Mahathir pleads for an Amanah victory

Ex-premier woos Kuala Kangsar voters with another public appeal to kick out Najib.

KUALA KANGSAR: After spending the whole day campaigning in Sungai Besar, Selangor yesterday, the 90-year-old former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad hit the roads of Kuala Kangsar today, appealing again for a victory for the Amanah candidate.

At a forum on 1MDB and Najib Razak’s Donation, organised by the opposition Pakatan Harapan alliance, Dr Mahathir urged voters to back Dr Ahmad Termizi Ramli of Amanah.

“I appeal to all of you to support Termizi. He comes from a prominent family, and is a wise man. He is a matured and capable leader. (Though) he has a bit of white hair, but not as young as me,” he said, drawing laughter from about 300 people present.

He reiterated his campaign purpose of driving Najib Razak out of office as Umno president and prime minister.

“Give (Termizi) the victory, so that we can prove that Najib is not needed by the people,” he added.

Termizi, 61, is a nuclear physics professor and a sixth generation descendant of Perak’s Maharaja Lela who launched a rebellion against the British Resident JWW Birch in the 19th century.

Dr Mahathir also spoke to reporters about his meeting with PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang,

Mahathir said he had met Hadi to explain about Najib’s weaknesses which, he claimed, Hadi had also acknowledged.

“I explained to him about Najib’s doings in detail, about Najib and foreign powers, 1MDB and the money. All this is a waste of public funds. He said there is truth in it,” Dr Mahathir said.

However, now that PAS was on its own, after the breakup of Pakatan Rakyat, the previous opposition alliance, Hadi had come to favour Najib and the PAS’ struggle had become one to defend Najib, Dr Mahathir said.

He had earlier said that it would be impossible for PAS to defeat BN on its own, and the party’s latest strategy was to befriend Najib.

Dr Mahathir’s decision to openly campaign against Barisan Nasional in Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar was criticised by Umno vice-president Hishammuddin Hussein yesterday. Hishammuddin said he did not understand why the former premier could make such a decision as he had been among the most respected leaders in BN.

Dr Mahathir was prime minister from 1981 to 2003 and headed Umno and the Barisan Nasional during that time.

Ministry awaits police report in Syed Alman probe

KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry has concluded its investigations into the death of Syed Alman Zain Syed Alwi, son-in-law of deputy prime minister.

Health minister Dr S. Subramaniam said today the ministry was awaiting an investigation report from the police which is expected to be completed by next week.

Syed Alman, 44, died after undergoing treatment at a dental clinic in Bangsar on June 1.

Subramanian said that after the respective reports were completed, the ministry would decide on the next course of action under the Health Ministry’s jurisdiction while the police will decide on any action based on the criminal procedure code, Bernama reported.

Syed Alman was the husband of Nurulhidayah Ahmad Zahid, 37, eldest daughter of the deputy prime minister. He was reported to have fallen unconscious after the treatment and was taken to the University of Malaya Medical Centre where he was pronounced dead.

Mahathir: Dump Najib and I may return to Umno

Return the original Umno and I'll consider it, he says after Ahmad Zahid's offer.

KUALA KANGSAR: Dr. Mahathir Mohamad will consider rejoining Umno – if Najib Razak is no longer head of the dominant political party.

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir gave reporters his response when asked about an offer by Umno vice-president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi yesterday.

“Tell him to get rid of Najib first, then I’ll think about it. Return the original Umno and I’ll consider it,” he said.

Earlier this year, Dr Mahathir formally left Umno, for the second time under one of his successors, after heading the party and being prime minister for 22 years from 1981-2003.

He left Umno in 2008 in protest against the policies of his immediate successor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, although he did not resign, but formally resigned on Feb 29 after a campaign to oust Najib Razak, who had taken over in 2008.

It was the third time in his life that he had left Umno. In 1969, he was expelled after circulating a poison-pen letter against first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra.

Yesterday, Dr Mahathir openly campaigned for the opposition Pakatan Harapan and Amanah party candidate in the Sungai Besar parliamentary by-election, and did so again here for the Amanah candidate in Kuala Kangsar.

Ahmad Zahid had expressed regret at Dr Mahathir’s appearance at an opposition campaign event and said Umno would be willing to accept him back “if he does not stab us in the back”. However, Zahid said he believes Mahathir will not ask to return to Umno for the time being.

Today, Dr Mahathir attended a Citizen’s Declaration forum organized by NGO Selamatkan Malaysia at Taman Chandan Puteri, together with Amanah candidate Ahmad Termizi Ramli and former Wanita Umno information head Hamdiah Osman.

Cover up during Ramadan, Kelantan mufti tells non-Muslims

The Malay Mail

KUALA LUMPUR, June 11 — The Kelantan Mufti today urged non-Muslims to dress conservatively throughout the fasting month of Ramadan as provocative attire could be haram for surrounding Muslims.

Datuk Mohamad Shukri Mohamad explained that while non-Muslims have the freedom to dress however they liked, they should be “considerate” and dress appropriately to prevent Muslims from forfeiting their fast.

