Will Anwar be sent back to jail?

'If sodomy is such a heinous crime as made out by Umno, I wonder, how many people have our authorities convicted of sodomy over the past 10 years?'

Anwar's 'gut…

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'If sodomy is such a heinous crime as made out by Umno, I wonder, how many people have our authorities convicted of sodomy over the past 10 years?'

Anwar's 'gut feeling' in sodomy trial outcome

Cala: Will Anwar Ibrahim be jailed for Sodomy II? Ask any person on the street, she or he will tell you straight in the face that the whole episode is a hoax and devoid of evidence.

Anwar is confident that he will not be jailed because he is thinking logically; he believes that no right-thinking soul will do anything silly like that. As Anwar argued, what benefit will such decision-making bring to the regime?

But it is here that I beg to differ. Not everybody behaves the same in a given situation. Not everybody possesses the same cognitive ability. As a result, the outcome from reading a situation will hardly be the same due to information asymmetry.

Let me illustrate. PM Najib Razak (say) may opt for short-term interests in deciding whether Anwar should be made immobile. But if Najib (say) is concerned about long-term interests of the regime, then certainly it is foolhardy to convict Anwar for Sodomy II (see the swing in Malay votes after Sodomy I).

Cannon: For umpteen years, sodomy is one subject that has constantly hogged our Malaysian news. If sodomy is such a heinous crime as made out to be by the Umno government, I wonder, how many people have our authorities convicted of sodomy over the past 10 years?

If, in the whole of Malaysia, the government can only find one and the same person to prosecute over the past decade, does it not appear fishy? It's obvious from what we've seen and heard in court, the regime is more interested in punishing the man, rather than his purported offence.

Proarte: I personally believe that Anwar never wanted to be the PKR leader because he still harboured intentions of rejoining Umno. Umno would be his easiest route to power. Anwar has always felt the position of PM was 'stolen' from him and is rightfully his.

However, Umno has resolutely spurned him and it appears Anwar is finally getting the message. Having the weak and ineffectual Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as PKR president was his 'back-up plan' in case his bid for Umno leadership fell through. His daughter being appointed vice-president is again in the worst traditions of dynastic rule - so much for 'new' politics.

It is clear that Azmin Ali's loyalty to Anwar has not been reciprocated as evidenced by his negative comments on Azmin - 'limitations, weaknesses', Sabah 'calm' after his wife 'rescued' the situation (from Azmin), not 'accommodative, conciliatory or guarded', Azmin is no comparison to himself whom he mentions in the same breath as Mandela, Gandhi and Prophet Muhammad. Anwar is a liability for Pakatan.

Adcin: Proarte, Anwar is an enigma waiting to be unravelled, but maybe not as you see it. What I do know is that he is much smarter than PM Najib Razak and he will use his underdog and victim status to maximum effect, if you let him. On the contrary, whether we like it or not, Anwar is Pakatan's greatest asset in the coming general elections.

Ferdtan: The ever optimist Anwar still wants to believe in the goodness of the judiciary. He has no choice but to play along, hoping that at least one judge would be brave enough to do the right thing.

The case should be dismissed before calling for Anwar's defence. The charge against Anwar is so ridiculous that even a kid would know the difference. Saiful said it was a forced 'rape', but the attorney-general in the charge sheet said it was a consensual sex. Someone is lying there: Saiful or AG?

As for Kita's Zaid Ibrahim - the less said, the better. He is one vindictive person who has earned the wrath of all Malaysians. Now he has become a gutter politician who has a fixation on the sex issue.

Alan Goh: Who want to bet, at 10-to-1, DSAI (Anwar) will be found guilty after his defence is called. His appeal will be heard, and again he will be found guilty. This is Umno's ploy to keep DSAI busy and out of politics.

DSAI will be spared the prison sentence, until and unless, he is incapacitated due to ill-health or accident perhaps. After the 13GE, when Umno wins with a two-thirds majority, then like a bolt of thunder, all charges against DSAI will be dropped.

Loyal Malaysian: Good luck, Anwar. I wish I have your confidence in our judiciary.

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Subsidy cuts focus of today’s Cabinet meeting

Subsidy decisions will be a major concern for Najib in his Cabinet meeting today.

KUALA LUMPUR, May 25 — Subsidy cuts will top the agenda when Datuk Seri Najib Razak…

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Subsidy decisions will be a major concern for Najib in his Cabinet meeting today.

KUALA LUMPUR, May 25 — Subsidy cuts will top the agenda when Datuk Seri Najib Razak chairs the weekly Cabinet meeting today, with many speculating it will lead to hike for RON95 petrol and electricity rates.

Cabinet sources say the government has to trim the runaway subsidy bill which could balloon to RM21 billion if nothing is done.

On the table is the scheduled plan to cut subsidies for RON95 petrol and gas for independent power producers while increasing electricity tariffs in a growing economy.

Labs run by Performance and Management Delivery Unit (Pemandu) last year proposed 15 sen hikes every six month for RON95 petrol but the government decided to stick to 10 sen, ensuring a slow rise in the fuel’s prices.

“What has happened is that the high RON97 prices has pushed more people to use RON95, increasing the subsidy bill further,” a Cabinet source told The Malaysian Insider.

RON95 petrol is now RM1.90 a litre while the premium RON97 fuel is floated at market price of RM2.90 a litre, making it a great saving for motorists but a bigger share of the national budget.

The Malaysian Insider understands it is the same for electricity tariffs which should have been increased months ago but postponed to ensure the economy keeps growing at a quicker pace.

Pemandu’s proposal last year was to initially cut gas subsidy by RM4.65 per mmbtu and then set a corresponding 2.4 sen per kWh increase in tariffs in July 2010, followed by a 1.6 sen per kWh increase every six months.

But the gas subsidy and electricity tariffs have remained the same due to long-term deals between Tenaga Nasional Berhad, Petronas and the IPPs.

“Cutting the subsidy won’t bring down electricity rates because Tenaga is already paying too much,” the Cabinet source said.

Bloomberg quoted Manokaran Mottain, senior economist at AmResearch Sdn Bhd, today as saying price hikes are inevitable.

“The government is in a difficult position,” said Manokaran, who expects the government to raise the price of RON95 petrol by as much as 20 sen a litre after the subsidy review.

“If the government does not do anything now, it has no other choice but the fiscal deficit will be widening,” he added.

Inflation rose to a two-year high of 3.2 percent in April after the government cut subsidies on fuel and sugar in December, boosting retail prices. The central bank raised interest rates for the first time since July this month.

The Consumer Sentiment Index moderated to 108.2 in the first quarter from 117.2 in the fourth quarter of 2010, partly due to accelerating inflation, the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research said April 14.

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Growing up pains of a material girl

Neglected children will always look elsewhere for love and attention.

COMMENT

Pei Pei was over the moon. She had passed the recent SPM exams with flying colours and wanted to…

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Neglected children will always look elsewhere for love and attention.

