Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, the Seri Setia assemblyperson of the Selangor state government has hit out at the federal government for ‘hiding behind the Selangor palace’ in the recent appointment of Datuk Mohd Khusrin Munawi for the state secretary post. Nazmi said that the federal government was being a ‘coward’ over the issue over the appointment of Khusrin which the state government did not agree to. However, the Selangor palace had announced its approval for the appointment.
Nik Nazmi said "It is only common sense and basic professionalism to appoint someone who can work with the government of the day. But here, the federal government has blatantly taken on someone with a clear record of going against the state government. This is sabotage. Najib has only two objectives - winning the next general election and taking back Selangor because that is where the money is. In other words, I'd call him bacul (coward). Is it right that the MB, the head of the government in which Khusrin will work as the top state civil servant, gets to know about the appointment only through the media? The state constitution requires the state secretary to take his oath of office in front of the MB, indicating that a free and respectful relationship is supposed to exist between the MB and the state secretary to smoothen the government
machinery,"
comments
Not only this, see the felda chairmen appointment, all the sudden the fellow came to the picture with no one notice. Choose the right candidate le. A corrupted fellow chair a multimillion corporation. Are we putting fox into chickens?? Are we running out of corporate figure to manage??? Finish la macam ini.
31 December 2010
MACC will ‘verify’ with parties involved in Alcatel bribe scandal
The MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission) said that they will be ‘verifying’ with the parties involved and concerned after it was reported that international telecommunications company Alcatel had bribed Malaysian officials to secure contracts previously. MACC however had called on all not to speculate and wait for official reports. Its statement said “MACC views the allegations very seriously and will verify with the parties concerned to obtain details of the allegations before appropriate action can be taken. MACC seeks the cooperation of the media to not speculate before the details of this claim can be verified,”
According to the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) of the United States, 2 Malaysia consultants were alleged to have disclosed ‘non-public information’ on competitor’s tender bids where they were paid some USD700,000. This was to secure the contract with Celcom on its 3G mobile services. SEC said “Alcatel agreed on Monday to pay more than US$137 million to settle US charges that it paid millions of dollars in bribes to foreign officials to win business in Latin America and Asia. The telecommunications equipment maker was accused of making payments to government officials in countries including Costa Rica, Honduras, Taiwan and Malaysia to win or keep contracts worth tens of millions of dollars.
comments
If they pay a third party who are not related to CELCOM, the payment is called COMMISSIONS and completely legal.
But if the payment is towards officials within CELCOM, or Government officials with power over CELCOM, then its CORRUPTION.
I'm sure, the MACC, as the agency entrusted to deal with CORRUPTION will due their utmost to uproot the EVIL practices, regardless who committed it.
According to the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) of the United States, 2 Malaysia consultants were alleged to have disclosed ‘non-public information’ on competitor’s tender bids where they were paid some USD700,000. This was to secure the contract with Celcom on its 3G mobile services. SEC said “Alcatel agreed on Monday to pay more than US$137 million to settle US charges that it paid millions of dollars in bribes to foreign officials to win business in Latin America and Asia. The telecommunications equipment maker was accused of making payments to government officials in countries including Costa Rica, Honduras, Taiwan and Malaysia to win or keep contracts worth tens of millions of dollars.
comments
If they pay a third party who are not related to CELCOM, the payment is called COMMISSIONS and completely legal.
But if the payment is towards officials within CELCOM, or Government officials with power over CELCOM, then its CORRUPTION.
I'm sure, the MACC, as the agency entrusted to deal with CORRUPTION will due their utmost to uproot the EVIL practices, regardless who committed it.
Malaysia wins AFF Suzuki Cup, PM declares Friday holiday
The prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has declared that Friday is a public holiday to celebrate the victory of the Malaysian football team in the AFF Suzuki Cup. It was a historic night for Malaysia as the national football team did the country proud by winning the AFF Suzuki Cup after coming off unhurt at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta. The Tigers lost 2-1 in the highly intimidating stadium but won the final with a 4-2 aggregate thanks to the 3-0 win in the first leg last weekend in Bukit Jalil. Playing in a full house stadium of some 95,000 fans in Jakarta, there were also around 10,000 policemen on standby to avoid any unwanted situations.
The atmosphere was both intimidating and totally out of this world with Indonesia coming on from all sides but was unable to score. They however got a penalty in the 15th minute and it was up to the goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat who saved from the spot. And then after the break, it was up to golden boot winner Mohd Safee Sali who raced through the defence on a through pass to score Malaysia’s first. Indonesia got 2 late goals but it was not enough for them to win the tie with Malaysia lifting the trophy for the first time.
comments
winning a rubbish cup also so much to talk about. if win a world cup or asian cup yes la, should be proud.
anyway thanks for the holiday although it cannot reverse the negative impact of comodity price increases. if can reduce income tax, we will give the govt a holiday.
Thats how half baked leaders handled things ! At most is to give a grand welcome to them . To declare a public holiday,good grief,only to be found in Malaysia ! Malaysia sure Boleh !!! Next,we hear Rajagopal and Safee confered a datukship .
The atmosphere was both intimidating and totally out of this world with Indonesia coming on from all sides but was unable to score. They however got a penalty in the 15th minute and it was up to the goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat who saved from the spot. And then after the break, it was up to golden boot winner Mohd Safee Sali who raced through the defence on a through pass to score Malaysia’s first. Indonesia got 2 late goals but it was not enough for them to win the tie with Malaysia lifting the trophy for the first time.
comments
winning a rubbish cup also so much to talk about. if win a world cup or asian cup yes la, should be proud.
anyway thanks for the holiday although it cannot reverse the negative impact of comodity price increases. if can reduce income tax, we will give the govt a holiday.
Thats how half baked leaders handled things ! At most is to give a grand welcome to them . To declare a public holiday,good grief,only to be found in Malaysia ! Malaysia sure Boleh !!! Next,we hear Rajagopal and Safee confered a datukship .
28 December 2010
Palace confirms Jais director as Selangor state secretary
The Selangor palace has confirmed Datuk Mohd Khusrin Munawi as Selangor state secretary, even though a debate rages over his appointment.
Datuk Mohamad Munir Bani, who is private secretary to the Sultan of Selangor said Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah has blessed the decision by the Public Services Department, to appoint Khusrin — the state Islamic Religious Department (Jais) director.
“In my view, the decision has been confirmed as His Highness has given his blessings to the appointment,” Sinar Harian quoted Mohamad Munir as saying today.
He added that according to the state constitution, the appointment of the state secretary was under the purview of the Public Services Commission.
Mohd Khusrin’s appointment is seen to be against the stand of the the Selangor Pakatan Rakyat (PR) government, where it claimed yesterday the appointment of a new state secretary had not yet been finalised despite Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan’s announcement. The Chief Secretary to the Government had announced yesterday the appointment of Mohd Khusrin to the post effective January 1.
The state government insisted however that Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim has to be officially informed of this development.
It is understood that the Selangor MB has sent an official letter to the Sultan of Selangor informing him of the state’s stand on the matter. The state government had gone through a “selection process” for the post by assigning a panel of judges to interview potential candidates. The panel has already shortlisted three names most suitable for the post.
“The mentri besar has sent the three names to the Sultan of Selangor for his approval. In light of this the mentri besar will also be having an audience with the Sultan on December 29,” the statement said yesterday.
The announcement by Mohd Sidek also stated that that the Jais director would be taking over the state secretary duties from Datuk Ramli Mahmud, who leaves on December 31.
The post of Jais director, vacated by Khusrin, will be filled by Sabak Bernam District Officer Marzuki Hussin, 56, also on Jan 1, according to the Chief Secretary.
Mohd Sidek had also said the appointments of Mohd Khusrin and Marzuki had received the consent of the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.
comments
There is not rule of law in this country. BN keeps bullying the State. The palace also digs in.
However, RAKYAT saw it with open eyes. We know what to do in the next GE. BN must be dreaming to take back Selangor.
Palace officials are UMNO cronies and the Sultan is another UMNO scumbag. Corrupt and rotten to the core, they all are.
People power must be demonstrated by Selangorean. There should be no let up until we, the people, reclaim our right to our destiny.
If they chose to ignore the constitution selectively, we shall remember their deeds and do the same to them.
It is hope that other state rulers are not like the scumbags in Perak and Selangor.
Datuk Mohamad Munir Bani, who is private secretary to the Sultan of Selangor said Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah has blessed the decision by the Public Services Department, to appoint Khusrin — the state Islamic Religious Department (Jais) director.
“In my view, the decision has been confirmed as His Highness has given his blessings to the appointment,” Sinar Harian quoted Mohamad Munir as saying today.
He added that according to the state constitution, the appointment of the state secretary was under the purview of the Public Services Commission.
Mohd Khusrin’s appointment is seen to be against the stand of the the Selangor Pakatan Rakyat (PR) government, where it claimed yesterday the appointment of a new state secretary had not yet been finalised despite Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan’s announcement. The Chief Secretary to the Government had announced yesterday the appointment of Mohd Khusrin to the post effective January 1.
The state government insisted however that Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim has to be officially informed of this development.
It is understood that the Selangor MB has sent an official letter to the Sultan of Selangor informing him of the state’s stand on the matter. The state government had gone through a “selection process” for the post by assigning a panel of judges to interview potential candidates. The panel has already shortlisted three names most suitable for the post.
“The mentri besar has sent the three names to the Sultan of Selangor for his approval. In light of this the mentri besar will also be having an audience with the Sultan on December 29,” the statement said yesterday.
The announcement by Mohd Sidek also stated that that the Jais director would be taking over the state secretary duties from Datuk Ramli Mahmud, who leaves on December 31.
The post of Jais director, vacated by Khusrin, will be filled by Sabak Bernam District Officer Marzuki Hussin, 56, also on Jan 1, according to the Chief Secretary.
Mohd Sidek had also said the appointments of Mohd Khusrin and Marzuki had received the consent of the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.
comments
There is not rule of law in this country. BN keeps bullying the State. The palace also digs in.
However, RAKYAT saw it with open eyes. We know what to do in the next GE. BN must be dreaming to take back Selangor.
Palace officials are UMNO cronies and the Sultan is another UMNO scumbag. Corrupt and rotten to the core, they all are.
People power must be demonstrated by Selangorean. There should be no let up until we, the people, reclaim our right to our destiny.
If they chose to ignore the constitution selectively, we shall remember their deeds and do the same to them.
It is hope that other state rulers are not like the scumbags in Perak and Selangor.
Melaka RTD to collect RM1.5m for ‘MCA’ licence plates
The tender results for car licence plates bearing registration numbers from MCA 1 to MCA 9999 will be put up for public viewing at the Melaka Road Transport Department (RTD) starting tomorrow.
The Transport Ministry in a statement today, said the results would also be made available at the department’s website at www.jpj.gov.my.
A total of 965 tender applications for the MCA car licence plates were received between November 24 and December 15.
“MCA 1 received the highest bid price of RM300,100, followed by MCA 2 at RM101,000 and MCA 8 at RM88,168,” the statement said.
The registration numbers for MCA 888 received the highest number of bids as 15 tender applications were received at RM15,400 each.
The price tendered for MCA 1 was also the highest so far, surpassing the previous high of RM242,000 tendered for TAY 1 and RM200,900 for TAN 1.
Through the tender bidding process and booking for the MCA number plates, the RTD is expected to collect RM1.5 million as revenue, the statement said. – Bernama
comments
No vehicle registration number will beat Penang when the PUK series begins. I can be confident the demand will be so overwhelming that the first number will be disallowed.
The Transport Ministry in a statement today, said the results would also be made available at the department’s website at www.jpj.gov.my.
A total of 965 tender applications for the MCA car licence plates were received between November 24 and December 15.
“MCA 1 received the highest bid price of RM300,100, followed by MCA 2 at RM101,000 and MCA 8 at RM88,168,” the statement said.
The registration numbers for MCA 888 received the highest number of bids as 15 tender applications were received at RM15,400 each.
The price tendered for MCA 1 was also the highest so far, surpassing the previous high of RM242,000 tendered for TAY 1 and RM200,900 for TAN 1.
Through the tender bidding process and booking for the MCA number plates, the RTD is expected to collect RM1.5 million as revenue, the statement said. – Bernama
comments
No vehicle registration number will beat Penang when the PUK series begins. I can be confident the demand will be so overwhelming that the first number will be disallowed.
Pakatan is afraid of 1Malaysia – Utusan
The Umno owned newspaper Utusan Malaysia claimed that the opposition front PR (Pakatan Rakyat) for being ‘afraid’ of the 1Malaysia campaign as mooted by the prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and his administration. The claim was made following the recent ban by the Selangor state government for businesses using the logo in advertisements in the state. The ban however has been put on a temporary freeze after facing protests from both the political divide.
Hassan Mohd Noor, the editor of the newspaper wrote that “On the 1 Malaysia logo, you can’t see the symbol of Umno, MCA, MIC, Gerakan and PPP. Hopefully we won’t see cars with 1 Malaysia stickers being barred from entering Selangor because of the fear of 1 Malaysia. The same with 1 Malaysia t-shirt, cap, Touch ‘n Go card or anything with 1 Malaysia logo should not be banned from Selangor.
In February, the poster of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak for the national level Chinese New Year celebration in Pandamaran, Selangor had to be brought down because no permit was granted. However after BN applied for permit, it was only approved for a smaller posters. What was wrong with the poster as it was only promoting a national level celebration? What about ‘Abolish ISA’, ‘Restore water right’, ‘Progressing with Islam’, can those messages be described as political because the idea came from political parties? Since after the last general election the Selangor government under the leadership of PKR, DAP and PAS has been very afraid of Utusan Malaysia. There was also a boycott campaign. It’s the same case with Penang. Recently the fear was brought up again at the Pakatan convention,”
comments
Utusan belongs to UMNO. YOU have every right to take side for your boss. In politic nobody is afraid of any things. Only god we fear The opposition is fighting for justice in this country but the only one is afraid is UMNO themselves.
Hassan Mohd Noor, the editor of the newspaper wrote that “On the 1 Malaysia logo, you can’t see the symbol of Umno, MCA, MIC, Gerakan and PPP. Hopefully we won’t see cars with 1 Malaysia stickers being barred from entering Selangor because of the fear of 1 Malaysia. The same with 1 Malaysia t-shirt, cap, Touch ‘n Go card or anything with 1 Malaysia logo should not be banned from Selangor.
In February, the poster of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak for the national level Chinese New Year celebration in Pandamaran, Selangor had to be brought down because no permit was granted. However after BN applied for permit, it was only approved for a smaller posters. What was wrong with the poster as it was only promoting a national level celebration? What about ‘Abolish ISA’, ‘Restore water right’, ‘Progressing with Islam’, can those messages be described as political because the idea came from political parties? Since after the last general election the Selangor government under the leadership of PKR, DAP and PAS has been very afraid of Utusan Malaysia. There was also a boycott campaign. It’s the same case with Penang. Recently the fear was brought up again at the Pakatan convention,”
comments
Utusan belongs to UMNO. YOU have every right to take side for your boss. In politic nobody is afraid of any things. Only god we fear The opposition is fighting for justice in this country but the only one is afraid is UMNO themselves.
We never banned political logos when we were in power – Khir Toyol
Datuk Seri Dr Khir Toyo, the former Mentri Besar of Selangor has slammed Selangor state exco Ronnie Liu for his recent ‘misinterpretation’ of state by-laws after the latter announced the ban on the 1Malaysia logo on business advertisements imposed by the Pakatan Rakyat state government. Khir Toyo said that when he was the Mentri Besar, there were no such ruling that businesses are not allowed to display political logos in their advertisements. Instead, political banners were allowed by both the divide during his time.
He said “The by-laws did not mean that political parties could not post up their symbols or logos in business premises. Owners have a right to do so, if they wish. You can put anything in any premise as long as it is in Bahasa Malaysia. The only thing you cannot do is to put up logos on areas under the purview of the local municipal council- lamp posts, streets. I’m very sorry to say this, but Ronnie Liu is not a learned person on this matter, he seems to be uneducated on the local laws. Perhaps he should refer to a legal advisor. The by-laws, which were in place since 2007 was not “rigid” as it allowed business premises to display political allegiance as long as it did not “disturb the sensitivities of the many races in Selangor. This Ronnie Liu fellow, he probably did not read the by-laws, he does not seem to have a clue. Look, the business premises that put up any political logos, they must have gotten previous approval from local councils before putting it up. There was no problem before, so why now the havoc? The directive was given only recently by the Selangor government, a few months ago”
comments
What a self proclaimed hero! Khir Toyo has been accused of courruption and now has come out to say Ronnie has not much education to understant the state's by laws. Ronnie however has made a about turn, but how about this umno dr? Now he comes out to give his 'right' ways of running the state when he was the mb, but refuses to admit his commiting the wrongs created during his terms in power as the menteri besar of the rich Selangor. Can we still put our trust in him after all the 'sins' commited by him have been exposed?
He said “The by-laws did not mean that political parties could not post up their symbols or logos in business premises. Owners have a right to do so, if they wish. You can put anything in any premise as long as it is in Bahasa Malaysia. The only thing you cannot do is to put up logos on areas under the purview of the local municipal council- lamp posts, streets. I’m very sorry to say this, but Ronnie Liu is not a learned person on this matter, he seems to be uneducated on the local laws. Perhaps he should refer to a legal advisor. The by-laws, which were in place since 2007 was not “rigid” as it allowed business premises to display political allegiance as long as it did not “disturb the sensitivities of the many races in Selangor. This Ronnie Liu fellow, he probably did not read the by-laws, he does not seem to have a clue. Look, the business premises that put up any political logos, they must have gotten previous approval from local councils before putting it up. There was no problem before, so why now the havoc? The directive was given only recently by the Selangor government, a few months ago”
comments
What a self proclaimed hero! Khir Toyo has been accused of courruption and now has come out to say Ronnie has not much education to understant the state's by laws. Ronnie however has made a about turn, but how about this umno dr? Now he comes out to give his 'right' ways of running the state when he was the mb, but refuses to admit his commiting the wrongs created during his terms in power as the menteri besar of the rich Selangor. Can we still put our trust in him after all the 'sins' commited by him have been exposed?
