And if it should come to pass, then what?

In my ‘Can you feel it coming?’ post on 11th July, I ask :
Has the stage been set?
Do you feel it coming?
Suara Keadilan permit in jeopardy?
Harakah’s?
The Rocket’s?
Chegubard’s arrest Friday night last over a Najib – Altantuya post on his blog?
Is this the first of many more?
Do you feel it coming?
According to Gerakan Mansuhkan ISA, and as reported by  Malaysiakini, on 15th July, a Malaysian re-entering the country from Thailand was detained under the ISA, allegedly for being involved in an international terrorist network.
We’ll never know, will we, as long as the detention is under the ISA?
And, if RPK is to be believed, the ISA is no longer just about protecting national security, but is also about shielding personal improprieties from public scrutiny.
Dr Kua Kia Soong, himself an ex-ISA detainee, was reported by Malaysiakini on 21st July as saying that ‘there was a good reason why the government was still clutching on to the archaic Internal Security Act’
“The reason is because they want to be ready for a crackdown. It is always there for them in case of a rainy day…Umno seems to be unsure of what to do after the last general election. They are flip-flopping as to whether to continue to be more racist and hold on to their power or to be more attentive to the human rights condition,” , Dr Kua is reported to have said.
UMNO people I’ve spoken to reckon that the Najib administration, aided by advisers with their thinking caps on, would be too bashful to resort to a ‘Ops Lalang’ type crackdown.
“What would de Niro think? Who would duet with Rosmah in New York after that?”, they jokingly asked.
These same UMNO chaps acknowledge, though, that UMNO is not in thinking mode these days and is running around like a desperate two-headed chicken, pulling the leaders and  members in opposing directions, and tearing at the seams of the party.
And, they concede, a desperate UMNO might will resort to the ISA.
A thinking UMNO, they reason, would instead resort to the Sedition Act.
Sedition charge in court, quickie trial, quickie conviction, jail, no bail pending appeal, delayed hearing of any appeal.
Different, somewhat protracted route, but same desired effect.
Voices of the people silenced.
I told them that as UMNO plans, God says in the Holy Qur’an that He too plans and that He is the best of planners. As God assures us that He is only with the righteous, He cannot be with UMNO.
They laughed.
Earlier this week, I spoke to a few ‘voices of the people’.
They all share Dr’ Kua’s point of view.
I want to quote one of them, whose words generally echoed the sentiments expressed by the others.
“I have been speaking up for the freedom of the people. I will continue to do so. If they take me in, it remains to be seen whether the people, like those in 1987, will be indifferent, or will rise to set me free. My fate would be in their hands”.

If it should come to pass, then what?
Posted by Haris Ibrahim

Penjawat Awam Wajib Menunaikan Amanah Yang Dipertanggungjawabkan

Prinsip asas pentadbiran awam adalah jelas: ketaatan kepada ‘government of the day’. Dan prinsip ini digunapakai di seluruh dunia. Dalam erti kata lain,biar pemerintah datang dan pergi, penjawat awam harus terus mencurahkan khidmat bakti kepada negara dan rakyat.

Sikap Pegawai Pembangunan Negeri Pulau Pinang, Nik Ali Wan Yunus nyata sangat mendukacitakan. Meskipun Nik Ali merupakan pegawai lantikan persekutuan,tetapi memandangkan beliau merupakan penjawat awam yang berkhidmat di Pulau Pinang,maka keakuran beliau kepada Kerajaan Negeri harus diletakkan sebagai prioriti.

Biarpun ada kecenderungan politik, penjawat awam harus kekal neutral dan telus,demi menjunjung integriti dan akauntabiliti perkhidmatan awam.Asal saja sesiapa yang memerintah,maka taat setia penjawat awam harus diberi. Prinsip ini sewajarnya digunapakai di negeri-negeri Pakatan Rakyat.Penjawat awam harus kekal menjadi tiang seri.

Kenyataan Ketua Setiausaha Negara juga tampak mengecewakan,apabila melihat tidak ada keperluan Nik Ali untuk dipersalahkan,malah punya hak untuk mempertahankan diri dan dipertahankan. Kononnya Nik Ali dimalukan. Prinsip ini tidak pula digunakan apabila Nazri Aziz menyerang pegawai Kementerian pembangunan Usahawan dan Koperasi apabila timbul isu permit teksi satu masa dulu.Sewaktu Tukiman Nail dihadiahi penyapu oleh Khir Toyo,tidak juga dipertahan sedemikian rupa.Apakah kerana yang menyerang penjawat awam ini politikus Umno maka mereka perlu senyap?

Penjawat awam merupakan nadi kepada pembangunan negara. Malah merekalah tunjang kepada kestabilan sesebuah kerajaan. Justeru jangan dicemar profesionalisme mereka.

ANWAR IBRAHIM

FDI crashing because investors lost faith, says DAP

By Boo Su-Lyn | The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, July 25 — A lack of confidence in Malaysia’s economy has driven foreign direct investment (FDI) to our neighbours, leaving the once-roaring “Asian tiger” to compete with Indochina countries, the DAP said today.

The World Foreign Investment Report (WIR) 2010 released by the United Nations showed that FDI in Malaysia plunged 81 per cent last year, trailing behind countries like the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore.

“For the first time ever in history, Malaysia attracted less investment than the Philippines,” DAP national publicity secretary Tony Pua said in a statement today.

The Philippines attracted US$1.95 billion (RM6.24 billion) in FDI compared to Malaysia’s US$1.38 billion, while Singapore raked in the most — more than US$16 billion.

“Among Southeast Asian nations, we are now only attracting more FDI than Cambodia, Myanmar, Brunei, Laos and Timor-Leste,” added Pua.

“What was previously unimaginable, that we may one day be compared to countries such as Cambodia and Myanmar, is now a real possibility,” said the Petaling Jaya Utara MP, pointing out that those countries had also attracted less than US$2 billion in FDIs last year.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has been trying to lift Malaysia’s profile as a destination for foreign investment to help the country achieve an average gross domestic product (GDP) growth of at least six per cent per annum over the next five years.

But Malaysia’s FDI rates have fallen faster than other regional players like Singapore and China, and at the same time capital outflows have dampened private domestic investments.

The Najib administration has also warned that the economy may slow down in the second half of the year due to external factors but have insisted that a six per cent growth was still achievable.

Today, Pua also said that Malaysia had suffered the biggest decline of FDI in Southeast Asia from 2008 till 2009.

“The government cannot use the excuse of the (global financial) crisis as the reason for the precipitous drop in FDI as we have performed the worst compared to all other countries big and small in the region,” said Pua.

Data revealed that Malaysia suffered a large 81.1 per cent drop in FDIs compared to far healthier figures in Thailand (30.4 per cent), Vietnam (44.1 per cent) and Indonesia (44.7 per cent).

However, Singapore, Brunei, Philippines and Myanmar still managed to register positive growth, said Pua.

Pua, also DAP’s chief economist, pointed out that Malaysia was the sole Southeast Asian nation to have registered a net negative FDI flow last year.

“Malaysia was the only country where our outflow of FDI amounting to US$8.04 billion is substantially greater than the FDI of US$1.38 billion received,” said Pua.

“Not only are foreign investors unwilling to invest in Malaysia, our own local investors as well as foreign investors who are already in the country have a total lack of confidence in the ability of our economy to generate an attractive return to their investments,” added Pua.

He pointed out that Malaysia’s net FDI flows have declined from US$2.56 billion in 2004 and US$1.09 billion (2005), to a net negative US$0.02 billion (2006), negative US$2.7 billion (2007) and negative US$7.67 billion in 2008.

“Despite Datuk Seri Najib repeatedly insisting that the era where ‘the government knows best’ is over, his administration continues to crowd out private investments by directly awarding mega-projects to government-linked entities, such as the Sungai Buloh land to an Employee Provident Fund joint venture with the government, or the Sungai Besi airport redevelopment, to the 1 Malaysia Development Fund,” said Pua.