“They (non-Muslims) should respect Muslims and dress appropriately.

“It is not wrong for them to dress how they like but they must be considerate because when Muslims, particularly men, bump into them at public places, it is considered haram,” he was quoted as saying to local daily New Straits Times.

He also urged non-Muslims to refrain from “eating or drinking in front of Muslims during the fasting month.”

Additionally, he said Muslim women specifically should also “dress appropriately” as well as to watch their behaviour and language.

“This is part of religious teachings. Islam also teaches Muslims not to waste their money when shopping at Ramadan bazaars. A simple meal is sufficient for the breaking of fast,” he said.

Separately, local daily The Star quoted Kelantan Islamic Affairs Department’s enforcement chief Mohd Fadzuli Mohd Zain as saying that 31 Muslim women were detained for either not donning a headscarf or wearing tight outfits since the start of Ramadan on Monday.

According to mainstream Islamic teachings, a woman’s “aurat” is defined as the whole body, except for the face and palms, while for men, it is the part between the navel and knees.

During the fasting month of Ramadan, Muslims would eat before dawn and fast throughout the day, breaking their fast only after sunset.

Iron Lady talks about Mahathir the fun guy

Former minister Rafidah Aziz lets her hair down with comedian Harith Iskandar on his new talk show

PETALING JAYA: Showing off her lighter side on television last night, former cabinet minister Rafidah Aziz shed her Iron Lady image as she sat down with comedian Harith Iskander on his new talk show.

Aired on Astro Awani, Rafidah told Harith she enjoyed listening to sentimental music, and that despite being dubbed the Iron Lady, she was actually a “jelly inside”.

Listening to her sharp wit and funny side, it was easy to forget that the former Umno leader is 73 years old.

“I’ve seen it all,” she said, referring to her more than 50 years of being in politics.

Harith asked Rafidah to revisit the major episode in Umno history, when party president Dr Mahathir Mohamad announced his resignation live on television.

Rafidah recalled how her high heels broke as she knelt down in front of Mahathir, in trying to convince him to retract his resignation.

She said after some 40 minutes of talking to the former premier, when she got up, she realised her high heels had broken off, which then led her to being barefoot when she was interviewed on television by RTM later.

Speaking more on Mahathir, Harith asked if she had ever told him off if she wasn’t happy with something.

“If I’m not happy I give him the silent treatment,” she said, noting how a person can’t simply tell off an old man, out of respect.

But she said she knew Mahathir as “a fun person”, elaborating that, however, the fun person only came out sometimes.
She also related how she had once arm-wrestled with Mahathir.

“I arm-wrestled him and he lost,” she said, telling the audience and Harith, that they were initially having a men-versus-women argument about strength and she had told Mahathir she was once an arm-wrestling champion in school.
She said Mahathir didn’t believe her and that was how they ended up arm-wrestling.

Also on the show with Rafidah was actor and singer Sean Ghazi who dazzled the audience with his rendition of Tony Bennet’s The Way You Look Tonight.

Harith’s show, Obviously Harith Iskander, airs on Astro Awani every Saturday at 9.30pm.

Couple caught with syabu in biscuit tins

KULAI: A plan to smuggle about RM670,000 worth of syabu as biscuits crumbled when alert policemen at Senai International Airport saw through the ruse.

The two auxiliary policemen became suspicious of a couple waiting to catch a flight at 6am on Friday.

They had the couple’s suitcase scanned and saw what looked like two biscuit tins amongst articles of clothing, said Kulai OCPD Supt Razak Md Said.

The couple refused to open the luggage for inspection and started giving all sorts of excuses, he said.

They were taken to the airport police station where the suitcase was pried open. Supt Razak said there were six plastic packets, believed to contain 5.99kg of syabu crystals, inside the tins.

The husband and wife, both locals, were arrested.

He said the 52-year-old man had taken his wife, 35, to the airport where she was supposed to board a flight to Kota Kinabalu.

Alleged Tioman rape victim lodges police report

KUANTAN: The girl who claims to have been sexually assaulted in Pulau Tioman has lodged a police report against a Customs Department officer for allegedly raping her.

The 17-year-old girl alleged that the officer, who goes by the name of Kamil, was one of four individuals who raped her.

"On March 18, 2016, at daytime, I was called by Kamil to a room at the jetty Customs office. He told me to keep a rape committed against me the day before a secret.

"After that, he took off his shirt and forced me to give him a massage. A few minutes after that, Kamil took off his pants and forcefully removed my clothes," she said in her report filed here Saturday.

The girl claimed she tried to fight back but failed and Kamil proceeded to rape her.

She alleged that Kamil then told her not to lodge a police report or he would take action against her and her father.

It was reported that the series of sexual assaults took place between March and May after the girl took up a part-time job at the Kampung Tekek jetty.

The Form Four student claimed that she became semi-conscious after taking a soft drink given by a security guard on March 17 before she was gang-raped by four people at the jetty toilet and the Customs office.

She also claimed that a female neighbour sexually assaulted her on May 7 when she went to her house.

