Speaking to Al Jazeera, Robert Fisk, a journalist with the Independent, a UK newspaper, who has interviewed bin Laden, said that people should stop talking about the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), the Pakistan security forces, as if they were a single entity.
He said: "They're [the ISI] not all one unique institution, they are differing in their views, some of them are pro-American, some of them are very anti-American, some of them are clearly sympathetic towards Islamists, extremists, whatever you like to call them.
"I called up one of the men I know last night and put it to him, 'look, you know, this house was very big, come on, you must have had had some idea.'
"What he said to me was 'sometimes it's better to survey people than to attack them.'
"And I think what he meant was that as long as they knew where he [bin Laden] was, it was much better to just watch rather than stage a military operation that may bring about more outrages, terrorism, whatever you like to call it."
Wednesday 4 May 2011
‘Unholy alliances’ to blame for exorbitant property prices, says HBA
KUALA LUMPUR, May 4 — The National House Buyers Association (HBA) has criticised the apparent collusion between some developers, valuers and banks for pushing up property prices to levels which it called “exorbitant” and said that stronger measures are needed to deter speculation.HBA said in a statement that in addition to low interest rates and easy credit which had fuelled speculative activity, greed had taken over the market.
“A ‘unholy alliance’ exists between certain developers, valuers and banks,” said HBA.
“In an environment of hot demand, the banks work in cahoots with developers assisted by those wayward valuers. Our ‘teh tarik syndrome’ is also very relevant. When the price of condensed milk increases by 20 sen, the entire cost ‘teh tarik’ increases by 20 sen. Similarly, when the cost of construction increases by 20 per cent, the equivalent cost of housing increases.”
The association suggested that the government implement stronger measures to deter speculation as the 70 per cent loan-to-value ratio (LVR) mortgage cap introduced would be of limited effect.
“For those in the speculation business, the 20 per cent reduction in LVR will not really deter them,” said HBA.
It gave the example of a RM300,000 house, which would now require a 30 per cent downpayment, but this would be based on the subsequent progressive payments for a property under construction, after which the end-financing loan of 70 per cent kicks in.
“If he (the speculator) can flog the house off at a profit at this stage, he does not need to incur an additional sum to his housing loan,” HBA pointed out.
“Speculators or maybe ‘syndicates’ are also cash rich because of the roll-over system they are using. In other words, whatever profit they earned from the previous house, they put into the new house, thus the 30 per cent up-front is not a major deterrent factor. Those who buy en-bloc may feel the heat but when collaborating with their ‘friendly’ developers/ builders, terms and conditions may be ‘cushion off’.”
The association also called for the sliding scale Real Property Gains Tax (RPGT) rate to be reintroduced.
This would entail a one-time RPGT exemption after which the next two properties should be taxed starting at 30 per cent for properties disposed of within two years and a reduction to zero per cent for properties disposed after five years.
For third and subsequent properties, HBA is proposing that a 30 per cent flat rate RPGT would apply.
The association also proposed that a quota of low-medium and medium-cost houses priced between RM250,000 to RM550,000 be imposed on developers similar to the 30 per cent quota for low-cost houses.
“It has always been the Government’s aspiration for every citizen to have a roof over their head and the Government should continue to push this agenda,” said HBA.
The high prices of property in urban areas prompted the Najib administration to introduce a first-home ownership scheme in March in addition to the loan-to-value ratio cap in a bid to stave off discontent.
The measures pale in comparison, however, to efforts seen elsewhere in the region, such as China and Singapore.
The Chinese government last year introduced curbs on foreigners buying property and raised the minimum downpayment for first-time buyers to 30 per cent from 20 per cent and banks were ordered to suspend mortgages on third homes and above in some cases — in addition to hiking interest rates three times since October.
Singapore, meanwhile, raised stamp duty on new properties to as much as 16 per cent of the sale price to be paid by the seller if the house is offloaded within a year of purchase.
The amount that banks can lend for a second property has also been lowered to 60 per cent of the home’s value.
HEB to take over burial ground
The Hindu cemetery in Batu Kawan has been left to rot for 18 years by the previous owner, says Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy.
GEORGE TOWN: The Hindu Endowment Board (HEB) Penang is set to take over the ownership and management of an abandoned Hindu cemetery in Batu Kawan, Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy said here today.
He told a press conference that the five-acre cemetery, containing over 1,000 deceased burial grounds, had been abandoned by its previous owner, a local temple management committee.
Batu Kawan’s Sri Maha Mariamman Kovil management abandoned the cemetery in exchange for a new two-acre burial ground during a land acquisition by the Penang Development Corporation (PDC) to facilitate the construction of Stadium Batu Kawan.
The new burial ground is two kilometres away from the old cemetery, which is near the stadium.
It’s learnt that a portion of the old cemetery lies beneath the mammoth stadium ground.
Ramasamy said that state secretary Farizan Darus has asked him a month ago on whether the remains in the old cemetery can be exhumed to allow the remaining land to be gazetted for the stadium.
“However, I objected to it and insisted that it was only appropriate for the land to be reinstated as a Hindu burial ground,” said the Batu Kawan MP and Prai assemblyman.
Acting on Ramasamy’s suggestion, the Seberang Perai Selatan district land office is now conducting a land survey to prepare a paper that would be tabled at the State Land Committee to gazette the land under the safekeeping and administration of HEB.
HEB is a statutory body set up by the British colonial rulers in 1900s as a public trust to manage properties belonging to Hindus in Penang.
On Sunday, a few local residents accompanied MIC, Indian Progressive Front and Gerakan members to stage a protest in Batu Kawan, calling on the state government to hand over the old cemetery ground back to the temple management.
New land as compensation
However, Ramasamy, the HEB chairman, said it was unfair and unjust for the temple management to reclaim the land given that it had already accepted a new land as compensation.
Secondly, he said the temple management had abandoned the old ground to rot for 18 years ago.
“The temple management lacked professionalism to operate the burial ground.
“It has no legitimacy or moral authority to talk about managing burial matters,” said Ramasamy.
Moreover, it will cost the temple management millions to acquire the land while it will only cost HEB RM1 land premium to do so.
He said if HEB were to take over the cemetery, the state government would ensure full benefits accrue to the Indians in Batu Kawan constituency.
He said its operation and maintenance would be given to committed, dedicated and sincere constituents.
“As a HEB head and Batu Kawan MP, I have a social responsibility to safeguard the political, social and cultural interests of Penang Indians.