“Without these necessary and critical changes to the government’s economic policies, the Malaysian economy will only continue to drift away from the radar of both local and foreign investors,” he added.

Pua went on to criticise Najib for not moving ahead with his New Economic Model, pointing out the prime minister had been forced to call it a “trial balloon” after a sour reaction from some Malay groups.

FAM: Khairy Throws His Weight Behind Tengku Abdullah And Annuar Musa

KUALA LUMPUR, July 25 (Bernama) -- Incumbent Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) deputy president Khairy Jamaluddin who is not seeking re-election, has decided to back Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah and Tan Sri Annuar Musa for the post of two deputy presidents.

Khairy said Tengku Abdullah's partnership with Annuar would be a perfect combination to steer Malaysian football to new heights.

"Tengku Abdullah is my choice for the post because I respect him and confident he can bring about changes.

"Tan Sri Annuar Musa is also a good choice and I see their partnership as a very capable one," he told reporters when asked his choice of candidates for the forthcoming FAM Congress on Saturday.

Khairy who earlier attended a 'gotong royong' organised by the Kelana Jaya Umno Youth division in Taman Desa Ria here said though during his tenure the Malaysian squad had won the SEA Games gold medal in Laos, it would not be enough to stimulate the development of football in the country.

Khairy said he had previously discussed the prospect of developing Malaysian football, with former international Lim Teong Kim who is currently coaching the Bayern Munich youth squad in Germany, but the proposal was not given much attention.

"I had discussed with Lim and he had offered himself to assist, but the decision made did not reflect the dedication of some to change the direction of Malaysian football," he said.

As such, he urged the delegates to choose capable individuals who can contribute towards the development of football in the country.

The Congress would elect office bearers who would chart the path of Malaysian football for the next four years (2010-2014).

Among the candidates vying for the deputy president's posts are Datuk Seri Redzuan Sheikh Ahmad, Datuk Che Mat Jusoh, Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim and Datuk Abdul Mokhtar Ahmad.

The FAM executive committee will be made up of 15 members, comprising a President, two deputy presidents, four vice presidents and eight executive council members.

Penempatan bersepadu Orang Asli terus dibina

Utusan Malaysia 

KUALA LIPIS 24 Julai - Kerajaan akan terus membina kawasan penempatan Orang Asli secara bersepadu yang dilengkapi dengan prasarana dan kemudahan seperti bekalan air, elektrik, jalan raya dan punca sumber ekonomi.

Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak berkata, usaha tersebut dilakukan untuk memastikan semua projek yang dilaksanakan untuk Orang Asli mencapai matlamat dan tidak menjadi projek gajah putih.

Sehubungan itu beliau mengarahkan agensi kerajaan yang berkaitan dengan pembangunan Orang Asli melaksanakannya bersungguh-sungguh dan bukan dibuat sambil lewa sahaja.

''Kita tidak boleh memandang rendah kepada masyarakat Orang Asli, contohnya dengan membina rumah melalui rancangan penempatan semula (RPS) tetapi tidak dilengkapi dengan bekalan air, elektrik dan tidak mempunyai punca sumber ekonomi.

''Kita kata mereka (Orang Asli) suka merayau-rayau dan tidak suka duduk setempat. Macam mana mereka tidak merayau-rayau kalau kita tidak sediakan prasarana tersebut," katanya pada program 1Malaysia di Pos Betau, di sini hari ini.

Menurut Najib, kerajaan akan menyediakan segala keperluan dan prasarana termasuk sumber ekonomi ketika melaksanakan RPS untuk membolehkan mereka hidup seperti masyarakat lain.

Tegasnya, perkhidmatan yang terbaik yang disalurkan kerajaan itu sebagai membalas kesetiaan dan ketaatan Orang Asli yang sentiasa menyokong Barisan Nasional (BN).

Pada majlis itu beliau turut meluluskan peruntukan RM6 juta untuk membina jalan sejauh 15 kilometer dari Pos Betau ke Lenjang dan RM1.6 juta untuk prasarana bekalan elektrik yang meliputi 167 unit rumah Orang Asli di RPS Pantos dekat sini.

British NGOs to hold protest at Oxford U

Oxford University is being heavily criticised for extending an invitation to Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud.
British civil society groups have announced a protest rally today in front of the Saïd Business School. Read more

Jho Low parties with Paris; drinks on Zhen

Our ‘favourite’ millionaire, Low Taek Jho, was spotted partying with Paris Hilton in Saint-Tropez in south-eastern France.

Party time! – Photo source: Celebutopia forum
Check out a couple of pictures from the BZ Berlin website here. And have a peek at the party pictures on the Celebutopia website forum here.
Look at those massive champagne bottles. A lot of champagne flowing there – wonder who paid for it. Apparently, there’s another wealthy dude in tow as well, Zhen Low, who, The New York Post reports, picked up a US$2.6 million booze tab. Some party, eh?
The party to top most other parties has made it to the British press as well – in the Daily Telegraph of all places.
The Telegraph reports:

What recession? Tycoons spend £1.8 million on champagne in St Tropez
Paris Hilton watched as the rival tycoons Zhen Low and Winston Fisher competed to see who could order more £600 bottles of Cristal in a St Tropez nightclub.
By Richard Eden
Published: 6:24AM BST 25 Jul 2010
As Joan Collins and her friends descend on St Tropez this week for a party on board Lady Joy, the yacht owned by the American socialite Denise Rich, they have been made to look positively austere.
Mandrake hears that two rival billionaires spent a staggering €2 million (£1.77 million) on champagne at Les Caves du Roy nightclub. Zhen Low, the younger brother of the Malaysian tycoon Jho Low, became involved in a competition with Winston Fisher, a New York property developer, to see who could order more £600 bottles of Cristal for their chums.
Guests included Paris Hilton, the socialite, who helped the cherubic Jho celebrate his 28th birthday with a four-day party in Las Vegas last year.
“Even by the standards of Les Caves, this was something else,” says my man on the Côte d’Azur.

Meanwhile, the Star reports that Jho Low’s father has asked him to lie low for a while in view of all this unwanted publicity.

Iran urged to free jailed woman

Protest organisers hope international pressure will led Iran's government to free Mohammadi Ashtiani [AFP] Rallies are being held in London and around the world to support Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, an Iranian woman sentenced to death in Iran for adultery. Hundreds of people took to the streets of Paris, New York, Berlin, Ottawa and other cities on Saturday to show solidarity with the woman who has been incarcerated in Iran since 2005 and faces execution. "We do want to save her life," Maryam Namazie, a protest organiser in London, told Al Jazeera. Amnesty International, one of several groups publicising her case, said that Ashtiani, who has two children, was convicted in 2006 of having an "illicit relationship" with two men and received 99 lashes as punishment. She was initially sentenced to death by stoning, but the execution was put on hold earlier this month after an international outcry. Malekadjar Sharifi, an Iranian official in Eastern Azerbaijan province, was quoted as saying the suspension was not influenced by the international condemnation drawn by the death sentence. Potential hanging Although she will not be stoned, rights groups worry that Ashtiani could still be hanged. Murder, adultery, rape, armed robbery, apostasy and drug trafficking are all punishable by death under Iran's sharia law, enforced since the 1979 Islamic revolution. At least 10 other people, including seven women, are under sentence of stoning in the Iranian jails, Amnesty said. Protest organisers hope continued international pressure will force the Iranian government to free Ashtiani. "We are hoping this will be a stepping tone to ending stoning and executions in Iran once and for all," Namazie said.

