Car sabotage: 'How did Perkasa know in advance'...

PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim questioned how Perkasa managed to know that the car in which his family travels in will be 'tampered' with, months before the event.

Anwar said in an interview with Malaysiakini on Thursday that the right-wing NGO must explain why its youth chief lodged a police report on Feb 11 warning that the opposition leader would fake an accident. They need to be asked. Now that there is a real accident and a threat on Azizah's life, they have to explain."

When asked whether he was accusing Perkasa of being behind the alleged sabotage, Anwar said:

No, I'm not implying anything (but), how do you expect me to respond to rumours?

On Monday, Perkasa Youth chief Armand Azha Abu Hanifah when contacted said that he had lodged the report upon information by PKR insiders that Anwar and more than 10 PKR Selangor and Federal Territories leaders were plotting a fake accident to gain sympathy. Armand Azha said that it was Perkasa's understanding that the purpose of the ruse was to spirit Anwar out of the country to a place where he can seek political asylum.

We feared that he would mobilise and cause chaos in Malaysia from overseas like (ousted Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra, who was said to have a hand in the bloody demonstrations in Bangkok last year), he said.

As such, Armand Azha, who is no longer with Perkasa but is the Petaling Jaya Utara Umno Youth information chief, reiterated his call for Anwar's international passport be surrendered by court order to keep him in Malaysia.

'I don't respond to Perkasa'

Anwar has however pointedly refused to reply to Perkasa's allegations.

I don't respond to Perkasa, he said. I'm saying that as a matter of principle - I don't respond to Perkasa. I never give them any credence.

According to Anwar, he did not want to make a fuss of the matter until the mechanic told him that the damage to the Mercedes S Class could only have been deliberately caused by someone.

Pressed further, the Permatang Pauh MP added:If the allegations are anything that involves something criminal then the police must investigate, there should not be a cover-up. He said the fear now is that the authorities are not taking the threats seriously.

Now there is a semblance of a cover-up, for both cases - the accident and the threat to (daughter and Lembah Pantai MP Nurul) Izzah's daughter.

This can be amplified by the manner the investigation is conducted and the statement by the minister of defence.

I don't have any issues with Zahid Hamidi. You want to preserve your position in the party and be prepared to go to that extent, (where) people's lives are being threatened..., he said.

Zahid had claimed that Nurul Izzah's report that she received threats that her three-year-old daughter will be kidnapped was a political ploy, as kidnappers would not have given prior warning.

source:malaysiakini

Anwar: Bagaimana PERKASA tahu kereta disabotaj?

cheers.

Malaysians have lost their purchasing power

MALAYSIAKINI - KUCHING: Any increase in retail prices, no matter how small, is a heavy burden on the ordinary Malaysian who is already living on an overstretched budget, said newly elected assemblyman Wong King Wei.

Fresh off the ballot box, Wong is not alone in his views as more and more consumers are concerned over rising inflation and how far their salaries will go.

Bank Negara recently said inflation could double to 3.5% this year. Already it is 3%.

For the ordinary man on the street earning RM1,000, a 3.5% inflation would simply mean he would instantaneously see RM35 disappear from his pocket and with no purchases to account for.

And if the inflation rate raises to 5%, he would then lose RM50, which could, if used, translate to a provision list of rice, sugar, oil and onions to last a few days for a family.

Said Wong: The government cannot keep lying about the situation removing subsidies will affect the ordinary man everything from travel to eating out and marketing.

We are not getting value for money spent. The ratio of income and the cost of goods for Malaysians is currently at a very unhealthy level.

According to Wong, the DAP Padungan rep, the spiralling prices of consumer goods has made Malaysians lose their purchasing power.

Were lagging behind many countries now. Even people in Kuala Lumpur who used to have the highest purchasing power compared to other Malaysians are feeling the pinch.

Its all there in the 2010 Prices and Wages Report, he said alluding to the Swiss financial conglomerate UBS AGs revealing fact that Malaysians are lagging behind their global counterpar! ts in te rms of purchase power.

Citing South Korea, Wong said 40 years ago, the republic was on par economically with Malaysia, but today the citizens enjoyed a purchasing power which was 17% higher than Malaysians.

Corruption and cronyism


According to the report, the purchasing power of KL-ites was only 33.8% that of New Yorkers while Londoners have 42% purchase power.

The report noted that although the price of goods in these places were twice that of KL, the purchasing power in Kuala Lumpur was still more than twice lesser.

Blaming the weaker purchasing power on the gap between income earned and cost of goods, Wong said there was a significant disparity in wages in Malaysia.

Compounding the situation is the fact that Malaysians had to deal with corruption and cronyism.

The economic cake in the country is not evenly and fairly distributedand this is because of corruption and cronyism.

The real reason why the government is cutting back on subsidies is because it has no money.

Last year the Auditor-Generals report noted that corruption, abuse of power and mismanagement had led to Malaysia losing an estimated RM28 billion over the course of the year. he said

He said abolishing subsidies was the governments way of diverting public attention from the real issue corruption.

The government has no money because of corruption.