27 December 2010
Umno is politicizing 1Malaysia
DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang has dismissed claims by the prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak that the 1Malaysia concept was not political where he (Lim) said that Umno’s recent stand on some issues have proven otherwise. This came in the wake of the ban by the state government of Selangor on 1Malaysia logos on billboards across the state which they claim to be a political logo, prompting Najib to clarify that it was not one but was a concept to foster better unity among the people in the country.
Lim said “Najib cannot deny that in the 20 months since the introduction of Najib’s ‘1 Malaysia, People First, Performance Now’ slogan, instead of giving Malaysians a new sense of being Malaysian, the reverse has taken place. Najib’s administration has failed to counter the brain drain problem while the country is being engulfed with racist and religious bigotry. As a result, the brain drain of talented Malaysians regardless of race has again returned to the fore, despite the proposed establishment of a Talent Corporation to attract the best brains in the world to Malaysia. In the past 20 months, despite Najib’s 1 Malaysia concept to create a Malaysia where every Malaysian perceives himself or herself as Malaysian first and by race, religion, geographical region or socio-economic background second, there had been an unprecedented rhetoric of irresponsible politicking, racist extremism and religious bigotry. The year could not have ended on a worse note for 1 Malaysia when even Malaysia’s religious pluralism came under attack as if it is something anti-national, un-Malaysian and a great liability when the country’s racial, religious, cultural and linguistic diversity are the nation’s greatest assets and keys as to whether Malaysia can achieve inclusive, sustainable high-income developed nation status,”
He added that “What is worse, those guilty of the worst rhetoric of irresponsible politicking, racist extremism and religious bigotry completely inimical to the concept of 1 Malaysia emanate from within Umno, in particular the Umno-owned mass media, Utusan Malaysia — raising serious questions about Najib’s sincerity and commitment to the 1 Malaysia concept and his political will to promote it. In the first place, do all the Barisan Nasional Cabinet Ministers and leaders have a common understanding of the 1 Malaysia concept? But before this, the Cabinet Ministers must demonstrate that they fully accept Najib’s 1 Malaysia concept, with the Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announcing his full fealty to the 1 Malaysia concept by declaring that he is Malaysian first, Malay second and not Malay first, Malaysian second as he had publicly vouched in response to my challenge in April,”
comments
You think just because these morons are datuk or datin and given a ministrial post,they have brain ? No,some dont . Even simple thing they dont fully understand. You need to use simple terms to make them understand. But when it involves $$$$$$$$$$$, oh,they are very crafty and can even draft an undertaking on the spot !!! Thats UMNO standard .
Lim said “Najib cannot deny that in the 20 months since the introduction of Najib’s ‘1 Malaysia, People First, Performance Now’ slogan, instead of giving Malaysians a new sense of being Malaysian, the reverse has taken place. Najib’s administration has failed to counter the brain drain problem while the country is being engulfed with racist and religious bigotry. As a result, the brain drain of talented Malaysians regardless of race has again returned to the fore, despite the proposed establishment of a Talent Corporation to attract the best brains in the world to Malaysia. In the past 20 months, despite Najib’s 1 Malaysia concept to create a Malaysia where every Malaysian perceives himself or herself as Malaysian first and by race, religion, geographical region or socio-economic background second, there had been an unprecedented rhetoric of irresponsible politicking, racist extremism and religious bigotry. The year could not have ended on a worse note for 1 Malaysia when even Malaysia’s religious pluralism came under attack as if it is something anti-national, un-Malaysian and a great liability when the country’s racial, religious, cultural and linguistic diversity are the nation’s greatest assets and keys as to whether Malaysia can achieve inclusive, sustainable high-income developed nation status,”
He added that “What is worse, those guilty of the worst rhetoric of irresponsible politicking, racist extremism and religious bigotry completely inimical to the concept of 1 Malaysia emanate from within Umno, in particular the Umno-owned mass media, Utusan Malaysia — raising serious questions about Najib’s sincerity and commitment to the 1 Malaysia concept and his political will to promote it. In the first place, do all the Barisan Nasional Cabinet Ministers and leaders have a common understanding of the 1 Malaysia concept? But before this, the Cabinet Ministers must demonstrate that they fully accept Najib’s 1 Malaysia concept, with the Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announcing his full fealty to the 1 Malaysia concept by declaring that he is Malaysian first, Malay second and not Malay first, Malaysian second as he had publicly vouched in response to my challenge in April,”
comments
You think just because these morons are datuk or datin and given a ministrial post,they have brain ? No,some dont . Even simple thing they dont fully understand. You need to use simple terms to make them understand. But when it involves $$$$$$$$$$$, oh,they are very crafty and can even draft an undertaking on the spot !!! Thats UMNO standard .
RM100m in bonus for Felda
The prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced that the federal government will be paying out more than RM100million to the Felda (Federal Land Development Authority) settlers in the form of productivity bonus this year. This was seen as an attempt by the BN (Barisan Nasional) led government in garnering support from voters as speculation on snap polls are fired up further which has been rumoured to be next year. Apart from that, this was also seen as a form of ‘bonus’ for the Felda settlers who will be casting their votes in the upcoming by-election of Tenang which covers Felda Cempelak, Felda Cempelak Barat and Felda Tenang which accumulatively have 3,800 voters. The Tenang state constituency has a total of 14,511 voters.
Najib said “The bonus payment of RM100,916,600 was in appreciation of the settlers’ contribution to the development of the country’s oil palm and rubber industry, besides as an incentive for selling their produce through Felda, the Federal Land Development Agency. The bonus was a minimum of RM400 up to the maximum of RM1,200, depending on the amount of produce sent to Felda. The bonus payment will benefit 112,635 Felda settlers throughout the country and will be made in cash at the Felda offices in early January 2011. The government hopes that this bonus payment will spur Felda settlers nationwide to work harder to increase productivity.
The settlers’ produce sent through the Felda land scheme management were valued based on that sent in from January to October 2010. 30,611 settlers brought in their oil palm and rubber produce to the Felda management while another 61,170 who were engaged in replanting would receive the maximum bonus payment of RM1,200 each. This year too, Felda also gives special consideration to settlers in a number of land schemes experiencing low productivity due to unproductive crops or were waiting for their turns to replant. This also includes settlers’ holdings acquired by the government for development projects and those with low crop productivity due to plant diseases or pest attacks.”
comments
If this is one of the attempts to fish and buy vital votes then what is it? You ell me friends out there. Every time they perform the same ritual whenever comes by-election. Ever since my childhood days till now the pattern employed by bn remains the same! Using money to buy the electorate. This is bribery and in broad daylight.
Najib said “The bonus payment of RM100,916,600 was in appreciation of the settlers’ contribution to the development of the country’s oil palm and rubber industry, besides as an incentive for selling their produce through Felda, the Federal Land Development Agency. The bonus was a minimum of RM400 up to the maximum of RM1,200, depending on the amount of produce sent to Felda. The bonus payment will benefit 112,635 Felda settlers throughout the country and will be made in cash at the Felda offices in early January 2011. The government hopes that this bonus payment will spur Felda settlers nationwide to work harder to increase productivity.
The settlers’ produce sent through the Felda land scheme management were valued based on that sent in from January to October 2010. 30,611 settlers brought in their oil palm and rubber produce to the Felda management while another 61,170 who were engaged in replanting would receive the maximum bonus payment of RM1,200 each. This year too, Felda also gives special consideration to settlers in a number of land schemes experiencing low productivity due to unproductive crops or were waiting for their turns to replant. This also includes settlers’ holdings acquired by the government for development projects and those with low crop productivity due to plant diseases or pest attacks.”
comments
If this is one of the attempts to fish and buy vital votes then what is it? You ell me friends out there. Every time they perform the same ritual whenever comes by-election. Ever since my childhood days till now the pattern employed by bn remains the same! Using money to buy the electorate. This is bribery and in broad daylight.
24 December 2010
1Malaysia logos banned in Selangor billboards
The Pakatan Rakyat state government of Selangor has issued a ban on using 1Malaysia logos in billboard advertisements in the state. According to Ronnie Liu, the Chairman of the Selangor’s Housing and Local Government Committee, the 1Malaysia is a political one and hence it contravene local by-laws as political logos cannot be used in billboards.
He said “You don’t see any billboard in Selangor carrying the PKR, PAS or DAP logo. Local government by-laws in Selangor clearly state that political symbols cannot be used on billboard advertisements. The 1Malaysia advertisements were a political message of the Barisan Nasional. It is clear that Barisan is pushing hard for the 1Malaysia concept and to send out its message to the people. It was only at certain times, such as a general election, that such advertisements would be allowed. Not on normal days. There are no DAP, PAS or PKR advertisements on the streets. It should be the same for Barisan. The state government sent out circulars to all local and district councils in Selangor recently to reiterate the prohibition because certain quarters had wanted to include the 1Malaysia logo in their billboard advertisements. There was enthusiasm to add the logo in advertisements by certain quarters. So we had to remind the councils to be firm in prohibiting it,”
comments
Yes,you are very much right Y.B.,BE END have been actively campaigning in this manner over the years till todate,as per guidelines of SPR only 1month for any election or buy-election for the oppositions,but since BE END controls the whole prime medias the have the upper hand to campaign year in year out,while the later treated the other way around.Double standard by SPR
So,its the right thing to do,to stop this nonsense at once and for all.
He said “You don’t see any billboard in Selangor carrying the PKR, PAS or DAP logo. Local government by-laws in Selangor clearly state that political symbols cannot be used on billboard advertisements. The 1Malaysia advertisements were a political message of the Barisan Nasional. It is clear that Barisan is pushing hard for the 1Malaysia concept and to send out its message to the people. It was only at certain times, such as a general election, that such advertisements would be allowed. Not on normal days. There are no DAP, PAS or PKR advertisements on the streets. It should be the same for Barisan. The state government sent out circulars to all local and district councils in Selangor recently to reiterate the prohibition because certain quarters had wanted to include the 1Malaysia logo in their billboard advertisements. There was enthusiasm to add the logo in advertisements by certain quarters. So we had to remind the councils to be firm in prohibiting it,”
comments
Yes,you are very much right Y.B.,BE END have been actively campaigning in this manner over the years till todate,as per guidelines of SPR only 1month for any election or buy-election for the oppositions,but since BE END controls the whole prime medias the have the upper hand to campaign year in year out,while the later treated the other way around.Double standard by SPR
So,its the right thing to do,to stop this nonsense at once and for all.
Pakatan tried to ‘force’ speaker to postpone Anwar’s suspension – Nazri
Datuk Seri Nazri Abd Aziz, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department has accused the opposition front PR (Pakatan Rakyat) for trying to force Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia, the Dewan Rakyat speaker to postpone the motion to suspend its leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Karpal Singh, Azmin Ali and R Sivarasa following their criticism on the Apco-Israel issue. Speaking at a live interview in RTM1, he said that the commotion raked up by the opposition was their way of trying to pressure Pandikar Amin to do so.
Nazri said that “They knew it was the last day of the session and if the motion was postponed, they would not be suspended. They say it was a conspiracy between the speaker and me. It was they who conspired to stall my motion (of suspension), which was already in the Order Paper for the day… It was the opposition who denied Anwar (a chance to) defend himself. He asked for his lawyer to be present, and when this was allowed, he wanted the lawyer to be granted the right to cross-examine. He tries to attack on procedural matters, just like in his (sodomy) trial. This is not a court. The committee's role is to investigate and then the sentence will be meted out by the House. If he wanted to defend himself then he should have done so in the debate… I had informed the opposition to prepare five people to debate the motion, and had even cleared the day solely for this."
On Anwar’s claim that he was not given a chance to defend himself, Nazri said that “Anwar had been given a week to explain himself in March in relation to his allegations about Apco Worldwide, but had failed to do so. I have brought the motion to suspend parliamentarians against others before - (opposition MPs) Karpal, Lim Kit Siang, Gobind Singh Deo and Fong Po Kuan have all gotten it from me, but all of them accepted it and there was no such hue and cry. Why the special treatment for Anwar? Is it because he is god-sent like his wife claims?... They were scared to debate because they knew I was right."
comments
nazri, do you speak through your heart which is true.Who are you trying to fool the RAYKAT AGAIN .The opposition never stand a chance from the idiot so called speaker PANDI MEAN PIG Well wat ever you claimed abt them we have eyes to see ears to hear nobody can be fool by this Moron UMNO ministers. Pls go to the nearer hell if possible
see... if BN continue this... next election sure loose... they can win only in kampung area but major cities for get it... be more democratic lah.. our country is like comunis only now day... BN digging own cementry or what... Clearly shows affaid to face LIONS(pakatan strong men). Come on time had changed now days Nazri... U'll still in 80s or what!!!
Youth votes sure to PAKATAN if u'll dont know how handle us... All media is BN and never give them independence as well...
Nazri said that “They knew it was the last day of the session and if the motion was postponed, they would not be suspended. They say it was a conspiracy between the speaker and me. It was they who conspired to stall my motion (of suspension), which was already in the Order Paper for the day… It was the opposition who denied Anwar (a chance to) defend himself. He asked for his lawyer to be present, and when this was allowed, he wanted the lawyer to be granted the right to cross-examine. He tries to attack on procedural matters, just like in his (sodomy) trial. This is not a court. The committee's role is to investigate and then the sentence will be meted out by the House. If he wanted to defend himself then he should have done so in the debate… I had informed the opposition to prepare five people to debate the motion, and had even cleared the day solely for this."
On Anwar’s claim that he was not given a chance to defend himself, Nazri said that “Anwar had been given a week to explain himself in March in relation to his allegations about Apco Worldwide, but had failed to do so. I have brought the motion to suspend parliamentarians against others before - (opposition MPs) Karpal, Lim Kit Siang, Gobind Singh Deo and Fong Po Kuan have all gotten it from me, but all of them accepted it and there was no such hue and cry. Why the special treatment for Anwar? Is it because he is god-sent like his wife claims?... They were scared to debate because they knew I was right."
comments
nazri, do you speak through your heart which is true.Who are you trying to fool the RAYKAT AGAIN .The opposition never stand a chance from the idiot so called speaker PANDI MEAN PIG Well wat ever you claimed abt them we have eyes to see ears to hear nobody can be fool by this Moron UMNO ministers. Pls go to the nearer hell if possible
see... if BN continue this... next election sure loose... they can win only in kampung area but major cities for get it... be more democratic lah.. our country is like comunis only now day... BN digging own cementry or what... Clearly shows affaid to face LIONS(pakatan strong men). Come on time had changed now days Nazri... U'll still in 80s or what!!!
Youth votes sure to PAKATAN if u'll dont know how handle us... All media is BN and never give them independence as well...
23 December 2010
PKR claims APCO pressured over One Israel
PKR has suggested the Najib administration pressured its public relations consultancy APCO Worldwide to deny its involvement in Ehud Barak’s One Israel campaign.
The opposition party also questioned the validity of Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz’s “proof” of two documents containing denials from APCO and an American political consultant over the consultancy’s involvement in the One Israel campaign.
The de facto law minister yesterday showed evidence which he said proved Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was lying when he accused APCO Worldwide of being behind both the 1 Malaysia and One Israel campaigns.
The first was a letter from APCO that had formed the basis for the opposition de facto leader’s suspension from Parliament.
The second was a notarised sworn statement by Robert Shrum, the political consultant who helped create the One Israel coalition for Barak’s 1999 election campaign.
Both letters denied that APCO had anything to do with One Israel.
“Is it not impossible for the government to get APCO, which has been paid RM77 million, to come out with denials of being involved in the One Israel campaign? And why the late response?
‘‘Anwar has brought up the issue of APCO-One Israel way back in March. It’s been eight months. Eight months is a long time which could have been used to answer Anwar’s claims.
“If the matter of refuting the Najib administration’s links with One Israel is so urgent, why wait until only December to get Mr Robert Shrum’s letter?” said PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution (picture).
APCO’s letter, dated August 19, stated that the public relations consultancy was hired by the Najib administration to “provide communications support” only and had nothing to do with either campaign.
It explained that APCO had only worked for the Israeli government twice before, once to help set up a two-day trade conference in Washington, DC in 1987, and again in 1992 when it carried out public relations work to strengthen trade between the US and Israel.
“APCO’s work for the government of Israel was among the company’s smallest, and briefest, governmental engagements, involving just two activities, each of which took place many years ago,” the letter by APCO Europe, Middle East and Africa chief executive Brad Staples said.
Staples also said APCO’s International Advisory Council (IAC) was formed to seek advice from former senior government officials, business leaders and non-governmental organisations the world over and had no control over the company.
He stressed that the three former Israeli government officials on the IAC — out of a total of more than 50 members from 15 countries — had not done any work for Malaysia and had nothing to do with APCO’s Malaysian contract.
Staples’ letter further stated that APCO’s interest in “independent” security company ASERO was purely as an investor.
Shrum’s single-page statement, which Nazri received last week, similarly denied that APCO had anything to do with his brainchild campaign.
Nazri had dared Anwar to refute the two documents presented and to show his (Anwar’s) evidence, which the PKR leader has been flogging on the stump since he was given the boot last Sunday.
