Government Revises Deficit Target To 3.2 Per Cent In 2015

Datuk Seri Najib Tun RazakPUTRAJAYA, Jan 20 (Bernama) -- The government on Tuesday revised the country's fiscal deficit target for 2015 to 3.2 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), up from the 3.0 per cent set out in the Budget, in the wake of falling oil prices.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said without any fiscal measures, the deficit would rise to 3.9 per cent of GDP.

Speaking at a special address here this morning, Najib said Malaysians have to accept the reality that the original Budget 2015 target could not be achieved, due to external factors such as the slump in global oil prices.

"But what is important is our commitment to further reducing the fiscal deficit," he said, adding the latest target is still lower than the 3.5 per cent in 2014.

The premier also stressed that the strategies announced by the government today are proactive adjustment measures following external factors beyond our control and that the country is not in an economic crisis.

He explained that at the forecast oil price of US$55 per barrel, there will be a revenue shortfall of RM13.8 billion.

"Despite the savings of RM10.7 billion from the implementation of the managed float mechanism for retail fuel prices, the government still faces a revenue shortfall of RM8.3 billion to accommodate the 2015 Budget measures," he said.

The situation requires the government to take measures to reduce the deficit in line with the government's commitment towards fiscal consolidation, he said, adding the government will not compromise on its national development planning and neglect the people's welfare.

On the ringgit, Najib said the local unit is not the only currency to have depreciated against the US dollar, as nearly all regional currencies have weakened against the US dollar since September 2014.

?The recent volatile capital flows and significant fall in the value of the ringgit were also due to concerns over the impact of the sharp fall in oil prices, he added.

However, Najib said, the government is confident that over time, the ringgit's exchange rate will adjust to reflect Malaysia's strong economic fundamentals.

"Of importance, our financial system continues to function in an orderly manner. Most importantly, there has been no disruption to financial intermediation with lending activities continuing smoothly," he said.

Furthermore, he said, greater policy flexibility, adequate international reserves, deeper and more diversified financial markets, sound banking system and strong domestic institutional investors will increase the country's resilience to volatile cash flows.

Orang Asli kelaparan hingga 4 hari, rayu bantuan segera

Pesanan Mejar Zaidi: Jangan takut lapor polis...

Call for Muslim army in Australia

 

There was a call to arms over the weekend that is, in any terms, truly frightening.

It came from a known Islamist who wants to raise an army to impose Sharia law here in Australia.


His message was met by cries of “Takbir... Allahu Akbar!” by his followers at Lakemba in Western Sydney.

"Eventually, we will bounce back and we will reclaim everything that they have taken from us,” Bilal Merhi told the crowd.

Read more: https://au.news.yahoo.com/nsw/a/26035713/call-for-muslim-army-in-australia/

Gaza graffiti on French cultural center: "God damn you, worshipers of the cross" (updated)

AFP in English reported:

Protest graffiti was sprayed outside the French cultural centre in Gaza before dawn Saturday following the publication of a new cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed by satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.

“You will go to hell, French journalists,” read one of the slogans daubed on the walls of the cultural centre compound, which has been closed since it was damaged in a fire last October.

“Anything but the prophet,” read another.

But the Arabic AFP article includes one more graffitum that did not make it into the English version.

It said "God damn you, O worshipers of the cross."

Now, why would AFP choose to self-censor the most incendiary statement from its English articles? Instead of the graffiti being merely against the Charlie Hebdo magazine, it was really against Christianity altogether!

UPDATE: Bob Knot found the original AFP video footage. I think this is the relevant graffitum:

After questioning Daim, anti-graft body to meet Anwar next

Malaysian anti-graft officials will take up opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's offer to assist investigations into Tun Daim Zainuddin's banking business abroad, years after the former finance minister was cleared of any wrongdoing.

Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission deputy chief commissioner, Datuk Seri Mohd Shukri Abdull, said in a statement today that they had already questioned Daim and were now waiting to seek Anwar's help to facilitate investigations.

"MACC will meet with YB Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who claims to have strong evidence regarding this case. MACC also welcomes any quarters with evidence to cooperate with MACC," he said.

Mohd Shukri said the testimonies from Daim, Anwar and other witnesses will be brought to the deputy public prosecutor and later the Operations Review Panel (PPO), the independent body that monitors MACC's operations.

‎Yesterday, Anwar said he was willing to cooperate with MACC if it investigated Daim, but on the condition that it carried out i‎ts duties professionally.
‎
"If they ask me, I will give my cooperation, no problem. It is my responsibility to help facilitate investigations. But they have to be professional," the PKR de facto chief had said after a dialogue with Selangor youth in Petaling Jaya yesterday.‎

H‎e said he had "proof" of Daim's alleged abuse of power but it was shelved. However, he did not elaborate on the statement, although he said MACC should not focus its investigations solely on Daim's banking business.

Mohd Shukri today insisted MACC had always carried out its investigations independently, transparently and professionally, in accordance with the MACC Act 2009.

He added that this was not the first it was investigating Daim.

"For your information, investigations against Tun Daim were already carried out by the Anti-Corruption Agency (now MACC) in 1998.

"The deputy public prosecutor who examined the case at that time decided that no further action be taken," he said.

He added that it was MACC's duty to probe each graft case in accordance with the laws, without being influenced by any party.

Last Thursday, Daim said he was ready to cooperate with MACC as they probed his banking business abroad, saying that he had confidence in the anti-graft body's capabilities to undertake the probe.

Daim revealed he also knew who was behind the sudden media spotlight on his business empire.

"I am aware of who is behind this sudden attention on me. If you don't like the message, kill the messenger," he said, adding that he was surprised Umno-controlled Media Prima Bhd would provide coverage for opposition party PKR.

Opposition politicians had previously urged anti-graft authorities to investigate Daim, with PKR's Youth chief Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin, in November last year, highlighting the lack of police action against the former finance minister despite a police report lodged in 1999.

Anwar had lodged that report 15 years ago, accusing Daim of amassing billions of ringgit in African and Eastern Europe banks through proxies.

Pro-Umno bloggers recently reported that Daim had been attacked by cybertroopers aligned to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak for criticising Putrajaya's handling of the economy.

Daim and former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad have emerged as strong critics of Najib's administration over the latter's handling of the economy and national politics.

In what is seen as a psychological war, Najib's supporters in the press and online portals have been attacking Daim with critical articles.

But veteran journalist Datuk A. Kadir Jasin warned a few days ago that Media Prima Bhd should stop sniping at Daim as it could backfire on Najib.

Najib was more vulnerable to personal attacks than Daim and other critics, Kadir, the retired editor of the New Straits Times Press group, said in his blog.

Besides opposition lawmakers, Daim and Dr Mahathir, even pro-Umno bloggers who had supported Najib to be prime minister were now becoming critical of him. – January 19, 2015.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/after-questioning-daim-anti-graft-body-to-meet-anwar-next#sthash.rCSldq8M.dpuf

Lim not aware of Anwar’s ‘Kampung Buah Pala’ pledge – Bernama

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng told the High Court in George Town today that he was unaware of opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's pledge to "save Kampung Buah Pala".

"I am not aware of it," said Lim when cross-examined by counsel Baljit Singh, who was representing Penang Citizens Awareness Chant Group (Chant) adviser Jimmy Lim Cheok Siang.

Lim, who is DAP secretary-general, also said he never knew that Anwar had made a pledge to the residents prior to the 2008 general election.

