Cops grill Soi Lek over Perkasa's report

(Malaysiakini) MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek today had his statement recorded by the police over his alleged inflammatory speech which had angered Malay pressure group Perkasa.

Perkasa had previously lodged a police report against Chua for allegedly questioning the special rights of the bumiputras in his speech at the MCA organised Chinese Economic Congress last month.

Speaking to the press after he met the police for about 50-minutes this morning, Chua said he had given a copy of his speech to the police.

He maintained that his speech was in no way racially motivated and was purely focused on the liberalisation of Malaysia's economy.

"Whatever I said was for the good of the country, especially the economy... There was no ulterior motive," he said.

Don’t belittle us, Perkasa warns Umno

Saying they have nothing to lose, Perkasa warned politicians against disparaging the group. — file pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 9 — Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali has warned Umno not to look down on the Malay rights organisation, stressing that his group was not the reason behind Barisan Nasional’s (BN) flagging support.
Syed Hassan added that the Malay rights movement had never asked Umno or the BN to give way for Perkasa chief and Independent MP, Datuk Ibrahim Ali, to keep his Pasir Mas seat at the next polls.
“Please be careful when opening your mouth. Lots of flies come out of their mouths when they speak. Don’t belittle Perkasa. We’re not losing anything,” Syed Hassan said in a statement issued early this morning.
Last March, the vocal champion for Malay rights warned politicians against earning its enmity if they wanted voter support in the coming general election due by 2013.
Syed Hassan’s response comes on the heels of Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor’s assertion that the Malay party will challenge Ibrahim for control of the Kelantan seat.
Tengku Adnan had stressed his party will not back the strident Ibrahim if the latter chooses to run as an Independent there.
“I want to ask Ku Nan, when did Perkasa ask for Pasir Mas to be given to Datuk Ibrahim Ali and BN to back off from contesting?” Syed Hassan lobbed at the Umno veteran, calling him by his nickname.
In an exclusive interview with The Malaysian Insider, Tengku Adnan yesterday said: “Why should Umno support him? Umno should field its own candidate in Pasir Mas. We will contest in Pasir Mas.”

Tengku Adnan said Umno was troubled by some of Perkasa’s actions.

The 59-year-old echoed the views voiced previously by other Umno leaders, including party Youth chief and regular critic of Ibrahim, Khairy Jamaluddin. “As (Umno) secretary-general, I can tell you, we have nothing to do with Perkasa, and we’re not happy with some of the things done by Perkasa because they have eroded our support,” the former Tourism Minister said, when quizzed over the high number of Perkasa members who are also Umno members.
“When they talk about my friends among the Chinese or Indians, they cause us to lose more votes,” Tengku Adnan revealed.
Perkasa was founded by Ibrahim Ali two years ago, just after Election 2008.
The fiery MP had been sacked from Umno in 2004 and had won the Pasir Mas seat in the last general election on a PAS ticket.
Today, Syed Hassan also denied there was an understanding between the two Malay “champions” to work together, contrary to popular perception.
Syed Hassan bristled at the Umno man’s high-handed attitude, pointing out that such remarks only added to the Malay community retracting their support from the party.
“I want to remind Ku Nan that some of Umno’s and BN’s actions are causing voters to distance themselves from the party.
“They are the ones causing the loss of support. Perkasa is only reprimanding them (Umno and BN) so they realise some of their actions are not quite right.
“But if they want to treat it as causing them to lose support, that’s up to them,” said Syed Hassan.
“This proves there are still Umno leaders who are arrogant and it was one of the reasons why Umno lost support.
“Many have said the reason the rakyat rejected BN in the 12th general election was because of Pak Lah’s affairs, but actually it was also the leaders surrounding Pak Lah that contributed to the loss of support,” Syed Hassan added.
Confidence in the BN peaked in the 2004 general election when Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi — or Pak Lah, as he is called affectionately — replaced Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as the prime minister.
But the two-term PM led the BN to its worst performance in history in the last polls, resulting in the ruling coalition losing its two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat.

Sarawak is BN’s with or without Taib, says Umno sec-gen

Tengku Adnan believes PBB and SUPP will resolve their individual problems. — file pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 9 — Barisan Nasional (BN) is confident it will keep Sarawak regardless whether Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud leads the ruling coalition, its secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said.

But Tengku Adnan reminded state party leaders to be aware of public sentiment outside the coalition and to assess the political situation carefully.

“Whether he is there or not there it makes no difference; BN will still win in the next election. But as you know, recently PBB came out with a statement saying that he should carry on,” he said in an interview with The Malaysian Insider.

“It is not for the party to say,” he added, noting that the coalition wanted to keep its two-thirds majority in the Sarawak assembly.

Taib, who has served as Sarawak chief minister for the past 29 years, is said to have been under pressure from another leading BN Sarawak member — the Sarawak United Progressive Party (SUPP) — to step down due to his unpopularity in urban areas where the Chinese-dominated party is contesting.