“I will not sit to witness the gradual loss of Indian cultural and social spaces in the state,” said the former academician.
GEORGE TOWN: The Hindu Endowment Board (HEB) Penang is set to take over the ownership and management of an abandoned Hindu cemetery in Batu Kawan, Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy said here today.He told a press conference that the five-acre cemetery, containing over 1,000 deceased burial grounds, had been abandoned by its previous owner, a local temple management committee.
Batu Kawan’s Sri Maha Mariamman Kovil management abandoned the cemetery in exchange for a new two-acre burial ground during a land acquisition by the Penang Development Corporation (PDC) to facilitate the construction of Stadium Batu Kawan.
The new burial ground is two kilometres away from the old cemetery, which is near the stadium.
It’s learnt that a portion of the old cemetery lies beneath the mammoth stadium ground.
Ramasamy said that state secretary Farizan Darus has asked him a month ago on whether the remains in the old cemetery can be exhumed to allow the remaining land to be gazetted for the stadium.
“However, I objected to it and insisted that it was only appropriate for the land to be reinstated as a Hindu burial ground,” said the Batu Kawan MP and Prai assemblyman.
Acting on Ramasamy’s suggestion, the Seberang Perai Selatan district land office is now conducting a land survey to prepare a paper that would be tabled at the State Land Committee to gazette the land under the safekeeping and administration of HEB.
HEB is a statutory body set up by the British colonial rulers in 1900s as a public trust to manage properties belonging to Hindus in Penang.
On Sunday, a few local residents accompanied MIC, Indian Progressive Front and Gerakan members to stage a protest in Batu Kawan, calling on the state government to hand over the old cemetery ground back to the temple management.
New land as compensation
However, Ramasamy, the HEB chairman, said it was unfair and unjust for the temple management to reclaim the land given that it had already accepted a new land as compensation.
Secondly, he said the temple management had abandoned the old ground to rot for 18 years ago.
“The temple management lacked professionalism to operate the burial ground.
“It has no legitimacy or moral authority to talk about managing burial matters,” said Ramasamy.
Moreover, it will cost the temple management millions to acquire the land while it will only cost HEB RM1 land premium to do so.
He said if HEB were to take over the cemetery, the state government would ensure full benefits accrue to the Indians in Batu Kawan constituency.
He said its operation and maintenance would be given to committed, dedicated and sincere constituents.
“As a HEB head and Batu Kawan MP, I have a social responsibility to safeguard the political, social and cultural interests of Penang Indians.
“I will not sit to witness the gradual loss of Indian cultural and social spaces in the state,” said the former academician.
Call for ‘Malay unity’ borders on desperation
Najib is screaming himself hoarse on Malay unity instead of calling for the general election to secure his own mandate.
COMMENT
Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is at his wit’s end that Umno’s clear lack of a political ideology since 1946 has finally caught up with it to haunt its future.
It’s nothing short of amazing that the so-called backbone of the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) has managed to survive all these years without the kind of vision, mission, objectives and goals that drives ideology.
Instead of re-inventing itself along ideological lines which doesn’t preach about Ketuanan Melayu (Malay supremacy), Umno has fallen back on its usual hype with an appeal for Malay political unity.
Umno, in the absence of a political ideology, has always been about jealousy of the Chinese in business. This was whipped up into a racist rant that scared the Malays into circling the wagons and uniting under one political platform. The searing Sino-Malay race riots of May 13, 1969 were the catalyst that goaded the Malays into a unity of sorts.
Even PAS, in the wake of the riots, was moved to jump on the BN bandwagon. Gerakan and the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) were virtually coerced under threats that there would be no resumption of elections and democracy otherwise.
At the same time, Umno dedicated itself with a vengeance to chopping up the non-Malay communities among as many political platforms as possible straddling the divide. The native majorities in Sabah and Sarawak, Dusun and Dayak, were not allowed to make common cause but splintered to make their superior numbers meaningless. This allowed the state governments in Kota Kinabalu and Kuching to be helmed by local Muslim proxies of the ruling elite in Kuala Lumpur.
Gerrymandering of the electoral boundaries maximised the number of Malay seats while keeping non-Malay ones, the rural heartlands in Sabah and Sarawak included, to the bare minimum.
It did not take long for PAS to realise that Umno was bent on destroying it from within so that it would remain the unchallenged platform for Malay politics. The Islamists got out in the nick of time but not before it was damaged to such an extent that it would be decades before it could regain control of Kelantan, its home ground.
Now, after having failed since 2008 – once bitten, twice shy – to woo PAS back into a unity government with Umno, Najib is advising the Islamists to cut its links with Pakatan Rakyat, the opposition alliance, “for the sake of Malay unity”.
Ruling elite
What is this Malay unity that Umno talks about? What’s the purpose of this unity if not to strengthen the ruling elite at the expense of the people? Whom does this unity benefit if not a handful in the ruling elite?
It’s public knowledge what Umno did in the name of Malay unity since May 13. The party did not hesitate to amass absolute power for itself, abuse power, muzzle the organs of state and make them subordinate and subservient to it and remove the checks-and-balances inherent in a democracy, maul the Federal Constitution, raid the Public Treasury at its whims and fancies, and generally avoid any semblance of transparency, good governance and public accountability.
If we are today poised to expect change and reformation in the nation’s politics, it’s not because Umno outdid itself during the Mahathir Mohamad years from 1981 to 2003 to bring us to 2008.
Mahathir, like his predecessors, thought that he could carry out another purge of Umno and get away with it. He had the experience of 1987 when he left out Kelantan Prince Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah after Umno Baru was registered to replace the outlawed Umno.
It transpired in the courts that Mahathir’s 43-vote victory over Razaleigh in the presidential election was from illegal branches. Instead of awarding Razaleigh the party presidency, a compliant Judiciary gave Mahathir a new lease of political life by declaring the entire party unlawful.
Mahathir and Umno Baru survived Razaleigh.
Mahathir thought that he could get away with the same trick twice when he sacked Anwar Ibrahim, his then deputy prime minister, in 1998. No one, Mahathir reckoned, could survive outside Umno as proven by Razaleigh earlier. But Anwar has proven Mahathir wrong in the subsequent rise of his PKR, ostensibly wedded to change and reformation, but like Umno has Ketuanan Melayu as its core philosophy.