To another question whether Seri Delima assemblyman R.S.N. Rayer and Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P. Ramasamy had promised Kampung Buah Pala residents that they could stay in the area perpetually, Lim said he was not aware of it.

Lim was testifying in his defamation trial against Jimmy, Mtoday News Sdn Bhd (second defendant) and journalist Athi Shankar (third defendant).

Lim stressed that only George Town had been recognised as a world heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco).

"The article was written without seeking my comment and clarification, and intended to defame me as chief minister and also as an individual."

In January last year, Lim filed the suit claiming that the first defendant made a statement in a press conference on December 6, 2013, which was misleading and malicious, and defamatory to him.

In his statement of claim, he alleged that Mtoday News Sdn Bhd and Shankar had deliberately, erroneously and with malicious intent caused the publication of an article, "Guan Eng has failed, says NGO".

The plaintiff claimed that the article which appeared in the Free Malaysia Today website the same day, had portrayed him as a chief minister without calibre for trying to destroy the world heritage status accorded to Penang.

Lim also alleged that the article had also portrayed him as a leader or individual who had no regard for the wellbeing of the local Indian community by allowing the destruction of Kampung Buah Pala.

The hearing before judicial commissioner Datuk Nordin Hassan has been adjourned to February 27. – Bernama, January 19, 2015.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/lim-not-aware-of-anwars-kampung-buah-pala-pledge-bernama#sthash.onU9k6l2.dpuf

Conviction opens can of worms, says Sirul's lawyer

 

Former police commando Sirul Azhar Umar’s conviction has 'opened a can of worms' with regard to the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu, says his lawyer Kamarul Hisham Kamaruddin.

While he respects the Federal Court verdict, Kamarul Hisham said, the problem was that the motive was not established.

"My client's conviction has opened a 'can of worms' as to what the motive of the murder was.

"The motive was not established against my client (whether in the in High Court, Court of Appeal or the Federal Court)," he said when met on the sidelines of another case today.

The lawyer, one of three who represented Sirul, said the evidence showed that calls and text messages were made among political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda, DSP Musa Safri and the first accused Azilah Hadri from three days before the incident.

This, Kamarul Hisham (left) said, took place right up to the night of the murder in late 2006.

"Who gave, and what were, the alleged instructions? Why was DSP Musa not called to testify?" he queried, referring to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s former aide de camp.

The lawyer said these are the questions which are being debated by the public.

Kamarul Hisham had, at the Court of Appeal and Federal Court, questioned the prosecution's move not to call DSP Musa/ The Court of Appeal said in its judgment that the non-calling of the former aide-de-camp had resulted in a serious misdirection of the case.

During the trial at the High Court in Shah Alam, Sirul had caused a stir when he claimed that he was being made into a “scapegoat” to “protect their plans”.

'My client could have been framed'

Kamarul Hisham had then suggested that his client could have been framed for the murder of the Mongolian national.

Last week, the Federal Court sentenced Sirul, who is currently believed to be in Australia, and Azilah to death.

Following the judgment, Altantuya’s father Setev Shaariibuu questioned the reason behind his daughter being killed and her remains blown up with explosives.

The Malaysian government is currently attempting to extradite Sirul, but Australian law dictates that a person facing the death penalty in his or her home country cannot be sent back.

The Altantuya murder, which remains a high-profile matter, saw Najib, who was then deputy prime minister and defence minister, being accused of involvement.

His close associate Abdul Razak, who admitted to having an affair with Altantuya, was charged with abetting the murder but was later acquitted without his defence being called.

The police, meanwhile, cleared Najib of any wrongdoing and Najib also swore his innocence in the name of God.

The murder was also linked to Malaysia’s procurement of two French Scorpene submarines, which Abdul Razak’s firm was tasked with purchasing and maintaining.

Ex-IGP turns heat on Zahid over FBI letter

 

A letter to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) concerning alleged gambling kingpin Paul Phua has been the home minister drawing even more flak.

Last week, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi denied any wrongdoing, cited the Official Secrets Act (OSA) and pinned the blame on “pro-opposition” news portals.

While current inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar has chosen to remain silent, his predecessor Abdul Rahim Noor (right) decided to air his views.

Rahim said Zahid should not have written to the FBI, even if just to clarify the status of Phua, a Malaysian facing criminal proceedings in the United States.

Rahim said the police too need not entertain Phua's lawyers' request for the Malaysian government to clarify to the US on whether Phua was a 14K triad member.

"It would have been better if it did not involve the minister. Even the police do not need to write the letter.

"It would have been more suitable for the letter to be written by a lawyer who does not necessarily have to represent the minister as it is merely a request by Phua's lawyers," Rahin is quoted as saying in a Sinar Harian report today.

In the letter dated Dec 18 last year to the FBI, Zahid claimed Phua was not a 14K triad member in Malaysia.

The home minister went on to reveal that Phua had assisted Malaysia on "national security projects" and expressed hope for Phua to return to Malaysia.

No reason to reveal Phua helping gov't

Elaborating on this, Rahim said Zahid had no reason to reveal that Phua was involved in national security matters with the Malaysian government.

"The letter should focus on the main request, which is to explain the existence of the 14K triad in Malaysia and whether Phua is involved with the group.

"But if questions were posed on Phua's cooperation on national security matters, that question should not have been answered as it is none of the US' business," Rahim said.

He said revealing that Phua (left) was working with the Malaysian government would create misconceptions among the people.

In the same vein, Rahim agreed with Zahid's refusal to disclose the exact nature of "national security projects" Phua is supposedly involved in, based on the OSA.

"In the case of Phua, if it is true the government is using his services, we need to shut our mouths as it is considered a top secret," Rahim said.

'Authorities must consult AG Chambers'

Meanwhile, another former police chief Hanif Omar said it was not unusual to "set a thief to catch a thief".

Hanif said the government can also assist informants who are arrested overseas to request for their freedom or reduce their sentence.

However, he said, this would require authorities to refer to the Attorney-General's Chambers and Foreign Affairs Ministry.

While Khalid has declined to comment on the matter in order not to jeopardise the case in the US, sources from the IGP's office told Malaysiakini that the minister did not consult the police before penning the letter.

It was also revealed that Phua did not assist the police on security matters.

I’m not Perkasa’s patron but I support their views, Dr M says

Malay Mail Online

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 19 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today denied a news report claiming he has “parted ways” with Perkasa, saying he still supports the controversial Malay rights group’s views although he never had any formal affiliations with it.

In a blog post this afternoon to rebut the news, the former prime minister said there was no basis to the claim that he had distanced himself from Perkasa because he had grown “uneasy with the group’s direction”.

His only link to Perkasa, the influential former Umno president said, is that he “may” have shared some of his ideas with the group in the past, and that some of his thoughts may have coincided with theirs.

“For starters, I am not formally attached to them,” Dr Mahathir wrote. “However, I must admit that I do support their views.

“Especially when it comes to reacting against extremist views of the non-Malays.”

Dr Mahathir, who was Malaysia’s longest serving prime minister, said during his 22-year tenure in office, groups like Perkasa never existed.

Today, he said, Perkasa’s birth was only due to the rise in “extremist views among the non-Malays” who he said have openly questioned Malay rights and privileges.

Earlier today, news portal The Malaysian Insider reported that Dr Mahathir had parted ways with Perkasa, as he was unhappy with how the group caused and handled racial issues, including a call to burn Bibles.

