Pakatan Rakyat (PR) Social Political Buzz & Bulls

Soalan & Jawapan YB Nurul Izzah-MP Lembah Pantai



MESYUARAT KEDUA, PENGGAL KEEMPAT PARLIMEN KEDUA BELAS (2011)


TARIKH : 13 JUN 2011

SOALAN :

Puan Nurul Izzah Binti Anwar [ Lembah Pantai-PKR ] Minta MENTERI DALAM NEGERI menyatakan bilakah pihak Kementerian akan memansuhkan Ordinan Darurat yang masih berkuatkuasa memandangkan jawapan Menteri bersetuju dengan pemansuhan ini.

JAWAPAN :

Tuan Yang Dipertua,

Saya mengucapkan terima kasih kepada ahli Yang Berhormat Lembah Pantai yang mengemukakan pertanyaan.

Untuk makluman Ahli Yang Berhormat dan Dewan yang mulia ini, Kementerian Dalam Negeri tidak pernah bersetuju dengan pemansuhan Ordinan Darurat (Kenteraman Awam dan Mencegah Jenayah) 1969 dan tiada pengumuman ataupun kenyataan pernah dibuat oleh Kementerian berkenaan pemansuhan Ordinan tersebut.

Tuan Yang Dipertua,

Kerajaan tidak berhasrat untuk memansuhkan Ordinan tersebut memandangkan ianya masih berkesan dalam menangani ancaman terhadap ketenteraman awam dan menghapuskan jenayah yang berunsur kekerasan. Namun demikian, Kerajaan dalam usaha untuk melakukan penambahbaikan terhadap Ordinan tersebut melalui pindaan undang-undang pencegahan yang akan dibentangkan di Parlimen sedikit masa lagi.

TARIKH : 15 JUN 2011 (RABU)

SOALAN : NO. 18

Puan! Nurul I zzah Binti Anwar [ Lembah Pantai-PKR ] Minta MENTERI PENGAJIAN TINGGI menyatakan langkah-langkah memperbaiki rangkaian maklumat kutipan pinjaman yang berkualiti rendah menyebabkan hanya RM600 juta Berjaya dikutip daripada peminjam-peminjam setakat ini.

JAWAPAN

Tuan Yang di-Pertua,

Sehingga 30 April 2011, jumlah pembiayaan pendidikan PTPTN yang sepatutnya dibayar balik oleh 969,506 peminjam adalah sebanyak RM5.53 bilion. Daripada jumlah tersebut, seramai 693,155 peminjam telah mula membayar balik dengan amaun kutipan sebanyak RM2.45 bilion dan komitmen keseluruhan yang perlu dibayar sebanyak RM3.81 bilion.

Sementara itu, seramai 51,021 peminjam telah diluluskan penangguhan bayaran balik yang melibatkan amaun sebanyak RM0.48 bilion. Manakala, bilangan peminjam yang masih gagal membuat bayaran balik ialah seramai 225,330 peminjam yang melibatkan amaun tunggakan sebanyak RM1.24 bilion.

Tuan Yang Di Pertua,

PTPTN dalam proses menambahbaik sistem bayaran balik pinjaman yang mempunyai kesemua fungsi pengurusan bayaran balik pinjaman termasuk penguatkuasaan, pemantauan dan amaran awal.

Pada masa ini, pelbagai kaedah dan usaha telah dilakukan untuk memudahkan peminjam membuat bayaran balik serta meningkatkan prestasi bayaran balik pinjaman antaranya:

i. memperbanyakkan dan mempelbagaikan saluran bayaran balik seperti mewujudkan kaedah bayaran balik melalui potongan gaji secara tetap melalui Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri (LHDNM) dan kemudahan pembayaran melalui kaunter atau secara atas talian (online) oleh PTPTN dan ejen-ejen yang dilantik seperti Pos Malaysia dan bank (Maybank, Bank Islam, CIMB Bank, RHB Bank, Public Bank dan Bank Simpanan Nasional);

ii. menjalin kerjasama dengan IPT untuk mengadakan taklimat kepada pelajar tahun akhir/ bakal graduan tentang kemudahan dan kepentingan membuat bayaran balik pinjaman;

iii. mengeluarkan surat arahan bayaran balik (bagi peminjam yang ! telah ta mat tempoh pengeluaran dan patut mula membuat bayaran balik) dan surat-surat peringatan (bagi peminjam yang masih tidak membuat bayaran balik/tidak member maklumbalas);

iv. bekerjasama dengan agensi-agensi Kerajaan, syarikat berkaitan kerajaan, pihak swasta dan melantik ejen bagi mengesan peminjam.

v. bekerjasama dengan Jabatan Imigresen Malaysia untuk menahan peminjam ingkar daripada keluar negara; dan

vi. melantik panel peguam bagi urusan penghantaran Surat Peringatan Terakhir, Letter Of Demand (LOD), saman dan penghakiman.

Tuan Yang Di Pertua,

Pada 5 Mei 2010, Kerajaan telah bersetuju supaya pengurusan bayaran balik pinjaman pendidikan PTPTN melalui LHDNM menggunakan kaedah potongan gaji berasaskan gaji yang diterima oleh peminjam dilaksanakan.

Beberapa siri perbincangan telah diadakan yang melibatkan LHDNM, Kementerian Kewangan, Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi, Jabatan Peguam Negara dan PTPTN bagi memperhalusi pelaksanaannya seperti penetapan had threshold bagi permulaan bayaran balik pinjaman pendidikan, menetapkan kadar bayaran balik atas pendapatan bulanan peminjam, pemberian nombor fail cukai kepada pelajar baru dan pindaan akta PTPTN (Akta 566) dan akta-akta lain yang berkaitan. Pindaan akta berkenaan perkara tersebut dijangka dibentangkan di Parlimen pada tahun ini.

