Hindraf man told to enter defence

SHAH ALAM: A butcher charged with taking part in an illegal gathering, organised by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) three years ago, was ordered by the Sessions Court yesterday to enter his defence.

K. Raghu, 43, is alleged to have taken part in the illegal gathering at the Sri Subramaniam temple in Jalan Besar, Batu Caves, between 1am and 8am on Nov 25, 2007.

Judge Hasbi Hasan ruled that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against Raghu. She set Nov 25 for the defence.

However, she acquitted Raghu on a second charge of using criminal force against a policeman and causing disturbance by damaging seven vehicles in front of the temple at the same place and time.

Hasbi said there was insufficient evidence to call for his defence.

Counsel S. Karthigesan appeared for Raghu, while deputy public prosecutors Idham Abdul Ghani, Hanim Mohd Rashid and Devinderjit Kaur prosecuted.


Read more: Hindraf man told to enter defence http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/Hindrafmantoldtoenterdefence/Article/#ixzz14H9WkDe3

Batu Sapi:Vote not out of Sympathy

By Dinesweri Puspanadan
Here we have the Batu Sapi and Galas by-elections. The usual rhetoric is being used to fish for votes. As compared to Galas, the Batu Sapi “buy”-election has taken a new dimension where there is a tight fight between 3 candidates – Ansari Abdullah, 56 (PR), Datuk Yong Teck Lee, 51 (SAPP) and Datin Linda Tsen Thau Lin, 54 (BN).


What am I interested in is BN’s decision to field Linda Tsen, the widow of the late PBS Assemblyman Datuk Edmund Chong who was killed in a bike crash earlier this month.

Edmund, who was the incumbent MP of Batu Sapi is believed to have maintained a good record throughout his service. In 2004, he won unopposed and in 2008, despite BN’s loss of its two-thirds majority, Edmund took the seat with a comfortable win.

Many argue that Linda will able to do the same with quite a number of sympathy votes for her. Now, that sounds so wrong!


On what basis should we vote for Linda? Is it because she is a widow or late Edmund’s wife or because she is actually capable to lead? Has she been involved in community activities and contributed to the development and betterment of society?

BN has claimed that she is no stranger to politics as she has been involved in her own party as a Wanita Vice Chief.

But my concern is whether she will be able to work with the grassroots to uplift society? Will she be an agent of change?

Yes, Linda has lost her husband and she deserves our deepest sympathy but that cannot be a factor to elect her. Her calm appearance and ability to play a musical instrument is not sufficient.


It is still common that votes are being fished through eleventh hour deeds like dinners, concerts and project approvals. But after the dust has settled, the elected disappear, and the people abandoned.


Our mistakes in the past are haunting us. They contribute much to our contemporary flip-flop in politics.

Why do you think politicians do not fear the public? It’s simple. They think that with money anything can be done, bought or concealed. If our forefathers had voted wisely, we would not be in this miserable state. And today, we are told we need to vote for the widow of the former Assemblyman.


Politicians may speak about transformation, may beg for another chance, may promise development, may get dirty playing football or sepak takraw, may join you for dinner, lunch and breakfast but tomorrow after the election is over, off they go on their way.


This is the time where we, as voters, need to send a strong message to every prospective representative that our votes are not easy to come by. If we elect the wrong person, society will continue to suffer while the process of removing failed representatives is tedious.


Once the corrupt get into power, the system will in turn be corrupted, and the corrupt will do anything to sustain their power and position. Why do you think Chief Minister Taib is confident about winning the next Sarawak elections despite the unearthing of numerous issues including dubious land deals and the oppressed state of the Penans?

We elected failed people in the past and in a few hours, the responsibility to rectify our mistakes rests on the voters’ shoulders. It is difficult but possible. Use your votes wisely.


We need charismatic but also intelligent leaders who will be able to empower the people.

We do not need sympathetic, soft and greedy leaders.

Vote not out of sympathy.

Indonesia hit by earthquake and more volcanic ash

Jakarta, Indonesia (CNN) -- Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano erupted several times Wednesday, while an earthquake struck off of the coast of Papua, far to the east of the volcano.

Mount Merapi, in central Java, spewed plumes intermittently for about five hours, sending out enough ash to prompt authorities to extend the danger zone an extra 5 km, to a 15 km radius from the volcano.

The extension forced thousands of evacuees to seek shelter farther away, a local journalist told CNN.

Mount Merapi's lava and ash have killed at least 39 people since it began erupting on October 26. An additional 74 have been injured and more than 71,000 people have been evacuated, according to Indonesia's National Disaster Management Board.

Residents on the volcano have repeatedly fled, returned home to check on their houses and farm animals, and fled anew with each fresh eruption.

The 3,000-meter Merapi is famously unpredictable. An eruption killed two people in 2006 and another killed more than 60 villagers in 1994. About 1,300 people died when Merapi erupted in 1930.

The 6.1-magnitude earthquake off the eastern Indonesian coast Wednesday did not prompt tsunami warnings from Indonesia's Bureau of Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics or the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

There are no reports of damage or injuries so far.

Last week, a 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit Indonesia's coast, triggering a tsunami and killing at least 449 people. Hundreds more were injured.

Philippines on high terrorism alert

Government boosts security after Western nations warn attacks may be imminent in capital and elsewhere in the country.

The Philippines is on heightened alert for possible terrorist attacks after Western governments suggested public places could be targeted.

The United States, Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand warned their citizens that areas often visited by foreigners in the capital Manila, and elsewhere in the country, were potential targets.

The Philippine government did not see an immediate threat but the advisories were being taken seriously, Voltaire Gazmin, the Philippine defence minister, said on Wednesday.

The warnings did not identify the source of the threat.

Conflicting intelligence

The five governments specifically mentioned Manila as a possible target in their latest travel advisories - and warned their citizens to stay away from shopping centres and places frequented by expatriates.

They also advised citizens to exercise a high degree of caution.

Australia, citing unspecified but reliable reports, said an attack in the capital may be "imminent''.

"Terrorist attacks, including bombings, are possible any time, anywhere in the Philippines, including in Manila," the Australian department of foreign affairs said in its notice.

The British and US authorities said terrorist attacks could be indiscriminate and could happen in Manila.

But the Philippine military said it did not have any similar information.

"There is no imminent threat, there is no information which says there is an impending attack. And we certainly would like to allay fears of all of these possibilities," Brigadier General Jose Mabanta, a military spokesman, said.

Edwin Lacierda, the Philippine presidential spokesman, said the warnings were part of heightened concerns around the world following the discovery last week of parcel bombs from Yemen that were being sent to the US.

"The travel advisories ... are part of a global alert about possible terrorist activities, not just in the Philippines but also in other parts of the world," Lacierda said.

Lacierda did mention any specific threat but said the military and the national police forces in Manila had been placed on the top-level "red alert".

Recommendations were maintained to avoid travel to Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago in the southern Philippines because of risks from Muslim rebels and al-Qaeda fighters in the area.

Source:Agencies

Prisoner can consume ganja at Sentul Police Headquarters. Not without police involvement in drugs?

 

Singer Ameng jailed for taking drugs in police station

KUALA LUMPUR: Ameng, the lead singer of popular 90s boy band Spring, was sentenced yesterday to two months’ jail for taking ganja.

Magistrate Zaki Asyraf Zubir also fined him RM4,000, in default of four months’ jail.

Ameng, 42, whose real name is Wan Aminudin Wan Ismail, was also ordered to be under observation by the National Anti-Drug Agency for three years.

The singer was charged on May 12 with consuming ganja at the Sentul police headquarters on April 2.

Five prosecution witnesses and two defence witnesses testified.

In passing sentence, the court ruled that Ameng’s defence that he was framed was merely a blatant allegation without any basis as well as an attempt to direct the court’s attention to petty issues irrelevant to the case.

Zaki Asyraf also noted that it was Ameng’s second offence. In 2005, he was convicted and fined for a similar offence.

The accused appeared calm when the sentence was passed.

In mitigation, counsel Kamarul Zaman Abdul Rahman said Ameng was his family’s sole breadwinner and that he had a three-year-old son and a non-working wife to support.

He told the court that Ameng also had two daughters, aged nine and 14 from a previous marriage.

“A custodial sentence in this case is not suitable.

“His reputation as a singer has taken a blow with this charge.

“If he goes to jail, his income will be affected,” Kamarul Zaman added.

Deputy public prosecutor Siti Hajar Alias, however, asked the court to impose a deterrent sentence as drug-taking was a serious offence and because this was Ameng’s second offence.

Kamarul Zaman applied for a stay of the jail sentence pending an appeal.

The magistrate allowed the application on condition that the bail be increased by RM2,000, to RM5,500.

