Pakatan Rakyat Buzz & Blog

Panellists sceptical of change in post-ISA Msia

KUALA LUMPUR: Pakatan Rakyat leaders and rights activists today maintained that the repeal of the Internal Security Act (ISA) was merely an act of political mileage to bolster Prime Minister Najib Tun Razaks reformist image.

In a forum themed Malaysian Politics Post ISA, four panellists said the Barisan Nasional government has thrived on the law which allowed for detention without trial to crush its opponents and would not easily relinquish power.

Key to maintaining the status quo, said PKR leader R Sivarasa, was Article 149 of the Federal Constitution, the foundation of which the ISA was built on.

As long as the Article remained as law, the ruling coalition will always have the means to quell dissent through the enactment of new laws even in the absence of the British-inherited ISA.

Article 149 gives power to the Parliament to pass special laws to stop or prevent any actual or threatened action by a large body of persons which Parliament believes to be prejudicial to public order, promoting hostility between races, causing disaffection against the state, causing citizens to fear organised violence against them or property, or prejudicial to the functioning of any public service or supply.

Such laws do not have to be consistent with the fundamental liberties under Articles 5 (right to life and personal liberty), 9 (no banishment from Malaysia and freedom of movement within Malaysia), 10 (freedom of speech, assembly and association) or 13 (rights to property).

A hidden clause

Najib had announced the repeal of the ISA on the eve of Malaysian Day, along with a slew of other reforms, but said that two new laws will be enacted to deal with terrorism threat.

He also pledged freedom of political differences and that no laws will be used to suppress them.

Sivarasa, who is Subang MP, said he was confident that the two new laws will be in power in the same spirit as the ISA, meaning that it will be based on Article 149. The vague definition of threat to peace gives BN indefinite power to invoke the law to its advantage.

Many people are not aware of Article 149, so that is why they do not know that the ISA could easily be maintained with new set of laws, he told the audience here.

Observers see Putrajayas reform package as a do-or-die bid to win middle Malaysia amid straying moderate votes made worst by the high-handed response to the polls reform rally on July 9.

Najib also ended three Emergency declarations while promising a review on the Police Act that gives the authorities absolute discretion to issue permits for gatherings.

Why Emergency remained

Another panellist at the forum, political analyst Professor Aziz Bari, said the promised changes also gave the illusion that the prime minister was a man of reform.

He said the emergency threat in Malaysia has long gone since the end of the communist insurgency decades ago but it was maintained to give the ruling coalition power to justify the use of laws like the ISA and the Emergency Ordinance.

That is why the Emergency was never called off.. now that it has, it gives the impression that Najib is promoting reform.

Aziz said the resistance from Umno hardliners and Malay extremists like Perkasa to the reform pledges means Najib risks losing the conservative votes and this in turn could prompt the premier to b! acktrack on his vows.

Threats of retaliation from Perkasa have already forced Najib to delay his vows to carry out economic reforms and dismantle racial quotas.

Surveys showed investors are weary that Najib have the political courage to implement bold measures to stir growth and this have severely damaged his reform credentials.

Last speaker of the night, PKR deputy president Azmin Ali, added that the reform packages were nothing but to create an euphoria and gain new support from the fencesitters.

Meanwhile, Najib is expected to discuss the timeline for his proposed reforms at the cabinet meeting tomorrow.

UMNO Sujud Pada Pelakon Porno. Buang Allah SWT

from Malaysia Waves by Tulang Besi

Di bawah adalah laporan berkaitan amaran pelakon porno kepada UMNO untuk tidak membenarkan perlaksanaan hukum hudud:

KLIK IMEJ

Amaran tersebut terus dipatuhi. Pelakon porno lebih berkuasa dari Allah SWT dalam minda UMNO:

KLIK IMEJ

Sekarang kita nampak mengapa ada fatwa mengkafirkan UMNO kerana bekerjasama dengan parti2 kafir.

Kerjasama UMNO itu sering dijadikan alasan untuk membuang syariat Islam ke dalam longkang. Maka, tak hairanlah ulama2 pondok tersebut telah mengkafirkan UMNO.

Syabas UMNO di atas usaha mereka menyesatkan jutaan umat Islam. Namun, usaha kamu selama beberapa dekad ini telah gagal kerana hukum syariah Islam sudah menjadi cukup popular di kalangan umat Islam

Tulang Besi

Pakatan practising hypocrisy, says Chua

KUALA LUMPUR: Pakatan Rakyats gag order on the hudud debate drew instant flak from MCA which described the instruction as proof of the blocs blatant hypocrisy.

Its president Dr Chua Soi Lek said the opposition had conveniently tried to conceal its weakness by gagging its leaders from openly discussing the prickly issue that has reignited past hostility between PAS and the DAP.

It is their right (to issue the gag order) but every time they (Pakatan) have problems, they resort to using gag orders while preaching greater democracy, transparency, accountability and openness, he told reporters at the partys headquarters here.

Chua, a former health minister, pointed out that Pakatan state leaders in Selangor had issued a gag order following a controversial raid by the states Islamic Affairs Department (JAIS) on a church in Damansara recently, adding that going mute on the issue has not solved the debacle.

The issue is still unresolved. Until now we dont know if there was actually an attempt to convert Muslims to Christians, he said.

The raid triggered animosity and heightened tension between Muslims and Christians amid efforts by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to improve relations by forging diplomatic ties with the Vatican last month.

But while the issue slowly took a back seat, Kelatan Menteri Besar Nik Aziz Nik Mat gave non-Muslim the shivers when he said his party plans to implement hudud in the east coast state.

He also said PAS has not abandoned its plans to establish an Islamic state should it wrest federal power despite having relinquished the idea for a more moderate sounding welfare state.

Pakatan must state its stand

Nik Azizs statement sparked open warfare ! between PAS and DAP. Rival Barisan Nasional was quick to exploit the split.

This prompted Pakatans top brass to issue a gag order pending discussions on the subject at its meeting tomorrow.

Chua said as a rakyat, he has the right to demand an explanation on Pakatans stand on hudud and the Islamic state.

Yes, I am from the MCA but I am also a rakyat so I have the right to know what their position is on hudud. They cannot just issue a gag order and suddenly implement hudud, he said.

He added that gag orders were becoming the norm with Pakatan leaders and warned them against sweeping their problems under the carpet.

He said the Pakatan-led Selangor government is now facing another issue involving land rights in the construction of a Chinese school

Two weeks ago, the Education Ministry was entangled in a row with the Selangor government when the former purportedly purchased a plot of land to build a Chinese school. But the state government had given it away for the construction of an Indian school.

Now the two school boards are fighting with each other over the matter, he said, adding that he hoped the Selangor government will not issue another gag order on the matter.

Pakatan hiding its weaknesses, says Chua

KUALA LUMPUR: Pakatan Rakyats gag order on the hudud debate drew instant flak from MCA which described the instruction as proof of the blocs blatant hypocrisy.

The issue is still unresolved. Until now we dont know if there was actually an attempt to convert Muslims to Christians, he said.

But while the issue slowly took a back seat, Kelatan Menteri Besar Nik Aziz Nik Mat gave non-Muslim the shivers when he said his party plans to implement hudud in the east coast state.

He also said PAS has not abandoned its plans to establish an Islamic state should it wrest federal power despite having relinquished the idea for a more moderate sounding welfare state.

Pakatan must state its stand

Nik Azizs statement sparked open warfare ! between PAS and DAP. Rival Barisan Nasional was quick to exploit the split.

This prompted Pakatans top brass to issue a gag order pending discussions on the subject at its meeting tomorrow.

Chua said as a rakyat, he has the right to demand an explanation on Pakatans stand on hudud and the Islamic state.

Yes, I am from the MCA but I am also a rakyat so I have the right to know what their position is on hudud. They cannot just issue a gag order and suddenly implement hudud, he said.

He added that gag orders were becoming the norm with Pakatan leaders and warned them against sweeping their problems under the carpet.

He said the Pakatan-led Selangor government is now facing another issue involving land rights in the construction of a Chinese school

Now the two school boards are fighting with each other over the matter, he said, adding that he hoped the Selangor government will not issue another gag order on the matter.

Demotion or sack for three MACC robbers

KUALA LUMPUR: The three senior Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers who allegedly robbed money changers of some RM1 million cash at KLIA airport could be demoted or sacked.

The MACC said today that the three officers would face disciplinary action as an internal inquiry on them has been completed.

The disciplinary board which met today had decided that the three had committed a serious offence, which violates Regulation 37 of the Public Officers (Conduct and Discipline) Regulations 1993, it said in a press statement.

Under Regulation 37, a public officer can be dismissed if he has committed an offence that carries a criminal conviction. Other lesser punishments could also be meted out.

MACC said that its internal probe and decision would not affect the ongoing police investigations into the case.

FMT had reported that the trio, including an assistant commissioner, was arrested after allegedly extorting and robbing three money changers of almost RM1 million on Sept 15. Their remand has been extended for another three days yesterday.

Following the incident, MACC had relieved them of their active duties, stripped them of any investigative power, and transferred them to its administrative division.

The alleged victims were said to be money changers from Singapore who were at the KLIA to board a flight back home. They were carrying foreign currencies amounting to about RM2 million which they had declared to the customs authorities.

