Analysts: Cool act makes Najib hot

But will it make a difference at the ballot box? Some say it depends on the timing of the general election.

PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s latest campaign to appear cool to the young may just help him win their votes, according to analysts.

However, one analyst said some of the prime minister’s new fans might not make it in time to get on the electoral roll and another said the cool factor could dissipate easily.

On the weekend, Najib appeared at the Suara Kami concert and the audience gave him a rousing welcome. Yesterday, he took part in some segments of two morning shows on radio.

Pundits have been saying that the votes of the young would be crucial in the coming general election.
Pollster Merdeka Centre’s research manager, Tan Seng Keat, said Najib was using “the right channel to target the right group”.

He argued against the popular opinion that young voters were more likely to vote for the opposition than for Barisan Nasional.

“If you study the history of voting trends in Malaysia, more than half of first-time voters are fence-sitters,” he told FMT.

“They also tend to be personality-driven. So it is up to Najib to persuade them to vote for BN.”

He predicted that Najib would now give the opposition a run for its money. “Previously, the opposition had the upper hand, with quite a number of young, handsome, beautiful leaders.”

However, he raised the question of whether there would be enough time for these public relations activities to produce meaningful results at the ballot box, considering the speculation that the general election would be held soon.

“If the election is in November, the young voters who register now will not be able to vote,” Tan pointed out. “But to appeal to this group is worth a shot. It is better than nothing.”

Looks good, speaks well

Rita Sim of the Centre for Strategic Engagement said Najib had been doing “the right thing” for some time now, trying to reach out to all Malaysians, not just the young.

p“But notwithstanding this, it does seem as though he has stepped up his campaign in the right direction.”

She also said BN had the edge over the opposition because the public could clearly see Najib as its leader.

“You look at the opposition. Until today, it is still unclear who their leader is. Najib is seen as the clear leader, and that does give some advantage to the BN.”

Ooi Kee Beng, who co-ordinates the Malaysia study programme at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, said Najib’s personal image was stronger that the image of Umno or BN.

“He looks good on camera, he speaks well,” Ooi said.

But he told FMT that these qualities might not be enough to help Najib increase votes for BN. “Malaysia is at a point where people are calling for reforms. Just being good looking isn’t going to get you very far.”

He said Najib was actually at a disadvantage in the competition for coolness.

“Being against power has always been considered cool. That is why the opposition can capitalise on the cool factor. Being power itself, I don’t think you can win the game easily.”

He acknowledged that Najib could nevertheless sway the young to his side, but added that he had to call the election soon to capitalise on his cool factor because it could dissipate fast.

“It may disappear easily in a night or two,” he said.

School funds embezzled, claims PTA

A RM100,000 allocation made in 2008 went unaccounted and the culprits have yet to answer to the authorities, say committee members.

PETALING JAYA: Several Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) committee members of the Assunta 1 Primary School have cried foul over an unaccounted RM100,000 in school funds.

PTA chairman C Mahavishnu, the school headmistress Noor Adza Ismail and teacher, Noor Lina Mohd Yusuf, were implicated in the matter.

The money was allocated to the school by the education ministry in 2008.

PTA deputy chairman, Noorulainah Jalaludheen, said Mahavishnu had told them that RM55,000 was used to upgrade electical wiring and the rest for plumbing works.

Noorulianah said no such wiring works were carried out although the fund was disbursed.

“We found this out when the fire department investigated an incident where a fire broke out in the school. We were told that no wiring work was done prior to the fire,” Noorulainah said.

She added that checks also revealed that no plumbing work was carried out.

“Out of the 15 toilets in the school, only three work. So where did the money go?” asked Noorulainah.
She also said that the new committee members who came in March this year also suspected something amiss when RM39,000 was used on the pretext of buying 20 computers.

“Assunta 1 and Assunta 2 primary schools share the same computer lab although both primary schools are managed separately.

“Mahavishnu told us last year that he would purchase 20 computers for about RM39,000. However, only five computers were purchased at the said price.

“When Assunta 2 PTA chairman, Muhammad Zarif Abdullah, enquired about it, Mahavishnu accused Zarif of misappropriating the fund instead,” claimed Noorulainah.

Infuriated, she said Zarif took the matter to the district education office and the Selangor Education Department. Both schools were ordered to hold joint-committee meeting.

“At the meeting, Mahavishnu only apologised to Zarif over his unwarranted accusation and gave an assurance that he will allow the committe to audit the accounts,” said Noorulainah.


Report lodged with MACC

Not satisfied, Assunta 1 committee members brought the matter to the attention of Deputy Education Minister Wee Ka Siong in July, who instructed the inspectorate to probe the matter.

A report was also lodged with the police and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

“The MACC interrogated the trio two weeks ago and Mahavishnu misled the officers by providing them with the minutes of a 2009 meeting, instead of last year’s,” Noorulainah said.

Last month, the principal of Assunta 1, Noor Adza, and the teacher implicated in the matter, Noor Lina, received a transfer order from the district edcuation department.

Noorulianah said that Noor Adza is being sent to a prominent school in Kota Damansara with better perks.

“Noor Lina is still in Assunta although her transfer was effective Aug 16. She claimed that she has a letter from the Prime Minister’s Department freezing her transfer,” Noorulianah said.

She added that Mahavishnu has up till now not accounted for the missing funds and wants the ministry to intervene in the matter and take action against the trio.

“We also want to call for an EGM to remove Mahavishnu as PTA chairman. An independent audit team must be appointed to check the school accounts of the past five years,” she said.

Meanwhile, Mahavishnu dismissed all accusations that he had misappropriated the school funds, claiming that the MACC and the ministry had cleared him of any wrongdoing.

He pointed out that the RM100,000 allocation from the education ministry in 2008 was never managed by him.

“The government allocated the same amount to Assunta 2 as well. However, the funds were managed by the school’s board of directors. I had nothing to do with the funds,” he said.

Mahavishnu added that it was the board which decided to use the funds for repair works under the supervision of one of the board members known as Terence, an engineer.

On the computer purchases, Mahavishnu admitted that he purchased only five computers for about RM15,000 and not RM39,000 as alleged.

“We intended to buy 20 units but lacked funds. The computers were purchased based on a quotation given by a reputable vendor. I welcome anyone to investigate this,” said Mahavishnu.

‘Police abuse’ victims sue cops

The two claim to have been beaten with rubber hoses and that the cops poured hot water on their bodies.

UPDATED

KUALA LUMPUR: Two alleged police abuse victims have filed a civil suit against seven police officers whom the duo accused of torturing them while in custody in 2008.

Also named in the suit were Brickfields police chief Wan Abdul Bari Wan Abdul Khalid and the Malaysian government.

In their suit, B Prabakar and C Solomon Raj demanded the officers pay for general, aggravated, exemplary and punitive damages plus costs.

The two claimed that they were beaten with rubber hoses and forced to confess to crimes they did not commit after being picked up by the police in December 2008.

They also alleged that the police poured hot water on their bodies.

While two of the officers were ordered by the court to enter their defence in July, the rest were cleared by police investigation.

‘Incident has traumatised me’

Speaking at a press conference here today, Prabakar, 30, said he was traumatised since the incident and had to seek psychiatric treatment as he was too afraid to leave his house.

“Even my friends have ignored me and started calling me a mad man,” he said.
Also present were his lawyer N Surendran, Lawyers for Liberty adviser Latheefa Koya and Kapar MP S Manickavasagam.

On his arrest, Prabakar said he never knew the police were going to brutalise him as he thought they only wanted to test his urine for drugs.

“But they started assaulting me after putting me in a lock up. When I asked them about it, the officers told me to shut up and confess to a number of crimes I did not commit,” he said.

After five days of remand, the police allegedly warned him not to reveal what had happened.
“As for my burn marks, the police told me to tell that I dropped hot soup on my body while eating,” he claimed.

Blaming the judges


Meanwhile, Surendran said the government must set up the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) to deal with cases involving police brutality.

On the suit, the PKR vice president said it was filed as a reminder to the police that they were under public scrutiny.

He also took a swipe at the judiciary, blaming it for the rot in the police force as the former refused to act sternly on cases involving police brutality.

“In my 18 years being in legal practice, I have seen many judges siding the police despite having a strong case. One judge even threw out our case saying the police are hardworking public servants.

“As for Prabakar’s case, we are upset that only two of the officers were called to enter their defence although he identified seven assailants,” he said.

‘Please help me become a doctor’

M Syamala Devi is pleading with the government to grant her a RM40,000 loan so that she can complete her final year.

KUALA LUMPUR: M Syamala Devi’s dream is to become a doctor. But the 28-year-old final year medical student has returned home from Romania because she cannot afford to continue her education.

To make matters worse, she also took RM20,000 from a loan shark to finance her studies and is forced to pay RM2,000 in interest every month.

Speaking at a press conference organised by the Human Rights Party (HRP) here, the sixth-year student with the University of Medical Pharmacy of GRT Popa said she needs another RM40,000 to complete her degree.

“My father was a former auxiliary policeman and he died when I was eight. Look at my family background, that is why I chose to study in Romania because the fees is cheaper there,” she said.

Syamala said after completing her STPM examination, she had applied in vain for a place to do medicine in 20 local universities.

She also applied for scores of scholarships and education loans, including the Public Service Department (PSD) scholarship and Higher Education Loan Fund (PTPTN), but was rejected.

Seeking government help

Following this, she worked with a courier service agency for two years and provided home tuition in order to save enough money to pursue her dream.