By eliminating cronyism and corruption, we can take a step in the right direction in raising purchasing power and lowering the rate of inflation.

This will (in turn) ease the burden of the rakyat and raise their standard of living. he told newsmen recently.

Yuan may be fully convertible in '3 to 5 years'

MALAYSIAKINI : A SENIOR economist has said China could achieve full convertibility of the yuan in three to five years - much sooner than previous forecasts.

Xiang Songzuo, deputy director of the International Monetary Institute with Renmin University of China, told China Daily on Friday that full convertibility of the yuan could be achieved within that time span, citing sources from the central bank. It is the earliest estimate for the full convertibility of the yuan, as most other experts have said such a move was about a decade away.

The People's Bank of China, the country's central bank, declined to comment on Friday.

Wu Xiaoqiu, senior finance professor of Renmin University of China, said it is possible for China to achieve full convertibility of the yuan by 2015.

'The yuan could become familiar to global investors very soon and become a global reserve currency,' he said.

The World Bank said in a report on Tuesday that by 2025 the yuan could become a major global currency together with the US dollar and the euro - echoing China's rising say in the world economy. -- CHINA DAILY/ANN

Landslide: 16 dead, nine survivors...

The death toll at the Al-Taqwa orphanage in Hulu Langat, Selangor has reached 16, with nine survivors.

The victims were inside a tent in the orphanage compound when the landslide struck at 2.30pm yesterday.

Of the nine survivors, two are currently in intensive care while one is undergoing surgery. Six others have been moved to a normal ward, said a customer service officer at the Ampang Hospital, reported Bernama in a 10.49am dispatch.

The officer said the six patients had been placed in a disaster ward set up following the tragedy. Reporters were not allowed to meet them.

"The priority of the hospital is to administer treatment to the patients. We have to ensure that they remain calm," said the officer.

Following the incident, rescuers toiled for about 15 hours from 2.45pm onwards.

The 25 people were trapped in the rubble when earth from a slope crashed into their tent where they were doing a nasyid rehearsal before their performance for a National Film Development Board entourage's visit at 5pm.

Meanwhile, relatives and friends were seen crowding the Forensic Department of the Kuala Lumpur Hospital where the 16 bodies had been brought for the post mortem.

Some among them shed tears as they watched the morning news over television on the incident.

source: bernama

Tanah runtuh: 16 terbunuh, 9 selamat

Inna Lillahi Wainna Hi Roji'un ... Al Fatihah.

Thousands join French protest ahead of G-8 summit

MALAYSIAKINI : LE HAVRE (France) - THOUSANDS of anti-globalisation activists protested in the French city of Le Havre on Saturday against a G-8 summit of rich nations to be held in the north coastal region next week.

'G-8 get lost, people first, not finance,' declared the main banner of the gathering that organisers said drew 7,000 protesters, while local officials said the turnout was about 4,000 at the demonstration which ended without serious incident.

Leaders of the Group of Eight nations - Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States - are to meet next Thursday and Friday in the nearby coastal resort of Deauville for a summit expected to be dominated by the Arab world's popular revolts and the aftermath of Japan's nuclear catastrophe.

Saturday's protesters represented some 35 anti-globalisation, anti-nuclear, socialist, labour and human rights groups. Le Havre's commercial district was largely deserted and many shops were closed as protesters of all ages denounced G-8 leaders.

Through a megaphone, one speaker said people were 'fed up with the eight puppets who close our plants and close our schools.' Leaders of the G-8 states have dumped 'the old in misery (and) the youth in a mess,' the speaker said.

'We think that the decisions that affect the entire world should be made by all the citizens of the earth and not by the most rich,' added Davide Rossi from Italy - one of few foreigners at the gathering. -- AFP

Rescue workers shocked by sight of bodies

MALAYSIAKINI : KAJANG - RESCUERS who were first to arrive at the scene of the landslide were shocked by the sight of bodies stuck in the soil and mud.

Radzman Abdul Wahab, 25, who is attached to the Civil Defence Department in Kuala Lumpur, said he received the alert at 4.15pm before a team was rushed to the scene yesterday.

'When we arrived, we saw a large mound of earth and mud behind the madrasah and we could see lifeless bodies and hands sticking out from the mud.

'I t was heart-breaking to see the young victims but I had to put aside my emotions and concentrate on rescuing those who were trapped under the rubble,' he said.

His team was involved in the rescue of the third victim at 5pm. They pulled the boy out of the rubble and rushed him to hospital. Nadurah Shamsul Liani, 20, also from the same team, said the soil was still wet and shifting at the site.

'It was very dangerous work for all the rescue workers. 'There was always the danger of another landslide occurring but we pushed on for the sake of the trapped children,' she said, adding that rescue efforts almost halted between 6pm and 7pm because of the downpour. -- THE STAR/ANN

Remember the 2009 speech, Najib?

MALAYSIAKINI - PETALING JAYA: Three days after taking office as the nations sixth prime minister on April 3, 2009, Najib Tun Razak attended the Malaysian Press Institute (MPI) awards night.

During his speech, Najib had stressed on the importance of the medias role in nation-building, underscoring the need for responsible and fair reporting.