Let us meet Guantanamo inmates if you want to see Anwar, Dr M tells US

PUTRAJAYA, Nov 3 – Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad criticised the US government today for continuing to support his former deputy Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is facing his second sodomy prosecution.

He said that if Washington officials wanted to meet with Anwar then the Obama Administration must allow Malaysian government representatives to meet with prisoners in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.

“Just as they (US government) have a right to talk to Anwar, we have the right to talk to people in Guantanamo Bay. I mean if they are democratic, we are also democratic. What they can do, we can also do,” he told reporters here.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s recent visit here had been surrounded by intense speculation she would meet Anwar, currently on trial for sodomy, in a charge many in Washington circles view as politically-motivated.

A face-to-face meeting could potentially have put the Najib Administration in an awkward position at a time of rapidly improving diplomatic ties, but the secretary of state appeared to be trying to avoid offending the government by only making a telephone call to Anwar instead.

However Dr Mahathir stressed that the US government must practice democracy before it preaches it.

“I think if we want to send delegations to see the people who are detained in Guantanamo over the last seven years without trial, without charges then we have the right to see what kind of justice system they have in America,” he added.

The Guantanamo Bay detainment facility was established in 2002 by former president George Bush to hold prisoners from the Iraq war. However, the camp was expanded to hold anyone suspected of terrorist activities.

Clinton’s visit marked a further warming in diplomatic relations with the world’s last remaining superpower, after frosty ties under Dr Mahathir, who is widely known for his stridently critical views of the US that are often seen as bordering on anti-Western.

In April, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak held a bilateral meeting with US President Barack Obama, just one year after taking office.

Anwar faced his first sodomy prosecution in 1999 when Dr Mahathir was still PM.

A-G closes PI Bala’s case on conflicting SDs

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 3 — There will be no further investigations on private investigator P. Balasubramaniam’s conflicting statutory declarations (SDs) as the case is now closed, according to the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

Defacto Law Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, in a written reply in Parliament, said that the A-G’s Chambers’ decision to close the case was because Balasubramaniam’s conflicting SDs did not affect the high-profile trial of murdered Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu.

“Although there are contradictions between the two SDS, the contradictions do not affect the outcome of the trial of Altantuya. Moreover, the individual (Balasubramaniam) is still believed to be abroad,” said Nazri.

The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department said that the decision to close the case was made after “careful consideration” of the results of the police probe and witness statements.

Nazri said that investigations on Balasubramaniam were initially conducted under Section 199 of the Penal Code for providing “false statements.”

Under this law, offenders are liable to a maximum jail term of three years and a fine.

It is understood that investigations against Balasubramaniam took place after he retracted a statutory declaration in July 2008, which implicated Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak and wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor in the murder of Altantuya.

Balasubramaniam, a private investigator hired by Abdul Razak Baginda, who was also Altantuya’s lover, has made many controversial allegations including linking Najib to Altantuya’s murder.

Abdul Razak was charged with murder but was subsequently acquitted.

Batu Sapi awash with cash

By Michael Kaung - Free Malaysia Today

EXCLUSIVE SANDAKAN: Banks here are reporting withdrawals of large sums of money of between RM500,000 and RM1 million since two days ago as voters in Batu Sapi decide which way to cast their ballots tomorrow.

Those in the know said “towkays” were withdrawing large sums of cash and some banks here have been unable to facilitate such large withdrawals due to technicalities. According to banking sources, Bank Negara Malaysia has to be notified in some instances.

The the talk in town is that money started flowing into the water village settlements yesterday. Some estimate that up to RM5 million cash has been withdrawn from local banks in the past 72 hours.

According to a taxi driver, they (taxi drivers) are being given RM250 each and ordinary voters are getting RM150 each. The money is supposed to be for food, transport and logistics.

Those identified as “get-out-the-vote” organisers were reportedly given RM200 and they are expected to bring voters to the polling stations tomorrow.

Several people said that they were promised RM100 to RM150 more as they cast their ballots.

This afternoon, a huge crowd gathered at the MCA operation centre here after talk spread that the party was giving “handouts” and groups of voters have been circulating around town this evening as word spreads that this or that group is handing out cash.

However, as the excitement spread, some who said they received RM150 were disappointed as they were told that they would be given RM400.

SMSs are now floating around asking voters to go to opposition centres and even hotels to collect their money and food.

Higher turnout forecast

Meanwhile, the Election Commission is expecting a higher voter turnout tomorrow in the Batu Sapi parliamentary by-election and predicted it would be about 75% compared with 63% in 2008.

This piece of news did not go down well with opposition campaigners who said a prediction of a higher voter turnout means that voters from outside the Batu Sapi constituency would be coming in.

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who arrived here today, gave a final rallying call to voters to chose their candidates wisely.

He ended a campaign speech for the Barisan Nasional candidate Linda Tsen with a few barbs at opposition candidates Yong Teck Lee of the Sabah Progressive Party and Ansari Abdullah of PKR.

He also dismissed the opposition's election campaign issues as “outdated”.

Last push to win over hearts and minds

 

By Syed Jaymal Zahiid - Free Malaysia Today

GUA MUSANG: Both PAS and Barisan Nasional are making a final attempt to woo undecided voters with the former holding one last ceramah as campaigning enters into its final hours.

Heavy downpour, however, had disrupted Pas' last bid to convince the local electorate that Galas must remain with the Islamist party.

But that did not prevent PAS and its allies from bringing in national leaders like DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang and PAS central working committee member Dr Hatta Ramli onto the stump.

For Galas, which falls under the semi-urban Gua Musang parliamentary seat, the core issue is land, and, to a certain extent, development.

In the speeches of Pakatan Rakayt leaders tonight, they touched on what mattered most for the locals – land titles – and urged voters to be pragmatic.

On land, the leaders drove home the point that state governments have legal power over land matters and that means only the Kelantan government can resolve any outstanding issues concerning land.

By urging pragmatism, Pakatan hopes voters would cast their ballots for PAS' Dr Zulkefli Mohamad, a medical practitioner, who faces Umno Gua Musang division secretary Abdul Aziz Yusof.

No big projects

BN, on the other hand, has chosen an uncharacteristically "quiet" approach – busying its campaign with ministerial programmes while relatively staying away from holding ceramah.

BN, led by its election director, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, has distanced itself from the usual anouncement of "big projects” that traditionally characterise its electoral campaign.

Instead, it is betting on the presence of its heavyweights on the last day of campaigning. Today saw Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin making his final round in Galas.

Others like Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin, Umno Wanita chief and Women, Community and Family Affairs Minister Shahrizat Jalil and Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen were also present.

Given total control over BN's direction, Razaleigh, who is Gua Musang MP and Umno division chief, has set a rather sheepish tempo. The meek pace mirrors Razaleigh's own "gentleman-like" personality, observers and foes say.

PAS has not fully capitalised on this for a practical reason: the Kelantan prince is a commodity for the party which controls Kelantan. His support for Kelantan's right to oil royalty of which the BN-controlled federal government has rejected makes it important for PAS not to upset him.

Of course, Razaleigh, affectionately known as Ku Li, has no control over everything. The MCA has harped on issues it felt was dear to the 20% Chinese voters. It accused PAS of Islamic extremism which was a threat to the Chinese way of life.

But a check around the sleepy town proved otherwise. Chinese restaurants are free to sell pork and beers too. Temples are seen everywhere and Chinese schools, perhaps one of the most important issues to the local Chinese here, are freely built.

Will BN win?

Nine days of campaigning ended today but both sides remain cautious with their projections.

An independent survey showed BN is leading the race by a narrow margin, 22% to 15%, as of yesterday but PAS is not too worried about the latest figure.

Muhyiddin, however, said confidently this afternoon that BN will win with a big majority, but PAS has maintained that the game is not over until the fat lady sings.

Either way, both sides concurred that a victory to either side will not change anything, given that PAS already controls 37 seats in the 45-seat state legislative assembly.

Those who disagreed felt that the outcome of Galas by-election is important for the opposition bloc as it faces a possible snap polls on the national stage.

It all depends on where you stand

Putrajaya division Umno Youth today lodged a police report over DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang calling Umno members infidels during a Galas by-election campaign ceramah (public talk).

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

A police report has been made against Lim Kit Siang. It seems Kit Siang called the Umno people ‘infidels’ during a ceramah in Gua Musang, Kelantan. Kit Siang, however, has denied the allegation and says he was not even at the place where he was supposed to have uttered that statement.

You can read both reports below.

Now, what is an infidel? According to the English language, an infidel is a non-believer or unbeliever. This would be synonymous with agnostic, atheist, gentile, heathen, heretic, non-worshiper, pagan, etc. That is the understanding of ‘infidel’ in the English language.