COMMENT

Pei Pei was over the moon. She had passed the recent SPM exams with flying colours and wanted to take me out for a treat to celebrate. I was Pei Pei’s English tutor. I agreed to meet her at the Leisure Mall in Cheras provided her treat was simple and inexpensive.
When we met at the eatery, she was gushing with enthusiasm over her results. This was another feather in my cap. I had tutored her from the time she was in Primary Six and her UPSR and PMR results were also those of a top achiever.
As she sat there and began to unfold her plans for the future, I recalled in a little reverie how I had begun this earnest project of getting her to excel in her English.
I was teaching at a language centre and Pei Pei’s parents were my students. They were seeking permanent residence status in New Zealand and wanted to achieve the required standard of English language proficiency. They met their goal, and it was they who insisted I tutor Pei Pei.
I had no qualms and proceeded to work with Pei Pei. When we were sitting there at the eatery, she had studied English with me for six years. Now she was planning to take up pre-university studies at a local college and most likely move on to New Zealand for tertiary studies.
Pei Pei’s parents are filthy rich. Throughout my six-year stint, I was rewarded handsomely in cash and kind. But it wasn’t long after we started that I noticed she had a certain withdrawn nature. She went about her studies and her life at home in a blunt, almost expressionless way, void of any feeling. I became concerned.
I almost always never saw her parents during our twice-a-week, two-hour sessions. They were absentee parents. In their absence, the role of bringing her up was thrust onto her grandmother and the Filipino maid.
The parents ran a motor spare parts factory in Balakong and business was booming. They roped in several relatives to assist in reaping the spoils, and ventured into distributing the spare parts throughout Malaysia and within the Asean region.
In the process of amassing their wealth, they travelled extensively and frequently throughout the region. Pei Pei hardly saw them. But they never failed to lavish her with all the material comforts they could afford. She was growing up with a settled view that this must be the way of life for every child.
I sometimes asked whether she missed her parents or whether she wished they were around more often, but she seemed quite indifferent or perhaps uncertain about her feelings. I couldn’t help feeling sorry for her although I thought of her as brave and stoical and lucky to have such a comfortable life.
Feeling like a thief
On the rare occasions I chanced to meet her parents, I didn’t hesitate to voice my concern, suggesting that they try to make time for her. My initial attempts were met with interest, but as time passed the parents began to avoid me. I think they thought I was going beyond my position as tutor to interfere in the affairs of their household.

But they allowed me to tutor her as she was making good and steady progress. But what I feared soon became quite real, albeit also in steady fashion. Pei Pei began to see me as a father figure and someone she could trust, confide in and relate to as a responsible adult. It came to such a point that the maid even began to insinuate that I was the man of the house. But it was a situation not of our making. Pei Pei was growing, but was bonding with me in a way that was unexpected.
Soon I began to feel like a thief. While I have no children of my own, I had not bargained for a situation such as this. I felt I was robbing the parents of the exclusive filial devotion of their daughter.
What it evolved into was Pei Pei happily paying lip service to her parents while relating more closely with me. This “arrangement” seemed to go down well with her. But it was an arrangement that came to the attention of the parents only towards the close of my tenure. They realised the bond that had grown between us was stronger than her bond with them.
It all seemed so silly to me. If only they had paid heed to me and taken my suggestions for her well being seriously enough from the beginning, it would not have come to such an awkward situation.
I feel for children who are in the care of child minders and day-care centres while their parents try to pile up wealth.
I can understand that making money is very important as parents have to butter the bread daily in a world of rising inflation. But to sacrifice seeing your child grow up and, worse still, lose their filial piety to others, is a terrible and painful loss. It can never be regained, for time has ticked away.
As I mused over my lunch, Pei Pei was as chatty as ever and carrying on with the endless details of her plans. This was something she never did with her parents; her tongue never seemed to wag and she always seemed to clam up in their presence.
I also observed how she spoke, her gestures and mannerisms, the facial expressions, her tone of voice and accent, the overall body language, and it struck me in a certain frightening way how the tutor had had such a deep impact and influence on her life.

Playing godfather
The tutor obviously had overpaid his dues in the short span of six years, or so I thought. It was just then that her phone beeped. Upon answering, she told me her parents were waiting downstairs for us to finish lunch.
It was just as well. I downed the last few morsels of my lunch and went downstairs to meet her parents. They looked sullen but greeted me politely and announced quickly that they had to rush off for another appointment and told me they regretted not being able to spend time with me.
How ironic, I thought. Throughout the years Pei Pei was growing up they also never had time for her. For some reason, this thought created a sharp twinge of pain in me. My thought at this point was that there really must be more to life and we must learn to create the space and time for people we like and love in our life.
Perhaps it all boils down to managing our time and sorting out our priorities, and knowing who and what count and matter to us most in life. I thought the parents would have realised that they couldn’t possibly have everything in life.
I suppose the world is not enough for people who greedily seek for more and more. But watching the three of them bid me farewell and walk away, I thought to myself, did they really need some more? They had everything a person would want in life, and it puzzled me that they were blind to this reality.
As I walked away towards the car park, I thought that I really shouldn’t think of myself as being a father sort of person to Pei Pei.
What I had really and truthfully become was a godfather to her. As I continue in my journey as a teacher to the young I am beginning to think if there will ever be times when I will be called upon to play godfather again.
Looking at the way our world is changing and the direction it is taking, I feel certain that there are   students out there who share the same predicament as Pei Pei and that these children who are neglected will always look elsewhere for love and attention.
Of this I am very sure.
The writer is a schoolteacher teaching English and Science at a Chinese school in Kuala Lumpur, and has also been working as a writer since 1984.

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Minta bedah siasat kedua

Berita Harian

SHAH ALAM: Permohonan seorang ibu agar bedah siasat kedua dilakukan ke atas mayat anak lelakinya yang ditembak polis di Dengkil, dekat sini, pada 13 Mei lalu, akan didengar…

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Berita Harian

SHAH ALAM: Permohonan seorang ibu agar bedah siasat kedua dilakukan ke atas mayat anak lelakinya yang ditembak polis di Dengkil, dekat sini, pada 13 Mei lalu, akan didengar di Mahkamah Tinggi di sini, hari ini.

Peguam N Surendran yang mewakili Salmah Mohamed Shariff, 41, berkata tarikh itu ditetapkan Penolong Kanan Pendaftar Mahkamah Tinggi di sini, Khairul Nizam Abu Bakar selepas kes itu disebut di hadapannya dalam satu prosiding pengurusan kes, semalam.

Surendran ketika ditemui di luar mahkamah, berkata anak guamnya memfailkan notis usul berkenaan pada 19 Mei lalu, bagi memohon supaya bedah siasat kedua dilakukan ke atas mayat Mohamad Johari Abu Bakar, 17, yang kini berada di Hospital Serdang, untuk mengetahui kecederaan sebenar anaknya.

Dalam permohonan itu, Salmah meminta bedah siasat itu dijalankan di Pusat Perubatan Universiti Malaya (PPUM) dengan serta-merta untuk mengetahui punca kematiannya mengikut Seksyen 328 Kanun Tatacara Jenayah.