The Malaysian Insider also reported that Dr Mahathir scolded Perkasa last November during their meeting and had claimed to be unwell to explain his absence at Perkasa’s annual general meeting (AGM) when he was in fact unhappy with the group.

But in an immediate response, the group’s secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali labelled the report “mistorted” and false.

“I do not know from where they got the news that Tun M has started to distance (himself) from Perkasa. We feel that that news is not true,” he told Malay Mail Online when contacted today.

Later, Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali insisted that the group’s relationship with the former prime minister remains intact and told The Malaysian Insider that there was no more credible a source to confirm its report than the former prime minister himself.

“If it is just a source, who is right? Ask Tun M himself,” Ibrahim told Malay Mail Online via text message.

“And why didn’t they ask me as president? I challenge The Malaysian Insider to ask Tun M if it is true he has parted ways with Perkasa.”

Ibrahim further disputed that Dr Mahathir was unhappy with the former’s call for Muslims to burn Malay- and Iban-language Bibles last year, pointing out that the former prime minister had expressed his support in public.

Last October, Dr Mahathir defended the authorities’ decision not to prosecute Ibrahim’s 2013 call to burn Bibles, saying that the latter’s advice was “acceptable to Muslims” and did not intend to provoke clashes between Muslims and non-Muslims.

Dr Mahathir, who had featured prominently in Perkasa events, said that it was an acceptable practice to burn old copies of Quran, adding that prohibitions against disrespecting the Muslim holy book should be extended to the holy texts of other religions.

- See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/im-not-perkasas-patron-but-i-support-their-views-dr-m-says#sthash.nnrEQnUz.dpuf

The nonsense of the fanatics

There's a breakdown in logic in the outbursts against a Hindu temple in Putrajaya and a gurdwara in Bukit Beruntung.

FMT

In recent years, we have been witness to increasing flexing of the muscles by various NGOs and religious fundamentalists, and no occasion makes them peacock their might faster than when another religion tries to build a place for worshippers to congregate.

In the last few days, there have been outbursts against a Hindu temple in Putrajaya and the attempt by the Sikhs of Bukit Beruntung to build a gurdwara on their property.

The accusations made against the Sri Lalithambikai Alayam temple in Putrajaya are specious at best. Putrajaya, being the administrative capital of Malaysia and built on Federal land, can be considered the property of all Malaysians who pay taxes, regardless of creed or class, as a nation’s capital can only be considered so when it belongs to the people. Hence, representation of one of our country’s major religions in the capital should not be an issue here, but not according to Perkasa’s Irwan Fahmi.

Irwan’s premise is that as Putrajaya is a Malay-majority area, the temple gate should face Banting to make it easier for Hindus to reach it. Banting, it seems, has a more sizeable Hindu population than Putrajaya, where only “600 to 700” Hindus reside. He must be given some credit for attempting to frame his argument as a suggestion for the convenience of the worshippers, but the logic fails to impress and bringing up population statistics for Putrajaya only betrays the thinking behind such failed logic.

Indeed, this same kind of thinking can be found in the protest against a gurdwara in Bukit Beruntung. In this case, a banner was put up by those with “sensitivities”, claiming that the site of the gurdwara lies in the kiblat of a mosque, and thus could not be built there. (For the benefit of the uninitiated, the kiblat is the direction in which Muslims face when performing their canonical prayers.) Of course, if the logic of the “sensitive” folk were universally applicable, buildings would have to be razed for miles in Kuala Lumpur alone so that nothing stands in the kiblat of the various mosques in the city.

There is, of course, a reason why the logic in these cases doesn’t quite make sense to a logical mind.

These protests and assertions have nothing to do with religion except for a thin façade. This is nothing more, and nothing less, than an assertion of political and societal superiority to shore up the insecurity and weak-minded thinking of some parties. This thinking is an attack on the guarantees made in the Federal Constitution for the freedom of religion in Article 11, Section 3, which states:

“Every religious group has the right (a) to manage its own religious affairs; (b) to establish and maintain institutions for religious or charitable purposes; and (c) to acquire and own property and hold and administer it in accordance with the law.”

That spirit of muhibbah on which this country was founded is being eroded by this need to assert social superiority over other religions. There needs to be a re-affirmation of mutual respect among the different faiths in Malaysia, in the example of the Prophet (peace be upon him), who once invited Christians from Najran to pray in his mosque before engaging in a dialogue with them. Not only did this gesture of respect show the measure of a great man, but is example of what made the foundations of Islam so strong.

We understand that pluralism is not acceptable to Islam, or rather to some Muslims. But that is no excuse for the blatant disrespect shown to the other faiths by some elements of our society, and a multi-racial, multi-cultural country like Malaysia cannot continue peacefully if our different faiths tread upon each other. We are one people, and we should start acting like it for once.

Blogger Milosuam jailed two years for posting “leaked’ police memo

There’s an issue of jurisdiction as Milosuam stays in Selangor where his blog posting was written. However, he was charged in Sabah.

FMT

KOTA KINABALU: Milosuam, Pro-Pakatan Rakyat blogger Yusuf Siddique Al-Suratman, 29, was jailed the maximum two years on Monday under Section 505 (b) of the Penal Code on a charge of causing fear and public alarm with a blog posting in 2013.

He’s the second pro-Pakatan blogger to be jailed in the last two weeks. The first was SharpShooter, Amizudin Ahmat, jailed for three months on January 8, after being in contempt on articles mentioning former information, communication and culture minister Rais Yatim.

Milosuam has been granted a stay of execution pending appeal. He was initially charged under the Official Secrets Act (OSA).

There’s an issue of jurisdiction as Milosuam stays in Selangor where his posting was written. However, he was charged in Sabah.

Milosuam allegedly published a secret document on the police making preparations for the possibility of an armed intrusion into Sabah. Just before the 2013 General Elections, his blog carried a “leaked” internal police memo which mentioned the possibility of some 1,500 people causing chaos in Kota Kinabalu and Tawau.

Section 505 (b) of the Penal Code pertains to; intent to cause, or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public, or to any section of the public whereby any person may be induced to commit an offence against the state or against the public tranquility.

Counsel Goldam Hamid represented Milosuam. Magistrate Ryan Sagirann Rayner Jr presided.

Dr M: The West only being ‘helpful’ by killing terrorists

Former PM says justice, Western style, means talking human rights on one hand, and justifying the killing of thousands on the other.

FMT

PETALING JAYA: Former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad today commented on the brand of justice the West promotes, saying they thought nothing about killing thousands of Iraqis, Afghans and Arabs but showed great outrage when 12 Frenchmen were killed by two Muslim terrorists in Paris this month.

“Are the Iraqis, the Afghans and the Palestine Arabs not of the human race? Is killing hundreds of thousands of them okay but not 12 Frenchmen?” he asked in his latest blog entry.

According to Mahathir, the West saw it as a “great mission” to come down hard on Muslim terrorists, and added cynically, “People should understand and appreciate. You are just being helpful.”

He also commented on how the West found it “intolerable” that two Muslims chose to kill their “tormentors” for insulting Islam, conveniently choosing not to take into account the 1.4 billion Muslims in the world who “accept their fate”.

He said, “Kill them. Then go after the others. Justice (Western style) will be done.”

In pushing his argument across, Mahathir did clarify that he did not condone the killings at Charlie Hebdo, yet neither did he see how “babies, the children, the sick and the old” deserved to die by the thousands at the hands of Westerners.