Prof Francis Boyle – Aparthied-type policies are Crimes Against Humanity

Professor Francis A. Boyle, an expert in international law at the University of Illinois College of Law, said at a convention in Connecticut that Sri Lanka is a violator of the Apartheid Convention, and that the world should, without delay, intensify a ‘divestment and disinvestment campaign’ against Sri Lanka in the same lines and for the same reason the world did this against the criminal apartheid regime in South Africa."
Article I of the Apartheid Convention, more formally known as the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid (ICSPCA), labels the crime of Apartheid as a "crime against humanity," and declares that "inhuman acts resulting from the policies and practices of racial segregation and discrimination are crimes violating the principles or international law…"
Prof. Boyle said the long history of discriminatory policies instituted by successive governments including desecration of cemeteries and cultural symbols overwhelmingly qualify as an apartheid regime, and therefore should be prosecuted as a violator of the Apartheid Convention.
Denying to a group basic human rights and freedom, the right to freedom of opinion and expression also qualifies.
Prof. Boyle pointed out that there is some degree of overlap between Apartheid treaty and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). He added that while some nations avoided becoming signatory to the Rome Statute, the crimes against humanity fall into the category of peremptory norms, and the international laws are binding on Governments even when the countries are not signatories to the conventions.
Earlier on another issue of deportations, he said that, "deportation without any reason is illegal, when refugees without visa were not deported."
Rome Statute
http://www.tamilnet.com/img/publish/2010/02/rome_statute.pdf
Text of Aparthied Convention
http://www.tamilnet.com/img/publish/2010/07/ApartheidConvention.pdf

A Tale of Two Temples by Farish A. Noor

Editor’s Note: Up to date this Hindu temple problems remain unresolved. Even the Mariamman hindu temple in Shah Alam that was said to be the spark for the 25^th November 2007 HINDRAF Rally has refused to be granted land by even the new PKR Selangor government. UMNO, PKR, DAP and PAS has refused to grant land to all Hindu temples all in on go in the states they rule including Kedah, Penang and Selangor. Because they will lose Malay votes!

A Tale of Two Temples

by Farish A. Noor

Tuesday, 04 December 2007

While meandering about in downtown Saigon recently I chanced upon the Sri Mariaman temple close to Ben Thanh market. It was an interesting visit to say the least, for the riotous colour of the temple were matched by the riotous conjunction of many faiths that had come together in that singular enclosed and sacred space.
The reasons for this are obvious to those familiar with Vietnam’s recent history: In 1975 when Saigon finally fell to the triumphant North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong, practically all the foreigners and migrant residents had made a bee line for the dock. The temples, churches and mosques of Saigon – thenafter renamed Ho Chi Minh city – were left vacant and the devotees wondered if they would be allowed to remain standing at all after their departure. At the height of the Cold War the Vietnamese Communists were seen as a rather uncompromising, tiresomely dogmatic, no-fun bloodthirsty lot and many had assumed that the religious texts would be recycled as toilet paper (as the Khmer Rouge treated the Bibles and Qurans that fell into their hands later) and that the sacred sites would be desacralised in the most outlandish manner.
But what followed next was a surprise to many: They, the dreaded Commies, not only allowed the religious buildings to remain, but they also made use of them in a host of imaginative ways. Many of the churches and mosques were restored and preserved, and some were turned into schools or clinics. Not a stone was touched, save by the restorer’s paint brush.
Today the Sri Mariaman temple in central Saigon has once again become a religious site for many, but ironically most of the devotees happen to be Buddhists and Taoists, not Hindu – for there are scarcely a dozen Hindus left in the city. So I sat and watched as mothers and aunts, grannies and grand-kids perambulated around the precinct of the temple, offering their prayers and sending up their hopes and wishes to the Gods of the Himalayas on a cloud of incense smoke. The Hindu priests are still there, though one wonders what they make of it all, with Buddhists and Taoists coming to offer prayers and light joss-sticks before the many avatars of Lakshmi, Durga, Kali and Krishna. If human beings have proven their intolerance time and again, at least the Gods seem more kindly and benevolent to entertain the vainest of wishes even from strangers.
Hop of the next cheapo flight and find yourself here in multi-culti Malaysia, just in time to see the bulldozers smash through another Sri Mariaman temple in Selangor. It was a double blow to me to return to KL in transit to hear the news that not one, but two, Hindu temples had just been flattened on the same day by our endearing developers in the vicinity of Shah Alam. Even less heart-warming were the accounts of the devotees of the temple who were manhandled and forcibly marched out before the hammers came down, some at gun point. If nefarious Commie Vietnam can protect their temples, why can’t we ‘plural, multicultural, multiflavoured’ Malaysians extend the same comfort and protection to our fellow Malaysians too?
Of course there will be the nay-sayers who will point me to the legal fine print and remind me of the legally dubious status of some of these temples. Then there will be those who will insist that this is an Indian-Hindu issue which I should not stick my nose in (even though the issue is a Malaysian one as these are Malaysian temples being destroyed on Malaysian territory and Malaysians are affected). Then there will be the gung-ho testosterone-driven macho types who will yelp and whinge about Malay identity being the paramount defining factor that defines what being Malaysian is, etc. etc.
But prattle and legalese notwithstanding, the bottom line is this: These happen to be Malaysian temples built on Malaysian soil with Malaysian devotees and the Malaysian government is presiding over their systematic and calculated destruction, one by one. One shudders at the thought of the long-term global repercussions of this campaign, for already recorded footage of these temple demolitions are being transmitted to websites all over the globe and the issue taken up by Hindu conservatives in India.
Nor are the parallels being drawn an attractive one: If the Taliban could have leveled the Bamiyan  statues of Buddha with a flick of the trigger-finger (to be followed by the mass slaughter of goats and cows all over the benighted land, which did not make it to the headlines); then what is happening in our plural wonderland called Malaysia? How are we to hold our heads up high and invite the world to visit our wonderfully diverse and colourful country when the very same landscape is being flattened in a rather indecorous way at the same time? Taliban, Wot? Here? Blimey!
The tragedy of course is that the deliberate reconstruction of Malaysia’s urban landscape is being done in broad daylight under the flag of a nebulous formulae of ‘moderate Islam’ that is said by some hopefuls to be the last chance to save the pluralist spirit of the country. However one finds it hard to accept such talk of mutual love and inter-communal cuddlyness when the bulldozers parked outside don’t look all that cuddly. Nor do the cops with their tear gas canisters and batons. Or the Orcish horde of construction (or should we say destruction) workers with mallets and hammers slung precariously over their shoulders, ready to rock and roll. Looking back at the fate of the two Sri Mariaman temples, the question remains: Who were the ones who protected the rights of the religious minorities better? The Godless Commies or the faithful Malaysians? These are the times when I am not proud to admit that I am a Malaysian, I have to say.

MACC fights bad press with Facebook, Twitter

Sutinah (second left) launches the MACC’s Facebook page, July 24, 2010. — Picture by Jack Ooi

SHAH ALAM, July 25 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is fighting back against harmful “gossip” about its work by launching its official Facebook page and Twitter micro-blogging account.

The national anti-graft body has come under sustained fire after its January 2008 start for what its detractors claim were a poor record of prosecution and ineffective fight against corruption.

MACC deputy chief commissioner (Prevention) Datuk Hajah Sutinah Sutan said yesterday that MACC had launched its Facebook page in order to repair negative public perception by providing “accurate information” about the anti-graft body.

“There is plenty of gossip and inaccurate information about SPRM (MACC)’s work. With this, we have the chance to give accurate information,” said Sutinah when launching the MACC Facebook page yesterday.

“I do not see that we are losing,” added Sutinah when asked if the MACC thought that it was losing the media battle on its increasingly dented image.

“People should fight corruption, not SPRM or its officers. With accurate information, there will not be any negative perception towards SPRM,” said Sutinah.

The MACC operation review panel claimed recently that the press had been unfair in its coverage of the anti-graft body and called for the media to protect the commission’s image instead to boost foreign direct investment.

MACC’s Facebook page has garnered about 4,100 fans in three months since its debut in the popular social networking site early May.

Many of the comments on MACC’s Facebook page appeared supportive of the anti-graft body, with some expressing their agreements with an Utusan Malaysia article posted by MACC titled “Isu Beng Hock terlalu dipolitikkan (Beng Hock issue overly politicised)”.

“People are saying that we are not transparent in our actions and that we are selective in our prosecutions,” said Sutinah, when asked to give examples of untrue “gossip” about MACC.

“But all of our actions are transparent,” she added.