Selain itu, Salmah juga menuntut supaya semua laporan bedah siasat dan dokumen berkaitan bedah siasat yang dilakukan di PPUM dan Hospital Serdang, diserahkan kepada peguam yang mewakilinya pada masa munasabah yang ditetapkan mahkamah.

Pada 13 Mei lalu, seorang remaja yang dipercayai terbabit dengan geng samun kenderaan mewah, mati ditembak dalam kejadian berbalas tembakan dengan sepasukan anggota polis tidak jauh dari sebuah hotel bajet di Cyber Valley, Dengkil.

Ketika kejadian, remaja itu baru saja keluar dari hotel berkenaan sebelum memasuki sebuah kenderaan pelbagai guna (MPV) yang diletakkan di belakang hotel.

Mohamad Johari, anak ketiga daripada tujuh beradik itu dilaporkan tidak lagi bersekolah sejak kematian bapanya pada 2009.

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July 18 decision on Indira Gandhi’s application

The Star

IPOH: The High Court here will decide on July 18 on whether an application by kindergarten teacher M. Indira Gandhi, who is seeking to quash her three children’s…

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The Star

IPOH: The High Court here will decide on July 18 on whether an application by kindergarten teacher M. Indira Gandhi, who is seeking to quash her three children’s conversion to Islam, be moved to the Federal Court or be heard in a High Court.

Yesterday, the matter came up for case management before Deputy Registrar Najwa Che Mat who fixed the date.

Speaking to reporters later, Indira Gandhi’s counsel M. Kulasegaran said the case would be heard before Judicial Commissioner Tarmizi Abd Rahman, adding an application had been made on May 5 this year for the case to be heard before the Federal Court.

He said the case was fixed for case management because the matter had been dragging on for too long.

Indira Gandhi is seeking to nullify her children’s conversion to Islam by their father without her consent on April 3, 2009.

Despite an order by a separate High Court here last May for her estranged husband Mohd Ridzuan Abdullah to return their youngest child, Prasana Diksa, the mother and child have yet to be reunited.

The case, in which Indira Gandhi has also been granted custody of her two older children, Tevi Darsiny, 13, and Karan Dinish, 12, is pending following an appeal by Mohd Ridzuan, who has obtained interim custody from the Syariah High Court here.

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Mubarak to be charged for corruption, protester deaths

(CNN) -- Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and his two sons will face trial before a criminal court for the killings of protesters and the waste of public money, the…

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(CNN) -- Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and his two sons will face trial before a criminal court for the killings of protesters and the waste of public money, the Egyptian general prosecutor's office announced Tuesday.

Mubarak, who was forced from office in February, is being charged with consenting to a plan to kill protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square on January 25, according to Adel Saeed, a spokesman for the prosecutor's office. Mubarak ordered police officers to use live ammunition while they fired into the crowd of protesters, Saeed said.

The former president could be executed if he is convicted of ordering the killing of protesters, Egyptian Justice Minister Mohamed Abdelaziz al-Juindy said earlier this month.

Mubarak has been held in a military hospital in Cairo since mid-April, after complaining of heart palpitations and blood pressure problems. But Justice Ministry official Aly Hassan said Egyptian courts can proceed with a case if a defendant is in poor health.

"In previous cases, suspects appeared in court with life-support machines, so Mubarak's health now does not mean that he is paralyzed," Hassan said. "If he has heart problems and doctors indicate improvement, then he can appear in court for several hours."

Mubarak stepped down as Egypt's leader on February 11, after an 18-day uprising against his nearly three decades of iron-fisted rule. He and his family, as well as former officials in his government, have been under investigation ever since.

Mubarak and his two sons, Gamal and Alaa, also have been charged with using official positions to acquire four villas in the resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh under fake names. They also are accused of allowing businessman Hussein Salem -- who is being sought by Interpol -- to illegally acquire vast land holdings in South Sharm el-Sheikh.

His wife, Suzanne, who suffered a heart attack in early May, was released on bail last week after relinquishing control of bank accounts worth $3.4 million. She also gave up a villa and signed an affidavit allowing further investigation of her personal fortune.

In addition, prosecutors allege that Mubarak and a former oil minister allowed Salem to move ahead with a $2 billion illegal deal exporting gas to Israel. The deal led to a loss of $714 million for the state, prosecutors say.

And Mubarak is under investigation for possible commissions tied to various arms deals. A military prosecutor is looking into the charges, which could have national security implications.

Finally, Alaa and Gamal Mubarak are being investigated in a series of additional possible corruption charges tied to Egyptian debt payments and partnerships with foreign companies, among other things.

Interior Minister Habib El Adly was recently handed a 12-year prison sentence for corruption. He will face a separate trial on May 21 for his role in the killing of protesters during the unrest.

Former Finance Minister Youssef Boutros Ghali is also charged with squandering public funds. He fled the country on February 12, according to a written statement from the prosecutor's office.

Several other former top government officials face corruption probes as well, prosecutors say.

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Soi Lek chastises Nazri for not understanding MCA’s role

KUALA LUMPUR, May 24 — Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said that it is unfortunate Datuk Seri Nazri

Dr Chua denies the MCA is trying to “play hero.” —…

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KUALA LUMPUR, May 24 — Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said that it is unfortunate Datuk Seri Nazri

Dr Chua denies the MCA is trying to “play hero.” — file pic

Aziz does not know MCA’s role in the government, as a spat over public scholarships between the Umno minister and the Barisan Nasional (BN) Chinese party continued today.

The MCA president did not spell out what his party’s exact role is but he denied the MCA is trying to “play hero.”

When asked later what MCA’s role is, party deputy president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said it is to defend Chinese Malaysians.

“If Nazri as a senior minister doesn’t know the role of MCA, then it’s rather unfortunate,” Dr Chua told reporters today.

“We don’t want to play hero. Whoever wants to play hero is some minister’s outburst who doesn’t know the issue,” he added.

Liow echoed Dr Chua’s remarks by saying, “He should know MCA is voicing out over issues involving the Chinese.”

Nazri had mocked Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong, who is also the MCA Youth chief, in the Chinese media for alleging power abuse in the PSD distribution of scholarships and said the deputy minister was merely trying to act like a hero by defending students.

Nazri defended the PSD today, saying its officers are “excellent” and have not been negligent in their duties.

Dr Chua, however, said the PSD scholarship brouhaha was caused by “bureaucratic mistakes” after a discussion with PSD director-general Datuk Seri Abu Bakar Haji Abdullah earlier today.

“The JPA director-general has agreed that all mistakes will be rectified, such as those who asked for Course A (but were) given Course B, those (who) asked for degrees (but were) given diplomas,” said the MCA chief, using the Malay acronym for PSD.

He stressed that all students who obtained 9A+ had received scholarships and that those who complained were likely those who did not “get what they wanted.”

Nazri has said Putrajaya never promised scholarships abroad to all SPM top scorers, but only guaranteed them places in both local and foreign institutions.