So, if you were a Jew, you would regard all non-Jews or gentiles as infidels. A Christian would view all non-Christians as infidels. And Muslims regard all non-Muslims as infidels.

But it does not stop there. Jews consider fellow Jews of other sects as infidels. As do Christians and Muslims -- who regard all those of their same religion but of different sects as infidels.

Have you not noticed that the Sunnis, Shias, Wahhabis, etc., all call each other infidels even though all are supposed to be Muslims? The same goes for the Jews and Christians as well. And I have a Buddhist friend who also said the same thing about other Buddhists who he said are practicing ‘wrong teachings’. And a Hindu friend of mine said the same thing about other Hindus.

In other words, based on the understanding and beliefs of all those who profess a religion, the entire world population are infidels. There is not single true believer in this world. Everyone is an infidel.

Therefore Kit Siang, if he had said what he was alleged to have said, is not wrong. Since he is not a Muslim then Muslims are infidels -- meaning non-believers or unbelievers -- according to his religious belief. And Muslims, in turn, would see Kit Siang as an infidel as well, according to their religious belief. So both Kit Siang and the Muslims are equally infidels according to each person’s religious belief.

Infidels are basically those who do not belief in the same thing as what you believe in. I personally know some Umno people who regard PAS people as infidels. This is because PAS people believe in Hadith and Sunnah and these Umno people do not. They believe only in the Quran and regard Hadith and Sunnah as fabrications and untrue. So PAS people are infidels, according to these Umno people.

So it all depends on what you believe in. And if you believe the opposite of what I believe then you are an unbeliever or non-believer, and therefore an infidel. The Malay Muslims do not believe what the Shias believe. In fact, if a Malay declares that he or she is a Shia, the Malaysian government would arrest or detain this person. And a Shia, in turn, would regard all Malays, not only Umno Malays, as infidels.

From this angle Kit Siang is not wrong in calling Malays or Umno Malays infidels if he looks at things from a non-Sunni Muslim point of view. But then he did not do so. In fact, he was not even there. But if he was and if he had called them infidels he would be right -- unless Kit Siang is also a Sunni Muslim. Then he would need to explain why he regards fellow Sunni Muslims as infidels.

****************************************

Police Report Lodged Over Kit Siang's Statement

Putrajaya division Umno Youth today lodged a police report over DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang calling Umno members infidels during a Galas by-election campaign ceramah (public talk).

Its representative Mohd Hisamudin Yahaya said the report was made at the Putrajaya police headquarters for the relevant authorities to investigate the offence allegedly committed by Lim under the Election Offences Act 1954.

"Accusing Umno members of being infidels is extreme and appears to have been endorsed by other quarters in the opposition pact," he told reporters, here, today.

"It was clearly an act of provocation and against the Federal Constitution, which states that people of other religions cannot interfere with a community's religious faith," he said.

Newspapers reported today that Lim had made the statement in front of PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat and PKR advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at the Kesedar Land Rehabilitation Scheme in Sungai Terah, Gua Musang, Kelantan. -- Bernama

***************************************

Kit Siang denies calling Umno 'kafir': I was not even there

An outraged Lim Kit Siang denied uttering seditious remarks during a ceramah in Sungai Terah, Gua Musang, saying that he was not even present at the function.

“This is a slanderous accusation...I never said this and I was not even there at the ceramah. This is a twisted and irresponsible plot to spread racial and religious hatred,” Kit Siang told reporters.

Umno-owned daily Berita Harian, in a news report dated yesterday had accused Lim of saying “orang Umno kafir” (Umno members are infidels) during a PAS ceramah in Sungai Terah, to “influence Malays to vote for PAS” for the Galas by-election.

The article quoted Melaka Chief Minister Mohd Ali Rustam as saying that Lim’s alleged remarks were made in the presence of PAS spiritual advisor Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat and PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim during a ceramah in Sungai Terah.

“What is said is that when Lim accused Umno Malays of being 'kafir', PAS members greeted his remarks with shouts of 'Allahuakbar'. Should we support this party which has deviated from Islam’s true teachings?” said Ali Rustam during a function in Kampung Baru Hulu.

Kit Siang said today that since the “false” news report, Umno Youth Putrajaya had lodged a police report against him.

“I myself will lodge a police report in Gua Musang and will instruct my lawyer to take action against Ali Rustam for defamation,” said Kit Siang.

Meanwhile, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, who was at the press conference, demanded that Berita Harian withdraws the report and issues an apology.

“No DAP leader has ever said Umno is kafir. We are not Muslims, so how we say someone is kafir?” Guan Eng noted. -- The Malaysian Insider

How can you not love her?

“Today, we are facing groups like Perkasa, racist groups that are supported by Umno. That was why I challenged (Perkasa chief) Ibrahim Ali, eventhough I am Malay and Muslim. I cannot support those who are racist. We don’t want Malay-saja… we want a Malaysia. We must fight racial politics” – YB Nurul Izzah, urging the Chinese voters in Galas to give their vote to PAS and reject the race-based politics of BN, as reported in FreeMalaysiaToday.

Climate Change Devastates Oceans

(Asia Sentinel) Even as warming seas trigger unprecedented species decline, policymakers avoid climate-change action Legislators, scientists and conservationists meet again in Nagoya, Japan, under the gathering clouds of species extinction to discuss the state of Earth's biodiversity at the Tenth Conference of Parties for the Convention on Biological Diversity. It takes place amidst discouraging news. The convention's Global Biodiversity Outlook 3 reports that the target, set in 2002, to achieve significant reduction in the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010 has failed. Underlying causes of continued loss of biodiversity include habitat loss, unsustainable use and overexploitation of biological resources, climate change, invasive species and pollution. There is some good news in this report on localized or partial success in stemming some of these pressures. However, while climate change is viewed as a threat of "increasing significance," it's remarkable that this document does not call for international agreement on an effective course of action to tackle climate change with utmost urgency. Without such an agreement, humankind will be the causative agent of a planetary extinction expected to rival the five great extinctions recorded in geological history. Coral reefs are the most species-rich marine ecosystems on Earth. Despite only comprising about 0.2 percent of the area of the oceans, coral reefs host a quarter of all marine fish species and perhaps 1 to 3 million marine species in total. In economic terms, they provide goods and services estimated up to $375 billion per annum. Around 500 million to 1 billion people rely on coral reefs for food, and 30 million of the world's poorest people in coastal communities depend entirely on reefs as their primary means of food production and livelihood. The impacts of climate change are already apparent on coral reefs. There's no need to resort to models that forecast the effects of increased global temperatures on coral-reef ecosystems and the species associated with them, the evidence is there. In the late 1970s the first mass coral-bleaching events were recorded. This phenomenon is associated with abnormally high sea-surface temperatures and results from the corals ejecting algal symbionts from their tissues. The symbionts, microscopic plants, produce energy from photosynthesis and provide corals with most of their nutrients. Once these are ejected from coral tissues, the corals change from various shades of brown to a bleached white color; if warm conditions are prolonged, the corals die. Mass coral bleaching has increased in frequency as sea-surface temperatures have steadily increased in response to global warming. In 1998, a single mass bleaching event reached across the tropics and killed 16 percent of all the world's shallow-water coral reefs. At the Nagoya conference, news that another large-scale mass coral bleaching event affecting the Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean and Caribbean has occurred in 2010, potentially rivaling that of 1998 in severity, is particularly unwelcome. By the middle of the century the steady increase in SSTs will make bleaching annual events, laying waste to corals reefs globally. However, global warming is not the whole story of CO2-induced climate change. The oceans have been absorbing a large proportion of the CO2 produced by humankind. When absorbed by seawater, CO2 forms carbonic acid and reduces pH, a measure of the acidity. So far a pH reduction of 0.1 units has been recorded by long-term ocean monitoring stations around the globe suggesting the oceans are becoming more acidic. This change may seem tiny, but in fact represents a major shift in the oceans' chemistry. A pH change of 0.1 represents 30 percent more hydrogen ions in surface waters. These hydrogen ions react with calcium carbonate, the raw material that corals use to build their skeletons, converting it to bicarbonate, a process known as ocean acidification. Reduction in the availability of calcium carbonate has profound implications for coral reefs. Both corals, and other organisms that build and connect intricate structures of a reef, grow shells or skeletons out of calcium carbonate. As concentrations of this mineral decline in seawater, the growth rates of corals and other organisms also decrease. Already growth of corals is slowing down in several major reef areas of the world, and acidification is thought to be at least partially responsible. Ocean acidification has been found to have other unexpected effects on the marine animals. For example, clown fish lose their ability to discriminate between the reef on which they were spawned and other reef habitats, possibly less favorable for their growth and survival. Ocean acidification not only affects the tropics. If CO2 emissions continue to increase at the present rate, parts of the polar-ocean surface become under-saturated with calcium carbonate by the middle of the century. This means they will actually become corrosive to calcium carbonate. The consequences on marine food webs in high latitudes are not understood. We know that careful management of coral-reef ecosystems helps them to recover from the impacts of a mass-bleaching event. Fishing has a profound influence on reef recovery because the removal of grazing fish species allows algae to smother a damaged reef and prevent re-colonization of the reef substrata by coral larvae. Sustainable management of fishing and prevention of destructive fishing practices maintain reef health and improve resilience to climate-change impacts. Likewise, the presence of sediments and pollutants can also damage reef health and inhibit reef recovery. The Global Biodiversity Outlook points out that careful management of the largest reef, the Great Barrier Reef, will give it "the best chance of adapting to and recovering from" serious threats, "especially those related to climate change." This statement is wholly misleading and underlies a fallacy that permeates current discussions on action to reduce CO2 emissions. Observations indicate that already, at an atmospheric CO2 concentration of ~380ppm, coral reefs are in decline as a result of climate-change effects combined with direct human impacts. At a CO2 level of 450ppm and beyond, which will be reached by the 2030s, mass coral bleaching will progressively destroy most coral reefs in shallow waters. Sometime in the third quarter of this century, CO2 levels will move beyond 560ppm, a point at which ocean acidification will adversely affect carbonate levels at the surface of most oceans. Coral reefs at this point will be in an uncontrolled decline from which recovery will be unlikely. Climate negotiations are currently discussing 450ppm atmospheric CO2 level as a target for stabilization, not peak emissions. This means that, at best, careful management of coral reef ecosystems will postpone demise by a few decades. This may give human populations some chance of adaptation to the destruction of these ecosystems, but it will not save the biodiversity associated with coral reefs. By the end of the century we will have lost the most beautiful, most diverse and in socioeconomic terms, one of the most valuable marine ecosystems on the planet. At the Tenth Conference of Parties for the Convention on Biological Diversity, there will be calls for more protected areas, greater action to restore populations of threatened species, more efforts to reduce consumption of biological resources and destruction of habitats. But the elephant in the room that is climate change cannot be ignored. Beyond direct actions to protect biodiversity the message must be delivered clearly, without compromise, that failure to take action on climate change and curb CO2 emissions immediately and drastically will result in ecological catastrophe. The consequent loss of biodiversity and ecosystem goods and services will significantly impact the Earth and along with it humankind. Alex David Rogers is a professor with the Department of Zoology, University of Oxford. This is reprinted with permission from YaleGlobal, the magazine of the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization.