TARIKH : 15 JUN 2011 (RABU)

Soalan:-

Puan Nurul Izzah Binti Anwar [ Lembah Pantai-PKR ] Minta MENTERI BELIA DAN SUKAN menyatakan apakah tindakan tata tertib yang diambil di atas kelewatan menutup laporan kewangan Sukan Komanwel 1998 oleh Sukom Ninety Eight Berhad (SUKOM 98) yang tertunggak selama 13 tahun dan apakah peraturan baru jika ada untuk mengelak daripada kecuaian seperti ini berulang.

JAWAPAN

1. SUKOM 98 Berhad merupakan sebuah syarikat yang bertanggungjawab menganjurkan Sukan Komanwel 1998 ! dan ditu buhkan di bawah Akta Syarikat 1965. Memandangkan statusnya sebagai sebuah syarikat, maka pihak Kementerian tidak mempunyai bidang kuasa untuk mengambil sebarang tindakan tata tertib di atas kelewatan syarikat menutup laporan kewangan Sukan Komanwel 1998.

2. Dalam usaha mengelakkan daripada perkara yang sama berulang dalam sesuatu penganjuran acara sukan, Kementerian sentiasa mengambil pendekatan dengan merujuk Pekeliling Perbendaharaan yang dikeluarkan oleh Kementerian Kewangan dari masa ke semasa, serta dasar dan peraturan-peraturan yang sedia ada.

TARIKH : 16 JUN 2011 [ KHAMIS ]

SOALAN :

Puan Nurul Izzah Binti Anwar [ Lembah Pantai-PKR ] Minta PERDANA MENTERI menyatakan dakwaan Laporan Bank Dunia berjudul Malaysia Economic Monitor: Brain Drain bahawa Kerajaan aktif untuk menggerakkan ETP yang berasaskan pelaburan; namun itu begitu giat melaksanakan Model Ekonomi Baru (NEM) yang bertujuan untuk menyelesaikan kebuntuan struktur ekonomi.

JAWAPAN:

Tuan Yang di-Pertua,

Untuk makluman Ahli Yang Berhormat, dakwaan Laporan Bank Dunia yang menyatakan Kerajaan hanya aktif untuk menggerakkan ETP yang berasaskan pelaburan tetapi tidak begitu giat dalam melaksanakan Model Ekonomi Baru (MBE) adalah tidak benar. Laporan Model Ekonomi Baru Ekonomi Bahagian Akhir: Langkah Dasar Strategik telah memberi maklumat yang lebih luas dan terperinci mengenai langkah dasar di bawah Inisiatif Pembaharuan Strategik (SRI).

Bagi membincangkan pelan tindakan SRI serta tindakan terperinci untuk mencapai matlamat MBE, Majlis Perundangan Ekonomi Negara (NEAC) dengan kerjasama PEMANDU telah mengadakan makmal SRI selama 6 minggu, bermula pada 21 Februari 2011 sehingga 1 April 2011. Daripada 51 langkah dasar dalam MBE, sebanyak 37 langkah dasar telah dibincangkan dalam 6 makmal SRI iaitu :

i. Daya saing, standard dan perundangan;

i! i. Peran an kerajaan dalam perniagaan;

iii. Pembangunan sumber manusia;

iv. Kewangan sector awam;

v. Penyampaian sector awam; dan

vi. Langkah afirmatif/mengurangkan jurang ketaksamaan.

Makmal-makmal ini kemudiannya dibahagikan kepada beberapa buah makmal yang kecil untuk menterjemah langkah dasar serta inisiatif yang dirancang dalam MBE kepada langkah pelaksanaan yang terperinci dan realistic. Langkah dasar serta inisiatif yang dirancang turut mengambil kira inisiatif di bawah Rancangan Malaysia Kesepuluh. Hasil daripada makmal SRI ini telah dibentang kepada Jemaah Menteri.

Selain daripada penubuhan 6 makmal SRI, Kerajaan melalui Kementerian Kewangan dengan kerjasama Bank Dunia sedang menjalankan kajian mengenai kecekapan dan keberkesanan perbelanjaan dalam sektor awam (PER). Tujuan kajian ini dijalankan adalah untuk meningkatkan kawalan fisikal ke atas perbelanjaan sektor awam supaya perbelanjaan yang dibuat benar-benar berfaedah dan member nilai wang yang sebenar (value of money), mengurangkan ketirisan dan memberi faedah kepada rakyat dan seterusnya menghasilkan impak yang maksimum kepada ekonomi negara. Antaranya melalui pelaksanaan bajet berasaskan outcome atau outcome-based budgeting (OBB), dengan izin akan diperkenalkan. Pendekatan baru ini membolehkan pengurusan sumber yang lebih cekap, mengelak pertindihan pelaksanaan program dan projek serta dapat memastikan sumber yang diagih mengikut keutamaan tertinggi negara. Kajian ini akan meliputi di peringkat sektoral dan di peringkat sistem Kerajaan, iaitu pengurusan kewangan sektor awam, perolehan dan pembaharuan perkhidmatan awam. Hasil kajian ini pula akan digunakan dalam penyediaan Bajet 2012.

TARIKH : 22 JUN 2011 [ RABU ]

SOALAN :

Puan Nurul Izzah Binti Anwar [ Lembah Pantai ] Minta PERDANA MENTERI menyatakan keputusan Kabinet tentang cadangan CEO Pemandu pada 3 Jun 2010 dalam akhbar! The Sta r untuk mengkaji semula perjanjian dengan IPP dan juga pemilik konsesi tol sehari dengan pemotongan subsidi rakyat secara berperingkat.