Nazri, who is in charge of the PSD scholarships, agreed that the government had allocated 1,500 overseas scholarships to top students but stressed that of the total, only 300 were given based entirely on merit to students scoring straight 9A+.

The remaining 1,200 overseas grants, he said, were distributed according to four categories — Sabah Bumiputeras (five per cent), Sarawak Bumiputeras (five per cent), social composition or the population’s racial composition (60 per cent) and the socially handicapped (10 per cent).

“If Perkasa doesn’t understand that, don’t talk,” said Dr Chua, referring to the quotas that have already been set for PSD overseas scholarships.

The Malay rights group charged yesterday that Malay students were the ones who were losing out when it came to receiving scholarships.

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Change has to come from us — A True Blue Malaysian

MAY 24 — I am a Malaysian through and through. I am 45 years old and from a minority group. I work overseas for an MNC which has a hub…

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MAY 24 — I am a Malaysian through and through. I am 45 years old and from a minority group. I work overseas for an MNC which has a hub in KL. I have been posted in the UK for the last three years with a year more to go.

I love Malaysia because it is my homeland no matter what the likes of Ibrahim Ali and Utusan Malaysia say. I guess I am a nostalgic person, too deeply-rooted. I have travelled a bit for my work in the last five years — Singapore, Indonesia, Italy, Dubai and the UK — but when the plane touches down at KLIA, I feel a sense of relief at being back home.

Believe me, some of my Malay colleagues even told me straight to the face that they would rather stay in the UK permanently if the opportunity arose. Most of them have families and their children go to school here.

I admit the education system and almost everything here is better but things will get better at home, I hope! One thing I have always admired about the Malays is their proverb: “Anak dirumah ditinggal, kera dihutan disusu.” For me, the “anak” is Malaysia; the “kera” is the foreign country. It’s we as citizens who have the “susu” and must nurture our country!

It’s up to us Malaysians to change our society. I have no illusions about it. Believe me, I was once a great admirer of Dr M but today I am absolutely disgusted by what he says.

I feel for those who left for greener pastures. I too am tempted every other week but who else can bring about change other than us Malaysians?

Please look at the Arab spring. Are we any worse than them? When I think of my situation, I always think of the padi farmers, estate workers, fishermen, bus drivers, despatch boys and others who have less than me. How do they stay ... yes, granted they have fewer or no options. Yet the poor suffer the most! And yet they too want the same thing as us, so who will fight for them?

Today, I admire people like Hannah Yeoh, Haris Ibrahim, LGE, Tommy Thomas, Irene Fernandez, Francis Siah and many more Malaysians who have made lots of sacrifices for the country. They could have left but chose to stay to make Malaysia better, not for themselves, but for others.

This is what we should strive for, a better Malaysia and a better future for all our children. I ask all Malaysians who have left to at least support your fellow Malaysians who remain to fight for the rest of us.

* We asked readers to tell us in their own words why they stayed in Malaysia... instead of migrating. This is one of the stories.

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Nazri defends PSD in scholarship row

Deputy Education Minister Wee Ka Siong is taken to task for alleging that there was abuse of power in the award of government scholarships.


KUALA LUMPUR: Minister in the Prime…

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Deputy Education Minister Wee Ka Siong is taken to task for alleging that there was abuse of power in the award of government scholarships.


KUALA LUMPUR: Minister in the Prime Minister Department Nazri Aziz defended today the Public Service Department (PSD), claiming that allegations of power abuse in the award of scholarships were unfounded.

Taking a swipe at Deputy Education Minister Wee Ka Siong for his public outburst on the sensitive subject, Nazri said that Wee was using the issue to gain political mileage instead of solving it.

“Are we interested in solving these students’ problems or your political condition? Maybe he’s saying this because he wants to defend his post as MCA Youth chief,” Nazri said at a press conference here.

Wee claimed last week that 363 straight A+ students failed to get PSD scholarships this year despite the vow made by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak that all students scoring 8A+ and above will receive the PSD scholarships.

The promise was made following a similar allegation of unfair scholarship distribution last year.
Wee also claimed that there are “little Napoleans” in the PSD who were directly acting against the Cabinet directive.

Nazri claimed the policy promised by Najib is in place and that the PSD scholarship award system, which he said is just and fair, now recognises application from those with 8A+ grades.

The PSD scholarships fall under two primary categories: the overseas degree programme (PILN) for 1,500 selected students and the local degree programme (PIDN) for 2,500 applicants.

Applicants for both PILN and PIDN can apply under four sub-categories, with each having different requirements for scholarships approval.

‘Give proof to back allegations’

Nazri said that from the 4,000 PILN and PIDN scholarships awarded to the 2010 batch of SPM top scorers, 2,183 spots (55%) were given to Bumiputera students while 1,817 (45%) were offered to the non-Bumiputeras.

Only 8,857 from the 16,900 students who applied for PILN scholarships met the PSD requirements, with 7,277 (43.1%) of them being Bumiputeras and 9,623 (56.9%) non-Bumiputeras.

However, Nazri said that only 1,500 PILN scholarships were offered and 300 were given purely on merit. Unsuccessful applicants, however, have the PIDN option which offers 2,500 spots.

Should they fail both, the students will still be eligible to apply for the 8,000 spots for scholarships at metriculation or diploma levels.

Nazri defended the existing scholarship award system and dismissed Wee’s accusation that there were systematic efforts by the PSD to deny non-Bumiputeras opportunities to obtain government assistance.

He asked Wee to provide proof to back his claims, saying that his allegations were causing hurt to PSD officers whose integrity he would vouch for.

“These interviewers are multiracial and respected academicians. We have to be fair to the officers. When you are a politician and you attack civil servants, they cannot defend themselves. I am doing this on behalf of all the excellent officers that we have,” he said.

Nazri added that Wee should have used “the right channel” like the Cabinet meeting tomorrow to voice his grouses instead of using the media.

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Anger grows against ‘selfish’ Gerakan boss

As anger mounts, there is a possibility that an EGM may be called to knock out Koh Tsu Koon from the top post.

TAIPING: There is growing resentment among Gerakan…

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As anger mounts, there is a possibility that an EGM may be called to knock out Koh Tsu Koon from the top post.

TAIPING: There is growing resentment among Gerakan members towards their president Koh Tsu Koon and an emergency general meeting may be called to remove him.

Former party youth vice-chief S Paranjothy said several party leaders told him that Koh must be axed to save the sinking Gerakan.

The Taman Ehsan branch chief claimed that the president was more interested in safeguarding his own political position in the federal government and had ignored the problems in the party.

Paranjothi recalled how former party chief Dr Lim Keng Yaik had advised Koh to concentrate on building the party at the state level in Penang.

“But Koh was too ambitious and went for the Batu Kawan parliamentary seat to shine at the federal level. He lost the seat to DAP’s P Ramasamy in the 2008 general election,” he said.

Paranjothy also accused Koh of failing to live up to expectations during his tenure as chief minister of Penang and warned that if not reformed, Gerakan would become irrelevant in Malaysian politics.

