Putrajaya has admitted to a ‘prima facie case’ against A-G

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 19 — A former senior police officer accused Putrajaya today of admitting last year to Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail’s role in allegedly falsifying evidence when it backed an independent panel’s findings on Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s “black-eye” case.
The former top cop insisted today that with Putrajaya’s endorsement, there was no longer a need to form a royal commission of inquiry or a tribunal to investigate Abdul Gani’s involvement.
“This is because there is already a prima facie case against Abdul Gani (picture) and those abetting him on falsifying evidence,” said former KL CID chief Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim in an open letter to Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar today.
He also claimed that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was aware of Abdul Gani’s involvement as the former had been briefed and was provided “complete evidence” in October 2008, when he was still the country’s deputy prime minister.
Mat Zain said he had briefed Najib at the latter’s Finance Ministry office in Putrajaya, adding that he had “assumed” the leader would take appropriate action once he took on the prime minister’s post.
“The excuse that there is lack of evidence should not be raised again. Saying further investigations are needed would also be irrelevant because the independent panel has already decided and the government has endorsed it,” he pointed out.
In July 2008, Anwar had filed a police report, accusing Abdul Gani, Mat Zain, former Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan and a Dr Abdul Rahman Yusof of falsifying a medical report on his black-eye case, which alleged that his injuries had been self-inflicted.
Three independent panel members tasked to look into the evidence fabrication claims comprising Federal and Court of Appeal judges later cleared Abdul Gani and Musa of the allegations, but the status of Mat Zain and Dr Abdul Rahman remained uncertain.
Mat Zain, who had earlier claimed the formation of the panel itself as “unconstitutional” and that its findings should be deemed null and void, reiterated today that the panel had returned a 2-1 decision, with one member having found testimony linking Abdul Gani to wrongdoing.
“However, the government itself strongly opposed my challenge (on claims that the panel was unconstitutional), until a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department even made a lengthy ministerial statement in Parliament in December 2010.
“The government validated the formation of the three-member panel and as such, the decision of the panel was also considered valid,” said Mat Zain.
The statement, he said, ultimately meant that Putrajaya had validated Abdul Gani’s crimes as it had backed the findings by all three panel members, including the one who had found the Attorney-General guilty of wrongdoing.
Mat Zain also slammed Musa for denying recently in Berita Harian the accusations against him and Abdul Gani, pointing out to the former IGP that the matter was raised by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in his recently released memoirs “A Doctor in The House”.
“Among others, Dr Mahathir revealed that Musa Hassan had convinced him of Anwar’s homosexual activities. There must have been some very special information that Musa disclosed in order to convince Tun of this.
“Hopefully, he (Musa) will not claim that the expose in Tun’s memoirs was also a part of a conspiracy planned by Anwar,” he said.

Drop charges on Hindraf 54

This would show that Najib was genuine in bringing about greater civil liberty, says Hindraf Makkal Sakti.

GEORGE TOWN: Hindraf Makkal Sakti today called on the Barisan Nasional (BN) federal government to drop the charges against its 54 activists for alleged involvement in an outlawed organisation.

It secretary P Ramesh said that by dropping the charges, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak will prove true to his words that his government was finally driving the country towards greater civil liberty.

If Najib is serious to improve the country’s internationally disapproved human rights record, he said the Prime Minister Office (PMO) should advise the Attorney-General’s Chambers to drop the charges against the 54 immediately.

“The charges have violated the freedom of association guaranteed under the Federal Constitution. Article 10(b) states that ‘all citizens have the right to assemble peaceably and without arms’”.

“Citizenry rights to freedom of association is fundamental civil liberty,” Ramesh said.

In early March, Hindraf activists, including Ramesh, were charged under Section 43 of the Societies Act with being members of an illegal organisation, Hindraf.

They were also charged under Section 47 of the same law for allegedly being in possession of materials and items pertaining to Hindraf.

Both Acts carries a jail sentence of between three and five years, and a fine of not more than RM3,000, or both upon conviction.

They were alleged to have committed the offences during the Hindraf Makkal Sakti’s aborted anti-Interlok rally on Feb 27.

Good step forward but not enough

Ramesh said that both charges were illogical and flawed considering that the activists were members of

the newly formed civil rights movement Hindraf Makkal Sakti, not Hindraf, which was banned in October, 2009.

“Hindraf Makkal Sakti is not an illegal organisation. It’s waiting for registration,” he told FMT here today, adding that Hindraf Makkal Sakti is only one of over several thousands of NGOs operating in the country.