Five men, who who identified as themselves as MACC officers, confronted the money changers and demanded money from them. When they refused, the officers took the victims to a toilet and forcefully took the money totalling US$300,000.

Me! anwhile, the Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar said police have recovered the loot taken by three, but declined to confirm the amount.

Investigations are proceeding smoothly and there are still some issues which need to be resolved, including tracking down the two men who are believed to be linked to the case, he said at a function here today.

Also read:

MACC officers held for RM1 mil robbery

Najib, wife to argue against conspiracy theory...

Fighting off a bid to make them testify in the Sodomy II trial, Premier Najib Abdul Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor are set to deny having conspired in having the charge brought against Anwar Ibrahim.

A source said this will be the thrust of their argument when the Kuala Lumpur High Court hears their respective applications to set aside their subpoenae on Thursday.

Najib had earlier admitted to meeting complainant Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan on the night of June 24, 2008. Then the deputy premier, he had reportedly advised Saiful to refer his complaint to the police.

Saiful had testified during the prosecution case that he had complained to Najib that day about Anwar. (However, the context of his complaint has been expunged from the court records.)

It is learnt that Rosmah will deny meeting Saiful, then Anwar's political aide, on that occasion. This has been corroborated in Saiful's testimony.

It is further understood that Najib could tell the court that he had not given directives or asked others to be accomplices in the charge being framed.

Najib and Rosmah may therefore argue that the defence application to call them as witnesses is an abuse of the court process.

Their affidavits, filed with the court registrar through their lawyers last Wednesday, named Anwar and the public prosecutor as respondents.

Anwar, charged with sodomising Saiful at the Desa Damansara condominium on June 26, 2008, made his defence in a statement from the dock.

source:malaysiakini

Najib, isteri akan tolak teor! i konspi rasi

Enggan jadi saksi, Najib-Rosmah tekan institusi kehakiman ?

cheers.

Trading human organs: Clear Malaysias name

KUALA LUMPUR: A group of kidney doctors have lodged a police report, urging the authorities to launch a detailed and professional investigation to clear the air over allegations that Malaysia is
involved in an international organ trafficking syndicate.

The joint report was made by Malaysian Society of Transplantation president Dr Harjit Singh, Malaysian Society of Nephrology president Dr Wong Hin Seng, and Consumer Association of Subang and Shah Alam (CASSA) president Jacob George.

The report also received the support of Kuala Lumpur Hospital head of Nephrology Department and senior consultant Dr Ghazali Ahmad and Dr Tan Chwee Choong of Klang Hospital.

We are asking for a serious investigation into the (alleged) commercial transplants or organ trading involving Bangladeshi citizens as reported by their police there, which implicated Malaysia, Ghazali said.

He said if the allegations were true, then the public should know which hospital was doing this and the perpetrators brought to book.

We have the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act and the National Transplant Policy, which clearly show we dont condone organ trafficking. Action must be taken; we dont want to open the doors to Malaysia and be popular for the wrong reasons, he added.

However, he said that there are loopholes in the laws which seem to allow doctors to get involved (in organ trafficking) without fear.

We need better laws. But right now, we must remember that the Malaysian Medical Council can suspend your practising licence, he said.

Seek the truth

Ghazali added that if the reports were unfounded, then the authorities must seek the truth to clear the countrys name.

! We (doct ors) are custodians and we want to make sure that organ trafficking doesnt happen in Malaysia. It may happen elsewhere, but not here. We will never allow Malaysia to be a soil for
those thinking of promoting or perpetuating organ trading, he said.

On Sept 21, Bernama had reported that Malaysia was among several countries on the radar screen of the Bangladeshi police who are on the trail of an international syndicate linked to illegal kidney trade across several Southeast Asian countries.

Bangladeshi police said that donors from remote villages in Bangladesh had been flown to the various destinations to have their kidneys harvested. Eight have been arrested in connection with the case.

The victims were paid between US$2,000 (RM6,000) and US$3,000 (RM9,000) for a kidney. The actual black market price for the organs was not mentioned.

The report said investigators have identified a reputed international hospital with branches in key regions and capitals, including a hospital in Selangor, said to have been involved in the illegal
business.

The Health Ministry had announced that it will work with Home Ministry and police to investigate the claims.

Ghazali also said that the report reflects the desperate nature of people trying to get organs.

Ask for evidence

Harjit added: We are trying to promote more organ transplants and (encourage) donors (to help). If we have more donors, it will save Malaysians trying to buy (organs) through illegal means.

He said that doctors are lodging the report as they are very, very concerned and upset over the allegations.

We should not allow Malaysias name to be defamed in such a manner. Our police should
immediately liaise with their Bangladeshi counterparts and ask for evidence. Up till now, we do not have any evidence to show whether anyone (here) has ever done this, he said.

George, who is also Selangor Consumer Council chairman, said the Home Ministry has been informed of! the mat ter.

He said anyone with information of organ trafficking, including former buyers or sellers, can contact CASSA toll-free hotline at 016-3261700.

A Reuters report earlier this month also named Malaysia as one of the countries where buyers purchased kidneys from Bangladesh. It reported that brokers often posed as a friend of relatives to lure the victims, often impoverished, into hospitals here, Singapore and India.

Last March, the Home Ministry uncovered organ trafficking activities involving Malaysian victims abroad. It said women and children were being kidnapped and brought to a foreign country where their organs were removed and sold to those who needed them.

About 60,000 transplants are taking place worldwide each year, and one in 10 are done illegally. In Malaysia, some 10,000 patients are waiting in line for organs such as kidneys, livers, hearts and lungs.

Takziah : Ayah Edy Noor, Pengarah Propaganda SAMM baru meninggal

che'GuBard dan seluruh keluarga besar Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia dengan ini merakamkan takziah dan rasa sedih atas kepemergian ayahanda saudara Edy Noor, Pengarah Propaganda SAMM.

Ayah beliau Abdul Muhin diberitakan meninggal sebentar tadi (6.00 petang) iaitu sehari selepas ulang tahunnya yang ke 53 semalam. Ayahnya telah hampir setengah tahun bergelut dengan penyakit leukemia.

Semoga rohnya ditempatkan dikalangan orang orang yang soleh. Moga Edy tabah dengan ujian. Jenazah akan dibawa untuk dikebumikan di Jelai, Gemas.

Ucapan takziah boleh dihantar ke email peribadi beliau; edyesdotcom@gmail.com. Selain seorang blogger, beliau juga baru sahaja menyiapkan buku FITNAH 2 terbitan SAMM yang ditulis bersama cheGuBard.

Another DPP stares into barrel of gun

KUALA LUMPUR: Another senior deputy public prosecutor was attacked and robbed at gunpoint within hours after a DPP reported that she was threatened by a man with a gun on Sunday afternoon.

The second incident involved a DPP in his mid-30s attached with the Deputy Public Prosecutors office here.

The victim was having dinner with a few friends at a fast-food restaurant in Pudu here. He told his friends that his drink could have been spiked.

He was later bundled into car before being robbed at gunpoint at an undisclosed location. The assailants took his handphone and some cash before droping him near Nilai, Negri Sembilan.

A source told FMT that the DPP also sought outpatient treatment for a broken nose after being assaulted by the robbers.

It is not clear whether the second incident was linked to the first incident in Terengganu.

In that incident, a senior DPP lodged a police report stating that she was threatened at gunpoint when her car pulled up at a traffic light.

The DPP and her 14-year-old daughter, who was with her in the car, escaped unhurt.

Adun Kota Anggerik nafi tuduhan blog pro-Umno

PETALING JAYA: Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (Adun) Kota Anggerik, Yaakob Sapari hari ini menafikan tuduhan fitnah oleh sebuah laman blog pro-Umno yang didakwa cuba memburukkan imej Pejabat Pusat Khidmat Masyarakat beliau dan para stafnya.

Klip video itu memaparkan aksi seorang lelaki dan wanita sedang melakukan aktiviti tidak bermaruah dalam sebuah pejabat dengan tajuk entri Video Klip Skandal Dalam Pejabat Adun Kota Anggerik Shah Alam.

Namun menurut Yaakob, hasil siasatan mendapati video klip itu menunjukkan lokasi dan dekorasi dalaman pejabat yang jauh berbeza dengan Pusat Khidmat milik beliau.

Beliau sekaligus menyangkal individu (pelaku) video tersebut adalah stafnya dan percaya jurublog terbabit cuba membuat tuduhan tidak bermoral ke atas warga kerja untuk memberi gambaran negatif kepada rakyat.

Klip video

Blogger tersebut tidak bertanggungjawab dengan memuat naik klip video yang memaparkan aksi seorang lelaki dan seorang wanita yang sedang melakukan aktiviti tidak bermaruah di dalam sebuah pejabat.

Akan tetapi hasil kajian dan siasatan yang telah dilakukan ke atas video tersebut menunjukkan lokasi dan dekorasi dalaman pejabat di dalam video tersebut berbeza dengan pejabat pusat khidmat yang sebenar, katanya yang juga Exco Pemodenan Pertanian, Pengurusan Sumber Alam dan Pembangunan Usahawan Selangor.