He also claimed that Anwar had lied about not being given a chance to defend himself in front of Parliament’s Rights and Privileges Committee.
In response, Saifuddin said that Nazri should have presented the “fresh” evidence during the last Parliament session, instead of distributing it via the media.
“Nazri’s challenge to Anwar is academic now, I don’t see the point. Anwar has already been suspended from Parliament. I challenge Nazri, instead of challenging Anwar to produce the documents in Parliament,” Saifuddin told The Malaysian Insider last night.
The Machang MP also rubbished the law minister’s claims about Anwar being given an opportunity to defend himself, insisting that Anwar was denied his rights to do so.
“True, Anwar was allowed to enter his defence, but that was only at the beginning, before Nazri put forward the motion to suspend Anwar.
“What needs to be stressed is that he was never given a chance to defend himself in front of Parliament’s Rights and Privileges Committee,” said the PKR secretary-general.
“If Nazri was serious about this, he should have presented his proof in front of the committee, and let Anwar present his proof too. But that did not happen, did it? Anwar has proof, trust me. He has been wanting to show it since day one,” added Saifuddin.
Anwar was suspended from Parliament for six months on December 16 for claiming that APCO, hired by the Najib administration, had been behind both the 1 Malaysia and One Israel concepts.
22 December 2010
Karpal challenges Zaid to sue him
The national chairman of DAP, Karpal Singh has dared former deputy president hopeful of PKR (Parti Keadilan Rakyat), Datuk Zaid Ibrahim to sue him following the remarks he made at the recent Pakatan Rakyat Convention. Zaid who is the newly appointed president of KITA (Parti Kesejahteraan Insan Tanah Air) had threatened to sue Karpal for calling him ‘celaka’ and for being part of the parties responsible in causing the fall of Tun Salleh Abbas as the Lord President in 1988.
He said “Zaid is at liberty to sue me. However, he must be prepared to face the consequences of placing himself in the witness box. Zaid Ibrahim should be well aware, as a lawyer, in defamation proceedings one contends that his reputation has been lowered in public esteem. To succeed, one must prove, as a prerequisite, that he had a subsisting good reputation. That is the risk Zaid Ibrahim must be prepared to take. So we will see if he will sue me for calling him a snake, and I will definitely sue him for the lies he uttered yesterday. Thank God, I joined Pakatan... only by being with them does one know their true colours,”
comments
The people will love to see whether this man Zaid Ibrahim would sue Karpal. Surely all the dirt and dust will be exposed. This is what we like to know who is the real culprit. We all know Karpal has been a fighter, otherwise why give him the title "The tiger of Jelution". Zaid as we know was from Umno, then PKR and now KITA. Let's wait and see the court drama should Zaid proceed to carry out his threat.
He said “Zaid is at liberty to sue me. However, he must be prepared to face the consequences of placing himself in the witness box. Zaid Ibrahim should be well aware, as a lawyer, in defamation proceedings one contends that his reputation has been lowered in public esteem. To succeed, one must prove, as a prerequisite, that he had a subsisting good reputation. That is the risk Zaid Ibrahim must be prepared to take. So we will see if he will sue me for calling him a snake, and I will definitely sue him for the lies he uttered yesterday. Thank God, I joined Pakatan... only by being with them does one know their true colours,”
comments
The people will love to see whether this man Zaid Ibrahim would sue Karpal. Surely all the dirt and dust will be exposed. This is what we like to know who is the real culprit. We all know Karpal has been a fighter, otherwise why give him the title "The tiger of Jelution". Zaid as we know was from Umno, then PKR and now KITA. Let's wait and see the court drama should Zaid proceed to carry out his threat.
Utusan hits back at Guan Eng
Utusan Malaysia, the newspaper owned by Umno has defended itself over claims by Lim Guan Eng, the Chief Minister of Penang that it was racist and had published false reports, calling him an ‘anti-Malay’. Guan Eng also claimed that Utusan had accused the DAP of being a tool for a foreign country and had called for DAP to be banned. Guan Eng then said that he will be suing the newspaper for defamation who had published a ‘clarification’ report that said “We admit that especially after the 2008 general election, Utusan has become more vocal with regards to Malay rights and Islamic issues.
However our readers, especially non-Malay readers, have to understand that after the last general election, there have been too many attacks against the Malays as well as Islam. This includes issues on quotas, language, equity, the position of the King and also the sanctity of the word ‘Allah’. Although all these have been guaranteed under the Federal Constitution as Malay rights, but what’s obvious is that these issues are still being challenged today,”
Hitting out at Guan Eng, it said “Look at how the DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng accuses the readers and fans of Utusan as un-Malaysian for supposedly being extremist. This is the kind of unacceptable attitude of some politicians who attack us just because we report on the mismanagement of the state government as well as the crisis in opposition parties. Guan Eng should not expect the media to praise him especially since the Malays in Penang have been deprived of their rights. Time should not be wasted on him, but readers out there need to be more realistic in judging this paper and not get carried way by politicians fanning racial sentiments,”
comments
LGE,just bring them to court. No point to waste time with this type of people. Skung will always be skung. Let the rule of law do the talking.
However our readers, especially non-Malay readers, have to understand that after the last general election, there have been too many attacks against the Malays as well as Islam. This includes issues on quotas, language, equity, the position of the King and also the sanctity of the word ‘Allah’. Although all these have been guaranteed under the Federal Constitution as Malay rights, but what’s obvious is that these issues are still being challenged today,”
Hitting out at Guan Eng, it said “Look at how the DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng accuses the readers and fans of Utusan as un-Malaysian for supposedly being extremist. This is the kind of unacceptable attitude of some politicians who attack us just because we report on the mismanagement of the state government as well as the crisis in opposition parties. Guan Eng should not expect the media to praise him especially since the Malays in Penang have been deprived of their rights. Time should not be wasted on him, but readers out there need to be more realistic in judging this paper and not get carried way by politicians fanning racial sentiments,”
comments
LGE,just bring them to court. No point to waste time with this type of people. Skung will always be skung. Let the rule of law do the talking.
1Malaysia is my creation – Najib
The prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has laid claims on the 1Malaysia concept he mooted saying that it was purely his own creation and had not relation whatsoever with any other concepts, most notably the One-Israel concept which was said to be created by Apco Worldwide. The claims have been made repeatedly by the opposition front PR (Pakatan Rakyat), most significantly by the opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim where he has since been slapped with a 6 months suspension, together with Karpal Singh, Azmin Ali and R Sivarasa.
Najib said “The 1 Malaysia concept was not copied from another country. It is my own creation. Other countries may have a one this and a one that but nowhere in this world is there a 1 Malaysia: People First, Performance Now. It is very easy for us to make a political promise, but will that something based on the most populist approach be beneficial to us or otherwise?”
He also said that “We cannot afford to be spendthrift, we have to spend according to our capability. What is important is that the country’s future is guaranteed under the present government. We will do what we can, but if we spend way beyond our means then it might end up becoming a problem,”
comments
Aiyah Najib
When Mamakthir started his evil regime, his original creation was 'Bersih, Cekap, Amanah' - very original indeed!
We were fooled for 22 years while BN happily looted the nations coffers and now this 1Malaysia crap to further hood wink the rakyat and scrap whatever little is left.
God, don't you guys ever give up??
Najib said “The 1 Malaysia concept was not copied from another country. It is my own creation. Other countries may have a one this and a one that but nowhere in this world is there a 1 Malaysia: People First, Performance Now. It is very easy for us to make a political promise, but will that something based on the most populist approach be beneficial to us or otherwise?”
He also said that “We cannot afford to be spendthrift, we have to spend according to our capability. What is important is that the country’s future is guaranteed under the present government. We will do what we can, but if we spend way beyond our means then it might end up becoming a problem,”
comments
Aiyah Najib
When Mamakthir started his evil regime, his original creation was 'Bersih, Cekap, Amanah' - very original indeed!
We were fooled for 22 years while BN happily looted the nations coffers and now this 1Malaysia crap to further hood wink the rakyat and scrap whatever little is left.
God, don't you guys ever give up??
Ex-Sime Darby man claims tortured by MACC director
A former Sime Darby Engineering manager has claimed he was tortured by a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) director during investigations in a graft case.
The anti-graft agency promptly denied the allegation.
Mazhazmi Jamaludin (picture) accused MACC Special Operations director Datuk Mohd Jamidan Abdullah of physically abusing him to implicate the owner of a shipbuilding company in the alleged corruption.
“Mazhazmi made a police report to allege that Mohd Jamidan Abdullah had mistreated him during the last day of his remand during the MACC interrogation,” Mazhazmi’s lawyer Shamsul Sulaiman told The Malaysian Insider tonight at the Putrajaya district police headquarters.
“They (MACC officers) wanted him to implicate Redzuan (Goh Mohammed Karian), the owner of the shipbuilding company (MLC Shipbuilding Sdn Bhd),” he added.
Mazhazmi, 36, was charged in the Sessions Court in Kuala Lumpur this morning with receiving a RM200,000 bribe from Redzuan on December 31, 2008 for allegedly proposing that the latter’s shipbuilding company obtain a US$134.2 million (RM416 million) contract from Sime Darby to construct and sell one lay barge as well as two tug and supply vessel hulls.
Mazhazmi alleged that Jamidan had ordered him to strip naked, blindfolded him and threatened to harm his private parts during detention on June 21 this year.
“There were threats to harm his private parts. They instructed him to strip (and) blindfolded him,” said Shamsul.
The lawyer added that it was Jamidan alone who allegedly committed the physical abuse in front of two other MACC officers.
“They played good cop and bad cop,” said Shamsul.
“Jamidan played the bad cop,” he added.
Jamidan had allegedly promised Mazhazmi that the latter would escape charges if he agreed to implicate Redzuan.
“He (Mazhazmi) was promised he would just be a witness and that he would not be charged,” said Shamsul.
“They wanted to prove Redzuan had guilty intention,” he added.
The lawyer pointed out that it was Jamidan’s purported vow that had kept Mazhazmi from lodging a police report over the alleged torture.
“The reason why six months lapsed between that time (of the incident) till now is because he held on to that promise,” said Shamsul.
“The other two (MACC) officers told him ‘Datuk promised. You are not going to be charged. Don’t make things worse’,” he added.
Jamidan’s alleged torture during the interrogation, which lasted from day till night in an office on the seventh floor of the MACC headquarters here, had “broken” Mazhazmi’s spirit.
“He was also kicked in the shins and slapped in the head,” said Shamsul, adding that no weapons were used.
“Once his spirit was completely broken, he was willing to do and say what they wanted. Next thing you know, he signed a statement,” said the lawyer.
Shamsul said the 36-year-old man was crying as he related his ordeal at the police station here.
“Just now, Mazhazmi was crying in front of the policeman,” said Shamsul.
Mazhazmi’s torture allegations against the MACC today come just as an inquest into Teoh Beng Hock’s death approaches its end.
Last July 16, the political aide to Selangor executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah was found dead on the fifth floor of Plaza Masalam, Shah Alam, after being questioned overnight by the MACC at its then Selangor headquarters on the 14th floor of the same building.
Today, the graft buster denied accusations that its officers had tortured Mazhazmi during detention.
The MACC’s denial was issued after online news reports were published earlier today that quoted Shamsul’s claims in court today of his client’s torture by MACC officers over graft allegations.
The MACC claimed Mazhazmi was taken to a clinic in on June 22 before his release to ensure that he was not injured during the detention period.
The anti-corruption agency also said there were no scars or wounds on Mazhazmi’s body, according to the doctor’s report.
Shamsul admitted that Mazhazmi did not suffer visible bruises or marks.
But he pointed out that it was “strange” for the MACC to order a medical checkup if no abuse had indeed taken place during detention.
“I believe taking him to the doctor was a cover-up,” said Shamsul.
“Mazhazmi said he was taken to the clinic. But he heard people talking on the telephone for him to see a certain doctor, to arrange for it, or something to that effect,” said the lawyer.
The medical examination was over in five minutes, claimed Mazhazmi.
Sime Darby suffered billions in losses in four projects, which were the Bulhanine and Maydan Mahzam project with Qatar Petroleum, the Maersk Oil Qatar project, the Bakun hydroelectric dam project, and the construction of vessels for use in the Qatar project earlier this year.
The MACC and Securities Commission (SC) said last Friday that it found possible breaches of the Penal Code and the Companies Act in the government conglomerate’s Energy and Utilities Division RM2.1 billion losses.
Jamidan had allegedly promised Mazhazmi that the latter would escape charges if he agreed to implicate Redzuan.
“He (Mazhazmi) was promised he would just be a witness and that he would not be charged,” said Shamsul.
“They wanted to prove Redzuan had guilty intention,” he added.
The lawyer pointed out that it was Jamidan’s purported vow that had kept Mazhazmi from lodging a police report over the alleged torture.
“The reason why six months lapsed between that time (of the incident) till now is because he held on to that promise,” said Shamsul.
“The other two (MACC) officers told him ‘Datuk promised. You are not going to be charged. Don’t make things worse’,” he added.
Jamidan’s alleged torture during the interrogation, which lasted from day till night in an office on the seventh floor of the MACC headquarters here, had “broken” Mazhazmi’s spirit.
“He was also kicked in the shins and slapped in the head,” said Shamsul, adding that no weapons were used.
“Once his spirit was completely broken, he was willing to do and say what they wanted. Next thing you know, he signed a statement,” said the lawyer.
Shamsul said the 36-year-old man was crying as he related his ordeal at the police station here.
“Just now, Mazhazmi was crying in front of the policeman,” said Shamsul.
Mazhazmi’s torture allegations against the MACC today come just as an inquest into Teoh Beng Hock’s death approaches its end.
Last July 16, the political aide to Selangor executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah was found dead on the fifth floor of Plaza Masalam, Shah Alam, after being questioned overnight by the MACC at its then Selangor headquarters on the 14th floor of the same building.
Today, the graft buster denied accusations that its officers had tortured Mazhazmi during detention.
The MACC’s denial was issued after online news reports were published earlier today that quoted Shamsul’s claims in court today of his client’s torture by MACC officers over graft allegations.
The MACC claimed Mazhazmi was taken to a clinic in on June 22 before his release to ensure that he was not injured during the detention period.
The anti-corruption agency also said there were no scars or wounds on Mazhazmi’s body, according to the doctor’s report.
Shamsul admitted that Mazhazmi did not suffer visible bruises or marks.
But he pointed out that it was “strange” for the MACC to order a medical checkup if no abuse had indeed taken place during detention.
“I believe taking him to the doctor was a cover-up,” said Shamsul.
“Mazhazmi said he was taken to the clinic. But he heard people talking on the telephone for him to see a certain doctor, to arrange for it, or something to that effect,” said the lawyer.
The medical examination was over in five minutes, claimed Mazhazmi.
Sime Darby suffered billions in losses in four projects, which were the Bulhanine and Maydan Mahzam project with Qatar Petroleum, the Maersk Oil Qatar project, the Bakun hydroelectric dam project, and the construction of vessels for use in the Qatar project earlier this year.
The MACC and Securities Commission (SC) said last Friday that it found possible breaches of the Penal Code and the Companies Act in the government conglomerate’s Energy and Utilities Division RM2.1 billion losses.
comments
RM200k for RM416millions project .... believes it or not ??
Where are the BIG Fishes for the BAKUN projects as well ??
"Good cop,bad cop?" Someone need to remind MACC they are not the police force,who themselves have some dubious reputation to start with .
RM 2 billion missing and a small fish is caught. This is sime biggest joke. i started a joke which started the whole world laughing. correct correct correct
this is typical BN guy that is incompetent. No wonder this country going to become like Zimbabwe or rwanda. then we see the new ewidence given by so-call historian of may thirteen and we know that slanties do the deed. Justice for TEOH BENG HOCK. see BN guy do corruption can't be better than us pendatang. at least if you want to get 2 billion you keep at least 1 percent la.. not measly 200k.. aiya.
21 December 2010
KITA will have ‘big presence’ in next GE – Zaid
Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, the newly appointed president of KITA (Parti Kesejahteraan Insan Tanah Air) said that the newly named party (formerly AKIM) will have a ‘big presence’ in the next general election. Currently the party only has about 300 members and the Kelantan based party recently renamed itself to KITA and appointed Zaid as its leader after he left PKR (Parti Keadilan Rakyat). He said “Of course we will. Yes, we already have a number of candidates. I cannot tell you how many but yes, I will be one of them. We have a small membership, only about 300, but it is not the membership that determines support, it is the quality of our leaders. I am not in the numbers game. I believe I have already made a lot of difference. So of course, of course our presence will be felt,”
He also said that “Yes, I am funding Kita. It does not cost very much because it is a very small party. And I will get our candidates to fund themselves. Yes, we do not have much, but we will do what we can according to our means. We have little money, so we spend little money, but we fight with our beliefs, our ideals, our policies. Gaining instant or fast popularity, that is not what I am out to do. You have to win based on something substantive. I am not fighting with them (PR and BN) in that sense, I do not have to play their game. I play a game which I think is good for the people. I want to address the people’s issues, not play politics or just mere sloganeering. Am I throwing a tantrum by forming Kita?
Am I the sort of guy to do that? People can say whatever they want, I know I am not free from this. But I am fairly certain that the majority of people will view me kindly. They may not agree with my approach or style but I do not think they will attribute bad faith or think that I am power-crazy. It is very combative but not specific. It is like six blind men talking about an elephant but describing it in a different way. Someone talks about ketuanan Melayu, then someone else speaks about ketuanan Rakyat. We are all over the place and it lacks clarity,”
comments
Funny....real funny. A sore loser having 300 members wants to make an impact. We shall now call him MAT JENIN.
Zaid@Mat Jenin is the worst politician I have ever come across in my life.