Kit Siang denies ‘Umno kafir’ remark

Malaysiakini

DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang has denied a news report that he had dubbed bitter rivals Umno as kafir (infidels) during a ceramah (political talk) in Gua Musang, pointing out that he was not even present at the event.

“It is a slanderous report… I have never been there. This is very irresponsible and they are doing it to propagate hatred,” Lim told a press conference at the Parliament lobby today.

Malay-language daily Berita Harian had claimed that Lim made the remark during a ceramah on Monday in Kampung Baru Hulu, Sungai Terap while campaigning for the Galas by-election in Kelantan.

PAS spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat and PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim were said to have been at the event as well.

Yesterday, the daily quoted Malacca Chief Minister Mohd Ali Rustam (left) as saying that Lim had been coached by PAS leaders to speak in that manner.

Mohd Ali further claimed that what made matters worse was that the crowd had chanted ‘God is great’ after the remark was made.

Retraction, apology demanded

On a police report against him by Putrajaya Umno’s Youth wing, Lim said the movement had acted on information in a report which was “clearly fictitious”.

He said DAP will lodge a police report in Gua Musang today over the report and that his lawyers have also been instructed to take legal action against Ali Rustam.

Party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, who was at the press conference, demanded that Berita Harian withdraws the report and issues an apology.

“No DAP leader has ever said Umno is kafir. We are not Muslims, so how we say someone is kafir?” he noted.

Police reports against Ali Rustam

In another development, at least three police reports have been lodged by DAP representatives against Mohd Ali over the Berita Harian report.

The reports were lodged by Thomas Su, DAP’s election director for the Galas by-election, DAP Youth secretary Teo Kok Seong and DAP women’s wing deputy secretary Leong Mee Meng.

In the report the three said that Mohd Ali’s statement contained elements of slander and was done in bad faith to incite hatred among different ethnic and religious groups.

BN Ready To Compete Against Anyone In Next Polls, Says PM

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 3 (Bernama) -- Barisan Nasional (BN) is prepared to take on anyone in the next general election and not be intimidated by the ongoing sodomy trial of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

"We are willing to compete against anyone, this is democracy. Let the best party chosen by the people form the government," said Najib, who is also BN chairman.

He made these remarks in a recorded interview on CNN's TalkAsia aired Wednesday night when asked by anchor Anna Coren whether Anwar, the former deputy prime minister, would be a threat to BN in the next general election.

Najib also refuted claims that the trial was politically motivated to keep Anwar, the current Opposition leader, out of the picture in the next general election, which some speculated would be held next year.

"That is what he likes to say, but the facts do not support that. The government would not be able to charge him if not for the complaints made by his former assistant. We wouldn't want to charge him in the first place.

"It's not a choice and we don't plan for this. It so happened that his own (former) employee made a criminal complaint against him. We just have to take it from there," he said.

Najib added that the ruling coalition would explain to the people that the trial was purely "an individual thing" and that it had nothing to do with the government.

Najib also disclosed that he has good personal relationship with former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad despite the elder statesman's sometimes strong statements on his policies.

"Dr Mahathir has a strong mind and strong opinions. I don't expect him to be with me on every single issue. But most importantly, he supports the government, supports my leadership," he said.

Hindu American Foundation Critical of Obama Canceling Golden Temple Visit

Washington, D.C. (November 2, 2010) – The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) expressed concern over the White House’s announcement that President Barack Obama would not be visiting Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) in Amritsar, Punjab -- the holiest shrine for Sikhs -- on his upcoming trip to India. According to some sources the decision was made due to concerns that photographs of the President with his head covered -- a requirement for all visitors to the Golden Temple -- could revive claims that he was Muslim. Yet, within a matter of days of the Golden Temple cancellation, the White House announced that the President would visit the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia, the largest Muslim place of worship in Southeast Asia.

“Many of us are confused and concerned, to say the least, by the apparent contradiction. If President Obama’s primary concern is to allay continued rumors of his being Muslim, then why would he agree to visit a mosque after reversing his decision to visit the Golden Temple?” said Sheetal Shah, HAF’s Senior Director. “We regret the message this may send around the world. A visit to the Golden Temple, a place of pilgrimage for people of many faiths in India, would have helped educate a global audience about Sikhism, amongst India’s other Dharmic traditions, and provided the President an opportunity to witness India’s vibrant religious pluralism. We hope that the Administration will reconsider its decision.”

The President’s trip to India also coincides with Diwali, one of the most widely celebrated Hindu holidays. There has been no mention, however, of the President visiting a Hindu temple while there.

“It would indeed be a welcomed gesture for the President to include a visit to a temple especially if the Administration finds it appropriate to visit a mosque in Indonesia, home to the world’s largest Muslim population. It seems it would follow that he would extend the same courtesy to Hindus during his stay in the most populous country of Hindus,”” said Dr. Mihir Meghani, HAF Board member. “Through various public addresses, the establishment of the Faith Based Advisory Council and numerous White House celebrations, the President has articulated a commitment to religious inclusiveness. We hope he will continue this trend on the global scene, where it is imperative to foster a deeper understanding of the world’s faiths, their complexities and most importantly, the respective roles they play in ongoing conflicts and may play in reconciliation.”

Blackouts in Parliament

The power supply in Parliament was interrupted twice during the ongoing sitting of the Dewan Rakyat, bringing the proceedings to a halt.

The first power failure occured at about 11.50am when Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister Noh Omar was winding up of the Supply Bill (2011).

After the electricity supply was restored shortly after, another blackout occurred which was promptly resolved.

By then the audio and visual equipments are unable to function and are currently being repaired.

Prior to power disruption, the Dewan Rakyat had resolved to extend today's sitting to 10.30pm. It is unknown whether there will be further extensions due to the blackouts.

BN wins on paper, but Yong wins hearts

BY FMT Staff

KOTA KINABALU: Gauging local sentiment in Batu Sapi is easy. Distaste for Barisan Nasional runs deep. According to conventional wisdom, that should translate into a protest vote? Not so fast.

Predicting the outcome of the Nov 4 parliamentary by-election is a dicey business.

Suffice to say whatever the outcome, the margin of difference between the three battling parties -- BN, Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) and PKR -- will set the stage for the 13th general election scheduled for before 2012.