He equated Hindraf Makkal Sakti activists’ position to the membership status of those in the old Umno when it was declared unlawful by the High Court in 1988.

He recalled that the then Umno leadership formed a new party, Umno Baru, which ultimately inherited everything from the old Umno.

He said the party shrewdly managed to restore public confidence to accept the new Umno as the old Umno, although technically it’s Umno Baru.

“Umno Baru members have never been charged with being member of an illegal organisation for associating themselves with the illegal Umno,” he said.

Similarly, Ramesh said Hindraf activists needed a platform to carry on their struggle after the home ministry banned it.

Thus, like Umno Baru, he said Hindraf Makkal Sakti was formed to absorb these activists.

He said that Najib’s recent announcement to either repeal or review several draconian laws was a good step forward, but not good enough to steer the country towards true democracy.

Act of deception

Although the Internal Security Act 1960 would be repealed, he said two virtually similar new laws pertaining to public order and anti-terror were likely to replace the ISA.

He said that the government was only trying to gain political mileage by abolishing the much- criticised ISA and Emergency Ordinance (Public Order and Prevention of Crime) 1969 (EO).

He said the proposal to review the Police Act 1967, Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 and citizenry rights to freedom of peaceful assembly was also politically motivated.

However, he said that many other draconian laws have been conveniently left out from government consideration.

Among other draconian and draconian-typed laws were Public Order (Preservation) Act 1958, Prevention of Crime Act 1959 and Essential (Security Cases) Regulations 1975.

Other laws are Official Secret Act 1972, Sedition Act 1948, , Trade Union Act 1959, Immigration Act 1959, Societies Act 1966 and Universities and University Colleges Act 1971.

Crime prevention laws such as Firearms (Increased Penalties) Act 1971, Arms Act 1960 and Dangerous Drugs (Special Preventive Measures) Act, 1975, are said to have violated fundamental civil liberties.

“Najib looks into only certain draconian laws just to ease political pressure, not because the federal government has listened to the people’s call for greater democracy,” Ramesh said, adding that this was an act of deception.

Pak Lah warns Najib of internal resistance to reforms

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 19 — Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said today that Datuk Seri Najib Razak should expect hardliners in Barisan Nasional (BN) to resist his plans to repeal the Internal Security Act (ISA) and other security laws because they want to maintain the old ways to silence critics.

The former prime minister, who was conferred Universiti Malaysia Kelantan’s first honorary doctorate today, said in his acceptance speech that his own efforts to implement reforms were “opposed not just by those outside but also those from within.”

“There are hardliners who want to maintain the old system, controlling the flow of information and using laws to silence the public. Najib may face the same challenges I did before. The job of a reformist is not easy.

“I hope there will not be those that oppose silently, ‘seperti gunting dalam lipatan’, as the policy that (Najib) wants to create with the repeal of the ISA will benefit the public and the nation in the long term,” Abdullah (picture) said, using the Malay idiom that refers to internal saboteurs.

PM Najib had announced last Thursday the repeal of the ISA, the three Emergency Declarations and also the need for annual printing and publishing permits when both Dewan Negara and Dewan Rakyat have their next sitting.

The Umno president said the new laws will be enacted to protect the peace, harmony and security of the country but admitted that they were “risky but necessary for our survival.”

Najib replaced Abdullah in April 2009 with the promise of reviewing the ISA but has now done away with the security law completely in what appears to be a drastic move to win back middle Malaysia.
But critics have warned that the BN chief will face pressure from right-wing elements within Umno and other lobby groups such as Perkasa.

Abdullah came into power in 2003, also with the promise of liberal reforms, but only delivered his reform package after the 2008 general election which saw BN fail to secure its customary two-thirds majority of Parliament, leading to his resignation a year later.

The Abdullah administration passed the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Judicial Appointments Commission and Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission Acts just months before he stepped down despite criticism that they were watered-down.

The MACC especially has been repeatedly accused of being biased against Pakatan Rakyat (PR) while two deaths in custody including that of a DAP aide have further dented its credibility.

Abdullah said today that even though some had blamed the 2008 election losses — which also saw BN ceding five state governments — on him for allowing too much freedom, “I have never regretted it as this is a basic human right.”

“To me, any rational and civilised society will one day be able to filter lies and deceit from truth and sincerity,” he said, adding that he was proud of Najib for “continuing the government’s pursuit of basic human rights.”

