in Sri Aman and Miri.

See also accused Second Finance Minister Wong Soon Koh of being irresponsible by saying that the mess would be cleared after the debris and logs are washed into the South China Sea.

If everything is solved by it floating into the sea, does that mean that all unwanted materials can be dumped and let it flow into the sea? he asked.

Sarawak Land Development Minister James Jemut Masing was not spared for calling on cabinet members not to take an ostrich approach in dealing with the Rajang River mess.

Showing the reports in a local paper, See said it was time for Masing not to keep his own head in the sand and tell the people what he has done in the state cabinet.

Masing, who is also state assemblyman for Baleh, had called on the government to act sternly against the culprits behind the massive debris where tons of dead fish were seen floating in rivers from Ulu ! Baleh to Kanowit stretching over 100km.

See said Masing was pointing fingers at his own people to show that he is angry but helpless to do anything. See doubted that anyone will be prosecuted or held responsible for the river mess.

He added that the State Disaster and Relief Management Committee had identified the sources from where the massive flow of log and debris were believed to originate from. They are Puntai and Nungan in the upper reach of Baleh River.

See noted that this was the third ecological havoc that has affected the people of Baleh. The first two were in Sungai Gaat in 2008 and Sungai Tunoh last year.

See said the Baleh folk have suffered much from the incident and he hoped that such an incident would not occur again in future.

On another issue, See wanted a Royal Commission of Inquiry or a Parliamentary Commissioner of Inquiry set up to find the final cost of the Bakun Hydro-electric Project and where the money had been spent.

Calling it an economic rip-off and not a development for Sarawak, See said the whole dam project smacks of a get-rich-quick scheme as the state has exhausted our timber resources and almost all our agricultural land have been leased out.

He pointed out that from the original costing of RM3.95 billion estimated in 1983 and RM4.09 billion in 1985, plus the cost overruns, compensation for delays and interests, the final cost is believed to have escalated to RM15 billion today.

But Malaysians are kept in the dark as to the final costs and where the substantial additional sums have gone to, See said.

Even with the cost now placed by the Federal government at RM7.3 billion. . . there is a need to re-examine the cost-benefit analysis and the economic viability of the Bakun Dam project.

It is to be borne in mind that only one out of the orig! inally p lanned 8 hydro turbine will be commissioned next year, reducing its power generating capacity from 2,400MW to 300MW, he said.

He cited an example in India where they had more than 3,000 dams, 60% of them are economically non-viable financial disasters and not able to back the investment.

The Sarawak BN government owes all Sarawakians an explanation, and we would demand that the Second Planning and Resource Management Minister Awang Tengah Ali Hassan gives us his justifications for saying that the Bakun HEP is not a white elephant. said See.

He said this is because Sarawakians, amongst all Malaysians, have paid their share of the costs of the RM15 billion project and we are now to fork out another RM7 billion to buy over the federal project.

He assured that Pakatan Rakyat would highlight such matters in the coming state elections. He said the people has a right to know the mismanagement and poor governance in implementation of Bakun.

He said the planning of the other HEP projects will expose the myths of development propagated by the BN government and convinced the electorates the need for a change in the governance of Sarawak and management of resources.

Chris ReubensTuesday, 12 October 2010 14:54See (right) showing the newspaper report with Ulu Rejang chairman, Frankie Bedindang.

KUCHING The state government was taken to task by Sarawak PKR for failing to prevent the ecological disaster that saw the Rajang River being clogged by timber mass and debris since last Friday.

PKR state information chief See Chee How, at a press conference here Tuesday, said this shows the poor governance and incompetence amon! g the pr esent state administrators.

They have failed to contain the problem of the massive timber mass and debris that clogged the Rajang River, said See who also warned that Sarawakians will suffer greater losses in terms of socio-economic costs and ecological damage.

He pointed out that whenever it rains in the upper reaches of the major rivers, floods are reported in the towns along and at the lower reaches of the rivers, in Sibu and the central region, and now also in Sri Aman and Miri.

See also accused Second Finance Minister Wong Soon Koh of being irresponsible by saying that the mess would be cleared after the debris and logs are washed into the South China Sea.

If everything is solved by it floating into the sea, does that mean that all unwanted materials can be dumped and let it flow into the sea? he asked.