We need world-class, fact-based reporting in Malaysia. The media must be fair and responsible in reporting. I believe we can move beyond those offering journalism of conspiracy theories and rumors, he had said.

Najib had added that the media was powerful in lending credibility to stories and rumours that percolate up from the grassroots and the internet.

Two years on, the Umno president was now drawing flak for allowing his party-owned newspaper Utusan Malaysia to publish reports that critics claimed were not only seditious, but threatened national security.

The latest controversy involving the Malay daily was a front-page report on the alleged collusion between DAP and Christian leaders to undermine the position of Islam in Malaysia.

The report was based on the unsubstantiated claims of two pro-Umno bloggers on what had allegedly transpired during a closed-door meeting in the DAP-run state of Penang.

Commenting on how the situation had changed since Najib made that speech in 2009, analysts panned the premier for reneging on his words.

This shows he is double-faced


Centre for Policy Initiatives(CPI) Asia director Lim Teck Ghee said Najibs silence or a lack of a stand in the latest controversy would lead the public to believe that he was double-faced.

Well, what can I say Najib w! as eithe r lying or he has forgotten completely about what he said (in the 2009 speech), Lim told FMT.

He said this example meant that Najibs opinions and statements were not to be believed and should be taken with an enormous quantity of salt.

I think this certainly affects his credibility not only nationally but internationally. He will go down in history as a weak and vacillating leader who is so consumed by wanting to stay in power that he is totally unscrupulous, he added.

Lim said such contradictions showed that Najib thinks he can get away with it as he had the backing of the mainstream media.

He has not only allowed Utusan to publish every kind of anti-national and very divisive reporting but seems to be condoning and encouraging it, he added.

The academic said Najibs hypocrisy applied to other issues as well, including religious freedom, tackling corruption and ensuring transparency.

He appears to say something and do something entirely different, he said, adding that politicians were supposed to adhere to a minimal standard of leadership and should be held accountable for what they say.

These examples, Lim said, showed that the government, which was claiming to be transforming, was totally incapable of any kind of change.

What else do you expect?

Meanwhile, Monash University Malaysias political scientist James Chin said it was hard to expect anything else from Najib.

All past prime ministers of this country have done this, every time Utusan does something naughty, they keep silent, he told FMT.

Chin stressed that Utusan was the cheerleader of Umno and its role was to provide a direct link between Umno and the grassroots Malays.

It is understood. All politicians contradict themselves everyday. They say one thing but tomorrow they say another thing. Everything Najib said about freedom of the press is just the opposite of what the government is doing, he note! d.

Chin said that Najibs recent call for moderation was exactly what his predecessor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had said in a speech during his tenure as prime minister.

Hyporisy is so common. Its become part and parcel of Malaysian life, he added.

Chin said that he would not take any minister, or Najib, seriously when it came to allowing free and fair reporting.

There will always be tight control over the mainstream media, and I dont see them giving up control of this anytime soon, he added.

Najib waiting for probe report

However, another political analyst, Universiti Sains Malaysia Sivamurugan Pandian was more accomodative of Najibs stance, or lack thereof.

I think in that case what he did was he allowed others to air their views first, he said.

Sivamurugan said he strongly believed that Najib was waiting to see the outcome of the Home Ministry and polices investigations into Utusan before coming up with a statement on the issue.

Sivamurugan, who writes the Pena Dr Siva column in Utusan, said the country was undergoing an unprecedented change in that the degree of sensitivity of certain issues had changed due to an increasing level of education.

:

Nothing is impossible

This man has proven that nothing is impossible.

So getting rid of UMNO the pariah can be achieve.

24 buried alive in landslide at orphanage, six rescued...

Twenty-four people were buried alive when a landslide hit an orphanage in Kampung Gahal in Hulu Langat near Kuala Lumpur today.

The victims were mostly orphans and staff of the Rumah Anak-anak Yatim dan Anak-anak Hidayah Madrasah Al-Taqwa in Jalan Sungai Semungkis which was struck by a landslide.

As at 6.30pm, nine orphans had been pulled out of the debris by a search and rescue team from the Fire and Rescue Department, police and the Civil Defence Department.

Selangor police chief Tun Hisan Tun Hamzah said three of the victims, aged between 11 and 14, died at the scene and their remains had been sent to the Ampang Hospital for autopsy.

Two simultaneous landslides

Six others who were injured, aged between 11 and 17, were sent to Kajang Hospital for treatment.

"We learnt that two landslides occurred simultaneously at the orphanage. All the victims did not have time to escape," he said at a press conference at the orphanage for boys.

He said the body of the first victim was pulled out from the debris at about 4.30pm while the second body was retrieved at 5pm and the third at 6.10pm.

Bernama was made to understand that the landslide occurred at about 2.30pm when all the children at the home were in the multipurpose hall at the orphanage.

source:Bernama

Tanah runtuh: 24 orang tertimbus, 5 mati

Landslide hits orphanage, six dead

Tanah runtuh ragut enam penghuni asrama anak yatim, ramai timbus

cheers.