Unlike Umno, however, PKR has no qualms about allowing the DAP to eye every urban and Chinese seat in Malaysia, across both sides of the South China Sea. This has undercut the BN ground from underneath Umno and resulted in the destruction of Gerakan in Penang and the MCA being relegated to the sidelines along with the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP), the MIC, and the PPP.
Therein lies Umno’s dilemma which Anwar privately hopes will force his old party to re-negotiate Malay unity with him on his terms. This will never happen as long as Mahathir is still alive and his children are in public office.
Feudal past
In the absence of Umno, PAS and PKR coming together, an unlikely event, the Malays in Peninsular Malaysia are freed from their feudal past and spoilt for choice in exercising their political options.
It’s a fact that the bigger the community, the greater the tendency for it to be politically divided if there is any number of competing options. One has to only look at India where a short-lived experiment by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) – for a Hindu state – ended in disaster after one term and 11 days in office. India is 85% Hindu.
The reverse is equally true but Umno, at the height of Malay unity, ensured that even the tiniest communities in Malaysia like the Bidayuh and Orang Ulu in Sarawak were carved up among three political parties or more.
It may no longer be so. The minorities are striking back as evident in the rise of Hindraf Makkal Sakthi in the wake of the disputed conversion of the late Everest hero Maniam Moorthy, 36, to Islam.
The Orang Asli is on the warpath for land rights.
The Christians in Malaysia are increasingly unhappy with the “restrictions” placed from time-to-time on their faith which is predominant in Sabah and Sarawak and assertive in Peninsular Malaysia.
The Dusun and Dayak are flogging the Borneo Agenda, the unrealised promises of the 1963 Malaysia Agreement in international forums. This will translate into votes that will bring down Umno in Sabah and the Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) in Sarawak.
The Chinese in Sabah and Sarawak have shed their traditional parochialism and see the benefits of uniting under one national political platform like the DAP and Lim Kit Siang. This was proven in the April 16 Sarawak state election when the DAP captured 12 seats and awarded another, Batu Lintang, to PKR.
Third force
Malay unity calls are a case of too little, too late. Mahathir should have thought twice before doing a number on Razaleigh and incarcerating Anwar.
He does his so-called legacy no good by consistently attributing Malay political disunity – whatever it means – to Anwar and PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat. His recommendation so far, for dealing with these two leaders, has been to “knock their heads together”.
If the general election is held tomorrow, both DAP and PAS will prevail stronger than ever in Peninsular Malaysia and pull up PKR by its bootstraps as in 2008. If Hindraf, the Orang Asli and the Christians don’t come around to Pakatan, they will be part of the pro-Pakatan third force along with those in Peninsular Malaysia who reject being in BN and Pakatan.
Over in Sabah and Sarawak, Najib’s so-called “fixed deposit” states, BN will never be able to repeat its performance in 2008. The tsunami of that year in Peninsular Malaysia will make a delayed debut in Malaysian Borneo.
It has been conceded by analysts that six – covering the recent 12 seats won by the DAP – to 10 parliamentary seats in Sarawak will fall to the opposition, both Pakatan and the third force. The BN can also expect to lose a further six – Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Tawau, Beluran, Tenom and Pensiangan – to 10 parliamentary seats in Sabah to the combined opposition.
It’s little wonder, therefore, that Najib is screaming himself hoarse on Malay unity instead of calling for the general election to secure his own mandate.
Clearly, all the hype on the Government Transformation Programme (GTP), Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) and the National Key Results Areas (NKRA) has failed to work their magic on the people as expected.
COMMENT
Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is at his wit’s end that Umno’s clear lack of a political ideology since 1946 has finally caught up with it to haunt its future.It’s nothing short of amazing that the so-called backbone of the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) has managed to survive all these years without the kind of vision, mission, objectives and goals that drives ideology.
Instead of re-inventing itself along ideological lines which doesn’t preach about Ketuanan Melayu (Malay supremacy), Umno has fallen back on its usual hype with an appeal for Malay political unity.
Umno, in the absence of a political ideology, has always been about jealousy of the Chinese in business. This was whipped up into a racist rant that scared the Malays into circling the wagons and uniting under one political platform. The searing Sino-Malay race riots of May 13, 1969 were the catalyst that goaded the Malays into a unity of sorts.
Even PAS, in the wake of the riots, was moved to jump on the BN bandwagon. Gerakan and the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) were virtually coerced under threats that there would be no resumption of elections and democracy otherwise.
At the same time, Umno dedicated itself with a vengeance to chopping up the non-Malay communities among as many political platforms as possible straddling the divide. The native majorities in Sabah and Sarawak, Dusun and Dayak, were not allowed to make common cause but splintered to make their superior numbers meaningless. This allowed the state governments in Kota Kinabalu and Kuching to be helmed by local Muslim proxies of the ruling elite in Kuala Lumpur.
Gerrymandering of the electoral boundaries maximised the number of Malay seats while keeping non-Malay ones, the rural heartlands in Sabah and Sarawak included, to the bare minimum.
It did not take long for PAS to realise that Umno was bent on destroying it from within so that it would remain the unchallenged platform for Malay politics. The Islamists got out in the nick of time but not before it was damaged to such an extent that it would be decades before it could regain control of Kelantan, its home ground.
Now, after having failed since 2008 – once bitten, twice shy – to woo PAS back into a unity government with Umno, Najib is advising the Islamists to cut its links with Pakatan Rakyat, the opposition alliance, “for the sake of Malay unity”.
Ruling elite
What is this Malay unity that Umno talks about? What’s the purpose of this unity if not to strengthen the ruling elite at the expense of the people? Whom does this unity benefit if not a handful in the ruling elite?
It’s public knowledge what Umno did in the name of Malay unity since May 13. The party did not hesitate to amass absolute power for itself, abuse power, muzzle the organs of state and make them subordinate and subservient to it and remove the checks-and-balances inherent in a democracy, maul the Federal Constitution, raid the Public Treasury at its whims and fancies, and generally avoid any semblance of transparency, good governance and public accountability.
If we are today poised to expect change and reformation in the nation’s politics, it’s not because Umno outdid itself during the Mahathir Mohamad years from 1981 to 2003 to bring us to 2008.
Mahathir, like his predecessors, thought that he could carry out another purge of Umno and get away with it. He had the experience of 1987 when he left out Kelantan Prince Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah after Umno Baru was registered to replace the outlawed Umno.