Sarawak Land Development Minister James Jemut Masing was not spared for calling on cabinet members not to take an ostrich approach in dealing with the Rajang River mess.

Showing the reports in a local paper, See said it was time for Masing not to keep his own head in the sand and tell the people what he has done in the state cabinet.

Masing, who is also state assemblyman for Baleh, had called on the government to act sternly against the culprits behind the massive debris where tons of dead fish were seen floating in rivers from Ulu Baleh to Kanowit stretching over 100km.

See said Masing was pointing fingers at his own people to show that he is angry but helpless to do anything. See doubted that anyone will be prosecuted or held responsible for the river mess.

He added that the State Disaster and Relief Management Committee had identified the sources from where the massive flow of log and debris were believed to originate from. They are Puntai and Nungan in the upper reach of Baleh River.

See noted that this was the third ecological havoc that has affected the people of Baleh. The first two were in Sungai Gaat in 2008 and Sungai! Tunoh l ast year.

See said the Baleh folk have suffered much from the incident and he hoped that such an incident would not occur again in future.

On another issue, See wanted a Royal Commission of Inquiry or a Parliamentary Commissioner of Inquiry set up to find the final cost of the Bakun Hydro-electric Project and where the money had been spent.

Calling it an economic rip-off and not a development for Sarawak, See said the whole dam project smacks of a get-rich-quick scheme as the state has exhausted our timber resources and almost all our agricultural land have been leased out.

He pointed out that from the original costing of RM3.95 billion estimated in 1983 and RM4.09 billion in 1985, plus the cost overruns, compensation for delays and interests, the final cost is believed to have escalated to RM15 billion today.

But Malaysians are kept in the dark as to the final costs and where the substantial additional sums have gone to, See said.

Even with the cost now placed by the Federal government at RM7.3 billion. . . there is a need to re-examine the cost-benefit analysis and the economic viability of the Bakun Dam project.

It is to be borne in mind that only one out of the originally planned 8 hydro turbine will be commissioned next year, reducing its power generating capacity from 2,400MW to 300MW, he said.

He cited an example in India where they had more than 3,000 dams, 60% of them are economically non-viable financial disasters and not able to back the investment.

The Sarawak BN government owes all Sarawakians an explanation, and we would demand that the Second Planning and Resource Management Minister Awang Tengah Ali Hassan gives us his justifications for saying that the Bakun HEP is not a white elephant. said See.

He said this is because Sarawakians, amongst all Malaysians, have paid their share of the costs of the RM15 billion project and we are now to fork out another RM7 billion to buy over the federal project.

He ass ured that Pakatan Rakyat would highlight such matters in the coming state elections. He said the people has a right to know the mismanagement and poor governance in implementation of Bakun.

He said the planning of the other HEP projects will expose the myths of development propagated by the BN government and convinced the electorates the need for a change in the governance of Sarawak and management of resources.

Filed under: Dams, Human rights, logging, Politics Tagged: Anak Sarawak Bangsa Malaysia, Human rights, indigenous people, Malaysia Politics, Sarawak, Sarawak politics, Save Sarawak
Letter & Opinion From Joe Public

Musa Hassan and Gani Patail and our Criminal Justice System

October 12, 2010

http://uppercaise.wordpress.com

Former CID chief Mat Zain says Musa Hassan and Gani Patail destroyed criminal justice system

One Retired and the Other is still around

Musa Hassan and Gani Patail were accused today as being the cause of the destruction of the criminal justice system by having allowed falsified evidence against Anwar Ibrahim in 1998 and later lying about an investigation of Mahathir Mohamad for abuse of power.

In an open letter published at Malaysia Today, former Kuala Lumpur CID chief Mat Zain Ismail disclosed that he had written in May this year to Ismail Omar, then deputy IGP, and to Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, the home minister, for a review of the investigation into false evidence produced against Anwar in the black eye case of 1998. (Mat Zain headed the investigation into the case and recommended that the Inspector-General then, Rahim Noor, be tried for criminal assault on Anwar Ibrahim in the lockup at police headquarters. Rahim was found guilty and sentenced to two months jail.)

He said Musa and Gani had claimed in press reports that investigation papers on the Mahathir case had been sent to the Attorney-General in February 2000 and the AG (the late Mohtar Abdullah) had decided that there was no case.