After all as a much respected Sabah leader Jeffrey Kitingan has pointedly told voters, “this is a only a by-election, vote for the opposition -- give any opposition a chance -- and we shall see if the government of the day will do something to recapture the trust of the people and show Sabahans that they are sincere.”

On paper, BN's looking good -- with some 4,000-odd votes seemingly “already in its pockets” courtesy of postal votes and 3,000 Muslim Bumiputera loyalists.

In the final thrust, which began yesterday, generous lacings of cash, citizenships and infrastructure such as jetties, mosques and solar lights are promises being quickly fulfilled.

But on the ground, the rumblings and rousing welcomes are reserved for SAPP's Yong Teck Lee, whose “Sabah for Sabahans" slogan is stirring the imagination of the weary poverty-stricken constituency.

Yong is aiming for 80% Chinese votes and 25% Muslim Bumiputeras votes to create that Sibu-style upset that BN does not want to see.

Still, measuring how far the electorates' support for Yong and disgust for Chief Minister Musa Aman's regime will translate into votes, is a task best left to self-professed political observers and the clairvoyant.

Promises that never materialised

Meanwhile voters, especially the Muslim Bumiputeras who constitute some 60% of the electorate in this vast constituency that is half the size of Johor, appear resigned to their fate.

First, it was the all-powerful and now defunct United Sabah National Organisation (Usno, which by the way, is trying to make a comeback), and then came Berjaya Party in the 1970s.

Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) grabbed the baton in the 1980s and Umno and the BN stole it in the 1990s.

All had something in common. They promised something better but that “something” never came. The people are still poor, lack basic facilities and face a bleak future.

But they persevered with hope and repeatedly voted these same parties that were giving them nothing despite the state's riches.

That's the way it has always been. But they have not been cowed and latest ground reports are whispering change.

Yong the candidate is also the rebel-rousing president of SAPP and he's being lifted by a wave of anti-establishment, anti-federal government sentiment akin to what was first seen when Usno and then Berjaya fell.

Unfortunately, all it means is that the people of Batu Sapi and Sabahans are fed up with being dictated to by non-Sabahans.

And that's bad news for the Kuala Lumpur-based Umno-BN and PKR -- which is testing its influence here in Sabah for the first time.

In 1985, PBS won because of that same sentiment -- a feeling that Sabah should have its own way. Now, if the annoyed talk is any indication, that sentiment is back.

"There's no one else to turn to… Going back to the founding fathers of PBS, who is there? Yong is one," said a local who has followed the political meanderings of the various parties.

"SAPP is the key to getting back at KL for all the broken promises. It (the local sentiment of Sabah for Sabahans) is boiling up again. It used to be with PBS… people were attached to PBS. But they lost (the) sympathy (of Sabahans) when they joined BN.

"You go and ask people. People don't respect Pairin (PBS leader Joseph Pairin Kitingan). They don't trust Dompok (Bernard Dompok, the Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister and the president of the United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun and Murut Organisation) and Maximus (Ongkili, the Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation Minister).

"They are all seen as BN and federal government proxies. There are no good Sabah leaders left," he said.

'What have we got after 16 years?'

Adding to that, he said many of those locals from the west coast who migrated to the east coast of the state are frustrated with PBS.

"They won't support PBS now even if its the Huguan Siou (paramount leader) asking them... now there is only Yong. He is still seen as a bona fide Sabah leader who the people hope has the courage to speak out on Sabah issues."

Yong's continued attack on Sabah BN leaders for failing to fight for the state's autonomy despite holding top positions in the ruling coalition at national level as well as the recent expose that the federal government had allegedly surrendered some of its oil wealth to Brunei for little in return, has swelled his base.

That's the way Sabahans are. Like anyone else, they will give you a fair chance and sometimes even more than a fair chance and punish you if you take them for granted the way Musa's BN seems to have done.

"What have we got after all these years (16 years of Umno/BN rule to be exact?)," asked a local attached to a semi-government agency in Sandakan.

"We've got a few flyovers, lots of small cell phone shops, a few more empty malls… what else? There's still power cuts, water shortages, petrol prices have gone up. Food is more costly… Is this development? Sixteen years and this is all? I hope BN falls," he said angrily.

Questioned a little more and he said: "I don't like BN but they will win. I have put five RM5,000 on them to win and I think I will make some money but if I lose, I will still be happy."

If Batu Sapi voters deliver the winning result that strategists in both opposition parties expect, the implications for Sabah remain a mystery.

An opposition victory or even a good showing will reflect a repudiation of the Umno-BN rule in Sabah.

Ku Li plays gentleman against rising attacks

By Teoh El Sen - Free Malaysia Today

GUA MUSANG: Galas Barisan Nasional election director Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah today casually dismissed the latest allegations that Umno workers are giving out cash and gift hand-outs on the second last day of polling day (Nov 4) of the Galas state by-election.

Remaining too cool to care about the latest PAS attack against his campaign, Razaleigh replied coyly:" Really? Is this true? I don't know, I wasn't there."

Asked why he was not defending himself from several allegations hurled against him that may sway voters, the Gua Musang MP said that he only replies to things that are true and would not entertain
absurd allegations.

"Let them talk. If they want to attack, let them. Those are things that are untrue. If they are true, then I would reply. We don't give out money; if we do, we will admit to it, but we don't. I have never played money politics," he told reporters at a Deepavali dinner at Bukit Cekati here last night.

When asked about the chances of a win for BN, Ku Li smiled and said: "Fifty-fifty".

Previous attacks include state PAS election committee adviser Wan Abdul Rahim Wan Abdullah singling out Razaleigh, who is affectionately known as Ku Li, as the main cause why land deeds and titles were slow in being awarded in Galas.

Slow-moving mood

Wan Abdul Rahim had claimed that Razaleigh had decided to hide the files, a claim that the latter had dismissed as "lies".

Commenting on the slow-moving mood of the by-election, Razaleigh said that he liked to see such election style being practised.

"I see that our workers are spirited, yes, there may be a few problems because there are a lot of people involved. But there is good cooperation and we are united in our campaign."

"We are very moderate. We don't hold ceramah, just small talks and door-to-door visits. We do not disturb the rakyat. The police are also not so much involved and there are no traffic jams. This brings harmony to the people," Razaleigh said, adding that in future there should be television and radio broadcasts replacing ceramahs.

"This is the information age. We live in modern times. Maybe once in a while we can come down and greet the voters... this is the new way being practised by modern countries. There is no need for the old ways that burden the rakyat," he said.

Meanwhile, Razaleigh said there would be no last-minute surprises in the Galas campaign.

Asked if he had any message for the voters, he smiled: "Undilah Barisan Nasional."

‘Betrayal’ theories keep voters riveted

By Joe Fernandez - Free Malaysia Today

ANALYSIS The campaign for the Batu Sapi parliamentary by-election is turning into a story of competing “betrayal” theories. They are being flogged by various parties who have entered the fray in a desperate last-minute push to garner support for their respective candidates.

Sabah Umno veteran Karim Ghani, who recently quit his party in a huff over the allegedly continuing disenfranchisement of local Muslims, was first off the mark. He is urging voters in Sekong to reject both Linda Tsen and Yong Teck Lee. Muslim-majority Sekong is one of the two state seats in Batu Sapi, the other being the overwhelmingly Chinese Karamunting.

Tsen, points out Karim, is from Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) which, according to him, “betrayed” the United Sabah National Organisation (Usno) in the 1985 state election. The betrayal, as Karim explains, is the refusal of PBS to form a coalition government with Usno after the former vanquished Berjaya in snap state polls called by Sabah strongman Harris Salleh. Karim swears that PBS and Usno had a pre-election coalition agreement which was not honoured by the former.

Karim also wants voters to reject Tsen because her party PBS is linked with Umno in the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN). Umno, swears Karim who claims to have brought the party to Sabah “to fight PBS”, betrayed Usno members when it subsequently teamed up with PBS in BN.

Yong is on Karim’s blacklist too in Batu Sapi since his Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) is a 1994 breakaway from PBS.

Karim is also sore that Umno had Usno de-registered and has subsequently resisted all attempts to revive the party. Hence, his plan to join PKR along with mostly ex-Usno members who are still to join Umno or who plan to quit the party over the “betrayal”.

It was PBS, says Karim, who betrayed Umno and BN when it pulled out from the ruling coalition on the eve of the general election in 1990.

PBS campaigners point out in rebuttal that it was Yong who persuaded fellow deputy president Bernard Giluk Dompok to stand together with him to persuade party president Joseph Pairin Kitingan to make that fateful pull-out decision.

The younger Kitingan in politics, Jeffrey, objected but was over-ruled by his brother. Yong’s role in the 1990 PBS pull-out from BN gave Umno the excuse it had been waiting for to enter Sabah.