Apart from taking money from a loan shark, she also used to work in the UK during her summer holidays.

When the semester commences, Syamala said she used to earn a small income by cooking and selling food to some 30 Malaysian students at her university to cover her day-to-day expenses.

However, the UK implemented a new rule prohibiting students from other countries from working there and this dealt a blow to Syamala’s ambition.

“The total cost of my education is RM350,000. Until today, I have spent nearly RM310,000, money which I raised myself,” she said, adding that her brother and sister were also helping her to settle the loan shark’s interest.

“I am pleading to the government to help me. Please grant me a RM40,000 loan to finish my studies,” she said, adding that she enrolled in that particular Romanian university although it is not recognised by the Malaysian government because she had no choice.

“This was the cheapest place to study medicine and upon graduation I will have to sit for another examination in Malaysia to allow me to practice here,” she said.

Meanwhile, HRP education bureau head G Ganeson asked the government if it was wrong for a poor Indian to dream of becoming a doctor.

He said the government must immediately grant Syamala the loan so that she could complete her studies.

The next level

If Najib is sincere and honest about reforms, then he should invite the opposition (or at least those from the civil society movements) to sit down with the government to discuss the new laws. And if the opposition too is sincere and honest about reforms, it should stop screaming about who should take the credit for the repeal of the ISA and try to approach the government to ask to be part of the team that is going to formulate the new laws to replace the ISA.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
For decades we have been fighting for the repeal of the Internal Security Act (ISA) -- at least I have, for about 35 years since the 1970s (that was about the time the government detained Anwar Ibrahim, Dr Syed Husin Ali, and others who opposed the government). By then, the ISA - a weapon used to combat terrorism and the Communist Terrorists (CTs), had been around for about 14 years.
No one had any objections to the ISA before that. But once it was no longer used to combat terrorism or the CTs, but instead was used against student leaders, university lecturers, activists, and those viewed as dissidents or anti-establishment, then the ISA began to attract attraction.
Finally, after half a century, the government is considering repealing the ISA -- although it was indicated that a new law would be introduced to replace the ISA (and we do not know yet how this law is going to look like and whether it will be better or worse than the ISA).
But what are we doing? What is the opposition doing? Everyone is arguing about whether the repeal of the ISA is proof that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is walking the talk and is serious about his reform agenda or whether this is proof that the government has admitted defeat and is repealing the ISA because of the pressure from the opposition.
The government is taking credit for the repeal of the ISA. The opposition is also taking credit for the repeal of the ISA. It’s all about who should be credited for the ISA finally being abolished.
Is anyone sitting down to sort out what the new law is going to look like? Yes, the ISA is going to be repealed. But there is going to be a new law to replace it. Should we not be more concerned about this instead of whether Najib or the opposition should take the credit for the ISA being repealed?
I have said this before and I am going to say it again. Both the government and the opposition must become more matured and open. Yes, BOTH the government and the opposition.
If Najib is sincere and honest about reforms, then he should invite the opposition (or at least those from the civil society movements) to sit down with the government to discuss the new laws. And if the opposition too is sincere and honest about reforms, it should stop screaming about who should take the credit for the repeal of the ISA and try to approach the government to ask to be part of the team that is going to formulate the new laws to replace the ISA.
On another issue, I have received ‘hate-mail’ from people who allege that Malaysia Today has been ‘compromised’. Umno has bought off Malaysia Today, they say. These people argue that in the past Malaysia Today focused on revealing corruption and the wrongdoings of those who walk in the corridors of power. Now we no longer do that (actually we still do).
I suppose these types of people just love to read about scandals. And that is all they are concerned about -- to be entertained with stories of scandals. But Malaysia Today is not in the entertainment business. We are not here to entertain you. We are in the business of seeing change in Malaysia.
Honestly, if Malaysia Today publishes more stories about corruption and scandals, is that going to make you any more a hard-core opposition supporter than you already are? Those who come to Malaysia Today are already BN-haters.  You can see this from the comments. The BN-lovers do not come to Malaysia Today.
So whom would I be trying to convert? The BN-haters? The BN-haters would still hate BN never mind whatever I say. No amount of reports about corruption and scandals would make the BN-haters any more haters of BN than they already are.
We need to reach those who DO NOT come to Malaysia Today. And since they already DO NOT come to Malaysia Today, then we have to find a way to go to them instead. The mountain must go to Muhammad, as the saying goes.
And we are doing just that, trust me. But we are not doing that through Malaysia Today because they DO NOT read Malaysia Today.
We are currently talking to some people to come out with a Bahasa Malaysia version of Malaysia Today. Everything will be in Bahasa Malaysia and it will be a totally different site.
There are many Malay-educated readers, even those from towns in the Malay heartland, who read Blogs. But they do not come to ‘English’ Blogs like Malaysia Today. They only read ‘Malay’ Blogs. So we need to create a ‘Malay’ version of Malaysia Today. And this is in the cards.
Then there are many Malay-educated Malaysians in the rural areas who do not access the Internet at all. They do not even own a computer. So we need to reach them through other means.
And that plan has already been launched. I will not tell you what it is just yet in case the government shoots us down before we can take off. But rest assured that hundreds of thousands of ringgit is being poured into this new project to reach the rural, non-internet savvy population. We are trying to raise the money for this project even as you read this. 
Now, back to Malaysia Today.
Malaysia Today is now seven years old. We started life on 13th August 2004 soon after the March 2004 election ‘disaster’. The first few years were spent in exposing the wrongdoings of the government and in trying to convince you that we need change.
Those who come to Malaysia Today are already convinced we need change. I cannot convince you any more than you are already convinced. Exposing the wrongdoings of the government is not going to convince you any further. We need to now take this to ‘the next level’.
What we are now attempting to do is NOT to convince you that we need change or ABU (Anything But Umno/Asal Bukan Umno). That you already know. We want to talk to you about what type of change we should be looking at.
It is not enough we scream and shout that we need change. We must also be clear in our minds about what type of change we should be seeking. And my piece on the Bill of Rights is one of many examples of how we are trying to do this.
We must not be naïve and think that as long as we kick our Barisan Nasional then all our problems will be over. They thought that as well when they kicked out Charles I of England, King Louis XVI of France, President Batista of Cuba, Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, Shah Rezā Pahlavi of Iran, etc. What they got in the end was an exchange of one tyrant for another. 
No, I am not saying that Pakatan Rakyat will be a tyrant or that it will prove worse than Barisan Nasional. I am saying that Barisan Nasional will never be kicked out and Pakatan Rakyat will never take over unless we, the people, do that.
So let’s be clear about one thing. Pakatan Rakyat will never be able to kick out Barisan Nasional. It will be we, the people, who can do that. So we, the people, have a say in what type of government we want as a replacement to the current government that we have.
This is what I mean by ‘the next level’. The next level is to teach you what you should be looking at. The next level is to teach you what you should expect. The next level is to teach you what you should demand.
Enough with all this ‘Barisan Nasional is corrupt and should be ousted’ talk. We all know that. We do not need further convincing. What we should focus on now is to make sure that what we get in exchange is really something better and not just the same old wine in a new bottle.
And let’s start with the new law that is going to replace the ISA. Why have we not heard anything from the opposition other than arguments about whether Najib or the opposition should take the credit for the repeal of this draconian law? Who cares who should take the credit? We want to know what it is going to be replaced with.
That is ‘the next level’.

Blogger Umno gelar Muhyiddin 'anak paria'

Muhyiddin digelar sebagai anak paria, penyamun besar dan perosak Umno. Lebih hodoh lagi, Zaharin yang juga Setiausaha Umno Bahagian Bandar Tun Razak mendakwa beliau ada maklumat bahawa Muhyiddin terbabit hendak menjatuhkan Perdana Menteri, Dato' Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak. 

Mohd Rashidi Hassan, HARAKAH DAILY
 
"DI BAWAH pentadbiran Muhyiddin Yassin, Umno Wilayah (Persekutuan) sudah jadi macam parti mak bapak dia..Dia buat apa dia suka..Kerana dia penyamun besar yang berselindung atas nama nasionalisme Melayu dan Islam..Maka dilantiknya jawatan kanan Umno bahagian bdr tun razak semuanya banduan politik wang."

"Muhyiddin Yassin itu anak paria," tulis Setiausaha Umno Bahagian Bandar Tun Razak, Zaharin Mohd Yasin yang juga bloger Sang Kelembai dalam laman Facebook (FB) beliau.

Beliau menulis lagi, "16 September 2011 bermula konspirasi hendak menjatuhkan PM Najib oleh Muhyiddin Yassin, dgn perlantikan setiausaha dan bendahari bekas banduan politik wang dan seorang yd diadukan melanggar perlembagaan Umno, maka dengan sendiri Parlimen Bandar Tun Razak yg dinamakan sempena bapa PM Najib dgn mudah akan dimenang oleh pembangkang. Maka Muhyiddin Yasin akan minta PM Najib letak jawatan saperti yg pernah dia lakukan kpd Abdullah Hj Ahmad."

Apa yang ditulis Zaharin menunjukkan politiking dalam Umno memang hebat. Sentiasa panas dan bergolak. Selalunya kemelut dalaman Umno tidak diketahui rakyat kerana ia dapat disembunyikan oleh media tali barut Umno. Bila dibongkarkan satu-persatu mereka kata, ianya hanya ibarat 'ribut dalam secawan kopi.'