Putrajaya’s reform package was seen by political observers as a bid to reclaim middle Malaysia after the disastrous handling of the July 9 Bersih rally that saw the Najib administration being widely criticised in the international media just as he was pitching the country to foreign investors.

The latest survey from local pollster Merdeka Center has also showed that Najib’s popularity slid to 59 per cent this August from the 79 per cent high in May 2010, fuelled by rising concerns over the surge in living costs and the Bersih clampdown.

Do away with laws that hinder press freedom

The Sun
by Himanshu Bhatt

GEORGE TOWN (Sept 18, 2011): Media bodies have called on the government to do away with all laws and policies that hinder press freedom, following the Prime Minister’s announcement that news organisation would no longer need to apply annually for publishing permits.

The Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) said Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak’s “minor concession” in removing the requirement for an annual publishing permit in the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 (PPPA) does not address other infringements on freedom of expression within the PPPA itself.

In a statement, CIJ noted that under section 5 of the PPPA, the Malaysian government still holds power over permits to publish newspapers.

“The Home Minister has sole power to grant or deny applications, revoke permits which have been issued (which according to the PM’s announcement will not have to be renewed annually), and set conditions before issuing them,” it said.

“There is no recourse to judicial review of the Home Minister’s decisions regarding the permits,” it added.

It also stressed that under Section 7 of the PPPA, the Home Minister controls all publications (defined as books, articles, music, photographs, caricatures, reports, notes and so on) in the country and can issue bans on those it deems “undesirable”.

“The net effect is that the media, print in particular, will continue to be under government control, and journalists will continue to practise self-censorship,” the CIJ stressed.

It also said the Prime Minister needs to clarify whether the government plans to widen the scope of the PPPA to include online media, which would contradict its commitment to Internet freedom.

Meanwhile, the Penang Chinese Reporters and News Photographers Association (Pewaju) welcomed Najib’s announcement although it felt it had come “27 years too late”.

Pewaju called on the government to abolish other relevant acts that restrict media freedom, as the PPPA, Official Secrets Act (OSA) and the Sedition Act, and introduce a Freedom of Information Act.

It urged the government to issue a clear time frame for the removal of the laws, while expanding the rules for new publishing license applications so that anyone who is interested can apply

"We also hope the Prime Minister will guarantee that news coverage of competing political parties would be allowed to be made equitably (in mainstream media)," Pewaju said.

It also called on the government to release all ISA detainees and give proper compensation to those who have been held, since the government has given a commitment to repealing the legislation.

Gadhafi's "mystery" daughter

By Foreign Affairs Correspondent Jill Dougherty on assignment in Tripoli, Libya

Where is Hanna Gadhafi, adopted daughter of Col. Moammar Gadhafi?

Did she really die 25 years ago? Or did a "second" adopted Hanna grow up to become a doctor? Could she, right now, be hiding out with her father as his regime crumbles around him?

The Libyan capital is filled with rumors. "They said she might be alive, or he sent her abroad," a young woman in Tripoli tells us, "or maybe she's here."

If that sounds confusing - it is.

The mystery of Hanna Gadhafi begins in 1986 in the rubble of Moammar Gadhafi's compound in Tripoli, Bab al-Aziziya.

The massive headquarters had been hit by U.S. bombs on the order of President Ronald Reagan. Two of Gadhafi's sons were injured and, the Libyan leader claimed, his 1-year-old adopted daughter, Hanna, was killed.

After the raid a doctor said there was no question: Little Hanna was dead. She had severe fractures, she was in shock, he claimed, and she expired before a surgeon could reach her.

Gadhafi later said he adopted another little girl and also called her Hanna in honor of his daughter who had died. Over the years, as this "second" Hanna grew up, the colonel appeared in public with her. There are pictures on the Internet, including one of her at her sister Aisha's wedding.

The "second" Hanna became a doctor, working at the Central Hospital of Tripoli, just a short drive from the compound. At the hospital, CNN obtained documents showing that a doctor named Hanna Gadhafi was on staff.

Dr. Hatem Yousef said he worked with her. She was very professional, he said, but her private life was a closed book. "We did talk to her, but I mean, her personal life and so on - that was not up for discussion. She is who she is. "

A CNN crew was allowed to shoot pictures of her office and other areas of the hospital. While the rest of the doctors had to make do with old, ripped furniture in their lounge, Hanna had her own well-decorated office with cream-colored leather sofas and chairs, a leather desk set and even an espresso machine.