‘Yes man and self-centred’

He listed the president’s shortcomings as:

> He is a “yes-man” who does not want to offend other Barisan Nasional component parties because he wants to be in the good books of other leaders.

> He supports and promotes the 1Malaysia concept but does not practice this concept in his own party.

> He never supports the views and issues raised by Youth and Wanita leaders.

> Till today, he has not disclosed any strategies to win back Penang from Pakatan Rakyat in the coming polls.

> He sidelined capable senior party members and allowed those from other political parties to be parachuted into top-level posts.

> He does not want to get involved in finding solutions for the internal turmoil in Gerakan state chapters such as Johor, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Penang and Malacca.

> In his desperate attempt to be a federal minister, Koh did not play his role as party chief to choose the leader to replace him as chief minister (before the 2008 polls), and left the decision to the prime minister. This angered a lot of party members.

> He accepted a ministerial post through the back door instead of offering it to more experienced and senior leaders like former Simpang Renggam MP Kerk Choo Ting and former Batu MP Ng Lip Yong who were denied seats in the 2008 general election.

> He greedily holds on to many political posts given to the party, without sharing them with other leaders.

“He is power crazy for promoting himself at the expense of the party and failing to realise that without Gerakan, he is a nobody,” said Paranjothy.

“Furthermore, he is not fit to be the president of a multi-ethnic party like Gerakan and is merely using the party to promote himself,” he said, adding that Koh’s “self-centred” attitude had demoralised the grassroots.

Paranjothy said that the rebel camp had identified the leader to replace Koh, but would not name the person now for fear of reprisal.

An aide to Koh declined to comment, adding that it was not Koh’s style to address party issues in the open.

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Canberra rejects UN concern over refugee deal

Australia says it stands on solid legal ground when it made a deal to send asylum seekers to Malaysia.

MELBOURNE: The Australian government insists it is on solid legal ground…

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Australia says it stands on solid legal ground when it made a deal to send asylum seekers to Malaysia.

MELBOURNE: The Australian government insists it is on solid legal ground with its controversial asylum-seeker deal with Malaysia, despite a senior United Nations official’s comments to the contrary.

The Australian Associated Press (AAP) reported that the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay told a forum in Sydney yesterday the deal – which has not yet been finalised – appeared to violate international refugee law.

“It cannot send individuals to a country that has not ratified the torture convention and the convention on refugees,” she was quoted as saying.

But Australia’s Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) secretary Andrew Metcalfe said his advice from Australia’s top lawyers was different.

“With respect, I would disagree with some of the comments she’s made,” he told a Senate estimates committee in Canberra today.

“We are confident in the legal position we have. I’m not aware of the basis for the high commissioner’s comments.

“I understand she has not been well-briefed in relation to Australia’s plans.”

Pillay today met with Immigration Minister Chris Bowen for what a government spokesman described as a “constructive and positive” discussion.

Pillay is also meeting with Prime Minister Julia Gillard and a range of other senior government ministers during her stay in Canberra, the AAP report said.

Her visit came as it emerged Canberra was so confident its Malaysian agreement would succeed that it had budgeted for a dramatic dip in the number of new boat arrivals next financial year.

The government estimates just 750 new boat people will enter Australia’s detention system in 2011/12 – even though the 2010/11 total has already exceeded 4,000.

Metcalfe stressed the estimate – which does not include up to 800 asylum seekers who may actually be sent to Malaysia – was not based on solid intelligence.

“That is purely… a figure that has been identified for financial planning purposes,” AAP quoted him as saying.

“And it is exactly the same number of people who arrived in 2002 following major policy changes by the then government.”

-Bernama

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Muhyiddin ingatkan orang Melayu jangan terpedaya helah DAP

Katanya, tindakan DAP itu hanya untuk mengabui orang Melayu kerana hakikat sebenarnya ia adalah sebuah parti cauvinis yang tidak pernah memperjuangkan nasib orang Melayu.

MUAR: Timbalan Perdana Menteri Tan Sri…

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Katanya, tindakan DAP itu hanya untuk mengabui orang Melayu kerana hakikat sebenarnya ia adalah sebuah parti cauvinis yang tidak pernah memperjuangkan nasib orang Melayu.

MUAR: Timbalan Perdana Menteri Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin mengingatkan orang Melayu supaya tidak terpedaya dengan helah DAP yang didakwa bercadang meletakkan calon-calonnya di kalangan orang Melayu pada pilihan raya umum akan datang.

Muhyiddin yang juga Timbalan Presiden Umno berkata, tindakan DAP itu hanya untuk mengabui orang Melayu kerana hakikat sebenarnya ia adalah sebuah parti cauvinis yang tidak pernah memperjuangkan nasib orang Melayu.

“Saya hendak ingatkan orang Melayu, inilah parti (DAP) yang paling cauvinis. Dia berkata dia berjuang untuk Malaysian Malaysia tetapi sejarah perjuangan DAP dari dulu hingga sekarang saya tahu terlalu cauvinistik,” katanya kepada pemberita hari ini.

Beliau berkata demikian selepas menghadiri majlis ramah mesra dengan penduduk Kampung Tulang Gajah, Lenga, Pagoh dan menerima borang keanggotaan Umno daripada penduduk Orang Asli Kampung Sentosa.

Calon Melayu

Muhyiddin mengulas kenyataan Menteri Pertahanan dan Naib Presiden Umno Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi baru-baru ini yang mengatakan DAP berhasrat untuk meletakkan calon Melayu pada pilihan raya umum akan datang.

Timbalan Perdana Menteri berkata, cadangan oleh DAP itu hanya merupakan satu taktik untuk menarik sokongan orang Melayu walaupun parti itu tidak pernah meletakkan calon Melayu sebelum ini.

Parti DAP sebelum ini, menurutnya, hanya mahu mengabui mata orang Melayu untuk menunjukkan bahawa ia merupakan sebuah parti yang berjuang untuk semua kaum, sedangkan hakikatnya tidak sedemikian.

“(Orang) Melayu kena sedar, jangan dipecahbelahkan hanya kerana ada pihak yang kata mereka berjuang untuk orang Melayu. Kita tidak pernah dengar DAP memperjuangkan (hak orang) Melayu, malah mereka hanya mempertikaikan (dasar membantu orang Melayu),” katanya.

Makoriti pengundi Cina

Menurutnya, DAP yang hanya bertanding di kawasan yang majoriti pengundinya adalah daripada kaum Cina, tidak pernah bersetuju dengan dasar membantu orang Melayu yang dianggap oleh parti pembangkang itu sebagai perkauman.

“Saya fikir DAP adalah sebuah parti perkauman berbanding parti-parti lain, ada rekod dan sejarahnya, memang begitulah,” kata Muhyiddin sambil menambah, DAP mempunyai perjuangan yang sempit.

Muhyiddin berkata sejarah telah membuktikan bahawa DAP tidak pernah memperjuangkan nasib semua kaum berbanding Barisan Nasional (BN) yang telah lama memperjuangkannya.