“But they were killed. Nobody demonstrated in sympathy with their families over their loss,” he said in reference to the demonstrations held in Paris after the brutal killings.

Implying the West was good at practising double standards, Mahathir said, “Might is always right. But don’t preach to us about human rights, about the right to insult people, about free speech and freedom of the press.”

Saying not much had changed when it came to how Westerners thought and acted, Mahathir said, “You killed the natives by the millions because you wanted their land.”

“You are still killing them so as to rid them of their bad leaders, so they will become democratic.”

PM must put Perkasa in its place over temple in Putrajaya

DAP says Najib Razak should live up to his 1Malaysia slogan and show that moderates will not tolerate extremists like Perkasa.

FMT

IPOH: The DAP has called on the federal government to make the construction of a Hindu temple in Putrajaya, a show of “moderates versus extremists” if Malay rights group Perkasa continued its opposition.

In saying this, DAP national vice-chairman M Kulasegaran urged Prime Minister Najib Razak to lead the moderates in fending off extremists in the battle.

Reminding Najib of his 1Malaysia slogan and his concept of moderation, Kulasegaran added, “Najib has in the past called on the silent majority to speak up against extremism.

“He must speak up now and put Perkasa in its place if the group does not back down from opposing the temple construction in Putrajaya.”

He said the best person to lead this battle was the PM himself, who should position it as a “battle between moderates and the extremists”.

The Hindu temple became something of a controversy when Perkasa Youth chief Irwan Fahmi Ideris questioned why a Hindu temple was being constructed in Putrajaya, a Malay-majority area.

He even suggested that its entrance face Banting, where a sizeable Hindu population resided.

In addressing Irwan’s dissatisfaction, Kulasegaran said Irwan had shown himself to be an extremist and a religious bigot.

“Perkasa’s frequent stirring up of racial and religious issues also shows without a doubt that it is an organisation not fit to exist in this multi racial and multi religious nation,” Kula added.

He also lauded Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor’s rebuke of Perkasa’s objections and his admonishment that Perkasa stop playing up the construction of Sri Lalithambikai Alayam, disclosing that the project was approved some time ago.

“We have built many temples before, building another one in Putrajaya is not going to change the entire population into Hindus,” said Tengku Adnan last week.

Kulasegaran said Tengku Adnan’s whacking of Perkasa was timely and deserved public commendation and support.

Falling oil prices and plunging ringgit: Government must step up to the plate

18 JANUARY 2015
PRESS STATEMENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Falling oil prices and plunging ringgit: Government must step up to the plate

On December 12 last year, I told the people to brace for tougher times ahead because we

were facing a double whammy with declining international crude oil prices coupled with a

depreciation of the Ringgit at levels unseen since the Asian Financial crisis of 1997.

The prices of Brent crude oil have continued to drop. To date, it has plunged by 53% from

last year, that is, from an average of USD 108 per barrel in January 2014 to an average of

USD 51 for January 2015.

Our Ringgit is currently the weakest Asian currency, leaving aside the Yen. It has depreciated

to 3.55 Ringgit per USD from 3.32 Ringgit a year ago. Since October 2014, the ringgit has

lost almost 8.3%.

It is true that other Asian currencies have also fallen against the USD but our drop is almost

double that of the closest laggards such as the Taiwanese dollar and the Singapore dollar at

4.59% and 4.50% against the USD respectively.

Crude palm oil prices have also weakened by approximately 10% to RM 2300 per tonne.

Impact on our revenue

Income from oil and gas makes up 30% of our total government revenue. The 2015 Federal

Budget that was tabled on October 10 last year was based on an oil price range of USD 100

to 105 per barrel.

Even before the plunge to the current levels, Petronas had warned that if crude prices

averaged at USD 70 to 75, its overall contribution to government revenue would fall short of

8%. This means a shortfall of RM 19.4bn of the estimated revenue of RM 242bn against the

2015 budget projection.

Now that the oil prices have dropped by nearly half, what will be the actual impact on our

revenue?

Granted there will be savings in fuel subsidies but, as Maybank Research in its latest

publication says, a revenue shortfall of RM 8.4bn will already outweigh the subsidy saving

and result in a fiscal deficit of 4% of GDP instead of the 3% target for 2015.

According to Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, crude prices may continue to hover

between the USD 40 and 50 range in 2015. What this means is that the impact on government

revenue and deficit will be even greater. Some analysts are warning of deficit levels reaching

as high as 5%. This would be further accentuated if the ringgit continues to weaken and CPO

prices continue to fall.

In terms of equity investment, according to CLSA (Credit Lyonnais Securities Asia),

Malaysia is the worst performing Asian market in 2014. While the stock exchanges in

Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore still managed to chart positive growth, our Bursa suffered

significant declines.

Apart from the factors already stated earlier, there is also the issue of foreign capital

outflows, exiting both Ringgit bonds (owning 45% of total MGS) and equity. With

weakening carry trade attraction and fiscal uncertainties these have driven the Ringgit to

historical lows and pushed MGS yields up and raised financing cost (debt to GDP at 55%).

What the government must do now

First and foremost, corruption and leakages must be tackled. We have already shown in the

Pakatan Rakyat 2015 shadow budget that a conservative saving of only 15% in government

spending leakages could save almost RM20bn or an equivalent of 1.6% of the projected

GDP.

Secondly, we must put a stop to the culture of wastage and opulent and spendthrift ways

cloaked under shady procurement processes and opaque privatisation awards. The

government must stop sweeping bad debts under the off-balance sheet carpet.

There are no alternatives to good governance other than being transparent and truthful with

information relating to the country’s finances. In this regard, we are already saddled with the

scandalous 1MDB. The people will not tolerate yet another one.

Thirdly, a bi-partisan ‘National Crisis Committee’ should be set up without further delay

comprising government and opposition MPs, economists, market experts and other

specialists.

Inter alia, the committee should be tasked with the responsibility of monitoring commodity

prices on a daily basis and given the authority to execute any necessary measures to mitigate

any negative impacts once a consensus is obtained.

Fourthly, the government should be prepared to introduce austerity measures in the event that

oil prices go lower and remain there. This will mean cut-backs on mega projects while

continuing to spend on critical areas such as healthcare, education and the humanitarian

assistance for flood victims.

It should be noted that other oil dependent countries such as Norway (with very good

governance) are already on ‘alert mode’ running scenarios on the long-term effects of low oil

prices.

It is true that the movement of international commodity prices is beyond our control. But

surely we have control over how we spend our money and manage our overall finances.

This is where the government is failing and continues to fail in spite of our repeated calls to

do a reality check and put in place remedial measures. What have they been doing all this

while? Is this the kind of attitude to show case our drive for transformation?

Flood crisis and lessons drawn

It is the same attitude that had resulted in the devastation caused by the recent floods.

Flooding is an annual phenomenon going on for centuries but no serious mitigation measures

were done by the government.

In this regard, we must commend the NGOs who came in droves to help out. Comprising all

the races and religious groups this show of support and readiness to help the victims is

unprecedented and underscores the paramount importance for the Federal government to

work with Pakatan state governments and the NGOs.

Message to the rakyat

Tougher times lie ahead as government spending could be reduced and growth slows down.

The rakyat needs to remain frugal and not take on additional unnecessary debts.

As inflation continues to rise while wages remain stagnant, the rakyat will face greater

economic hardship and income inequality will continue to widen.

Meanwhile, we want the government to come clean on the economic outlook for the nation.