Sutinah also cited five parliamentary bodies on graft that monitored MACC as evidence that there was check and balance on the anti-corruption body, adding that “There is nothing for us to hide.”

The deputy chief commissioner (Prevention) added that MACC had also launched a blog (www.ourdifferentview.com) and Twitter account (twitter.com/odvmacc) in late May this year, joining many Malaysian politicians who actively blog or tweet, such as DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang and Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin.

A year after the death of Teoh Beng Hock, MACC is still struggling in a seemingly losing battle to regain public confidence.

The 30-year-old political secretary to Selangor state councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah was found dead July 16 last year on a fifth-floor landing at Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam, nine floors below the MACC’s Selangor then headquarters.

He had been interrogated overnight by anti-graft officers probing claims his boss was misusing state funds.

On the anniversary of Teoh’s death, MACC chief commissioner Datuk Seri Abu Kassim Mohamed had pledged not to “cover up” the actions of anyone who may have been involved in causing the DAP political aide’s death.

However, MACC’s condolence statement to Teoh’s family had drawn heavy criticism because it was only available in Mandarin.

Beng Hock’s younger sister, Lee Lan, had also slammed Abu Kassim for his “insincere” effort.

MIC targeting one million Indian voters

KUALA LUMPUR: The MIC will ensure that at least one million Indian voters can vote in the 13th general election, said its president S Samy Vellu.

He said out of one million Indians who were eligible to vote, 840,000 had already registered with the Election Commission (EC).

"MIC will work at registering 100,000 more Indians, who are among 500,000 party members identified as having not registered as voters, by the end of October.

"The party will also ensure that 60,000 more eligible Indians will register as voters with the EC before this November.

"I believe that if we (MIC) can secure the support of Indian voters before others could do so, Indians will be the second biggest group of supporters for Barisan Nasional (BN) in the next general election," he said after opening a seminar on registration of new voters for heads of MIC divisions, here, today.

Samy Vellu said based on the political parties' lists of new voters registered between January and June this year, Umno and DAP had each registered more than 50,000 new voters, while MIC had only registered 1,109 in the same period.

"This shows there are weaknesses in the leadership at the branch and higher levels," he said, adding that MIC would launch a nationwide voter registration drive and urged the EC to appoint more assistant registrars from among MIC division, branch, Wanita and Youth leaders.

He was confident that based on the current political scenario, Indian voters would play a crucial role in the next general election.

"I stand by the opinion that the Indians generally strongly support BN and the leadership of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.

"The prime minister continues to communicate with the Indian community in the effort to gain more support for BN.

"If BN is weak, the MIC will also lose its strength and the channel to bring forward the problems faced by the Indian community to be resolved."

Therefore, Samy Vellu said, MIC needed to carry out transformation at the divisional and branch levels to face the current political challenges.

"Soon, there will be a leadership transformation at the top, a new leader will take over but it does not mean that I am sleeping until that time.

"The new leader must know the challenges in the party," he said.

- Bernama

PI Bala's lawyers issue challenge to critics

The three lawyers of former private investigator P Balasubramaniam are outraged at allegations that their legal fees were footed by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim.

Placing Anwar's former private secretary Anuar Shaari who made the claims on Thursday in their cross-hairs, the counsel dared him to provide them with evidence.

"I challenge him. Show us what you have. You have nothing, Anuar Shaari, both in your hands and and in your head.

"I am calling him a liar. Anuar is a liar. He is rubbish and tell half-truths," said the visibly upset senior counsel Manjeet Singh Dhillon (left).

At a press conference in a Kuala Lumpur hotel today, he also refuted Anuar's claims that he has been repeatedly making offers to Anwar's one-time supporter S Nallakaruppan to return to PKR.

"I was just trying to get two friends who were arguing at the time, to reconcile. Anwar and Nallakaruppan's friendship back then, went beyond political parties. If two friends had fallen apart, is it wrong to try to reconcile them?" he asked.

Anuar had also insinuated that Anwar was footing the legal bills and raised questions of how Balasubramaniam is funding his stay in London.

He was also reported to have "urged" the lawyers to declare their salaries and assets to the Inland Revenue Board so that they could prove that they had no links with Anwar.

"Why is it necessary for us to declare our incomes to a party who is not involved in this. Comments by Anuar show he has no idea of what is going on.

"He is nothing," said another of Balasubramaniam's lawyers Americk Singh Sidhu (right).

Manjeet also pointed out that even if Anwar did foot the bill, it is not a crime.

"It just shows that he is just as interested to see the perpetrators of the crime brought to justice. Isn't that a noble thing?" Manjeet asked.

Legal work pro bono

With all that said and done, the lawyers announced that they have been working with Balasubramaniam on a pro bono (voluntary) basis.

"We have never requested money and payment. All we are interested is making sure that justice is done," said Americk.

He later reiterated that Balasubramaniam funded himself through the RM750,000 allegedly "thrust" into his hands by one of the prime minister's wife Rosmah Mansor's associates
and carpet trader Deepak Jaikishan.

Meanwhile, Manjeet said that Balasubramaniam might release his statement that he sent to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.

"The questions may be marked rahsia (secret), but the answers are not. There will be a time when we will release the answers," he said.

The MACC officers had at the eleventh hour, aborted a meeting with the ex-private eye in London. They later sent a list of 52 questions with the request that he send his answers in the form of a statutory declaration.

They were to investigate his claims that Prime Minister Najib Razak's brother, Nazim, was "involved" in getting Balasubramaniam to retract his first statutory declaration, detailing the grisly links between Mongolian translator Altantuya Shariibuu's murder and Rosmah as well as Najib.

Business Council Mum Over Rosmah Ad

From The Nutt Graph

By Jacqueline Ann Surin and Koh Lay Chin

The Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU), which conferred the prime minister’s wife an award in New York in April, has remained mum about whether it was the party which placed a congratulatory advertisement in the New York Times (NYT) for her.

BCIU president Peter J Tichansky did not respond to e-mail queries to confirm that the council paid for the NYT ad that congratulated Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor for receiving the inaugural and little-known International Peace and Harmony Award.

The Nut Graph sent two e-mail enquiries to Tichansky to ask him to confirm who had actually paid for the award. The first e-mail was sent on 2 June after Tichansky wrote to us to express regret that a “well-intended gesture of welcome and congratulations honoring Malaysia’s First Lady” as the award recipient may have become a “political issue”.

The second e-mail to Tichansky was sent on 15 June after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced in Parliament on that day that BCIU was the organisation that placed the ad. Najib’s statement in Parliament was the first time the government publicly denied that it had paid for the ad. Throughout The Nut Graph’s reporting of the issue, the Prime Minister’s Office did not respond to our queries despite being given several opportunities to comment over a period of one month.

The NYT had originally told The Nut Graph that the ad, signed off “from family and friends in USA and Malaysia” was placed by “an ad agency on behalf of the Malaysian government.”

Eighteen days later, the NYT said it had made a mistake. But it would not reveal who actually took out the ad nor clarify how executive director for community affairs and media relations, Diane McNulty, could have made such a mistake. Instead, NYT’s director of public relations, Abbe Serphos, repeated that the ad was signed by “Family and friends in the USA and Malaysia”. Only when pressed did she reply: “In our internal systems the ad was reserved as a Government of Malaysia ad, but in fact the ad was not placed by the Government of Malaysia.”

Tichansky has not responded to either e-mail from The Nut Graph. In addition, Tichansky also did not respond to questions about when the award was conceived and by whom, what criteria were used in conceptualising the award, who the other nominees for the award were, and how Rosmah qualified for it.

In his first and only e-mail to us on 2 June, Tichansky had reiterated BCIU’s “respect for [Rosmah’s] humanitarian and charity work”, saying she was a “deserving recipient of BCIU’s award”.

Tichansky (source: BCIU.org)

After Najib’s statement in Parliament, Tichansky did not answer why the BCIU would sign off the ad as “family and friends [of Rosmah] in USA and Malaysia” instead of representing itself in the ad. He also did not answer the question as to how the BCIU could represent Rosmah’s family and friends.