She alleged that the neighbour also took nude pictures and a video of her, which were then uploaded onto the Internet.

She then claimed the neighbour's brother proceeded to rape her after that.

Rompin OCPD Deputy Supt Muhammad Aidil Roneh Abdullah had said that six people, including a woman, were detained for investigations, but denied the involvement of a Customs personnel.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had assured that there would be no cover-up in criminal cases involving Government officers and no one would escape punishment if there was evidence of a crime.

Dog chokes to death in bid to get free

NIBONG TEBAL: A dog owner tied up his two pets with wire before he left for work but in the dogs’ struggle to get free, one mongrel died while the other escaped.

A neighbour E. Vasudeean, 56, who is a security guard, said the owner living in Lorong 6, Taman Merak, Simpang Ampat, had tied up both the dogs before he left yesterday morning.

“He is a dog lover and would usually leave the dogs to roam freely in his compound. He would play with them when he comes back from work.

“If the dogs go missing, he would search for them in the neighbourhood and bring them back home.

“I do not think this is a case of abuse but more towards carelessness,” he said.

Animal activist Ravee Dharmen-dra Govindasamy, who came to the house upon hearing the news, said the owner probably did not realise the aluminium wire could become tighter when the dogs try to free themselves.

“I feel that the dogs should be allowed to roam freely,” said Ravee.

“This should serve as a lesson to all dog owners not to take safety for granted.”

Ravee said a report had been lodged at the Simpang Ampat police station.

The dead dog has been sent to the state Veterinary Department in Bukit Tengah for a post-mortem while the other dog was rescued and taken to Penang island with the aim to find shelter for it.

“We will try to find a home for it as quickly as possible,” Ravee said.

At press time, the owner could not be contacted.

As PM’s wife, Rosmah’s right to hire jet - Annuar Musa

No one should question the right of Rosmah Mansor’s hiring of a private jet as it is her right and duty as the prime minister’s wife, said an Umno leader.

“Don’t (expect) the wife of the prime minister to travel on a normal flight schedule, I don’t think there is a leader in the world who does this.

“So, let’s not deny the right of a prime minister’s wife or prime minister by saying or trying to give the impression that (the flight) had been hired for private use,” Umno information chief Annuar Musa told Malaysiakini.

He was asked when met after breaking fast in Manong, Kuala Kangsar yesterday during the by-election campaign, to comment on PKR secretary-general Rafizi Ramli’s continued expose on Rosmah using a private jet for a trip to Istanbul.

Rafizi last Wednesday revealed that Rosmah flew in the hired aircraft to Turkey to accept the 3G Children Welfare Award on behalf of early childhood programme Permata.

The PKR leader alleged the plane had been chartered for two months, and estimated it would have cost the government RM86.4 million.

Annuar, who is an Umno supreme council member, said there is no abuse of power in the case the jet trip.

“There is a difference between private business and the duties of the wife of a prime minister, and the duties of the prime minister’s wife must be respected.

“It must be given right and status, along with what she is eligible for.

“Therefore the question of wrongdoing doesn’t arise at all,” he said.

'Don't go overboard'

He called Rafizi’s claims “baseless” and done in bad taste especially in the holy month of Ramadan when Muslims are fasting.

“I believe we should exercise some restraint although we want to play politics, let’s do it with care and base it on certain values in accordance with good Muslims,” he said.

“That jet can be rented out to anyone, and anyone can hire it, that’s all,” he reiterated.

Dr M: Charge me in court, and I'll ask if true Rosmah boarded private jet

K KANGSAR POLLS Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad today declared that he will answer questions that were previously posed by the police in court.

Mahathir, who is in Kuala Kangsar in support of Parti Amanah Negara’s (Amanah) candidate in the by-election, lamented how people today do not know if they would be arrested or not for lodging police reports.

Previously, he said, police would investigate whether a particular report had basis or otherwise, but the same cannot be said today.

Mahathir said he was ‘lucky’, too, in that he had been called for interrogation thrice.

“They asked me many things, but perhaps because I'm stupid, I didn't answer,” said Mahathir in his trademark cheeky humour at an event organised by Pakatan Harapan here today.

“If you want me to answer, charge me and I will answer in court,” he added, to applause from some 300 attendees at the event.

Once in court, Mahathir said he, through his lawyer, had the right to ask Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor on the authenticity of a picture depicting the latter boarding a private jet.

“I want to ask whether the picture is authentic, with 12 people carrying big bags.

“If we want to ride planes we have Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and we can go anywhere, but she has to rent a jet which costs RM80 million and then they say they have no money,” he said.

Mahathir’s dig was in reference to the expose made by PKR secretary-general Rafizi Ramli who had revealed that Rosmah used a private jet for an overseas trip to Istanbul.

In response to Rosmah’s aide Rizal Mansor, who said that the jet was chartered for two months, Rafizi estimated that RM86.4 million, therefore, was spent to rent it.

Mahathir had been questioned by police over remarks he made against Umno branch leaders as well as attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali.

After leaving Umno, Mahathir spearheaded the Save Malaysia movement which urges, among others, the resignation of Najib.