Tengku Adnan, also Umno secretary-general, however stressed that federal party leaders would not interfere in Taib’s final decision.

“In Sarawak, I believe that Pehin Sri Taib Mahmud will evaluate what the people really want. He is a statesman, I believe he does not want to destroy Barisan Nasional. It is up to him decide. As you know, we do not like to meddle in the component party members affairs,” he said.

Taib leads the Sarawak BN and also its largest party, the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu Sarawak (PBB).

All PBB branches expressed support for Taib’s continued leadership of the state in its next polls, soon after he declared that he would step down if he was no longer needed.

SUPP leaders have recently met with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to express their concern on issues affecting the state BN.

Its president and Sarawak deputy chief minister, Tan Sri George Chan, had said this week they received strong support from Najib and would be meeting with Taib soon.

Chan, however, did not elaborate on the details of his meeting with Najib, who is the national BN chairman.

“We also know what is happening there. We know the situation there. I believe the chairman and the prime minister must have spoken to the chief minister, telling [him] the actual situation in Sarawak and what we need to do in order for us to remain in power,” said Tengku Adnan.

He also dismissed talks of SUPP abandoning the state BN ahead of the next Sarawak election.

“The situation with SUPP is because they felt that they are no longer effective in the state because of some shortcomings in the state itself. But they have not left [the] state BN, they are still a component member of BN Sarawak and their state assemblymen are still in the Cabinet of Sarawak,” said Tengku Adnan.

“We hope that they will still stay on as a component member of BN Sarawak, irrespective of whatever their feelings are and their performance in the last election,” he added.

Tengku Adnan also reminded the SUPP that they are in a real partnership where no component party will be left out.

He also said that the party and the Chinese community would still be represented even if SUPP does not do well in the next election.

“We have been ‘married’ for a long time. We cannot simply ditch our partners just because they are not doing well,” said Tengku Adnan.

The Chinese make up only 26 per cent of the Sarawak population, but they reside mainly in urban, more developed regions of Malaysia’s largest state.

There are two Chinese SUPP ministers in the Sarawak Cabinet and five assistant ministers.

The current term of the Sarawak assembly expires in July next year and the government is expected to call for state election by the end of this year.

The opposition collectively won nine seats in 2006, seven of which are Chinese-majority.

“We are in a real partnership. We don’t have a loose arrangement. Take for example Gerakan. We appoint the president as a minister,” said Tengku Adnan referring to Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon who was made senator and appointed to Cabinet despite failing to win a federal seat.

He also played down the fear that the Chinese would not be represented in the next Sarawak government, adding that SUPP’s problems could still be mitigated.

“I still believe if certain things [are] done now, maybe Sarawak needs new faces in certain parts. Maybe George Chan has been there too long, maybe Wong Soon Koh also has been there too long,” said Tengku Adnan.

“Maybe they need some new faces, but as I said, we are also taking risks with new faces,” he added.

Chan, 74 has been a state assemblyman since 1983 and was appointed deputy chief minister in 1996, while state Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh, 68, first won his state seat of Bawang Assan in 1991, and has been in the Cabinet since 1996.

Tengku Adnan also reminded the state leaders to solve the native customary rights (NCR) land issue, which has been used by the opposition in its campaign.

“The RM20 million given for land survey, I said, yes, people will applaud, but at the end of the day they want to see their land titles. We need to perform,” said Tengku Adnan.

Najib in his recent visit to Sarawak announced an allocation of RM20 million for the surveying of NCR land.

The measure was to ensure the government’s recognition of the Sarawakian natives’ land ownership.

Malaysian universities falling out of top 200 universities in QS World University Rankings 2010 latest proof that Najib’s NEM are just empty words lacking political will and leadership necessary to effect Malaysia’s economic transformation

By Lim Kit Siang,


Malaysian universities have again fallen out of the top 200 universities in the latest QS World University Rankings 2010, with University of Malaya falling from last year’s ranking of 180 to 207.
This is the latest proof that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s New Economic Model are just empty words lacking the political will and leadership necessary to effect Malaysia’s economic transformation to escape the decades-long “middle-income trap” to become a inclusive and sustainable high-income developed country by 2020.
The Najib premiership is fast developing a split personality – plugging the NEM for international consumption with its recognition of human talents as the most valuable national assets in the era of globalization while ignoring NEM locally for fear of evoking extremist opposition to its proposals on new affirmative policies based on meritocracy and needs.
During the Sibu by-election in May this year, I had referred to the latest QS Asian University Rankings 2010 where the country’s premier institution of higher education, University of Malaya had dropped two places to 41st this year from 39 last year while Universiti Sains Malaysia, which was granted Apex status in 2008 only managed to maintain its ranking at 69, and lamented Malaysia becoming the “sick man of South-East Asia”- with a decade of economic stagnation and national decline in all aspects of national life, whether educational excellence, good governance, institutional professionalism, human rights or environmental protection.
The warning by NEM, crafted by a panel of local and foreign experts that “We must act now before our position deteriorates any further” had failed to make any impact or impression whatsoever as far as the government leadership is concerned.
I have today received an email from a post-graduate student in University of Malaya expressing his concern at my lamentation.
The email reads:

I’m a postgrad student in University of Malaya.
Prof Ghauth Jasmon was appointed as a Vice Chancellor of UM two years ago with a great vision to make this university a world class university. Being the vice chancellor of the oldest university in this country which is also well known of producing many great and famous leaders, is a heavy burden.
I completed my bachelor degree in this university and registered my PhD right after that which was in the same year Prof Ghauth Jasmon was appointed as the VC of the university.
In that time, I had witnessed a great change and improvement he had implemented in this university in a goal to improve quality and the world ranking of the university.
Prof Jasmon is a meritocracy oriented academician and he has opened up a vast opportunity to many lecturers and famous researcher to join this university regardless of their ethnicity, complexion or religion.
A series of good but strict rules and policies had been made to achieve the goal. In the eyes of some profs, academic and admin staffs who used to live an easy life, appointment of Prof Jasmon as VC has become a nightmare to them. Thus, some resistance force has arisen and stood against his way but yet he is still standing firmly and continue doing his job to make this university a better university.
I notice there is a drop of ranking of UM this year but the ranking is disputed and it cannot be fully used as a reference in judging the quality of the university.
I support Prof Ghauth Jasmon and I think he deserves more support from the government and all the political parties in this country to achieve the goal.
I hope DAP can go easy on the drop of the ranking of local universities this year.
In fact, compliment and credits should be given to him for all his hardwork in improving the university in terms of increment in number of publications and number of academic staff.

If this post-graduate student is right, and I know many who have the interests of University of Malaya and the nation at heart share this view, it only means that University of Malaya would not have just plunged 27 rankings but probably double the drop if not for Professor Ghauth Jasmon at the helm of University of Malaya.
This is indeed serious food for thought.

More cyber attacks on Malaysian websites, says MCMC

PETALING JAYA – There has been an increase in the number of attacks by hackers on Malayisan websites, according to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

The MCMC said in a statement that the number of defaced websites had increased from 168 cases for the whole of August to 262 cases recorded in the first week of September alone.

"Malaysian website owners are urged to update and secure their website applications and servers to the latest patches and service packs.

"This is to fix various vulnerabilities that can be exploited by hackers to compromise their websites," it said on Wednesday.

MCMC also advised website owners to allocate adequate measures to monitor their websites for the upcoming long holidays when most people would be away for the Hari Raya celebrations, possibly leaving most websites unmonitored for a long period of time.

It said last year, similar heightened web defacement activities were also detected during the long Hari Raya holidays.

MCMC said it would continue to monitor the situation through its Network Security Centre, which is a cyber security monitoring centre initiated by the commission in line with the National Cyber Security Policy. - Malaysian Mirror

Quran burning 'to go ahead'

US pastor is determined to go through with his plan to burn copies of Muslim holy book on September 11, despite outcry.

The leader of a small church in the US state of Florida says he is determined to go through with his plan to burn copies of the Quran on September 11, despite an international outcry against it.

Terry Jones, the pastor, said on Wednesday that he has received encouragement for his protest, with supporters mailing copies of the Islamic holy text to his church in Gainesville.

The plan is to incinerate the Qurans in a bonfire on Saturday to mark the ninth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington.

"As of right now, we are not convinced that backing down is the right thing," Jones said.

'Death threats'

Jones said he has received more than 100 death threats and has started wearing a gun since announcing his plan to burn the book that Muslims consider the word of God.

The 58-year-old pastor proclaimed in July that he would stage 'International Burn-a-Quran Day.'

The plan has already sparked protests in Afghanistan and Indonesia and US officials are worried that it will put Americans at risk.

General David Petraeus, the US and Nato commander in the Afghan capital, Kabul, warned that "images of the burning of a Quran would undoubtedly be used by the Taliban in Afghanistan, to inflame public opinion and incite violence".

Petraeus spoke on Wednesday with Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, about the matter, according to Colonel Erik Gunhus, a military spokesman.

"They both agreed that burning of a Quran would undermine our effort in Afghanistan, jeopardise the safety of coalition troopers and civilians," Gunhus said.

David Axelrod, senior adviser to Barack Obama, the US president, told CNN on Wednesday morning: "The reverend may have the right to do what he's doing but it's not right. It's not consistent with our values ..."

"I hope that his conscience and his good sense will take hold."

The Vatican also denounced the planned Quran burning as "outrageous and grave".

Right to free speech

Jones gained some local notoriety last year when he posted signs in front of his church declaring "Islam is of the Devil".