JAWAPAN :

Tuan Yang di-Pertua,

IPP :

  • Kabinet sudah menubuhkan satu jawatankuasa bagi mengkaji pelbagai aspek termasuk isu pengeluar tenaga bebas (IPP) dan bekalan tenaga kepada negara pada masa depan, Beliau berkata, jawatankuasa tersebut membabitkan tiga Menteri iaitu Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop; Menteri Tenaga, Teknologi Hijau dan Air, Datuk Seri Peter Chin Fah Kui dan Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah.

Jawatankuasa ini akan berbincang mengenai pelbagai aspek, antaranya ialah mengenai kos dan soal masa depan kerana terdapat di antara konsesi IPP akan tamat pada 2014 dan 2015. Tugas jawatan kuasa ini adalah untuk mengkaji isu-isu tersebut dan mencari jalan penyelesaian untuk kebajikan masyarakat.

Tol :

  • Kerajaan telah menangguhkan kenaikan kadar tol bagi tempoh 5 tahun yang akan datang bagi lebuh raya di bawah PLUS Expressway & MTD group tanpa melibatkan bayaran pampasan dan pemanjangan tempoh konsesi.
  • Antara buktinya adalah keputusan kerajaan untuk menutup lebuhraya Plaza Tol Metramac Cheras 8 bulan lebih awal dari perjanjian konsesi.
  • Selebihnya, kerajaan telah berjaya menurunkan kadar tol bagi Lebuhraya NPE dari RM1.60 kepada RM1.00.


What Are BERSIH 2.0's Demands?

In case you're wondering what we're marching for, these are the 8 immediate demands for Perhimpunan BERSIH 2.0:

1. Clean the electoral roll
2. Reform postal ballot
3. Use of indelible ink
4. Minimum 21 days campaign period
5. Free and fair access to media
6. Strengthen public institutions
7. Stop corruption
8. Stop dirty politics

Looks like Radio Australia has caught a whiff of us.

Ambiga Sreenevasan certainly has been busy - and good on her!

"Now you see it now you don't!"

Don't you just love it when something is 'deleted' because they don't want you to see it... but you can still 'see' it because of the what the Internet is???!

Well, earlier,The Stardid an online survey to find out what its readers thought about the Bersih Rally planned for July 9.

They obviously felt that respondents would give it the thumbs-down lah.

NOT!!!!

When they found the results didn't pan out to what they thought it would be, they took the survey/poll offline. That is, they deleted the page! So, if you went to thepoll page, you'd find this:

Click to enlarge!
Idiots! It was too late, someone had already captured the page onscreen. And here it is, the screenshot (and do note HOW MANY people voted!!!) :

Click to enlarge!
[Thanks to Pat Goh for forwarding this!]

Some rights reserved Antares/Magick RiverYou may borrow and/or modify content for your own blog but please credit and backlink, thanks.

Sex video: 'Datuk T' to be charged on Friday...

All three members of the infamous 'Datuk T' will be charged at a Kuala Lumpur court on Friday in relation to the sex tape.

In a text-message today, businessperson Shazryl Eskay Abdullah said his presence is required at the court at 8am on the day. The message reads: Datuk 'T' akan di Charge di Mahkamah Jalan Duta pada jam 8pagi, 24 June 2011. Harap maklum.

"I just received a letter asking me to be present in court just two hours ago," said Eskay, when contacted.

"I do not know whether others will be charged but I will keep you informed."

A few minutes later he confirmed that the other two members of 'Datuk T' - former Malacca chief minister Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik and former Perkasa treasurer-general Shuib Lazim - would also be charged.

All three of us will be in court on Friday. The three of us will be charged. I am on my way to Kuala Lumpur and will see you guys in court, he said.

The saga so far

The trio had admitted to showing a sex tape to editors and journalist at the Carcosa Seri Negara hotel on March 21. The recording, made in an unidentified location, purports to show a senior opposition figure said to resemble Anwar Ibrahim. He has denied any involvement and lodged a police report.

While Eskay said he had handed the only copy of the video to the police to assist investigations, segments were leaked on the Internet just before the Sarawak elections. Eskay swore a religious oath at a mosque in Kuala Lumpur, stating that Anwar and he were in the video which was recorded on Feb 21, 2011.

"Anwar was the actor in the said video. If I have committed slander, then Allah would lay a curse on me, he said in the presence of about 1! 00 peopl e, including PKR representatives.

source:malaysiakini

Video seks: Trio 'Datuk T' akan didakwa Jumaat ini

Sandiwara ala UMNO saja, relaks brother sambil kita tonton sandiwara olok2 ini.....

cheers.

BERSIH 2.0: Sandiwar PERKASA dan PEMUDA UMNO

Kalau Hishamuddin dan Polis hanya mengambil tindakan pada satu pihak sahaja (BERSIH 2.0), simpati akan bertambah-tambah pada BERSIH.

Maka, dibuat-buat supaya Khairy dan PERKASA pun mahu berarak sama. Gegak gempita seluruh Malaysia kononnya PERKASA akan membuat kacau dan menumpah darah.

Dalam suasana begitu, maka Hishamuddin pun memanggil BERSIH, PERKASA dan Pemuda UMNO untuk "diambil" tindakan.

Tampaklah seperti Hishamuddin dan UMNO mahu menenang keadaan dan membawa keamanan. Maka, isu sebenar BERSIH akan tenggelam. Yang akan nampak selepas ini adalah usaha UMNO dan Hishamuddin sedaya upaya mahu membawa keamanan kepada Malaysia.

Padahal, Pemuda UMNO dan PERKASA adalah rakan sekelambu Hishamuddin dan UMNO.

Jangan kita semua terpedaya dengan main wayang Hishamuddin, PERKASA dan Khairy Jamaluddin ini.

Tulang Besi


Same old unanwered question: "Where is the shadow Cabinet?"



Updated with video

MCA to Pakatan: Where is the shadow Cabinet?