It transpired in the courts that Mahathir’s 43-vote victory over Razaleigh in the presidential election was from illegal branches. Instead of awarding Razaleigh the party presidency, a compliant Judiciary gave Mahathir a new lease of political life by declaring the entire party unlawful.
Mahathir and Umno Baru survived Razaleigh.
Mahathir thought that he could get away with the same trick twice when he sacked Anwar Ibrahim, his then deputy prime minister, in 1998. No one, Mahathir reckoned, could survive outside Umno as proven by Razaleigh earlier. But Anwar has proven Mahathir wrong in the subsequent rise of his PKR, ostensibly wedded to change and reformation, but like Umno has Ketuanan Melayu as its core philosophy.
Unlike Umno, however, PKR has no qualms about allowing the DAP to eye every urban and Chinese seat in Malaysia, across both sides of the South China Sea. This has undercut the BN ground from underneath Umno and resulted in the destruction of Gerakan in Penang and the MCA being relegated to the sidelines along with the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP), the MIC, and the PPP.
Therein lies Umno’s dilemma which Anwar privately hopes will force his old party to re-negotiate Malay unity with him on his terms. This will never happen as long as Mahathir is still alive and his children are in public office.
Feudal past
In the absence of Umno, PAS and PKR coming together, an unlikely event, the Malays in Peninsular Malaysia are freed from their feudal past and spoilt for choice in exercising their political options.
It’s a fact that the bigger the community, the greater the tendency for it to be politically divided if there is any number of competing options. One has to only look at India where a short-lived experiment by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) – for a Hindu state – ended in disaster after one term and 11 days in office. India is 85% Hindu.
The reverse is equally true but Umno, at the height of Malay unity, ensured that even the tiniest communities in Malaysia like the Bidayuh and Orang Ulu in Sarawak were carved up among three political parties or more.
It may no longer be so. The minorities are striking back as evident in the rise of Hindraf Makkal Sakthi in the wake of the disputed conversion of the late Everest hero Maniam Moorthy, 36, to Islam.
The Orang Asli is on the warpath for land rights.
The Christians in Malaysia are increasingly unhappy with the “restrictions” placed from time-to-time on their faith which is predominant in Sabah and Sarawak and assertive in Peninsular Malaysia.
The Dusun and Dayak are flogging the Borneo Agenda, the unrealised promises of the 1963 Malaysia Agreement in international forums. This will translate into votes that will bring down Umno in Sabah and the Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) in Sarawak.
The Chinese in Sabah and Sarawak have shed their traditional parochialism and see the benefits of uniting under one national political platform like the DAP and Lim Kit Siang. This was proven in the April 16 Sarawak state election when the DAP captured 12 seats and awarded another, Batu Lintang, to PKR.
Third force
Malay unity calls are a case of too little, too late. Mahathir should have thought twice before doing a number on Razaleigh and incarcerating Anwar.
He does his so-called legacy no good by consistently attributing Malay political disunity – whatever it means – to Anwar and PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat. His recommendation so far, for dealing with these two leaders, has been to “knock their heads together”.
If the general election is held tomorrow, both DAP and PAS will prevail stronger than ever in Peninsular Malaysia and pull up PKR by its bootstraps as in 2008. If Hindraf, the Orang Asli and the Christians don’t come around to Pakatan, they will be part of the pro-Pakatan third force along with those in Peninsular Malaysia who reject being in BN and Pakatan.
Over in Sabah and Sarawak, Najib’s so-called “fixed deposit” states, BN will never be able to repeat its performance in 2008. The tsunami of that year in Peninsular Malaysia will make a delayed debut in Malaysian Borneo.
It has been conceded by analysts that six – covering the recent 12 seats won by the DAP – to 10 parliamentary seats in Sarawak will fall to the opposition, both Pakatan and the third force. The BN can also expect to lose a further six – Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Tawau, Beluran, Tenom and Pensiangan – to 10 parliamentary seats in Sabah to the combined opposition.
It’s little wonder, therefore, that Najib is screaming himself hoarse on Malay unity instead of calling for the general election to secure his own mandate.
Clearly, all the hype on the Government Transformation Programme (GTP), Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) and the National Key Results Areas (NKRA) has failed to work their magic on the people as expected.
Police told to come clean on 'sex seminars' for teachers
(Harakah Daily) - KUALA LUMPUR, May 3: The police has been taken to task over attempts to indoctrinate teachers and institutions of education in the country by aiding UMNO's smear campaign against Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim.
Speaking to the press today, PKR deputy president Azmin Ali said Abdul Rahman Ismail, the deputy director-general of Bukit Aman's Special Branch research and secretariat, was responsible for organising four seminars on ‘Current National Security Issues' over the past three months launched by deputy Finance minister Awang Adek Hussin in Kelantan.
“The organising committee includes the police, National Security Council and Bachok Education Department. I am informed that four seminars were held involving 2,000 school heads and teachers from all over Kelantan," he said, adding that schools in the state were forced to send a group of nine staff including headmasters.
Azmin said the seminar did not touch on national security issues, but was instead used to discuss such topics as sex and lewd issues accusing Anwar, as well as the Memali tragedy of 1985 which resulted in the deaths of 14 villagers who resisted the Internal Security Act, shot dead on the order of the police and cabinet.
“Abdul Rahman ‘punished’ Anwar Ibrahim as guilty, as a sodomite as one who frequents prostitutes. How can the police conduct a professional investigation if one of its officers is involved in this disgusting agenda?” added Azmin.
PKR vice president Nurul Izzah Anwar and Seri Setia state assemblyman Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad last week revealed complaints from teachers in Kelantan that a senior police officer, who was involved in sex accusations against Anwar, had attempted to influence a group of teachers over the ongoing pornographic clip saga released by several UMNO leaders.
Speaking to the press today, PKR deputy president Azmin Ali said Abdul Rahman Ismail, the deputy director-general of Bukit Aman's Special Branch research and secretariat, was responsible for organising four seminars on ‘Current National Security Issues' over the past three months launched by deputy Finance minister Awang Adek Hussin in Kelantan.
“The organising committee includes the police, National Security Council and Bachok Education Department. I am informed that four seminars were held involving 2,000 school heads and teachers from all over Kelantan," he said, adding that schools in the state were forced to send a group of nine staff including headmasters.
Azmin said the seminar did not touch on national security issues, but was instead used to discuss such topics as sex and lewd issues accusing Anwar, as well as the Memali tragedy of 1985 which resulted in the deaths of 14 villagers who resisted the Internal Security Act, shot dead on the order of the police and cabinet.