But his Quran-burning idea attracted wider attention. It drew rebukes from Muslim nations and at home as an emotional debate was taking shape over the proposed Islamic centre near the so-called Ground Zero site of the 2001 attacks in New York.

His actions likely would be protected by the US constitution's right to free speech.

The US Supreme Court has made clear that speech deemed offensive to many people, even the majority of people, cannot be suppressed by the government unless it is clearly directed to intimidate someone or amounts to an incitement to violence, legal experts have said.

Hishamuddin avoids families of alleged victims of police killings

Release all local and foreign ISA detainees this Hari Raya (10/9/10) Abolish ISA. Close down Kamunting Prison.

(Open letter by P.Uthayakumar to Malaysian Home Minister Hishamuddin)
We welcome the release of the longest serving Internal Security Act (ISA) detainee Shamsuddin Sulaiman, a suspected Jemaah Islamiah (JI) detainee without trial who was released on 2/9/10 after eight years (The Staronline 3/9/2010).
In the spirit of Hari Raya on the 10^th and 11^th of September 2010 we call upon the Home Minister Hishamuddin Tun Hussein to release all our local and foreign ISA friends still being detained without trial at the Kamunting Prison in Taiping.
On this Hari Raya occasion I had recall how I had fasted for the whole of the Ramadan month in 2008 along with my Jemaah Islamiah (JI) friends and other muslims. Also how when each J.I and other detainees are released, it used to be a happy and also sad occasion. Happy because our fellow ISA detainee is released from detention. And sad because we are going to miss him and perhaps will never ever see him again. Even when we bid and hug them goodbye it was from the heart.
Behind the walls of the ISA prison there was truly One Malaysia as everyone was treated equally irrespective of their race or religion.
Even though the Hindraf lawyers were labeled as Hindu extremists by UMNO we had zero problems with the J.I. “Islamic extremists” at Kamunting Prison.
This is evidence that racist and religious supremacy in Malaysia is largely the creation of the UMNO controlled government to maintain and sustain their already 53 year old rule of Malaysia.
We learnt in Kamunting Prison that genuine One Malaysia will naturally take place and does not have to be artificial as it is in reality today only when UMNO practices genuine equality for all the communities in Malaysia especially for the poor and politically powerless Malaysia Indians as is guaranteed in Article 5 of the Federal Constitution (equality before the law) and when UMNO stop all acts of rule by majoritarian might and the UMNO racist and religious supremacist bully agenda.
The rule of law is for every man to be given a right to be heard, a fair hearing as per the Latin maxim Audi Altrem Partem. 
Under the law every man is presumed innocent until proven guilty and therefore no one should be arbitrarily detained under the ISA but instead should be given a full hearing and be tried in an independent and fair Court of law and that too only if there is a genuine case against him.
The pain and torture of detention under the ISA is a lot more worse than for the ordinary prisoners who would know exactly when they would be released. But for the ISA detainees, their detention is indefinite and they would not know when they would be released. This alone is designed to make it a lot painful and most suffer from mental torture on a day to day basis.
On this auspicious Hari Raya occasion, I recall my 514 days of detention without trial under the ISA at Kamunting Prison, feel for my friends still detained here and call upon the Home Minister to release them all on the occasion of this Hari Raya on 10/9/10.
Finally we call for the abolishment of the ISA and for the closing down of the ISA Kamunting Detention Prison.
P.Uthayakumar
8/9/10.
Y.B Dato’ Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, Menteri Kementerian Dalam Negeri, Kementerian Dalam Negeri,
Blok D1 & D2, Kompleks D,
Pusat Pentadbiran,
Kerajaan Persekutuan, Fax: 03-2693 3131
62546 Putrajaya E-Mail: menteri@moha.gov.my

Orphaned body of Jayabala in Taiping G.H for 2 months. Poor family cannot afford cost of funeral.

 Pray tell us of one such media report involving a Malay, Chinese, Orang Asli, Iban or Kadazan poor who are so poor to this extent?
Why does this happen only to the Indian poor?
Answer: 53 years of UMNO social engineering to keep the poor Indians poor if not making the poor Indians poorer.
P. Uthayakumar

Outgoing IGP accused of being a 'sour grape'

(Malaysiakini) Outgoing inspector-general of police (IGP) Musa Hassan has been accused of being ungrateful over claims of alleged 'third party interference' in the police force.

"Musa Hassan's (right) sudden attack on his former masters, the Home Ministry and politicians, for meddling in police affairs is most unbecoming as a senior civil servant - which is a very serious issue," said Robert Phang, a community leader.

In a statement today, Phang, who also sits on the corruption consultative and advisory panel of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), said, "His current tirade smacks of the proverbial sour grapes. Just because his tenure has not been extended, he has now suddenly found the guts to speak up for the force and champion independence.

"Has he forgotten that his tenure as top cop was extended three times by former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and (Home Minister) Hishammuddin Hussein?" Phang asked.