SUNGAI PETANI: The MCA has challenged Pakatan Rakyat to explain why it is still unable to announce its shadow Cabinet three years after the general election, saying it was clear that the opposition parties could not agree on fundamental issues.

Party deputy president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said PKR, PAS and DAP did not have consensus in many areas, particularly on basic policies on the running of the country.

The two-party system envisioned by the Opposition was merely an illusion that would not materialise in Malaysia, he said.

Liow said they were merely using the system as a gimmick to hoodwink and attract those who believe in the system.

“But it is an illusion and it does not exist, because DAP, PKR and PAS are actually going after each other’s neck,” he said after opening the Sungai Petani MCA division annual general meeting at Cinta Sayang Resort here on Monday night.

Liow said the three parties did not have consensus in many areas, such as policies and in the running of the country.

He said they could not even form a shadow Cabinet, including in Sarawak, noting that they were still bickering about who should become prime minister in their shadow Cabinet.

Earlier, Liow called on MCA divisions in the country to gear for the general election and to touch base with the people.

He said members must engage the people through activities in every polling station to ensure their support could be translated into votes.

“Therefore, the MCA must transform not only in terms of activities, but also in its campaign structure.

“We must ensure that we are able to tackle the current needs of the people on the ground,” he said.

Bersih 2.0 9th July 2pm - Yellow is the New Black / Video




Calling for a Fair and Clean Election is not a threat to the nation. It is only those who are KOTOR that are afraid of being Bersih.

This video was dropped into my mailbox and requested that it be shared. The nation's future lies with the youth of today and they need to do something to make it work.


"IF YOU DO NOT RISE TO THE OCCASION, THE BEST OF YOU WILL DIE
AND THE REST WILL NOT AMOUNT TO ANYTHING." - Anonymous


Democracy is the Government of the people, by the people, for the people


Ku Li: Sultan cannot remove MB...

Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah said that Perak Sultan, Azlan Shah, did not have the power to remove former Pakatan menteri besar Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin from his post in February 2009.

The sultan can only appoint the menteri besar but does not have the power to remove him from his post which can be only done if he resigns on his own accord or is removed by a vote of no-confidence in a formal sitting of the (State Legislative) Assembly, he said.

Razaleigh, who is fondly known as Ku Li, added: I have even spoken to the Perak Raja Muda about this matter.

However, the Gua Musang MP did not elaborate on what was discussed. Razaleigh said there must be separation of powers between the royalty, executive, legislative and the judiciary for the democratic process to be effective.

Before the controversial take-over of the state government by Barisan Nasional, Nizar had sought the Perak rulers consent to dissolve the state assembly to hold fresh polls but this was denied. The sultan instead gave his consent to BN to form the new state government with Zambry Abdul Kadir as menteri besar.

Razaleigh was answering questions from the floor after delivering his keynote address at an event held at the Taiping New Club here over the weekend.

Better management needed

To the question of whether Malaysia would become bankrupt by the year 2019 as predicted by Minister in the Prime Ministers Department Idris Jala, the former finance minister dismissed this.

I dont buy the theory that the country will go bankrupt (by 2019 ) as God has given us the wealth of natural resources like gas and palm oil, he said.

He added that the high price of gas and palm oil would keep Malaysia afloat for years to come, but stressed that there was a need to change the bad management of the countrys natural resources and finances.

Malaysia can enjoy a much better standard of living than Singapore, Hong Kong and Sweden if we manage our finances prudently, he explained.

On the increasing cost of cars which was going beyond the means of most Malaysians, Razaleigh suggested that protection given to national car makers be removed.

Free the car market of import duty so that prices of cars will come down and people will have a chance to buy the cars of their choice,
he said.

We must abolish the AP (approved permit) system as only cronies enjoy the benefits at the expense of the countrys economy. All government tenders must be open so that the government can save costs, he added.

Asked whether the political uprising in Middle East countries would influence Malaysians, Razaleigh said: Yes! The influence will be felt especially among the younger generation who are more knowledgeable as the world has become a global village.

Despite his stinging criticisms, the Umno veteran denied that he would consider switching political camps.

Pakatan Rakyat is not even a registered political body but a loose coalition. The question of serving the people can be based from any party and not necessarily from Pakatan, he responded to a question.

source:FMT

cheers.

Politicians playing to majoritarian gallery

By P Uthayakumar

One betrays the cause of the Indian poor when he pretends that for every Indian poor there is a Chinese poor just as badly off. And that a Malay or a Muslim poor is under equal duress as the Indian poor. How can they be when for the bumiputera poor the sky is the limit?

Affirmative action is tailored for the Malays who are given ample opportunities in higher education, business and government jobs. This is definitely not the case for the Indian poor.

But why is the average Malaysian in a state of denial? Why does he deliberately sidestep the gravity of Indian problems with the moral equivalency that all the poor are in the same boat or are given the same life jackets?

The poor Chinese have their New Villages. The poor Malay, Orang Asli, Iban, Kadazan, etc, all have thousands of kampungs and ancestral land as their social safety net, which 99 percent of the Indian poor do not have. So lets cease the pretense that an Indian poor equals a Malay poor or a native poor.

Similarly, many of the Malay poor have been provided with jobs in the state and federal public sector agencies, guaranteeing them a pension and health facilities for life. What have the Indian poor to look forward to?

Who bothered with Indians before?

The Hindraf movement arose to fill the vacuum created by the almost zero takers for the non-politically rewarding Indian problems.

Hindraf fought without fear or favour while PKR, DAP, PAS, PSM, the NGOs and the Indian elite closed one eye to the Indian situation that was becoming increasingly dire.

If Indians were not in acute distress, the Hindraf rally would not have erupted.