Ribut dalam Umno kali ini memang hebat dan tidak dapat dibendung. Ia diluahkan dan didedahkan secara terbuka oleh bloger-bloger dan facebookers Umno. Laman sosial FB menjadi tempat mereka melepaskan geram terhadap seteru politik dalam Umno.

Zaharin begitu berani mengambil risiko menghentam dan mengecam Timbalan Presiden Umno yang juga Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

Muhyiddin digelar sebagai anak paria, penyamun besar dan perosak Umno. Lebih hodoh lagi, Zaharin yang juga Setiausaha Umno Bahagian Bandar Tun Razak mendakwa beliau ada maklumat bahawa Muhyiddin terbabit hendak menjatuhkan Perdana Menteri, Dato' Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak.

Dalam tulisannya di laman FB, Zaharin berkata, beliau akan mendedahkan hal tersebut tidak lama lagi.

Zaharin melepaskan geramnya kepada Muhyiddin dipercayai kerana terdapat usaha TPM selaku Pengerusi Umno untuk meletakkan 'orangnya' menggantikan beliau sebagai Setiausaha Umno Bahagian.

Malah dalam laman FBnya, Zaharin terus menyerang Muhyiddin kerana melantik orang-orang bermasalah dan yang jelas terbabit dalam politik wang seperti Dato' Mokhtar Samad dan Amil Salleh di bahagian tersebut.

Menulis mengenai Zaharin bukan bermakna menyokong beliau. Sebab Zaharin memang jenis out-spoken. Dalam posting beliau selalu menyerang PAS dan Pakatan Rakyat. Timbalan Presiden PAS, Mohamad Sabu dan Ketua Umum KeADILan, Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim sering menjadi 'ulam' beliau.

Saya ketepikan soal serangan Zaharin terhadap Pakatan Rakyat buat seketika. Yang penting sekarang bukan soal Zaharin sebagai penulis dalam blog atau FB. Beliau ada jawatan. Selaku Setiausaha Umno Bahagian dan Setiausaha BN Bahagian, kuasanya agar besar dan berpengaruh. Beliau juga terbabit sebagai AJK Umno Wilayah Persekutuan.

Oleh kerana itu serangan dan kecaman beliau terhadap TPM memang ada weight yang tersendiri. Sebab apa seorang yang berjawatan sanggup menyerang Timbalan Presiden Umno yang juga Pengerusi Umno negeri? Kata-kata yang dihamburkan pula bukannya kritikan biasa.

Gelaran 'anak paria' terhadap Muhyiddin yang berbangsa Melayu dan beragama Islam adalah sedahsyat-dahsyat gelaran. Jika ada kalangan orang India pun tidak setuju jika ungkapan paria digunakan kepada mereka walaupun ia ada dalam kamus mereka, inikan pula orang Melayu-Islam menerima geralan sedemikian.

'Anak paria' yang dikatakan Zaharin bukan sekadar paria, dia adalah penyamun besar, pembela golongan rasuah dan bermasalah dalam Umno. Lebih dahsyat lagi 'anak paria' itu dituduh merancang hendak menjatuhkan PM kesayangan Zaharin.

Sudah tentu serangan Zaharin terhadap Muhyiddin tidak dapat diterima juak-juak Muhyiddin. Melalui blog Cucu Tok Selampit mereka menyerang Zaharin dan menggesa Umno memecatnya.

Zaharin kata blog tersebut sebagai politikus yang tidak bermaruah. Zaharin dituduh menyerang bekas PM, Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi dan kemudian mencium tangan Abdullah selepas mendapat habuan yang dikehendaki. Gambar Zaharin memeluk dan mencium tangan Abdullah juga disiarkan mereka.

Bloger Umno yang marah dengan Zaharin mendakwa beliau menjalankan politik 'peras ugut'. Zaharin didakwa memeras ugut ahli politik (termasuk TPM), kemudian mereka diminta 'menghulurkan habuan' jika serangan terhadap mereka hendak dihentikan.

Bloger Umno yang tidak puashati dengan kecaman Zaharin terhadap Muhyiddin, terus menyerang beliau dan mendakwa Zaharin mempunyai kelaku yang amat buruk. Kata mereka Zaharin tidak layak menjadi ahli Umno kerana banyak komen-komennya merosakkan Umno.

Membaca komen-komen yang diposting mereka naik tergelak dibuatnya. Macamlah mereka yang duduk dalam Umno suci macam Malaikat Jibril.

Saya tidak perlu cenderung untuk membela sesiapa dalam Umno dalam perbalahan ini. Mereka hendak tuduh, hendak kata apa pun kepada seteru mereka, itu urusan mereka. Hanya mereka sahaja yang tahu dan faham perangai orang-orang Umno.

Yang jelas, tujuan saya mengutarakan isu ini, lebih kepada untuk menyedarkan rakyat dan mendedahkan kepada rakyat, bahawa Umno itu memang hodoh dan teruk. Perbalahan dalaman mereka memang teruk dna tidak mampu dibaiki lagi.

Persoalan yang harus dijawab oleh Umno hari ini bukan soal siapa Zaharin, atau apa buruk baik kelakunya. Yang tidak boleh dinafikan orang Umno ialah, didakwa wujudnya satu usaha yang didalangi Timbalan Presiden Umno untuk menjatuhkan Presiden Umno. Itu isu yang sebenarnya.

Yang menuduh atau membangkitkan isu ini bukan orang PAS. Bukan juga orang Pakatan Rakyat. Yang menuduh Muhyiddin hendak menjatuhkan Najib adalah dari kalangan Umno sendiri. Apa yang dibuat Muhyiddin, siapa penyokongnya dan bagaimana cara beliau hendak jatuhkan Najib, kita tunggu pendedahan dari orang Umno seterusnya.

Cuma yang hendak kita katakan kepada orang-orang Umno-BN, kami dari Pakatan Rakyat, sama ada yang meneraju negara itu Najib atau Muhyiddin, tidak penting bagi kami. Asalkan sahaja nama mereka Umno-BN, kami bertekad akan tumbangkan mereka pada PRU yang akan datang. Insya Allah.

Rare Earth Plant in Malaysia May be Closer to Opening

The Lynas Kuantan plant

High Chinese prices, electoral situation, western scarcity of rare metals become factors
(Asia Sentinel) An Australian-owned rare earths processing facility in Malaysia that is reported to be the world’s biggest outside China, which has been delayed by environmentalists and opposition political leaders, may well be gathering enough steam to open by the end of the year, say several sources in Kuala Lumpur.

The plant, to be located near the east coast city of Kuantan, was not expected to open until after snap national elections that some political observers said might be called late this year. It now looks like the elections will be delayed, however, until at least March of next year and possibly into 2013 when the current parliamentary term ends, partly because of infighting within the United Malays National Organization, partly because inflation is rising and because the economic situation in the developed countries could spell trouble for Malaysia’s exports.

Now, although there has been no definite word, the government may give the plant the go-ahead with or without waiting for the elections, the well-placed sources say. The Pahang state seat in which the plant lies is expected to go to the opposition in any case, and the feeling is that with the election that far away, much of the public anger over the opening will have dissipated by the time the polls roll around.

The facility is to be operated by Lynas Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., a subsidiary of the publicly traded Lynas Corp of Australia. It has been in limbo at a time when rare earths are skyrocketing in price. China, which supplies 95 percent of the world’s supply, has cracked down on illegal operators and is attempting to clean up its landscape. That has caused China to cut its exports by 35 percent or more.

The New York Times reported on Sept. 15 that the average price for fluorescent light bulbs in the United States has risen by 37 percent this year because of a shortage of elements such as Yttrium, Europium and Terbium, which are known as phosphors and are refined and processed to produce fluorescent and compact fluorescent bulbs. As rare earths are also used in a wide range of computer, cellphone and tablet products as well as wind turbines and electric motors, the price rises are wreaking financial damage on western companies forced to buy them at China’s price.

Thus the global need for increasingly scarce materials is putting added pressure on Malaysia to open the plant.

Karen Yap, a Kuala Lumpur-based spokeswoman for Lynas, said the Kuantan plant is on track to become operational before the end of the year. However, she said, Lynas will not comment on the political situation surrounding the plant. Environmentalists and Malaysia's opposition parties, particularly the Democratic Action Party, have been warning that the plant has the potential to create serious environmental and public health problems.

Rare earths mining and processing is difficult, expensive and rarely ecologically friendly. It produces enormous quantities of wastewater, requires vast amounts of energy, uses toxic materials in the refining process and can produce radioactive materials with half-lives of hundreds of years. The United States closed its rare earths mining operations in California’s Mojave Desert in the 1990s because of the environmental cost. They are now being reopened.

Malaysia is particularly sensitive to the issue. In the 1980s, Mitsubishi Chemical established a plant in an area called Bukit Merah west of Ipoh. For the last two decades, both Mitsubishi and Malaysia have paid the price in terms of deaths of workers from leukemia and environmental cleanup that so far has cost US$99.2 million and still hasn’t been completed.

That environmental disaster thus laid the foundations for the current opposition to the Kuantan plant – which will only process materials shipped from Australia, not mine them domestically. Lynas Malaysia says it plans to import rare earth ore from Mount Weld in Western Australia, said to be the richest rare earth deposit on the planet, truck the ore to Fremantle, send it by containership to Kuantan, then process it at a RM700 million (US$231.9 million) facility at the Gebing Industrial Estate nearby in Pahang state.

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and other government officials have continued to insist the plant won’t open until all safety and environmental concerns are met.