The people await the Tuesday announcement and expect serious and earnest efforts put in for

the restructuring of the 2015 budget.

ANWAR IBRAHIM

Revised 2015 Budget should declare war on corruption, incompetence and extravagance to provide example and leadership of government commitment to austerity, accountability and integrity

By Lim Kit Siang blog,

The revised 2015 Budget should declare war on corruption, incompetence and extravagance to provide example and leadership of government commitment to austerity, accountability and integrity.

Such a campaign would save the Malaysian government and taxpayers scores of billions of ringgit, which would help the country tide through the looming economic crisis as a result of the sharp fall in prices of oil and commodities and the weakening of the Malaysian ringgit.

Despite the greatest investment in anti-corruption campaign, with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission developing into a huge bureaucracy but with very little to show in terms of results, the Najib premiership is still far behind the Abdullah and Mahathir premierships in both ranking and score of the annual Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI).

Malaysia lags seriously behind other countries in the battle against corruption, particularly Indonesia and China, and Malaysia is at risk of being overtaken by these two countries which had occupied the bottom two of rungs of the TI CPI 1995 two decades ago in a matter of a decade.

China had persevered in its anti-corruption campaign against “tigers and flies” while Indonesia had been quite impressive in catching “crocodiles”, but Malaysia had failed to net and jail a single tiger or crocodile in the 34 years of the the Prime Ministers of Tun Dr. Mahathir, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Has the Prime Minister’s Department or the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission ever conducted a study why China could net “tigers” and Indonesia catch “crocodiles” while Malaysia has singularly failed to do, only able to get “ikan bilis” in the last two decades of the anti-corruption campaign?

If the revised 2013 Budget could mark a serious anti-corruption campaign first time in the country’s history, with the jailing of the first “tiger” or “crocodile”, then it would be a most path-breaking event.

The country’s worst floods catastrophe in living memory is also the worst example of the government’s lack of competence and lack of a sense of crisis, resulting in the appalling Federal government responses to the worst floods disaster in history, as well in the other phases of floods disaster management on relief and reconstruction.

The damages of the worst floods catastrophe in living memory in Malaysia would not be so great as to cause over a million flood victims, evacuating a quarter of a million to the various flood relief centres in the country, causing a death toll of at least 25, damages to the tune of billions of ringgit and the devastation of Ground Zero zones like Manek Urai, Manjur and Karangan, if both the Federal and State Governments, particularly the National Security Council chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, had been better prepared for the floods disasters.

The false claim by the Deputy Finance Minister, Datuk Ahmad Maslan that the Federal Government had spent RM800 million on January 5 to help the flood victims in terms of food, logistics and clean-up operations when only RM41 million had been spent to date, is the best evidence of the incompetence and ineptitude of Federal Ministers in charge of the destiny of Malaysians.

I do not believe that Maslan had set out to deliberately lie or mislead Malaysians with his false and ridiculous RM800 million claim, as once it was made, everyone on the ground involved in the flood relief operations knew it was utter rubbish, as nobody could sense or feel the hundreds of millions of ringgit which the Federal Government claims to have been spent.

The very fact that a Deputy Finance Minister could make such a blooper is an indication of the quality of governance in Malaysia.

The annual reports of the Auditor-General provides reams of example of government waste, extravagance and ineptitude year after year.

I had suggested that Najib should set example by slashing by at least 50 per cent the RM19.1 billion budget for the Prime Minister’s Department, which involved gargantuan “slush funds” solely to further the political agenda of the ruling coalition.

The Federal Government is also bloated with too many Ministries and Ministers as compared to other countries like Australia and India.

For a start, let Najib slash the number of Ministers and Ministries by at least 10 per cent – to mark a new era of government austerity and integrity.

In airman’s sacking, law experts see military authorities breaching natural justice, constitution

Malay Mail
by YISWAREE PALANSAMY

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 16 — Malaysia’s armed forces had failed to abide by the rules of natural justice and the Federal Constitution in the recent sacking of airman Major Zaidi Ahmad for blowing the whistle on the weaknesses of the electoral ink touted as indelible in the 2013 polls, law experts said last night.

Speaking at a forum organised by electoral reforms watchdog Bersih 2.0 here, Malaysian Bar vice-president Steven Thiru said that natural justice forms the cornerstone of the country’s supreme law.

He pointed out that the military tribunal that tried and sentenced Zaidi does not function “within the four corners of the constitution”, but stressed that even without that, the special court has a duty to dispense justice according to existing law.

“You will be surprised to know that the Military Court can imprison and even sentence a service personnel to death. It has very wide powers,” the lawyer said.

“There must be rights for both parties to be heard and a breach of the rule of natural justice can render the decision unlawful,” he added.

Steven said that in Malaysia, the right to work is not a contractual right alone but is also a constitutional right as it is essentially a person’s right to live.

Alluding to Zaidi’s case, the lawyer suggested that the dismissal of the airman who had served 26 years with the military was an example of this breach of natural justice.

“If you are going to sack someone therefore, you have to grant the person the right to be heard and you cannot get rid of someone in breach of natural justice as you will also breach his constitutional right,” he said.

The Bar Council man was not alone in his view.

Universiti Selangor law lecturer Dr Abdul Aziz Bari noted the tradition of following superior orders and natural justice sometimes conflict with each other in the military.

However, he said that the Federal Constitution as the country’s highest law, takes precedence to orders issued by a superior military officer, especially in Zaidi’s case.

“In this, I don’t see the logic as to how Major Zaidi was dismissed because he disregarded a superior order, because we have a constitution and what he did is legit under the constitution.

“He was just exercising the moral duty of a responsible citizen by lodging a police report. We are dealing with a situation whereby a public authority like the Election Commission failed to do its job,” the academic said, adding, “So where does his fault really lie?”

Abdul Aziz said that even orders issued by the military must be based on the law and be just, adding that morality cannot be set aside.

“Moral imperative must prevail otherwise, what’s the point of the Federal Constitution?” he asked, alluding to the question of bias raised by Zaidi’s defence team during the latter’s court martial last year.

On November 5, 2014 Zaidi’s lawyers had applied to dissolve the military court panel which presided over his disciplinary case for publicly complaining about the indelible ink, claiming that there has been “real bias”.

Mohamed Hanipa Maidin, the lead counsel for Zaidi, said that his client had found a comment in response to an October 20, 2014 article by news portal Malaysiakini, allegedly made by one of the judges in this case which would indicate bias.

In Zaidi's affidavit that was sighted by reporters, the comment was posted on October 21 under the name of one “Saadon T'son”, with the remark being “Klu tak nak jd tentera duduk kampung motong getah jer.” (If don't want to be in the military, just stay in the village and tap rubber.”

Steven pointed out that with the shadow of bias hanging over the military tribunal, it would have been proper for the person alleged to have voluntarily stepped down.

“Usually, the person implicated as having a strong notion against or for the case must disqualify themselves. He or she may not be biased but there is a likelihood of bias… justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done and even if the judge carries on with the ruling, questions will still arise, even though their judgement was right,” Steven said.

He pointed out that while the tribunal reserves the right to dismiss Zaidi, it has to take note of another implied rule, that the decision imposed must commensurate with the offence.

“The question that must be asked now is if the dismissal was harsh,” Steven said.

On Monday, a five-man panel in the Military Court here found Zaidi to be guilty of two charges — publishing an article without the consent of the Defence Ministry, and revealing the contents of official documents on the indelible ink without authorisation from the Malaysian Armed Forces Council.

