Selasa, 6 Ogos 2013

Anwar Ibrahim

Anwar Ibrahim

Pak Lah FINALLY exposes Dr M: If I listened to him, M’sia would have gone BANKRUPT!

Posted: 06 Aug 2013 03:41 PM PDT

Malaysia-Chronicle

If Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had succumbed to the pressure applied by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to spend without a care and continue with some of his pet mega-projects, Malaysia would be bankrupt by now.

This frank assessment was offered by Abdullah in a book covering his years as the prime minister of Malaysia.

Titled, “Awakening: The Abdullah Badawi Years In Malaysia”, it was scheduled to come out earlier but there were some concerns in Putrajaya that the fifth prime minister's comments and observations could spark a war of words between Abdullah and Mahathir and split Umno before the May 5 general election.

And he could have, he said. Referring to the constant attacks against him by Mahathir and other critics when he was in office, he recalled that some people asked why he did not clarify in detail the role of his young advisers, his son's involvement in business and the influence of son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin.

"Perhaps I should have been more vehement in defending and explaining these issues. I could have retaliated by exposing Mahathir. But what good would have come out of this for the government and party?" he said.

He noted that Mahathir is very set in his ways and believed that his is the only way. And this fact is why Abdullah believes he has been on the receiving end of vitriol from mid-2006 till today.

After all the layers of biting comments from Mahathir are peeled away, it boiled down to just one thing: Mahathir's inability to accept any other view except his own.

For example, Abdullah remembered that he went to see Mahathir and explain that he had to postpone several projects, including the double-tracking rail system that the latter had initiated because of the bulging budget deficit.

"He, however, disagreed with me as he felt the government should continue to spend. But how do we do it when the deficit was at such critical levels? It would be highly irresponsible for me to continue spending.

"So we had no choice but to reduce the deficit by postponing some of the mega-projects like double tracking and this made Mahathir furious. I suppose he viewed them as his pet projects.

"Can you imagine, if I had succumbed to Mahathir's continued pressure to spend when the deficit was already so high, how could Malaysia have weathered the oil and financial crisis which subsequently came in 2008?

"The deficit which we brought down to 3.2 percent crept up again due to subsidies for oil and essentials and hovered again at the 5 percent level. If we had not been prudent then, continued to spend, I can tell you we would be bankrupt by now.”

In the book, edited by Bridget Welsh and James Chin, Abdullah also said that when he left office in 2009, he was determined not to be like Mahathir. He wanted Datuk Seri Najib Razak to establish himself as the prime minister.

"That is why I have remained silent all this time. I believe that once you retire, you are retired. You should not interfere with your successor. If there is anything you are unhappy with, you can always offer your views privately. Why bring it up in public and make life difficult for him?

Abdullah earned the biggest mandate from the electorate in 2004 but squandered the historic opportunity to reform the country and carry through many of his election pledges. As a result, in 2008 he led Barisan Nasional to a poor showing, losing its customary two-thirds control of Parliament.

In the book, he accepted blame for not meeting the expectations of the voters but said that Mahathir could not walk away from the 2008 results unscathed.

"When we did well in 2004, he said such a strong mandate was not good for the country. When we did not do so well in 2008, he heaped all the blame on me.

“He is doing it even today… Mahathir cannot deny that he contributed to the erosion of Barisan Nasional's support in the 2008 elections through his open and unwarranted criticisms and attacks, calling my administration, which included a majority of people from his own Cabinet, as a 'half-past six government' and accusing us of corruption and all sorts of things," said Abdullah.

 

Was Najadi’s son right? 3 arrested for murder of bank founder but killer STILL AT LARGE

Posted: 06 Aug 2013 01:30 AM PDT

Malaysia-Chronicle

A day after announcing a major break in the murder case of prominent banker Hussain Najadi, police arrested three people in connection with the broad daylight shooting that has shocked the nation, prompting calls for the government to rein spiking crime across the nation.

The 3 people detained were a 42-year-old man and two women trustees of the Jalan Ceylon Kuan Yin temple.

According to the Star, the women aged 47 and 61 were picked up at about 1.30pm on Monday near the temple, while the man is believed to have been with the taxi driver who had ferried the shooter to the scene of the murder.

A manhunt is still on for the shooter, who has been identified as 44-year-old Kong Swee Kwan. His picture was captured on CCTV and has been released to the press.

Son was right?

According to Kuala Lumpur CID chief Senior Asst Comm Ku Chin Wah, investigations showed that Najadi was trying to help protect the temple's interests in a land deal that was being negotiated. The temple stands on the land involved.

Ku’s revelations are now in line with what Najadi’s son Pascal has been telling national news agency Bernama, that the murder was premeditated and his father was not a party in any property transaction, which the police had initially presumed.

Pascal had said his father was trying to help the temple committee because his second wife Mei Kuen was also a member of the temple committee.

The police had taken umbrage at Pascal comments and invited him to come to Kuala Lumpur to help in investigation but the Russia-based Pascal, who fears for his safety, has said he would only come here when the murder had been solved.

Najadi not directly involved in land deal

Meanwhile, Ku also told the press that the shooter, Kong, was identified after police interrogated the taxi driver, who is still held under remand and the 42-year-old man.

Najadi, the 75-year-old founder of the Arab Malaysian banking group, was gunned down and his wife Cheong Mei Kuen, 49, injured when a man opened fire at them at a car park outside the Kuan Yin Temple along Jalan Ceylon on July 29.