Despite professions of electoral strength by Barisan Nasional leaders, it is unsure at this point just how strong the government’s position is. The Malaysian Chinese Association, the second-biggest party in the national coalition, is in an absolute shambles because of political infighting and charges of corruption. Despite Najib’s attempts to woo the Chinese back, the widespread feeling in Kuala Lumpur is that the Barisan has lost the Chinese, the country’s second biggest ethnic group, to the opposition Democratic Action Party for the foreseeable future.

Also many urban ethnic Malays are said to have aligned themselves with Parti Keadilan Rakyat, the party headed by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim. A heavy-handed crackdown by authorities on a July rally and march demanding electoral reform is said to have alienated much of the urban public as well.

Thus, Barisan leaders are reluctant to court electoral trouble, especially on the eastern seaboard which is the home of the rural ethnic Malays who make up the backbone of UMNO support. Party leaders believe they must obtain the votes of most of the Malays for the coalition to survive.

As to the plant itself, commissioning is expected to be completed and production is supposed to begin by the end of the year, according to Ms Yap, of Ogilvy public Relations Worldwide, which functions at Lynas’s spokesman. Some regulatory approval is necessary for a pre-operational license. “However, there is a conclusive path following the release of the IAEA independent report and the Malaysian Government's clear announcement of implementing recommendations within the report,” according to a prepared release. “The required plans and an updated Radiation Impact Assessment (RIA) were submitted on 18 July 2011, and Lynas' submission of the Safety Case to the Atomic Energy Licensing board is imminent.”

A pre-operating license typically covers the first two to three years of operation. A full operational license isn’t granted until the plant has been fully operational for some time. Ogilvy called this standard engineering practice.

Apakah kelebihan kepada BN sekiranya Anwar dipenjarakan

Retak mula kelihatan dalam Umno dan Barisan Nasional (BN) sedang pemimpinnya menghadapi tekanan dengan spekulasi pilihan raya umum yang bakal dilangsungkan tidak lama lagi seiring dengan serangan habis-habisan terhadap Anwar Ibrahim yang sedang berlaku kini.

Mereka sedang menucuk-nucuk pemimpin PKR yang berkarisma dan pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat, yang masih lagi dianggap sebagai ancaman utama UMNO dan BN dalam pilihan raya akan datang, justeru mereka ingin melihat golongan ini dikeluarkan dari persada politik negara dengan apa jua kos.

Kebimbangan mereka dilihat berasas memandangkan kedudukan Anwar dalam Pakatan masih kukuh dan tidak goyah dalam gabungan pembangkang itu sekalipun pelbagai ujian dan seksaan keatasnya, terutamanya perbicaraan kes liwat yang terpaksa dihadapi oleh ahli politik yang berusia 64-tahun itu.

Dengan perbicaraan yang hampir sampai ke penutup, pengkritik beliau semakin lantang menuduh bahawa beliau bersalah. Sudah ada beberapa orang ahli parlimen dan bekas pembantu Anwar yang menawarkan diri untuk menjadi saksi-saksi pendakwaan dalam perbicaraan kes liwat beliau. Ini berikutan kejayaan pasukan pembelaan Anwar memanggil 15 orang, termasuk Perdana Menteri dan isterinya, sebagai saksi dalam perbicaraan itu.

Mereka ini dengan agenda politik tersendiri, mengasah pisau mereka untuk saling mengalahkan antara satu sama lain dalam menilai watak Anwar dan kredibiliti beliau dalam apa yang para penganalisis sifatkan sebagai tindakan terdesak dalam konspirasi politik yang dilancarkan terhadap pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat itu .

Pendedahan daripada perbicaraan

Musuh politik Anwar, bagaimanapun, nampaknya telah terperangkap dengan keterangan dalam perbicaraan kes liwat terutamanya bukti DNA yang meragukan dalam usaha pihak pendakwaan melumpuhkan
pemimpin PKR itu. Pasukan pendakwaan yakin strateginya mereka berjaya selepas enggan mendedahkan bahan-bahan yang dianggap oleh pasukan pembelaan Anwar sebagai penting untuk pembelaan. Ini termasuk senarai saksi, nota klinikal doktor dari Hospital Kuala Lumpur, kenyataan saksi dan sampel forensik untuk pemeriksaan dan pengesahan secara bebas.

Sampel DNA tersebut telah memihak kepada Anwar. Pakar perunding molekul genetik Dr Brian Leslie McDonald memberitahu Mahkamah Tinggi Kuala Lumpur bahawa sampel yang diambil daripada Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan berkemungkinan telah tercemar sebelum dihantar untuk analisis.

Beliau menyuarakan secara terang-terangan kesalahan dalam tatacara dalam mendapatkan swab dan ketidaksamaan cara ahli kimia kerajaan Dr Seah Lay Hong dalam penlabelan dua botol yang mengandungi swab yang diambil dari Saiful untuk analisis DNA. Dr McDonald mengatakan bahawa bukanlah satu pilihan untuk ahli sains membuat anggapan terhadap tarikh, sambil menambah ia "suatu kesalahan yang boleh menyebabkan pemecatan".

Seorang lagi saksi, Profesor Madya Dr David Lawrence Noel Well, memberi keterangan bahawa adalah jarang untuk mendapatkan sampel sperma pada swab dubur yang diambil 65 jam selepas hubungan seks. Pakar forensik Australia, ketua Perubatan Forensik di Institut Perubatan Forensik Victoria berkata bahawa dalam pengalaman beliau, sangat rendah kebarangkalian untuk mendapatkan hasil yang positif jika spesimen itu diambil selepas 65 jam.

Dengan percubaan yang menemui kegagalan serta tidak mengikut skrip Barisan Nasional, kongcu-kongcu Umno melakukan serangan terhadap Anwar dan Pakatan tanpa henti melalui media-dikawal BN dengan memutarkan propaganda sebagai samaran kepada kegagalan kepimpinan mereka.

Dilema pemimpin-pemimpin Umno

Walau bagaimanapun, serangan tidak berhenti-henti telah menimbulkan persoalan di kalangan sesetengah orang BN jika kepimpinan Umno telah kehabisan idea dalam merangka pelan untuk pilihan raya umum ke-13 yang semakin hampir. Beberapa orang telah secara terbuka menyatakan kekecewaan terhadap Umno yang dikatakan mempunyai agenda yang salah dengan memberi tumpuan kepada kempen menyerang Anwar semata-mata dan membuang masa.

Ada juga yang membuat spekulasi bahawa ini adalah helah pemimpin-pemimpin Umno untuk menghilangkan semangat dan memusnahkan PKR yang mempunyai ramai ahli yang merupakan bekas ahli UMNO. Mereka merasakan serangan Umno terhadap Anwar akan menghilangkan semangat ahli-ahli PKR seraya berpatah balik kepada Umno. Strategi ini tidak dikongsi oleh parti komponen BN lain yang merasakan bahawa perkara-perkara yang lebih penting, terutamanya berkaitan ekonomi dan isu-isu utama lain telah dikompromikan dalam usaha Umno untuk menghapuskan Anwar dan parti PKR beliau.

Penganalisis melihat kepimpinan Umno yang sering menghentam Anwar sebagai manifestasi persaingan peribadi antara Perdana Menteri dan Ketua Pembangkang itu, yang pernah bersama-sama melalui zaman mereka dalam Umno dan Kabinet BN persekutuan. Najib menyedari potensi Anwar untuk merangsang akar umbi dalam PKR dan Pakatan, dan merasakan bahawa Anwar akan kekal menjadi ancaman utama kerana sifat berkarismatik beliau bukan sahaja untuk BN pada pilihan raya akan datang tetapi juga sebagai seorang pemimpin Melayu.

Mereka berkata langkah oleh pasukan pembelaan Anwar membuat permohonan sepina ke atas Najib dan isterinya Rosmah Mansor untuk memberi keterangan dalam perbicaraan kes liwat telah benar-benar mencabar Presiden Umno itu dan beliau akan lakukan apa sahaja untuk menyekat apa-apa pengaruh politik. Orang dalaman Umno berkata, terdapat kebimbangan dikalangan peringkat tertinggi parti dan berkemungkinan perbicaraan terhadap Najib akan memberi kesan negatif kepada calon-calon mereka pada pilihan raya akan datang.

Orang dalaman Umno juga berkata bahawa obsesi Najib terhadap Anwar menyebabkan mereka-mereka yang lain dalam BN kecewa kerana mereka lebih ingin melihat beliau fokus kepada isu-isu yang lebih penting dalam ekonomi seperti pengangguran,inflasi, kenaikan harga, penghijrahan professional keluar negara, rasuah besar-besaran dan dasar kerajaan yang dianggap tidak adil.

BN menghadapi prospek yang samar

Terdapat spekulasi bahawa prospek BN pada pilihan raya umum akan datang semakin malap dari hari ke hari dengan percanggahan dalaman parti dalam menangani isu-isu yang dihadapi negara. Ramai merasakan bahawa 'tsunami politik' boleh berlaku dan mengakhiri zaman BN dan pemimpin-pemimpin Umno.

Sesetengah pemimpin Umno berani memberitahu Najib untuk menimbang semula strategi beliau terhadap Anwar, yang masih dilihat sebagai gam yang mengikat Pakatan Rakyat dan satu-satunya pemimpin Melayu yang boleh dipercayai; masih berprinsip dan berintegriti terutamanya dengan kekurangan pemikir dalam Umno. Prospek Anwar dipenjarakan dalam perbicaraan kes liwat boleh mencetuskan tindak balas yang lebih besar bukan sahaja dalam Umno tetapi BN secara keseluruhannya. Mereka telah secara terbuka mempertikaikan prospek memenjarakan Anwar yang dilihat boleh mencetuskan rasa marah rakyat seperti episod 'Mata hitam Anwar' terutamanya di kalangan belia justeru memusnahkan prospek politik BN.