The airman who had served for 26 years was sentenced to be dismissed from the military.

Indelible ink was introduced in Election 2013 as one of the main safeguards against repeat voting, but the scandal surrounding its easy removal transformed it into a symbol of the widespread electoral fraud allegedly perpetrated to keep the Barisan Nasional coalition in power.

Najib To Announce Specific, Proactive Economic Policy Measures Tomorrow

By Azlina Aziz

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 19 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is expected to announce Tuesday specific and proactive measures to deal with current economic developments and the financial situation in Malaysia.

The measures will include strategies to help the people and business community affected by the recent floods and to rebuild damaged infrastructure.

Although there is no economic crisis, the government is taking preemptive measures in view of the changing global economic landscape beyond Malaysia's control.

The measures will not only ensure the economy continues to record respectable and reasonable growth in the coming years but also that development for the nation and the people continues.

Najib, who is also Finance Minister, will detail the positive and negative impact of falling crude oil prices and the latest forecast to the nation and people.

The recent 60 per cent fall in oil prices affects the global economy, and Malaysia is no exception.

When addressing the Prime Minister's Department's first monthly assembly for the year Monday morning, Najib said an accurate and wise approach was necessary to mitigate the effects of the oil price slump on economic growth, national revenue and the value of the ringgit.

"Amid this new scenario, we will act more proactively to ensure a sustainable growth rate and protect the people's rights so that their well-being is not adversely affected," he said.

He is expected to address the uncertainty in capital flows and the value of the ringgit, which has slipped to a five-and-half-year low of 3.60 against the dollar.

Dua pendaki Amerika cipta sejarah tawan tebing El Capitan

Christian nurse, 37, says she was sacked for 'harassment and bullying' after PRAYING for a Muslim colleague

• Christian nurse Victoria Wasteney, 37, prayed with her ill Muslim co-worker
• She offered Enya Nawaz, 25, a shoulder to cry on when she was unwell
• She also gave Miss Nawaz book about a Muslim who becomes a Christian
• But Miss Nawaz complained her colleague had tried to convert her
• Miss Wasteney was suspended for nine months and warned about her faith
• Now she is taking the hospital to a tribunal over religious discrimination

By Ollie Gillman for MailOnline

A Christian nurse claims she was sacked for 'harassment and bullying' after she prayed for a troubled Muslim colleague.

Victoria Wasteney, 37, a senior occupational health therapist at a mental hospital in east London, offered support to a fellow nurse when she was unwell.

Miss Wasteney says she put her hand on young colleague Enya Nawaz's knee and asked if she could pray for her, saying: 'God, I trust You will bring peace and You will bring healing.'

The pair had been on friendly terms for months, so Miss Wasteney, who describes herself as a 'born-again Christian', was furious when she was suspended from work for 'harassing' Miss Nawaz.

East London NHS Foundation Trust suspended her for nine months on full pay, gave her a written warning and told her not to discuss her faith with co-workers.

But the nurse, from Buckhurst Hill, Essex, will on Tuesday begin a legal challenge against the trust for discriminating against her for her religion.

Miss Wasteney, who worked at the John Howard Centre - a mental hospital in Homerton, east London - told the Sunday Telegraph: 'I'm not a hard-line evangelical. I'm not anti-Muslim. I believe in freedom of speech, but I've always believed we should be sensitive to one another's beliefs and feelings.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2915253/Christian-nurse-37-says-sacked-harassment-bullying-praying-Muslim-colleague.html

Anti-terror chief tells police not to go out on the streets alone amid rising fears of a plot to murder an officer - as Met deploy hundreds more armed officers

• Advice issued by nation's counter-terrorism chief Mark Rowley
• Fears of an attack raised after events in France that left 17 dead
• Among the dead in the atrocities in Paris were three police officers
• Last week Belgian police killed jihadists wanting to behead a policeman
• Mr Rowley advised force chiefs to abandon lone patrols where possible

By Abul Taher and Ian Gallagher for The Mail on Sunday

Police were last night urged to patrol in pairs for their own safety amid rising fears of a terrorist plot to murder an officer on UK streets.

The advice was issued by the nation's counter-terrorism chief as it was revealed that hundreds of extra firearms officers will be deployed across London.

Fears of an attack in Britain were raised after the atrocities in France that left 17 dead, among them three police officers.

And they intensified last week when Belgian commandos killed Islamic State (IS) fanatics who wanted to behead a policeman or judge in a plot echoing the murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby in Woolwich.

Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, the national police lead for counter-terrorism, has now advised force chiefs in England and Wales to 'review the safety and security of staff' urgently – and to abandon lone patrols where necessary.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2914986/Anti-terror-chief-tells-police-not-streets-amid-rising-fears-plot-murder-officer.html

Subramaniam says party boss refused to meet him over MIC crisis – Bernama

MIC deputy president Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam has reiterated that he did not meet party president Datuk Seri G. Palanivel to discuss the party’s present crisis in detail.

He said many of his attempts to meet Palanivel had failed, "except for our cursory meetings in Cabinet".

"(Nevertheless) There have been reports in the press about some imaginary conversation between the (party) president and me, written by some highly imaginative journalist," he said in a statement today.

Dr Subramaniam said on January 7, he had requested to meet Palanivel, to which the party president agreed after the Cabinet meeting.

However, the meeting did not materialise.

"Subsequently, we happened to meet in Cabinet where we exchanged a few statements and once again, I reiterated the need to find a holistic solution to the proble and my willingness to work together to solve the problem, in line with the Registrar of Societies’ (RoS) decisions."

At the Cabinet meeting, he said Palanivel only raised his concern on the need to hold two elections, one in 2015 and another in 2016, but did not share his views on how he intended to solve the problem.

On December 5, RoS, among others, directed MIC to conduct re-elections for 23 central working committee and three vice-presidential seats in 90 days because there were claims of irregularities and violations of the party constitution and Societies Act.

RoS also told MIC to hold again elections for eight divisions in 60 days, namely for Bayan Baru, Bukit Gelugor, Subang, Bandar Baru Kulim, Taiping, Tambun, Sepang and Jasin.

It also directed the party to conduct elections again for Batu Kawan (deputy chairman), Kota Raja (division chairman), Tanjung Malim (division chairman) and Taman Koperasi Polis (branch chairman) in 30 days.

The party was also advised not to hold an annual general meeting as long as the matters remained unresolved. – Bernama, January 18, 2015.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/subramaniam-says-party-boss-refused-to-meet-him-over-mic-crisis-bernama#sthash.bv0b57bV.dpuf

Anwar willing to assist anti-graft body if it investigates Daim

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is willing to cooperate with the Malaysian anti-graft body if it investigates former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin's banking business abroad.

However, he cautioned that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) must carry out its duties professionally.

"If they ask me, I will give my cooperation, no problem. It is my responsibility to help facilitate investigations. But they have to be professional," he said after a dialogue with Selangor youth in Petaling Jaya today.

He said he had "proof" of Daim's alleged abuse of powers but it was shelved. However, he did not elaborate on the statement, although he said MACC should not focus its investigations solely on Daim's banking business.

Opposition politicians had previously urged anti-graft authorities to investigate Daim, with PKR's Youth chief Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin in November last year highlighting the lack of police action against the former finance minister despite a police report lodged in 1999.

Anwar had lodged that report 15 years ago, accusing Daim of amassing billions of ringgit in African and Eastern Europe banks through proxies.