Before November 2007, the Tamil underclass was! ignored . Post March 2008, the political opportunists who rode on our wave of discontent chose to play to the majoritarian, especially the Malay-Muslim, political gallery.

Today when we give voice to the woes of our constituency the hardcore Indian poor we are portrayed and castigated as being overbearing and demanding.

Are our demands really unreasonable? Hindraf has never asked for higher quotas for scholarships, university seats and other deliverables. We have always demanded for equal rights which are constitutionally ours as enshrined in Article 8 of the Federal Constitution.

In fact our motto is Rights not Mercy.

Some of us are sixth generation Malaysian-born. We too are the sons of this soil as much as any other Malaysian. We in respect to our indigenousness are even more entitled to a place in the Malaysian sun than many recent arrivals whose rights we do not question just as we hope they do not question ours.

Indians, our own worst enemies

Fundamentally, Indians are shortchanged by the intellectual dishonesty which elects to dilute and divert away from the pressing and critical Indian poor problems created by especially Umno racism. Championing the Indian poor is unfortunately not fashionable.

When HRP and Hindraf battle against racism specifically targeting the Indian poor, we are most bafflingly accused of being racist for maintaining our focus. Yet have you ever even stopped to ponder with some measure of honesty that there would have been no need for HRP and/or Hindraf to exist if the Indian problems had been addressed in the first place.

Pray tell, who among those that are not Indian is willing to make the cause of our communitys poor their mission and to work the ground?

Yet for our necessarily selective focus on a single race, we are accused of racism by the preening and posturing multi-culturists and mono-culturalists who ride their high horses.

Their warped label of racists hurled against Hindraf is ! to be fo und in no other part of the world except Malaysia.

Going by this perverted definition constantly applied to Hindraf by our detractors, Nelson Mandela would be considered anti-white a veritable racist for fighting apartheid rule in South Africa because his opponents were of one colour.

And Mahatma Gandhi would also be a damn racist as he fought the white rajahs rule in India. Why dont the same people who are so fond of knocking Hindraf similarly insist that Gandhi must be colour-blind and that he cannot be allowed to single out a particular race (i.e. the whites) for moral censure?

Accusing us of fighting the racism that victimizes Indians with our own brand of Hindraf racism is just about the most convenient but lamest excuse used by shallow, unthinking Malaysians.

This particularly applies to the English-speaking groups who love to sound magnanimous. They are usually the Indian elites priding themselves that their best friends are Malay and Chinese, and patting themselves on the back for their liberal credentials because they move in social circles not exclusive to their own kind (i.e. the dark-skinned).

Some of them may profess to have a multi-racial mindset but my own analysis differs, even if they have not attained this self-awareness as yet.

I believe their trapped mentality (of seeking approval and to please others with proof of their apparent broadmindedness) arises out of a minority and inferiority complex. Such a type of personality is the one most prone to denying the real problems Indians face here because of racial discrimination.

Whos racist? You look in the mirror

For championing this cause of the Indian poor, I was detained for 514 days under the ISA and arrested on 11 other occasions.

I still have the charge of sedition hanging over my head for drawing attention to what has been perceived to be ethnic cleansing, especially with regard to the Kg Medan tragedy where five Indian poor were murdered and more t! han 100 suffered grievous bodily harm.

The atrocities committed in Kg Medan were greeted with pin-drop silence from the supposedly all embracing multi-racial PKR, DAP, PAS, PSM, NGOs as well as the so-called multi-racial Indian elite.

We have closely documented the killings but nobody cares to get to the bottom of this ethnic issue.

For calling the massacre an ethnic cleansing, I face prosecution for sedition which carries a three-year jail sentence. My case is still in the courts. But I have no regrets as anyone intimate with how Hindraf operates will know that we somehow or other soldier on despite the nasty brickbats and the vicious catcalls.

The allegation that we are a reverse image of Perkasa is simply an expediency to marginalize Hindraf by those who are our harshest critics.

These prefer to fish in the 60 percent Malay-Muslim majoritarian pond because of the tantalizing vote catch. Never mind the Indian poor kena nyaya (get screwed) on a day-to-day basis.

Our paramount interest in HRP and Hindraf is to procure justice and equality, and to uphold human rights. We are for ending Umno rule to achieve these ends but unlike the highly partisan opposition crowd, were not willing to give a blank cheque to Pakatan.

One must be able to discern the cause of the Indian poor to know what the Hindraf and HRP struggle is truly about. Either you feel it or you dont. We cannot open your eyes if you resolutely refuse to see. And what can we do if you hear but refuse to listen?

So well simply say this, quoting a Tamil proverb: If a person cannot help, he should not get in the way of those who are doing something about it.

P Uthayakumars sedition case is fixed for mention on June 24 at the KL Sessions Court pending his appeal at the Court of Appeal to declare the sedition charges against him unconstitutional. This article first appeared at the Centre for Policy Initiatives website.


TAIBS FOREIGN BUSINESS PARTNERS EXCLUSIVE EVIDENCE


Deutsch Bank HQ
Corrupt Barisan Nasional : The launching of an official investigation into TaibMahmud by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has increased the pressure on the Chief Ministersweb of global investments.
Anti-money laundering campaigners arenow demanding action from Germany to freeze Taibs assetsheld by the countrys largest bank Deustche Bank. This follows the Swiss Governments announcement ofits owninvestigation into the assets owned by the billionaire Chief Minister.