PBS, at the time of the pull-out, claimed it had felt betrayed by Umno which treated the Sabah party as if it didn’t exist in the BN.

Not so subtle message

The not so subtle message from Karim, in any case, is that local Muslims, ex-Usno members whether within or without Umno, should vote for Ansari Abdullah, the PKR candidate from Pakatan Rakyat, the opposition coalition.

Karim is yet to join PKR but hopes to garner at least 1,000 ex-Usno votes for Ansari and negotiate his way into PKR. He has already held two rounds of talks in late August and mid-September with de facto PKR chief Anwar Ibrahim in Kota Kinabalu.

Meanwhile, PBS campaigners in Batu Sapi agree that their party had a coalition agreement with Usno in 1985.

But it appears that the agreement would be activated – Karim denies this as a PBS afterthought – only if PBS needed Usno to form a state government. PBS, however, did not need Usno as the election results proved. Nevertheless, it still contemplated taking in the Muslim-led and dominated party into the state government despite the former (PBS) having a sizeable number of Muslim representatives and over their objections.

Usno apparently incurred PBS’s wrath when Suluk chief Mustapha Harun had himself sworn in as chief minister in the wee hours after election day based on his theory that “the early bird catches the worm”.

Earlier, Mustapha who had 17 seats in 1985 vis-à-vis PBS’ 25 came to an understanding for a coalition government with the vanquished Berjaya which could only manage six seats. The hope of the two parties was to appoint six nominated assemblymen, a little used provision in the state constitution, to eclipse PBS in the state assembly.

After being sworn in, Mustapha, however, invited PBS to join his coalition government.

Karim claims that this invitation was in keeping with the spirit of the coalition government.

Also, he claims that Mustapha only teamed up with Berjaya after PBS indicated that there would be no coalition government. It’s unlikely that between the final election results coming in amidst celebration in PBS and the wee hours of the next day, that Pairin would have called Mustapha to announce “no coalition government”.

Pairin was first waiting to be sworn in the next morning. Mustapha jumped the gun when he virtually scrambled over the walls of the Istana and woke up the governor at an unearthly hour to have himself sworn in as the chief minister.

Backed by then deputy prime minister Musa Hitam, PBS president Joseph Pairin Kitingan was sworn in nevertheless as chief minister, Mustapha’s appointment being considered null and void. Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad was then overseas and upon his return, upbraided Musa for Pairin’s appointment.

Mustapha immediately went to court to test his “early bird catches the worm” theory but lost his bid to have himself reinstated as chief minister. The court pointed out that Pairin, with 25 seats, should have been invited first by the state governor to form the government and not Mustapha who had less than a majority in the state assembly of 48 seats.

Under heavy fire

Then there is Yong who is under heavy fire in Batu Sapi from PBS campaigners for defecting from the party on the eve of the 1994 state election and getting SAPP approved within 24 hours in cahoots with Mahathir. Yong subsequently teamed up with Umno in the state election but their combined total of 23 seats including three from Yong fell short of the majority in the 48-seat assembly.

One month later, Yong enlisted the help of Sarawak tycoon Sng Chee Hwa who had earlier flown him in Kuala Lumpur tycoon Vincent Tan’s private jet to see Mahathir and get SAPP registered. Yong also enlisted the help of Labuan tycoon Joseph Ambrose Lee. Both tycoons helped Yong to lure several state assemblypersons away from PBS to bring about the downfall of the Pairin government.

Yong subsequently went on to become chief minister for two years (1996-1998) in a state government which has since been dominated by Umno.

Then on Sept 17, 2008 SAPP pulled out from the ruling BN claiming loss of confidence in the federal leadership and the coalition party. Umno, however, is not flogging this betrayal in Batu Sapi unlike PBS which doesn’t want SAPP back in the Sabah BN.

SAPP refused to join PR in the wake of Sept 17, 2008 election and instead has been holding on-off talks with emissaries of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.

Yong’s plan is to return to Sabah BN provided all the Chinese seats would be allotted to his ostensibly multiracial party. Hence, his outing in Batu Sapi is to demonstrate to the BN that the majority of the Chinese is with him. Alternatively, he hopes to negotiate for lesser terms for re-entry into BN on the grounds that he still has substantial Chinese support.

PERKASA and ME

 
1. When the 5th PM took over, it became obvious he was incompetent and unable to govern the country and grow its economy. He was seen as weak by the Malays as well as by the Chinese and Indians. He flipped-flopped, making decisions and policies and reversing them, arresting opposition members under the ISA and then releasing them shortly after, claiming that he wanted to protect them.

2. Extremists among the Chinese and Indians felt they could safely challenge the Government, particularly over racial issues. They demanded that provisions in the Constitution favouring the Malays and the NEP quotas be removed. Even Barisan Nasional partners took up the call.

3. Normally UMNO leaders and UMNO generally would take up the defence of the Malays. But Abdullah as UMNO President and PM was silent (elegant silence) causing the other leaders and members of UMNO to become silent also.

4. As the attack against the Malays escalated and UMNO remained silent, the Malay public felt they were being let down by UMNO. Losing faith in UMNO, they began to set up NGOs to take up the challenges by the Chinese and Indian activists.

5. Perkasa as an NGO gained the most support because the founder was more vocal and willing to take risk and to rebut the views of the Chinese and Indian extremists.

6. Meanwhile Malay support for UMNO was silently eroding. In the 2008 elections the loss of Malay support for UMNO became evident. Many either abstained or voted for PAS.

7. Demands were then made for Abdullah to step down. Najib took over and he tried to regain Chinese support by apparently giving in to Chinese demands on several issues. The new UMNO leadership also opted to remain silent and failed to defend the Malay position. Instead of going back to support UMNO, Malays including UMNO members continue to flocked to Perkasa.

8. In the 2008 elections, many UMNO and BN candidates won only by small margins even in their strongholds. If in the next election defections by even a small number of supporters in some constituencies can result in a reduction of the Barisan Nasional majority or even cause the BN to lose altogether.

9. Because of the poor handling of the Perak crisis, the Chinese who considered the Pakatan Government of Perak as a Chinese Government, swore not to support BN anymore.

10. The situation of UMNO and BN looked bleak. They have not regained the Malay support lost in the 2008 elections and they face the prospect of the Chinese not supporting the Barisan Nasional in the 13th General Elections. Striving to regain Chinese support is not enough. They must also regain Malay support.

11. UMNO may think that all the Malays are supportive of the party. But UMNO cannot be sure of that. Their silence before the 2008 Election was deceptive. We now know that many supported the opposition. Can UMNO disregard or antagonise any Malay group? I think it would be dangerous to do so.

12. Perkasa has not indicated that it is against BN and UMNO. In fact it has hinted that it is for UMNO. Looking at the strength of Malay support for Perkasa antagonising them would not be to the benefit of the Barisan Nasional or UMNO.

13. Perkasa is accused of being racist and should be rejected on that ground. Is Perkasa racist? If anyone cares to study the statement by Perkasa he will not fail to note that it has confined itself to rebutting allegations that the non-Malays have been discriminated against, that the Malays need to retain their present position. If it is really racist then it would be demanding the abolition of the special treatment of the Chinese and Indians in Malaysia. This it has not done except when defending the Malay position.

14. It is illogical to expect that when the Chinese and Indian activists demand for the removal of policies and schemes to help the Malays, they, the Malays should remain silent or to agree. Surely the natural thing for them to do is to defend themselves. If their anointed protector, UMNO, refuses for whatever reason to voice disagreement against the demands of the Chinese and Indians, then the beleaguered Malays will have to find a champion elsewhere.

15. They could form a political party and undermine UMNO. But they did not. The Malays are already fragmented. And so they formed NGOs instead which leaves them with the option to support or not to support UMNO and the Barisan Nasional.

16. True there are a few Malays in Pakatan who seem to agree and support demands to do away with the affirmative action in favour of the Malays. But they are doing this simply to fish for Chinese support for their parties.

17. Whatever may be the feelings of UMNO, I have decided that the NGOs have a big enough following which could do damage to UMNO and the BN in the next election if they want to. Accordingly I have decided to stay close with Perkasa especially and to ensure that it does not swing over to the opposition. I would like to ensure that Perkasa supports the Barisan Nasional in the next election.

18. Does this make me a racist? I had at one time the opportunity and power to be a real Malay racist. But I won elections with strong non-Malay support. In fact in1999 it was Chinese support which gave me my 2/3 majority.

19. I was obviously not regarded as a racist then (except of course by the DAP). So why am I regarded as a racist now when all I want to do is to ensure Malay support for Barisan Nasional parties, especially UMNO.