“Abdul Rahman ‘punished’ Anwar Ibrahim as guilty, as a sodomite as one who frequents prostitutes. How can the police conduct a professional investigation if one of its officers is involved in this disgusting agenda?” added Azmin.
PKR vice president Nurul Izzah Anwar and Seri Setia state assemblyman Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad last week revealed complaints from teachers in Kelantan that a senior police officer, who was involved in sex accusations against Anwar, had attempted to influence a group of teachers over the ongoing pornographic clip saga released by several UMNO leaders.
Malaysians cite religious persecution when seeking asylum in UK
By R. Nadeswaran, The Sun
Malaysians are using "religious persecution" as a reason for seeking asylum in Britain.
Of the 55 who applied for such a status last year, five cited religious freedom as the reasons for their application. Six had claimed that they were being penalised for being "members of a particular social group" – gays and lesbians – while three others sought political asylum.
Legal sources say that those who claimed religious persecution had cited that they were unable to practise their faith of choice and had produced newspaper cuttings, court judgments and other documents related to the several "conversion cases" in Malaysia including those of Lina Joy and Sharmala. Some of them claimed that their choice of religion is being restricted by "strict religious laws", not civil law.
As for gays, the Supreme Court of England and Wales formulated the tests to be considered and said the UK Immigration Tribunals should decide on the evidence whether an applicant was gay and whether he would face persecution if he lived openly in his own country.
If this is established, he would have a well-founded fear of persecution, even if he could avoid the risk by living discreetly. Malaysian are using a clause in the Penal Code which makes it an offence for homosexual acts and upon conviction can be jailed for up to 20 years and are also liable to fine or whipping.
Huon Neon Hook, 30, from Sarawak became the first Malaysian gay to have had his matter appealed successfully at the Immigration Tribunal.
Huon claimed asylum in December 2010, having first arrived in the UK in 2006. He held a student visa which expired in May 2009 and subsequently overstayed. He was arrested for a drug-related offence and was detained pending removal. He claimed asylum on the grounds that he was gay and faced persecution if he was sent back to Malaysia and was eventually granted Refugee Status.
Latest data obtained from the UK Border Agency under a request under the Freedom of Information Act, 26 other applications were received from individuals who cited reasons not covered by the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. Fifteen of these withdrew their applications before asylum interviews could be conducted.
Individuals granted refugee status have full entitlement to access public funds, services and mainstream benefits – the same entitlement as a British citizen. Refugees are not entitled to additional funds by virtue of their refugee status.
However, the UK Border Agency says it provides support and advice to help refugees with critical integration needs to access those mainstream entitlements. They will also have access to Family Reunion provisions and to Refugee Convention Travel Documents.
The Immigration and Asylum Act provides for the asylum support scheme and the Secretary of State may provide support for asylum seekers or dependants of asylum seekers, who appear to be destitute or likely to become destitute within a prescribed period.
A destitute single asylum seeker with no assets or income will receive approximately £152 (RM745) in cash support each month in order to buy food and other essential toiletries.
Besides, the local authority provides accommodation for all asylum seekers. Individuals who are granted Refugee Status in the United Kingdom are allowed to work immediately and have no restrictions placed on their access to the labour market.
Malaysians are using "religious persecution" as a reason for seeking asylum in Britain.
Of the 55 who applied for such a status last year, five cited religious freedom as the reasons for their application. Six had claimed that they were being penalised for being "members of a particular social group" – gays and lesbians – while three others sought political asylum.
Legal sources say that those who claimed religious persecution had cited that they were unable to practise their faith of choice and had produced newspaper cuttings, court judgments and other documents related to the several "conversion cases" in Malaysia including those of Lina Joy and Sharmala. Some of them claimed that their choice of religion is being restricted by "strict religious laws", not civil law.
As for gays, the Supreme Court of England and Wales formulated the tests to be considered and said the UK Immigration Tribunals should decide on the evidence whether an applicant was gay and whether he would face persecution if he lived openly in his own country.
If this is established, he would have a well-founded fear of persecution, even if he could avoid the risk by living discreetly. Malaysian are using a clause in the Penal Code which makes it an offence for homosexual acts and upon conviction can be jailed for up to 20 years and are also liable to fine or whipping.
Huon Neon Hook, 30, from Sarawak became the first Malaysian gay to have had his matter appealed successfully at the Immigration Tribunal.
Huon claimed asylum in December 2010, having first arrived in the UK in 2006. He held a student visa which expired in May 2009 and subsequently overstayed. He was arrested for a drug-related offence and was detained pending removal. He claimed asylum on the grounds that he was gay and faced persecution if he was sent back to Malaysia and was eventually granted Refugee Status.
Latest data obtained from the UK Border Agency under a request under the Freedom of Information Act, 26 other applications were received from individuals who cited reasons not covered by the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. Fifteen of these withdrew their applications before asylum interviews could be conducted.
Individuals granted refugee status have full entitlement to access public funds, services and mainstream benefits – the same entitlement as a British citizen. Refugees are not entitled to additional funds by virtue of their refugee status.
However, the UK Border Agency says it provides support and advice to help refugees with critical integration needs to access those mainstream entitlements. They will also have access to Family Reunion provisions and to Refugee Convention Travel Documents.
The Immigration and Asylum Act provides for the asylum support scheme and the Secretary of State may provide support for asylum seekers or dependants of asylum seekers, who appear to be destitute or likely to become destitute within a prescribed period.
A destitute single asylum seeker with no assets or income will receive approximately £152 (RM745) in cash support each month in order to buy food and other essential toiletries.
Besides, the local authority provides accommodation for all asylum seekers. Individuals who are granted Refugee Status in the United Kingdom are allowed to work immediately and have no restrictions placed on their access to the labour market.
NEP & World Bank : UMNO racist policies, no meritocracy is causing slowdown in Malaysian economic growth.
Anwar confident PAS won’t leave Pakatan
PETALING JAYA, May 3 — Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim expressed confidence today PAS will not accept Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s invitation to leave Pakatan Rakyat (PR) and join the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.Anwar said the Umno president’s latest move show that the ruling coalition was on the brink of desperation in wanting to remain in power.
“I have full faith and confidence in the PAS leadership...Umno is desperate in wanting to create tension between PAS and PKR.
“As far as PKR is concerned we have to trust in the PAS leadership and president to keep us informed,” Anwar told reporters today.