In ajoint press releaseyesterdaythree European NGOs pointed to a mass of evidenceshowing extensive dealings between Taib-owned companies and Deutsche Bank worth hundreds of millions of ringgit and involving a number of off-shore operations.The Chief Minister, meanwhile,has beenunable to provide any legitimate explanations for the amassing of such wealth by himself and his immediate family.
SOGO Holdings Limited exclusive evidence
Now, Sarawak Report can alsoprovide new, exclusive evidence of Deutsche Banks furtherinvolvement in the management of the Taib familys private property assets in the US, via the off-shore company SOGO Holdings Limited, based in the island of Jersey.
Taib company SOGO Holdings Limited is managed by Deutsche Bank International in Jersey
Our previous reports have detailed how Taib himself, along with his two sons, eldest daughterand two of his brothers were listed as the original Directors and Shareholders ofSakti International, a company which iscurrently managed by Taibs son in law Sean ! Murray a nd which owns properties worth in the region of a hundred million dollars in the US.
Ross Boyert outside Sakti International HQ in San Francisco
We can now demonstrate that these assets were in turn placed under the control of an offshore holding company, which is managed by Deustche Bank in Jersey.
Papers shown to Sarawak Report by the former Sakti manager,Ross Boyert, who died under tragic circumstances last year, revealed the structure behind the management of these assets.
In aletterto The Chief Minister, whom he address as the ultimate boss of Sakti International, Ross Boyert outlined information that Sean Murray had given him about the company during his initial interview for the post.
Ross Boyert's letter to Taib Mahmud in November 2006 outlined the role of SOGO Holdings Ltd (managed by Deutsche Bank International) as the offshore holding company for Sakti International in the States
Sarawak Report also has access to a number of company documents that show that Sogo was originally managedin Hong Kong by the former asset management company BT Trustees Limited. The company, which specialised in acting as a trust representative for Asian clients moved to Jersey from Hong Kong after the handing over of sovereignty in 1997. It was then taken over by Deutsche Bank International in 1998, along with the management of the Taib family trust in Jersey, SOGO Holdings Ltd.
These company documents confirm that Rahman Sulaiman Taib was the President of Sakti International and was in charge of transferring its ownership to SOGO Holdings.
Documents related to Rahman Taib's transfer of Sakti's assets to Sogo Holdings, which is now managed by Deutsch Bank for the Taibs in Jersey
Boyert even showed Sarawak Report a copy of a diagram drawn by Rahman Sulaiman Taib, the Chief Ministers second son and the previous president of Sakti International, illustrating how he planned to move the ownership of Sakti to an off-shore trust company. The diagram specifies the Bankers Trust Company and places it in its original location, Hong Kong. There are major taxbenefits in moving such companies off-shore.
Rahman Taib's diagram showing how he planned to structure the family's US assets. The Trust company was SOGO Holdings Ltd
The above diagram drawn by Rahman Taib also shows his parallelplans for managing the so-called Northern Life or Abraham Lincoln Building owned by the Taibs in Seattle (see bottomright of diagram). This building now houses the FBIs main headquarters in North West America and is a top secret facility.
The FBI's top secret Abraham Lincoln Building in Seattle is owned by the Taibs - another asset that is open to questions of money laundering
The diagram illustrates shows how the building was held by the Taibs under the company called Wallysons Inc, which again was in turn put under the ownership of an off-shore trust company. Boyert alleged that the offshorecompany referred to was Rodinmass Inc, which is located in the British Virgin Islands.
The full allegations in his court case for unfair dismissal against the Taibs in 2007 are deposited with theCALIFORNIA SUPER! IOR COUR T.
Other joint ventures
In their submission to the German Chancellor this week the three NGOs, The Bruno Manser Foundation,the Society for Threatened Peoples and Rettet den Regenwald, a Hamburg-based rainforest advocacy group have also listed numerous other business connections between Deutsche Bank and the Taibs.
The investment group K & N Kenanga Holdings Bhd, ofwhich by far the largest shareholdersare Deutsche Bank Asia and the Taib family company CMS, hasa share capital of RM 611 million and a furtherRM2.4 billion inassets! The related companyKenanga Deutsche Futures has RM387 millionin assets.
The NGOs also point out that the group of Kenangacompanies are managed by Boards thatincludechief officers from CMS and Deutsche Bank. CMS Finance Chief, Richard Curtis, and Taibs son in law Syed Ahmad Alwee Alsree are both on the Board of K & N Kenanga Holdings,alongside Deutsche Banks Chief Country Officer of Malaysia Operations, Raymond Yeoh Cheng Seong.
Indeed, Yeohs Business Week profile notes that hehas no less than37 [business] relationships with Syed Ahmad and 25 relationships with Richard Curtis, so great are the ties between the two companies! The NGOs are now querying why, given international money-laundering legislation, Deutsche Bank has developed such extensive ties with a family of such questionable wealth?
We are seriously concerned that, as a leading German financial institute, Deutsche Bankis closely cooperating with the highly corrupt and internationally discredited Taib regime.We feel that this cooperation cannot be in the interest of the German government, which is globally promoting the effective combating of corruption.,theystated intheir letter to the German Chancellor, Angela Merkle.
Joint enterprises. The NGO complaint also points out that "In 2005, Deutsche Bank was the sole bookrunner for the US$ 600 million listing of Sarawak International Incorporated in Labuan, Malaysia's offshore financial centre. Before December 2004, Deutsche Bank arranged a US$ 135 million loan for the Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC), a state body controlled by Taib Mahmud".
Questions to answer
Taib has announced that he will finally make a public statement about the MACC corruptioninvestigation into his affairs. To satisfy his critics he will have to explain convincingly how it is thathe,his immediate and hisextended family could have achieved world class wealth off the back of his modest salary as Chief Minister by legitimate means.
The glaring examples of abuse ofpower, cronyism and timber corruption in Sarawak will make that extremely hard for himto do andhave also placedhis supposedly respectablebusiness partners, like Deutsch Bank, in an equallydifficult position.