In TI CPI of past 16 years, Malaysia is perceived by the world as becoming more and more corrupt while other countries have become less corrupt

By Lim Kit Siang,

Despite the “1Malaysia People First Performance Now” slogan and the alphabet soup of GTP, NKRA, MKRA, SRIs, ETP etc and one Roadmap after another of Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the National Integrity Plan of former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Malaysia is the worst country in the Asia-Pacific in Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) in past 16 years since the start of the annual ranking in 1995.

In the first TI CPI in 1995, Malaysia was ranked No. 23 out of 41 countries or the 6th highest-ranked nation in the Asia-Pacific after New Zealand -1, Singapore – 3, Australia – 7, Hong Kong – 17 and Japan – 20, with a CPI score of 5.28.

Sixteen years later, after numerous anti-corruption campaigns, two major anti-corruption legislation and “transformation” of the former Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) into Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) with massive infusion of public funds and increase of staffing, Malaysia has continued to remain in the lowest TI CPI ranking of No. 56 as last year but with the lowest CPI score of 4.4 – falling to No. 11 country placing in the Asia-Pacific.

In the past 16 years, Malaysia had lost out to five other countries in the Asia-Pacific, namely Taiwan now ranked No. 33 with CPI score of 5.8; Bhutan (No. 36 – 5.7 ); Brunei (No.38 – 5.5); South Korea (No. 39 – 5.4) and Macau (No.46 – 5.0).

Even more serious, other countries which had been down on the list of the TI CPI ranking are fast catching up while Malaysia is fast falling down!

Thailand, China and Indonesia are three examples in Asia. China was ranked No. 40 with a CPI score of 2.16 in 1995. In 2010, China is ranked No. 78 with a CPI score of 3.5.

At the annual average rate of China’s improvement and Malaysia’s regression of their CPI scores in the last 16 years, China will not only catch up but will leave Malaysia behind in the TI CPI, both in ranking and in score in a matter of six years – come 2017!

Another Asian country set to overtake Malaysia is Thailand, which was ranked No. 34 with CPI score of 2.79 in 1995, and is now ranked together with China at No. 78 with CPI score of 3.5.

Breathing down Malaysia’s neck in the TI CPI is India (No. 87 – 3.3), having climbed from No. 35 with CPI score of 2.78 in 1995.

Even Indonesia is making significant strides in the anti-corruption front. Ranked at the very bottom of No. 41 in 1995, with CPI score of 1.94, Indonesia is now ranked No. 110 with a CPI score of 2.8 in 2010.

Malaysia is the worst country in the TI CPI in the past 16 years, falling from No. 23 with CPI score of 5.28 to No. 56 with CPI score of 4.4 in 2010.

Malaysia is also losing out to other countries in other regions. For instance Turkey, which was ranked No. 29 in 1995 with CPI score of 4.4 has caught up with Malaysia in 2010, equally ranked No. 56 with 4.4 CPI score.

It is heart-rending to see Malaysia losing out to Middle East countries. Jordan was ranked No. 30 with CPI score of 4.89 in the 1996 TI CPI when Malaysia was ranked No. 26 with CPI score of 5.32. In TI CPI 2010, Jordan has shot ahead of Malaysia, ranked No. 50 with CPI score of 4.7.

Saudi Arabia, which was first ranked No. 46 with CPI score of 4.5 in 2003 (when Malaysia was ranked No. 37 with CPI score of 5.2) is now ahead, with ranking of 50 and CPI score of 4.7.

In the past 16 years, Malaysia is perceived by the world as becoming more and more corrupt while other countries have become less corrupt!

The NKRA on “fighting corruption” had set the target to increase the TI CPI score from 4.5 last year to 4.9 this year, but the reverse has taken place, falling to a new national low of 4.4!

What is most unacceptable and reprehensible is the attempt by the Minister for NKRA Datuk Idris Jala, Pemandu (Performance Management and Delivery Unit) and the MACC to whitewash the shocking failures of anti-corruption measures this year by claiming that the TI CPI ranking and scores are not correct or reliable.

Pemandu claimed that in the past year, Malaysia had bettered the graft score from 5.2 to 6.3 in the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook, from 3.6 to 4.6 in the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy’s (PERC) Asian Intelligence Newsletter and from 4.5 to 4.6 in the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Competitiveness Report – and that based on the “average score of the four surveys, it is clear that Malaysia’s index has improved from 4.45 in 2009 to 4.975 in 2010”.

Pemandu, which is being staffed by highly-paid consultants and professionals, is being most dishonest, unethical and unprofessional in trying to engage in an unacademic PR exercise to gloss over the abject failures on the anti-corruption NKRA front as TI CPI had not changed its methodology from previous years.

Malaysia’s CPI 2010 is calculated by TI using nine sources by six independent institutions – the same as in previous CPIs. Unless Pemandu challenges the validity of previous CPI scores, it cannot selectively dispute the validity of the 2010 CPI.

The worst TI CPI score for Malaysia in 2010 should be a top issue in Parliament for the government to explain in the 2011 Budget winding-up stage of debate. Instead, this subject has been avoided like the plague, although many MPs had spoken about it in the debate.

The two Ministers in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz and Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon studiously avoided the subject of Malaysia’s worst TI CPI in 16 years in their winding-up, further undermining public confidence in the political will and commitment of the Barisan Nasional government to declare war on corruption, particularly grand corruption of the “Ikan yus” as distinct from “ikan bilis”, as well as the real worth and utility of expensive Government Transformation Programme run by highly-paid professionals and consultants with their NKRAs, MKRAs, SRIs, etc.

Press Release: RMAF’s threat is shocking and unwarranted

N Surendran, a Member of the Malaysian Bar, is acting for N Tharmendran, an (ex-) Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) officer, one of the accused persons in the theft of two jet engines.  

The RMAF’s blatant demand that lawyer N Surendran advise his client to surrender, failing which he should turn his client in or otherwise face potential criminal proceedings, is an explicit and unambiguous threat.  It is an appalling and unacceptable interference in a solicitor-client relationship.

The Malaysian Bar is outraged at this act of coercion, which is an intolerable incursion on the independence of the Bar and the freedom that a lawyer must have to advise and act for clients without fear or favour.  RMAF’s offensive order, in writing, seeks to fetter N Surendran’s duty to his client, as it suggests that a lawyer should act in his own personal interest, rather than in his client’s best interest.  It is an intimidatory manoeuvre that encroaches upon the ability of a lawyer to perform his duties effectively and to the best of his ability.  

Both litigants and their lawyers must be protected from any form of intimidation in the exercise of the right to take any matter to the courts for determination.  Any interference with their rights and duties respectively is an affront to the dignity of the courts and the administration of justice.  

To our knowledge, N Surendran’s client has been in regular attendance during the court proceedings, and has not attempted to evade any efforts by RMAF to contact him.  Regardless of any allegations against him, he is entitled to the presumption of innocence, and to legal representation without any harassment of, or threat against, his legal counsel.

It is internationally recognised that lawyers perform a vital function when they act for their clients in the pursuit of justice, and that they must be permitted to carry out these functions freely.  

The Malaysian Bar calls on the RMAF to immediately withdraw its demand, and to allow N Surendran to carry out his professional duty without hindrance.

 

Ragunath Kesavan

President 

Malaysian Bar

Yemen hunts for cargo plot suspect

A major military and intelligence operation is under way in Yemen as authorities attempt to track down an alleged Saudi bomb-maker who is a key suspect in a foiled air cargo bomb plot over the weekend.

The hunt for 28-year-old Ibrahim al-Asiri was launched in the provinces of Maarib and Shabwa on Tuesday, a security official told the Reuters news agency.

"Asiri is believed to be hiding and moving with senior al-Qaeda elements such as Nasser al-Wahayshi [the Yemen al-Qaeda leader]. Security intelligence are still tracking them down to exactly identify their whereabouts," the official said.

Yemen is under immense pressure to find those responsible for planting two explosive devices found in air cargo destined for the US late last week.

Al-Awlaki on trial

In a sign that it is taking tougher measures to crack down on what it sees as radical elements, Yemen put Anwar al-Awlaki, a US-born Islamic cleric on trial in absentia on Tuesday, accusing him and two others of plotting to kill foreigners.

The charges against al-Awlaki came as part of a trial against another man, Hisham Assem, who has been accused of killing a Frenchman in October.

Assem, 19, was present in court, but al-Awlaki and a third suspect, Osman al-Awlaki, were charged in absentia. The hearing was held amid tight security at a courthouse in Sanaa, the capital.

Al-Awlaki, a Yemen-based cleric, has previously been linked by US investigators to an army psychiatrist accused of last year's killings at a base in Frot Hood, Texas.

They also say he helped prepare Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a Nigerian accused in the Christmas airline bombing attempt, and that he had links to the failed Times Square bombing.

