Thursday, 14 August 2014
Pro-ISIS Leaflets Have Been Handed Out In Oxford Street
Although the leaflets do not specifically cite the militant group terrorising civilians in Iraq and Syria, they refer to an “established” Islamic state.
Those handing out leaflets in Oxford Circus were previously students of radical preacher Anjem Choudary and live in Luton, the Evening Standard reported.
“They started accusing us of being non-believers because we didn’t believe it was right to kill innocent people,” she said. “They had no idea of Islamic history – I’ve got no idea where they got their knowledge from.”
A group of students were seen yesterday handing out leaflets in one of London’s most popular areas, encouraging Muslims to travel to Syria and Iraq to pledge allegiance to the militant group ISIS.
a university student shared this with me - is it hizb material @GhaffarH apparently given out in London
Scotland Yard said it is looking into claims that the leaflets contradict anti-terrorism laws.
The leaflets discuss the importance of Islamic
law, and say Muslims have seven responsibilities, including pledging
allegiance to “the Khaleef” (ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi), praying
to God to advise him, and travelling to the region if possible.
The leaflet reads: “Muslims with the help of Allah have announced the
re-establishment of the Khilafah and appointed an imam as a Khaleef.”Those handing out leaflets in Oxford Circus were previously students of radical preacher Anjem Choudary and live in Luton, the Evening Standard reported.
A Muslim woman, Asmaa Al-kufaishi, said she saw the same group speaking to crowds outside Topshop in Oxford Street on Saturday. She said she did not see the leaflets in question, but told BuzzFeed that the group “didn’t know anything about Islam”.
@mustafafield this group are promoting ISIS on oxford st. Racially abused us when we spoke out. They don't know Islam
Al-Kufaisha said the group “racially abused” her when she criticised them for endorsing the killing of innocent civilians in Iraq and Syria. She reported the group to the police for hate speech, and also to the anti-terrorism police.
@worldcitizen_x Promoting death of innocent people, telling me to die because of my faith + race and insulting me is not Islamic behaviour
Al Kufaishi told BuzzFeed that she encountered
the group with her sister following the pro-Palestinian march in
central London on Saturday. They had a table with general information
leaflets, different to the ones pictured earlier, although the sisters
questioned the men after they saw “part of the ISIS logo” on the
leaflet.
One of the men told the sisters, “There’s nothing wrong with ISIS. They’re doing a great job.”“They started accusing us of being non-believers because we didn’t believe it was right to kill innocent people,” she said. “They had no idea of Islamic history – I’ve got no idea where they got their knowledge from.”
The fact that pro ISIS supporters are giving out leaflets at oxford circus - a dear place to me - angers me to no end.
Dozens of leaflets were handed out, according to the Financial Times – although BuzzFeed has not been able to verify this.
If these ISIS leaflets are 'everywhere' in London, how come there's only one photo?
ISIL terrorist terminates his family members in Diyala
Diyala (IraqiNews.com) An ISIL terrorist executed his family members in Diyala.
Security source stated to IraqiNews.com “One of the ISIL terrorists whose name is Ayad al-Karawi, killed six of his family members who prevented him from joining the ISIL terrorists in Sa’adiya district of northeastern Baquba.” /End/
Rodziah: I don't support Khalid
Asked of this at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport tonight, she said: "Yes I will (resign)."
Rodziah, who arrived from Bangkok where she was undergoing training, said that she supports Pakatan Rakyat.
"I am back for Pakatan Rakyat," she told Malaysiakini curtly when asked if she supports Khalid, before rushing into her car.Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim earlier today said that Rodziah (right) is not sacked from her post as he wants to first ascertain if she supports him.
The other PKR and DAP assemblypersons on the exco - Elizabeth Wong, Daroyah Ali, Teng Chang Khim, V Ganabatirau and Ean Yong Hian Wah - were sacked on Tuesday.
This marked the collapse of the Pakatan Rakyat Selangor government.
Khalid said that this is because the five breached an oath of loyalty, by forming a "bloc to undermine the exco's efficiency".
He said they did so by signing a media statement to say that they will limit their interaction with him during this "transition" period until a new MB is appointed.
Rodziah name was listed among those who signed the media statement, but was overseas at the time.Khalid, who was sacked from PKR on Saturday for refusing to step down as MB, has obtained consent from the Selangor sultan to remain in the post.
He now governs Selangor with the minimum of four exco members - all from PAS - as provided for in the state constitution.
The palace has also consented to the termination of the five exco members.
The PAS exco members (above with Khalid) said they will remain in the post as long as Khalid does not appoint Umno assemblypersons onto the exco.
Selangor crisis today
10am: PAS exco members say they will resign if Umno assemblypersons are appointed onto the exco.
10.19am: Sacked exco members from PKR and DAP arrive at work as usual.
10.37am: Law expert Abdul Aziz Bari contradicts another expert Gurdial Singh Nijar, by saying that the sacking of 5 exco members is lawful.
10.48am: PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu urges party to side with Pakatan against MB Khalid.
12.27pm: PAS calls on PKR to name a new MB candidate, after the palace rejects Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail's request for an audience.
12.46pm: Sacked exco members are told to vacate their offices
1.48pm: Khalid says exco member from PKR, Rodziah Ismail, who is overseas, is not sacked as she may still support Khalid.