Perkembangan politik di negara ini telah memerangkap BN dan pemimpin Umno dalam arus kegelinciran dan kredibiliti Najib dan Umno semakin menipis selepas perhimpunan Bersih baru-baru ini dan episod pertikaian jajahan Inggeris terhadap Tanah Melayu yang telah meninggalkan ramai tertanya-tanya jika kepimpinan BN akan lumpuh dalam pilihan raya umum akan datang.

Selepas kesilapan dalam menangani Bersih, Najib akhirnya bersetuju dengan beberapa tuntutan mereka dan juga bersetuju untuk menubuhkan sebuah jawatankuasa parlimen untuk mengkaji reformasi pilihan raya. Ada dikalangan pemimpin parti komponen BN merasakan bahawa Najib telah menjejaskan BN kerana terlalu mengikut telunjuk Umno apabila gagal untuk menangani Bersih dengan betul. Ia rata-rata dianggap sebagai kesilapan besar oleh pengkritik Perdana Menteri dan menghantar isyarat yang salah kepada rakyat.

Pemerhati politik merasakan bahawa Najib boleh menghadapi kegagalan besar dalam politik sekiranya Anwar didapati bersalah dalam kes liwat dan dipenjarakan. Penahanan pemimpin Pakatan itu akan dilihat oleh rakyat sebagai helah kotor dalam kempen memburuk-burukkan BN dan ini dan boleh diterjemahkan kepada kehilangan undi untuk UMNO dan BN. Ia juga boleh bertukar sebagai simpati yang meningkat untuk Anwar. Akibatnya mereka akan melangkaui politik perkauman dan berharap agar pemimpin-pemimpin Pakatan akan bisa menyematkan harapan mereka untuk tsunami politik yang akan datang.

Fokus pada perbicaraan

Semua mata sekarang fokus kepada perbicaraan kes liwat Anwar dan bagaimana ia akan dimainkan. Ini mendorong beberapa pemimpin Umno untuk memberi tekanan kepada Najib untuk mengadakan pilihan raya yang awal untuk membendung kejatuhan, sementara itu, yang lain lebih suka Anwar berada dalam penjara dan apa yang mereka harapkan adalah supaya merka dapat merompak Pakatan daripada pemimpin yang boleh membawa mereka kepada kemenangan.

Penganalisis politik berkata Najib kini condong memihak kepada senario ke dua kerana ini akan memberikan dia masa untuk menguasai semula parti dan secepat mungkin melakukan reformasi dalam pilihan raya, dalam bentuk apa sahaja, untuk mengelakkan sebarang tindak balas atau tuntutan kempen kotor. Lebih penting lagi, dengan prospek ekonomi global yang menurun, Perdana Menteri ingin melihat hasil awal daripada program transformasi kerajaan yang beliau rencanakan. Ada juga yang melihat keadaan ekonomi memainkan peranan penting dalam apa-apa keputusan Perdana Menteri dalam menetapkan tarikh untuk pilihan raya umum ke-13.

Walau bagaimanapun, nasib Anwar dikaitkan dengan Najib. dengan mempercepatkan pilihan raya umum sebelum perbicaraan Anwar berakhir menunjukkan kepada pengkritik Najib bahawa Perdana Menteri sedang panik dan cuba untuk memulihkan apa-apa kerosakan dari segi politik hasil daripada perbicaraan itu. Senario alternatif adalah lebih menakutkan kerana memenjarakan Anwar boleh menimbulkan bantahan keras di dalam dan diluar negara, malah BN dan Umno mungkin tidak akan dapat pulih sebelum pilihan raya umum ke-13 walaupun sehingga berakhirnya mandat kerajaan pada tahun 2013.

Ramai melihat kes liwat Anwar sebagai tidak adil dan caj yang dibuat terhadap bekas timbalan perdana menteri itu yang satu masa dahulu merupakan bintang Umno saja-saja direka dan merupakan kezaliman terhadap pemimpin Pakatan itu. Dia dan isterinya, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, masih merupakan orang-orang yang berpengaruh dalam Pakatan walaupun pelbagai cabaran yang dihadapi mereka. Malah kehadiran mereka di perhimpunan PKR dan Pakatan boleh menguja orang ramai dan pengaruh mereka ke atas angin perubahan politik mungkin tidak terukur dalam bulan-bulan yang akan datang.

Terdapat juga badai yang melanda parti-parti komponen BN dan seruan kepada pemimpin-pemimpin Umno untuk "mengeluarkan kepala mereka dari pasir" dan menangani cabaran-cabaran yang melanda negara. Ini juga boleh memaksa Najib untuk menetapkan tarikh bagi pilihan raya . Beberapa pemimpin komponen BN juga sedang berkira untuk menarik diri daripada pakatan itu untuk menyelamatkan diri mereka daripada kejatuhan yang mereka semakin rasakan. Setakat ini Perdana Menteri masih dapat memegang pengaruh terhadap mereka dan menghapuskan keretakan yang perlahan-lahan muncul.

Retak tersebut boleh membesar dan tidak dapat diperbaiki lagi jika PKR dan Pakatan berjaya meraih simpati walau apa jua hasil perbicaraannya Anwar itu nanti.

- Malaysia Chronicle

Branding guru calls Najib’s PR efforts an ‘absolute scam’

Anholt, courtesy of www.simonanholt.com

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 21 — The creator of the nation branding concept has called the prime minister’s use of British publicity firm FBC Media to burnish Malaysia’s image abroad an “absolute scam” and a waste of public funds.

Simon Anholt, who pioneered the use of nation branding as a way to measure, build and manage a country’s reputation, said that while public relations was needed in the private sector, it was “highly suspect” that a country could up its standing using the same means.

“There’s a great deal of evidence around us to show what a waste of taxpayers’ money this is,” he told BFM Radio in a phone interview this morning.

“First of all, the countries that tend to spend most money on these PR campaigns to fix their image tend to be the rogue nations.

“If you look at the countries that have spent the most money on ambitious PR campaigns, they’re the places that are most despised and it hasn’t done anything to fix their image at all.”

Anholt pointed out that media studies has known for decades that the media cannot change people’s perception of a country from worse to better or vice versa but could only raise the profile of its existing image.

For this reason, he said “the last thing” a country with a bad image should do is engage in public relations as increased media coverage would only remind the rest of the world what a “problematic” country or government it was.

“So I’m afraid I think the whole thing is an absolute scam and a shocking and indefensible waste of taxpayers’ money,” he said.

Anholt stressed that governments needed to understand that when they engaged in foreign policy, economic development or international relations, they risked damaging the reputation of their country, which was worth “much, much, much more” than all other tangible assets combined.

It was the “sacred responsibility” of governments today to ensure their country’s good name was preserved and handed down in the same condition, if not better, he said.

Anholt added that countries could only make themselves more relevant to the rest of the world by becoming more useful, and suggested Malaysia tackle shared global issues like climate change, women’s rights, terrorism and financial instability to improve its reputation.

“And then I absolutely guarantee that if you do that and you do it well and you do it consistently over a number of years... you will find that you will become a much more widely recognised and more widely appreciated country,” he said.

“That’s how reputation is earned. I’m afraid there aren’t any shortcuts to it.”

Last month, Putrajaya was forced to end its contract with FBC Media after an embarrassing exposé revealed that Malaysian leaders routinely appeared in paid-for interviews on global television programmes.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has since engaged the services of a new group of political strategists — including members of the team behind Tony Blair’s “New Labour” — to reinvent the first-term premier as a moderate reformist in preparation for possible snap polls next year.

Najib’s new team of advisers is just the latest in his administration’s penchant for foreign public relations firms.

APCO’s time in Malaysia was marked by controversy after the opposition alleged the public relations firm was linked to Israel.

Najib And Wife File Application To Set Aside Subpoenas As Anwar's Witnesses

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 21 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Wednesday filed the application to set aside subpoenas asking them to be defence witnesses in Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's ongoing sodomy trial.

They filed the application at the High Court Criminal Registrar at 3.30pm through Hiysam Teh Poh Teik & Company.

The couple who were the applicants in the application named Anwar and the public prosecutor as the respondents.

They were represented by lawyers Datuk Salehuddin Saidin, Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, M.Athimulan and Datuk Ghazi Ishak.

Salehuddin told reporters that their team had filed the application on behalf of Najib and Rosmah.

However, he declined to give the grounds for the application, saying the court had not yet made a sealed copy of the application.

"At the moment, we are waiting for the sealed copy from the court," he said.

Salehuddin also said that the parties would meet High Court Judge Datuk Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah, the presiding judge of the trial, tomorrow to set a hearing date.

He said Najib and Rosmah had received the subpoenas Tuesday.

On Aug 8, Justice Mohamad Zabidin had granted Anwar's application to interview witnesses offered by the prosecution, including Najib and Rosmah. At the close of its case, the prosecution offered 71 witnesses, including Najib and Rosmah to be defence witnesses.

On Aug 12, Najib and Rosmah were present at the Jalan Duta Court Complex for the interview.

In the first sodomy case in 1998, then prime minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad (now Tun) who was subpoenaed, had applied to set it aside and the court granted his application.