Three days ago, Daim had expressed his willingness to cooperate with MACC, but stressed that pressure groups should not interfere.

In a statement to state news agency Bernama, Daim had said he was confident the MACC would be able to carry out the probe.

"I stand ready to support and cooperate with MACC in its investigation," he said in the statement.

It was reported previously that Daim had confirmed owning a bank in Tanzania, but denied any abuse of power.

Daim was quoted by the news report as saying that he had been investigated on the matter twice in 1999, and they found nothing.

Pro-Umno bloggers recently reported that Daim had been attacked by cybertroopers aligned to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak for criticising Putrajaya's handling of the economy.

Daim, along with former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, have emerged as strong critics of Najib's administration over his handling of the economy and national politics.

In what is seen as a psychological war, Najib's supporters in the press and online portals have been attacking Daim with critical articles.

But veteran journalist Datuk A. Kadir Jasin warned a few days ago that the Umno-controlled media group, Media Prima Bhd, should stop sniping at Daim as it could backfire on Najib.

Najib was more vulnerable to personal attacks than Daim and other critics, Kadir, the retired editor of the New Straits Times Press group, said in his blog.

"The cheap shots about Mohd Najib's critics might smear their image but these people are not the PM and they don't have political positions," said Kadir, referring to the PM by his full name.

"But the juicier stories about Mohd Najib, if there is, can topple him," Kadir said.

Besides opposition lawmakers, Daim and Dr Mahathir, even pro-Umno bloggers who had supported Najib to be prime minister were now becoming critical of him.

Najib took over from former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in April 2008 after the loss of Barisan Nasional's two-thirds majority in the March general election that year.

Among others, Najib has been criticised for his cash aid programme, the 1Malaysia People’s Aid or BR1M, which Dr Mahathir said failed to attract voters back to BN, in addition to being unsustainable.

Najib's brainchild, the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) strategic development fund, also came under scrutiny for its massive debts and opaque operations.

Malaysia's mainstream media, which must have a government permit, have not highlighted the criticism against Najib but instead have cast aspersions on the complaints about his rule.

"So they try to weaken Daim's credibility and at the same time, force a clash between Mohd Najib and Daim," Kadir said. – January 18, 2015.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/anwar-willing-to-assist-anti-graft-body-if-it-investigates-daim#sthash.lsE7R9xW.dpuf

DAP MP hails Ku Nan as role model for ministers

Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, who rarely earns praise from the opposition, has been hailed by a DAP MP as a role model for other cabinet ministers.

This comes after Tengku Adnan slammed right-wing group Perkasa for questioning the construction of the  Sri Lalithambikai Alayam Hindu temple in Putrajaya.

"Tengku Adnan’s whacking of Perkasa is most timely and welcomed and deserves commendation and support from Malaysians.

"It is hoped that more Muslim ministers can come out to rebuke Perkasa so as to send  a strong and clear message that religious bigotry has no place in this multiracial and multireligious nation," said DAP's Ipoh Barat MP M Kulasegaran.

Perkasa Youth chief Irwan Fahmi had questioned the need for a Hindu temple in Putrajaya as the overwhelming majority of population there are Muslims.

He had also asked for the temple to face away from Putrajaya, towards Banting, as more Hindus live there.

Tengku Adnan, who is also Putrajaya MP, yesterday said he didn't know why Perkasa was "making noise" and a Hindu temple wouldn't turn the entire Putrajaya population into Hindus.

Kulasegaran (left) said Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak who has often asked the silent majority to speak up against extremism, should also speak up himself on this matter.

"If Perkasa does not back down from opposing the temple construction, I propose to the federal government and the prime minister to make the temple construction an issue of the battle between the moderates and the extremists," he said.

Kulasegaran also slammed Perkasa's Fahmi for being a "religious bigot".

"His insensitive, irresponsible and ignorant remarks have enraged the Hindu community and strengthened Perkasa’s right wing and extremist image," said Kulasegaran.

‘Abolish death penalty to bring back Sirul’

Human rights campaigner's way to bring justice to Altantuya and learn the full truth about 'beastly affair'.

FMT

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia should now abolish the death penalty, so that a convicted killer of Altantuya Shaariibuu may be brought back from Australia; and the truth about her killing uncovered, a human rights campaigner said today.

Kua Kia Soong, adviser to human rights organisation Suaram, said full justice had not been delivered in the Altantuya case because the motive for her murder had never been established in the courts.

Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu, a model and translater, was shot and her body blown up in the jungles near Subang, Selangor, in a case involving commissions for the Navy’s purchase of two submarines.

Last week the Federal Court reinstated the death penalty on two policemen, Chief Insp Azilah Hadri and Cpl Sirul Azhar Umar, members of an elite VIP bodyguard unit, for her murder. A third accused, defence analyst Abdul Razak Baginda, had been acquitted without his defence being called.

Sirul is now reported to be in Australia but a Malaysian request for his extradition is complicated by Australian policy not to repatriate anyone facing the death penalty, which has been abolished there.

Dr Kua said if the death penalty was abolished, Sirul might be brought back and he raised the possibility of a fresh trial to uncover the whole truth.

However if the death penalty was carried out, “we will never know the full story of why they murdered the woman, whether she was connected with the purchase of the RM7 billion Scorpene submarines, or if they were induced by people in power to murder her”.

He pointed to “too many inconsistencies” in the case, such as:

• the assertion that all records of Altantuya’s entry and presence in Malaysia were erased from the computers of the Immigration Department;
• the sudden removal of the presiding judge before the trial started and the changing of the head of the prosecution team at the eleventh hour;
• the fact that defence lawyers for the accused kept changing, with one walking out on the first day while charging that “third parties” were interfering in his work;
• that defence lawyers and prosecutors both stopping Altantuya’s cousin from testifying further when she revealed that the victim had shown her a photograph of herself, Razak Baginda (an associate of Najib Razak, then defence minister), Najib and “others” having lunch in a Paris restaurant; and
• the possibility of plea bargaining

Dr Kua speculated about the possibility of a fresh trial being ordered and said if the death penalty was abolished, it might be possible to induce the two convicted men to “spill the beans over the whole beastly affair” in exchange for a shorter sentence.

He said doing away with capital punishment would help avoid irrevocable miscarriages of justice, which usually take time to surface, pointing to the film Hurricane about a US boxer who spent 20 years in jail for a murder he did not commit.

Capital punishment has been abolished in about a quarter of the world’s countries, including most of Europe and Australia.

Kedah Sultan speaks out against jihadists

Days after NYT video of jihadist from Kedah madrassah, Sultan speaks out against militant violence.

FMT

ALOR STAR: The Sultan of Kedah, on his official birthday today, spoke out against religious extremism which has resulted in Muslims being lured into joining jihadist movements in foreign countries.

Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah, who turned 87, said it was a sin for Muslims to murder fellow Muslims, totally contradicting true Islamic teachings that propagate peace.

His speech came days after the New York Times published a video about religious teacher Mohd Lotfi Ariffinat who left for Syria, to join jihadists fighting President Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

The New York Times said Mohd Lotfi, 46, was one of a few dozen Malaysians who have joined militant rebel groups in Syria, including the Islamic State.

It quoted Malaysia’s counter-terrorism official Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay as saying: “It’s easy and it’s more organised there. You can join any group that you want there.”

A New York Times video follows the path taken by Lotfi, as documented on his Facebook postings, from Kuala Ketil to Syria, where he sought martyrdom. The Facebook pages have since been taken down.