Gesaan turut dibuat Yaacob agar BN dan Umno tidak lagi menggunakan politik kotor dengan menuduh pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat terlibat dengan skandal tanpa bukti jelas.

Katanya tindakan sedemikian hanya untuk menganggu Pakatan Rakyat dan mengalihkan fokus rakyat terhadap isu yang lebih besar.

For the Rakyat of Sabah and Sarawak

Coroner's death fall "an accident" verdict flies against core evidence and logic

From page 1 of The Sun:>>>> Coroner: Customs officer fell while trying to escape MACC building via a window

But is Desi surprised by the Malaysian court officer's conclusion?

YES< your guess is a foregone conclusion if you know me well --It's a vehement NO! NO! NO! just so that these Malaysian court officers such as Auizatul Akma Maharani who declared the verdict yesterday in Kuala Lumpur hear Desi loud and clear!

I am angry, no, it's enraged, that the coroner also found that Selangor customs assistant director Ahmad Sarbani Mohamed's death last April at an office at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) was "misadventure", as reported by theSun.

WHY DID I LEAD MY POST STRESSING THAT THE VERDICT FLIES AGAINST KEY EVIDENCE AND LOGIC?

Okay, firstly, the good coroner also stated that he greed with Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia pathologist Prof Dr Shahrom Abd Wahid that Sarbani fell from the ledge when he climbed out of the window of the third floor pantry.

Was the good doctor a witness to Sarbani's act of climbing out of the window? The most one could claim to infer was Dr Shahrom was "surmising' that that was what could have happened.

Secondly, so based on a third party's guess, no doubt a medical doctor, how could the Coroner "agree" with someone's guess at best?

Thirdly, the good coroner also said he believed that Ahmad Sarbani had climbed out the window to escape via the roof of the badminton court which looked near due to an optical illusion. (The emphasis, in bold highlight, is mine ~~ Desi)

The good coroner was able to mind read what Ahmad Sarbani was judging the distance he had to clear to make a "safe" jump? Any evidence presented in court? At best it was the good coroner making a guess -- mind reading, Mr Coroner, your specialisation?

Lastly, we had heard evidence which stated that Sarbani went to the MACC voluntarily/of his own accord to "amend" an earlier stat! ement he had given to the MACC.

IF INDEED SARBANI WENT ON HIS ON FREE WILL AND INITIATIVE TO THE MACC BUILDING. WHY THE NEED TO "ESCAPE"? He could have just walked up "voluntarily"! My rebuttal is logical against the corner's opinions via the last two paragraphs in the Sun's report which again showed him using his mind-reading prowess, viz:

"I am of the view he may have known he would be stopped by any MACC officers if he tried to leaving by by taking the lift down, and the only was for him to escape was through the poantry window," said Aizatul.

"I believe Sarbani came out of the window to avoid being detained in what he thought of hell on earth but had by an optical illusion believed he could land on the roof (next to the badminton court) but fell," he said.

Now something positive from the coroner, at least a saving grace IMHO, shing through from the whole biased judgement always finding in favour of the MACC/prosecution case:- "It is not questioned that Sarbani was a customs officer who had a good character and was respected by his colleagues. He was also a good husband and a good father in his family," said Aizatul, according to theSun's frontpage report.

At least this finding vindicates against lots of rumours and claims, especially by MACC-biased parties in my humble opinion, that Sarbani could have committed suicide. For once the good Coroner's conclusion would not support any such dastardly theory well spread in the initial investigation into ANOTHER undeserved tragic Malaysian's death at an MACC premises. Why the "ANOTHER" stress, you dare ask? Have you such short memories -- remember Teoh Beng Hock?

Maybank expects lower topline growth

KUALA LUMPUR: Malayan Banking Bhd expects its topline growth to be lower but remain profitable in the current financial year ending Dec 31, given the slower economic developments in the United States and Europe.

President and chief executive officer Abdul Wahid Omar said the economic slowdown would naturally see the demand for credit tapering down hence resulting in the decline of capital market-related activities.

From our perspective, the growth in our topline can be expected to be lower than what we have anticipated before (but) having said that, I think banks in Malaysia are very resilient, they have good risk management in place.

Therefore, whatever is happening in Europe, we dont expect a contagion (effect) on our financial system which is very sound. I think if growth is lower compared to what is expected, we can still expect to be very profitable, he told reporters after launching Maybanks latest flagship branch in Kota Damansara here today.

Abdul Wahid was commenting on whether the banks current financial year results would be affected by the global economic slowdown.

For easy comparison of group results with other listed companies, Maybank recently changed its June 30 financial year-end to Dec 31.

The countrys top financial and banking group recorded a revenue of RM13.4 billion at end-June.

- Bernama

Criticism of Penang MIC Youth unwarranted

FMT LETTER: From Kumarendran Murugiah, via e-mail

I was amused by the letter written by Satees Muniandy who claimed that Penang MIC Youth has made itself look like a bunch of clowns with its attacks on the state government, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and Deputy Chief Minister P Ramasamy.

I feel that Satees is incapable of comprehending the issues raised by Penang MIC Youth chief J Dhinagaran. He has failed to rebut nor answer any of the points raised by Dhinagaran but instead went on a rampage against MIC Youth.

It is a typical opposition mentality which the DAP has yet to shed. Any educated person would not resort to name calling and I think the DAP should send Satees for a course on proper behaviour and decorum.

Penang MIC Youth had voiced out the genuine feelings of the Indian business community in Little India but he claimed that it was being done for political mileage.

Penang MIC Youth had said the state had given preference in allowing outsiders to come in and take away the business which would should have been rightfully enjoyed by the traders in Penang during the Deepavali period.

I wonder whether Satees understands English as he had not grasped the intent of the statement issued by the Penang MIC Youth chief. He claims that MIC had said that all those who attended the shopping festival were outsiders and Penang Indians never benefitted from the shopping fair. It is not true.

Dhinagaran had stressed that, as the government in power, it is their duty to protect the interests of their people who had put them in power but had failed to do so.

I ask Satees whether the state government would allow an international shopping carnival in the state, a month before the Chinese New Year festival. I dare them to publicly state that they would not have any objections to such fair.

Satees has failed to realise that MIC has been around for 60 years and has helped lots of Indians and it is not its policy to blow its own trump! et. Sate es should come out and reveal the assistance provided for Indians in the state instead of passing the buck.

He should look at the dirt on himself rather than calling others dirty. He should not attempt to be hero by being a lapdog for his boss, P Ramasamy, known as an Amasamy (Yes man) of Lim Guan Eng.

As usual, he has got the information on the Kampung Buah Pala issue wrong. He should go back to a newspaper office and and read the various reports on Kampung Buah Pala before commenting.

What has the DAP done to recognise the services of late Indian leaders, like P Patto and V David. I dont think any of the DAP Indian leaders had dared to ask for recognition for these leaders other than naming roads under their name.

I know the Indian leaders are beholden lot and would not jeopardise their chances by going against the leadership in DAP. They only know how to challenge another Indian leader but keep quiet when it comes to others

In fact, Satees who has made himself and the DAP-led state government look like bunch of fools as theyve failed to rebut any of the points raised by Dhinagaran.

Also read:

Penang MIC Youth a bunch of clowns

Zaid not losing sleep over Kita woes

PETALING JAYA: Kita president Zaid Ibrahim is not the least worried about the internal problems in his party. In fact, he told reporters that he is not losing any sleep over these minor problems.

Kitas internal crisis is nothing more than a case of teething problems, said Zaid .

He said that a new party such as Kita was bound to encounter internal problems, and that it wasnt suffering from a crisis.

Political parties involve a lot of people, so we dont know everybody. Sometimes those people look okay, but they have bad intentions. But we have to go through this. This is something a newly-formed party has to go through.

This is not something thats worrying me. We (arent) losing sleep over this. Its just a normal thing, he told reporters at his Tropicana residence this morning.

Zaid was referring to Kitas internal dissent, where several high-ranking members had questioned the presidents decisions in recent weeks.

Last week, Central Executive Committee (CEC) member Zahrein Zakariah called on Zaid to apologise to Kita for making decisions without consulting the CEC.

These included the announcement of a Kita Democracy Roadshow, as well as Zaids apology to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak for doubting the premiers will on political reforms.

In a Sept 23 letter, Zahrein found out that he was sacked by the partys leadership for allegedly claiming that he was part of the CEC.

So far, Kitas treasurer Rashid Azad Khan, central secretary Abdul Latiff Tambi have been sacked. CEC member Muhammad Firdaus Christopher was also suspended for six months.

EGM dare

Speaking on Zahrein, Zaid said that the former was never a part of the p! artys CE C, but was not sacked from Kita.

If Latiff appointed him (as part of the CEC), I dont know. We have never appointed him to the CEC, he said.

If we sack, we need a disciplinary process. No one has been sacked from the membership, the disciplinary process has only just begun. Only their positions have been removed.

The Kita president also denied that Muhammad Firdaus was a party founder, and referred to the latter as merely one of Zaids staff members.

He said he is a founder he is a founder in Kelantan. We need to look at the partys history, that this party was once known as Akim (Malaysian People Justice Front).

Firdaus was working with me, he makan gaji (is my worker), do you understand? When did he become a party founder? He is not my political ally, he is my staff, do you understand? he said.