The NYT has declined to disclose how much the ad cost. However, according to some estimates, full-page ads taken out in the NYT suggests that the cost of such advertisements ranges from US$180,000 to US$230,000. This amounts to between RM580,000 and RM740,000 for a one-page ad.

The congratulatory ad for Rosmah which appeared on 16 April 2010 was a two-page colour spread that would have cost far more.

It remains unclear why a US-based business council would pay for such an ad.

“Joh”, the receptionist

Apart from the BCIU, another party that is apparently involved in the ad has also remained mum about unanswered questions arising from the ad and the NYT’s retraction.

Henry Thomas Jones of Laurus Group DC, a “small public relations firm”, sent an e-mail on 7 June accusing The Nut Graph of blowing up a “trivial matter” and being unprofessional.

The Nut Graph had written to Jones on 3 June to ask what his involvement in the award and the ad was after he had surprisingly copied us on an e-mail to Tichansky. In that e-mail, sent on 1 June, Jones had responded to Tichansky’s e-mail to us which defended Rosmah as the award recipient. Jones told Tichansky: “This is great. Thank you! Please send, and I’ll forward to Joh.”

Obama meets Najib (© Pete Souza, The White House | Flickr)

The Nut Graph then wrote to Jones, who is known to have worked in a powerful lobbying company and is a seasoned political campaigner, to ask him if Laurus Group, DC was the one that ordered and paid for the ad congratulating Rosmah. We also asked if he was involved in lobbying for Najib’s meeting with President Barack Obama and for Rosmah to be conferred an award.

Additionally, we asked him who “Joh” was, and whether it was a particular individual whose name has been circulating among the New York-based media, and among local business and political circles. Jones did not reply.

However, after our 7 June report on the NYT’s mistake, Jones’s apparent involvement, and the mysterious “Joh”, Jones wrote a scathing e-mail that said:

“‘Joh’ … is my receptionist, Jo. When typing on the iPhone, it is not uncommon for me to misspell words. In this instance, I added an ‘h’. My firm provides occasional PRO BONO services to the Business Council for International Understanding.

“It is unfortunate that such a trivial matter, a misspelling in an internal communication, gives rise for your publication to generate unsubstantiated allegations, and then to publish the same. From an American perspective, I find The Nut Graph‘s standards for publication to be less than professional.”

Despite being asked to clarify in an e-mail we sent on 8 June, Jones did not reveal his receptionist’s full name and contact details. He also did not explain why a receptionist in his firm would need to be copied on a correspondence between him and his client.

He did not specify what about The Nut Graph’s reporting on 7 June constituted “unsubstantiated allegations”.

New York party

Robert De Niro (© Petr Novák| Wiki Commons)

Apart from the NYT ad, Rosmah and Najib were also feted on 16 April at the five-star St Regis Hotel in New York where the award ceremony was held.

The star-studded event was emceed by Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx and attended by Hollywood glitterati including Oscar-winning Robert De Niro and Charlize Theron, and Emmy Rossum. Performances by Grammy-award nominee Leona Lewis, and the Harlem Boys Choir were also held. A rendition of We Are the World led by Foxx and sung by De Niro, Theron and others ended the night.

Various blog postings and Tweets on the event talk about how well Foxx warmed the party up. One blogger, who attended the event, wrote that Foxx performed a “flirty” karaoke version of You’ve Got a Friend with Rosmah, and danced with Najib.

CBS News reporter Kaylee Hartung also tweeted and posted photos of the event saying: “When has a foreign dignitary been honored in this way? Amazing. Jamie Foxx has [the] whole room on their feet.”

According to one Twitter posting by a DJ, known as DJ Irie, who parties with Hollywood stars, Foxx and Rosmah rehearsed for their duet before the party.

According to online reports, the party was co-hosted by BCIU and the United States Sports Academy. No information was available about how much the entire event cost.

M’sia’s increasing unattractiveness is ‘karma’

By Joe Fernandez | Malaysiakini

Without getting into the kind of superstition and quackery that many Malaysians swear by most times, it’s safe to conclude that the chickens are coming home to roost.

The 10 percent economic growth rate envisaged this year for the country, if it’s not a flash-in-the-pan, reminds us of the phrase that there are lies, damn lies and statistics. Again, this is indeed the unpalatable fact that we have to deal with in the run-up to 2020 and its aftermath.

The federal government needs to start thinking from now how they are going to explain in ten years time why we have failed to reach developed nation status and a high income economy.

?Prime Minister Najib Razak (left) claims that Malaysia has to grow at just 6 percent per annum over the next ten years to become a high income economy and emerge as a developed nation by 2020.

It was announced by the Economic Planning Unit in 1990 that the nation had been growing at 6.7 percent per annum since independence in 1957. As an economy grows and matures, it’s more than likely that the annual economic growth rate would taper off, not accelerate even further. This is only to be expected. The bigger the base, the smaller the annual economic growth rate and vice versa. Developed nation status arrives somewhere along the way and taking into account the shifting parameters.

However, former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad reckoned that Malaysia would achieve developed nation status under his Vision 2020 in thirty years if the economy grew at 7 percent per annum i.e. just 0.3 percent more.

He even admitted that would be no mean task. This would see the emergence of an economy eight times larger by 2020. Malaysia would be the first Muslim nation in the world to be developed, thundered Mahathir as he cast his eyes darkly at the west.

It was not for any reason that former finance minister Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah subsequently dismissed Vision 2020 cynically as just a gimmick by Mahathir who, he pointed out, “did not know anything about economics”.

View through rose-tinted glasses

Of course, the 1997/98 Asian Currency Crisis intervened and sent the ringgit, share prices, property prices and other values into a nose-dive and the economic growth rates into negative territory for a couple of years. This was followed by the global financial tsunami and the global economic crisis and soon perhaps a double-dip in the developed world as deflation stalks the United States and elsewhere.

?And now we are expected to believe that Najib with his 6 percent per annum over ten years will achieve what Mahathir had estimated would take 7 percent per annum over 30 years.

Also, not to be discounted is the fact that Malaysia has not been posting an average annual economic growth rate of 7 percent during the 1990 to 2009 period.

Now, the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) figures put a further damper on the economic picture in Malaysia.

FDI is the only measurable vote of the world’s confidence in our economy and our future as a people and nation. That’s bench marking that we need. That crucial element is missing because of the absence of security in our institutions, politics – read Sodomy 11 – and democracy, our diplomacy, in the currency, in prices and values, the cost of doing business and the lack of nation-building policies.

?So, the crucial element of the world’s confidence in us is unlikely to return, like the wild birds which have been scared away from the grains being tossed to them, unless and until bitter memories fade.

Nepotism, cronyism, collusion and corruption must be brought to an end. Already, the Danish government has announced in Parliament that Malaysia would no longer qualify as an aid recipient nation “because of its government’s profligate spending habits”.

The special privileges, openly touted self-servingly by Umno for over 50 years, do not exist in the federal constitution. In short, respect and honour the constitution, in particular Articles 153, 152, 14, 10, 8 and 3 which have been observed more often in the breach.

Haunted by the past

There must also be compelling reasons to invite a positive rethink by investors on the country.

?To put it even more bluntly, there must be transparency, public accountability and checks-and-balances. The doctrine of the separation of powers must be restored and the country must move away from the trend towards emerging as a unitary state. This calls for decentralisation and a return to the three-tier power-sharing structure of a federation, the drastic downsizing of the Prime Minister’s Department which has emerged as a hyper ministry, the restoration of state rights and respect for the autonomy of Sabah and Sarawak.

Our past, in other words, has caught up with us in the present to haunt our future.

Christians, without flogging this writer’s unpractising faith, believe that “as you sow, so shall you reap”. This is neither being positive nor negative. It’s neutral just as karma – the “scientific” law of cause and effect – is neutral.

Isn’t there something to be said about looking for the silver lining in the clouds, looking at everything that happens as a blessing in disguise and counting one’s blessings?