Governments around the world have tightened security surrounding freight coming from Yemen after two parcel bombs, addressed to synagogues in Chicago, were discovered at a UK airport and in a cargo terminal in Dubai on Friday.

Qatar Airways said the Dubai parcel had been transported on two of its passenger planes from Sanaa via Doha.

Flight restrictions

Britain banned unaccompanied cargo freight to the UK from Yemen and Somalia, the Netherlands and Canada suspended all cargo flights from Yemen, and France and the US banned air freight from Yemen in response to the plot.

Germany also extended its ban on cargo aircraft from Yemen to include passenger flights, sparking shock from Yemen which described the decision as a "mass punishment".

An official said that such a "rushed and exaggerated reaction to suspicious packages will harm Yemen's efforts in combating terrorism and serves no one but al-Qaeda terrorists who always sought to ... hurt Yemen's interests".

The International Air Transport Association (Iata) has warned against knee-jerk reactions to the incident, saying governments must not make rash moves to improve air security.

"We have seen many cases where [solutions] have unintended consequences," Giovanni Bisignani, director general of the global airlines body said at a meeting in Frankfurt on Tuesday.

"Over the weeks and months, as governments learn more about the threat, we must continue to work together to implement appropriate solutions," he said.

Earlier, US authorities said that they knew that al-Qaeda had planned to use international cargo systems several weeks before last week's foiled plot.

Authorities are reported to have intercepted packages shipped by the group in September.

"Several weeks ago, we identified packages in transit that appeared to have a connection to al-Qaeda," a US official told Al Jazeera on Tuesday.

"We looked at them very closely, and determined they did not contain explosives. We obviously took this earlier event into account in dealing with last week's cargo threat."

The parcel, which was hidden inside a computer printer with a circuit board and mobile phone SIM card attached, was said to contain pentaerythritol trinitrate (PETN), a highly potent explosive, which is difficult to detect in security screenings.

Al-Qaeda tip-off

A leading al-Qaeda fighter in Yemen who surrendered to Saudi Arabia last month provided the tip that led to the thwarting of the mail bomb plot, according to Yemeni security officials.

The officials said Jabir al-Fayfi, a Saudi who had joined al-Qaeda in Yemen, had told Saudi officials about the plan.

"The latest announcement about al-Fayfi brings to the fore two major issues," Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from Sanaa, said.

"One, that Saudi Arabia enjoys unlimited influence and leverage in Yemen. Number two, is it shows that Saudi managed to infiltrate al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

Ahelbarra said that this was something unheard of in the history of al-Qaeda.

"Usually, when they plan an attack, it is only a small circle of al-Qaeda that is familiar with all the details of the operation," he said.

"The Yemenis don't seem to be happy with the revelations that Saudi was the key player in tipping off the Americans."

Source:Al Jazeera and agencies

Report: Iranian authorities give go-ahead to execute woman

Authorities in Iran have given the go-ahead to execute 

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani says a human rights activist.

CNN) -- Authorities in Tehran, Iran, have given the go-ahead to execute a woman who initially was sentenced to death by stoning, according to an activist working on her behalf.

However, what method will be used to execute Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani is unclear, said Mina Ahadi, spokeswoman for the International Committee Against Stoning. The execution could happen as soon as Wednesday, she said, citing information received from a source in Tabriz, Iran, who is close to Ashtiani's family.

Ashtiani initially was sentenced to death by stoning for adultery. The Iranian government later said she was also convicted of murdering her husband, but her lawyer and family dispute that.

A letter from Tehran was delivered to the prison in Tabriz where Ashtiani is being held three days ago, Ahadi said, giving the go-ahead for Ashtiani's execution.

Ashtiani, 43 and a mother of two, drew international attention when she was sentenced to death by stoning. She concedes that she was convicted of adultery, as initially reported, but says she was acquitted of murder. "The man who actually killed my husband was identified and imprisoned, but he is not sentenced to death," she said in August.

The Iranian government's claims that she was convicted of murder are a lie, she told the Guardian newspaper through an intermediary. "They are embarrassed by the international attention on my case, and they are desperately trying to distract attention and confuse the media so that they can kill me in secret."

Ashtiani's son and her attorney are still in jail after being arrested last month, Ahadi said. Also still detained are two German journalists.

"The International Committees against Stoning and Execution call on international bodies and the people of the world to come out in full force against the state-sponsored murder of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani," as well as the release of the others, Ahadi said in a statement.

Before his arrest, Ashtiani's son, Sajjad Ghaderzadeh, said court officials stole documents and files pertaining to the murder of his father in order to "promote his mother as a murderer." And Ahadi's committee said the murder charges are "fabricated" by the Iranian regime.

In August, Ashtiani appeared on state TV confessing that she knew about a plot to kill her husband but felt she had been misled. Amnesty International condemned the interview.

Ghaderzadeh and attorney Hootan Kian will not be issued an attorney, because the government claims they do not need one, according to Ahadi.

Ashtiani's other former lawyer, Mohammad Mostafaei, is being protected by European diplomats after he fled to Turkey from Iran.

Mostafaei claims that Iranian authorities tried to arrest him without cause.

Pengaruh Ku Li masih kuat di Galas

Dr M says not racist for backing Perkasa

Dr Mahathir says Perkasa is not racist. — File pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 2 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today that he is not a racist for backing Perkasa, arguing instead that he is only working to ensure Malay support for Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN).

He also defended Perkasa from charges that it was racist, suggesting instead that “if it is really racist then it would be demanding the abolition of the special treatment of the Chinese and Indians”.

The former prime minister did not, however, specify the special treatment given to the Chinese and Indian communities.

Writing in his blog today in a posting entitled “Perkasa and me,” Dr Mahathir stressed that Umno needed Malay support to win the next general election and pointed out that ignoring Perkasa’s large following would not benefit the ruling party.

Perkasa claims to have a membership of 300,000, 80 per cent of whom are said to be disillusioned Umno members.

“Accordingly, I have decided to stay close with Perkasa especially and to ensure that it does not swing over to the opposition,” Dr Mahathir wrote.

“Looking at the strength of Malay support for Perkasa, antagonising them would not be to the benefit of the Barisan Nasional or Umno,” he said, pointing out that Malay support for Umno has been decreasing.

“Umno may think that all the Malays are supportive of the party. But Umno cannot be sure of that. Meanwhile, Malay support for Umno was silently eroding,” said Dr Mahathir.

He pointed out that the loss of Malay votes for the ruling coalition was shown in Election 2008 when BN lost its customary two-thirds majority in Parliament.

“In the 2008 elections, the loss of Malay support for Umno became evident. Many either abstained or voted for PAS. In the 2008 elections, many Umno and BN candidates won only by small margins even in their strongholds,” he said.

The former prime minister rejected the notion that Perkasa was racist.

“If it (Perkasa) is truly racist, then it would be demanding the abolition of the special treatment of the Chinese and Indians in Malaysia. This it has not done except when defending the Malay position,” said Dr Mahathir.

Dr Mahathir said that groups with a big following could damage BN politically.

“Whatever may be the feelings of Umno, I have decided that the NGOs have a big enough following which could do damage to Umno and the BN in the next election if they want to,” he said.

In September, Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor noted that the party should distance itself from Perkasa as any association with it would cause BN to lose votes in the next general election.

Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali then warned Umno not to be complacent about its vote bank and threatened to give “guidance” to his members on how to vote in the next general election.

Several Umno leaders later joined in the anti-Perkasa chorus and agreed that it was time to openly renounce links with Perkasa. MCA leaders then quickly jumped in to laud their colleagues’ decision.

In an apparent about-turn, however, Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak said that Umno was not in conflict with any NGO.

Following Najib’s statement, Tengku Adnan immediately denied that he had ever asked party leaders to sever ties with Perkasa.

Dr Mahathir had previously warned Umno against alienating Perkasa as the move would cost the largest Malay party at the ballot box.

Today, the country’s longest-serving prime minister lashed out at the Najib administration for failing to uphold Malay rights and warned that even a small number of angry supporters in certain constituencies could cause BN’s ultimate defeat in the upcoming polls.

“Najib took over and he tried to regain Chinese support by apparently giving in to Chinese demands on several issues. The new Umno leadership also opted to remain silent and failed to defend the Malay position,” he said.

“If in the next election, defections by even a small number of supporters in some constituencies can result in a reduction of the Barisan Nasional majority or even cause the BN to lose altogether,” warned Dr Mahathir.

He added that Perkasa has hinted that it backed Umno, although the group has repeatedly denied links with the ruling party.

“Perkasa has not indicated that it is against BN and Umno. In fact it has hinted that it is for Umno,” said Dr Mahathir.