Zaid also challenged the four to set up an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) against him, and asked if they had any influence within the party.

FMT previously reported Zaid claiming that Firdaus was undermining the formers name, and had denied that the party was going through financial difficulties.

At the time, the Kita chief said that the party stopped paying Firdauss salary because it had very little money to spare.

Also read:

Another Kita official gets the boot

Hudud ujian kepada Pakatan Rakyat, kata dewan penyokong PAS

PETALING JAYA: Isu hudud yang mencetuskan kontroversi antara PAS dan DAP adalah untuk menguji kebijaksanaan Pakatan Rakyat menangani isu-isu besar yang akan berlaku dalam negara, kata Dewan Himpunan Penyokong PAS (DHPP).

Pengerusi DHPP, Hu Pang Chow berkata, jika isu hudud ini tidak boleh diselesaikan mengikut keperluan dan kemahuan rakyat, sudah tentu isu-isu besar lain akan gagal ditangani.

Perlu diakui bahawa hudud bukan isu kepada Pakatan Rakyat tetapi menguji bagaimana isu ini diselesaikan.

Kalau isu hudud ini tidak boleh diselsaikan tentu isu besar lain tidak akan berjaya diatasi, katanya ketika dihubungi hari ini.

Orang kuat PAS di kalangan bukan lslam itu berkata demikian ketika diminta mengulas isu hudud yang kini sedang mengoncang Pakatan Rakyat khususnya PAS dan DAP.

Pengerusi Kebangsaan DAP, Karpal Singh dan Mursyidul Am PAS, Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat saling perang mulut hingga Pakatan Rakyat terpaksa mengadakan mesyuarat khas esok bagi membincangkan isu itu.

Perang mulut PAS-DAP

Bagaimanapun, Hu menegaskan, pelaksanaan hudud di negara yang berbilang kaum ini sudah tentu memerlukan perbincangan di kalangan pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat.

Masa yang paling sesuai untuk membincangkan isu tersebut ialah setelah Pakatan Rakyat menawan Putrajaya.

Kerana orang Islam tidak boleh membantah hudud secara terbuka, katanya sambil menambah undang-undang Islam itu tidak masalah di kalangan orang bukan Islam di Terengganu dan Kelantan.

Hu juga menegaskan, agama telah menjadi satu isu yang hangat di Malaysia dalam kempen politik di Malaysia berbanding di negara-negara lain.

Katanya, ia tidak berlaku di negara lain kecuali Malaysia.

Perdan! a Menter i baru-baru ini memberitahu, Malaysia tidak akan melaksanakan undang-undang Islam.

Suicidal Koreans choose Seoul waterway

SEOUL: A total of 301 South Koreans tried to kill themselves by jumping into the Han River in Seoul last year and 115 of them succeeded, a lawmaker said, calling for extra precautions.

Kim Choong-Joh, a legislator with the opposition Democratic Party, wants the early installation of CCTV systems on major bridges or weight sensors on railings to detect suicide attempts.

Kim, citing data from police and the Seoul rescue agency in a statement seen today, said a total of 1,480 people had plunged into the broad Han River, which bisects the capital, between 2006 and last month.

Of these, 522 died, he said, giving figures which indicate a suicide death every four days.

The figure for suicide bids in the Han grew from 261 in 2006 to 301 last year.

Police said earlier this year that suicidal people were increasingly choosing the river instead of subway stations after platform screen doors were installed at many stations.

South Korea has one of the worlds highest suicide rates, with 15,413 taking their lives in 2009 in the country of 48.6 million.

- AFP

Macam mana Mismah boleh dapat status warganegara...

Pemuda PAS mohon agar Ketua Pengarah Jabatan Imigresen, Datuk Alias Ahmad menjawab isu Mismah yang mendapat status penduduk tetap kepada rakyat Malaysia.

Pengerusi Pemulihan Demokrasi & Mobilisasi Pemuda PAS Malaysia, Suhaizan Kaiat juga memohon agar Ketua Pengarah Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara, Datin Jariah Mohd Said memberi jawapan kepada rakyat Malaysia bagaimana Mismah yang mendapat status PR daripada Jabatan Imigresen tidak sampai satu tahun boleh diterima sebagai warganegara Malaysia pada 31 Januari 2011.

Bukankah Mismah sudah melanggar peraturan Jabatan Imigresen?

Apakah beliau layak untuk menjadi warganegara? soalnya dalam satu kenyataan.

Beliau merujuk laporan Utusan Malaysia pada 23 September 2011, Ketua Pengarah Jabatan Imigresen Datuk Alias Ahmad telah membuat ulasan mengenai tuduhan rakyat Bagladesh mendapat status Penduduk Tetap atau Permanent Residen (PR) di negara kita.

Kenyataan beliau adalah seperti berikut:

''Peraturan Imigresen sedia ada tidak membenarkan pekerja asing yang memegang pas lawatan kerja sementara untuk memohon PR di negara ini.

Di bawah Akta Imigresen 1963, hanya suami atau isteri warga asing yang berkahwin dengan rakyat Malaysia berserta anak-anak berusia di bawah enam tahun dan menetap selama lima tahun berturut-turut di Malaysia layak memohon PR.

Permohonan turut dibuka untuk kumpulan pelabur, pakar serta golongan profesional yang diperakukan oleh agensi kawal selia.

Justeru, Pemuda PAS berpendapat bahawa kenyataan Ketua Pengarah Jabatan Imigresen adalah merujuk peraturan di jabatan tersebut seperti yang terdapat dalam laman berikut : http://www.pinoy-abroad.net/img_upload/9bed2e6b0cc5701e4cef28a6ce64be3d/Guide_to_Permanent_Residency__Malaysia_.pdf

Dalam peraturan yang terdapat dalam Jabatan Imigresen memberi syarat bahawa mereka yang memohon PR hendaklah memiliki entry permit dan telah tinggal di negara ini selama 5 tahun.

Kumpulan yang berkelayakan untuk mendapat entry permit adalah seperti kumpulan profesional, anak kumpulan profesional di bawah enam tahun, isteri kumpulan profesional, mempunyai kebenaran daripada Menteri Dalam Negeri atas kepentingan ekonomi negara, anak bagi warganegara yang berumur bawah enam tahun dan kes-kes khas.

Kata Suhaizan, Pemuda PAS ingin merujuk kes Mismah yang disiarkan pada 12 dan 14 Ogos 2011 oleh akhbar Sinar Harian.

Mismah atau nama sebenarnya adalah Nismah Binti Naim, 47, berasal daripada kepulauan Bawean, Indonesia. Suami beliau bernama Mawasi Bin Mawardi, 51, juga mendapat status Penduduk Tetap.

Mismah masuk negara kita pada tahun 1982 sebagai buruh binaan. Pada tahun yang sama iaitu 17 Julai 1982 Mismah sudah mendapat satus PR.

Menurut Suhaizan, ini memberi maksud bahawa tidak sampai satu tahun Mismah tinggal di negara ini beliau sudah memperolehi status PR.

Kes Mismah ini bertentangan dengan kenyataan Ketua Pengarah Jabatan Imigresen, Datuk Alias Ahmad yang menyatakan bahawa hanya suami atau isteri warga asing yang berkahwin dengan rakyat Malaysia berserta anak-anak berusia di bawah enam tahun dan menetap selama lima tahun berturut-turut di Malaysia layak memohon PR, katanya.

Pemuda PAS, tambahnya berpendapat bahawa terdapat kemungkinan 4 perkara yang bertentangan dengan peraturan Jabatan Imigresen dalam kes Mismah mendapatkan status PR iaitu Mismah bukan seorang profesional, suami Mism! ah bukan seorang warganegara, suami Mismah bukan seorang profesional dan Mismah hanya tinggal tidak sampai satu tahun di negara ini.

Mismah ini hanyalah satu kes contoh sahaja. Pemuda PAS sangat khuatir berkenaan pemberian status PR kepada ribuan warga asing dalam negara ini, ujarnya yang juga Ketua Pemuda PAS Johor.

Beliau berkata, pemberian hak kerakyatan kepada mereka yang tidak layak dan bertujuan untuk kepentingan parti politik tertentu adalah suatu pengkhianatan kepada negara.

Tegasnya, Pemuda PAS akan terus mendedahkan kepada rakyat Malaysia berkenaan manipulasi dalam pilihan raya khususnya yang berkait dengan daftar pemilih dan undi pos.

source:harakahdaily

cheers.

Asterix creator stops drawing

LONDON: Albert Uderzo is a literary giant responsible for creating one of the bestselling works of the past century and a Gallic legend. But he is to draw Asterix the Gaul no more.

At 84, Uderzo said that he would let his successor pen the 35th album, due out next year, the Times said.

Im tired. The years have gone by and these years weigh heavily, he said. I have decided to leave this to young authors who certainly have enough talent to do it.

But with a flourish worthy of Asterix, Uderzo refused to name his successor, setting the Parisian rumour-mill into overdrive. Its an artist who has followed us for a long time in the bosom of the studio, he said.

The position is one of the most coveted in comics, given that 350 million albums have been sold since the first in 1959, created by Uderzo and Rene Goscinny, the scriptwriter. Uderzo dismissed speculation that the indomitable Gaul would end his career of resistance to the Romans. Asterix will live. And me, Im not yet retired, he said.