3.33pm: Khalid says he is not appointing new exco members from Umno, for now.
4pm: PAS MP Khalid Samad says while waiting for PAS' decision, the MB has 'enough rope to hang himself'.
5pm: MB issues legal letter to PKR secretary-general demanding apology for the 'corruption dossier'.
11.36pm: Rodziah says she does not support Khalid and will resign from the exco.
'PAS giving MB enough rope to hang himself' - Malaysiakini
The PAS leader said initially there were questions on why Khalid needed to be removed from office but his recent actions have left even those who voted for him in the PKR party elections and in past general elections in disbelief.
"He
is not loyal to Pakatan Rakyat and the fact that (Deputy Prime Minister
Muhyiddin Yassin) is willing to give him unconditional support makes
things even more fishy."So, even though they (PKR and DAP) are unhappy and try to pressure PAS to make up its mind earlier, I believe the recent developments will assist us in making the right decision," Khalid Samad told a press conference today.
He apologised for the fact that the PAS central working committee (CWC) would only meet on Aug 17 on the crisis but urged them to "draw wisdom from the English saying, 'give them enough rope to hang themselves'."
PAS is now tentatively backing Khalid as menteri besar pending its CWC meeting on Sunday.
PKR and DAP have both proposed that PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail replaces Khalid.
Khalid Samad, who is a also a CWC member, said PAS wanted time to ensure that people are clear on the reasons why Khalid needed to be sacked first, before replacing him.
He said the party had wanted to avoid a situation where a popular leader is forced out from his office.
Asked to comment on the PAS state executive councillors presence at the state exco meeting despite calls from DAP and PKR to boycott it, Khalid Samad said it was to maintain the continuity of the government.
He said PAS is of the view that the present government should be maintained despite its crippled state, and withdrawing its support for Khalid before a successor is agreed upon could lead to a state election because it leaves nobody with majority support in the state assembly.
"So what we are doing is we are waiting until the Aug 17 meeting, after which, hopefully, we can have a consensus.
"When we have a consensus, we can take the necessary action to show that Khalid does not have majority support, and someone else does.
"Just to show that he does not have majority support - full stop - is not good enough," Khalid Samad said.On a related matter, he said earlier statements by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang and the party's ulama council backing Khalid was prior to PKR handing over the dossier of the menteri besar's supposedly "questionable" deals.
It was also before Khalid was sacked from PKR, he said, and before the menteri besar showed hostility towards Pakatan by sacking his former colleagues from their exco positions.
"The scenario has changed, so when the scenario has changed, I am very sure that the statements made supporting Khalid would also have changed," he added.
Selangor crisis today
10am: PAS exco members say they will resign if Umno assemblypersons are appointed onto the exco.
10.19am: Sacked exco members from PKR and DAP arrive at work as usual.
10.37am: Law expert Abdul Aziz Bari contradicts another expert Gurdial Singh Nijar, by saying that the sacking of 5 exco members is lawful.
10.48am: PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu urges party to side with Pakatan against MB Khalid.
12.27pm: PAS calls on PKR to name a new MB candidate, after the palace rejects Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail's request for an audience.
12.46pm: Sacked exco members are told to vacate their offices
1.48pm: MB Khalid says exco member from PKR, Rodziah Ismail, who is overseas, is not sacked as she may still support MB Khalid.
3.33pm: MB Khalid says he is not appointing new exco members from Umno, for now.
4pm: PAS MP Khalid Samad says while waiting for PAS' decision, the MB has 'enough rope to hang himself'.
5pm: MB issues legal letter to PKR secretary-general demanding apology for the 'corruption dossier'.
11.36pm: Rodziah says she does not support Khalid and will resign from the exco.
Schoolboy probed for 'liking' pro-Israel page
A Form Five student, who caused controversy at
his school by clicking 'Like' on a pro-Israel Facebook page, is being
investigated for sedition.
This, despite the 17-year-old denying clicking ‘Like’ on that page and lodging a police report, fearing his safety.
Penang police chief Abdul Rahim Hanafi (left) said that he is investigated under Section 4(1)(a) of the Sedition Act 1948, Utusan Online reported.
The police have taken the statements of the students and a teacher from the Simpang Ampat, Penang school, at the Seberang Perai police district headquarters yesterday.
Several others involved will soon be called to assist with the investigations.
According to The Star the teen was attacked and threatened online by teachers and students of the school after a screenshot showing he liked the pro-Israel page was uploaded on Facebook by a teacher.
Among others, one teacher had allegedly wrote: “Kita bakor je hahaha.” (Let’s just burn him hahaha)
MCA: Take action against teachers
Meanwhile, MCA Youth chief Chong Sin Woon (right) has called for swift punishment for the teachers who had threatened the boy.
He warned that by if such threats could escalate to violence if they are allowed to go on unchecked.
“These teachers have set a wrong example, and I am afraid that without severe punishment, others might actually try to burn the student,” said Chong in a statement.
The anti-Israel movement in Malaysia has reached fever pitch as the Gaza conflict death toll reaches close to 2,000, mostly on the Palestine side.
Business accused of Israel links in Malaysia have faced boycotts while their staff have faced violent threats.
This, despite the 17-year-old denying clicking ‘Like’ on that page and lodging a police report, fearing his safety.