On May 16, Justice Mohamad Zabidin ordered Anwar to enter his defence after ruling that the latter's former aide, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, the complainant in the case, was a truthful and credible witness.

Anwar, 64, pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court on Aug 7, 2008, to committing carnal intercourse against the order of nature at the Desa Damansara Condominium in Bukit Damansara between 3.10 pm and 4.30 pm on June 26, the same year.

At Wednesday's proceedings, Australian DNA expert Dr Brian McDonald who was cross-examined on the second day by Solicitor-General II Datuk Mohamed Yusof Zainal Abiden, told the High Court that he just supervised lab personnel conducting a DEP test and he never did it on his own.

Questioned by Mohamed Yusof on the DEP test, a procedure to separate normal and sperm cells from a sample, Dr McDonald said he could not recall ever conducting the DEP but added that he might have supervised several cases before.

Dr McDonald said Dr Seah Lay Hong had wrongly concluded that the "Male Y" DNA samples were from sperm cells, calling what she had done mere "guesswork".

He said since Dr Seah did not use a slide to confirm and check through a microscope, if a sample was "cleaned" of normal cells, and was purely of sperm cells, then it was even possible to say complainant Mohd Saiful's sperm was in his own anus.

Mohamed Yusof: You talked quite extensively on differential extraction. You touched on the procedure involved...have you done it yourself?

Dr McDonald: Not that I can remember.

Mohamed Yusof: So when you told the court about the procedure, you did not base it on your experience?

Dr McDonald: I've conducted it but not on a frequent daily basis. I did not do it personally but I supervised the people who did the DEP.

When asked again, Dr McDonald maintained his evidence earlier that Dr Seah's procedure was flawed.

Mohamed Yusof pointed to an article which indicated that using a slide to confirm that the separated sample contained purely sperm cells was not a "must" to which Dr McDonald agreed.

However, he reiterated that it was important in this case as one needed to be sure that "Male Y" came from sperm cells.

On the issue of degradation of the samples, Dr McDonald disagreed that he had testified that Dr Seah had stated no degradation on all the samples examined by the chemists.

"I didn't say that. Degradation deferred from the samples collected from the anus and the pants of the complainant," clarified Dr McDonald.

He also admitted that it was a difficult task to separate the sperm and non-sperm extractions. The trial before Justice Mohamed Zabidin continues Thursday.

Malaya bleeding us dry

Putrajaya's version of history has contaminated the minds of children and stripped Sabahans of their dignity, says economist and author Zainal Ajamain.
COMMENT

By Zainal Ajamain

These words “we demand autonomy or Sabah Negeri, Merdeka” must be on the lips and hearts of all true leaders in Sabah.

On both sides of Sabah’s political divide, our leaders have long been incapacitated by their fear of their perceived Malaya masters.

They will not speak out against the daily injustices towards fellow Sabahans. And even when they do speak up it is just passive shouting – a token resistance, just to show they are saying something.

It is like a dog that is supposed to guard a house against a thief – while it barks it retreats to the back, easily allowing the thief into the house and all its belongings.

But now, for many of us, an awakening has come. We have been stirred from our slumber and now find ourselves thrust into a new political era .
We now must accept the challenge that we each have to safeguard our Sabah.

Lightning pace of greed

For too long our political play has been about, rampantly and blatantly, using money to buy votes.

The traditional concept of ideals and the meaningful struggle to live and respect those ideals are being replaced by self-interest and greed. These values are being replaced at a lightning speed.

Sabah cannot keep pace with the speed of this greed and that is why we now find our beautiful state dangerously set on the path to self-destruction.

Therefore, we insist that this most indecent form of politics be arrested and changed not only for our own respectability now, but so that our children and their successors will forever be known as honourable people.

As the last general election indicated, both the incumbent government and opposition need to win the hearts and minds of the people of Sabah in order to have the right to govern the state.

Political parties must stop the practice of buying the people’s hearts and minds with handouts and minor projects while continuing to keep promises unfulfilled and leaving a string of broken dreams.

The hopelessness all true Sabahans feel because their votes are invalidated by “imported” voters must end and we believe there are among us persons who can bring back hope and integrity.

Clean and just elections

We ask, now with a louder and stronger voice, that elections in Malaysia be clean and just.

This way the losers can accept, without question, the true will of the people and may the winner be humble in victory and rise immediately to the challenge of fulfilling your election manifesto.

If Malaya (Peninsular Malaysia) cannot give in to this fair and reasonable demand, then we should have autonomy, independence within Malaysia. We are not asking for a permanent separation – yet.

However, if these demands continuously fall on deaf ears and are met with disdain from the present leadership, it gives Sabahans no other alternative but to initiate efforts to gain its own sovereignty according to the terms agreed in 1963.

The leaders in Malaya must make their choice now, before the 13th general election.

After the election, the choice is no more in the hands of the leaders but in the hands of the people.

The ultimate losers at the end of this protracted battle will not be the Sabahans but Malaya, because Malaya has too little resource to sustain its growing population – ironically, a population growth engineered to sustain its own political survival.

Malaya took away our birth right

We cannot see any reason why Sabah needs to concede her rights to Putrajaya any longer.

How much more does Malaya need to bleed from us? They have taken our petroleum and gas. They have taken our land – our birthright.

They have imposed upon us a higher cost of living by choking our commerce, trade and industries with their carbotage policy.

Malaya is bleeding us dry!

Now, most recently splashed in headlines all over our local and national newspapers, they also twist and distort our history.

All these years, history has been written for their own glorification and to reinforce their supremacy over the people in Sabah and Sarawak. They have contaminated the minds of our children.

The indoctrination must stop now! We want history written as it happened and not how Putrajaya wants it to be.

We want Sabah back

We want a balanced economy. We want an equitable and an honest distribution of wealth.

If they do not change their current lopsided policies, then we want self-determination.

Malaya can keep their history, they can keep on mismanaging the economy and piling public debts and they can keep their societies polarised to serve their political ends. We want Sabah back.

We Sabahans are educated, better suited to and more than capable of looking after our own affairs and we shall not be belittled.

Kuala Lumpur has been saying that Sabahans cannot govern the state effectively. That statement truly borders on insult.

Worst still is the present state government’s implicit agreement that we really cannot do anything for ourselves as it refers and defers to Putrajaya.

No compromise on education

But in all honesty, this is more about control than ability. The minister in Sabah responsible for education freely admits that he has no power over education. The director of education is but a rubber stamp.

Everything must be referred to Putrajaya.

The federal-state relationship that we see today is against all that is agreed upon and promised in the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

Is it wrong then that we demand our education system back?

Since 1975, for the sake of nation-building, we have put up with the national curriculum and in the process we have sacrificed 36 years of real progress.

Our tolerance over the last 36 years for “The Malaysia Education System” has cost Sabah three generations of global competitiveness.

No more shall we in Sabah make sacrifices in the name of nation-building at the expense of our children.

There is no bright and illustrious future for us with the present Malaysian education system. Where education is concerned, we must be free to chart our own destiny.

We cannot compromise on this issue.

Sabah’s dignity

As a democracy, we accept anyone who comes to Sabah to set up and expand their political party.

However, there is an important criterion – the state anthem “Sabah Tanah Airku” must be respected by all political parties in Sabah.

For every political party, this is a measure of your sincerity towards the people of Sabah; that you are here not just for your own political gain but that you are here to work with the people to make Sabah the best she can be in every way.

Yes, this is our demand and this is only one of the many criteria for being in Sabah.

“Sabah Tanah Airku” encapsulates what it means to be a Sabahan.

Our founding fathers chose the state anthem because it carried a message and they had every intention for that message to be the doctrine by which we live.

“Merdeka Sepanjang Masa” and “Sabah, Negeri Merdeka” – this is what we are.

We are independent and we shall always be.

Zainal Ajamain is an economist and co-founder of Sabah-based United Borneo Front.

WIKILEAKS: 2006 UMNO GENERAL ASSEMBLY: ABDULLAH OVER MAHATHIR

In what one prominent newspaper editor privately called "the beginning of his own cult of personality," Abdullah orchestrated his entrance into the grand assembly hall as a prophet coming to address his people. As Abdullah entered the hall, the audience began singing a well-known Muslim hymn commemorating the Prophet Mohammed's entrance into Medina. Privately, local journalists and some Middle-eastern diplomats were astonished and somewhat offended that Abdullah would equate himself with the Prophet, though newspapers failed to report his entrance procession.
THE CORRIDORS OF POWER
Raja Petra Kamarudin