If the purported "interference" did exist, Phang demanded to know why Musa did not act on it as he is still in power.

"Perhaps it is reflective of Musa's ineffectiveness and irresponsibility when serving as IGP, the country's seniormost police officer.

As the 'top cop', the public look to Musa to maintain his integrity, and not reporting his claims makes him a 'yes man', lambasted Phang (left).

"At the end of all this talk, Musa should look himself in the mirror and ask whether he had contributed to the enhancement of the police force," he said, adding that the crime rate in the country is still in a worrying state.

Responding to Musa's lament that the force also lacked funds, Phang argued that the government had allocated RM8 billion of the budget for the police force.

"Musa cannot whine of lack of financial resources for the force... suddenly, Musa is hurling all sorts of accusations at the government and his former political masters. Don't tell me that he is Mr Perfect and thus the government should not interfere?" he said.

Undesirable issues

He also said the alleged 'infiltration' of Israeli military intelligence into Bukit Aman and the force's alleged links with the underworld were undesirable issues that cropped up during Musa's tenure.

"It is on record that the Home Ministry by tradition and also by design, aims to ensure all departments within the ministry will conduct their business or duties in accordance with its directives and SOP (standard operating procedures).

"The police force happens to be the biggest department under the ministry, which naturally is under very close supervision by the ministry in all respects.

"In short, the ministry's aim is to ensure there is no abuse of powers affecting the rakyat and the serving police officers, and more so to provide checks and balances for the force. It is therefore very unfair to regard this as interference," defended Phang.

"He should stop trying to portray himself as a police saint and be grateful that he was given the opportunity to serve the country," he added.

Phang also rubbished the IGP's claim that the latter was not aware of his retirement. "He is a seasoned and trained police officer", it is ridiculous to state that he was in the dark, said Phang.

Cozy relationship

Meanwhile, DAP parliamentarian Charles Santiago described Musa's allegations as "bitterness" that has stemmed out of a "cozy relationship".

In a statement he attributed Musa's "snide and ambiguous remarks" of a third party interference as coming "from a man who is on the verge of losing his powers after the Hari Raya weekend."

The Klang MP added Musa's attacks on government ministries and on Hishammuddin does not reflect his integrity or honesty.

"If Musa is serious about cleaning-up the police force he should be forthright and make a complaint to the MACC especially if it involves corruption and framing people as part of political power play.

"Taking pot shots at his bosom buddies-turned enemies before retirement shows that Musa has no real concern for the police force or the nation," said Santiago (left).

He reiterated that Musa's track record was "best caricatured" by the use of excessive force in dispersing demonstrations and candlelight vigils as well as the increase in deaths in custody.

"In short Musa has illustrated that the force has no hesitation in going to the mat for the ruling government. So maybe Musa could try and do the right thing before he retires by giving detailed information of interference by those from the higher-ups and lodge an official complaint to allow for police investigations," he suggested.

"For now, personalised attacks from Musa have only served to raise a few eyebrows and take a further whack on his dodgy reputation."

Ibrahim Ali says Umno sec-gen does not want Malay votes

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 – Malay rights group Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali accused Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor today of favouring Chinese voters over the Malays.

His remarks were in response to Tengku Adnan’s statement today that the party would not back Ibrahim in the next general election as he was allegedly eroding Barisan Nasional’s (BN) support among the non-Malays.

“He (Tengku Adnan) wants Chinese votes. He does not want Malay votes,” Ibrahim told The Malaysian Insider today.

He, however, refused to elaborate further, saying: “No need. This is enough.”

The firebrand politician’s reaction to Tengku Adnan was unusually muted compared to the scathing insults he had recently hurled at Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin for issuing a similar statement.

Ibrahim had called Khairy “stupid”, “crazy”, “feeble-minded” and a “confused child”.

Like Tengku Adnan, Khairy also reportedly said that Perkasa was one of the reasons behind the waning support of non-Malay voters for the ruling coalition.

Ibrahim brushed off the Rembau MP’s statement as the “talk of a stupid, brainless person” and said that Umno was being destroyed because of “feeble-minded” people like Khairy.

The Pasir Mas MP also singled out alleged public hatred of Khairy as the reason behind BN’s historic losses in the last general election.

Last month, Ibrahim called Khairy “mentally ill” for threatening to leave Umno if the majority of its members supported Perkasa.

Tengku Adnan, however, dismissed allegations that Umno had strong ties with the Malay rights group and said that his party would contest the Pasir Mas seat.

He stressed that most Perkasa leaders were defeated candidates in the last Umno election in 2008 who merely sought a political platform to be heard.

The Umno secretary-general had reminded Perkasa leaders to monitor their fight for Malay rights before it spiralled out of control, which could end in a civil war.

He noted that BN had to address the needs of all racial groups in the country and could not afford to discriminate against anyone if it wanted to continue governing Malaysia.