Penang police chief Abdul Rahim Hanafi (left) said that he is investigated under Section 4(1)(a) of the Sedition Act 1948, Utusan Online reported.The police have taken the statements of the students and a teacher from the Simpang Ampat, Penang school, at the Seberang Perai police district headquarters yesterday.
Several others involved will soon be called to assist with the investigations.
According to The Star the teen was attacked and threatened online by teachers and students of the school after a screenshot showing he liked the pro-Israel page was uploaded on Facebook by a teacher.
Among others, one teacher had allegedly wrote: “Kita bakor je hahaha.” (Let’s just burn him hahaha)
MCA: Take action against teachers
Meanwhile, MCA Youth chief Chong Sin Woon (right) has called for swift punishment for the teachers who had threatened the boy.He warned that by if such threats could escalate to violence if they are allowed to go on unchecked.
“These teachers have set a wrong example, and I am afraid that without severe punishment, others might actually try to burn the student,” said Chong in a statement.
The anti-Israel movement in Malaysia has reached fever pitch as the Gaza conflict death toll reaches close to 2,000, mostly on the Palestine side.
Business accused of Israel links in Malaysia have faced boycotts while their staff have faced violent threats.
A waste of time and resources, say lawyers about student’s sedition probe
It is absurd for police to probe a student for sedition for liking a Facebook page titled "I love Israel",
say criminal lawyers, adding that police should not waste their time investigating such frivolous reports.They said it was impossible to frame a charge under the archaic law as the police had trespassed into a private domain of an individual.
"It is a joke. What is wrong if someone "likes" a Facebook page," said an annoyed Fahri Azzat.
The lawyer said police were curtailing the freedom of expression, speech and association "just because a section of the Malaysian community disliked Israel".
"Liking a page in Facebook cannot be an offence under the sedition law," Fahri said, adding he did not see how the student could "sow the seed of hatred or incite violence" by simply "liking" a page.
Fahri said such unproductive investigations were going to be disruptive to the lives of potential suspects.
He was responding to a report that police have started investigating a Form 5 student in Penang after the student had click "Like" on a Facebook page titled "I love Israel".
A student from a school in Taman Tasek Mutiara, Simpang Ampat, the boy's action attracted criticisms and threats from other Facebook users, after one of his teachers saw the "Like" and shared it on her page, criticising him for it.
There were calls to boycott the boy and one Facebook user commented that he should be burnt.
Police said the boy was now living in fear and has since shut down his Facebook page and lodged a police report yesterday.
It was reported that the boy had claimed that he had accidentally clicked "Like" on the pro-Israel page.
Another lawyer M. Visvanathan said police have virtually invaded the privacy of the student just because others disliked the page.
"Is that innocent act going to be a threat to national security and public order," he asked.
Visvanathan said what the boy did could be an offence if Parliament had enacted a law to disassociate Malaysians with the Jewish state and its people.
"Even then, such a law can be challenged for infringing the rights of citizens, so long as it did not bring any form of harm to individuals and the nation," he said.
He said police should save its limited resources and investigate serious crimes instead.
"The investigation is going to inflict a psychological scar on the student just because the police want to satisfy the unfounded fear and unhappiness of others," he said.
Earlier, Penang police chief Datuk Abdul Rahim Hanafi said the case is being probed under the Sedition Act.
Penang education department director Osman Hussain said the teacher responsible for the Facebook posting that led to the student being vilified and threatened on the social network, will be served a reminder not to take to Facebook to discuss her students.
"If she does it again, she will be transferred out of Penang," he said today, adding that the department’s hands are tied since it is now a police case.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/a-waste-of-time-and-resources-say-lawyers-about-students-sedition-probe#sthash.oDpRppTT.dpuf
Kit Siang laments ‘good work of 6 years gone in 4 days’ due to MB crisis
The
DAP parliamentary leader said the crisis, which took a turn for the
worse on Sunday, has destroyed much of the hard fought gains and hopes
for political change achieved by Pakatan as well as civil society and
Malaysians in the past six years.
"Quo vadis, Pakatan Rakyat?" he said, borrowing the Latin phase which means "where are you going".
The crisis went into a tailspin when PKR sacked MB Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim on Saturday from the party for defying the party’s orders to step down as MB and make way for party president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail to replace him. His expulsion came weeks after the MB crisis threatened to split Pakatan between PAS, which supports Khalid, and PKR and DAP, which want him removed.
Following a meeting with the Selangor Ruler, the Sultan consented the now Independent candidate Khalid to remain as MB. Khalid then turned the tables yesterday by sacking six of his 10 executive councillors as they were from PKR and DAP.
The Selangor government is now being run by Khalid and the remaining four excos who are from PAS, another ally in Pakatan.
Lim said the brutal truth is that Khalid is hanging on to his position solely on the strength of Umno deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's pledge that all 12 Umno representatives in the state will support him as well as the potential support of 15 PAS assemblypersons.
The Gelang Patah MP also took Khalid to task for asserting today that Selangor is not a Pakatan government, pointing out that the two-term MB had previously said repeatedly in both the state assembly and outside that Malaysia's richest state has been under the administration of Pakatan for six-and-a-half years.
But what was more unbelievable, said Lim, was that Khalid's remarks were endorsed by the four PAS excos.