I am going to help my successor to create the next album. It is excessively dangerous to take over a series which is 52 years old, with 34 albums and such success. But weve got to try because that is what readers want.

However, many Asterix fans may also be hoping he takes a back seat in the next album, since purists say the series lost its magic when Goscinny died in 1977 and Uderzo took over the scripts as well as the drawings.

-Reuters

We did not conspire against Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak admitted meeting Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan two days prior to the latter being allegedly sodomised by Anwar Ibrahim.

However, Najib said he had no knowledge of the June 26, 2008 (alleged sodomy) incident and therefore could not provide any information or relevant evidence on issues raised by the defence in the ongoing Sodomy II trial.

This was stated by Najib in his affidavit to support his application to set aside the subpeona compelling him to testify in the trial. His application would be heard on Thursday.

He also stated that prior to or after June 24, 2008, he never met the complainant, instructed anyone or conspirated with any individual to incriminate Anwar.

I categorically deny any notion that my wife and I conspired in mereka-rekakan ataupun mengada-adakan anything which were very detrimental to the respondent (Anwar), he said.

The affidavit, affirmed on Sept 23, also stated that Saiful only informed Najib of alleged sodomy incidents which took place prior to the June 26 incident. The prime miniser said he had advised Saiful to let the police investigate the matter.

Najib urged the court to set aside the subpeona on the ground that he strongly believes that the intention (to get him to testify) of the respondent (Anwar) was not in good faith.

According to the premier, it was just an attempt to abuse the process of the court.

Rosmah: Im not a relevant witness

Meaawhile, Rosmah in her affidavit stated that she had never met or spoke with the complainant, and like her husband, denied involvement in any conspiracy against Anwar.

Im not a relevent witness in this trial, therefore the subpeona ag! ainst me should be set aside, read the affidavit.

On Sept 21, Najib and Rosmah filed the application to set aside the subpoenas. The couple is represented by four senior counsels Salehuddin Saidin, Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, M Athimulan and Ghazi Ishak.

On Aug 8, trial judge Mohamad Zabidin granted Anwars application to interview witnesses offered by the prosecution, including Najib and Rosmah.

During Anwars first sodomy trial in 1998, then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad was also subpoenaed and he succeded in setting it aside.

Mohamad Zabidin ordered Anwar to enter his defence on May 16 after ruling that Saiful was a truthful and credible witness.

Anwar, 65, claimed trial on Aug 7, 2008 to committing carnal intercourse against the order of nature at the Desa Damansara Condominium in Bukit Damansara between 3.10 pm and 4.30 pm on June 26, 2008.

The sodomy trial is set to continue on Oct 3.

Lynas clarifies Kencana link

FMT LETTER From Andrew Arnold, via e-mail

We refer to the Free Malaysia Today article entitled Dr M has vested interest in Lynas, dated Sept 23, 2011.Your article implied that Dr Mahathir Mohamad was influenced by financial considerations when he recently expressed support for the Lynas project in Gebeng.

The allegation reported in your article was that a subsidiary of Kencana Petroleum Bhd has a contract worth approximately RM9.1 million for carbon steel and stainless steel thanks to the Lynas project.

Your article noted that Mokhzani Mahathir, the eldest son of Dr Mahathir, is the CEO of Kencana Petroleum Bhd. The allegation contained in your article is highly inappropriate.

The most recently published financial statements of Kencana Petroleum Bhd indicate that the group has annual revenues in excess of RM1 billion.

The contract between Lynas and the subsidiary of Kencana Petroleum Bhd is on arms length and its total value of approximately RM 9.1 million represents a very small fraction of the Kencana Petroleum groups annual revenues.

Lynas entered into that contract following an open tender process managed by our EPCC contractor. It is highly inappropriate for your article to suggest that Mahathir would either know or care about a relatively small and unremarkable contract entered into by a subsidiary of Kencana Petroleum Bhd.

Your article also stated that HSBC Bank Australia has sold off shares in Lynas worth millions due to negative publicity. That statement is simply false and we request a retraction. We have confirmed that HSBC Bank Australia does not have any of its own money invested in Lynas shares.

Many nominee companies of the banks, including HSBC Custody Nominees (Australia) Limited, trade large numbers of shares in numerous companies everyday on behalf of their clients.

Those investment decisions are not made by the banks, they made by large and small investors from all over the world who invest funds vi! a the ba nks nominee companies.

Finally, your article reffered to the Lynas project as hazardous. That statement is false and inflammatory, and we refer you to the recent IAEA Report which stated that the Lynas plant, once completed later this year, is expected to be safe and fully compliant with international standards.

A copy of the the IAEA Report is available from the IAEA website.

We are concerned that your article is part of a campaign by certain political figures, media outlets and other groups to distort the facts about Lynas. Your article inappropriately casts aspersions about the integrity of our operations and about the conduct of present and former public officials. It is time for the misinformation to stop, and for you to stop misleading the public for political purposes.

The writer is Lynas Corporation Ltds general counsel

Also read:

Dr M has vested interest in Lynas

Editors note: The FMT article dated Sept 23 was based on a statement issued by Save Malaysia Stop Lynas (SMSL), a Kuantan-based movement to object the setting up of the Lynas plant in their neighbourhood.

Sad day if Jabu is CM

KUCHING: Sarawak oppositions chief whip Wong Ho Leng believes that Barisan Nasionals lead ally will split before the next state election.

Wong thinks there was be chaos and a mad scramble within Chief Minister Taib Mahmuds Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) party the moment there is a clear indication that he will step down.

Such is the political reality in Sarawak.

With Taib gone, a lacuna will be created, and many in PBB will be fighting for top positions.

I anticipate a split in PBB before the state election, Wong said.

Blogging on Taibs promise to step down, Wong said that no one expected him to go soon, despite his pledge to leave after the state election.

Five months after the state election, we do not see any sign of our chief minister leaving his throne or going anywhere.

This is hardly surprising. With his party winning all 35 seats it contested (in the recent state elections), there is no chip for even Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to urge him to leave the political scene any time soon, he said.

Jabu as transitional CM?

Wong said that despite being chief minister for 30 years, Taib has not groomed any successor, saying that he had been sitting opposite Taib in the Dewan for over 10 years.

He said: I cannot see anyone in his cabinet taking over from him in the next two years, unless the grooming was by stealth.

Those said to have been groomed by him were no longer in the Dewan Undangan Negeri.

Should Taib honour his pledge to leave mid-term, maybe a transitional chief minister will be appointed. It looks like he will be Alfred Jabu.

The DAP has seen a lot of this man in the Dewan Undangan Negeri.

Hes (Jabu) spun lies against DAP,! includi ng pitting DAP against the natives, saying that DAP oppressed and suppressed the natives in the opportunities to develop NCR land in Kanowit.

He repeated issues spoken earlier like a stuck record.

It will be a sad day if he (Jabu) does helm the state in the transition, even for a short period.

What worth is adatuk title?

On another issue, Wong also blogged about the rationale of conferring the honorific Datuk on politicians on the occasion of the birthday of the Yang Dipertua Negeri Tun Salahuddin last Saturday.

Those who were conferred the awards include: Speaker of State Assembly Asfia Awang Nassar Muara Tuang Assemblyman Mohammad Ali Mahmud, Minister in the Chief Minister Office Fatimah Abdullah, Assistant Minister Sylvester Entri Muran, Assistant Minister Naroden Majais , Assistant Minister Mong Dagang and Tarat Assemblyman Roland Sagah .

Looking at those politicians who were so conferred, I wonder what worth is these honorific now.

I have met and known them in the Dewan Undangan Negeri for years.

They all perform for their political master, speak his language.

Without being personal or disrespectful to them, they are not that deserving.

Surely, there are many people out there who have served the rakyat in non-political spheres who are more deserving, he said.

Hibiscus revolution? By Najib? What revolution?

The Economist has been listening to Najib Tun Razaks over-the-top minders, it seems. In another piece on Najibs largely self-proclaimed bold political reforms, the paper says the more enthusiastic are calling it a hibiscus revolution. That would be quite typical of Malaysian marketing types who try to sell their political masters by hijacking or inventing overblown slogans. Much like soap salesmen who promise to turn your grubby laundry whiter than white, while conveniently forgetting to mention that it was the grubby hands of their political masters that sullied Malaysian life.

Grubby promises by grubby politicians trying to wash their dirty laundry at the citizens expense do not qualify to be called a revolution. The Bersih 2.0 rally, when Malaysian citizens showed their disgust with an unfair and unclean system, would be more deserving. But that was Bersih 2.0, the second iteration. Weve had a long series of little revolutions, all through the post-war years.

But thats not dramatic enough for correspondents seeking vivid images of a huge tide of popular unrest. Theyll be disappointed, just as they were in 1999 when Malaysians failed to take to the streets and throw their bodies against the government as Indonesians did in their Reformasi revolution, thus earning snide rebukes. Not enough of us died to make good copy or a cover story, you see. And if we didnt provide enough dead bodies in the streets to feed the newscams and the vivid imaginations of bored correspondents, that is no reason for Malaysians to feel ashamed.