On the desk: Three phones: One external line, one internal line and a direct line to the Gadhafi compound.

Staff at the hospital told us that last month, on the day the rebels took over Tripoli, Hanna stayed on the job. Her bodyguards insisted that she leave and, at the last minute, she fled with them but where she went is still unknown. Some Libyans believe she could be with her father, hiding out wherever he might be.

When the rebels entered Gadhafi's compound they found the family's medical records, including Hanna's. But - which Hanna?

The theories are worthy of an Agatha Christie thriller.

Aisha Nozuf, a medical student in Tripoli, thinks the first Hanna never was killed. "Of course she didn't die," she said. "All the media outlets are writing that she is alive."

Other Libyans are skeptical too. Businessman Tawfeeq Zintani said, "I think it's just another propaganda of a dictator who lived to lie to his people."

Why would he lie?

Abou-Baker, a Libyan who lives in Canada, said, "To make people feel sorry for him and to keep them fighting and killing each other."

Still others believe Gadhafi really did adopt another daughter after the "first" Hanna died.

Then there are those, like the vice director of the hospital, who have a more elaborate theory: Hanna, whether it was the "first" or "second," was not adopted. She was the biological daughter of the dictator - by a woman other than his wife.
"The texture, you know, the face. They're - it's like Gadhafi," Dr. Isam Bin Massoud said. "It's her blood. It's his blood. That's what we know, that's what we think. The real truth - we don't know really."

Neither, it seems, does anyone else in Libya.

Indonesian Women Don Miniskirts in Rape Protest

 

A woman wearing a miniskirt takes part in a protest against the idea that provocatively dressed women are to blame for sexual assaults. The protest in Jakarta on Sunday was in response to remarks by Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo, who said that women must not wear revealing clothes to avoid being raped or victimized. (Reuters Photo) 

Jakarta. About 50 women in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, donned miniskirts to protest remarks by the Jakarta city governor who blamed a recent gang rape on the victim’s choice of clothing.

Fauzi Bowo called on women Friday not to wear miniskirts when riding on public transport in the capital after a 27-year-old woman was attacked in a public minivan early this month.

Police failed to catch the rapists, but the woman spotted one of the alleged perpetrators two weeks later as he drove the vehicle.

“We are here to express our anger. Instead of giving heavy punishment to the rapists, the governor blamed it on women’s dress. This is discrimination,” protest coordinator Chika Noya told AFP.

Wearing tank tops and short skirts, the women demonstrated at a main roundabout in the capital, some holding a big banner and posters saying: “Don’t tell us how to dress, tell them not to rape” and “My miniskirt is my right.”

“Rape is a serious crime against humanity,” Noya said, adding that the governor should guarantee women’s safety on public transport.

Protester Dhyta Caturani, dressed in a miniskirt and revealing top, said: “The way women dress is not the cause of sexual violence.”

Fauzi apologized on Saturday for his remarks but that failed to convince demonstrators.

Jakarta police recorded an increase in recorded rape cases with 41 for this year up to September in the city of 12 million, compared to 40 during the whole of 2010.

Caturani said the protest was inspired by the “SlutWalk” phenomenon which began in Toronto in April when hundreds of women and men took to the streets to protest a comment made by a police constable that “women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized.”

Agence France-Presse

PERKASA: Kekalkan elemen pencegahan ISA

Perkasa mahu elemen ISA dikekalkan

"Kalau ia melalui proses kehakiman, ia akan mengambil masa yang begitu lama hanya untuk menentukan sama ada bersalah atau tidak," kata Ibrahim Ali.

KUALA LUMPUR: Pertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa Malaysia (Perkasa) berpendirian pihaknya tidak akan menyokong akta keselamatan negara yang baru jika semangat elemen ‘pencegahan’ yang ada dalam Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA) tidak dikekalkan.

Presidennya yang juga Ahli Parlimen Pasir Mas, Datuk Ibahim Ali berkata elemen tersebut amat penting dan selama ini terbukti berkesan
dalam menangani isu keselamatan negara.

Mengambil contoh isu ajaran sesat Ayah Pin, Al-Arqam, pemalsuan kad pengenalan dan kad kredit serta kegiatan subversif, Ibrahim berkata
adalah wajar pencegahan melalui penahanan tanpa bicara mengikut ISA dikenakan.

“Kalau ia melalui proses kehakiman, ia akan mengambil masa yang begitu lama hanya untuk menentukan sama ada bersalah atau tidak.