Bersih 2.0s fair and just demands


By Toh Kin Woon | TMI

In recent weeks, many negative, unfair and unreasonable statements have been made against Bersih 2.0. Some of these bordered on vicious personal attacks, in particular against its Chairperson, the highly respected Ambiga Sreenevasan. These attacks arose following the announcement by, and firm commitment of, the entire Steering Committee to hold a peaceful walk to demand for electoral reform and upholding of democracy on 9 July. As a member of Bersih 2.0s Steering Committee, I feel duty bound to come to its defence.

Allow me first to reiterate the overall objective of our coalition, which is to help the Election Commission realise its noble goal of conducting elections that are fair and clean. All will agree that the attainment of this goal is a must, if Malaysia is to be a fully developed country. Apart from high income, a just and democratic electoral system is an important institution of a first world country.

Unfortunately, the way elections have been conducted in our country up till now leaves much to be desired. Many weaknesses in the process and conduct of elections still remain. Some of these include an electoral roll that is still full of defects; campaign periods that are far too short to allow all contesting parties to effectively disseminate their stands and positions on various issues to the voters; unequal and uneven access to the media, especially state-owned broadcast! ing; the refusal to use indelible ink in order to eliminate the possibility of multiple voting; and disenfranchisement of many citizens who are resident overseas. The result is that electoral outcomes may not be a full, clear and accurate expression of public will.

In a bid to help move our country towards making our elections fairer and cleaner, Bersih 2.0 has therefore asked via its 8 demands that these weaknesses and defects be overcome and measures further strengthening the electoral system be adopted. Among these are cleaning up the voters list, the use of indelible ink, a minimum campaign period of 21 days, automatic registration of voters, reform of postal voting, equal access to state owned broadcasting and the media, wiping out corruption and the strengthening of public institutions. Bersih 2.0s goal is simple, which is to help install a system of elections that is beyond reproach and whose outcomes unchallengeable. It is therefore a surprise to many that this good and innocuous goal should meet with so much contest and opposition.

Some, however, would claim that they are not so much contesting and opposing our demands as the way we press for their realisation via the holding of the walk on July 9. All kinds of reasons have been put forward to stall the walk. It will disrupt business, cause massive traffic jams and even create chaos and disorder, so claim the walk opponents. For a start, we have reiterated many a times that our walk will be peaceful. If, in addition, the police come in to lend a hand by controlling and managing traffic, I see no reason why any of these concerns will happen. Indeed this was the case with some recent events, such as the holding of a peaceful protest against the putting up of the Lynas Advanced Materials plant in Pahang, which was organised in Kuala Lumpur. Likewise, countries such as Hong Kong have witnessed even more massive demonstrations and yet they are still prosperous. Besides, there is such a thing called freedom of assembly which is one of the tenets! of our Federal Constitution. Opponents of the walk will do well to respect this basic right, failing which all calls for the creation of a highly developed country will come to naught.

Finally, may I appeal to all who are engaged in this discourse to look at the core matter of clean and fair elections. Unfortunately, however, many of those opposed to Bersih 2.0s big rally on July 9 have chosen to divert from it. Instead they have chosen to launch vicious personal attacks against its Chairperson and even blamed Bersih 2.0 for the recent hacking of government websites. All these are clearly off the mark and are not part of rational debate that we should be engaged in.

Dr Toh Kin Woon is a member of Bersih 2.0s steering committee

MCA to Pakatan: Where is the shadow Cabinet? - star.com.my

MCA to Pakatan: Where is the shadow Cabinet?

SUNGAI PETANI: The MCA has challenged Pakatan Rakyat to explain why it is still unable to announce its shadow Cabinet three years after the general election, saying it was clear that the opposition parties could not agree on fundamental issues.

Party deputy president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said PKR, PAS and DAP did not have consensus in many areas, particularly on basic policies on the running of the country.

The two-party system envisioned by the Opposition was merely an illusion that would not materialise in Malaysia, he said.

Liow said they were merely using the system as a gimmick to hoodwink and attract those who believe in the system.

But it is an illusion and it does not exist, because DAP, PKR and PAS are actually going after each others neck, he said after opening the Sungai Petani MCA division annual general meeting at Cinta Sayang Resort here on Monday night.

Liow said the three parties did not have consensus in many areas, such as policies and in the running of the country.

He said they could not even form a shadow Cabinet, including in Sarawak, noting that they were still bickering about who should become prime minister in their shadow Cabinet.

Earlier, Liow called on MCA divisions in the country to gear for the general election and to touch base with the people.

He said members must engage the people through activities in every polling station to ensure their support could be translated into votes.

Therefore, the MCA must transform not only in terms of activities, but also in its campaign structure.

We must ensure that we are able to tackle the current needs of the people on the ground, he said.


INDUSTRI MALAYSIA MERUDUM

Kajian yang dijalankan oleh 21 syarikat elektronik utama di negara ini mendapati eksport sektor itu jatuh menjunam 26 peratus kepada RM51.8 bilion pada 2010 berbanding tahun sebelumnya.

Trend ini berterusan dengan perangkaan 2009 mencatatkan penurunan 15.8 peratus dalam eksport.

Pengerusi Industri Elektronik Malaysia Amerika, (MAEI) Wong Siew Hai berkata sebab utama kemerosotan itu adalah kerana syarikat komputer peribadi (PC) yang menyumbang kira-kira 50 peratus nilai eksport elektronik meninggalkan negara ini.

Syarikat-syarikat itu mendapati adalah lebih mudah bagi mereka untuk hanya berunding dengan sub-kontraktor yang kebanyakannya terletak di China, katanya ketika membentangkan keputusan kajian tahunan hari ini.

Jika beginilah keadaannya, tidaklah menghairankan jika kerajaan memohon bajet tambahan sebanyak RM13 bilion walaupun baru pertengahan tahun.Bersedialah kita untuk menghadapi keadaan yang lebih buruk. Sementelahan pula kita dihambat kos sara hidup yang semakin meningkat, kenaikan harga barang, dan inflasi.