Perkasa has been pressuring the Najib administration to protect what the group calls the constitutional right of the Malays, despite widespread acknowledgement that four decades of affirmative action have hurt the country’s competitiveness.

Recently, Ibrahim challenged Datuk Seri Najib Razak to declare that his 1 Malaysia concept — introduced to promote national unity — was based on the concept of “Ketuanan Melayu” (Malay supremacy), which Ibrahim claimed to be enshrined in the Constitution.

PR: Utusan’s ISA call a bid to frighten Malays

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 — Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lawmakers have attacked Utusan Malaysia’s latest diatribe which calls for the Internal Security Act (ISA) to be used, saying it is an “old tactic” to scare Malays into thinking that their rights are being eroded.

The lawmakers claimed that the Ummo-owned daily’s push for the use of the law — which allows for detention without trial — reflects the party’s inability to address problems affecting the Malays.

It also intends to frighten the Malays into thinking that their rights, which are guaranteed under the Federal Constitution, are in jeopardy.

Utusan editor Zaini Hassan wrote the editorial today that called for the ISA to be used against those who questioned the Federal Constitution, saying “Use the ISA. All of us Malaysians want the government to use this law against anyone who wants to threaten the peace and stability in this country.

PR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim slammed the article, saying that Utusan’s latest claims reflect the ruling Umno elite’s inability to have an open “intellectual” debate on the Constitution.

“Utusan has tried this angle again and again. It is an age-old debate that has been going on. Utusan’s arguments represent the views of the ruling elite who are not prepared to face the Malay masses. They cannot address the problems that are affecting the Malays, therefore they are using the ISA as an excuse to make Malays feel that their rights are under threat,” said Anwar.

Anwar told The Malaysian Insider that Malays should be open to discussions on the Constitution, saying that the special rights of Malays and Bumiputeras under Article 153 will be upheld.

“Malays should have the confidence, they should have the strength and the resolve for an intellectual debate, to truly understand the position of the Malays today, and what they can do to become better, more competitive, more successful,” said Anwar, when commenting on the editorial.

The former deputy prime minister also defended his daughter — Nurul Izzah Anwar’s actions in inviting Malay rights group Perkasa for a dialogue on Malay rights recently.

“All (Nurul) Izzah was saying was that let us look at the provisions within the Constitution. Let us discuss this. The provisions are meant to be protected. It is only being discussed because leaders from the ruling elite have used this to protect their cronies.

“Who is questioning the Constitution? Their assumption is based on their lies and deceit, as well as their inability to form coherent arguments [based on] their archaic form of thinking,” added Anwar.

The Utusan article also called on the Najib Administration, specifically the Home Ministry, to be “firmer” in taking action against individuals who questioned the social contract.

“The Home Ministry has to be firmer...people are wanting firm action to stabilise the country’s situation, This is our country, we love this country, what do we care about what foreigners say about our country’s security.

“Only those who have ill intentions and don’t want the ISA to threaten them would oppose the ISA and would want it abolished. Don’t let a small group of protestors (less than 10 people) in London the other day be a reason for the government to be soft... everyone knows that the protests were done by the country’s opposition,” said the article.

Utusan’s latest comments follows Perkasa’s recent call for a crackdown on web users who allegedly insulted Islam, by detaining them under the ISA.

“This is a repeat of the only script they (Utusan) know. I stand by my principles on my challenge to Perkasa. We are not asking for the Constitution to be amended. [But] we should be allowed to discuss openly. Malays have to draw up a new script for Malaysian. We cannot let this same script dictate our thinking,” said Nurul.

Perkasa had declined her invitation to debate on Malay rights, claiming that Malay rights could not be questioned or debated.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had also recently warned against questioning provisions of the Constitution, as well as the social contract.

Nurul said that the mindset of Malays in Perkasa and those within Utusan were actually a hindrance to Najib’s reform plans under the New Economic Model (NEM).

“It’s a scare tactic on their (Utusan’s) part. This is clear when even an implementation of the NEM has been met with resistance from these groups,” said the PKR Lembah Pantai MP.

DAP’s Charles Santiago said that Najib’s silence on Utusan’s and Perkasa’s calls indicated that he is not willing to make a decisive move and this will affect his reform plans for the country’s economy.

“He (Najib) is getting chopped on both sides. Given that he’s not said anything, we don’t know the direction of the country’s leadership.

“When you read Utusan, you get the impression that the Malays are under attack. Utusan is manufacturing a consensus of how non-Malays are questioning Malay rights in the Constitution,” said Charles.

The Klang MP claimed that by creating a “false sense of fear” among the Malays, Utusan as well as Umno are risking a backlash from foreign investors.

“Utusan is creating a false fear among the Malays... But what they did not think of is that foreign investors are looking at this, the developments. Instability like this will affect foreign investments coming in the country,” Charles told The Malaysian Insider. - The Malaysian Insider

Hari Raya Aidilfitri on Friday

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 — Muslims in Malaysia will celebrate Aidilfitri on Friday, the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal, Engku Tan Sri Ibrahim Engku Ngah, announced tonight.