“Mungkin dalam tempoh kehakiman itu keselamatan negara kita terancam. Kita tak mahu ia terjadi baru nak putuskan hukuman.

Kita mahu ia dibendung segera sebelum terjadi apa-apa yang lebih buruk,” katanya selepas mempengerusikan mesyuarat tergempar Perkasa di sini hari ini.

Namun katanya, hak kebebasan seseorang perlu diambil kira seperti kaedah penyiasatan dan tempoh lawatan keluarga semasa dalam tahanan.

Selain itu, beliau turut mengingatkan kerajaan supaya tidak tunduk dengan tuntutan mana-mana pihak untuk mewujudkan akta baru bagi menggantikan ISA.

“Jangan ikutkan pembangkang dan jangan ikutkan kepentingan politik peribadi semata-mata nak menang undi,” katanya sinis.

Hak mutlak rakyat 

Sehubungan itu, beliau menggesa agar kerajaan berunding dengan rakyat terlebih dahulu sebelum akta baru tersebut digubal kerana baginya isu keselamatan adalah hak mutlak rakyat.

Beliau juga berkata pihaknya akan berjumpa dengan Menteri Dalam Negeri Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein untuk mengemukakan memorandum dalam masa terdekat meminta maklum balas mengenai prinsip asas akta baru itu.

Sementara itu, beliau juga mahu kerajaan meneliti semula Akta Universiti Kolej Universiti (AUKU) 1974 serta Akta Rahsia Rasmi (OSA) untuk dimansuhkan.

“Apa lagi yang nak ditakutkan dengan AUKU dan OSA jika ISA sudah dimansuhkan,” soalnya sambil menyokong pembaharuan lesen akhbar dalam Akta Mesin Cetak dan Penerbitan dan kebebasan berhimpun dalam Akta Polis dimansuhkan.

‘Resentments in Sabah reaching boiling point’

The growing unrest among Sabah youths over rising unemployment and unjust policies is worrying former Sabah Chief Minister Yong Teck Lee.

KOTA KINABALU: As the state just marked the 48th anniversary of its independence through the formation of Malaysia, there is mounting fear that the youths in Sabah may lose patience and apply radical solutions to address fundamental problems that are troubling the state.

Former Sabah Chief Minister Yong Teck Lee believes that the government is ignoring at its peril the scores of issues facing the development of the state.

He sees the various political manoeuvering and manipulations by the Barisan Nasional (BN) to retain power without the endorsement of the people of Sabah over the years as a sticking point which will not be tolerated for long.

The tipping point, he believes is spiralling unemployment situation among the youths and increasing number of  land grabs by private companies which are causing friction and frustration in the state.

“Youth unemployment is very serious, grabbing of people’s land is also very seriousness… now  people are losing their traditional livelihood and culture… and when they come into the urban area, there are no jobs, they become squatters, they become hopeless.

“The government has to recognize the basic facts and the problems.

“What we see now in the mainstream media is that our political leaders, including the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister ignoring of what’s happening,” said Yong at an event late last week.

Unhappy youths

He said poor governance, implementation of unfair policies and exploitation of Sabah’s natural resources by the government had made it increasingly difficult for the people of Sabah to make a living in their own land.

He cited cases of youths from Sabah having to leave their families and migrating to Peninsular Malaysia in search of jobs as most positions in the state civil service had been given to youths from the peninsula.
And this included jobs such as computer technicians in government schools.

Yong blamed this on the federal government’s failure to honour the Borneonisation of the civil service in the state, which was among the pre-conditions of the Malaysia Agreement.

“In the past we could accept the dispatch of senior officers for the various government departments and professionals in the various fields from the west (peninsula) which we were lacking.

“But today, 48 years after we achieved independence, we even have such junior staff like clerks and computer technicians for school being sent from Kuala Lumpur to Sabah.

“The state government claimed that they have trained 40,000 ICT technicians over the years, but on the other hand, computer technicians are still being dispatched from Peninsular Malaysia to Sabah,” he said.

Yong also pointed to the exploitation of Sabah’s natural resources, especially its oil and gas that had enriched those outside the state and left many in Sabah in a state of impoverishment.

Autonomy and efficient economy

He cited the recent case of a woman and her daughter from a remote village in Kota Marudu found scavenging for food to feed their family to illustrate the socio-economic disparity in the state.