“Jangan terpedaya dengan helah DAP,” katanya.

Pilihan raya umum

Mengenai persediaan Umno untuk menghadapi pilihan raya umum akan datang pula, Timbalan Presiden parti itu berkata, soal perpaduan merupakan isu paling utama yang perlu dititikberatkan oleh anggota dan pemimpin.

Cabaran pada pilihan raya akan datang itu dijangka agak sengit dan cabaran daripada parti-parti pembangkang adalah jauh lebih sengit berikutan rancangan mereka untuk mengambilalih Putrajaya, katanya.

Sehubungan dengan itu, beliau meminta sebarang permasalahan di peringkat bahagian diselesaikan dan meminta campur tangan positif daripada Pengerusi Badan Perhubungan bagi membantu menyelesaikannya.

- Bernama

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Red paint attack on PKR man’s home

The victim says this is Umno’s way of fighting back as the opposition party makes inroads among Felda settlers.

SEREMBAN: The home of a PKR leader was splashed with red…

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The victim says this is Umno’s way of fighting back as the opposition party makes inroads among Felda settlers.

SEREMBAN: The home of a PKR leader was splashed with red paint this morning and he has accused Umno of being behind the attack.

“This must be the work of Umno, which resorts to such dirty and low class tactics because it does not understand the meaning of true democracy,” said R Tangam, the deputy chief of Rasah PKR, after he lodged a police report here.

The attack occurred early this morning. Tangam saw the splashes on his walls at 6.30am.

The house, in Bandar Baru Sendayan, is the regular venue of party activities for Rembau PKR, such as this evening’s ceramah on the rights of Felda settlers.

Tangam believes this morning’s attack is an attempt by Umno to create fear in him because of what he claims are “positive inroads” that PKR has made among Felda settlers in Sendayan.

“I strongly believe this is the work of Umno because of the timing of the attack,” he said. “Our ceramah tonight will focus solely on the rights of settlers at Felda Sendayan. We’ll also have a dialogue session with the children of the settlers to explain issues about the Felda management that their parents are not aware of.”

Tangam is a son of a settler in Sendayan.
He told FMT that he and his family had on many occasions received death threats through his mobile phone.

“I lodged a police report before, but until today I have not been updated on what action police has taken,” he said.

“Today I’ve lodged my report on the paint attack, and I hope the police will take fast action.”

The secretary of Rembau PKR, Norazizi Abdul Aziz, said this evening’s programme at Tangam’s house would go on as scheduled.

“Umno is in a desperate situation and unable to debate with facts; so it tries to create fear,” he said. “They might have thought with this attack we may abandon our programme. We will go ahead.”

Among the figures expected to attend both the dialogue and ceramah sessions are the president of the National Felda Settlers’ Children’s Association, Mazlan Aliman; Rembau PKR chief Badrul Hisham Shaharin; Paroi state assemblymen Mohd Taufek Abdul Ghani and lawyer Wan Rohaimi Wan Daud.

Wan Rohaimi became famous last year for winning a case against the Felda management on behalf of 354 settlers in Kemahang. The court ordered Felda to pay the settlers a total of RM11 million for cheating them in the grading of their oil palm fruits.

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Felda pinjam wang KWSP RM6 bilion?

Mungkin berkaitan dengan Felda sejak diterajui Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak menunjukkan kawalan kewangan yang keterlaluan dan digunakan secara boros.

KUALA LUMPUR: Persatuan Anak Peneroka Felda Kebangsaan (Anak) mendakwa Felda…

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Mungkin berkaitan dengan Felda sejak diterajui Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak menunjukkan kawalan kewangan yang keterlaluan dan digunakan secara boros.

KUALA LUMPUR: Persatuan Anak Peneroka Felda Kebangsaan (Anak) mendakwa Felda telah meminjam RM6 bilion daripada Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Pekerja (KWSP) bagi menampung masalah kewangan yang dialami organisasi itu.

Pengerusi Anak, Mazlan Aliman mendakwa, pihaknya mendapat maklumat Felda telah berbuat demikian namun tidak dapat memastikan kesahihannya.

Bagaimanapun, katanya persoalan ini mungkin berkaitan dengan Felda sejak diterajui Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak menunjukkan kawalan kewangan yang keterlaluan dan digunakan secara boros.

Antaranya pelaburan Felda dalam Syarikat Twin Rivers Technology US Inc (TRT US) pada tahun 2007 yang berjumlah RM 270 juta, dan pelaburan Felda melalui Felda Global Ventures Sdn Bhd berjumlah RM500 juta di Cincinnati dan Boston.

“Felda juga membayar faedah persaraan kepada bekas Pengerusi Tan Sri Dr Yusof Nor berjumlah RM 84,923 serta membayar elaun Pengerusi dan Ahli Lembaga Pengarah Felda berjuta ringgit setiap tahun,” katanya dalam sidang media di pejabat agung PAS di sini hari ini.

Minta penjelasan Felda

Justeru beliau meminta pengurusan Felda dan Timbalan Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri Datuk Ahmad Maslan menjelaskan perkara ini.

“Untuk apa wang RM 6 bilion ini dipinjamkan? Bagi tujuan apa? Kerajaan mesti membuat penjelasan segera kerana ia memberi implikasi sangat buruk kepada pengurusan Felda keseluruhannya,” katanya.

Sebelum ini Mazlan mendakwa Felda mengalami kemerosotan rizab Felda namun dinafikan Ahmad Maslan.

“Alasan yang digunakan Datuk Ahmad berhubung kemerosotan rizab Felda yang merosot dari RM 4.08 bilion pada 2004 kepada RM 1.35 bilion pada 2009 adalah ia digunakan untuk menampung kos peneroka.

“Namun dakwaan Felda meminjam daripada KWSP ini amat mengejutkan dan kita mahu tahu apa yang berlaku,” kata Mazlan yang turut sangsi dengan keuntungan yang diperoleh Felda.

Persoal METC

Tegas AJK PAS Pusat itu, sekiranya dakwaan itu tidak benar satu penafian perlu dibuat pengurusan Felda dan Ahmad.

Sementara itu, Mazlan juga meminta agar Felda menjelaskan tentang status anak-anak peneroka yang meneruskan pengajian di Pusat Latihan Kejuruteraan Penerbangan Malaysia (METC) di Subang, Selangor.

“Anak menerima aduan mengenai status anak peneroka yang belajar di METC, walaupun peluang belajar di sana satu langkah yang dialu-alukan tetapi ia mesti telus dan Felda mesti jawab persoalan ini.

“Yang pertama apakah status terkini program itu? Berapa kos sebenar untuk seorang pelajar? Apakah jenis lesen yang akan mereka dapat?

Adakah benar dakwaan kos yang dibayar Felda terlalu mahal? Setakat manakah pelajar METC ini mendapat pentauliahan yang melayakkan mereka untuk pergi lebih jauh,” soalnya.