"Would the four PAS excos have been elected as Selangor state assemblymen in the first place if they had not represented Pakatan Rakyat in the 2013 general election?" Lim asked. – August 13, 2014.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/kit-siang-laments-good-work-of-6-years-gone-in-4-days-due-to-mb-crisis#sthash.kwq8CBbA.dpuf
"Quo vadis, Pakatan Rakyat?" he said, borrowing the Latin phase which means "where are you going".
The crisis went into a tailspin when PKR sacked MB Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim on Saturday from the party for defying the party’s orders to step down as MB and make way for party president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail to replace him. His expulsion came weeks after the MB crisis threatened to split Pakatan between PAS, which supports Khalid, and PKR and DAP, which want him removed.
Following a meeting with the Selangor Ruler, the Sultan consented the now Independent candidate Khalid to remain as MB. Khalid then turned the tables yesterday by sacking six of his 10 executive councillors as they were from PKR and DAP.
The Selangor government is now being run by Khalid and the remaining four excos who are from PAS, another ally in Pakatan.
Lim said the brutal truth is that Khalid is hanging on to his position solely on the strength of Umno deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's pledge that all 12 Umno representatives in the state will support him as well as the potential support of 15 PAS assemblypersons.
The Gelang Patah MP also took Khalid to task for asserting today that Selangor is not a Pakatan government, pointing out that the two-term MB had previously said repeatedly in both the state assembly and outside that Malaysia's richest state has been under the administration of Pakatan for six-and-a-half years.
But what was more unbelievable, said Lim, was that Khalid's remarks were endorsed by the four PAS excos.
"Would the four PAS excos have been elected as Selangor state assemblymen in the first place if they had not represented Pakatan Rakyat in the 2013 general election?" Lim asked. – August 13, 2014.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/kit-siang-laments-good-work-of-6-years-gone-in-4-days-due-to-mb-crisis#sthash.kwq8CBbA.dpuf
DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang today expressed concerns that developments in the Selangor Menteri Besar crisis over the past four days have destroyed much of the good work done by Pakatan Rakyat in the last six years, and questioned the direction of the opposition pact.The DAP parliamentary leader said the crisis, which took a turn for the worse on Sunday, has destroyed much of the hard fought gains and hopes for political change achieved by Pakatan as well as civil society and Malaysians in the past six years.
"Quo vadis, Pakatan Rakyat?" he said, borrowing the Latin phase which means "where are you going".
The crisis went into a tailspin when PKR sacked MB Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim on Saturday from the party for defying the party’s orders to step down as MB and make way for party president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail to replace him.
His expulsion came weeks after the MB crisis threatened to split Pakatan between PAS, which supports Khalid, and PKR and DAP, which want him removed.
Following a meeting with the Selangor Ruler, the Sultan consented the now Independent candidate Khalid to remain as MB. Khalid then turned the tables yesterday by sacking six of his 10 executive councillors as they were from PKR and DAP.
The Selangor government is now being run by Khalid and the remaining four excos who are from PAS, another ally in Pakatan.
Lim said the brutal truth is that Khalid is hanging on to his position solely on the strength of Umno deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's pledge that all 12 Umno representatives in the state will support him as well as the potential support of 15 PAS assemblypersons.
The Gelang Patah MP also took Khalid to task for asserting today that Selangor is not a Pakatan government, pointing out that the two-term MB had previously said repeatedly in both the state assembly and outside that Malaysia's richest state has been under the administration of Pakatan for six-and-a-half years.
But what was more unbelievable, said Lim, was that Khalid's remarks were endorsed by the four PAS excos.
"Would the four PAS excos have been elected as Selangor state assemblymen in the first place if they had not represented Pakatan Rakyat in the 2013 general election?" Lim asked. – August 13, 2014.
Saiful sues Anwar for RM50 million
Saiful says Anwar sodomised him six years ago and then injured his reputation.
KUALA LUMPUR: A former personal aide of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan has filed a suit against the Opposition Leader, seeking RM50 million in damages for sodomising him six years ago and then injuring his reputation.
Mohd Saiful, 27, filed the suit at the Civil High Court registry on June 23 through the legal firm of Messrs. Zamri Idrus & Co.
The media obtained a copy of his statement of claim after the matter came up for case management today.
Lawyer Zamri Idrus, representing Mohd Saiful, when approached by reporters, said the case has been fixed for case management on Oct 8 before Civil High Court deputy registrar, Norfauzani Mohd Nordin.
He said the court also ordered Anwar, who was represented by lawyer Shahid Adli, to file the defence statement by Sept 3.
In the writ of summons, Mohd Saiful claimed that he had to bear physical and psychological pain and suffering since being sodomised by the defendant and also after Anwar claimed that the police report lodged by him (Mohd Saiful) on the incident was false and a conspiracy against him.
Mohd Saiful said that sodomy was an offence under the Penal Code and Anwar should pay him damages for doing the act on him and also for injuring his reputation after that.
He said he never lied about the police report against Anwar for sodomising him and claimed that the last time it happened was on Jun 26 2008 at Unit 1151, Kondominium Desa Damansara, Jalan Setia Kasih here.
In the statement of claim, Mohd Saiful said he started working with Anwar in March 2008 when he was 22 years old and Anwar always took him along on business trips locally and abroad.
On March 7 this year, the Court of Appeal, in allowing an appeal by the prosecution, sentenced Anwar to five years jail for sodomising Mohd Saiful.