To now label as revolutionary Najibs vague and unfulfilled promises as unfulfilled as Mahathir Mohamads Bersih, Cekap dan Amanah is an insult to the many Malaysians of the past four decades who have struggled to bring about real and meaningful change Change will come. Its a matter of time, as more Malaysians see common purpose as Malaysians and see thro! ugh, and rise above, the continual race-baiting that has kept the fat cats of the ruling class licking the gravy.

But first we must also see through the cheap and nasty sloganeering and publicity stunts of politicians and conniving journalists.

Filed under: Journalism, Politics

Kampung folks are not stupid

CAKAP TAK SAMA BIKIN

Mahathirs House in The Mines built on a huge piece of land easily worth RM 10 million

Stop flashing your wealth, Mahathir tells BN leaders

Aidila Razak Sep 22, 11

Change your image and do not flash your wealth in order to change the perception that the ruling coalition is corrupt, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad told BN leaders today.

Addressing 400 of them in Kuala Selangor, including BN elected representatives, the veteran leader said the coalition would otherwise continue to be perceived as "disgusting". "I find that many view (BN) as disgusting and that they openly state their rejection of the BN. NONE

"If we analyse this, we find this is because we no longer struggle to form the government, but to reap personal bene! fits," M ahathir said. Besides flashing their wealth by suddenly building "RM7 or RM8 million houses", which they previously could not afford, elected representatives also felt the need to "buy support". Speaking at a BN State Assembly Backbenchers Club event, Mahathir said BN representatives said they needed to "get contracts and raise their income" as "their supporters demand money".

'To be popular, one buys people' "To be popular, one buys people, but no amount of money is enough... and in the end, the society becomes corrupt. "The society then views Umno and other component parties (as) corrupt as the leaders got to where they are because of money," he said.

A total of 240 BN elected representatives are in Kuala Selangor until Friday as part of BN's plans to wrest power from Pakatan Rakyat in Selangor. Earlier, BN State Assembly Backbenchers Club president Nadzri Ismail said the representatives would stay with 300 families during the three-day retreat in an effort to "put the people first" and "be close to the rakyat". Lauding this effort, Mahathir said, however, that sincerity might be lacking if the elected representatives went into the kampung in their luxury cars. "For example, there was a BN candidate who went to a kampung in his Mercedes Benz to look for the constituency that he was selected to contest in. He didn't win," he said in driving this point across. More parachute candidates needed Separately, in answering a question from former Perlis Menteri Besar Shahidan Kassim, the elder statesperson said the present situation called for more BN "parachute candidates", although the approach must not be used on a wide scale. "Parachute candidates are needed to introduce changes to the party, like (former Finance Minister) Daim (Zainuddin), who was not too keen about politics but needed to get into the Dewan Rakyat. So we asked the person in Merbok to step aside for (Daim), who wasn't even from Merbok, but whose abilities were mu! ch neede d. "There is a need for more parachute candidates now, so people with abilities can be in government and the cabinet, since there always are complaints that ministers don't know much," Mahathir said. He also reiterated his often made call for BN leaders to stop sabotaging one another during elections, simply because personal ambitions could not always be met. "(Prime Minister) Najib (Abdul Razak) said he will choose winnable candidates, but we may feel the candidate he choses is 'unwinnable' because we are the only ones who are winnable. So we make sure that candidate does not win, to prove that the leadership is wrong," he said. He then called on all the elected representatives to be prepared if they are not selected this time around, even though most elected representatives "don't want to quit (because) the pension is lower than the allowance". "Most think they're the most winnable candidates. This mindset needs to change from the start. Your responsibility is to be prepared not to be selected as a candidate," Mahathir added.

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

Kampung folks are no longer stupid and naive.

It would be good if respect is shown from the heart not from the mouth that can only TALK SHIT.

DAP supports Palestinian statehood, end to settlements

The DAP stands in support of current efforts by Mahmoud Abbas, as leader of the Palestinian Authority, to seek full membership for a Palestinian State at the United Nations.

But we also believe that the quest for statehood through legal means must be accompanied by actual concrete changes on the part of the Israeli authority.

Thus, the DAP also calls for the immediate cessation of any settlement-building beyond the 1967 border, as was mandated by United Nations Security Council Resolution 465 which was passed in 1980.

The resolution called Israel to dismantle the existing settlements while emphasizing that all attempts to alter the geography and demography of the occupied territories in 1967 have no legal validity and are thus in direct violation of International Law. It should be enforced by all means available as soon as possible.

The Palestinian struggle for statehood must proceed through legal and formal means but real progress cannot occur without similar gestures of goodwill from Israel as a long time partner in the peace process. It can demonstrate its goodwill by playing its part to concretely enforce UNSC Resolution 465.

It is the collective responsibility of this generation to see through peace in Middle East.

* Liew Chin Tong is MP for Bukit Bendera and DAP's international secretary.

Hudud: Patutlah UMNO Pernah Dikafirkan oleh Ulama2 Pondok Dahului

(DEngan Ehsan Merdeka Center)
KLIK IMEJ

Sedari zaman sebelum Merdeka lagi UMNO dengan lantang menolak hukum syariah ISlam. Malahan, kalau tidak disebabkan PAS masuk BN pada tahun 1974, nescaya kita tidak akan mendengar azan di kaca televisyen kita.

Sememangnya UMNO adalah rakan karib MCA dan MIC kerana mereka sama-sama ijmak menolak hukum Islam dan menghalalkan apa yang diharamkan Allah SWT.

Dalam kes terbaru yang melibatkan hudud, berebut-rebut pimpinan UMNO seperti Najib, Zahib Hamidi, Muhyiddin dan sebagainya menurut kehendak pelakon porno bernama Chua Soi Lek.

Malahan, yang hairannya, seorang graduan Oxford yang hampir tiada latar belakang agama boleh tampil dan meminta supaya hudud dibenarkan di KElantan.

Namun, jgn kita tertipu dengan sandiwara Khairy Jamaluddin itu. Ia tidak lebih langkah desperado dari KJ untuk menyelamatkan UMNO di kaca mata orang Melayu terutamanya pengundi baru kalangan orang Melayu.

Mengikut kajian terbaru Merdeka CEnter, sokongan kepada hukum jenayah Islam di kalangan pemuda/di Islam adalah terlampau tinggi.

Mengikut gambarajah di atas:

1.0 72% belia Malaysia menyokong hukum potong tangan

2.0 92% menyokong hukum bunuh kepada jenayah membunuh

3.0 93% menyokong hukum sebat ke atas peminum arak.

Malahan, kajian yang sama menyatakan 72% belia Islam di Malaysia menyokong Al Quran menjadi hukum tertinggi di Malaysia.

Jelas, UMNO sedang menggali kubur sendiri. MEreka sanggup tunduk kepada amaran yang diberikan seorang pelakon porno dan menolak arahan dari Allah SWT.

Tak hairanlah ada ulama2 pondok pada tahun 50an dan 60an! yang te lah mengkafirkan UMNO.

Ya memang benar telah berlaku kafir mengkafir ke atas UMNO tapi pengkafiran itu datang dari Pondok bukan dari PAS.

Sekian

Tulang Besi

UN report praising Sarawak is pure fiction

In a surprising move, the United Nations say it is pleased with Sarawak for overcoming various socio-economic challenges in the past decade. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Abuse of human rights and environmental damage in Sarawak are an ongoing issue. And it is hard to believe that the UN through its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2010 report has ways to credit Sarawak for a job well done.

The MDGs are eight international development goals that all 193 UN member-states and at least 23 international organisations have agreed to achieve by 2015.

The eight goals are: eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; achieve universal primary education; promote gender equality and empower women; reduce child mortality; improve maternal health; combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensure environmental sustainability; and develop a global partnership for development.

As far as Sarawak is concerned, it has so far failed to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.

The World Bank last year pointed out that Sabah and Sarawak had both achieved the dubious distinction of being the poorest and second poorest states in Malaysia.

Sarawak, under the corrupt leadership of Chief Minister Taib Mahmud, has refused to promote gender equality and empower women, as seen from the never-ending rapes of the Penan women and girls by timber loggers.

The blatant round-the-clock logging has also disturbed the lives of the natives, with the loggers so brazenly encroaching into native lands, which have been snatched for logging, mining and plantation purposes.

But it is Taibs burgeoning greed that is the culprit behind the once green and lush Sarawak rainforest going bald, no thanks to the continuous logging ! carried out by his cronies.

Rampant human rights abuse

For over a decade, the women and girls from Sarawaks Penan community have been trying to seek help from the federal government and the police from being continuously raped by the timber loggers to whom these women and girls turned to for transport .

These timber loggers have never been hauled up as corruption and nepotism run deep among the powers that be in Sarawak, with Taib leading the entourage of Sarawaks politician-cum-marauders.

For the rape survivors who dared to take on the timber loggers, justice remains a distant dream.

In 2010, it was reported that a Penan women from Long Item, Baram in Sarawak, given the pseudonym Bibi by the Women, Family and Community Development Ministrys National Task Force Report (in September 2009), gave birth to another baby in February last year.

The father of Bibis child was her alleged rapist, an Interhill logging camp worker known as Johnny or Ah Hing.