This is easier said than done especially when there are two sides to this story i.e. at the people’s level and at the government level. Even if the people have not been found wanting, there’s no doubt that the government leaves a lot to be desired.

?Patently there’s still no sure codified approach, as in the past, for us to venture into the future despite the tons of press releases emanating from Putrajaya on the Government Transformation Programme (GTP), National Key Result Areas (NKRA), Key Performance Indices (KPI) to drive the Najib administration’s 1Malaysia theme. This is not to say that there’s little merit in these approaches but no is taking them seriously enough amidst the flip-flops.

We can be forgiven for concluding, if still not in denial syndrome mode, that there’s a lot of hype going around these days in the country, especially in Putrajaya, amidst a general living on hope and wishful thinking.

Only those who suffer from the three monkeys syndrome – see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil – will be blind, deaf and dumb enough not to see that this country is not going anywhere in any great hurry soon in the near future.

Sleepless in Sarawak; restless in Oxford

 

The latest Aliran Monthly focuses on the situation in Sarawak.

The political outlook there does not look rosy for Taib Mahmud and the other BN component party leaders who are so dependent on his patronage.
For more information, go to the Aliran website here.
Why did Oxford University invite Taib as its star speaker? Sarawak Report explores the connections, if any, between Sarawak, Taib and Oxford in its latest

Vietnam's forgotten war victims

By Chris Arsenault The Vietnam war ended 35 years ago, but children are still being born with birth defects from chemical poisoning allegedly caused by defoliants sprayed by the US military [GALLO/GETTY] When Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, visited Vietnam on Thursday she extolled the country's "unlimited potential" and strong trade relations with the US. But the words must have rung hollow for Ngyuen Ngoc Phuong, who has seen his potential destroyed by American chemical poisoning. Phuong, 19, was born long after the US cut and run from the Vietnam war, evacuating its last remaining personnel by helicopter from the roof of its Saigon embassy in 1975. But the results of that war, which officially ended 35 years ago, affect every aspect of Phuong's life. The young man has severe physical deformities, and like an estimated three million Vietnamese, he suffers from exposure to Agent Orange, a toxic chemical US forces sprayed during the war to defoliate the dense jungles Viet Cong rebels used for cover. In its manufacture, the chemical was contaminated with TCDD, or dioxin, "the most toxic substance known to humans", according to an investigation in the journal Science. Dangers known In his book Agent Orange on Trial published by Harvard University Press, Peter Schuck reported that companies who manufactured the defoliant knew "as early as 1952" that deadly dioxin had contaminated the chemical. In video     Riz Khan: Wounds of the Vietnam War Between 1962 and 1971, the US military sprayed an estimated 80 million litres of Agent Orange and other herbicides on Vietnam, the journal Nature reported in 2003. "I met one family of victims with four blinded children, no eyes - period," Dr Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong, a Vietnamese researcher, said in a 2007 interview. In a now declassified report for the US department of veterans affairs, Admiral ER Zumwalt Jr wrote that Dow Chemical and other manufacturers knew Agent Orange exposure could cause "general organ toxicity" and "other systematic problems" as early as 1964. These and other studies show that the American military, and the chemical companies who serviced it, were well aware of the dangers posed by the chemicals on the general population. On this front, Agent Orange elucidates an alarming trend in modern warfare, particularly counter-insurgency fighting: civilians and the environment tend to be main casualties. Brutality clearly defined World War I and II and previous conflicts between standing armies, but soldiers usually made up the majority of the dead. Poisoning civilians From the jungles of Vietnam to the plains of Sudan, Iraq's cities to the Afghan mountains, civilians now bear the highest cost for wars not of their making. "In Vietnam it was chemical [weapons] ... Agent Orange and napalm," Len Aldis, secretary of the Britain-Vietnam friendship society,told Al Jazeera. "In Iraq, Kosovo, [and] Afghanistan the US, UK and Nato have used depleted uranium, cluster weapons ... and drones that are controlled from military bases in the US." These conflicts tend to continue even after the wars officially end. Vietnamese activists have been fighting for compensation and rehabilitation [GALLO/GETTY]  "We did a number of soil samples and followed [dioxin contamination from Agent Orange spraying] though the food chain into ponds, to fish, into ducks and then into humans. We found it in children who had been born long after the war ended," Dr Wayne Dwernychuck, who led the first team of western scientists to study the long-term affects of sprayingin Vietnam, said in an interview. "We concluded the only way they could be contaminated is through food and nursing," he said, referencing his 1994 study. Former US military bases including Bien Hoa, Phu Cat and the infamous Danang are the worst sites of present day contamination. "We have been working with Vietnam for about nine years to try to remedy the effects of Agent Orange," Clinton said at a press conference in Hanoi. Since 2007, the US congress has appropriated $9m to help Vietnam clean up contaminated areas and for related health activities, or an amount roughly equal to the cost of 12 Tomahawk cruise missiles. 'Wounds still remain' In June, a joint panel of US and Vietnamese policymakers, citizens and scientists estimated the cost of a proper clean-up and rehabilitation for the sick at $300m. Despite public pressure, Vietnamese victims were unable to win justice in US courts [AFP] "The war is over but the wounds from the war still remain in many areas of Vietnam," Nguyen Van Son, a member of Vietnam's National Assembly, said during the report's launch in Hanoi. Vietnamese civilians are not the only ones suffering from exposure. Veterans in the US, Canada and beyond also have historieswith the chemicals. In 1984, US veterans reached an out-of-court settlement for $180m with companies who produced the chemicals, including Monsanto and Dow Chemical. Remarkably, Dow maintains that there is no evidence to link Agent Orange to illnesses from US veterans and Vietnamese civilians. The Institute of Medicine (IOM),the pre-eminent scientific authority in the US when it comes to setting government policy, links exposure to a raft of conditions including cancers, diabetes and spina bifida.  Like their American counterparts, Vietnamese victims have tried to gain justice in US courts, but after a series of cases, the US supreme court refused to hear their case in 2009.  However, American conservatives were some of the first to recognise the moral quagmire around giving pensions and other benefits to US veterans and not Vietnamese civilians, even though both groups were poisoned by the American government and the companies who provided it with chemicals. 'Difficult to rationalise' It is "difficult to rationalise why [American] Vietnam vets are compensated for Agent Orange exposure but Vietnamese civilians shouldn't be," Steve Milloy, a scholar at the Cato institute, wrote in a commentary for Fox News.  During her visit, Clinton criticised Vietnam for jailing rights activists and censoring the internet and urged the single party, nominally communist state to "strengthen its commitment to human rights". However, in the broader schema of rights, Vietnam's transgressions against courageous lawyers and journalists seem positively minor compared to three million destroyed lives: children born missing eyes, grossly elongated heads or misshapen legs where their arms ought to be.

Non-Muslim school clubs can proceed, says Muhyiddin

BUKIT JALIL, July 24 — Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today gave his word that decades-old non-Muslim societies in schools could continue to proceed with their activities and would not face closure.

He firmly reiterated that neither the ministry nor the Education Department had ever issued any directive to schools ordering for the dissolution of non-Muslim religious clubs.

“Let me clarify. There is no directive issued by the ministry.

“There was already an old circular from before so the status now is that existing societies whether Hindu, Buddhist clubs, can continue on. Take my word for it,” he told reporters after launching the Village Entrepreneurs Carnival at the Bukit Jalil stadium here.

Muhyiddin was referring to a circular by the Selangor education department issued on December 16, 2000, which stipulated that “any school that already has an established Non-Muslim Religious Club to carry on”.

His deputy Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong had earlier clarified to the media that the circular meant that all societies formed before it was issued could continue with its activities.

Those with the intention to form new clubs however would have to obtain clearance from the department.

Muhyiddin, who is also the deputy prime minister, stressed that ministry had been clear on its stand, adding that he did not want the matter to be rekindled into a new issue.

“I have already checked with the director-general (of education).

“Only the incident happened in Selangor because new societies have to apply to register themselves.