PAS leaders were amused and have ridiculed Najib’s invitation for the party to ditch Pakatan Rakyat (PR) by joining the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.
The prime minister earlier said that PAS must work together with Umno for the sake of the Malay and Muslim community, telling the Islamist party that it could not achieve its aim while partnering with the DAP.
“Why play nice with DAP? Does DAP champion Islam?” Najib asked in Kuala Terengganu over the weekend.
Najib’s invitation follows a call last weekend by Umno-owned daily Utusan Malaysia for a “1 Melayu, 1 Bumi” campaign to unite the Malays against what the newspaper said was racial politics by the DAP to stir up Chinese sentiment.
But MCA has objected to PAS’s entry, saying it should drop its Islamic state ambitions. Najib said yesterday he did not want to be dragged in the debate over PAS’s stand.
Anwar launched into a verbal tirade against Najib today and accused the PM of being a hypocrite.
“Umno’s proposal is desperate- 1 Malaysia to the Chinese and Indians, but 1 Malay to the Malay...thinking Malaysians are not smart.
“This smacks of hyprocrisy, inconsistency on Najib’s part, he keeps playing on Malay unity talks with PAS, quite desperate,” added Anwar.
Najib’s invitation continues concerted efforts by Umno post-Election 2008 to get PAS to join forces in the name of Malay-Muslim unity.
The subject of unity talks between PAS and Umno dominated the 2009 PAS Muktamar, which saw a number of leaders keen on exploring talks with Umno emerging big winners.
More recently, top PAS and Umno leadership met at a Christmas Eve dinner hosted by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong last year, during which the subject of Malay unity was once again broached.
Sources told The Malaysian Insider the move then to bring PAS into the BN entailed both PAS president Datuk Abdul Hadi Awang and his deputy Nasharuddin Mat Isa being given a prominent role in Putrajaya if the party decides to abandon PR, but spiritual adviser Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat continues to be the major obstacle in bringing PAS closer to the ruling coalition.
Following the furore over the Christmas Eve meet, Hadi reassured his partners in PR that the Islamist party was committed to remaining in the pact.
In an interview with The Malaysian Insider last year, PAS spiritual advisor Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat said there was no possibility of PAS working with Umno or joining BN.
“Absolutely not. There is no way that PAS would even consider unity talks with Umno,” he had said.
He recounted how PAS had in the past briefly joined BN and that it resulted in a divided PAS.
According to Nik Aziz, back in 1971 PAS had joined BN’s bandwagon when the late Tun Abdul Razak — Najib’s father — extended an invitation to the Islamist party.
“Umno was desperate back then, especially after the May 13 riots in 1969. When PAS joined BN, PAS Kelantan was split into four groups, and we were not united because each group supported a different idea,” he said.
Nik Aziz pointed out that Umno eventually “kicked PAS out” of the BN coalition.
Anwar says poligraph test a non-issue
He refuses to answer questions on the sex video but other Pakatan leaders were on hand to defend the PKR supremo.
PETALING JAYA: Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim today refused to be drawn into the challenge to prove his innocence over the sex video scandal via a polygraph test.
He called the challenge made by businessman Shazryl Eskay Abdullah, one of the three responsible for the screening of the video, as a “non-issue”.
“It’s a non-issue,” a visibly annoyed Anwar told a press conference here after chairing Pakatan Rakyat’s presidential council meeting.
The former deputy prime minister dodged all questions on Shazryl’s challenge, forcing other Pakatan leaders to do the answering.
PKR had earlier today said it will not bow to the demands of Shazryl and two others who are collectively knowns as “Datuk T” or “Datuk Trio” who challenged Anwar to take the lie detector test.
Party leaders insisted that the trio should instead be tried under Syariah laws under “qazaf” for accusation of fornication without witnesses.
PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang defended Anwar and their qazaf demand, saying the “sumpah laknat” (religious oath) undertaken by Shazryl last Friday was invalid.
“The way they performed the sumpah was wrong. They swear on the Al-Quran without following the basic tenets,” Hadi told the same press conference.
Police reports against PKR
Anwar has been implicated in a 21-minute video showing a man resembling him having sex with a woman believed to be a Chinese prostitute. Anwar has denied that it was him.
The video clip was first disclosed to the media at the prestigious Carcosa Seri Negara hotel here last month by a man who identified himself as Datuk T, which was later revealed to be Shazryl, former Malacca Chief Minister Rahim Thamby Chik and ex-Perkasa treasurer Shuib Lazim.
PKR leaders rose to defend Anwar, claiming the video was a conspiracy masterminded to tarnish the former deputy prime minister by political rivals Umno.
Umno has denied any involvement in the fiasco while PKR leaders immediately filed a qazaf report with the religious authorities against the trio for their role in showing the sex tape in public.
Shazryl, who is said to face the prospect of being charged with distribution of pornographic material, said yesterday he was willing to take a lying test to prove his accusation that Anwar was the man in the video.
But Shazryl said Anwar must also undergo the test which should be screened live on national television, saying the two conditions were to avoid any deception or conspiracy in taking the lie detector tests.
The businessman undertook his oath last Friday in Masjid Amru al-As in Sentul that his claims were true.
There were attempts by PKR supporters to block the event from taking place. Several pro-Umno supporters have since lodged a police report against PKR.
PETALING JAYA: Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim today refused to be drawn into the challenge to prove his innocence over the sex video scandal via a polygraph test.He called the challenge made by businessman Shazryl Eskay Abdullah, one of the three responsible for the screening of the video, as a “non-issue”.
“It’s a non-issue,” a visibly annoyed Anwar told a press conference here after chairing Pakatan Rakyat’s presidential council meeting.
The former deputy prime minister dodged all questions on Shazryl’s challenge, forcing other Pakatan leaders to do the answering.
PKR had earlier today said it will not bow to the demands of Shazryl and two others who are collectively knowns as “Datuk T” or “Datuk Trio” who challenged Anwar to take the lie detector test.
Party leaders insisted that the trio should instead be tried under Syariah laws under “qazaf” for accusation of fornication without witnesses.
PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang defended Anwar and their qazaf demand, saying the “sumpah laknat” (religious oath) undertaken by Shazryl last Friday was invalid.
“The way they performed the sumpah was wrong. They swear on the Al-Quran without following the basic tenets,” Hadi told the same press conference.
Police reports against PKR
Anwar has been implicated in a 21-minute video showing a man resembling him having sex with a woman believed to be a Chinese prostitute. Anwar has denied that it was him.