He will again fall from the 'coconut tree' he is up on.
Silly..... real silly.
So KITA becomes the spoiler in the coming General Elections to give the UMNO led BN a chance to win big.
Zaid tried to break up PKR from within but was found out and now this Najib plant wants to help UMNO.
I am afraid he will fail miserably.
He also said that “Yes, I am funding Kita. It does not cost very much because it is a very small party. And I will get our candidates to fund themselves. Yes, we do not have much, but we will do what we can according to our means. We have little money, so we spend little money, but we fight with our beliefs, our ideals, our policies. Gaining instant or fast popularity, that is not what I am out to do. You have to win based on something substantive. I am not fighting with them (PR and BN) in that sense, I do not have to play their game. I play a game which I think is good for the people. I want to address the people’s issues, not play politics or just mere sloganeering. Am I throwing a tantrum by forming Kita?
Am I the sort of guy to do that? People can say whatever they want, I know I am not free from this. But I am fairly certain that the majority of people will view me kindly. They may not agree with my approach or style but I do not think they will attribute bad faith or think that I am power-crazy. It is very combative but not specific. It is like six blind men talking about an elephant but describing it in a different way. Someone talks about ketuanan Melayu, then someone else speaks about ketuanan Rakyat. We are all over the place and it lacks clarity,”
comments
Funny....real funny. A sore loser having 300 members wants to make an impact. We shall now call him MAT JENIN.
Zaid@Mat Jenin is the worst politician I have ever come across in my life.
He will again fall from the 'coconut tree' he is up on.
Silly..... real silly.
So KITA becomes the spoiler in the coming General Elections to give the UMNO led BN a chance to win big.
Zaid tried to break up PKR from within but was found out and now this Najib plant wants to help UMNO.
I am afraid he will fail miserably.
Hindraf wants 15 federal and 38 state seats, tells Pakatan to stay away, or else..
P Uthayakumar, the pro-tem secretary-general of the HRP (Hindraf Human Rights Party) said that the party is issuing an ultimatum to the opposition front PR (Pakatan Rakyat) to stay clear of 15 parliamentary seats and 38 state seats in the next general elections. He said that this is because the Indian-based party believe that they would win all the constituencies if they are to give BN (Barisan Nasional) straight fights. The 15 parliamentary seats are Padang Serai, Batu Kawan, Sungei Siput, Ipoh Barat, Bagan Datoh, Cameron Highlands, Hulu Selangor , Kuala Selangor, Klang, Kota Raja, Rasah, Teluk Kemang, Alor Gajah, Tebrau and Lembah Pantai.
Uthayakumar sent a letter to the leaders of Pakatan namely opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Datuk Seri Hadi Awang, the president of PAS and DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang where he said that if Pakatan does not back out, then they would need to contest with the HRP as well as against BN. However, if they do so, then HRP will give them “unequivocal support and cooperation in all the other 207 parliamentary and 538 Pakatan state assembly constituencies” to win back the lot of ambivalent Indian voters.”
He said “We have shown magnanimity in throwing our lot behind (Pakatan) in the 12th general election, now we ask you to return that favour. We hope Pakatan will not field candidates in these (constituencies) to become the spoiler and cause three-cornered fights against our common political enemy (Umno-BN). The seats chosen had significant proportions of Indian voters and include seats currently held by Pakatan Rakyat such as Padang Serai in Kedah, Ipoh Barat in Perak, Kota Raja in Selangor and Lembah Pantai in Kuala Lumpur. 15 loyal Hindraf activists have been short-listed as candidates. They have been tried and tested, have been part of Hindraf since day one, won't jump ship to another party and are as strong as PAS candidates,”
He also said that “We have given all the documents required by ROS on Nov 25, but whether we are registered or not we will contest…the worst case scenario is that we will contest as independents. MIC is given at least nine parliament seats and 20 state assembly seats on a silver platter. Why can't we be allocated some, too? The ball is now in (Pakatan's) court. In a one-on-one (contest), we stand a better chance of beating BN than Pakatan (in these constituencies),”
comments
The Indians have never been and never will be the majority in the mentioned parliamentary seats.How can these fools ever win even a single seat if they go one on one against UMNO/BN. If Pakatan backs down and gives in to them, my gut feeling is that they will capitulate at the last minute and let UMNO/BN win uncontested, in exchange for senatorships. How can one trust these men who hijacked a welfare society called HINDRAF and used it as a racial/political force to buck the then government of the day?
I, for one, will never trust these pariahs of the Indian community.
hindraf who ever you are, fuck off from the election .you are not wanted either by your own people to stand for it. What an useless party as chinese says cannot even walk but started to run soon.got to learn from chinese man who are well verses in it.
Uthayakumar sent a letter to the leaders of Pakatan namely opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Datuk Seri Hadi Awang, the president of PAS and DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang where he said that if Pakatan does not back out, then they would need to contest with the HRP as well as against BN. However, if they do so, then HRP will give them “unequivocal support and cooperation in all the other 207 parliamentary and 538 Pakatan state assembly constituencies” to win back the lot of ambivalent Indian voters.”
He said “We have shown magnanimity in throwing our lot behind (Pakatan) in the 12th general election, now we ask you to return that favour. We hope Pakatan will not field candidates in these (constituencies) to become the spoiler and cause three-cornered fights against our common political enemy (Umno-BN). The seats chosen had significant proportions of Indian voters and include seats currently held by Pakatan Rakyat such as Padang Serai in Kedah, Ipoh Barat in Perak, Kota Raja in Selangor and Lembah Pantai in Kuala Lumpur. 15 loyal Hindraf activists have been short-listed as candidates. They have been tried and tested, have been part of Hindraf since day one, won't jump ship to another party and are as strong as PAS candidates,”
He also said that “We have given all the documents required by ROS on Nov 25, but whether we are registered or not we will contest…the worst case scenario is that we will contest as independents. MIC is given at least nine parliament seats and 20 state assembly seats on a silver platter. Why can't we be allocated some, too? The ball is now in (Pakatan's) court. In a one-on-one (contest), we stand a better chance of beating BN than Pakatan (in these constituencies),”
comments
The Indians have never been and never will be the majority in the mentioned parliamentary seats.How can these fools ever win even a single seat if they go one on one against UMNO/BN. If Pakatan backs down and gives in to them, my gut feeling is that they will capitulate at the last minute and let UMNO/BN win uncontested, in exchange for senatorships. How can one trust these men who hijacked a welfare society called HINDRAF and used it as a racial/political force to buck the then government of the day?
I, for one, will never trust these pariahs of the Indian community.
hindraf who ever you are, fuck off from the election .you are not wanted either by your own people to stand for it. What an useless party as chinese says cannot even walk but started to run soon.got to learn from chinese man who are well verses in it.
20 December 2010
I am not joining Zaid Ibrahim – Chegubard
Prominent blogger Chegubard or Badrul Hisham Shaharin, who was recently defeated in the PKR (Parti Keadilan Rakyat) Youth chief post in the party elections has reinstated his loyalty for the party and that he is not looking or planning to leave PKR and join KITA (Parti Kesejahteraan Insan Tanah Air) which is headed by former deputy president hopeful Datuk Zaid Ibrahim. Zaid had recently resigned from PKR and joined KITA which is the renamed party of AKIM previously. Since then, Chegubard has been rumoured to be interested in joining Zaid.
He said “In fact, contrary to popular belief, Zaid has never extended an invitation his way, nor was he offered money to jump ship. There are claims that I left the party after Zaid paid me a certain amount of money. This has been the same allegation thrown at me before, when it was said that I had received RM400,000 to support Zaid (in the race for PKR deputy president). These criticisms against the party had rubbed some people the wrong way, with some spreading rumours about his loyalty in order to needle him into losing his temper. These are the people who do not want critical voices in PKR, they want (people like me) to do something out of the ordinary so that they can find an excuse to sack us. But my criticisms are only for the betterment of this party. I don't want our problems to continuously be swept under the carpet,"
comments
good man,..work for the best of rakyat...you will be bless
for the trouble maker , let them fall by itself.
He said “In fact, contrary to popular belief, Zaid has never extended an invitation his way, nor was he offered money to jump ship. There are claims that I left the party after Zaid paid me a certain amount of money. This has been the same allegation thrown at me before, when it was said that I had received RM400,000 to support Zaid (in the race for PKR deputy president). These criticisms against the party had rubbed some people the wrong way, with some spreading rumours about his loyalty in order to needle him into losing his temper. These are the people who do not want critical voices in PKR, they want (people like me) to do something out of the ordinary so that they can find an excuse to sack us. But my criticisms are only for the betterment of this party. I don't want our problems to continuously be swept under the carpet,"
comments
good man,..work for the best of rakyat...you will be bless
for the trouble maker , let them fall by itself.
Nuclear plants for Malaysia starting 2021
Datuk Seri Dr Peter Chin, the Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water announced that the government will be engaging an international consultant on the appropriate location and requirements for its plan to build 2 nuclear plants in the country which are expected to generate 1,000MW of energy each. He said that the first nuclear plant is expected to start operating in 2021 while the other plant will be ready in 2022.
He said “Hopefully, by 2013 or 2014, we will able to finish evaluating this. As for calling of tenders, we hope it will be done by 2016. Malaysia was heavily reliant on gas and coal for its electricity supply and it was government policy to reduce reliance on fossil fuel. Gas accounted for 64 per cent of the country’s energy generation while the remainder came from coal. We must get away from this. (It is) very much imbalance. Most countries have a good balance. We want hydro to assume a prominent role as it is clean but this can only be achieved in Sabah and Sarawak where there is much potential but not in Peninsular Malaysia. Besides, other sources of energy such as biomass and wind were too minimal while solar was a good potential but the technology was still very expensive. Biomass and wind, there is nothing to shout about. Unless and until solar renewable becomes big enough, this type of energy just compliments (what you already have) as you can’t generate much due to its high cost,”
He added that “Everyone wants to say that we want renewables but what about cost? Can we force the people to accept high tariffs? We have to look at a balanced way, that’s why we can’t depend on fossil fuel only. Nuclear has become a more prominent choice in balancing the energy source due to lower maintenance cost and lower tariffs in the long-run. For example, in Abu Dhabi, they are building huge solar energy plants but [were] at the same time balancing it up with a nuclear plant. They are not just concentrating on fossil fuel,”
comments
Proof of the pudding is in the eating ! Yes Malaysia neds nuclear energy and here is my laugh at the Malaysians, SHOW US THAT MALAYSIA HAS THE TALENT TO MANAGE A NUCLEAR PLANT. How many Malay graduates will have both the knowlege and experience to operate a nuclear plant ? It is like any other sources of energy because Malaysia will need well educated & well skilled talenst to work such a power plant.
Poor Singapore so close and in danger of contamination from cuclear radiation from Malaysia if they have a plant; 200 miles from end to end of peninsula Malaysia is too short and the full fall out will hit Singapre like an atomic bomb. A little knowlege is a dangerous thing, my dear Malaysians.
He said “Hopefully, by 2013 or 2014, we will able to finish evaluating this. As for calling of tenders, we hope it will be done by 2016. Malaysia was heavily reliant on gas and coal for its electricity supply and it was government policy to reduce reliance on fossil fuel. Gas accounted for 64 per cent of the country’s energy generation while the remainder came from coal. We must get away from this. (It is) very much imbalance. Most countries have a good balance. We want hydro to assume a prominent role as it is clean but this can only be achieved in Sabah and Sarawak where there is much potential but not in Peninsular Malaysia. Besides, other sources of energy such as biomass and wind were too minimal while solar was a good potential but the technology was still very expensive. Biomass and wind, there is nothing to shout about. Unless and until solar renewable becomes big enough, this type of energy just compliments (what you already have) as you can’t generate much due to its high cost,”
He added that “Everyone wants to say that we want renewables but what about cost? Can we force the people to accept high tariffs? We have to look at a balanced way, that’s why we can’t depend on fossil fuel only. Nuclear has become a more prominent choice in balancing the energy source due to lower maintenance cost and lower tariffs in the long-run. For example, in Abu Dhabi, they are building huge solar energy plants but [were] at the same time balancing it up with a nuclear plant. They are not just concentrating on fossil fuel,”
comments
Proof of the pudding is in the eating ! Yes Malaysia neds nuclear energy and here is my laugh at the Malaysians, SHOW US THAT MALAYSIA HAS THE TALENT TO MANAGE A NUCLEAR PLANT. How many Malay graduates will have both the knowlege and experience to operate a nuclear plant ? It is like any other sources of energy because Malaysia will need well educated & well skilled talenst to work such a power plant.
Poor Singapore so close and in danger of contamination from cuclear radiation from Malaysia if they have a plant; 200 miles from end to end of peninsula Malaysia is too short and the full fall out will hit Singapre like an atomic bomb. A little knowlege is a dangerous thing, my dear Malaysians.
Pakatan spoiling investment climate of Malaysia – Mustapa
Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed, the Minister of International Trade and Industry has hit out at the leaders of the opposition front PR (Pakatan Rakyat), accusing them of poisoning Malaysia’s investment climate and for putting the country in a bad light where they are spreading lies and creating chaos, often blowing issues out of proportion in and out of the county.
He said "We do not want our country to be perceived as unsafe for investment due to uncalled for attempts by certain quarters with vested interest. We want the people to be united, live in peace and prosper. The transformation drive undertaken by Prime Minister Najib Razak had borne fruit and the people should work together to achieve the goals of becoming a high-income developed country.”
comments
Mustapa,blame it on our leaders as they are the cause of all this. If this country leaders are capable and worthy to warm their seats,you think the people are so stupid not to support them ? I dont blame you as you are securely placed on that seat and enjoying your good life. What about those millions out there who have to struggle to earn a reasonable living ? If only the leaders know how to run this country,life would have been totally different for them. Dont blame the oppositions,they are infact doing the peole a big favour !!!
He said "We do not want our country to be perceived as unsafe for investment due to uncalled for attempts by certain quarters with vested interest. We want the people to be united, live in peace and prosper. The transformation drive undertaken by Prime Minister Najib Razak had borne fruit and the people should work together to achieve the goals of becoming a high-income developed country.”
comments
Mustapa,blame it on our leaders as they are the cause of all this. If this country leaders are capable and worthy to warm their seats,you think the people are so stupid not to support them ? I dont blame you as you are securely placed on that seat and enjoying your good life. What about those millions out there who have to struggle to earn a reasonable living ? If only the leaders know how to run this country,life would have been totally different for them. Dont blame the oppositions,they are infact doing the peole a big favour !!!
Suspension of Pakatan MPs a ‘flagrant abuse of power’ by Umno - Anwar
Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has accused the federal government for a ‘flagrant abuse of power’ by the BN (Barisan Nasional)’s largest component party Umno for suspending him, the deputy president of PKR (Parti Keadilan Rakyat) Azmin Ali, Subang PKR MP R Sivarasa and Karpal Singh, the chairman of DAP for 6 months for their outbursts and criticism over the Apco-Israel issue.
He said “I don't see any reason to rush through my suspension. All this is a flagrant abuse of power. I don't think they have the patience to respond to the issues raised. For more than a decade, I have been demonised by Umno for having Jewish friends and being 'pro-Jew'. And now they enter into an agreement with an Israeli-linked company. Can you have a working relationship with Jews? Of course it's not a problem. But what I want to show is flagrant hypocrisy on Umno's part. (Nazri) is not telling the truth... I was not given a chance to testify at all, I appeared with a counsel on June 9 and then the committee adjourned to make a decision on whether the counsel is allowed. Not once was I given a chance despite our repeated appeals to add to that.”
comment
What can one expect from UMNO.... nothing is fair in their eyes, its all about keeping it hush hush and sweeping under the carpet where they hope the people will forget.
He said “I don't see any reason to rush through my suspension. All this is a flagrant abuse of power. I don't think they have the patience to respond to the issues raised. For more than a decade, I have been demonised by Umno for having Jewish friends and being 'pro-Jew'. And now they enter into an agreement with an Israeli-linked company. Can you have a working relationship with Jews? Of course it's not a problem. But what I want to show is flagrant hypocrisy on Umno's part. (Nazri) is not telling the truth... I was not given a chance to testify at all, I appeared with a counsel on June 9 and then the committee adjourned to make a decision on whether the counsel is allowed. Not once was I given a chance despite our repeated appeals to add to that.”
comment
What can one expect from UMNO.... nothing is fair in their eyes, its all about keeping it hush hush and sweeping under the carpet where they hope the people will forget.
Proof Apco link with 1Malaysia – Hishammuddin dares Anwar
Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, the Home Minister has threw a challenge to opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to show proof over his claims of the Apco-Israel issue which cost him a suspension of 6 months from parliament. Anwar had made the claims that the 1Malaysia concept mooted by the prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak was created after consulting Apco Worldwide, the consultancy company responsible for coming up with the One-Israel campaign in the past.
Hishammuddin said “Expose it. What is he afraid of? They have been threatening for a long time to reveal boxes of confidential information but, to this day, nothing has been shown. The only “strange” information that has been exposed so far has instead been US diplomatic cables in which Singapore alleged that Anwar had knowingly “walked into” a “set-up job”. Even then he (Anwar) accused the police of conspiring with the intelligence agencies of sovereign countries like Singapore and Australia. The people will not accept this anymore. When the churches were torched, Umno was blamed. When the cow head was paraded, Barisan Nasional (BN) was blamed. Even when tables and chairs went flying during PKR elections, they blamed Umno and BN,”
comments
Prove what?? Another Umno minister talks through his arse...Did the BN dogs give an opportunity to Anwar to explain himself about this in parliament?? They conveniently sacked him and now wants proof?
Hisap kotek - Apco?? Up yours!