However, Anwar was allowed bail of RM10,000 in one surety pending his appeal at the Federal Court.
The decision by the Court of Appeal overturned the High Court decision on
Jan 12 2012, which acquitted Anwar of the charge. Anwar’s appeal is set for case management tomorrow.
-Bernama
Mohd Saiful, 27, filed the suit at the Civil High Court registry on June 23 through the legal firm of Messrs. Zamri Idrus & Co.
The media obtained a copy of his statement of claim after the matter came up for case management today.
Lawyer Zamri Idrus, representing Mohd Saiful, when approached by reporters, said the case has been fixed for case management on Oct 8 before Civil High Court deputy registrar, Norfauzani Mohd Nordin.
He said the court also ordered Anwar, who was represented by lawyer Shahid Adli, to file the defence statement by Sept 3.
In the writ of summons, Mohd Saiful claimed that he had to bear physical and psychological pain and suffering since being sodomised by the defendant and also after Anwar claimed that the police report lodged by him (Mohd Saiful) on the incident was false and a conspiracy against him.
Mohd Saiful said that sodomy was an offence under the Penal Code and Anwar should pay him damages for doing the act on him and also for injuring his reputation after that.
He said he never lied about the police report against Anwar for sodomising him and claimed that the last time it happened was on Jun 26 2008 at Unit 1151, Kondominium Desa Damansara, Jalan Setia Kasih here.
In the statement of claim, Mohd Saiful said he started working with Anwar in March 2008 when he was 22 years old and Anwar always took him along on business trips locally and abroad.
On March 7 this year, the Court of Appeal, in allowing an appeal by the prosecution, sentenced Anwar to five years jail for sodomising Mohd Saiful.
However, Anwar was allowed bail of RM10,000 in one surety pending his appeal at the Federal Court.
The decision by the Court of Appeal overturned the High Court decision on
Jan 12 2012, which acquitted Anwar of the charge. Anwar’s appeal is set for case management tomorrow.
-Bernama
PAS has betrayed the people of Selangor
PKR vice president Surendran urges PAS to stand with PKR and DAP for its own good.
PETALING JAYA: PKR vice president N Surendran says if PAS leaves Pakatan Rakyat (Pakatan) it will be a disaster for the Islamist party.
He said PAS should stand with Pakatan.
Surendran said, “Given their long struggle for a better Malaysia, we fully expect PAS to stand by us and the people of Selangor.
“Any other choice will be a disaster for PAS as a national political party.”
Surendran also described the actions of Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim as “a frontal and unconstitutional assault” upon the Selangor government and in “utter contempt” of the people of Selangor.
“Khalid’s act is thus one of the greatest betrayals in modern Malaysian political history,” he added.
The Selangor Menteri Besar came under fire yesterday after he terminated six Excos from DAP and PKR with the backing of the Sultan of Selangor. Khalid, however is backed by four PAS members.
He said PAS should stand with Pakatan.
Surendran said, “Given their long struggle for a better Malaysia, we fully expect PAS to stand by us and the people of Selangor.
“Any other choice will be a disaster for PAS as a national political party.”
Surendran also described the actions of Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim as “a frontal and unconstitutional assault” upon the Selangor government and in “utter contempt” of the people of Selangor.
“Khalid’s act is thus one of the greatest betrayals in modern Malaysian political history,” he added.
The Selangor Menteri Besar came under fire yesterday after he terminated six Excos from DAP and PKR with the backing of the Sultan of Selangor. Khalid, however is backed by four PAS members.
Selangor: All eyes on Pas but party caught in real dilemma
Pas seems to be divided over whether to back Selangor MB Khalid Ibrahim or to side with its Pakatan partners in calling for his removal.
On the one hand, the party is believed to be unhappy with PKR’s Kajang move. There is a sense that Pas was not pleased by what some within the party saw as a unilateral PKR move to replace the MB and take Pas and DAP for granted. And because of this, Khalid naturally found a safe haven in the protective embrace of Pas with whom he appears to have grown closer.
On the other hand, the hasty move by Pas’ Syura Council and party president Hadi Awang to back Khalid may not have gone down well with others in the Pas leadership, including the party’s central committee.
Was the Syura Council properly briefed on why its Pakatan partners wanted Khalid removed before deciding to back the Selangor Menteri Besar at its meeting on 6 August? Perhaps not. Now we see that Pas MP Khalid Samad may face disciplinary action for questioning the Syura Council’s decision to support Khalid apparently without reading the 50-page PKR dossier outlining why Khalid has to be removed. Why did the Syura Council make such an important decision without a full explanation?
And was Hadi Awang merely stating his personal opinion? Did he properly consult his central committee before making such an important decision? Deputy president Mat Sabu has clarified that Hadi’s backing for Khalid is not Pas’ stand. This, he said, would be decided at the party’s central committee meeting, originally scheduled for 10 August and then postponed to 13 August and now 17 August.
But a week is a long time in politics, especially when the situation is so fluid. There are now calls for the meeting to be brought forward.
There is also a sense that Pas does not want to dance to PKR’s tune and wants to make its coalition partner sweat a little. Certainly, the party does not seem overly enthusiastic about PKR’s choice of new MB because it remains unhappy over Anwar’s moves, especially the Kajang Move, which is also the source of dissatisfaction among segments of the Selangor public. Pas appears to be playing hardball now.