1.  (C) Summary:  The United Malays National Organization's (UMNO) General Assembly marked Prime Minister's Abdullah consolidation of power within UMNO and the clear political defeat of his predecessor Mahathir Mohamad after months of public attacks by Mahathir.  Mahathir did not attend the assembly due to timely health reasons, but he remained the elephant in the room that everyone knew was there but no one wanted to mention. 
A week prior to the assembly, Mahathir suffered from a "minor heart attack" and later refused to see a visiting Abdullah.  Prior to the assembly, Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi declared he would not be a one-term prime minister and threatened the party leadership not to take him for granted. 
A local editor claimed Abdullah is trying to build a new cult of personality, as Abdullah evoked comparisons to himself and the Prophet Mohammed.  Mukhriz Mahathir assumed his father's role as Abdullah's chief critic at the assembly, but faced a political backlash for his disloyalty to the party leader.  This is the first in a series of reports covering the 57th UMNO General Assembly which was held in Kuala Lumpur, November 13-17.  End Summary.
Mahathir avoids the dance
2.  (C) Less than a week before the convocation of the UMNO General Assembly, former prime minister Mahathir Mohamed admitted himself to the National Heart Institute with complaints of chest pains.  Deemed to have suffered from a "minor heart attack", Mahathir remained hospitalized until November 14, one day prior to Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi's opening of the 2006 UMNO General Assembly.
Conveniently, Mahathir's health provided an excellent excuse not to attend the assembly and face a possibly hostile reception with little or no opportunity to present his own criticism of Abdullah.  Given Abdullah's control over the party and its rules of order, the Prime Minister was certain to use the the assembly to reaffirm his position of leadership. 
Mahathir's loss as a party delegate in his long-time constituency of Kubang Paso in September (ref A), in the face of strong machine politics, was evidence enough that he no longer controlled the party he once led for 22 years.
3.  (SBU) A survivor of heart bypass surgery in 1989, Mahathir's "faulty ticker" created an unassailable and face-saving excuse not to attend the assembly he fought so hard to crash.  However, his hospitalization did not bring any semblance of death-bed forgiveness or reconciliation.
The day after his admission to the hospital, Abdullah paid a visit to the hospital to greet his predecessor, only to be shooed away by doctors and advised that Mahathir could not see Abdullah as he was sleeping and was not able to have visitors.  Mahathir was not going to attend the assembly, but he was not about to reconcile his differences with Abdullah either.
"I am not a one-term prime minister"
4.  (SBU) In the run-up to the assembly, Abdullah gave an exclusive interview to an UMNO-linked newspaper, Utusan Malaysia, which headlined Abdullah's declaration: "I am not a one-term prime minister." 
Dispelling rumors that he would not seek a second term, or conjecture that Mahathir's attacks had weakened his resolve, Abdullah went on to say, "I will not run away.  I am here to stay.  I have long term plans and I will ensure that these plans are implemented."  Abdullah acknowledged that Mahathir's attacks were "no longer about the bridge or his other projects.  He has begun a total fight against me and the government." 
In a closed door meeting with party leaders the following day, Abdullah advised party officials that it was becoming increasingly difficult to be nice, but warned that he could certainly be otherwise if pushed too far. As one attendee remarked, "Abdullah's main message was 'don't take me for granted.' He showed us he was firmly in control."
Najib sets the tone for the assembly
5.  (U) Opening the early sessions of the General Assembly for UMNO Wanita (Women), Puteri (Young Women) and Pemuda (Youth), Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy President of UMNO, Najib Tun Razak, declared the policy that would preside throughout the entire assembly: "The tradition in UMNO has been the complete loyalty to our leaders.  We must be united behind Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, our party President and Prime Minister." 
Najib praised Malaysia's past leaders, but warned "there is great apprehension when the leaders we cherish begin to squabble.  And the worry increases when the opposition tries to take advantage. . .Quarrels will only lead to disunity."  While never mentioning Mahathir by name, Najib made it clear that past leaders would always be honored and revered, but "disunity" would not be tolerated.  Four days later his closing remarks Najib reiterated the party's undivided support for Abdullah in a traditional Malay poem: ". . .This is Pak Lah's era . . .our country he has changed; our religion he has honored, our race he has defended. . .We give him our support. . .in the name of religion, race and country."
Building a cult of personality
6.  (C) In what one prominent newspaper editor privately called "the beginning of his own cult of personality," Abdullah orchestrated his entrance into the grand assembly hall as a prophet coming to address his people.  As Abdullah entered the hall, the audience began singing a well-known Muslim hymn commemorating the Prophet Mohammed's entrance into Medina. 
Privately, local journalists and some Middle-eastern diplomats were astonished and somewhat offended that Abdullah would equate himself with the Prophet, though newspapers failed to report his entrance procession.
7.  (C) Equally telling were the verses Abdullah had recited from the Holy Quran before delivering his key-note address. The readings were from Surah 49. Al-Hujurat, verses 6 - 13, and carried a clear message that  UMNO attendees should reject Mahathir and embrace Abdullah. 
"O you who believe! If an evil person comes to you with any news, verify it, lest you should harm people in ignorance. . . And if two parties among the believers fall to fighting, then make peace between them both.  But if one of the outrages against the other, then fight you all against the one which outrages till it complies with the command of Allah. . .Let not a group scoff an another group, it may be that the latter are better than the former. . .Nor defame one another, nor insult one another by nicknames.  How bad is it to insult one's brother after having faith.  And whosoever does not repent, then such are indeed the wrong-doers." 
The readings from the Holy Quran lasted nearly 20 minutes, and it was commonly heard uttered among visitors and the media that not even PAS (Malaysia's conservative Islamic opposition party) read that many verses at their annual meeting or dared compare their leader with the Prophet.
Abdullah wishes Mahathir a speedy recovery
8. (SBU)  The subtle use of the Quranic verses aside, press reports all applauded Abdullah for "avoiding any mention" of Mahathir.  Many had expected Abdullah to launch a few veiled salvos at Mahathir, but what they heard were the soft words of their Prime Minister urging the attendees to "pray to the Almighty so that Tun Dr. Mahathir has a speedy recovery.  Let us also pray that Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah (Mahathir's wife) and members of her family be given the strength and patience to see through this difficult period."
The son carries on the fight
9. (C)  Just the day before Abdullah's speech, Mahathir had received a long ovation from the UMNO Youth delegates when it was mentioned he had that day returned home from the hospital.  Moreover, Mahathir's absence did not ensure the assembly avoided the fracas he had long ago begun.  Standing in as his father's proxy, Mukhriz Mahathir was quick to criticize Abdullah's performance. 
Echoing what many others mumbled but no others dared utter, Mukhriz called Abdullah's key-note address disappointing.  "I think it's an address he delivered last year.  I was hoping for something new. Perhaps he has other ideas,"  Mukhriz told reporters.
(Abdullah's keynote speech will be reported septel.)
10.  (C) Mukhriz's comments brought quick rebukes from UMNO Youth President Hishamuddin Tun Hussein and threats that Mukhriz risked being expelled from the UMNO Youth Executive Committee.  However, no one took the threats seriously, and many continue to speculate that the 42 year old Mukhriz will run for one of the 25 positions on the UMNO Executive Committee during the next election cycle, guaranteeing his name will remain in the lime-light, and ensuring his father's issues with Abdullah do not merely fade away.
Comment
11.  (C) The UMNO General Assembly demonstrated Abdullah's consolidation of his party power base and signified defeat for Mahathir's attempt to bring Abdullah's leadership to an early end.  Abdullah made it clear that pretenders would not be welcome if they tried to unseat him before he was ready to step down, and DPM Najib responded dutifully as the head cheerleader.  Mahathir's absence from the assembly was convenient, if not well planned, and prevented any rumors or threats of a division within Malaysia's dominant political party.  Mahathir's criticisms of the current administration will not quickly fade away, and will still attract tremendous interest from the public at large, but it is apparent they will have less traction after Abdullah's successful defense and consolidation of his own authority as leader of Malaysia's dominant political party.
LAFLEUR (November 2006)

‘Police abuse’ victims sue cops

The two claim to have been beaten with rubber hoses and that the cops poured hot water on their bodies.

KUALA LUMPUR: Two alleged police abuse victims filed a civil suit against seven police officers whom the duo accused of torturing them while in custody in 2008.

Also named in the suit were Brickfields police chief Wan Abdul Bari Wan Abdul Khalid and the Malaysian government.

In their suit, V Prabakar and C Solomon Raj demanded the officers pay for general, aggravated, exemplary and punitive damages plus costs.

The two claimed that they were beaten with rubber hoses and forced to confess to crimes they did not commit. They also alleged that the police poured hot water on their bodies.

While two of the officers were ordered by the court to enter their defence, the rest were cleared by police investigation.

read more

DAP distances itself from Manoharan’s statement

The party's disciplinary committee also shows no signs of taking action against Manoharan as yet.

PETALING JAYA: DAP has appeared to distance itself from a controversial statement by Kota Alam Shah assemblyman, M Manoharan, on the national flag by emphasising that it didn’t represent the party.

Last Thursday Manoharan wrote on his Facebook that the Jalur Gemilang should be modified as its current design resembled Barisan Nasional’s flag and didn’t reflect Malaysia.

In the wake of the uproar that followed, he apologised, removed the posting and clarified that the opinion was his alone and had nothing to do with Pakatan Rakyat.

But the criticism hasn’t abated with MCA Youth yesterday slamming DAP for its silence and challenging the party to take disciplinary action against Manoharan.

This morning’s Twitter feed was also peppered with BN MPs and supporters commenting on DAP’s “deafening silence” and questioning whether the party actually supported his statement.

“I absolutely disagree with him and my party feels the same way,” DAP Disciplinary Committee (DC) chairman, Tan Kok Wai, told FMT today. “DAP has always been a patriotic party and in that regard it is second to none.”

He however stopped short of saying whether any action would be taken against Manoharan and instead pointed out that Manoharan had already realised his mistake and had made an effort to rectify it.

When pressed on how seriously this issue was being viewed within the party, Tan said that the DC would be holding its routine meeting this Friday and the issue would be discussed.

“Several Selangor leaders have voiced their opinions on the matter but the DC hasn’t received any formal complaints so far,” he added. “It also isn’t true that the party has been silent over the issue as the media has run many reactions from our leaders.”

At this stage it is likely that Manoharan will only receive a warning which will aggravate certain quarters who are demanding a harsher punishment.