“But the existing ones, the ones already established, can carry on. It does not become a problem,” he said.

Muhyiddin was responding to continuing complaints on the illegal closure of long-established non-Muslim religious clubs following a newspaper report earlier this month highlighting such an incident at the Klang High School.

The report claimed that the school’s administration had ordered for the dissolution of its Kelab Agama Hindu, Kelab Agama Buddha and the Christian Union, which had been in existence since 1969.

When the issue came to light, the school authorities insisted that the decision had been made by the state education department.

When responding to the matter in Parliament recently, Wee told reporters that the department had never issued such a directive and said that the two societies could proceed with their activities.

Despite this assurance, students, parents, teachers and religious representatives have continued to complain of similar incidences, claiming that the Klang case was not an isolated one.

A parent told The Malaysian Insider yesterday that the school authorities of SMK SS17 in Subang Jaya, Selangor, had ordered the Buddhist Society and Christian Fellowship to stop holding meetings and carrying out religious activities in January last year.

At a press conference in MCA yesterday, several Buddhist and Christian religious representatives, including the Young Buddhists’ Association of Malaysia (YBAM), Buddhist Association of Subang Jaya and the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM), called on the Najib administration not to neglect the spiritual well-being of the non-Muslim community.

Malaysia’s reputation for religious harmony took a beating earlier this year, following attacks on several houses of worship after a court ruling allowed the Catholic Church to publish the word “Allah” outside the Muslim context.

Perkasa an identity thief, says Orang Asli

What's Taib's real salary?

By FMT Staff

KUALA LUMPUR: The curiosity revolving around Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud’s billions of ringgit worth of international properties and his allegedly extensive business interest in his home state via family-owned Cahaya Mata Sarawak (CMS) and cronies has not ebbed. New and candid revelations are popping up throughout the blogs and tales of his direct and indirect links are filtering through the Internet.

On record, Taib and his league of Barisan Nasional “bandits” are unperturbed by these disclosures although Taib has directed his office to clamp down on mainstream media’s discussions of his wealth and ordered his political party, Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), to set up a unit to monitor and “counter the lies”.

Taib’s hope is that the “lies” won’t reach his “fixed deposit” -- the Bumiputera voters whom he has confessed are “poor and grateful to BN” because they “need BN”.

How far-reaching these disclosures will affect Taib and BN’s influence over Sarawakian voters is left to be see.

Meanwhile, online portal, Sarawak Report, which first launched its explosive series on Taib’s billions abroad, has sought to correct a point in its reporting in reference to the chief minister’s official monthly salary.

To date, the commonly asked question is, how did Taib who earned RM20,000 a month as chief minister amass such wealth?

Mystery money

Read below Sarawak Report’s peek into the mystery:

“We have frequently questioned how (Taib) Mahmud’s reported remuneration of RM20,000 per month could have supported a multi-million-dollar property empire across the globe.

We are now advised that the chief minister’s official salary is actually RM13,000 per month (excluding allowances or perks, such as the sole, exclusive use of a personal jet courtesy of the Sarawak taxpayers).

Nevertheless, it is important not to forget the numerous other salaries that the chief minister has simultaneously obtained through awarding himself a number of key top jobs at once.

On top of his chief minister’s salary, he has also enjoyed his MP's salary of RM10,000 per month and his state assemblyman’s salary of RM8,000 per month.

With great energy, he also commands the two other key financial offices of Sarawak in his roles as finance minister (salary: RM9,000 per month) and state planning and resource management minister (another RM9,000 per month).

In total, it is a very attractive RM49,000 per month, the sort of salary that any chief of state would be pleased to receive.

However, we remain baffled as to how such a salary could begin to support the hundreds of millions of dollars worth of properties across the globe, which we have unveiled as belonging to his family in recent reports.

By contrast, for example, Tony Blair, the former British prime minister, has been much criticised for a collection of family properties that now extend to three houses and a couple of flats. Yet, his resources to pay for these relatively modest properties are easy to identify.

His wife is a high-flying UK barrister and he now occupies a number of directorship and positions.

The couple have also both been paid for their books and he gets a huge amount for speaking engagements.

But where does (Taib) Mahmud get his wealth, which is exponential in comparison with Blair?

Perhaps those simultaneous three roles as chief minister, finance minister and state planning and resource management minister are part of the answer.

For what can get done in Sarawak without the say-so of this trinity -- wrapped up so conveniently in one?”

'Puteri Umno, a wasted pool of talents'

By Muda Mohd Noor - Free Malaysia Today
KUALA LUMPUR: A former Puteri Umno leader has called for an amendment to the constitution to allow Puteri members to be automatically absorbed into the Wanita wing once they hit 35 years of age.
Azalina Othman Said said currently Puteri members who reach 35 have to apply to join the Wanita wing.
“The policy must change. It’s automatic entry for Putera members into Umno Youth. The same convenience must apply to Puteri.
“From what I gather, most of the current members are hesitant or simply unwilling to go through the process of applying to join the Women’s wing.
“It’s a pity really to lose talented and dedicated Malays over a simple issue,” she said, adding that this was the reason why another former chief Noraini Ahmad had not applied to join the women’s wing.
Azlina said many of the old guard in the Wanita wing disliked Puteri members whom they consider emotional.
“But if this matter is not addressed quickly, it would lead to Puteri Umno’s eventual demise,” she tod FMT recently.
Biggest challenge
Azlina, who helmed the movement from 2002-2004, said Puteri Umno’s biggest challenge now was dealing with a shortage of leaders.
“When I was the leader, there was Noraini. After Noraini there was Rosnah (Ahmad Shirlin). Now who are the leaders-in-waiting?,” she asked.
“Leaders must be brave in politics and there are some in Puteri Umno who are like that but the opportunities to rise are far between,” said the Johor Pengerang division chief.
According to Azalina, when she was the Puteri chief, she had direct guidance from some of the top national leaders such as Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Khalil Yaakob.
“I asked the supreme council at the time to be alert to the movement so that we could achieve the objectives which were set out,” she said.
But according to her, the current situation is different.
“I fear that Puteri Umno, which was once used to contain the flow of young Malays towards the opposition, would be dissolved because it is unable to function as it should,” she said.

Perkasa an identity thief, says Orang Asli

By Rahmah Ghazali and Hisyam Salleh - Free Malaysia Today

OLAK LEMPIT: Perkasa, whose pro-Malay rhetoric has upset many Chinese, Indians and even Malays, has found itself another opponent — the Orang Asli.
Dewi Malam, a Tok Batin from Kampung Orang Asli in Pulau Kempas, said Perkasa had robbed his people of their identity by using the word “pribumi” in its name.

Perkasa is short for Pertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa Malaysia, which can be translated as the Malaysian Organisation for Mighty Natives. It is headed by controversial politician Ibrahim Ali, who founded it as a body to defend Malay rights and privileges.

“But pribumi means orang asal (original people),” said Dewi. “They are the original owners of all the land in the peninsula. They do not have to pay for the land because they are its owner.

“That is what a pribumi is. He is master, sultan, king.”

Dewi said pribumi is not synonymous with Bumiputera, a word coined by Malaysia’s first premier, Tunku Abdul Rahman, to refer to the Malays and indigenous peoples.

“Perkasa members cannot call themselves pribumi. They can only call themselves Bumiputera.”

Dewi, a Temuan tribesman, said that even the word Melayu had been abused. According to him, it is a Temuan word meaning “the people who work” and originally referred to six related pribumi tribes: Kuala, Kanaq, Seletar, Jakun, Semelai and Temuan.

Selangor PAS may be Pakatan's saviour

By Zainal Epi - Free Malaysia Today

KUALA LUMPUR: In Pakatan Rakyat Selangor, PAS appears to be the strongest pillar holding up the loose alliance. It is seen as a better bet than PKR to attract Malay voters and keep the state from falling into the clutches of the Barisan Nasional. With PKR in disarray, PAS has emerged as soild as a rock with members swearing unwavering loyalty to the party leadership. They remain steadfast in their commitment and determination to defeat the BN in the next encounter. They cannot be swayed by “sweet talks” or “offers of bribes”.