But behind the perception that Pas does not want to be taken for granted, the public statements by Khalid Samad and Sabu show that there are real internal differences within Pas about whether to back Khalid Ibrahim and whether the party should cooperate with Umno. The postponements of the central committee meeting may reflect this uncertainty.
To be sure, the Pas central committee faces a real dilemma as the ball has been tossed into its court. The central committee now has to deal with the decisions by Hadi and the Syura Council to back Khalid Ibrahim.
Some within the party leadership do not seem happy with the Syura Council for what they may see as the overstepping of the Council’s jurisdiction. The Syura Council may be the highest decision-making body in Pas but it is supposed to deliberate on policy issues such as whether Pas should remain in Pakatan.
The central committee, on the other hand, is supposed to determine political tactics and strategy. The decision whether to back Khalid – which is a strategic or tactical move – should fall within the ambit of the central committee, not the Syura Council.
So there is a sense that the Syura Council and Hadi may have pre-empted the central committee in this case, and the committee may now want to reassert its authority.
But if the Pas central committee withdraws the party’s backing for Khalid, it may be seen as a show of disrespect for – even defiance of – the Syura Council and Hadi. And that could cause a split in its ranks.
Which is why the central committee is in a dilemma – how to express support for its Pakatan partners without causing a split within Pas and without showing disrespect for Hadi and the Syura Council? That may be another reason why its meeting has been repeatedly postponed. But the party’s dithering has put Pas Selangor State Assembly members, especially those in the state ExCo in a quandary. Where do they stand in the meantime?
READ MORE HERE
Malaysian Prime Minister’s Mystery Holiday
So much to see, so little time…
Asia Sentinel
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is due to return from his two-week holiday on Friday, presumably tanned, rested and ready to resume command.
In the midst of a national crisis over the shooting down of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 over strife-torn Ukraine, Najib went to the Netherlands on Aug. 1 for a press conference that won him praise across the world. He was given credit by international agencies for his deft personal maneuvers behind the scenes with Ukrainian rebels in the attempt to reclaim the bodies after the doomed airliner was shot down over disputed territory on the Ukrainian-Russian border on its way from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, killing all 283 passengers and 15 crew on board.
From there, he went on holiday, with no public record of where he might have gone. Requests for information from Najmuddin Abdullah, Malaysian Airlines’ public relations head, on the premier’s travel arrangements met with no response. But other sources say while there had been requests for the Prime Minister to fly about Malaysian Airlines to demonstrate his confidence in the national flag carrier in the wake of the horrific incidents that took the lives of hundreds of people, he and his wife, Rosmah, flew on a private jet. It isn’t known who owned the private craft.
“He has never flown on either MAS or AsiaAir in seven years,” a political observer in KL said. “Mahathir did, Abdullah Badawi did. But Najib has never once flown on either one.”
Requests by email, telephone and text the prime minister’s personal aide and press secretary, Azlin Alias, asking for the prime minister’s holiday itinerary also went unanswered.
But after the press conference, according to well-placed sources in Malaysia, the prime minister and his wife Rosmah Mansour flew to Paris. They were reportedly joined by Chinese playboy Taek Jho Low and the former prime minister of Qatar, then are believed to have gone on to Sardinia in Italy, to Cannes on the French Cote d’Azur, then back to Sardinia with what was described as a large entourage of Chinese Malaysian tycoons. From Sardinia, the group flew to Rome before returning to London.
Low, better known in as Jho Low New York café circles, has made the New York papers for partying at exclusive clubs with Paris Hilton and other blondes and a flock of entertainment figures, cracking open bottles of Kristal champagne. He has been closely tied to Rosmah, traveling with her on New York café scene jaunts. He has been closely involved in the 1MDB sovereign wealth fund.
“It’s the talk of the town in Kuala Lumpur,” one source said, “but nobody wants to publish the story because the PM’s office isn’t talking. It was a holiday planned some time ago, well before the tragedies. Yet, it would have been prudent to postpone it given all the things the country is going through.”
One of the major things the country is going through is a full-blown political crisis centered in the three-party Pakatan Rakyat opposition coalition that has stalled government in the country’s most populous and richest state. Residents complain that the lack of attention to duty has meant that garbage has gone uncollected and other governmental problems have piled up.
In addition, Kuala Lumpur and its environs are in the middle of a drought that has produced the worst water shortage in decades. While the politicians battle it out, residents are complaining that the government has done nothing to alleviate the shortage.
There is continuing dispute over who actually shot down MH17 – Russian-backed rebels or Ukrainian regular troops. It has become an international squabble in the Malaysian press, with some factions accusing the Ukrainians and charging that the Americans had fomented the Ukrainian break with Russian that precipitated the crisis, ultimately blaming the Americans for the tragedy.
MH370, lost in the early hours of March 8, has become the biggest mystery in aviation history. The plane, with 227 passengers and 12 crew, mysteriously left its flight path for Beijing, turned east and disappeared somewhere over the Indian ocean. No trace has ever been found – no floating wreckage, nothing. Between the two of them, more than 500 people are dead.
John Berthelsen is the editor of Asia Sentinel
Asia Sentinel
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is due to return from his two-week holiday on Friday, presumably tanned, rested and ready to resume command.