The announcement was broadcast by Radio Television Malaysia (RTM).

“In adherence to the command of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the consent of the rulers, I hereby declare that the date for Hari Raya Puasa (Aidilfitri) has been set for Friday, 10 Sept 2010,” he said. — Bernama

DNBN Kuburkan BN : Taib must go

By Haris Ibrahim,

Our Sarawakian brothers and sisters are saying it out loud.
TAIB MUST GO!
Sarawakians have had enough of this man’s rape of the state and the unholy enrichment of his family and cronies.
Are you Sarawakian?
If you are, take word out to your  Dayak friends .
TAIB MUST GO!
TAIB & HIS CRONIES MUST GO!
Sarawakians must rise and vote out Taib and his cronies in the next elections.
Sarawakians determined to take the state back from the thieving BN regime under Taib have launched a TAIB MUST GO (TMG) initiative. You can access it on Facebook by clicking on the image below.

Posted by Haris Ibrahim

The mentality that got us into the cesspool that we’re in now

By Haris Ibrahim,

Remember how so many from amongst us continued to vote for BN, even as we knew that so much was going wrong with the running of the nation?
Remember Tun Salleh’s sacking?
Ops Lalang?
Bank Negara’s forex losses?
Bank Bumi losses?
Perwaja?
The sacking of the Al-Arqam commune?
Francis Udayappan?
BN still got voted in again and again.
Sure, the media only fed us what was kosher for BN, so some times we did not know everything that we ought to have known.
Things are different now.
Are things really different now?
Since 25th August, this blog has relentlessly carried postings about the goings-on in PKR.
I have questioned Anwar’s agenda, whether he is still a closet Malay nationalist, and whether the disciplinary action taken against the 12 was part of a Muslim agenda.
Why?
Well, it would seem that within the Pakatan leadership, and most of the citizenry, it is a given that if Pakatan emerge victorious from the 13th GE, Anwar is to be PM.
That being the case, should we not scrutinise this man and his politics now?
Should we not investigate every negative bit of news that we come by?
Some of you think otherwise.
Some of you think that we must accept Anwar and Pakatan, warts and all, as this nation needs to be rid of BN.
I agree that we need to rid this nation of the scourge that BN is, but do you not think we need to be discerning about what we put in its place?
Do we blind ourselves to what might still turn out to be very UMNO traits in Anwar and his inner circle now, only to discover these when he is safely installed in Putrajaya?
Have we learnt nothing from the past?

IGP and Home Ministry – A castle very divided

Home ministry denies Musa’s ‘interference’ claim
By Yow Hong Chieh | Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 — The home ministry today denied it had meddled in police matters, as claimed by outgoing Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Musa Hassan yesterday.

Home ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Mahmood Adam explained that the ministry’s involvement in weekly meetings with the police to discuss resource allocations and review case files might have given rise to such a perception.

“Sometimes the recommendations… of the Royal Malaysian Police cannot be considered by the home ministry so we are seen as interfering,” Mahmood said after witnessing Musa hand over control of the police force to Tan Sri Ismail Omar at Bukit Aman Police Headquarters here today.

Yesterday, Musa spoke out against what he saw as excessive interference by “third parties” in police business, naming the home ministry among others.

“All kinds of people interfere. People from the ministry itself, outsiders, people with vested interests like those who want to do things that are not right — they will try to interfere,” he had said.

However, he refused to comment on whether Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, with whom he is rumoured to have a strained relationship, was the person responsible for the meddling.

Following this revelation, Pakatan Rakyat lawmakers urged the top cop to lodge reports with an ombudsman, the Public Complaints Bureau and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to eradicate such problems from the police force.

Musa today appeared to have taken the suggestion to heart, maintaining that he will consider pursuing further action regarding the alleged third-party interference.

“I’ll have a look,” he said simply when asked by reporters.

However, he declined to identify individuals who may have interfered in police affairs or comment further on Mahmood’s statement.

Musa’s allegations yesterday appeared to be a repeat of comments he made about an interfering “third force” in a March interview with Mingguan Malaysia.

In it, he claimed that politicians and “certain individuals” had issued orders directly to his subordinates in contravention of Section 4 of the Police Act 1957, which states that all actions and supervision falls under the IGP.

Around the same time, reports surfaced that Musa had tendered his resignation due to differences with Hishammuddin. Musa, however, denied that he had given notice, and instead accused “some quarters” of wanting to remove him from his post.

Hishammuddin invariably gave fodder to the rumour mill when he said over a week later that he knew who would replace Musa, despite keeping mum on whether or not Musa’s contract would be extended.