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Shazryl defends ties with Thai Malay militants

(The Star) - Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah has defended his “connection” with Thai Malay militants as exposed by Wikileaks, adding that this was to facilitate peace in the southern part…

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(The Star) - Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah has defended his “connection” with Thai Malay militants as exposed by Wikileaks, adding that this was to facilitate peace in the southern part of the country.

Shazryl said that along with Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, he had initiated the Langkawi Peace Talk with the consent of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 2006.

“The peace talk culminated in a peace road map. We have handed over the findings to the Thai and Malaysian governments. The Thai government had implemented most of the action plan proposed in the peace road map,” he said.

Shazryl, who was part of the Datuk T trio that exposed a sex video implicating Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, was responding to details of his meeting with United States Embassy political counsellor Mark D. Clark on Feb 5, 2006.

Wikileaks had exposed the meeting from a leaked US Embassy cable, which was then uploaded onto an online portal.

In the report, Clark revealed that Shazryl, who was former Thai consul in Langkawi, had in-depth knowledge of the separatist movement, including the role played by the older generation insurgency leaders in providing support to the younger leaders.

Clark also noted that Shazryl had informed the US officials that he saw no evidence linking the Thai Malay separatist to external terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah.

Clark said Shazryl believed that the Thai Malay separatists accounted for only 30% of attacks in south Thailand while the rest were linked to criminal gangs and factions within the army, intelligence and police.

It was also revealed that the insurgents received financial assistance via Singapore from unknown sources.

Clark had noted that Shazryl's information on the insurgents were the most detailed the US team had received.

However, Shazryl denied Clark's claim that veteran insurgent Abdullah Idris, the vice-president of National Revolutionary Front, was responsible for ordering some of the ongoing attacks in southern Thailand.

Shazryl also denied sharing with the US officials a 12-page “confidential” paper on the insurgency and views of the Thai Malays.

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The burden of proof

That’s why! These lowly educated Melayu from Umno want to try to play psy-war and spin-doctoring. But they don’t know how. Maslan may be the Umno Information Chief but that…

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That’s why! These lowly educated Melayu from Umno want to try to play psy-war and spin-doctoring. But they don’t know how. Maslan may be the Umno Information Chief but that does not mean he is clever.
NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin Ball is in Anwar’s court, says Umno info chief
(The Malaysian Insider) - Umno information chief Datuk Ahmad Maslan said today that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim must prove Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah’s allegations are false following the latter’s exclusive interview with Utusan Malaysia.
(Read more here: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/ball-is-in-anwars-court-says-umno-info-chief/)
Shazryl Eskay gave a mere interview with Utusan Malaysia. I signed a legal document, a Statutory Declaration, and my lawyer, J. Chandra, sent it officially by way of letter to the prosecutors in the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder trial.
Going by what the Umno Information Chief said, then the Malaysian government has to now prove that what I signed in that 2008 SD is false. I need not prove what I signed is true -- just like Shazryl Eskay does not need to prove what he said about Anwar is true.
This means the government has to first of all drop the three S.501 Criminal Defamation charges against me (not just ‘discharge not amounting to an acquittal’). Then the government needs to investigate my SD and prove that what I signed is false.
Only when it is proven that what I signed is false can the government, again, charge me -- but this time for the crime of signing a false statutory declaration under S.203.
That’s why! These lowly educated Melayu from Umno want to try to play psy-war and spin-doctoring. But they don’t know how. Maslan may be the Umno Information Chief but that does not mean he is clever.
Remember, back in 1999 Anwar Ibrahim was convicted of corruption and sodomy and was sentenced to 15 years jail because, according to the court, he had failed to convince the court of his innocence.
Get it? Anwar was jailed 15 years not because he was found guilty. He was jailed 15 years because he failed to convince the court of his innocence.
Okay, our laws may be based on the doctrine of innocent until proven guilty. But that only applies to people who suck up to Umno. For those who oppose Umno it is the other way around.
So, can I hear it from the Malaysian government? Are you going to drop the three Criminal Defamation charges against me and, like what the Umno Information Chief said, prove that what I signed in my SD is false?
Then, and only then, if you can prove that what I signed in my SD is false, can you charge me for the crime of signing a false SD. This is what Umno says must be done and I, for once, would be most happy to listen to Umno.

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The GOP's Sinophile US Presidential Candidate

Huntsman Plays the Asia Card

(Asia Sentinel) Former China Ambassador Jon Huntsman starts to emerge from the pack of also-rans

A former ambassador to China and Singapore who speaks fluent…

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Huntsman Plays the Asia Card

(Asia Sentinel) Former China Ambassador Jon Huntsman starts to emerge from the pack of also-rans

A former ambassador to China and Singapore who speaks fluent Mandarin and has two adopted Asian children is one of the few credible remaining candidates for the Republican Party's nomination to contest the 2012 US Presidential elections.

Until recently, Jon Huntsman, Jr, former Utah governor and until April this year the Obama administration's ambassadorto China, had been considered a rank outsider in the impending presidential race thanks to a lack of name recognition and moderate social positions expected to be unpopular with the Republican base. 

Huntsman performed strongly as ambassador and was respected by the Chinese government, according to James Fallows, a China expert and veteran correspondent for The Atlantic who has met and interviewed Huntsman several times. 

"He was certainly taken seriously by the Chineseboth before the rumors about his running started and after, too," Fallows said. "Before the rumors about his running, it was a plus that he spoke Chinese, that he had a Chinese adopted daughter – and that he was a magnetic figure was seen as a sign of respect." 

If Huntsman were to win the Presidency, US-China relations would stand to benefit from his deep knowledge of the administration in Beijing. "From an objective point of view and from China's point of view, it would be good for the US-China relationship, because he knows the subject and I think also hasmastered what I view as the difficult trick for US-China relations, which is taking the place seriously without being afraid of it." 

With the withdrawals of big-name Republican contenders Haley Barbour, Mike Huckabee, and, on May 22, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, Huntsman's star is starting to shine a little brighter. Although he hasn't yet confirmed a run for the presidency, he has just come off a five-day tourof New Hampshire – an obligatory tour through an early-voting state forthe Republican primaries – and is widely expected to announce his candidacy within days. The US media is starting to take notice, with TheWashington Post, NPR, Politico, and ABC News among the many now turningtheir attention to the potential dark-horse candidate as he lines up against former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, and outsiders Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich, and Herman Cain. 

Some observers believe Huntsman's Asian experience – he also served as ambassador to Singapore under President George H.W. Bush – would stand him in good stead for a run for the Presidency. "One thing that is perceived as lacking in the Republican field is foreign policy experience and understanding," says Kirk Jowers, director of the Salt Lake City-based Hinckley Institute of Politics and a former adviser to Huntsman. "Romney's very tough to beat if economy is the number one issue... but if foreign policy turns into the top issue, then that couldbe the opening that gives Huntsman some air." 

When he left his post as Governor of Utah to assume his ambassadorial role in China in 2009, Huntsman took with him approval ratings of more than 80 percent. His popularity came despite what were seen as controversial social stances, such as supporting civil unions for gay couples. Jowers thinks the rest of the country will soon come to respect him as much as Utah does. 