Yet the UN has found reason to heap praise on Sarawak for meeting its MDGs. Just how did the UN judge Sarawak worthy of any merit as far as the MDGs are concerned?

Taib taking rakyat for a ride

Taib made sure he took full advantage of the UN report. He said the MDGs report vouched for all the hard work Sarawak put in towards developing and enhancing the socio-economic status of the rakyat.

It is a paradox that despite Taibs self-first and rakyat last agenda, the UN found reason to pat him on the back for meeting the MDGs.

When it comes to developing a global partnership for development, which is one of the eight MDGs, Taib once again draws a flop looking at how Taibs cronies have damaged the native customary lands.

In 2009, the Malaysian 2008 annual auditor-generals report labelled the forest management in Sarawak by the state government as unsatisfactory.

Satellite images have shown that Sarawak has lost 90 percent of its forests. B! ut Taib, as predicted, denied the claim and said 70 percent of its forests are still intact. He went so far as to say he invited independent investigations into the Sarawak rainforest.

Sarawaks MDG success a myth

In 1980, only 31.8 percent of Sarawakians had access to water supply. But in 1995, 85 percent of the population were devoid of any.

In Sarawak, half of its people live in rural areas and outskirts which are geographically inaccessible by road and also devoid of water and electricity supply. This is a big challenge to the state government to ensure these people are helped and can enjoy the development we are planning, Taib said in his speech in a ceremony concerning the MDG report held last week.

Earlier in the year, it was reported that under the National Key Results Areas (NKRA), Sarawak would receive RM1.7 billion to build and upgrade roads and another RM1.7 billion to implement power supply projects, supposedly to improve basic infrastructure in the rural areas.

Sarawak will receive RM9 million to carry out projects to supply treated water to the rural areas. Another RM100 million is falling into Sarawaks lap, supposedly for housing.

But with Taib at the helm, it is doubtful if these billions coming to Sarawak will be put to the right use.

How should then the people of Sarawak trust Taib when he says the state is highly committed to achieving the MDGs when the very core of human existence self-respect and dignity is openly being violated by outsiders who unfortunately receive the backing of Taib and his cronies?

Now, Taib is trying to assure the disgruntled people of Sarawak that the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) project will be the answer towards improving their quality of life.

Taibs coffers increases while the poor suffer.

Taib has much real work to do

In January this year, Minister in the Chief Ministers Department Fatimah Abdullah said the poverty rate i! n Sarawa k had dropped in the past 40 years. She credited the Barisan Nasional for its effective policies in assisting the people.

Fatimah said poverty rate in the state used to be about 50 percent in the 1960s but had dipped to 5.3 percent in 2009. She added that the Taib government was very concerned with the disadvantaged group in the state and would allocate funds to help the disabled, those with chronic diseases and single parents.

The World Bank has said 40 percent of Malaysias poor are in Sabah, meaning that almost half of the poor people in Malaysia are in Sabah.

Compared with the economic development of neighbouring Brunei which opted out of the Malaysian Federation in 1963 and Singapore which walked away two years later in 1965, it comes as no surprise why Sabahans and Sarawakians want out of Malaysia.

Questions have also been posed as to why, despite Sarawaks impressive income, 70 percent of the longhouse folks are still mired in poverty, still day dreaming of clean water, road and electricity supply.

From tackling the abuse of human rights in Sarawak to ensuring the rakyat there enjoy a healthy quality of life, Taib, who returned to power as chief minister in the 2011 state election, has a lot of real, honest work to do.

A doctoral thesis written by Universiti Malaysia Sarawak lecturer Dr Neilson Mersat alleged that Taibs family wealth comes mostly from Sarawak state government contracts without tender and profits were exported overseas to be concealed.

This habit of allowing greed to shadow his duty towards the rakyat by giving timber loggers all the rights to empty the forests of Sarawak has to stop. Stealing the native customary right (NCR) lands to fill his already bursting pockets must come to an end.

Jeswan Kaur is a freelance journalist and a FMT columnist.

JANGAN DEKATI KEMUNAFIKAN UMNO/APCO

Media UMNO/APCO telah memberikan reaksi negatif terhadap Sambutan Hari Hudud 2011 di Kelantan. Sehubungan itu, isu hudud meledak dan mendidih. Banyak pihak yang melatah dan tidak kurang juga yang histeria kerananya.

Berita Minggu menganggap hudud sebagai gimik PAS. Bagi sesiapa juga yang waras, cap sedemikian tersasar jauh dari rasionaliti. Bagaimana pengarang akhbar ini boleh mengkategorikan sesuatu yang termaktub dalam dasar sesebuah pertubuhan politik sebagai gimik? Wujudkah gelaran itu dalam mana-mana buku tentang sains politik? Usahlah meludah ke langit kerana kahaknya akan menimpa batang hidung sendiri!!!

Dr. M yang terkenal dengan pernyataan-pernyataan menghina Islam dan mengancam akan mengambil tindakan sekiranya Kelantan melaksanakan hukum hudud melatah lagi. Dicabarnya Nik Aziz laksanakan hukum hudud kerana dirinya yang bukan lagi perdana menteri (PM) tidak boleh lagi menjadi batu penghalang. Pernyataan ini benar-benar melucukan dan tidak masuk akal. Adakah Dr. M mahu mengatakan bahawa surat ugutan kepada Nik Aziz itu terbatal dengan sendirinya setelah dia tidak lagi menjadi PM?

Kelucuan itu disambut oleh Najib. Dia menegaskan bahawa kerajaannya tidak akan melaksanakan hukum hudud kerana tidak secocok dengan realiti semasa. Pandangan yang tergelincir dari landasan Islam ini dapat dilihat dari dua sudut. Pertama, pemimpin negara lebih tahu hukum Islam secocok atau tidak jika dibandingkan dengan Yang Maha Pencipta. Kedua, UMNO/APCO lebih takut kepada ugutan MCA dan Gerakan yang akan angkat kaki dari Barisan Nasional (BN) seandainya hukum hudud dilaksanakan. Kedua-duanya telah menyerlahkan kemunafikan parti Melayu itu. Mereka telah dengan beraninya mengkesampingkan hukum Allah. Mereka tidak bersetuju dengan hakikat bahawa hukum Islam bertujuan untuk menegakkan keselamatan dan keadilan, lantas tidak perlulah menunggu dua aspek itu wujud dahulu baru hendak laksanakan hukum Islam!!! Sudahkah UMNO/APCO bertemu dengan wadah! untuk m elahirkan kedua-duanya selain daripada hukum Allah?

UMNO/APCO nyata terjerat dalam isu ini. Menurut Aziz Bari, pelaksanaan hukum hudud tidak ada masalah dari segi perlembagaan negara. Perkara paling penting untuk difahami adalah bahawa perlembagaan tidak melarang pemakaian undang-undang Islam. Najib sendiri mengakui perkara itu sudah ada dalam sistem sekarang. Kini, PAS boleh berkata kepada Najib, "Lakukannya!!!"

Kedudukan DAP, MCA, dan Gerakan sebagai parti-parti yang mewakili masyarakat bukan Islam belum dapat dipastikan lagi. Namun, masalah yang timbul dalam kalangan parti-parti ini adalah kerana mereka berfikiran hudud tidak boleh diterima meskipun perlembagaan tidak mengatakan demikian. Hal ini dengan sendirinya menjawab tindakan histeria Chua Soi Lek dan Karpal Singh. Dan sekali gus tertolaklah pernyataan dalam Utusan Malaysia - DAP ugut PAS!!!

Satu lagi fakta penting dalam hal ini ialah jaminan Nik Aziz bahawa hukum hudud hanya dilaksanakan di Kelantan dan untuk umat Islam sahaja. Gayung sudah bersambut. Apa reaksi Dr. M tentang pernyataan ini? Dia yang nak dengar sangat Nik Aziz kata begitu. Rakyat sedang menunggu dengan penuh harapan jawapan balas anda!!!

Jika tak benar,Gani Patail patut saman pihak yang kaitkannya...

Peguam Negara, Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail dicabar menyaman pihak yang mengaitkan beliau dengan pemalsuan bukti dalam kes liwat Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

"Tindakan ini penting bagi membersihkan nama baik institusi kehakiman dan keluhuran perlembagaan negara ini," kata Naib Presiden PAS, Datuk Mahfuz Omar dalam sidang medianya di Ibu Pejabat PAS di sini, petang ini.

Gesaan itu dibuat apabila baru-baru ini bekas Ketua Polis Kuala Lumpur, Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim dalam surat terbukanya kepada Ketua Polis Negara, Tan Sri Ismail Omar, mendakwa Gani dan bekas Ketua Polis Negara, Tan Sri Musa Hasan terbabit pemalsuan bukti tersebut.

Sebelum surat terbuka daripada bekas Ketua Polis Kuala Lumpur itu, telah wujud dakwaan-dakwaan tentang salah laku dan peranan Peguam Negara dalam kes Anwar oleh para blogger, namun isu itu didiamkan sahaja.

Mahfuz juga menggesa supaya satu Suruhanjaya Diraja ditubuhkan untuk menyiasat Gani kerana dakwaan itu menggugat kredibiliti institusi kehakiman dan penyiasatan negara ini.

Selain itu, turut terdapat dakwaan daripada blogger tentang penglibatan Gani Patail dalam kes rasuah dan peranannya dalam kes pembunuhan Altantuya.