Mat Zain said the statements were absurd. The investigation papers in the Mahathir abuse of power case were only opened in June 2000 and sent to the AGs Chambers in November that year.

In his letter dated October 8, Mat Zain accuses Musa, recently-retired as Inspector-General of Police, and Gani, the Attorney-General, of lying about the Mahathir investigation.

Mahathir, then prime minister, had been accused of abuse of power by ordering a halt to corruption

He is above the Law!

investigations against Ali Abul Hassan bin Sulaiman, head of the Economic Planning Unit, during which RM1000,000 in cash was found in his office.

Mat Zain made these revelations in a letter to Datin Kalsom Taib, wife and biographer of Shafee Yahya, former head of the Anti-Corruption Agency, in response to questions asked in her book of her husbands life and career.

She had asked: What happened to the probe on Dr Mahathir? Mat Zain quoted from the book, which referred to press statements by Musa and Gani about the investigation:

The IGP confirmed that an investigation on Dr.Mahathir was carried out. (NST 9 April 2008) Our recods show we had submitted the investigation papers to the AG Chambers on 15 February 2000. The decision made by the AG at that time (the late Tan Sri Mohtar Abdullah) was that there was no case.

In The Star of the same date (9 April 2008), it was reported that Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail confirmed,

The Chambers received the investigation papers from the police sometime in February 2000 and after studying it carefully, found no evidence to suggest that Dr. Mahathir had interfered in the investigations

Mat Zain said the statements by the two men did not make any sense and were false. It is impossible for the investigation papers to be sent to the Attorney Generals Chambers on February 15, 2000.

The investigation papers were only opened on June 13, 2000 based on a police report made by Anwar Ibrahim on that date.

In fact, the investigation papers together with ACA investigation papers seized from the agency were only sent to the Attorney General on November 9, 2000.

Mat Zain suggested that maybe the IGP and AG meant February 15, 2001. However, even if Musa Hassan and Gani had said February 15, 2001, it would be even more unreasonable. Tan Sri Mohtar Abdullah could not have examined and dismi! ssed the case on that date as he was not longer the Attorney General. He had been succeeded by Datuk Ainum Mohammad Said on January 1, 2001.

Mat Zain suggested that Musa Hassan and Gani Patail had not bothered to amend the date because the person named, Tan Sri Mohtar Abdullah, had since died. The dead cannot speak. Maybe they forgot that many of those still alive who know these things and can question the fact.

If Tan Sri Musa Hassan and Tan Sri Gani Patail did not make the absurd statement that this case will not be sustainable. The fact is they who have opened the flood-gates for more questions to be raised about the integrity of the police investigation.

They both have undermine police investigation in this case, as well as having allowed falsified evidence in the Anwar Ibrahim black eye case when Anwar was beaten up in the Bukit Aman lockup by Rahim Noor , then the Inspector-General.

Mat Zain decided to retire from the police force in 2001. He has since been embroiled in suits involving the several Anwar Ibrahim cases, and has also alleged that he is being victimised by the police force.

Letter & Opinion From Joe Public

10 people a day go missing in Malaysia

ASP Suresh himself proudly admitted that he used to work in the police assassination squad and had assassinated a number of people. And ASP Suresh personally knows the two police officers now on death row for the murder of Altantuya. They used to be his colleagues -- or should I say, his partners-in-crime.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

10 people a day go missing in Malaysia, said the Home Minister, Hishammuddin Hussein. And 60% of the cases have been solved. This means 40% of the cases involving 14,000 people have not been solved.

Considering that Malaysias population is only 27 million, 10 cases of missing people a day is quite a large number. That is the same as the number of people who die on Malaysian roads every day -- about 10.

So 10 people die every day in Malaysia due to traffic accidents and another 10 just disappear. And how many more die due to Malaysias poor health care system? Maybe the Health Minister can answer that question. Thousands die because of a poor health care system while billions of ringgit is wasted on white elephant projects and study tours.

Let me say it again: corruption kills people.

And how about the large number of people who die in prison, while resisting arrest, or at the police station while being interrogated? Add that to the list and the death toll is very high indeed.

But what I really want to ask is: how many of those missing persons are actually victims of police hit squads, or what we can consider as assassination targets? Yes, that kind of thing happens in Malaysia.