Old colonial among NST oldtimers

More than 100 former New Straits Times editorial staff, including four pairs of husband-and-wife NST journalists, are attending Sundays reunion gathering, bringing together those who served on the paper in the 1960s and 1970s.

The couples on the guest list, posted at Facebook, are K.C. Boey and Hannah Abisheganaden; Ho Sai Kong and Louise Tay; Johan Fernandez and Hanim Melan; and Lee Boon Siew and Ann Teoh.

Peter Moss puts an arm around author Simon Winchester

The most senior of all is probably Peter Moss, 76, a Malay Mail reporter 1957-1965. He may find a familiar face in Ben DCunha, one of his contemporaries. Peter moved to Hong Kong and served in the colonial administration, retiring as head of information services. Since then he has published five novels and an autobiographical trilogy.

He now lives in a kampung house in Ijok, Batang Berjuntai, Selangor, but also spends time in Hong Kong.

Another oldtimer who had been at large, mistakenly presumed missing, is Rudy Beltran, who will be reunited with his crime reporters Lat, Najib Rahman and Johan Fernandez.

Although the group comprises mainly Straits Times and New Straits Times reporters, photographers and editors, there will be a sprinkling of those from the other papers in the group, including the vivacious Azizah Dahlan, then of Berita Harian, and Foong Peto, editor of Her World, the former personnel manager C. Thavaneswaran, and Vincent Ong of the editorial library.

The group also includes a number of journalists of The Star and The Sun: among them, Zainon Ahmad and Shoba Devan (Sun); C.H. Loh, George Das, Ho Sai Kong, Johan Fernandez, M Krishnamoorthy, Ng Poh Tip, P Gunasegaram, R Velu, Robert Ho, See Ewe Jin, and Thomas Lee (Star).


Filed under: Journalism


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[First published 15 November 2007, 5 days after BERSIH...]



Some rights reserved Antares/Magick RiverYou may borrow and/or modify content for your own blog but please credit and backlink, thanks.

Ibrahim 'Katak's U-turn makes the Chinese angrier...

All-round condemnation has forced Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali into a sharp U-turn, but he has only worsened the situation and it now behoves Prime Minister Najib Razak to show some fair play or risk being shut out by the community especially at the ballot boxes where it hurts most , say Chinese leaders.

"That is most flimsy excuse ever. It is really rubbing salt into the wound. This shows the total disrespect the Najib administration has for the Chinese," Gopeng MP Lee Boon Chye told Malaysia Chronicle.

Ibrahim and Perkasa had burned effigies of Ambiga Sreenevasan on Sunday, just hours before the official Bersih 2.0 launch. Ibrahim Ali is against the anti-election fraud rally slated for July 9. Ambiga is the chairman of the organizing committee for the Bersih rally.

A successful gathering is seen as a slap in the face for Prime Minister Najib Razak's leadership. It may also force his administration to agree on a slew of reforms which he is loathe to do as he needs every edge he can get to stave off the challenge put up by the Pakatan Rakyat led by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim.

On Sunday, Ibrahim - caling himself "war general" - had threatened a reprisal on the May 13, 1969 racial riots. In retaliation, Chinese community leaders have called on their folk to vote for anyone but the Najib-led BN ruling coalition.

Scared by the ferocity of the counter-attacks, Ibrahim and his backers have now blamed the online news portals for misquoting him. However, his actions and words were also captured on film for all to see.

On Tuesday, this was the explanation offered by Ibrahim Ali for his rash words over the weekend.

I said it was better for the Chi! nese to stay home and if they need to, stock up on food... what does that mean? That means that usually, when there are street protests, I do not see the Chinese participating," he screeched at reporters who surrounded him at the Parliament lobby.

The Chinese never participate in street demonstrations as far as I am concerned. So this demonstration, I foresee that it will be the Malays from PAS participating and then Umno and us so it will be a clash among the Malays... so in order to avoid from it spreading to the other races, I said that it is better for the Chinese to stay back, that is all."

Punish Ibrahim Ali

But sadly for Ibrahim, that is not all at all for all. Most Malaysian Chinese see the U-turn as funk by the rotund 60-year-old, who has been accused of being a political 'prostitute' by many of his foes. Indeed throughout his career, he has jumped from one political party and master to another.

But the Chinese are not amused. They want him to be punished for his words. They want the Najib administration to show some sincerity and fair play. Just last month, Ibrahim riled up the Christians in the country by declaring a holy war on the community.

Najib had also refused to punish him. Instead, minister in the PM's department Nazri Aziz called Ibrahim a "clown". It was clearly a slap on wrist and much too mild. It emboldened Ibrahim to attack the Chinese, who have long been suppressing their anger over May 13, 1969 attacks.

"Ibrahim can explain whatever he likes. But the issue is still the same. Why must the Chinese be singled out and why were the Christians also attacked last month? Why must the Chinese stay at home, and stock up, but the Malays and Indians can go out. It is an infantile excuse given by an imbecile. But it is no laughing matter. The Chinese are fed of being the punching bag of the UMNO elite. Same goes with the Christians," said Lee.

May 13, 1969 saw racial riots on the! streets of Kuala Lumpur, where scores of homes were burnt to the ground and dozens of Chinese hacked to death by machete-wielding Malay Youths.

While deadly and intense, the so-called riot was limited in its breadth and many pundits say it was actually sparked by an UMNO power tussle. The unrest paved the way for Najib's father - the second prime minister Abdul Razak Hussein - to oust his boss, Tunku Abdul Rahman.

source:Malaysia Chronicle

Ibrahim Ali dah kecut teloq

Come join the Bersih 2 rally on July 9 to show Ibrahim 'Katak' who's the boss.....

cheers.

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