Hishammuddin I really dun know why are you sitting in the Parliament proceeding. Why are you not stopping Anwar from suspending, if you want the prove. You are just like after screwing the girl and ask the girl are you a virgin. What a competent minister you are as quoted by PM.
Hishammuddin said “Expose it. What is he afraid of? They have been threatening for a long time to reveal boxes of confidential information but, to this day, nothing has been shown. The only “strange” information that has been exposed so far has instead been US diplomatic cables in which Singapore alleged that Anwar had knowingly “walked into” a “set-up job”. Even then he (Anwar) accused the police of conspiring with the intelligence agencies of sovereign countries like Singapore and Australia. The people will not accept this anymore. When the churches were torched, Umno was blamed. When the cow head was paraded, Barisan Nasional (BN) was blamed. Even when tables and chairs went flying during PKR elections, they blamed Umno and BN,”
comments
Prove what?? Another Umno minister talks through his arse...Did the BN dogs give an opportunity to Anwar to explain himself about this in parliament?? They conveniently sacked him and now wants proof?
Hisap kotek - Apco?? Up yours!
Hishammuddin I really dun know why are you sitting in the Parliament proceeding. Why are you not stopping Anwar from suspending, if you want the prove. You are just like after screwing the girl and ask the girl are you a virgin. What a competent minister you are as quoted by PM.
19 December 2010
MACC officer involved in accident authorised to carry pistol
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officer involved in an accident on the Middle Ring Road 2 (MRR2) yesterday, was given the authority to carry a weapon while on duty.
According to MACC in a statement here today, assistant enforcement officer Jackson Mingat Pinol, from the Safety Division, is authorised to carry the weapon while on duty and had passed tests as well as rules and procedures to operate the weapon.
MACC said this in comment to media reports of a pistol found at the scene of an accident which involved Jackson Mingat.
Jackson Mingat was on his way to the MACC Headquarters in Putrajaya to return the Glock 9mm pistol after completing an official duty, the statement added.
“The pistol was returned by police to the MACC Headquarters in good condition, just like how our officer had received it,” said MACC.
MACC stated that its officers were authorised to carry and operate weapons during official duty as provided under Section 6 of the Firearms Act 1960, read together with Section 10 of the MACC Act 2009.
comments
The question is in what circumstances are pistol allowed to be carried by MACC officers. I mean by law. NOT by MACC discretion, because MACC authority have no discretion under the prevailing law.
According to MACC in a statement here today, assistant enforcement officer Jackson Mingat Pinol, from the Safety Division, is authorised to carry the weapon while on duty and had passed tests as well as rules and procedures to operate the weapon.
MACC said this in comment to media reports of a pistol found at the scene of an accident which involved Jackson Mingat.
Jackson Mingat was on his way to the MACC Headquarters in Putrajaya to return the Glock 9mm pistol after completing an official duty, the statement added.
“The pistol was returned by police to the MACC Headquarters in good condition, just like how our officer had received it,” said MACC.
MACC stated that its officers were authorised to carry and operate weapons during official duty as provided under Section 6 of the Firearms Act 1960, read together with Section 10 of the MACC Act 2009.
comments
The question is in what circumstances are pistol allowed to be carried by MACC officers. I mean by law. NOT by MACC discretion, because MACC authority have no discretion under the prevailing law.
16 December 2010
Teoh’s sister hits out at BN politicians for never attended inquest
Teoh Lee Lan, the 30 year old sister of the late political aide Teoh Beng Hock has hit out at the politicians from the BN (Barisan Nasional) saying that they did not bother to offer any sort of support in the inquest of Teoh’s death and for suggesting that her family was irrational and emotional throughout the process. She said that some BN politicians had tried to convince her against calling for a RCI (Royal Commission of Inquiry) and that justice will prevail in the end but none of them showed up at the inquest. The inquest is nearing its conclusion where the oral submissions will be heard at on Friday.
She said “They are saying that we’re not rational, that we’re being politicised. If you’re sincere in getting us justice, to give an answer to us, you should be there. During Beng Hock’s funeral at the end of July last year, MCA leaders such as former president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat, deputy president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, Tan Sri Dr Fong Chan Onn, as well as Gerakan President Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, had personally promised to push for a RCI to investigate her brother’s mysterious death. I urge political leaders to attend the inquest — just for one day. Let themselves judge why we are asking for the RCI. I don’t understand why they can’t keep their promises. It’s just [a] RCI to get us the truth. The prime minister had said that if we are not satisfied with the outcome of the inquest, then he will make due consideration to extend the RCI scope to investigate my brother’s death,”
comments
Lip services only at the time of bereavement. Falsehood runs very deep in these BN poltician hearts. When the time really arrives for them to come forth to trully ssupport this hurt family where are they? This shows how hyprocites are they, esp theMCA. Reject them in he coming GE13 and all the liars.
She said “They are saying that we’re not rational, that we’re being politicised. If you’re sincere in getting us justice, to give an answer to us, you should be there. During Beng Hock’s funeral at the end of July last year, MCA leaders such as former president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat, deputy president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, Tan Sri Dr Fong Chan Onn, as well as Gerakan President Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, had personally promised to push for a RCI to investigate her brother’s mysterious death. I urge political leaders to attend the inquest — just for one day. Let themselves judge why we are asking for the RCI. I don’t understand why they can’t keep their promises. It’s just [a] RCI to get us the truth. The prime minister had said that if we are not satisfied with the outcome of the inquest, then he will make due consideration to extend the RCI scope to investigate my brother’s death,”
comments
Lip services only at the time of bereavement. Falsehood runs very deep in these BN poltician hearts. When the time really arrives for them to come forth to trully ssupport this hurt family where are they? This shows how hyprocites are they, esp theMCA. Reject them in he coming GE13 and all the liars.
Malaysia is run by ‘very competent politicians ‘ – Najib
The prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has dismissed the claims made by some Singapore officials that Malaysia politics are ‘declining’ due to its ‘incompetent politicians’ as published in WikiLeaks. He said that instead, Malaysia ids being run by ‘very competent’ leaders and that “I assure you that Malaysia is not run by incompetent politicians but by very competent politicians,”
He was speaking at the official opening of the AUO Sunpower Corporation Sdn Bhd’s manufacturing plant in Alor Gajah where he was commenting on the recent reports on WikiLeaks that exposed some of the officials including Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew making some unfavourable remarks about Malaysia. This had not gone too well with politicians from both the fronts although it was more detrimental to the BN (Barisan Nasional) front.
comments
Ha...ha yes very competent politician. What standard are you refering to?????ISOxxxx???
see the ministers talk, you will know how competent they are.
What is competent??? Some one who has the ability,knowledge and skill to do something in efficient and effective way. Are these critiria in your ministers????
Look at the minister of Communications. what knowledge does he had to lead the Multimedia n comm. and etc????You think he is competent????? Ministery of education??? defence???? Ha..ha competent????
Competent indeed mah!
Take a look at the loss of Pulau Batu Putih to S'pore and Blocks L and M to Brunei.
Very 'competent' - why do they still regard the rakyat as fools??
He was speaking at the official opening of the AUO Sunpower Corporation Sdn Bhd’s manufacturing plant in Alor Gajah where he was commenting on the recent reports on WikiLeaks that exposed some of the officials including Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew making some unfavourable remarks about Malaysia. This had not gone too well with politicians from both the fronts although it was more detrimental to the BN (Barisan Nasional) front.
comments
Ha...ha yes very competent politician. What standard are you refering to?????ISOxxxx???
see the ministers talk, you will know how competent they are.
What is competent??? Some one who has the ability,knowledge and skill to do something in efficient and effective way. Are these critiria in your ministers????
Look at the minister of Communications. what knowledge does he had to lead the Multimedia n comm. and etc????You think he is competent????? Ministery of education??? defence???? Ha..ha competent????
Competent indeed mah!
Take a look at the loss of Pulau Batu Putih to S'pore and Blocks L and M to Brunei.
Very 'competent' - why do they still regard the rakyat as fools??
13 December 2010
WikiLeaks revealed that Anwar ‘walked into a sex trap’ in Sodomy II
In one of the most shocking revelations in the country ever, controversial portal WikiLeaks reported that the currently going on Sodomy II trial involving opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was a ‘set up job’ which was made for Anwar to ‘walk into’. According to reports, a US State Department leaked information showed that “Singaporean intelligence officials told their Australian counterparts that Anwar engaged in the conduct for which he is accused, a claim he has steadfastly denied. Australia’s Office of National Intelligence also states the conduct was the result of entrapment by Dr Anwar’s enemies,”
It also wrote that “The cable on Anwar was one of several that deals with the highly explosive private views of senior Singaporean officials, including claims that “Malaysia is in a ‘confused and dangerous’ state due to its incompetent politicians”. The Australians said that Singapore’s intelligences services and [Singaporean elder statesman] Lee Kuan Yew have told ONA (Office of National Intelligence of Australia) in their exchanges that opposition leader Anwar ‘did indeed commit the acts for which he is currently indicted’. ONA assessed, and their Singapore counterparts concurred, ‘it was a set-up job and he probably knew that, but walked into it anyway’,”
comments
The truth of the matter is the news is questionable at best.Lee Kuan Yew is not an honest man but a sly manupilator. He supports Najib because with a corrupted leader like Najib in Malaysia then Singapore can get a water agreement renewable in terms favourable to Singapore.Lee Kuan Yew is nothing more than a cheap politician who will use anyone or any fabricated event to his and his country's advantage.
He knows that he can twist corrupted Najib around his little finger but not Anwar Ibrahim. That is why for that stage -managed bit of news to be "leaked". Which man will be stupid enough to walk into a trap, having been framed on similar false charges 10 years ago, with his eyes wide open. Anwar Ibrahim is no fool.
MACC can learn a thing or two from the Singapore's Intelligence Services.They know how to fabricate news to suit their ulterior motives. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It also wrote that “The cable on Anwar was one of several that deals with the highly explosive private views of senior Singaporean officials, including claims that “Malaysia is in a ‘confused and dangerous’ state due to its incompetent politicians”. The Australians said that Singapore’s intelligences services and [Singaporean elder statesman] Lee Kuan Yew have told ONA (Office of National Intelligence of Australia) in their exchanges that opposition leader Anwar ‘did indeed commit the acts for which he is currently indicted’. ONA assessed, and their Singapore counterparts concurred, ‘it was a set-up job and he probably knew that, but walked into it anyway’,”
comments
The truth of the matter is the news is questionable at best.Lee Kuan Yew is not an honest man but a sly manupilator. He supports Najib because with a corrupted leader like Najib in Malaysia then Singapore can get a water agreement renewable in terms favourable to Singapore.Lee Kuan Yew is nothing more than a cheap politician who will use anyone or any fabricated event to his and his country's advantage.
He knows that he can twist corrupted Najib around his little finger but not Anwar Ibrahim. That is why for that stage -managed bit of news to be "leaked". Which man will be stupid enough to walk into a trap, having been framed on similar false charges 10 years ago, with his eyes wide open. Anwar Ibrahim is no fool.
MACC can learn a thing or two from the Singapore's Intelligence Services.They know how to fabricate news to suit their ulterior motives. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Arrest of Khir Toyo not 'Sandiwara' by BN - Najib
The prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has denied the claims that the recent arrest of former Mentri Besar of Selangor Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo was ‘just a show’ as alleged by the opposition front. Khir Toyo was recently arrested and charged for land fraud but the leaders from the opposition parties have been claiming that it was just ‘a political show’ for the people to prepare for snap polls.
Najib said “What is this about it being a sandiwara? Once there is a charge, that means we do not view this as just a game. This is something that the MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission) has thoroughly investigated. The MACC, as an independent body, brought the matter to the A-G, who is also impartial. All these processes have to be followed and now that the A-G has made his decision to bring the matter to court, let the courts decide.
We cannot say a person is guilty... the court determines this. Corruption has become a political issue now. They want to accuse us, say that we are not serious or that we are doing a cover-up or that we conduct selective prosecution and so on. But we are always bound by the law and MACC is free to investigate anyone. There would be a bad implication on us if the case is brought to court and we lose it. It is even worse than the reverse, in fact. So before the case is taken to court, the MACC and the A-G has to be confident enough that they have a case and even then, it depends on the witnesses. If the witness changes his stand suddenly and becomes hostile, the court can throw the case out,”
comments
in our malaysian political scene..!! Whatever and whenever they say ''yes'', it means ''no''..!! And if they say that the arrest of toyo is not a sandiwara then it means it is a sandiwara..!! Everything must be read opposite because we malaysian was very stupd one..!!
if the MACC are independent, they should investigate Taib Mahmud...and other....if Taib Mahmud said are the wealth person, i think PM sould be more richer than taib mahmud....PM...u and ur cabinet must retify ur asset, money, investment share and son on like the public servent do....do u dare....?????
and how come the commisen payment for Scorpane submarine is about RM500million....for just one company....dont' talk bullshit.....that is some part of corruption.....**&^%^^&&%$@@!!...MACC do be like a chicken....u should investigate this case.....
Najib said “What is this about it being a sandiwara? Once there is a charge, that means we do not view this as just a game. This is something that the MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission) has thoroughly investigated. The MACC, as an independent body, brought the matter to the A-G, who is also impartial. All these processes have to be followed and now that the A-G has made his decision to bring the matter to court, let the courts decide.
We cannot say a person is guilty... the court determines this. Corruption has become a political issue now. They want to accuse us, say that we are not serious or that we are doing a cover-up or that we conduct selective prosecution and so on. But we are always bound by the law and MACC is free to investigate anyone. There would be a bad implication on us if the case is brought to court and we lose it. It is even worse than the reverse, in fact. So before the case is taken to court, the MACC and the A-G has to be confident enough that they have a case and even then, it depends on the witnesses. If the witness changes his stand suddenly and becomes hostile, the court can throw the case out,”
comments
in our malaysian political scene..!! Whatever and whenever they say ''yes'', it means ''no''..!! And if they say that the arrest of toyo is not a sandiwara then it means it is a sandiwara..!! Everything must be read opposite because we malaysian was very stupd one..!!
if the MACC are independent, they should investigate Taib Mahmud...and other....if Taib Mahmud said are the wealth person, i think PM sould be more richer than taib mahmud....PM...u and ur cabinet must retify ur asset, money, investment share and son on like the public servent do....do u dare....?????
and how come the commisen payment for Scorpane submarine is about RM500million....for just one company....dont' talk bullshit.....that is some part of corruption.....**&^%^^&&%$@@!!...MACC do be like a chicken....u should investigate this case.....
Najib not bankrupt, it is worth billions - PM
The prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak clarified that FELDA (Federal Land Development Authority) is not in any sort of financial trouble or bankrupt and instead is actually ‘rich’ and is worth billions. The Members of Parliament from the opposition front PR (Pakatan Rakyat) have been widely criticizing the agency claiming that the agency is having financial troubles due to how its funds have been managed.
Calling the Pakatan lawmakers who made these claims as ‘liars and traitors’, Najib said “Do you want to know the second biggest lie in the country made by the opposition, after their so-called promise of taking over Putrajaya on September 16, 2008? It’s their claims that Felda is bankrupt. To call them (PR) traitors to the Malay race just does not cut it. They have betrayed the institution that is Felda, who has helped shaped the social landscape of this country for many years. I tell you now, if we were to liquidate all the shares in Felda in Bursa Malaysia, do you know how much Felda is worth? RM 4.3 billion. So where and how is Felda bankrupt? Felda would continue to take action against those who claimed it was bankrupt, and added that it had already secured two legal victories over such claims. If they dare ‘kokok (crow), we will sue them,”
comments
All of us agreed that 'NAJIB IS NOT BANKRUPT', HE IS INDEED WORTH BILLIONS because he is presently sitting on top of the country's cash box. 2 submarines already made him richer by millions when he was the defence minister and also the milking of FELDA cash cows.
Every year Felda show her account to the public, but during 09 there are few high ranking credible witnesses who pointed out there are some major discrepancies in Felda dealings. When ask to produce Felda accounts the FG stepped and put a full stop to it ... WHY ????? With so many request from the MPs and public yet FG didn't want to comply to it.
Today our FG just announced " Felda is rich ". Mr PM if you have shown the public on the 2009 Felda account (as FG did for all the past years) months ago... then you don't have to waste your time here, convincing the public. If Felda is so rich as you claimed, why not just show all the dealings and profits of Felda and the public will become less suspicious of FG. Mr PM the more you do things your way (opaque way) the more public will lose thrust towards BN.
And worst of all, you threaten to silence those who question Felda dealings by suing them. Now you have totally lost the thrust from the rakyat.
Calling the Pakatan lawmakers who made these claims as ‘liars and traitors’, Najib said “Do you want to know the second biggest lie in the country made by the opposition, after their so-called promise of taking over Putrajaya on September 16, 2008? It’s their claims that Felda is bankrupt. To call them (PR) traitors to the Malay race just does not cut it. They have betrayed the institution that is Felda, who has helped shaped the social landscape of this country for many years. I tell you now, if we were to liquidate all the shares in Felda in Bursa Malaysia, do you know how much Felda is worth? RM 4.3 billion. So where and how is Felda bankrupt? Felda would continue to take action against those who claimed it was bankrupt, and added that it had already secured two legal victories over such claims. If they dare ‘kokok (crow), we will sue them,”
comments
All of us agreed that 'NAJIB IS NOT BANKRUPT', HE IS INDEED WORTH BILLIONS because he is presently sitting on top of the country's cash box. 2 submarines already made him richer by millions when he was the defence minister and also the milking of FELDA cash cows.