“What we are asking for – autonomy, efficient economy and fairer policies for Sabah, actually is a solution to some of the problems that we are facing today.

“If you continue to deny a fairer solution for Sabah … that is in the oil and gas (sharing), youth unemployment, Borneonisation of the civil service and land reform etc, it can bring about a more serious and radical alternative.

“This is a social issue that will eventually translate into a political crisis. It has happened in many countries,” he warned.

He reiterated that one of the solutions was autonomy – delegation of powers to the state.

“We must go back to the Malaysia Agreement, go back to land reform whereby land will be given back to the people … proper human resource training and employment given to the youth here.

“That will bring about stabilization of the society. Otherwise you’ll get a radical solution.

“The people, the young generation especially, are now talking that if they don’t have autonomy, they will go all the way to Merdeka (to fight for true independence from the Federal government),” he said.

Najib told to release detainees of outgoing ISA

Harakahdaily

Sep 18: Now that the Internal Security Act is on the way out following prime minister Najib Razak's promise last week, PAS said the remaining detainees under the draconian act should be either released or be charged in court. “If they (ISA detainees) cannot be released immediately, PAS urges those who are detained without trial to be brought to court immediately so that they can defend themselves if the government has concrete evidences to prove they are terrorists,” information chief Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said in a statement. Najib's announcement of the end of ISA however was followed by a statement by Home Minister Hishamuddin Hussein that present detainees would continue to be detained until two new acts were introduced to replace the draconian law. According to Hishamuddin, the detainees were suspected to have links to terrorist networks. The euphoria over Najib's speech also seemed to have been silenced by the fact that the ISA would only be repealed next year when the two new acts were tabled as stated by minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Aziz. In reaction, PAS said it was disappointed with the statements which did not reflect Najib's pledge. "The two new laws will only be tabled next year according to Nazri and all these will add the suffering to the family of ISA detainees who had high hopes after Najib’s announcement two days ago,” stressed Tuan Ibrahim. He urged Hishamuddin to act wisely by releasing all ISA detainees as a gesture of sincerity, adding that it would only help regain people’s confidence in the current administration. This, said Tuan Ibrahim (left), is so that "the announcement of reforms ... is not half-baked like the case with a series of economic transformations". He reiterated the party's stand that those being detained in Kamunting over a variety of accusations were victims of bad faith and political vengeance. “Najib must choose between the two – free them or charge them,” he stressed. PAS has also urged the government to apologise to those who had been detained under the notorious law as Najib had admitted to the ISA's flaws He said that as prime minister, it was not right for Najib to claim that the blame on the use of the ISA was on past leaders. “Instead, Najib should represent the country’s past leaders to apologise to all ISA detainees because they all represented the same Barisan Nasional," said Tuan Ibrahim. He reminded that victims of ISA continue to suffer mentally, physically and spiritually as a result of their experience. "Their names must be cleared because of this unjust law,” he added.

Channel Correct Information To Party Leaders - Muhyiddin Yassin

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 18 (Bernama) -- All Barisan Nasional (BN) component party members, involved in collating information on the various constituencies, are required to provide the actual information to leaders so that appropriate strategies could be formulated for the coming general election.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said they were advised not to provide only information that were sweet to the ears of leaders because it would bring about negative effects to the party and country.

He was commenting on the statement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak yesterday reminding BN leaders not to implement programmes for self-satisfaction when they did not give an accurate political reading of a certain area thus jeopardising BN's effort to regain opposition-ruled states.

"This is a very important statement that we cannot bury our heads in the sand, with half-baked report merely to please the leader.

"Some leaders said all are ok, and sometimes the "ok" became "ko". The Prime Minister wants all party members involved directly to gather information to reflect the actual situation of the party," he told reporters after officiating a convention of the Malaysia Makkal Sakti Party at the Putra World Trade Centre here,Sunoday.

According to Muhyiddin, who is also the BN deputy chairman, BN has a system of grey, black and white to classify areas of their support to the party and government depending on the information collected.

"We have black, white and grey areas to categorise and gauge whether the area is strong, weak or uncertain. If it is no good, we will inform as no good.

"The information would be used to work out our strategies and as on. We have to speak the truth about ourselves," he said.

At the same media conference, Muhyiddin announced a series of briefings while talks would be held for BN members throughout country on the government's move to abolish the Internal Security Act as announced by the Prime Minister on Sept 15.

The programme would be activated with the assistance of the Ministry of Information, Communications and Culture after a BN Supreme Council which would be held soon.