ASP Suresh himself proudly admitted that he used to work in the police assassination squad and had assassinated a number of people. And ASP Suresh personally knows the two police officers now on death row for the murder of Altantuya. They used to be his colleagues -- or should I! say, hi s partners-in-crime.

Why do you think they were sent to meet Razak Baginda in the first place if not for the fact that they are experts in eliminating people? And did they not admit, in their meeting with Razak, that they have already killed a number of people? That was, after all, what Razak claimed in his Affidavit, which was submitted to the court to support his application for bail.

Even the judge, Justice Segera, shook his head in disbelief and said that the Affidavit convinced him even more that Razak is guilty. Of course, after that they removed the judge and replaced him with a judicial commissioner.

More than 35,000 people have gone missing over the last ten years. And 14,000 of those cases remain unsolved. Do you need to be a rocket scientist to figure out why?

**************************************

Police not being selective, says Hishammuddin

Husna Yusop, The Sun

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 11, 2010): Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein has refuted allegations that the police are being selective when investigating reports made by the public, including that of missing persons.

He said of 35,473 missing person cases reported from 2000 until August this year, the police have resolved 21,344 cases or about 60% of the cases, including bringing those responsible to court.

He told Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timur) it was not true that the police did not act against the two lawyer brothers who were the main suspects in the murder of cosmetic millionaire Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and three of her associates.

"For your information, six police reports have been lodged against the main suspects in Sosilawatis case. All of them were related to fraud.

"The six reports made at the Banting police station were on Aug 19, 2005, Oct 20, 2005, Feb 20, 2009, March 18, 2010, Sept 13, 2010 and Sept 14, 2010," Hishammuddin said.

Investigations on the first and second reports have been completed while the third report h! as been closed because the complainant has withdrawn the report.

The three remaining cases were now under police investigation, he added

He also said there was only one previous report made on the disappearance of Indian businessman A. Muthuraja who was linked to the main suspect dated March 29, 2010, at the Klang police station.

"This case has been investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code because the facts of the case have led to cheating. The suspect here was not among the main suspects in Sosilawatis case or the three others.

"The report on Muthurajas disappearance was made only on Sept 8 by his wife Usharani Sthuraman after Sosilawatis case has been discovered, as well as other cases exposed by the mass media," he said.

To Lims claim that police inaction has gravely undermined public confidence in police's professionalism, Hishammuddin said the police have carried out their duties responsibly, efficiently and professionally.

He added that the question of the eroding public confidence in the police force did not arise.

He also agreed with Datuk Muhammad Aziz (BN-Sri Gading) that it was a misperception concocted by the opposition that the police only investigated missing person cases when they involved big names.

Khalid Samad (PAS-Shah Alam) then butted in, saying Hishammuddin should not be so proud of having solved only 60% of the 35,473 cases.

However, Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia said Khalid should just accept the ministers reply although he may not be satisfied with it.

Hishammuddin then added that the public should not dismiss the police contribution in maintaining peace and order and sensationalise certain cases.

Salahuddin Ayub (PAS-Kubang Kerian) then asked how much longer do the police need to complete the investigation papers which have been returned by the Attorney-Generals Chambers (AGC).

To this, Hishammuddin said: "There are two agencies involved here, namely the police and the AGC. Both of them are working ro! und the clock now to ensure the matter would be brought to court as soon as possible. I cannot report to you now."

Later at the parliament lobby, Hishammuddin asked the media to obtain the correct facts from the police media centre so as to avoid speculation because "sensational news could interfere with the investigations".

Letter & Opinion From Joe Public

Bill to amend Employment Act withdrawn

KUALA LUMPUR: A Bill to amend the Employment Act was withdrawn from a second reading in Parliament Tuesday, for further changes to be made.

Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Maznah Mazlan withdrew the Bill, which was tabled on July 8.

Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam, when contacted, said the amendment Bill was withdrawn to make further changes and include more amendments.

He did not disclose details. However, Dr Subramaniam said the Bill would be re-tabled at this Parliament meeting.

The proposed amendments cover sexual harassment, maternity benefits and others.

Asked if the withdrawal of the Bill was related to a nationwide picket being organised by Socialist Party Malaysia (PSM) in seven places at 5.30pm Tuesday, Dr Subramaniam said no.

PSM had called for a picket to reject the proposed amendments, describing them as the worst made to labour laws.

courtesy of Star

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