Every year Felda show her account to the public, but during 09 there are few high ranking credible witnesses who pointed out there are some major discrepancies in Felda dealings. When ask to produce Felda accounts the FG stepped and put a full stop to it ... WHY ????? With so many request from the MPs and public yet FG didn't want to comply to it.
Today our FG just announced " Felda is rich ". Mr PM if you have shown the public on the 2009 Felda account (as FG did for all the past years) months ago... then you don't have to waste your time here, convincing the public. If Felda is so rich as you claimed, why not just show all the dealings and profits of Felda and the public will become less suspicious of FG. Mr PM the more you do things your way (opaque way) the more public will lose thrust towards BN.
And worst of all, you threaten to silence those who question Felda dealings by suing them. Now you have totally lost the thrust from the rakyat.
12 December 2010
Mat Zain insists former IGP ‘fabricated’ black eye evidence
Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim, the former investigating officer of the ‘black eye’ case involving opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim reinstated his allegations that Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail had ‘fabricated’ the evidence in the case that took place in 1998. Mat Zain was investigating the claims by Anwar that he was assaulted when he was in police custody where he is appealing for the case to be reopened.
In his open letter to Tan Sri Ismail Omar, the IGP (Inspector-General of Police), he said “I leave it to your discretion, Tan Sri, to make the best decision on behalf of the Royal Malaysian Police (RMP); one that is fair to all parties. However I also protect my right to proceed or stop right now, my correspondence pertaining to this issue or to any other issue related to it. The Home Ministry’s declaration last week that the “black-eye” case would remain closed clearly showed the government’s intention to protect “certain individuals”. I apologise because I have to state my opinion here that the current stand of the police in preparing Hishammuddin’s answer is vastly different from its stand when it was handling the investigation in 1998. Its stand this time looks intended to protect certain individuals,”
He also said that “I am sure Tan Sri still remembers how a one-page letter dated September 21, 1953 signed by an acting State Secretary had become one of the main reasons that led to the contamination of Malaysia’s dignity and sovereignty when we were forced to surrender Pulau Batu Putih (Pedra Branca) to Singapore. Imagine what the falsification of 65 pages of a document, on the orders of the country’s lawyers, could do to the country’s criminal justice system. During the investigation, several important documents were lost while in the hands of the A-G and we had to replace them with duplicate copies. The entire investigation paper had even temporarily disappeared for about three weeks between October 30 and November 20, 1998, like what I explained in my first letter. So it is no wonder if there were limitations in the contents of the investigation report because they were hidden for a long time in the A-G’s Chambers,”
“To be fair to Abdul Gani, I do not have information to say that he had a hand in making sure the first report was not included in the final document but I would not be shocked if he was indeed involved because he has a personal stake in it. What is worrying here is that if even the royal commission of inquiry’s report can be manipulated, just imagine what can be done to investigation records involving common citizens. It is important to look at the fabrications that occurred in the investigation of the ‘black-eye’ case and in all other cases related to it, to identify who the main players are. The evidence, whether direct or circumstantial, has been very clear,”
comments
Datuk Mat Zin I respect you " A men that love the country". They are many that said how much they love the country, but I dun see any of them like you. Espeacially those hight ranking in the Police force. If the law is just protecting certain individuals. The investigation records can be disappeared what about the cases involved common people???
I thought these reports should also submit to our highness Agong??? If thats the case they are also bluffing our highness????
Oh gosh!!! Our country justice system are gone.
In his open letter to Tan Sri Ismail Omar, the IGP (Inspector-General of Police), he said “I leave it to your discretion, Tan Sri, to make the best decision on behalf of the Royal Malaysian Police (RMP); one that is fair to all parties. However I also protect my right to proceed or stop right now, my correspondence pertaining to this issue or to any other issue related to it. The Home Ministry’s declaration last week that the “black-eye” case would remain closed clearly showed the government’s intention to protect “certain individuals”. I apologise because I have to state my opinion here that the current stand of the police in preparing Hishammuddin’s answer is vastly different from its stand when it was handling the investigation in 1998. Its stand this time looks intended to protect certain individuals,”
He also said that “I am sure Tan Sri still remembers how a one-page letter dated September 21, 1953 signed by an acting State Secretary had become one of the main reasons that led to the contamination of Malaysia’s dignity and sovereignty when we were forced to surrender Pulau Batu Putih (Pedra Branca) to Singapore. Imagine what the falsification of 65 pages of a document, on the orders of the country’s lawyers, could do to the country’s criminal justice system. During the investigation, several important documents were lost while in the hands of the A-G and we had to replace them with duplicate copies. The entire investigation paper had even temporarily disappeared for about three weeks between October 30 and November 20, 1998, like what I explained in my first letter. So it is no wonder if there were limitations in the contents of the investigation report because they were hidden for a long time in the A-G’s Chambers,”
“To be fair to Abdul Gani, I do not have information to say that he had a hand in making sure the first report was not included in the final document but I would not be shocked if he was indeed involved because he has a personal stake in it. What is worrying here is that if even the royal commission of inquiry’s report can be manipulated, just imagine what can be done to investigation records involving common citizens. It is important to look at the fabrications that occurred in the investigation of the ‘black-eye’ case and in all other cases related to it, to identify who the main players are. The evidence, whether direct or circumstantial, has been very clear,”
comments
Datuk Mat Zin I respect you " A men that love the country". They are many that said how much they love the country, but I dun see any of them like you. Espeacially those hight ranking in the Police force. If the law is just protecting certain individuals. The investigation records can be disappeared what about the cases involved common people???
I thought these reports should also submit to our highness Agong??? If thats the case they are also bluffing our highness????
Oh gosh!!! Our country justice system are gone.
Najib denies interfering with MACC
The prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has denied the claims that he had interfered with investigations by the MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission) and that the agency is an independent body. He was speaking at the signing ceremony of an anti-corruption loyalty pledge in PICC where he said “I would like to stress here that I have never interfered in MACC’s operations. They are independent and free to carry out their investigations on anyone.”
The MACC he said is a “Professional body that is also subjected to checks should they fail to carry out their duties. On the aspect of a person’s status in the community in terms of his designation or his worth, it will not be a guarantee that no action will be taken against him. This is the kind of awareness that we must all accept — that we are all regular citizens, [regardless] of our posts, and we are all bound by the country’s laws. I do not want to see this happening, I hope that there will not be this belief because if there is, then it makes our struggle to combat corruption even harder, especially when it comes to doing business,”
He added that “In the process of offering tender, we must not allow there to be any specific preference to particular bidders. The decision to award the tender must be based on the best offer, one that fulfils the technical needs of a certain project. We must release the advertisement for tender in an open way, list down the specification and allow it to be a fair and open process for all,”
comments
fcuk you lah pinky lips..!! What is it that you wont lie, will lie and had lied..?? We are not at all impress with your lying anymore..!!
The MACC he said is a “Professional body that is also subjected to checks should they fail to carry out their duties. On the aspect of a person’s status in the community in terms of his designation or his worth, it will not be a guarantee that no action will be taken against him. This is the kind of awareness that we must all accept — that we are all regular citizens, [regardless] of our posts, and we are all bound by the country’s laws. I do not want to see this happening, I hope that there will not be this belief because if there is, then it makes our struggle to combat corruption even harder, especially when it comes to doing business,”
He added that “In the process of offering tender, we must not allow there to be any specific preference to particular bidders. The decision to award the tender must be based on the best offer, one that fulfils the technical needs of a certain project. We must release the advertisement for tender in an open way, list down the specification and allow it to be a fair and open process for all,”
comments
fcuk you lah pinky lips..!! What is it that you wont lie, will lie and had lied..?? We are not at all impress with your lying anymore..!!
07 December 2010
BN could lose more seats in snap polls, says report
A report by The Economist has predicted that Barisan Nasional (BN) could lose more seats in the next general election — widely expected speculated by the first quarter of next year — due to declining support among the young, moderate Malay electorate.
The Economist Intelligence Unit country report highlighted the Malay youths’ growing disillusionment with Umno’s “strong promotion” of Islamic values and the mounting number of political scandals.
“The most likely outcome of the next general election is that the BN will suffer a further loss of seats as younger, moderate Malay voters, disillusioned by political scandals and Umno’s strong promotion of Islamic values, decline to give their support to the ruling coalition,” said the magazine’s Intelligence Report on Malaysia for December.
Yesterday, former Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Khir Toyo was charged with land fraud involving his Balinese-style mansion in Shah Alam.
The Sungai Besar Umno division leader was accused of knowingly purchasing two land lots and a bungalow for RM3.5 million in Section 7, Shah Alam, from Ditamas Sdn Bhd in 2007 despite the company buying the property for RM6.5 million on December 23, 2004.
Recently, BN leaders have conceded that they would likely fail again to regain its two-thirds parliamentary majority in the 13th general election, but were confident of wresting a few states back from Pakatan Rakyat (PR).
Last month, former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had also said that BN was capable of taking one or two states from PR because, he said, the opposition was in disarray. However, he added that BN would likely fail to regain its two-thirds majority in Parliament.
The Economist Intelligence Unit report also pointed out that liberal middle-class Malays have swung from the biggest Malay party to the federal opposition.
“Although voters in the rural heartland of peninsular Malaysia continue to support Umno, a significant number of better-educated, liberal middle-class Malays have deserted the ruling party in favour of the opposition,” the report said.
The Economist Intelligence Unit report noted, however, that PR would likely fail to capture Putrajaya despite making further gains.
“The PR will make gains, notwithstanding internal difficulties in the aftermath of Anwar’s likely removal from the political scene, but the opposition alliance is unlikely to garner enough parliamentary seats to be able to form a government,” said the report.
The report predicted that Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim would be convicted on his second sodomy charge that could subsequently tear apart the opposition coalition.
“The leader of the PR, Anwar Ibrahim, a former deputy prime minister, is likely to be convicted on a charge of sodomy in the coming months. Without him, the ties that hold together the disparate parties making up PR — the reformist, multicultural PKR, the conservative, Islamist PAS and the predominantly ethnic-Chinese, left of-centre DAP — are likely to fray,” said the report.
Anwar is currently standing trial for his second sodomy trial.
The PR leader has denied the sodomy charge and described it as “evil, frivolous lies by those in power”.
The former deputy minister was charged with sodomy and corruption in 1998 after he was sacked from the Cabinet and was later convicted and jailed for both offences.
In Election 2008, Anwar led the loose opposition pact of PKR, DAP and PAS to a historic sweep of four more states and 82 federal states, denying BN its customary two-thirds majority in Parliament.
Despite intense speculation that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak will call for snap polls by March 2011, the Economist Intelligence Unit report maintained he would likely fix the date for the next general election only after the Sarawak state elections that must be held by July 2011.
“We still believe that Najib will set a general election date after the Sarawak state election. The results of the Sarawak election will provide a good indication of the level of public support for the government and its reform plans,” said the report.
“The results of the two by-elections in November point to a slight shift in non-Malay sentiment in favour of the BN, suggesting that the government’s plans to reform policies that currently favour the Bumiputera has increased its appeal among ethnic minorities,” it added, referring to BN’s victory in the Galas and Batu Sapi by-elections.
Last Friday, Najib unveiled his highly-anticipated New Economic Model 2 report, but analysts believe that it would fail to impress today’s more discerning electorate who are determined to see the PM’s commitment to promoting inclusivity, reform affirmative action to be more efficient and market-friendly and to steer clear away from the culture of patronage and rent-seeking that has been plaguing the economy for decades.
In his promises, Najib has pledged to reform an economy whose investment rates have not recovered from the 1998 Asian financial crisis and where foreign direct investment has fallen off a cliff from the heady days of the early 1990s.
Missing from the report, however, were concrete measures to reform the New Economic Policy (NEP), which affords the country’s majority ethnic Malays preferential quotas including for businesses, although it did pledge to target aid at the poorest 40 per cent of Malaysians regardless of race.
Investors have also complained that abuse of the four-decade-old NEP policy had spawned a patronage-ridden economy and eroded Malaysia’s competitiveness compared to faster reforming neighbours including Indonesia.
comments
Let the rakyat drive the last nail into BN-UMNO's coffin.
Enough is enough. We want our country back. Malaysia does not belong to BN-UMNO. We want credible leaders to take Malaysia into a better future.
We do not have good opposition leaders with strategic minds.
Most are old dinasaurs using dinosaurous methods which do not always work. That's why it took 53 years of frustrations. Tough guys like YB Lim Kit Siang was easily played up to the anti Malay for example and he did not even try to overcome that while everyday shout Malaysian Malaysia.
It took the stupidity of BN arrogance especially those massive jams to unseat BN not because of anything PR did.
PR gained because of people's disillusionment, not because of their shouts and yelling around in Parliament.
Even a monkeys will get elected if guys do not understand the frustrations of the rakyat seeing so many damaging policies that make Malaysia in such a poor state.
Well we do not have choice. We still have to elect even monkeys so that there is a two party system. The future for Malaysia is a two party system. Choose the one that works for the people and not themselves.
The Economist Intelligence Unit country report highlighted the Malay youths’ growing disillusionment with Umno’s “strong promotion” of Islamic values and the mounting number of political scandals.
“The most likely outcome of the next general election is that the BN will suffer a further loss of seats as younger, moderate Malay voters, disillusioned by political scandals and Umno’s strong promotion of Islamic values, decline to give their support to the ruling coalition,” said the magazine’s Intelligence Report on Malaysia for December.
Yesterday, former Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Khir Toyo was charged with land fraud involving his Balinese-style mansion in Shah Alam.
The Sungai Besar Umno division leader was accused of knowingly purchasing two land lots and a bungalow for RM3.5 million in Section 7, Shah Alam, from Ditamas Sdn Bhd in 2007 despite the company buying the property for RM6.5 million on December 23, 2004.
Recently, BN leaders have conceded that they would likely fail again to regain its two-thirds parliamentary majority in the 13th general election, but were confident of wresting a few states back from Pakatan Rakyat (PR).
Last month, former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had also said that BN was capable of taking one or two states from PR because, he said, the opposition was in disarray. However, he added that BN would likely fail to regain its two-thirds majority in Parliament.
The Economist Intelligence Unit report also pointed out that liberal middle-class Malays have swung from the biggest Malay party to the federal opposition.
“Although voters in the rural heartland of peninsular Malaysia continue to support Umno, a significant number of better-educated, liberal middle-class Malays have deserted the ruling party in favour of the opposition,” the report said.
The Economist Intelligence Unit report noted, however, that PR would likely fail to capture Putrajaya despite making further gains.
“The PR will make gains, notwithstanding internal difficulties in the aftermath of Anwar’s likely removal from the political scene, but the opposition alliance is unlikely to garner enough parliamentary seats to be able to form a government,” said the report.
The report predicted that Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim would be convicted on his second sodomy charge that could subsequently tear apart the opposition coalition.
“The leader of the PR, Anwar Ibrahim, a former deputy prime minister, is likely to be convicted on a charge of sodomy in the coming months. Without him, the ties that hold together the disparate parties making up PR — the reformist, multicultural PKR, the conservative, Islamist PAS and the predominantly ethnic-Chinese, left of-centre DAP — are likely to fray,” said the report.
Anwar is currently standing trial for his second sodomy trial.
The PR leader has denied the sodomy charge and described it as “evil, frivolous lies by those in power”.
The former deputy minister was charged with sodomy and corruption in 1998 after he was sacked from the Cabinet and was later convicted and jailed for both offences.
In Election 2008, Anwar led the loose opposition pact of PKR, DAP and PAS to a historic sweep of four more states and 82 federal states, denying BN its customary two-thirds majority in Parliament.
Despite intense speculation that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak will call for snap polls by March 2011, the Economist Intelligence Unit report maintained he would likely fix the date for the next general election only after the Sarawak state elections that must be held by July 2011.
“We still believe that Najib will set a general election date after the Sarawak state election. The results of the Sarawak election will provide a good indication of the level of public support for the government and its reform plans,” said the report.
“The results of the two by-elections in November point to a slight shift in non-Malay sentiment in favour of the BN, suggesting that the government’s plans to reform policies that currently favour the Bumiputera has increased its appeal among ethnic minorities,” it added, referring to BN’s victory in the Galas and Batu Sapi by-elections.
Last Friday, Najib unveiled his highly-anticipated New Economic Model 2 report, but analysts believe that it would fail to impress today’s more discerning electorate who are determined to see the PM’s commitment to promoting inclusivity, reform affirmative action to be more efficient and market-friendly and to steer clear away from the culture of patronage and rent-seeking that has been plaguing the economy for decades.
In his promises, Najib has pledged to reform an economy whose investment rates have not recovered from the 1998 Asian financial crisis and where foreign direct investment has fallen off a cliff from the heady days of the early 1990s.
Missing from the report, however, were concrete measures to reform the New Economic Policy (NEP), which affords the country’s majority ethnic Malays preferential quotas including for businesses, although it did pledge to target aid at the poorest 40 per cent of Malaysians regardless of race.
Investors have also complained that abuse of the four-decade-old NEP policy had spawned a patronage-ridden economy and eroded Malaysia’s competitiveness compared to faster reforming neighbours including Indonesia.
comments
Let the rakyat drive the last nail into BN-UMNO's coffin.
Enough is enough. We want our country back. Malaysia does not belong to BN-UMNO. We want credible leaders to take Malaysia into a better future.
We do not have good opposition leaders with strategic minds.
Most are old dinasaurs using dinosaurous methods which do not always work. That's why it took 53 years of frustrations. Tough guys like YB Lim Kit Siang was easily played up to the anti Malay for example and he did not even try to overcome that while everyday shout Malaysian Malaysia.
It took the stupidity of BN arrogance especially those massive jams to unseat BN not because of anything PR did.
PR gained because of people's disillusionment, not because of their shouts and yelling around in Parliament.