Tan also expressed confidence that Manoharan’s statement would not have any bearing on the party’s image as DAP has already secured its position among the people as a patriotic party.

“It isn’t possible for his statement to do any damage to the party image,” he said. “People already know DAP’s stand and the party has never insulted the Jalur Gemilang.”

Najib must retract his “crushed bodies, lives lost” speech and declare that he will accept the general election verdict of the people, including a change of government in Sri Perdana Putrajaya

On Sunday the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak claimed that his Malaysia Day speech announcement of the repeal of the Internal Security Act and other law reforms was an effort to make Malaysia “the best democracy in the world”.

Within 48 hours however Najib demonstrated that he has neither the political commitment nor the necessary mindset to “walk the talk” of making Malaysia “the best democracy in the world” when he spoke to the Association of Former Members of the Social Welfare Department (PBAKM) calling for assistance to defend Putrajaya by declaring that Seri Perdana is the residence of UMNO and a BN Prime Minister.

Najib cannot be more wrong as Sri Perdana is not the private property of UMNO and Barisan Nasional but the public property of the people of Malaysia, regardless of the outcome of any general election.

No Prime Minister can be serious in wanting make Malaysia “the best democracy in the world” when he refuses to accept the verdict of the people in a general election and uphold the important distinctions among public, party and personal spheres of responsibility, which is the root cause of the rampant corruption, abuse of power and flawed democracy in the country.

Malaysians are reminded of Najib’s deplorable speech at the UMNO General Assembly last year when he used the language of “crushed bodies, lives lost” for Umno to defend power at any cost in Putrajaya.

As Najib is now talking about wanting to make Malaysia the “best democracy in the world”, the first thing he should do to demonstrate his sincerity and credibility by retracting his “crushed bodies, lives lost” declaration to the UMNO General Assembly last year and make a firm public commitment that he, UMNO and Barisan Nasional will accept the verdict of the people, including for a change of government in Sri Perdana, Putrajaya in the next general election.

If Najib is not prepared to make such a retraction and publicly declare acceptance of the general election verdict of the people, the sincerity and credibility of his claim of wanting to make Malaysia “the best democracy in the world” stands immediately exposed as an empty and meaningless stance.

Changes in the nation’s horizon

The Star
Reflecting On The Law By Shad Saleem Faruqi

Whether by revocation by the King or annulment by Parliament, all emergency legislations will cease to exist six months after the end of an emergency proclamation.

THE Prime Minister’s surprise announcement that the Emergency will be lifted, that the Internal Security Act will be repealed, and that laws like the Printing Presses and Publications Act will be amended to constitutionalise and humanise them has fired everybody’s imagination, and at the same time raised apprehension among the defenders of the status quo.

One reader asked whether the Prime Minister consulted with, and obtained, the consent of the Cabinet before making these bold pronouncements.

No outsider can answer this accurately, but what can be pointed out is that in parliamentary democracies, prime ministers are known to launch bold initiatives on their own and to present their Cabinets and their countries with a fait accompli.

Clear examples are decisions on premature dissolution of Parliament and budget and foreign policy initiatives.

In 1956, Anthony Eden of Britain got his country embroiled in the disastrous Suez invasion, and informed his Cabinet only after British paratroopers had landed on Egyptian soil.

In a strictly legal way, the prime minister is not bound by the Cabinet; instead the Cabinet is bound by the direction he supplies.

Politics may, of course, encourage a consultative approach but all students of parliamentary government know that the prime minister is the sun around which the Cabinet revolves.

Individual ministers are bound under the doctrine of collective ministerial responsibility to support their prime minister or step down from office.

Another reader asked whether the Prime Minister’s announcement means that the Emergency is already lifted?

The answer is in the negative.

The Emergency is proclaimed by the King and either he must revoke his proclamation(s) or the two Houses must by resolution annul the proclamation(s).

If the King (acting on advice) revokes a proclamation, the revocation comes into effect immediately.

However, if the two Houses are to debate and vote on a resolution to annul, that process can be expected to take some weeks or months because the Dewan Negara will probably convene only after the Dewan Rakyat’s lengthy budget session beginning in October.

However, if immediate parliamentary action to annul the 1966, 1969 and 1977 proclamations is thought desirable, the two Houses can meet concurrently to draw to a close the 47-year saga of the existing post-independence Emergency.

Once a proclamation expires, whether by revocation by the King or annulment by Parliament through an Emergency Act of Parliament or a piece of subsidiary legislation under an emergency law, all emergency legislations will cease to exist six months after the proclamation.

If the Emergency ends, does the Internal Security Act (ISA) also cease to exist? The answer is in the negative.

The ISA is a law against subversion under Article 149.

It is independent of Article 150 and has a life of its own, no matter what happens to the Emergency.

If the ISA is repealed, will those detained under the ISA have to be released? Undoubtedly, yes.

If the basis of their detention is extinguished, the detention, too, ceases to be valid.

Even if there is a new law under Article 149 to deal with security or terrorism cases, that law cannot be backdated due to the prohibition of Article 7(1).

Of course, the detainees may face new prosecutions under the Penal Code or the new laws.

The rule of double jeopardy will not apply.

Will the Government have to pay compensation to all people detained under the ISA, including in previous years?

The answer is “no” because the legality of an act must be judged by the law at the time of the commission of the act and not by what happens afterwards.

How can the ISA be repealed? Does its repeal require the consent of the Conference of Rulers?

Under Article 149, any law against subversion may be passed or repealed by Parliament.

A simple majority vote is sufficient.

The consent of the Conference of Rulers is not needed.

From what we have heard, the ISA will be replaced by two laws on terrorism and national security.

Some cynics are saying that the move is therefore purely cosmetic and political.

The ISA may end but preventive detention may remain.

I think we should hold our judgment on this issue till we see the substantive content of the proposed new laws.

I would give anxious consideration to the following issues:

> The concepts of terrorism and national security must be precisely and objectively defined and must not have any catch-all tendencies.

> There should be no exclusion of judicial review so that any abuse or misuse of power can be tested in the courts.

It is acceptable that on matters of security, the political executive must have a strong say without excluding the power of the courts to determine independently whether security was indeed involved or not.

> There must be some safeguards against political detentions.

> The power of the police to detain for purposes of investigation must be drastically reduced from the present 60 days to no more than three weeks.

> The Minister’s power, as at present, to order detention for two years and for such further periods as he deems necessary must be abolished.

Detentions on the orders of the Minister raise the unconscionable issue of accuser, adjudicator and executioner being combined. Some separation of powers and some check and balance is desirable.

Justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done.

> The power to try, to convict and to detain must be committed to a Special Security Court or Anti-Terrorism Court (or by whatever name called).

> Anxious consideration must be given to the composition of this Special Court which must arouse public confidence.

> The executive must accuse, the court must decide.

> Special procedural rules for security trials exist in many countries and must be examined.

Perhaps trials should be held in camera (without the public present).

Whatever the case, there must be fair due process. The accused must know the charge.

No incriminating evidence must be withheld from him and from the judge, as is possible at present.

The accused must be allowed to defend himself fully and fairly.

> The penalties and the maximum period of detention must be prescribed.

> Whether there should be no appeal in “security” and “terrorist” trials is a matter for further consideration.

We have many model legislations from many countries that we can emulate.

Whatever we follow must show fidelity to our own Constitution and to the primary instruments of international law.

> Shad Saleem Faruqi is Emeritus Professor of Law at UiTM and Visiting Professor at USM.

BN Policies Far Superior To Changes Proposed By Opposition - Muhyiddin

DUNGUN, Sept 20 (Bernama) -- Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the policies introduced by the Barisan Nasional (BN) were far superior to the proposed changes promised by the opposition pact.

As such, he said, the people should support the BN government and guard against being influenced by the propaganda of the opposition.

"The government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak always strives to improve facilities and raise the income of the people through various programmes to make the country a developed nation by 2020," he said at an Aidilfitri open house for the people at the Dewan Merdeka padang here.

Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Said and Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob were also present at the reception attended by about 15,000 people.

Muhyiddin dismissed as empty promises the opposition pact's proposed major changes listed in its "Buku Jingga" (Orange Book). The book, among other things, spells out the opposition's agenda for the country in relation to the economy and social justice.

"Based on an analysis, implementing the proposals in the book will bankrupt the country in just two years," the deputy prime minister said.

Muhyiddin said the National Key Result Areas (NKRAs) of the government had the capacity to mould Malaysia into a developed nation by 2020, and called on government and private sector employees and the people to help achieve the noble intention.

"The prime minister has introduced various political and economic transformation programmes, the latest being the abolition of the Internal Security Act, in line with the government's desire to make Malaysia a developed nation," he said.

Muhyiddin said the government was sensitive to the needs and welfare of the people and always strived to improve their lives.

He said the opposition parties were incapable of doing what the BN government had done, was doing and would do for the people, and advised the people not to gamble away their future by supporting them.

Mat Sabu charged in Butterworth court

Pas deputy president Mat Sabu was charged with criminal defamation in the Butterworth court this morning.

He was charged under s500 of the Penal Code and the case is likely to be heard in December. If convicted, he could be jailed for up to two years or fined or both.

Bail was set at RM15000.

A crowd of a few hundred gathered in and around court this morning.

Whatever positive sentiment that greeted Najib’s announcement of the repeal of the ISA would surely have evaporated.

The entire saga including Mat Sabu’s statements on the Bukit Kepung incident has thrown wide open the interpretation of historical events leading up to Merdeka.