Malaysian security officials have also reported that some Malaysians had taken personal loans or sold off their property in order to join the militant Islamic groups.

The Sultan, in his speech at an investiture ceremony, condemned the action of Malaysian Muslims in going to war.

“These so called jihadists’ action in killing fellow Muslims is a sin, as pointed out in the Al Quran. Repent and return to the true Islamic teachings which embrace peace,” he said at Istana Anak Bukit, quoted by the New Straits Times.

He urged parents to closely monitor their children to prevent them from being influenced by “ideologies which contradict true Islamic teachings”. The Sultan’s speech was read by Kedah Regency Council chairman Tunku Sallehuddin Sultan Badlishah, as the Sultan is currently serving his second term as Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

The Sultan also spoke about inter-racial and religious harmony being compromised by those abusing the freedom of speech, and said “it is obvious that the Federal Constitution was formulated to prevent conflict among the rakyat. If the rakyat loves peace and stability like I do, use the freedom wisely,” he said.

His remarks about free speech come a week after civil liberties lawyer Eric Paulsen was arrested under the Sedition Act for criticising Jakim, the Islamic affairs department. Jakim and the police said Paulsen had “insulted Islam” by criticising the department.

In other remarks in the royal speech, which is usually drafted by the state government, the Sultan also hoped that the federal government would approve the Kedah government’s proposal for an international airport in Kulim. The airport project, initiated by menteri besar Mukhriz Mahathir, has been opposed by the Penang state government, which sees it as a threat to the state’s progress.

SEE ALSO: The Jihadist in Our Family – New York Times

Malaysian admits sex with 31 boys in Singapore

Court told Ipoh-born man made friends on Facebook, had sex with boys in public places.

FMT

SINGAPORE: An Ipoh-born quality assurance engineer has admitted having sex with 31 boys aged between 11 and 15 after befriending them on Facebook under different names.

Yap Weng Wah pleaded guilty on Friday to 12 charges of sex with boys, with 64 other charges to be taken into account for his sentencing.

Prosecutors told the court that he and 30 of the boys engaged in sexual acts at his rented flat, toilets of shopping centres and swimming complexes, hotel rooms and a public park.

He recorded the sex acts on his mobile phone, storing them in his laptop computer, in folders indicating each boy’s name, age and year they met, the Straits Times reported.

He also asked a 12-year-old to send a video of the boy performing a lewd act, the Straits Times reported.

Police found more than 2,000 video clips in his computer when they raided his home after one of the boys made a report.

On Friday, Yap pleaded guilty in court to 12 charges, while 63 other charges of sexual penetration of a minor and one for procuring a child to commit an indecent act will be taken into consideration at sentencing.

The prosecutor seeks a penalty of at least 30 years’ jail and 24 strokes of the rotan.

Yap was reported to have come to Singapore in 2009. His two younger siblings and mother live in Ipoh. His father moved to New Zealand when he was eight years old, the report said.

Ponggal makes its mark in Sarawak

State minister urges more to join in for bigger celebrations next year.

FMT

KUCHING: The Tamil harvest festival, Ponggal, marked by the Malaysian Indian community at a special function at the Kuching Waterfront today received government encouragement for celebrations to be held every year.

State welfare, women and family development minister Fatimah Abdullah encouraged the organisers to come up with a bigger event next year, adding the state government was ready to encourage more non-governmental organisations to join in.

Fatimah lauded the event as this enabled social interaction to foster understanding among the various communities and pave the way for respect and harmony in a multi-racial country.

More than 108 people took part, most of whom gathered under the canopy to cook a sweet dish made of rice and milk.

Other activities at the celebration, held by the Sarawak chapter of the Malaysian Hindu Sangam, included cultural dance performances, a Kolam drawing demonstration and kabbadi games.

Malaysia Hindu Sangam president Mohan Shan said he was happy to see a large multi-racial turnout, despite the drizzling rain.

He said that among the functions of the Malaysia Hindu Sangam was the preservation of the culture and traditions of the Hindus and added that today’s event was a great achievement for the Indian community in Malaysia.

- BERNAMA

Move temple entrance for easy drive: Perkasa

After temple criticism, Malay rights group says it's to avoid a detour through Putrajaya.

FMT

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malay rights group Perkasa, criticised for its remarks on a new Hindu temple in Putrajaya, has said it suggested the entrance be moved for the convenience of Hindu devotees.

It was so “they don’t have to take a detour through Putrajaya”, he said, quoted by the Malaysian Insider.

Irwan Fahmi, head of Perkasa Youth had suggested that the temple entrance face Banting (on the Selangor coast) instead of Putrajaya.

He said there were only 600-700 Hindus in Putrajaya but the temple was big enough for 10,000 people. “It’s already 85% complete, so I’m asking for something realistic, that an entrance from Banting be built,” he said, according to the Insider.

Irwan said Perkasa respected freedom of religion and the sensitivity of other faiths, but it would be more realistic for the temple’s entrance not to be in Putrajaya.

He then reminded Putrajaya MP Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, who had told Perkasa to stop playing up the issue, that Tengku Adnan had won the parliamentary seat due to Malay support.

He questioned if Ku Nan would approve a Chinese temple in Putrajaya. “We do not oppose it, but the location is not suitable,” Irwan said.

Cabinet on Wednesday should uphold the principles of good governance and accountability and declassify information on the “national security projects” involving alleged gambling kingpin Paul Phua which the police knew nothing about

Lim Kit Siang Blog

Zahid Hamidi will become the standing joke in the world for a bumbling and bungling Home Minister so long as he does not come clean and admit that his infamous letter to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) vouching for the character of an alleged gambling kingpin, Paul Phua, standing trial in Las Vegas, Nevada for illegal gambling, was an egregious error of judgment.

Zahid, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the entire Cabinet should not delude themselves into thinking that the Zahid-Phua-Shafee-Khalid quadrilateral tangle would just disappear into thin air if the Home Minister invokes the Official Secrets Act followed by a blanket of silence on the issue from official quarters.

Zahid is supposed to be one of the smartest political leaders in the UMNO pantheon but he could not have been more foolish and self-destructive in his outrageous “defence” of his infamous letter to the FBI, going against not only the Police, the Foreign Ministry and the national interests but simple common sense!

If Zahid is not prepared to come clean and honest and publicly admit and apologise for his infamous letter to the FBI vouching for the character of an alleged gambling kingpin, the Cabinet at its meeting on Wednedsay must revisit the issue and take a stand which is in accord with national interests.

The Malaysian public are entitled to know whether the Cabinet had approved and endorsed Zahid’s infamous letter to the FBI after Zahid’s explanation, and the invocation of the Official Secrets Act to hide the nature of the “national security projects” involving Phua which even the Police knew nothing about!
The Cabinet should let Malaysians know whether there had been such “national security projects” involving Phua in the past, how many of them and why the Police knew nothing about it.

The Cabinet should in fact decide on Wednesday whether in the interests of upholding the principles of good governance, accountability and transparency, and in keeping with the much-vaunted Government Transformation Programme, information on the so-called “national security projects” involving Phua which even the police knew nothing about, should be declassified and its details made known to the public.

Malaysians are eager to know what could be these “national security projects” involving Phua which even the Police knew nothing about – whether all these “national security projects” happened during Zahid’s 19-month tenure as Home Minister from May 2013 or whether Zahid had inherited the “national security projects” involving Phua from the previous Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.