Even a monkeys will get elected if guys do not understand the frustrations of the rakyat seeing so many damaging policies that make Malaysia in such a poor state.
Well we do not have choice. We still have to elect even monkeys so that there is a two party system. The future for Malaysia is a two party system. Choose the one that works for the people and not themselves.
Khir Toyo to submit quit letter tomorrow
Former Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo who relinquished his post as state Opposition Leader with immediate effect yesterday, is expected to submit his quit letter tomorrow.
Khir Toyo said he would leave it to the state Umno Liaison to pick the most suitable candidate to fill the post, including his deputy Datuk Mohd Satim Diman.
“I will submit my letter to the Selangor Umno Liaison tomorrow,” he told Bernama here today.
Yesterday, the former Menteri Besar had through his blog www.drkhir.com announced his decision to step down as the opposition leader with immediate effect.
He was charged in the Sessions Court here Monday with graft over two plots of land in Section 7 here and pleaded not guilty.
Khir Toyo (picture) has been charged with accepting two plots of land for RM3.5mil when the said lots were bought by Ditamas Sdn Bhd managing director Datuk Shamsuddin Haryoni for RM6.5mil.
Apart from Khir Toyo, 45, Ditamas Sdn Bhd managing director Shamsuddin, 52, is also charged with abetting in the deal of the property on May 29, 2007.
According to the charge sheet, Khir Toyo is alleged to have obtained for himself and his wife Datin Seri Zahrah Kechik the two plots of land and a house at No 8 & 10, Jalan Suasa 7/1 L, Shah Alam, from Ditamas through Ditamas director Shamsuddin at the price of RM3.5mil when in fact the lots were bought by Ditamas on Dec 23, 2004 at the price of RM6.5mil.
The charge under Section 165 of the Penal Code carries a two-year jail term, fine or both.
Khir Toyo who is Sungai Panjang assemblyman said his decision to quit was for the good of the party and to avoid any speculatio
comments
Why summit the letter to UMNO? Shouldn't it be to the State Legislative Assembly? Unless I'm mistaken, the post of Opposition Leader is legally recognized within the Assembly. Another prime example of political meddling.
Perhaps hoping rakyat will forget the whole episode by playing with time. And who knows, this bum was given all the time in the world to tamper his case. This is how Bolehland acts on their cronies. If this bum is from the opposition, he will be dead standing, literally.
I bet my last cent, with the present bunch of "learned judiciary", this arrogant, corrupted and racialistic "pendatang" will be found innocent eventually. As usual, not enough evidence, he did not break any Bolehland laws etc etc..
Home Ministry denies discrepancy in Anwar’s ‘black-eye’ case
The Home Ministry today brushed aside claims of discrepancies in the investigation of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s infamous 1998 “black-eye incident”, despite the Cabinet’s directive last month to query Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail on his alleged involvement in the case.
In a letter to DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang dated December 2, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein told the Ipoh Timor MP that the police would not reopen investigations into the case, despite claims by the former investigating officer in the incident of new information that implicated Abdul Gani and former Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan.
Hishammuddin added that the Royal Malaysian Police had completed its checks on the 12-year-old investigation and had found no reason to suggest that false evidence had been given.
“There were no explanations given to show that false testimony had been made during the investigation.
“The prosecution of (former Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri) Rahim Noor for inflicting injury on Anwar Ibrahim was based on proof that was uncovered during the investigation.
“He was charged in court under Section 323 of the Penal Code and he had pleaded guilty to the charge,” Hishammuddin wrote in his letter.
The minister was writing in response to Lim’s questions during debates for his ministry’s 2011 budget, which he had failed to address during his winding up in the House recently.
Lim had raised the issue of former KL CID chief Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim, the investigating officer in Anwar’s assault case, who had revealed in an open letter to the new IGP Tan Sri Ismail Omar on October 8 that he had new information on the “black-eye incident” which implicated Abdul Gani, the current Attorney-General.
Following Mat Zain’s revelations, the Najib administration had instructed two Cabinet ministers — Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz and Datuk Seri Utama Rais Yatim — to question Abdul Gani on the matter.
Speaking to The Malaysian Insider two weeks ago, Nazri confirmed this, adding that the Cabinet wanted to hear Abdul Gani’s explanation before taking any action.
But in his letter to Lim last week, Hishammuddin insisted that there was no need to reopen investigations on the case.
He claimed that despite Mat Zain’s allegations, his letter had not contained any elements of incitement, defamation, criminal intimidation and was not vulgar as to trigger any police investigation.
Hishammuddin also said that the country’s criminal justice system had not gone “topsy-turvy” as a result of the “black-eye incident”, as claimed by the veteran politician.
“The principle of separation of powers allows the police to carry out its duty to investigate crime while the A-G’s Chambers is responsible to prosecute criminals and the court’s function is to provide a space to hear and discuss these trials,” he said.
Hishammuddin claimed that all three arms of the government played their respective roles to ensure there were no disruptions in the country’s justice system.
The Sembrong MP also pointed out to Lim that, to date, no police reports have been lodged on Mat Zain’s open letter, which has been distributed across the Internet.
In his letter, Mat Zain had claimed that an independent panel that cleared Abdul Gani and Musa of fabricating evidence in the incident was unconstitutional and accused the country’s top lawyer of deceiving the Cabinet over the independent panel.
He said there was no need for any royal commission of inquiry on the matter as the police were capable of resolving the case themselves.
Mat Zain also revealed that there had been an agreement between former IGP Rahim, former Deputy IGP Tan Sri Norian Mai as well as Mat Zain on October 8, 1998, at 2.30pm that there would be “complete closure” to the black-eye case.
“It is important that I note that Rahim Noor was ready to take full responsibility in the black-eye incident, and his decision was made of his own accord,” said Mat Zain. “The closure of the case had been agreed to be done professionally, above board.”
Mat Zain said that Rahim was prepared to step down after the closure of the black-eye incident.
“But I found out that about 5pm to 5.30pm on the same day, Allahyarham (the late) Tan Sri Mohtar Abdullah, along with the then Datuk Abdul Gani Patail (now Tan Sri), had met with Rahim Noor at his office. At 6pm, I was then told by Tan Sri Norian to ‘continue investigations like normal’.
“I then understood that the agreement that we had reached mere hours ago had been cancelled. I was shocked and upset, but who was I to say anything at the time,” said Mat Zain.
The former policeman also accused Abdul Gani of falsifying testimonies relating to the black-eye incident.
He said the longer the case remained unresolved, the longer innocent officers would be accused of being involved in a cover-up of the case.
In July 2008, Anwar filed a police report accusing Abdul Gani, Mat Zain, Musa (then a senior investigation officer in 1998) and Dr Abdul Rahman Yusof of falsifying a medical report on his black-eye case.
Rahim, the IGP in 1998, had admitted he assaulted Anwar following a royal commission of inquiry probe in 1999.
He has since been convicted of the crime and sentenced to two-months imprisonment with a fine of RM2,000. Rahim has completed his sentence.
comments
Well did anyone expect anything else? A reputable, former police officer had alleged that gani had lied during the enquiry and home minister dismisses it offhand. the cabinet pretended that it was going to investigate and now Hish says no. Shouldn't it be for the law minister to decide whether to investigate the AG?
Hishammuddin is a coward. He is trying to cover Gani. What is so difficult to investigate what the former investigator revealed? With all the magic show that happened during the trial, I'll be totally surpeise if there is no shenanigans going on. Look at the stain mattress and look at the people that were involved and were promoted. There is quid pro quo going on there.
BN runs the government like a kerajaan of yore, not a pemerintahan demokrasi ... what it says goes. If it says black is white, then black is white. Ministers do not hold themselves accountable to the people. Instead, they hold the people accountable to them, even though many lies made by them have been exposed.
Shahidan wants Facebook banned, cites national security
Allegedly offensive content on a Facebook page has moved Shahidan to call for the service to be barred. — Reuters pic
Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Dr Shahidan Kassim today called for the blocking of the Facebook social networking website if its contents continue to pose a threat to national security.
He said a Facebook account holder was found to have taken advantage of the technology to insult Islam and leaders of Malaysia.
“If the website content poses a threat to national security and insults Islam, then it is unnecessary to have Facebook,” he told reporters after accompanying Perlis Facebook Association committee members to lodge a report at the Kangar police station on the insults hurled at Prime Minister Seri Najib Razak and former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad on a Facebook page.
The report was lodged by the association’s deputy president, Mohd Faizuddin Ismail, at about 5.30 pm.
Shahidan said a report would also be lodged at the State Islamic Religious Department as the holder of the Facebook account had also insulted Islam, and added that the insults hurled at Najib and Mahathir were discovered by a member of the association on November 29.
Shahidan, who is Tambun Tulang assemblyman, said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), the Malaysian Islamic Development Department and the National Fatwa Council should act against the holder of the Facebook account.
comments
Maybe we should ban politicians who speak without using his brain, who totally ignore the rights of the people's freedom.
Banning Facebook ? You should start with Perkasa . THAT is the threat against national security. Until then, what you just said is just for political mileage, and without weight whatsoever
A better place for their children, not Malaysia
First-class education system, a corruption-free government, zero tolerance on racism and the basic skill to communicate properly are all on one Malaysian’s mind when he chooses to work in Australia.
Anthony Leong, 30, an application support programmer, said he is considering giving up his Malaysian citizenship and live in Australia permanently, for the sake of his future family.
He said he had become frustrated at the corrupted system, the quality of local university graduates and the red tape he had to go through to apply for welfare support for his 70-year-old disabled aunt, among other things.
He is now a permanent resident in Australia, working for the Queensland Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, and is considering applying to be an Australian citizen once he has convinced his father and sister to move with him.
Low purchasing power, racism, political instability, low income, race-based policies, crime rates and non-dual citizenship laws are seen as some of the reasons that have kept a lot of Malaysian talents anywhere but here, 300,000 annually to be exact.
Another Malaysian who had also chosen to be Down Under felt unappreciated in Malaysia.
“I am a Malaysian who loves my country but I do not feel loved. Why then should I stay?” Wesley Wong, 25, a software developer in Australia, told The Malaysian Insider.
His deep sense of frustration was echoed by many who are working abroad.
“The country should learn that all Malaysians love their country. Any Malaysian who does not feel appreciated in their own country will definitely find elsewhere to go because they realise that their future is bleak,” he said in an e-mail interview.
Leigh Howard, South Asia director for Talent2 International Limited, told The Malaysian Insider that approximately 300,000 Malaysians leave the country for better education, work and business prospects, quoting figures released by the government.
“That would compare with a figure of 80,000 for a country such as Australia which has a similar size population and workforce,” he said.
He added that Malaysia is lacking talents in the services sector, technology, banking, as well as in oil and gas.
Brian Fernandez, 40, a headhunter for senior and middle management positions for the last decade at Talent Search International, said those talents are lost to Singapore, all over Europe and the Middle East.
“Setting up Talent Corp is a nice blah blah but it’s not real,” he said, dismissing the initiative launched yesterday.
The prime minister announced at its launch yesterday that foreigners and Malaysians living abroad can soon apply for a new resident pass that will allow them to live and work in Malaysia for up to 10 years at a time.
Although he had earlier said that Talent Corporation, which was established under the Prime Minister’s Department, will spearhead initiatives to attract the estimated 700,000 skilled Malaysians currently working abroad, the prime minister did not mention the ambitious figure at the launch.
Instead, Najib announced a new policy to retain and attract talent to Malaysia.
He said the resident pass will be made available to highly-skilled expatriates seeking to continue working and living in Malaysia as well as Malaysians residing overseas.
Unlike an employment pass, he said the resident pass has the advantage of not being tied to an employer and it can be issued for a longer period.
Najib, also the finance minister, said the pass will also be available to those originally from Malaysia as well as their offspring who no longer hold Malaysian citizenship.
Following the announcements, however, he did not specify how the new body will reach out to those “highly-skilled talents”.
Fernandez was sceptical about how the new initiative will pan out, even before the launch yesterday.
“Malaysia is very good with plans, but when it comes to execution, it’s a different story,” he said.
The Malaysian Insider had reported that Singapore had trumped Malaysia in the brain gain stakes, according to a recent Gallup poll which saw the island-state beat some 150 countries to come out as the most favoured destination in the world for educated migrants.
Fernandez cited his family as “a classic case” as one of his sisters is working for the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland and another in Singapore.
Fernandez, who has a university degree and a small child, had also left for Singapore in his late 30s, said that he was “one of thousands who had left Malaysia in the last two years.”
He said Malaysia had lost a lot of talents in technology because the skill is very transferable and that “Singapore is a good example of a vacuum cleaner, sucking talents out of Malaysia.”
He added that Malaysians in the banking and financial industry, especially accountants, are being offered better salaries and benefits abroad, whom he said, usually stay on in the country and do not return.
Fernandez used the biotech industry in Malaysia as an example of the many sectors which need to improve, to gain talents.
“Singapore went through that as well. They had a 10-year plan, bought global talents from the UK, the US, there were a lot of PhD students. They grew the talent pool and now they have more than 1,000 PhD holders,” he said.
He credited the government for its efforts and said that at least Malaysia is headed in the right direction as he noticed that talents are being paid better in recent years and that senior management salaries had gone up in government agencies as well as government-linked companies.
SOLUTIONS FOR THE PHENOMENON
Howard said that even though there is an incentive package for repatriating Malaysians which includes tax exemption for importing a car and leeway for their children to enter international schools, “however more could be done.”
Under the Human Resources Ministry’s “Return of Experts Programme”, an approved returnee is entitled to bring back two cars tax-free, as well as the applicant’s accumulated income, also tax-free.
However, this is hardly an incentive as in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries which do not have approved permits (AP) or prohibitive taxes on imported cars.
Howard said the solution to this brain drain phenomenon is twofold.
“In a broader sense, the same types of economic and social conditions which attract quality immigration will assist with repatriation, (for example) there needs to be material improvements in education, career and working life.
“At the same time, there are some very specific initiatives that would target and attract Malaysians to return home. All of them involve a considerably more detailed and proactive approach,” he said.
He suggested the government follow the footsteps of large multinational companies in the private sector that invest heavily in their employee value proposition (EVP) and review specifically at this target group.
He also said the level of outreach needs to be highly proactive as policies and standard incentive programmes can only go so far.
“(The government) needs to adopt a less passive and highly rigorous approach to identification, communication, and interaction with this pool of people. It’s not impossible to map out and identify Malaysians living overseas, it just involves work. Following up from this, the type of engagement programme needs to be sophisticated enough to have a long-term impact on repatriation numbers. Whether it’s accelerated resettlement, incentive programmes or fundamental changes to the Malaysian economy ... will also play a role,” he said.
“It may not come as a surprise that the private sector is already undertaking its own efforts to identify and repatriate Malaysians into mission critical roles within their organisations,” he said.
Fernandez said some of the ways to stop Malaysian talents from leaving are to have better physical security, better policing and opportunities, adding that “it’s not always about the money”.
“A trickle will be a flood. If there are opportunities, people will come back,” he said optimistically.
Currently, he said there is a net outflow rather than inflow of talents and warned that it will get worse next year.
However, Fernandez said that losing Malaysians might not be the end of the prime minister’s vision for the country to be a high-income and a developed nation by 2020.
“If we are losing Malaysians and can’t get them back, then hire foreigners. It’s not easy for a foreigner to get work permit here and that’s a mistake. It should be more difficult for unskilled workers,” he said.
In the National Economic Advisory Council (NEAC) report on the New Economic Model (NEM), it says that the numbers of expatriates have fallen from nearly 90,000 in 2000 to nearly half of that by 2008.
The net result is a “shortage of dynamic talent to push Malaysia into higher added value activities”.
“We are competing globally, so we need to look globally. It’s not a zero-sum game, it is not that if you bring in a foreigner, it’s at the expense of a local,” he said, adding that bringing in international talents can spur more job opportunities.
MALAYSIA IS NOT ALONE
Howard was quick to add that Malaysia is not alone in the brain drain phenomenon, and that every country experiences immigration and emigration flows, which constantly affects the calibre of the workforce.
“What you need to do is examine is the brain exchange, (for example) that you ensure the skills entering the country are at least the same or ideally superior than those exiting. Malaysia’s challenge is that our emigrants are more skilled than our immigrants (and our general population),” he said.
Howard stressed that the government should improve on the selection, settlement and integration of skilled immigrants to help boost the quality of the workforce in Malaysia. He said that not only do skilled immigrants provide a higher calibre workforce through their own efforts, but they also indirectly improve the skills and knowledge of those around them.
The report by the NEAC on the NEM laments that “we are not developing talent and what we do have are leaving”.
December 2008 file photo of tourists resting in the shade in front of a reflection of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia. Malaysians are not only visiting Australia as tourists, but more and more are making the country their home for various reasons. — Reuters pic
The report says that currently, some 350,000 Malaysians are working abroad, with over half of them having tertiary education.
This leaves more than 80 per cent of the workforce with SPM-level qualification, and their wages are being continually suppressed by the vast availability of foreign workers and other barriers like subsidies and price controls.
According to the World Bank, Malaysians residing overseas numbered only 9,576 in 1960 while the world’s total registered migration was 382,912 per nation. By 2005, the world’s registered migration increased to an average of 919,302 per nation, an increase of 2.4 times. However, Malaysia’s emigration numbers rose to 1,489,168, an almost 100-fold increase over the 45-year period.
Many first world countries have schemes to attract talents from all over the world. The closest example is Singapore, which has employer-sponsored (Scheme 1) working visas, which are issued within three working days on receipt of application. And under its Scheme 4, top-notch professionals are “purposely” sought from all over the world and attracted to reside in Singapore.