The video clip was first disclosed to the media at the prestigious Carcosa Seri Negara hotel here last month by a man who identified himself as Datuk T, which was later revealed to be Shazryl, former Malacca Chief Minister Rahim Thamby Chik and ex-Perkasa treasurer Shuib Lazim.
PKR leaders rose to defend Anwar, claiming the video was a conspiracy masterminded to tarnish the former deputy prime minister by political rivals Umno.
Umno has denied any involvement in the fiasco while PKR leaders immediately filed a qazaf report with the religious authorities against the trio for their role in showing the sex tape in public.
Shazryl, who is said to face the prospect of being charged with distribution of pornographic material, said yesterday he was willing to take a lying test to prove his accusation that Anwar was the man in the video.
But Shazryl said Anwar must also undergo the test which should be screened live on national television, saying the two conditions were to avoid any deception or conspiracy in taking the lie detector tests.
The businessman undertook his oath last Friday in Masjid Amru al-As in Sentul that his claims were true.
There were attempts by PKR supporters to block the event from taking place. Several pro-Umno supporters have since lodged a police report against PKR.
What the Chinese want
Transparency and fairness, and not handouts, says DAP’s Violet Yong
KUCHING: Although the answer should be obvious by now, those who walk along the corridors of Putrajaya and Petrajaya are still asking: “What do the Chinese really want?”
It is as if they were not listening when they were campaigning for one general election, a string of by-elections and a state election.
So, Pending assemblywoman Violet Yong has decided to spell out the answer. “They want the government to be transparent and fair,” she said.
Sharing lui cha, a Hakka tea-based gruel, with members of the Sarawak Hopoh Community Association on Sunday, Yong, who won her seat for DAP in the recent state election, said the Chinese were proud and hard working people and did not need handouts.
“The Chinese just want transparency and fairer policies put in place,” she said. “They believe that incomes will increase as a result.
“And when we all have a high income, we won’t need to wait for funds, we won’t need to depend on government allocations.”
The remark was a stinging reminder of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s infamous “you help me, I help you” offer to the Chinese community on the eve of the Sibu by-election last year.
‘We’re not beggars’
Even as Najib made his RM5 million offer, a Sibu resident was heard saying: “We are not beggars. Our money built these roads.”
Citing the Hopoh association and similar groups, she said CBOs (community based organisations) “do not want government allocations of RM3,000 to RM5,000”.
“What they want,” she repeated for the benefit Putrajaya and Petrajaya, “is a transparent and fair government.
“I believe if everyone enjoyed a good income, they will not mind contributing towards their community and looking after their own.”
In essence, she said, this was the message that voters tried to send out to BN in the 2008 general election, the by-elections that followed and the Sarawak election on April 16.
Transparency in policy making was essential in effective governance as the DAP-led Penang government had proven, she added.
Referring to a recent agreement between China and Penang to build three subways in the northern peninsula state, she said: “It shows that the Chinese government regards Penang as a state which observes and practises transparency.”
She dismissed claims that Pakatan states were unable to secure foreign investments, saying Penang and Selangor had been more successful than BN-ruled states.
KUCHING: Although the answer should be obvious by now, those who walk along the corridors of Putrajaya and Petrajaya are still asking: “What do the Chinese really want?”It is as if they were not listening when they were campaigning for one general election, a string of by-elections and a state election.
So, Pending assemblywoman Violet Yong has decided to spell out the answer. “They want the government to be transparent and fair,” she said.
Sharing lui cha, a Hakka tea-based gruel, with members of the Sarawak Hopoh Community Association on Sunday, Yong, who won her seat for DAP in the recent state election, said the Chinese were proud and hard working people and did not need handouts.
“The Chinese just want transparency and fairer policies put in place,” she said. “They believe that incomes will increase as a result.
“And when we all have a high income, we won’t need to wait for funds, we won’t need to depend on government allocations.”
The remark was a stinging reminder of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s infamous “you help me, I help you” offer to the Chinese community on the eve of the Sibu by-election last year.
‘We’re not beggars’
Even as Najib made his RM5 million offer, a Sibu resident was heard saying: “We are not beggars. Our money built these roads.”
Citing the Hopoh association and similar groups, she said CBOs (community based organisations) “do not want government allocations of RM3,000 to RM5,000”.“What they want,” she repeated for the benefit Putrajaya and Petrajaya, “is a transparent and fair government.
“I believe if everyone enjoyed a good income, they will not mind contributing towards their community and looking after their own.”
In essence, she said, this was the message that voters tried to send out to BN in the 2008 general election, the by-elections that followed and the Sarawak election on April 16.
Transparency in policy making was essential in effective governance as the DAP-led Penang government had proven, she added.
Referring to a recent agreement between China and Penang to build three subways in the northern peninsula state, she said: “It shows that the Chinese government regards Penang as a state which observes and practises transparency.”
She dismissed claims that Pakatan states were unable to secure foreign investments, saying Penang and Selangor had been more successful than BN-ruled states.
Penang's DCM II Ramasamy sees red over MIC and IPF raising a ruckus over Batu Kawan Hindu cemetery after 18 years.
PETALING JAYA: Penang Deputy Chief Minister II, P Ramasamy asked why the MIC is making a big fuss over a five-acre Hindu burial ground in Batu Kawan, Penang.
The 100-year-old burial ground was taken over by the Penang Development Corporation (PDC) in 1993 to make way for a new multi-purpose stadium.
“The MIC did not make an issue of it for the past 18 years. Neither did the Indian Progressive Front. So why kick up a fuss now?” asked Ramasamy.
Yesterday, an English daily reported that the MIC and IPF went on a hunger strike to protest a planned takeover of the land by the Penang Hindu Endowment Board (PHEB) from PDC.
The hunger strike only ended after newly-appointed MIC senator P Subbaiyah intervened and pledged to resolve the matter.
Ramasamy, last month, proposed that the PHEB takeover the land from the PDC because the Mahamariamman temple committee which was managing the land prior to 1993, had abandoned the burial ground.
“I made the proposal to the state secretary and PHEB because the latter only needed to pay the state government a nominal fee of RM1 to manage the burial ground,” said Ramasamy.
“The temple committee which is currently keen on getting control of the land, however, would have to come up with RM15 million to buy over the land, which I doubt it can.”