"I think America will like him." Jowers said. "He's humble, he's interesting, he's different than most politicians – he's much more of a diplomat." 

A motocross enthusiast, Huntsman is also a rock musician who left high-school early to join a band. Not only does he speak Mandarin fluently, but he also has two adopted daughters – one from China, and one from India. His father, Jon Huntsman, Sr, meanwhile, is a billionaire, having founded the Huntsman Corporation, the world's largest chemical company. Huntsman, Jr's own personal fortune is valued at between US$11 million and $74 million. 

If Huntsman were to become President, it could be good news for US-China relations, Fallows says. After rumors of his running were made public, the Chinese may have actually paid more attention to him, Fallows adds, on a ‘just in case' basis. 

In his final public address as ambassador, Huntsman delivered an unusually strong criticism of China's human rights record, and said several prominent activists – including 2010 Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo and artist Ai Weiwei – had been unfairly detained. He also accused China of wrongly imprisoning American geologist Xue Feng, who was jailed for stealing state secrets while gathering information on theoil industry. Fallows says that in normal circumstances the speech could have been seen as exactly the right tone for a departing US ambassador to strike. However, the concurrent rumors of his impending Presidential run complicated that. 

"Viewed in complete isolation, I thought the speech was very good," says Fallows. "The fact that we can'tview it in complete isolation is why it's too bad he let there be so long a period between the rumors arising and his still being in office." 

In the meantime, Huntsman faces significant challenges in the battle ahead for the Republican nomination. His national profile is almost zero, thanks in part to his being out of the country for the last two years, and he is a Mormon – a religious complication that can unfortunately be anathema to the Republicans' evangelical base, althoughthe current GOP frontrunner, Mitt Romney, is also a Republican. His pro-civil unions for gay couples stance might also work against him, even though he is strongly anti-abortion. And he has also been criticized by the right for accepting the scientific consensus on globalwarming. 

Then, of course, there's the fact that he dared work for President Barack Obama. In an interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos, Huntsman was unapologetic about his time behind enemy lines. 

"I worked for the President of the United States," he said. "The President asked me, the President of all the people. And during a time of war, during a time of economic difficulty for our country, if I'm asked by my President to serve, I'll stand up and do it." 

In January, President Obama said he couldn't be happier with Huntsman's service and that he wishes him well in his future endeavors. He couldn't resist, however, adding one final nugget: "I'm sure that himhaving worked so well with me will be a great asset in any Republican primary."

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Death in custody - G Francis Udayappan (Brickfields District Police Station; 23 May 2004)

Seven years ago yesterday, G Francis Udayappan, then a 24-year-old despatch clerk, was found dead in the Klang River after having been arrested on 16 April 2004 for alleged petty…

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Seven years ago yesterday, G Francis Udayappan, then a 24-year-old despatch clerk, was found dead in the Klang River after having been arrested on 16 April 2004 for alleged petty theft.  He had been detained at the Brickfields police station and until this day, the manner of his death has yet to be ascertained.  The police denied allegations that they tortured G Francis Udayappan and caused his death.

The delayed investigation into the circumstances and cause of his death was a cause for concern – only after two years did the coroner's court establish that the remains discovered in the Klang River were of the late G Francis Udayappan, and that there had been no foul play in his death.

His mother, G Sara Lily challenged these findings in court.  On 23 Mar 2011, the Court of Appeal upheld the open verdict delivered by a coroner’s court on 4 Apr 2006.

Court of Appeal Judge Dato’ Hasan Lah ruled that G Sara Lily had failed to comply with the requirement under section 50(2) of the Courts of Judicature Act to be granted leave to appeal to the appellate court over the outcome of the findings of the coroner's court.

Every death in custody must be thoroughly and impartially investigated.  G Francis Udayappan’s death must not be relegated to a mere statistic.

Based on the Polis DiRaja Malaysia's statistics, 85 persons died in police custody between 2003 and 2007 alone.

We express our heartfelt condolences to G Francis Udayappan’s family and friends on this anniversary of his death.

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Damansara Apartment Residents Worry Over Collapsed Embankment

PETALING JAYA, May 24 (Bernama) - The Hulu Langat landslide tragedy which claimed 16 lives is haunting apartment residents living near Sungai Pencala.

Residents of Damansara Bistari Apartment are having…

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PETALING JAYA, May 24 (Bernama) - The Hulu Langat landslide tragedy which claimed 16 lives is haunting apartment residents living near Sungai Pencala.

Residents of Damansara Bistari Apartment are having sleepless nights after the embankment collapsed for the second time in a month.

Rosli Yusof, 47, called for immediate action to repair the damage after the embankment collapsed again Tuesday afternoon.

"The first collapse occured last month but no action was taken even though authorities were informed. The latest occured at 5pm today," he told Bernama at the scene.

He said after the first incident, the developer and Petaling Jaya City Council came to have a look but nothing was done.

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RACIAL QUOTA?

I will never agree with that.. If we are talking about racial quota, then we are just another racist. What we are fighting for is EQUALITY. All racial barriers should…

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I will never agree with that.. If we are talking about racial quota, then we are just another racist. What we are fighting for is EQUALITY. All racial barriers should go.. 

1.When all Malay schools and Sekolah Agama are fully aided, why not Tamil Schools and Chinese Schools? We are not requesting racial quota, but equality.

2.When all Malay-Bumiputera can start freely apply for government projects, why the non-Malay-Bumiputera needs to be qualified in racial requirement in getting government projects. We are not asking our shares. But we need equality. 

3.When we buy a house by paying 100%, why should a Malay-Bumiputera given 7% off, regardless of whether they earn 3, 4, 5 or 6 figure income. We don't want discount. But we want equality.

4.When special programs like FELDA, created for poor Malays, why not such programs open to ALL. We are not asking racial quota in it. But just requesting them to be fair.

5. MARA's Standard and STPM standard is no way comparable. Yet, MARA student easily get into universities. But STPM students who obtained excellent results denied a course in Local Uni. They were also denied scholarship, when students who obtained just an average results got FULL PSD scholarship to further their studies abroad. We are not begging for scholarship. But just don't understand, why there are double standard? 

Above are just a few example of what is happening in current system. If our government is transparent, non-racist, fair to all, then Malaysian Community will exist. As long as, racist policies exist, Indians wants to secure themselves as Indians. Chinese as Chinese. and the Malays will remain Malays. 

The fault is not with the people. But with the system. People are ready for changes. But the system never change. We are looking for assurance. Once we are assured of EQUALITY, then I'm sure people will come out from this racial network. We need to strengthen the community first, before we build a strong nation. 

We can't forever sit in a comfort zone as Indians. This is just temporary shelter. We have to breakthrough racial shell in future. Before that, we shall seek for betterment. Lets improve our community in EDUCATION and ECONOMY. That will give us confidence to set free. We require no allocations and quotas to CHANGE OURSELVES. We just need few seconds to THINK. So, invest your time, Use your Brain, Arise, Awake and Act!! 

Arivananthan Marimuthu

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