Kegagalan Gani Patail menangani isu ini menyebabkan timbul pelbagai tafsiran yang mencemarkan Jabatan Kehakiman, ujar Mahfuz.

Menurut Mahfuz lagi, jika Gani terus mendiamkan diri, beliau yang juga ahli Parlimen Pokok Sena akan menggerakkan usaha menghantar petisyen kepada Yang di-Pertuan Agong agar suatu Suruhanjaya Diraja dibentuk.

source:harakahdaily

Mat Zain: Charge Gani Patail, not change A-Gs powers

PAS mahu s'jaya diraja siasat peguam negara

cheers.

Rising tide of Chinese tourists hits Asias shores

BANGKOK: Luzi Matzigs Asian Trails travel company has traditionally targeted Europeans keen to explore the exotic, far-away lands of Southeast Asia.

Bangkok-based Matzig, a 40-year veteran of the Southeast Asian travel business, recently discovered a new market the Chinese.

There is a new trend of English-speaking, upmarket Chinese, who stay in five-star hotels, Matzig said. Maybe its only two percent of the market, but at Asian Trails were intending to handle this kind of Chinese tourist.

Im looking for a manager for my new Chinese department, he said.

Which is not to say Asian Trails has given up on indebted Europe.

The company has just joined the growing ranks of Asian governments, hoteliers and tour agents who have started to pay more attention to the fastest-growing market in the region.

China, the factory of the world, is nowadays also pumping out tourists, looking for new places to spend their hard-earned cash.

During the first half of this year, some 32 million Chinese travelled abroad, a 19-percent hike over the same period in 2010.

The top destinations for Chinese tourists were all in Asia Hong Kong (12.7 million), Macao (7.5 million), Japan (920,000), Thailand (834,000), Taiwan (829,000) and Singapore (757,000), according to mid-year arrival statistics compiled by Pacific Asia Travel Association (Pata).

Market with great potential

And Chinese are taking up a bigger chunk of markets, some of them farther afield. In 2010, Chinese were the top visitors to the Maldives, according to the Xinhua news agency.

During the 12 months ending June 30, Chinese were fourth place in terms of source countries for tourist arrivals to Australia,! and the largest in value, with US$3.3 billion spent.

Last year, some 123,000 Chinese visited New Zealand. Chinese tourist spending is expected to top that of visitors from Britain and the US for the first time by the middle of next year, New Zealands Ministry of Economic Development predicted.

In Singapore, Chinese arrivals reached 941,488 between January and July, up 38.4 percent, placing them only behind Indonesian visitors.

Chinese tourists spent S$1.6 billion in the city-state last year, 48 percent on shopping, according to government estimates.

China was the second-biggest market for the Indonesian island of Bali between January and July, behind only the Australians.

China is a market with great potential, said Kadek Subhiksu, head of the Bali Tourism Office. We continue to promote Bali by holding exhibitions in cities like Shanghai and Guangzhou, he said.

That Chinese tourists are going abroad and spending lots of money is hardly a new phenomenon. They have been snapping up Gucci bags and Lacoste shirts at Parisian department stores for years, but Asia has traditionally attracted the low end of the market.

The stereotypical Chinese group tour to Thailand is organised by a China-based company that charges a flat fee for airfare, four nights in cheap hotels in Bangkok and Pattaya beach resort, a night outing to see a transvestite show and lots of shopping stops at low-quality jewellery stores where the Thai tour operator takes a cut from the sales.

Mass tourism

As the lowest denominator in mass tourism, these Chinese tours have been criticised by both tourists and host destinations.

The image of Thailand will become lower and lower. Thats our problem, Tourism Authority of Thailand Pattaya director Niti Kongrut said of the Chinese group tours.

As Asian governments and hoteliers scramble to attract more of Chinas masses, tourism industry consultants are sending off cautionary messages.

Everyone is focusing on! what we can do to attract more, Pata research director John Koldowski said. No one is focusing on what are the implications of this, and what if its too successful and we are reduced to dependency on a single market.

In Phuket, the average tourist stay this year has reportedly fallen to 3.4 days, compared with 4.5 days two years ago, in part because of the shift towards Chinese group tours.

Another issue we fail to comprehend is that not all Chinese tourists are the same, Koldowski said.

Some have started to realise that and are refocusing their marketing strategies.

Malaysia, for example, is trying to target the right kind of tourists from large Chinese cities who will spend copiously on shopping and stay at five-star hotels, said a Malaysian tourism ministry official who asked to remain anonymous.

The Philippines, where Chinese tourists are the third largest market after the United States and Japan, has found itself a new Chinese niche.

Last month, the archipelago was picked as honeymoon destination of the year, in the 2011 China Travel and Meetings Industry Awards.

- dpa

Unleashing every trick, Najib fights tooth and nail for the Malay vote

Things are heating up and rightly so, for BN to remain in power; it is not the Chinese vote that matters but rather the Malay vote. Why? The Chinese swing away from BN is pretty constant and getting wider, thus it does not make much difference whether the Chinese vote or not for BN. However, BN will require only a 5% swing in Malay vote to regain its two-thirds majority in Parliament and this is Prime Minister Najib Razaks battle ground for GE13.

Not surprising, with the 13th General Election expected in November, two classice Malay issues have been raked up by Najib and Umno. The first involves Communists and the Bukit Kepong incident where UMNO tried to rally the Malays behind it by accusing PAS of having sold its Malayness because it acknowledged the existence of pre-Independence fighters such Mat Indera whom UMNO accused of being pro-Communist.

The second is the ongoing hudud law issue. A segment in the sprawling Syaria law system, there is no fear of hudud impinging the rights of the non-Malays. But UMNO has purposely fired up the issue to make PAS look like a bunch of Islamist extremists to the non-Malays, and backward and non-progressive in thinking to the Malays.

Are the Malays nothing without UMNO?

Given such political opportunism, it is now clear that Najibs 1 Malaysia slogan is not a rallying cry for Malaysians to be united and patriotic but rather a call to vote BN.

The nightmare of GE12 in 2008 is still haunting UMNO and BN but rather than evaluating their mistakes, UMNO and BN took aim at the voters themselves. The aftermath of the Sarawak state elections show how much BN is willing to threaten in order to get the Chinese vote back to BN. Instead of looking at where they had gone wrong, BN continued to insinuate that without BN Chinese representatives in Parliament, the Chinese will be left behind in terms of development and government help.

But this is not only discriminatory, it reeks of malice. How low can a ruling! governm ent go than to marginalise people according to racial lines?

The push to gain the Malay vote has always been on Najibs mind. In February 2011, when speaking at a UiTM event, Najib openly requested students and alumni to remember the good deeds of the BN government in nurturing them to become successful citizens. Bear in mind the UiTM alumni alone is estimated to number close to 500,000 and these are predominantly Malay. This is an insult to everyday Malaysians who strive to better their lives through hard-work and due diligence.

Is Najib implying that without BN, the Malays are handicapped when it comes to advancing their educational standing? Is it that the Malays are nothing without BN or UMNO?

Two-timing

Then in April 2011, UMNOs mouth-piece Utusan Malaysia posted the front page call for 1 Malay, 1 Bumi which totally contradicted the 1 Malaysia call by Najib Razak. It is contradictory to Najibs public call, but bear in mind, Utusan Malaysia would not do anything without the consent of his media advisors as it is owned by UMNO and the president of UMNO is Najib.

So, it does appear that Najib is two-timing the country, saying one thing to the Malays and another to the non-Malays. Not surprisingly, he has not been unable to do much for either group since taking over the PMs chair in April 2009.

The politics of the day is all a game to win votes, that extra 5% swing in Malay votes that will return the two-thirds majority in BNs favor and secures UMNOs dominance in Malaysian politics.

The sudden rush to declare Malaysia will not implement Hudud law seems to contradict UMNOs own support for Hudud in principle as stated by DPM Muhyiddin Yassin. Indeed, as Najib tries to portray himself as a moderate prime minister, toeing the middle line, the UMNO that he leads is consistently veering right.

Radically exclusive to Malay interests

UMNO today is becoming radically exclusive to Malays and Malay rights, and downright unfriend! ly towar ds its on-Malay partners in BN.

The recent rush to screen cast the prime minister as a cool and community-at-heart politician can also be viewed as a means to shore up support from amongst middle Malaysia, the majority of whom had been horrified at the governments handling of the July 9 Bersih rally.

A number of educated and intellectual Malays cannot understand BN and UMNOs allegic fear towards calls for reforms to the election process. It is right and well, that a democratic country would constantly strive to improve the method of electing parliamentarians. Only in continual evaluation and reforming of flawed systems can a nation be truly a world class democracy.

The fear of free and fair elections will only mean that UMNO is afraid to lose its grip on government, hence the allergy to any notion of reforms.

It is high time Malaysians and Malays in particular wake up and understand that their importance to BN and UMNO is merely for their vote. The people are mere numbers and statistical figures in their game to stay in power.

And by remaining in power, the current establishment can continue to plunder and grab everything Malaysians have worked for in Malaysia.

Malaysia Chronicle

Pakatan Rakyat (PR) Social Political Buzz & Bulls