In the midst of a national crisis over the shooting down of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 over strife-torn Ukraine, Najib went to the Netherlands on Aug. 1 for a press conference that won him praise across the world. He was given credit by international agencies for his deft personal maneuvers behind the scenes with Ukrainian rebels in the attempt to reclaim the bodies after the doomed airliner was shot down over disputed territory on the Ukrainian-Russian border on its way from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, killing all 283 passengers and 15 crew on board.
From there, he went on holiday, with no public record of where he might have gone. Requests for information from Najmuddin Abdullah, Malaysian Airlines’ public relations head, on the premier’s travel arrangements met with no response. But other sources say while there had been requests for the Prime Minister to fly about Malaysian Airlines to demonstrate his confidence in the national flag carrier in the wake of the horrific incidents that took the lives of hundreds of people, he and his wife, Rosmah, flew on a private jet. It isn’t known who owned the private craft.
“He has never flown on either MAS or AsiaAir in seven years,” a political observer in KL said. “Mahathir did, Abdullah Badawi did. But Najib has never once flown on either one.”
Requests by email, telephone and text the prime minister’s personal aide and press secretary, Azlin Alias, asking for the prime minister’s holiday itinerary also went unanswered.
But after the press conference, according to well-placed sources in Malaysia, the prime minister and his wife Rosmah Mansour flew to Paris. They were reportedly joined by Chinese playboy Taek Jho Low and the former prime minister of Qatar, then are believed to have gone on to Sardinia in Italy, to Cannes on the French Cote d’Azur, then back to Sardinia with what was described as a large entourage of Chinese Malaysian tycoons. From Sardinia, the group flew to Rome before returning to London.
Low, better known in as Jho Low New York café circles, has made the New York papers for partying at exclusive clubs with Paris Hilton and other blondes and a flock of entertainment figures, cracking open bottles of Kristal champagne. He has been closely tied to Rosmah, traveling with her on New York café scene jaunts. He has been closely involved in the 1MDB sovereign wealth fund.
“It’s the talk of the town in Kuala Lumpur,” one source said, “but nobody wants to publish the story because the PM’s office isn’t talking. It was a holiday planned some time ago, well before the tragedies. Yet, it would have been prudent to postpone it given all the things the country is going through.”
One of the major things the country is going through is a full-blown political crisis centered in the three-party Pakatan Rakyat opposition coalition that has stalled government in the country’s most populous and richest state. Residents complain that the lack of attention to duty has meant that garbage has gone uncollected and other governmental problems have piled up.
In addition, Kuala Lumpur and its environs are in the middle of a drought that has produced the worst water shortage in decades. While the politicians battle it out, residents are complaining that the government has done nothing to alleviate the shortage.
There is continuing dispute over who actually shot down MH17 – Russian-backed rebels or Ukrainian regular troops. It has become an international squabble in the Malaysian press, with some factions accusing the Ukrainians and charging that the Americans had fomented the Ukrainian break with Russian that precipitated the crisis, ultimately blaming the Americans for the tragedy.
MH370, lost in the early hours of March 8, has become the biggest mystery in aviation history. The plane, with 227 passengers and 12 crew, mysteriously left its flight path for Beijing, turned east and disappeared somewhere over the Indian ocean. No trace has ever been found – no floating wreckage, nothing. Between the two of them, more than 500 people are dead.
John Berthelsen is the editor of Asia Sentinel
Quo Vadis, Pakatan Rakyat?
It is unbelievable that Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim could claim that the Selangor government is not a Pakatan government after he himself had said, both in the Selangor State Assembly and outside, for six-and-a-half years that it is a Pakatan Rakyat state government.
But what is even more unbelievable is Khalid’s ridiculous claim that the Selangor government is not a Pakatan government is endorsed by the four PAS Excos who appeared with Khalid in the media conference today – after condoning and endorsing Khalid’s arbitrary sacking of five Pakatan Rakyat Exco members from DAP and PKR by attending the Exco meeting.
Would the four PAS Excos be elected as Selangor State Assemblymen in the first place if they had not represented Pakatan Rakyat in the 2013 general elections?
The brutal truth is that Khalid is hanging on as Selangor Mentri Besar solely on the strength of the Umno/BN pledge by the Deputy Prime Minister and the UMNO Deputy President, Tan Sri Muhiddin Yassin that the 12 UMNO/Barisan Nasional State Assembly representatives in Selangor will give unconditional support to him plus the support of the 15 PAS Assembly representatives.
Instead of rising to the challenge, the Selangor Mentri Besar crisis in the past four days have destroyed much of the hard-fought gains and hopes for political change achieved by Pakatan Rakyat, the civil society and Malaysians as a whole in the past six years.
Quo Vadis, Pakatan Rakyat?
But what is even more unbelievable is Khalid’s ridiculous claim that the Selangor government is not a Pakatan government is endorsed by the four PAS Excos who appeared with Khalid in the media conference today – after condoning and endorsing Khalid’s arbitrary sacking of five Pakatan Rakyat Exco members from DAP and PKR by attending the Exco meeting.
Would the four PAS Excos be elected as Selangor State Assemblymen in the first place if they had not represented Pakatan Rakyat in the 2013 general elections?
The brutal truth is that Khalid is hanging on as Selangor Mentri Besar solely on the strength of the Umno/BN pledge by the Deputy Prime Minister and the UMNO Deputy President, Tan Sri Muhiddin Yassin that the 12 UMNO/Barisan Nasional State Assembly representatives in Selangor will give unconditional support to him plus the support of the 15 PAS Assembly representatives.