In Selangor, PAS is putting down firms roots as it works assiduously on its Islamic agenda without jeopardising its ties with the non-Muslims.

The leadership tussle in the state does not seem to bother its members who consider it as mere “ripples” normal in any party.

However, the one issue that still rankles them is any talk of co-operation with Umno. State party chief Hassan Ali had attempted to walk down this tempting path after Pakatan captured the state in the 2008 general election.

Sources said Hassan had met Umno federal leaders to work out “an alliance” but it fizzled out when party stalwart and Shah Alam MP, Khalid Samad, got wind of it.

Economic stature

Hassan, an intellectual and religious man, is a nationalist who sees nothing wrong cooperating with Umno for the sake of Malay unity. It was said that his motivational business grew under the patronage of Umno in the 90s.

He joined PAS with a broader perspective in mind -- as a nationalist, he wants to see the Malays grow in economic stature and their spiritual development enhanced.

Khalid, on the other hand, is a fundamentalist fighting for the Islamic cause and he had even been detained under the Internal Security Act in the late 80s for the very same reason.

However, Khalid is closely linked to PKR de facto chief Anwar Ibrahim as both had been student activists as well as partners in the Islamic Youth Movement (Abim).

His close association with Anwar has put him in the camp of the liberals, who are seen as eager to take over the reins of the party.

The row between Hassan and Khalid is not centred on who wants to lead the party in the state but on the broader issue of the party's struggle -- Hassan wants Malays to enjoy better protection under government policies while Khalid is keen to nurture closer rapport with PKR.

Anwar's men

Moreover, Khalid and other PAS leaders such as Husam Musa in Kelantan are seen as Anwar’s men whereas Hassan, though a close friend of Anwar at one time, is closer to former Selangor strongman Muhammad Muhammad Taib.

While Hassan and Khalid are fighting their personal war, PAS members and supporters in the state are coolly going about with their campaigns and ceramah in mosques and suraus.

With the formation of a non-Muslim wing in June, the party can be counted upon to deliver the votes and keep the body and soul of Pakatan together.

US actor De Niro in town on private visit

By Noorsila Abd Majid, The Star
 
He had reportedly told the Prime Minister’s wife: “You are very progressive, you are very engaging. I would like to come to your country.”
And Rosmah had reportedly responded: “Please come because, otherwise, you would listen to all the wrong things about Malaysia. It is very important to put things in the right perspective.”
KUALA LUMPUR: Hollywood star Robert De Niro is in town on a private visit. The Oscar winner flew in via Singapore late on Thursday evening, an Immigration Department source at the KL International Airport told the Daily Chilli, a news portal of The Star.
“He checked in using a different name,” the source said yesterday. “He doesn’t want to be identified.”
The versatile actor, director and producer who is best remembered in classics like The Godfather: Part II, 1900, Raging Bull and The Good Shepherd is expected to stay in Malaysia until this weekend.
It is learnt that his visit here is at the invitation of Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, who met him in April during an event in New York.
Rosmah was quoted in a recent report as saying that De Niro had come to the event as a guest “and saw the other side of Malaysia”.
He had reportedly told the Prime Minister’s wife: “You are very progressive, you are very engaging. I would like to come to your country.”
And Rosmah had reportedly responded: “Please come because, otherwise, you would listen to all the wrong things about Malaysia. It is very important to put things in the right perspective.”
A Hollywood film industry source said the 66-year-old actor is scheduled to meet the Prime Minister’s wife during his stay here.

The impact of polygamy in Malaysia

By Ding Jo-Ann | The Nut Graph,


PETALING JAYA, 21 July 2010: A landmark study on polygamy in Malaysia has cast doubt on whether husbands in polygamous marriages are able to treat their wives and children equally as intoned by the Quran.
The study, conducted by Sisters in Islam in collaboration with academics from several local universities, found that while almost 80% of husbands interviewed said they could be fair, their wives disagreed.
Researcher Masjaliza Hamzah said just over half of the second wives interviewed in the study said their husbands could be fair. Among first wives, only 35% shared this view.
“Among the wives, the first wife is the most dissatisfied. She experiences the strongest effects as she is able to compare the polygamous marriage with when she was in a monogamous marriage. In many cases, they expressed sadness, a sense of being wronged and betrayal,” Masjaliza said.
Even though polygamy is seen as a male right provided for in the Quran, in some Muslim communities, including in Malaysia, there are other interpretations of what is permissible in Islam. Several Muslim countries either restrict or ban polygamy and cite Surah al-Nisa 4:3, which states that if a man fears that he cannot deal justly with several wives, he should only marry one.

Rashidah Shuib

Associate Professor Datin Dr Rashidah Shuib, one of the study’s researchers, said a proper understanding of polygamous families was needed to enable policies to be formulated based on facts.
For example, she said that “giliran”, or taking turns equally and fairly in a polygamous marriage, was ideal, but in reality, it is difficult to carry out.
“Policies should be formulated not based on ideals, but on reality,” she said.
Masjaliza, Rashidah and four other researchers presented their findings from the peninsula-wide study, titled The Institution of Polygamous Families and Marriage, at a forum in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia on 15 July 2010.
First wives most impacted

(Courtesy of Sisters in Islam)

The study indicated that a majority of first wives suffered negative social impacts after their husbands’ second marriages, although there were others who were satisfied with the situation.
Of the first wives interviewed, 45.6% were dissatisfied with their polygamous marriages, compared with 39.3% who were satisfied. This was in sharp contrast with second wives, 68% of whom were satisfied with their marriages. Only 18.8% said they were dissatisfied.
Additionally, when a man took a second wife, his first marriage was often put under strain. Over 40% of first wives in the study said they argued more with their husbands after finding out about their husbands’ intentions to marry again.
A majority of them also indicated that their love, respect and trust for their husbands deteriorated after discovering their intentions.
Men benefit most

Masjaliza Hamzah

“The husband is the family member who is most successful in fulfilling his needs and desires. He has access to more than one sexual partner every night, whereas his wives will need to take their turn,” Masjaliza noted.
Hence, it comes as no surprise that 65% of the husbands interviewed would recommend polygamy as a family institution. But only 25% of first wives and about 50% of second wives held this view.
Impact on children
A majority of the children of first wives also demonstrated negative emotions towards their fathers marrying again.
Up to 60% said they were disappointed when they found out about their fathers’ polygamy. More than half were angry and sad. Hardly any felt happy, proud or loved upon hearing the news.
Interestingly, the study also revealed that in time, the children of first wives recorded “indifference” as the dominant emotion towards their fathers’ polygamous marriages.

Norani Othman

Head researcher Professor Dr Norani Othman said during the in-depth interviews conducted with children of polygamous marriages, they explained that being indifferent was a way of coping emotionally with disappointment and distress.
Meanwhile, more than 55% of the children of second wives said they were “indifferent” about their fathers’ polygamy upon first knowing about it. This figure rose to over 60% when asked how they felt about it currently.
Despite different emotions expressed by the children of first and second wives, over 90% of both groups of children said they would not contract polygamous marriages, based on their own experiences.
Reasons for polygamy

(Courtesy of Sisters in Islam)

The top three reasons cited by husbands for marrying again were to validate their love for their second wives, and to avoid adultery and khalwat. This was roughly echoed by second wives.
A majority of first wives, however, cited “to satisfy lust” as their husbands’ main reason for marrying again, followed by to avoid adultery (46.3%), and then only to validate their love for their second wives (36.3%).
The study showed that almost half of the men and women interviewed either rarely or never told their friends and colleagues about their polygamous families.
“The survey is not just about women’s or men’s experiences with polygamy, but to find out the challenges of living in a polygamous family,” said Norani.
The first-of-its-kind study examined the effects of polygamy on family members – financially, emotionally, as well as socially. At least 1,500 interviews were conducted among husbands, first and second wives, and children in their adulthood from first and second marriages.
The interviews were conducted since 2007.