Ramasamy added that the PHEB, which is cash rich, is in a better position to manage the grounds and needs only RM1.5 million build an incinerator for cremation purposes.
The PDC, when it took over five-acre burial plot in 1993, compensated the Mahamariamman temple with two acres of land at another location away from the original burial ground.
Subbaiyah denied that MIC is opposing the plan and said the state government should include the temple committee in the discussions over future of the burial ground.
PETALING JAYA: Penang Deputy Chief Minister II, P Ramasamy asked why the MIC is making a big fuss over a five-acre Hindu burial ground in Batu Kawan, Penang.The 100-year-old burial ground was taken over by the Penang Development Corporation (PDC) in 1993 to make way for a new multi-purpose stadium.
“The MIC did not make an issue of it for the past 18 years. Neither did the Indian Progressive Front. So why kick up a fuss now?” asked Ramasamy.
Yesterday, an English daily reported that the MIC and IPF went on a hunger strike to protest a planned takeover of the land by the Penang Hindu Endowment Board (PHEB) from PDC.
The hunger strike only ended after newly-appointed MIC senator P Subbaiyah intervened and pledged to resolve the matter.
Ramasamy, last month, proposed that the PHEB takeover the land from the PDC because the Mahamariamman temple committee which was managing the land prior to 1993, had abandoned the burial ground.
“I made the proposal to the state secretary and PHEB because the latter only needed to pay the state government a nominal fee of RM1 to manage the burial ground,” said Ramasamy.“The temple committee which is currently keen on getting control of the land, however, would have to come up with RM15 million to buy over the land, which I doubt it can.”
Ramasamy added that the PHEB, which is cash rich, is in a better position to manage the grounds and needs only RM1.5 million build an incinerator for cremation purposes.
The PDC, when it took over five-acre burial plot in 1993, compensated the Mahamariamman temple with two acres of land at another location away from the original burial ground.
Subbaiyah denied that MIC is opposing the plan and said the state government should include the temple committee in the discussions over future of the burial ground.
NGO leader calls Pakatan reps ‘pondan’
He also tells the state assemblymen, incuding Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, to wear skirts for future sittings.
GEORGE TOWN: A controversial local NGO leader today slammed Pakatan Rakyat state representatives as “pondans” (transvestites) and told them to wear skirts when attending assembly sittings in future.
Pertubuhan Suara Anak-Anak Malaysia (Voice of Malaysian Children’s Association) chief Mohamed Ghani Abd Jiman said this when he was barred from entering the Penang Legislative State Assembly to submit a memorandum to Speaker Abdul Halim Hussain.
Security officers rejected his request to enter the building and told him that his memorandum would be received by a representative outside the House.
An upset Ghani then launched a verbal tirade against the Pakatan representatives in front of the media and police.
“Pakatan representatives are all cowards and pondans.They don’t dare allow me to enter the assembly building to hand over a memorandum.
“They should not wear pants when they come to assembly sittings in future. They should wear skirts,” he told reporters.
Ghani said that he would personally buy the skirts for Pakatan representatives, including Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.
After submitting the memorandum, the NGO leader and three others were taken in a police truck to have their statements recorded at the city police headquarters.
The commotion created massive traffic jams in the vicinity.
Past issues
Ghani had been involved in a series of public spats with Pakatan representatives, including Lim and his political secretary and Komtar representative Ng Wei Aik, for the past three years.
He once challenged Lim to a fight to settle their differences. In March, he paraded and placed two coffins on the waysides of Komtar and Paya Terubong, for Ng.
The case was investigated under Section 506 of the Penal Code for criminal intimidation and for illegal assembly under Section 27(5) of the Police Act 1963. But Ghani had yet to be charged with any offence.
His memorandum today highlighted several past issues, including Ng’s alleged racist “Balik India” (go back India) remark, for the state government’s urgent attention.
Today was the first sitting of the 12th Penang State Legislative Assembly’s fourth session.
One notable absentee was state opposition leader Azhar Ibrahim, who was scheduled to return to the assembly sitting since his six-month suspension ended last week.
Azhar had been receiving intensive treatment for heart failure at the Island Hospital here since last week.
The Penaga assemblyman was suspended from the sitting for six months after the assembly’s Rights and Privileges Committee found him guilty of violating the standing order by uttering seditious words during a heated argument with the chief minister last May.
GEORGE TOWN: A controversial local NGO leader today slammed Pakatan Rakyat state representatives as “pondans” (transvestites) and told them to wear skirts when attending assembly sittings in future.Pertubuhan Suara Anak-Anak Malaysia (Voice of Malaysian Children’s Association) chief Mohamed Ghani Abd Jiman said this when he was barred from entering the Penang Legislative State Assembly to submit a memorandum to Speaker Abdul Halim Hussain.
Security officers rejected his request to enter the building and told him that his memorandum would be received by a representative outside the House.
An upset Ghani then launched a verbal tirade against the Pakatan representatives in front of the media and police.
“Pakatan representatives are all cowards and pondans.They don’t dare allow me to enter the assembly building to hand over a memorandum.
“They should not wear pants when they come to assembly sittings in future. They should wear skirts,” he told reporters.Ghani said that he would personally buy the skirts for Pakatan representatives, including Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.
After submitting the memorandum, the NGO leader and three others were taken in a police truck to have their statements recorded at the city police headquarters.
The commotion created massive traffic jams in the vicinity.
Past issues
Ghani had been involved in a series of public spats with Pakatan representatives, including Lim and his political secretary and Komtar representative Ng Wei Aik, for the past three years.
He once challenged Lim to a fight to settle their differences. In March, he paraded and placed two coffins on the waysides of Komtar and Paya Terubong, for Ng.
The case was investigated under Section 506 of the Penal Code for criminal intimidation and for illegal assembly under Section 27(5) of the Police Act 1963. But Ghani had yet to be charged with any offence.
His memorandum today highlighted several past issues, including Ng’s alleged racist “Balik India” (go back India) remark, for the state government’s urgent attention.
Today was the first sitting of the 12th Penang State Legislative Assembly’s fourth session.
One notable absentee was state opposition leader Azhar Ibrahim, who was scheduled to return to the assembly sitting since his six-month suspension ended last week.
Azhar had been receiving intensive treatment for heart failure at the Island Hospital here since last week.
The Penaga assemblyman was suspended from the sitting for six months after the assembly’s Rights and Privileges Committee found him guilty of violating the standing order by uttering seditious words during a heated argument with the chief minister last May.
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