Instead of rising to the challenge, the Selangor Mentri Besar crisis in the past four days have destroyed much of the hard-fought gains and hopes for political change achieved by Pakatan Rakyat, the civil society and Malaysians as a whole in the past six years.
Quo Vadis, Pakatan Rakyat?
Sacked Selangor excos can turn to sultan for relief, say lawyers
The Malaysian Insider
by V. ANBALAGAN
by V. ANBALAGAN
The six
executive councillors sacked by Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim yesterday
can write to the sultan of Selangor to call an emergency meeting of the
state assembly to test if the menteri besar commands the confidence of
the majority, says a constitutional lawyer.
Syahredzan
Johan said the six from DAP and PKR had made up the majority in the
11-man Pakatan Rakyat (PR) executive council and they had a right to
call the meeting in view of fast-moving political developments.
The
other four executive councillors are from PAS, who are said to be
supportive of Khalid, but Syahredzan said under the constitution, the
ruler has the power to summon the state legislative meeting on the
advice of the executive council.
"The
six who make up the majority could write to the ruler but whether it
will be approved is left in the hands of the sultan," he told The
Malaysian Insider.
Last
night, Professor Gurdial Singh Nijar of University Malaya's law faculty
said only the sultan could dismiss the executive councillors and not
Khalid.
Syahredzan
said under normal circumstances, the menteri besar, who is the head of
the executive council, would advise the ruler to call for a meeting.
He said if such meeting was approved, then PR must have the numbers to defeat Khalid in the house.
"The question is do they have it?" he asked.
Lawyer
Nizam Bashir said based on Federal Court ruling in the Perak case, PR
could send a letter to the palace to show that the majority of
assemblymen in Selangor supported another candidate as MB.
He
said once the sultan was satisfied that the MB has lost the support of
the majority, he may dismiss him and the executive council.
At
a press conference last night, PKR and DAP appealed to PAS's four
executive councillors to boycott today's Selangor exco meeting in
solidarity with their sacked colleagues.
DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said the sacking of the six by Khalid was unethical and against democratic principles.
The
sacked excos are Datuk Teng Chang Khim, V. Ganabatirau and Ean Yong
Hian Wah (DAP), while the three PKR excos are Elizabeth Wong, Dr Daroyah
Alwi and Rodziah Ismail.
The six said last night they would continue their duties today.
Teng
said all of them considered the dismissals as not valid, as they
doubted that Khalid has obtained the consent of the sultan before
sacking them. – August 13, 2014.
Petronas Pre-Tax Profit Surges To RM28.1 Billion In Q2 2014
KUALA
LUMPUR, Aug 13 (Bernama) -- Petronas' pre-tax profit for the second
quarter ended June 30, 2014 rose 28 per cent to RM28.1 billion from RM22
billion in the corresponding period last year on the back of higher
revenue.Its revenue increased 15 per cent to RM85.4 billion from RM74.4 billion previously, driven by improved production, higher gas sales and favourable exchange rate.
Production volume improved following production enhancement efforts and new production streams from Malaysia and Iraq, production resumption in South Sudan and additional production from Canada, Petronas Executive Vice-President and Group Chief Financial Officer Datuk George Ratilal told a media briefing here Wednesday.
For the first half ended June 30, 2014, Petronas' pre-tax profit went up nine per cent to RM55.3 billion from RM50.8 billion in the corresponding period last year.
The revenue advanced 12 per cent to RM169.41 billion from RM151.10 billion previously.
Petronas President and Group Chief Executive Officer Tan Sri Shamsul Azhar Abbas anticipated the second half of the year to be challenging amid robust supply but modest demand growth that could pressure crude oil prices and the company' earning.
He said Petronas could be lucky to record a pre-tax profit of RM94.6 billion for the year 2014 as the current crude oil prices could go down below between US$95 and US$100 per barrel from US$108 per barrel in the first half.
"Things are not going to be easy moving forward. It's getting harder to develop oil and gas, and the cost continues to increase," he said.
Petronas' total assets grew to RM544.1 billion as at June 30, 2014 from Dec 31, 2014's RM528.7 billion.
Its capital investment to date amounted to RM26.3 billion, of which 64 per cent at home while 36 per cent overseas.
On Petronas' international operations, Shamsul said the company aimed at growing its net profit contribution to 20 per cent from 11 per cent in the next five years.
He also announced that the Chinese government on July 17 approved its state-owned, Sinopec-Huadian joint venture to acquire a 15 per cent stake in Petronas' integrated LNG export facility in Canada.
The joint venture became Petronas' fourth strategic partner in the project, apart from Japex Montney Ltd (10 per cent), Brunei Petroleum (three per cent) and Indian Oil Corp Ltd (10 per cent).
Currently, Petronas, which holds a 62 per cent stake in the project, is in negotiations with three or four partners from Japan and West Asia but not in a hurry to pare down its stakes.
Shamsul said Petronas' operations in Russia continued unabated despite economic sanctions on Russia and US military operations in Iraq to flush out insurgents.
On the refinery and petrochemical integrated development in Johor, Shamsul said Petronas has awarded 11 contracts worth RM30 billion, mainly for infrastructure development.
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