The home minister finally ended speculation when he announced last Wednesday that Deputy IGP Ismail would replace Musa as the country’s new IGP come September 13. Hishammuddin added that Internal Security and Public Order Director Commissioner Datuk Hussin Ismail would be the new deputy IGP.

Mahmood today also denied that the home ministry had not informed Musa that his contract would not be renewed a third time.

He stressed that he had informed Musa verbally that his contact would not be extended a week before Hishammuddin announced the new IGP, and again on the day of the announcement itself.

Mahmood added that a formal letter of termination will be issued to Musa once the prime minister presents his recommendation to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, in accordance with the requirements of the Federal Constitution.

——-

Musa tells police force: Don’t be ‘yes men’
By Regina Lee | Malaysiakini

Even in his last outgoing speech as the Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan fired a thinly veiled attack at the Home Ministry.

Not wanting to go down without a fight, Musa reminded his officers and men to remain steadfast despite “pressure from above and outside”.

“You must not act as ‘yes men’. Don’t be servants. If the police are made up of yes men, the entire force would rot and collapse,” he said during the handing over ceremony to the new IGP, his former deputy Ismail Omar.

“Don’t be lenient or compromise,” he said.

It is no secret that Musa has regarded the Home Ministry to be “interfering” with police work.

In his rare outburst at his final Press conference on Monday, he had named the home ministry as one of the “third parties” causing excessive interference in the police force.

“All kinds of people interfere. People from the ministry itself, outsiders and people with vested interests who want to do things that are not right,” he was reported to have said.

Don’t work in cliques

In his speech, Musa also reminded his officers not to work in cliques.

“During my time, no one knew which officers who were close to me. I never called officers to my house, nor did I go out to restaurants and dine with them.

“It made my work a lot easier this way, since I don’t have officers currying favours from me,” he said.

Earlier, he also tipped his hat to Ismail, saying that he has full trust in him.

“Ismail will work well. But he needs the support of all. I hope that after I retire, he will improve the force, and to see to the end of every plan and strategy,” he said.

“I’ve had a lot of public complaints against myself and the force because we are seen to not give th best service, or that we are untrustworthy or corrupt. But I hope that after I was appointed, we have made some improvements to the force.

“And now, I will sit outside as an observer. I used to be scrutinised and now it is Ismail’s turn.

“Don’t be involved in abuse of power, and make sure that you bathe in blood to protect this country,” he said.

Musa, 58, was a career policeman for 41 years. His contract was extended twice after he had reached retirement age, and his contract officially expires on Sept 12.

Is your faith in Islam so shallow?

By Haris Ibrahim,

Suara Anak Pahang (SUAP) wants police to investigate the Aidilfitri advertisement that was aired by TV3, reports Malaysiakini.
“Although TV3 has apologised, the case must be looked into by the authorities for the sake of the sanctity of Islam in the country” ,  SUAP Action Committee chairman Mohd Shukri Mohd Ramli is reported to have insisted.
PAS Youth, too, it seems, views the ad as an insult to Islam.
View the ad for yourself and decide.

Me?
I think if Angel Gabriel placed Islam right in their noses, they’d blow it away in a piece of Kleenex and be none the wiser.

Home Ministry Gets Memo Over Alleged Police Abuse

PUTRAJAYA, Sept 8 (Bernama) -- Family members of six people who were shot by police or died in police custody on Wednesday submitted a memorandum to the Home Ministry seeking action against the policemen who allegedly abused their powers.

One of the cases involves Aminulrasyid Amzah, 15, who died after he was shot by the police in Shah Alam in April, and his friend, Azzamudin Omar, 15, who was injured in the same incident.

The other cases involve Mohd Afham Arin, 18, of Johor who died after being shot in October last year, Norizan Salleh, 30, of Kuala Lumpur who was shot five times, also in October last year, Shahril Azlan, 26, of Selangor who was shot and injured in April last year, and A. Kugan, 22, who died in police custody in January last year.

The memorandum was submitted to a representative of the ministry here by the family members, who were accompanied by several members of the non-governmental organisation, Lawyers for Liberty.

A spokesman for Lawyers for Liberty, N. Surendran, said the families want all the policemen who had allegedly abused their powers to be prosecuted or subjected to disciplinary action.

"Stern action should be taken against the offenders so that abuse of powers by the police does not recur," he said.

 resolution

Keadilan enters a new era: direct elections

By Anil Netto,


PKR is preparing for its party elections which, for the first time, will see ordinary members directly voting for top leadership posts in the party.
But what has been Anwar’s role be in all this, given that he is torn between his court case, party matters and never-ending campaigning? Is the party prepared for the outcome of the trial?  I wrote this piece for Asia Times:

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

As Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy case meanders its way through the courts, the spotlight has shifted to how his party is preparing for the possible outcome.
A guilty verdict in the high-stakes case would be a significant blow his opposition People’s Alliance (Pakatan Rakyat), which hopes to capitalize on significant gains it made against the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition at the last general election in 2008. Read more