Jonathan Monteiro, 28, a headhunter, described this phenomenon as a chicken or egg situation, where because of the lack of talents in Malaysia in certain industries, investors hesitate to invest, hence the limited pool of Malaysian talents will opt to leave the country for better opportunities, mostly to where the said companies invested in.
Monteiro said most Malaysians are tempted to work abroad because salaries offered are more attractive.
For example, he said, certain jobs in Qatar pay Malaysians about 85 per cent more than what they do here. Monteiro said he is considering moving to Qatar next year to be in the human resources industry.
“When you come back, you’ll definitely need to take a salary cut,” he said, adding that no one he knows was working in a company in Malaysia that could match their salaries abroad.
He said, however, that some of them will eventually return to Malaysia, “simply because it is home.”
RETAIN AND RECRUIT TALENTS
Lyvian Loh, 27, a market analyst in the US, said among other things, health insurance is very affordable, there is freedom of speech and it has a less stressful lifestyle.
She said there is also “lesser expectations of entertaining your superiors to get a better positions or to get promoted”, the pay is relevant to your degree or ability, and that the purchasing power is higher there than in Malaysia.
“It is definitely a problem for the country but is a benefit for the particular individual. If a country doesn’t appreciate the talents and qualifications in their own country, the individual may as well go to a better place where people appreciate them while giving them a better life,” she said of the brain drain phenomenon.
Jesse Lee, 30, a senior accountant in the US, said following completion of her degree at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, she had only wanted to stay on for a few years to learn the culture and the working lifestyle there, but had since changed her mind.
“Gradually, I fell in love with the people, environment and the surroundings here. Not only there’s the higher salary, you get the freedom you don’t have back home. You know, here’s just like what Alicia Keys described in her song — if you can make it here, you can make it everywhere, concrete jungle is where the dreams are made of, there’s nothing you can’t do.
“It gives you hope. You know as long as you work hard, you will achieve what you dreamed of. But there’s a huge trade off for working abroad. You don’t get to see your families and friends often,” she said.
Asked what the solutions might be, she said the government should “walk the talk.”
“1 Malaysia isn’t just a slogan. The government should really put in effort to unite the people and create a ‘home’ for us. Fix the corruption and reduce crimes,” she said.
Wong had similar initial plans as Lee and had also changed his course.
“I had wanted to return to Malaysia to help my family business when I was studying for my bachelor’s but some time in 2007/2008 but I changed my mind and decided to stay in Australia. This was because I saw no future in Malaysia with the current system in place. My parents had advised me to stay in Australia as well,” he said.
Wong called for open tenders for projects, lower crime rates and that the government should do away with race-based policies and emphasise on meritocracy instead.
“The brain drain phenomenon has been a problem since many years ago. Many Malaysians have realised that you will never get anywhere if you don’t pull the right strings. This has spurred many Malaysians to leave the country in search of greener pastures where they can be appreciated. Malaysia has been stuck in the middle-income trap for many years and will still be for many years to come because the level of education there is appalling.
“Malaysia can’t continue on with its manufacturing sectors because many other countries can do the same thing for a cheaper price but yet Malaysia continues to churn out many sub-par graduates with poor language skills. As it goes, Malaysia won’t move on to the next stage after manufacturing, which is to start designing and inventing products because of the lack of talent in the country,” he said.
Among other things that Malaysians working abroad complain about are the rampant racism which they felt is more tolerated in Malaysia compared to where they are, having to choose only one citizenship and oppressive laws such as the Internal Security Act.
comments
The truth of the matter is everybody knows this, even the people in the government. The more racial ones (which seems include more and more ministers/leaders) will simply call all of them traitors (easier to do that then to explain how talent can only flourish when all citizens are given equal treatment and opportunities). Right now it's pride,hubris and vested interests that are preventing Malaysia from ever becoming a developed nation. The only way to overcome this is radical changes to the way Malaysian view themselves and can only be done with strong leadership.
Najib has unfortunately is not, and if you look at the 'possible' successors in the UMNO waiting rooms you will have a hard time finding anybody with the integrity and power to implement what is needed. We will continue to flounder our way through, riding on the coattails of the success of other regional neighbours.
Anthony Leong, 30, an application support programmer, said he is considering giving up his Malaysian citizenship and live in Australia permanently, for the sake of his future family.
He said he had become frustrated at the corrupted system, the quality of local university graduates and the red tape he had to go through to apply for welfare support for his 70-year-old disabled aunt, among other things.
He is now a permanent resident in Australia, working for the Queensland Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, and is considering applying to be an Australian citizen once he has convinced his father and sister to move with him.
Low purchasing power, racism, political instability, low income, race-based policies, crime rates and non-dual citizenship laws are seen as some of the reasons that have kept a lot of Malaysian talents anywhere but here, 300,000 annually to be exact.
Another Malaysian who had also chosen to be Down Under felt unappreciated in Malaysia.
“I am a Malaysian who loves my country but I do not feel loved. Why then should I stay?” Wesley Wong, 25, a software developer in Australia, told The Malaysian Insider.
His deep sense of frustration was echoed by many who are working abroad.
“The country should learn that all Malaysians love their country. Any Malaysian who does not feel appreciated in their own country will definitely find elsewhere to go because they realise that their future is bleak,” he said in an e-mail interview.
Leigh Howard, South Asia director for Talent2 International Limited, told The Malaysian Insider that approximately 300,000 Malaysians leave the country for better education, work and business prospects, quoting figures released by the government.
“That would compare with a figure of 80,000 for a country such as Australia which has a similar size population and workforce,” he said.
He added that Malaysia is lacking talents in the services sector, technology, banking, as well as in oil and gas.
Brian Fernandez, 40, a headhunter for senior and middle management positions for the last decade at Talent Search International, said those talents are lost to Singapore, all over Europe and the Middle East.
“Setting up Talent Corp is a nice blah blah but it’s not real,” he said, dismissing the initiative launched yesterday.
The prime minister announced at its launch yesterday that foreigners and Malaysians living abroad can soon apply for a new resident pass that will allow them to live and work in Malaysia for up to 10 years at a time.
Although he had earlier said that Talent Corporation, which was established under the Prime Minister’s Department, will spearhead initiatives to attract the estimated 700,000 skilled Malaysians currently working abroad, the prime minister did not mention the ambitious figure at the launch.
Instead, Najib announced a new policy to retain and attract talent to Malaysia.
He said the resident pass will be made available to highly-skilled expatriates seeking to continue working and living in Malaysia as well as Malaysians residing overseas.
Unlike an employment pass, he said the resident pass has the advantage of not being tied to an employer and it can be issued for a longer period.
Najib, also the finance minister, said the pass will also be available to those originally from Malaysia as well as their offspring who no longer hold Malaysian citizenship.
Following the announcements, however, he did not specify how the new body will reach out to those “highly-skilled talents”.
Fernandez was sceptical about how the new initiative will pan out, even before the launch yesterday.
“Malaysia is very good with plans, but when it comes to execution, it’s a different story,” he said.
The Malaysian Insider had reported that Singapore had trumped Malaysia in the brain gain stakes, according to a recent Gallup poll which saw the island-state beat some 150 countries to come out as the most favoured destination in the world for educated migrants.
Fernandez cited his family as “a classic case” as one of his sisters is working for the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland and another in Singapore.
Fernandez, who has a university degree and a small child, had also left for Singapore in his late 30s, said that he was “one of thousands who had left Malaysia in the last two years.”
He said Malaysia had lost a lot of talents in technology because the skill is very transferable and that “Singapore is a good example of a vacuum cleaner, sucking talents out of Malaysia.”
He added that Malaysians in the banking and financial industry, especially accountants, are being offered better salaries and benefits abroad, whom he said, usually stay on in the country and do not return.
Fernandez used the biotech industry in Malaysia as an example of the many sectors which need to improve, to gain talents.
“Singapore went through that as well. They had a 10-year plan, bought global talents from the UK, the US, there were a lot of PhD students. They grew the talent pool and now they have more than 1,000 PhD holders,” he said.
He credited the government for its efforts and said that at least Malaysia is headed in the right direction as he noticed that talents are being paid better in recent years and that senior management salaries had gone up in government agencies as well as government-linked companies.
SOLUTIONS FOR THE PHENOMENON
Howard said that even though there is an incentive package for repatriating Malaysians which includes tax exemption for importing a car and leeway for their children to enter international schools, “however more could be done.”
Under the Human Resources Ministry’s “Return of Experts Programme”, an approved returnee is entitled to bring back two cars tax-free, as well as the applicant’s accumulated income, also tax-free.
However, this is hardly an incentive as in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries which do not have approved permits (AP) or prohibitive taxes on imported cars.
Howard said the solution to this brain drain phenomenon is twofold.
“In a broader sense, the same types of economic and social conditions which attract quality immigration will assist with repatriation, (for example) there needs to be material improvements in education, career and working life.
“At the same time, there are some very specific initiatives that would target and attract Malaysians to return home. All of them involve a considerably more detailed and proactive approach,” he said.
He suggested the government follow the footsteps of large multinational companies in the private sector that invest heavily in their employee value proposition (EVP) and review specifically at this target group.
He also said the level of outreach needs to be highly proactive as policies and standard incentive programmes can only go so far.
“(The government) needs to adopt a less passive and highly rigorous approach to identification, communication, and interaction with this pool of people. It’s not impossible to map out and identify Malaysians living overseas, it just involves work. Following up from this, the type of engagement programme needs to be sophisticated enough to have a long-term impact on repatriation numbers. Whether it’s accelerated resettlement, incentive programmes or fundamental changes to the Malaysian economy ... will also play a role,” he said.
“It may not come as a surprise that the private sector is already undertaking its own efforts to identify and repatriate Malaysians into mission critical roles within their organisations,” he said.
Fernandez said some of the ways to stop Malaysian talents from leaving are to have better physical security, better policing and opportunities, adding that “it’s not always about the money”.
“A trickle will be a flood. If there are opportunities, people will come back,” he said optimistically.
Currently, he said there is a net outflow rather than inflow of talents and warned that it will get worse next year.
However, Fernandez said that losing Malaysians might not be the end of the prime minister’s vision for the country to be a high-income and a developed nation by 2020.
“If we are losing Malaysians and can’t get them back, then hire foreigners. It’s not easy for a foreigner to get work permit here and that’s a mistake. It should be more difficult for unskilled workers,” he said.
In the National Economic Advisory Council (NEAC) report on the New Economic Model (NEM), it says that the numbers of expatriates have fallen from nearly 90,000 in 2000 to nearly half of that by 2008.
The net result is a “shortage of dynamic talent to push Malaysia into higher added value activities”.
“We are competing globally, so we need to look globally. It’s not a zero-sum game, it is not that if you bring in a foreigner, it’s at the expense of a local,” he said, adding that bringing in international talents can spur more job opportunities.
MALAYSIA IS NOT ALONE
Howard was quick to add that Malaysia is not alone in the brain drain phenomenon, and that every country experiences immigration and emigration flows, which constantly affects the calibre of the workforce.
“What you need to do is examine is the brain exchange, (for example) that you ensure the skills entering the country are at least the same or ideally superior than those exiting. Malaysia’s challenge is that our emigrants are more skilled than our immigrants (and our general population),” he said.
Howard stressed that the government should improve on the selection, settlement and integration of skilled immigrants to help boost the quality of the workforce in Malaysia. He said that not only do skilled immigrants provide a higher calibre workforce through their own efforts, but they also indirectly improve the skills and knowledge of those around them.
The report by the NEAC on the NEM laments that “we are not developing talent and what we do have are leaving”.
December 2008 file photo of tourists resting in the shade in front of a reflection of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia. Malaysians are not only visiting Australia as tourists, but more and more are making the country their home for various reasons. — Reuters pic
The report says that currently, some 350,000 Malaysians are working abroad, with over half of them having tertiary education.
This leaves more than 80 per cent of the workforce with SPM-level qualification, and their wages are being continually suppressed by the vast availability of foreign workers and other barriers like subsidies and price controls.
According to the World Bank, Malaysians residing overseas numbered only 9,576 in 1960 while the world’s total registered migration was 382,912 per nation. By 2005, the world’s registered migration increased to an average of 919,302 per nation, an increase of 2.4 times. However, Malaysia’s emigration numbers rose to 1,489,168, an almost 100-fold increase over the 45-year period.
Many first world countries have schemes to attract talents from all over the world. The closest example is Singapore, which has employer-sponsored (Scheme 1) working visas, which are issued within three working days on receipt of application. And under its Scheme 4, top-notch professionals are “purposely” sought from all over the world and attracted to reside in Singapore.
Jonathan Monteiro, 28, a headhunter, described this phenomenon as a chicken or egg situation, where because of the lack of talents in Malaysia in certain industries, investors hesitate to invest, hence the limited pool of Malaysian talents will opt to leave the country for better opportunities, mostly to where the said companies invested in.
Monteiro said most Malaysians are tempted to work abroad because salaries offered are more attractive.
For example, he said, certain jobs in Qatar pay Malaysians about 85 per cent more than what they do here. Monteiro said he is considering moving to Qatar next year to be in the human resources industry.
“When you come back, you’ll definitely need to take a salary cut,” he said, adding that no one he knows was working in a company in Malaysia that could match their salaries abroad.
He said, however, that some of them will eventually return to Malaysia, “simply because it is home.”
RETAIN AND RECRUIT TALENTS
Lyvian Loh, 27, a market analyst in the US, said among other things, health insurance is very affordable, there is freedom of speech and it has a less stressful lifestyle.
She said there is also “lesser expectations of entertaining your superiors to get a better positions or to get promoted”, the pay is relevant to your degree or ability, and that the purchasing power is higher there than in Malaysia.
“It is definitely a problem for the country but is a benefit for the particular individual. If a country doesn’t appreciate the talents and qualifications in their own country, the individual may as well go to a better place where people appreciate them while giving them a better life,” she said of the brain drain phenomenon.
Jesse Lee, 30, a senior accountant in the US, said following completion of her degree at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, she had only wanted to stay on for a few years to learn the culture and the working lifestyle there, but had since changed her mind.
“Gradually, I fell in love with the people, environment and the surroundings here. Not only there’s the higher salary, you get the freedom you don’t have back home. You know, here’s just like what Alicia Keys described in her song — if you can make it here, you can make it everywhere, concrete jungle is where the dreams are made of, there’s nothing you can’t do.
“It gives you hope. You know as long as you work hard, you will achieve what you dreamed of. But there’s a huge trade off for working abroad. You don’t get to see your families and friends often,” she said.
Asked what the solutions might be, she said the government should “walk the talk.”
“1 Malaysia isn’t just a slogan. The government should really put in effort to unite the people and create a ‘home’ for us. Fix the corruption and reduce crimes,” she said.
Wong had similar initial plans as Lee and had also changed his course.
“I had wanted to return to Malaysia to help my family business when I was studying for my bachelor’s but some time in 2007/2008 but I changed my mind and decided to stay in Australia. This was because I saw no future in Malaysia with the current system in place. My parents had advised me to stay in Australia as well,” he said.
Wong called for open tenders for projects, lower crime rates and that the government should do away with race-based policies and emphasise on meritocracy instead.
“The brain drain phenomenon has been a problem since many years ago. Many Malaysians have realised that you will never get anywhere if you don’t pull the right strings. This has spurred many Malaysians to leave the country in search of greener pastures where they can be appreciated. Malaysia has been stuck in the middle-income trap for many years and will still be for many years to come because the level of education there is appalling.
“Malaysia can’t continue on with its manufacturing sectors because many other countries can do the same thing for a cheaper price but yet Malaysia continues to churn out many sub-par graduates with poor language skills. As it goes, Malaysia won’t move on to the next stage after manufacturing, which is to start designing and inventing products because of the lack of talent in the country,” he said.
Among other things that Malaysians working abroad complain about are the rampant racism which they felt is more tolerated in Malaysia compared to where they are, having to choose only one citizenship and oppressive laws such as the Internal Security Act.
comments
The truth of the matter is everybody knows this, even the people in the government. The more racial ones (which seems include more and more ministers/leaders) will simply call all of them traitors (easier to do that then to explain how talent can only flourish when all citizens are given equal treatment and opportunities). Right now it's pride,hubris and vested interests that are preventing Malaysia from ever becoming a developed nation. The only way to overcome this is radical changes to the way Malaysian view themselves and can only be done with strong leadership.
Najib has unfortunately is not, and if you look at the 'possible' successors in the UMNO waiting rooms you will have a hard time finding anybody with the integrity and power to implement what is needed. We will continue to flounder our way through, riding on the coattails of the success of other regional neighbours.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Popular Posts
-
PKR claimed today that Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz gave misleading information in Parliament about closing the case on private investigator P. Bal...
-
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak pledged today to uphold judiciary independence in the country and emphasised its importance to a democ... -
thus presumably the daughter of Najib when married with the devil....ha ha ha The daughter of Datuk Seri Najib Razak was today betrothed to ...
-
A two-minute clip of the video purportedly showing Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim having sex was uploaded to YouTube yesterday and shared on sever...
-
A French lawyer said Friday he is being deported from Malaysia, and the human rights group he represents accused the government of paranoi... -
Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders denied today that the ruling coalition was behind the emergence of a sex video purportedly showing a senior Ma...
-
nazri ....godfather of the porn thugs Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz wants a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) to be set up to determine whether a... -
Election watchdog chief Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan applauded today Khairy Jamaluddin’s vow to carry on with the Umno Youth march to rival the ... -
PKR said today that the emergence of a two-minute snippet of the sex video exposed by “Datuk T” proves that its de facto leader Datuk Seri A...
-
Port Klang assemblyman Badrul Hisham Abdullah has quit PKR, citing a loss of faith in the party leadership and unhappiness over financial al...