The killing in a busy and public area shocked Malaysians especially as it came hot on the heels of crime activist Sri Sanjeevan, who had been about to expose corrupt dealings within the police force and powerful drug king pins.

Virtually a daily occurrence

Since then, Malaysia has witnessed a slew or violent shooting, with the assassins mostly gunmen on motorbikes. It is believed that over the past 90 days, there have been at least 18 shooting incidents.

Calling it “virtually a daily occurrence”, Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim has called for a concerted effort, warning the incidents were not just at random nor a coincidental spate of violence but a manifestation of serious problems that were being swept under the rug by Prime Minister Najib Razak’s government.

“This spiraling incidence of serious crime, shootings should warrant an immediate action on the part of the Minister in charge and the IGP because it is virtually a daily occurrence,” Anwar had told reporters.

“Don’t turn it into a political ploy instead, blaming the Opposition, this and that. This is a concerted effort. I issued a statement suggesting there should be a bipartisan meeting between BN Members of Parliament, the government and also the Opposition to work out and discuss way and means to tackle the crime issues. It is not a matter of a spate of violence but a daily occurrence. Most are reported, but some are not reported, the smaller shootings.”

 

 

18 shootings in 90 days and the govt says ‘APA BOLEH BUAT’: What to do, not our fault!

Posted: 06 Aug 2013 01:28 AM PDT

Malaysia-Chronicle

Are 18 shooting incidents that took away a life almost each time between a span of three months from late April 2013 to early August 2013 not serious enough for this country?

Or do we wait till hundreds more are gunned down before we say crime is at an all time serious point?

How come all the heads who are paid handsomely to be responsible for ensuring safety for its citizens are mum except for the same old assurances that "it is being looked into" or worse, "do not speculate as we are still investigating"?

Take responsibility, don’t pass the buck

In any other caring and concerned nation, by now the people would have demanded the resignation of the leaders responsible for national and public safety if the leader/s have not voluntarily resigned out of a sheer sense of responsibility and failure to plug shooting incidents on a count of two to three fatal deaths.

But in Malaysia, people carry on with an air of "semua nya okay" or "apa bolih buat, dah mati", while the leaders continue to peddle the same song after each shooting incident or dish the same reprimands at the few citizens who voice concerns.

Believe it or not, when a working class civil servant commits a mistake, he or she will be removed unceremoniously and instantly – even if there is a sincere apology. When an immature youth floats a bad-taste blitz on the internet, mercy is the last word dished out; when a posting on U-Tube is great political fodder the source is chastised with high drama.

But when it comes to the BN-government leaders they are always above any blame; always above any law. Even when there is a case in court they rebound with amazing protection and even celebration.

Agree or disagree?

The recent over a dozen fatal shootings is definitely not gangsters gunning each other down; the statistics shows that civil servants, ordinary citizens and even young children are falling victim to hired killers, gangsters and what have you.

And the only person held responsible is the gunman.

Eighteen shooting incidents in a span of ninety days indicate that there are some things that have gone very wrong in the country and yet no one wants to be held accountable except blame the gunmen.

Why are there so many guns in the hands of killers? How did these guns get into the country when illegal arms possession is banned? Did the guns drop from the sky in the steel of dead nights? Or are guns now been manufactured in some jungle or factory shed?

Do our police know how many more would be killers would be walking tall in the streets with a gun secretly tucked under their belts?

From VVIPs to ex-convicts to ordinary folk

VVIPs are not spared. Prominent public figures are not spared. Even ordinary businessmen and children are not spared by these ruthless killers who are not afraid to shoot at street junctions, into your own yard or even at public car parks in broad daylight.

Yet there is no reaction or remorse from those responsible for ensuring that this nation is free of the fear of a wild-wild-west, free for all gun-toting situations. But looking at fifteen shooting incidents within these past ninety days gives the impression that it is anyone's guess how bad the illegal arms possession is in the country.

Or is it a crime against the government of the day to demand for accountability for the spate of shooting incidents?

What’s happening

Something is very wrong. Citizens have to hold themselves responsible if they let non-accountability amongst leaders become a norm. Then we should not complain or moan about all the killings.

As the foreign news pick up all these killings, it will certainly affect the nation's image. It will affect our economy as tourists get wind and form an adverse perception. It will definitely not be well received by the expatriate community.

Now, does the Home Minister – both the present and his predecessor, realize how much damage they have to account for? Does the captain of the police force accept the fact that as head of PDRM he too must bear the brunt of the situation and not go after the throat of concerned citizens?

We can approve spending billions to purchase state-of-art fighting machines plus cozy profits for the go-betweens, but we cannot fight gunmen who are roaming free and easily hired to do bold, daring and neat jobs in the open?

Or are we saying in our silence that it is okay to be gunned down by a pistol because we have even C4-ed foreigners before and life goes on as normal.

The point is we are at a serious crisis point in so far as the nature, frequency and targets of crime in Malaysia is concerned.

 

ANY SURPRISES? 1st election petition allowed & it’s against PKR’s Lajim for Klias seat

Posted: 06 Aug 2013 01:26 AM PDT

Malaysia-Chronicle

The High Court in Kota Kinabalu has allowed an election petition filed by Prime Minister Najib Razak’s coalition against the PKR’s Lajim Ukin for the Klias state seat in Sabah.

The Klias petition is the first of a slew filed in the aftermath of the May 5 general election, regarded as the most-divisive and tainted by vote-rigging ever in Malaysia’s electoral history.

Lajim had won the state seat by a mere 342 votes, defeating Umno’s Isnin Aliasnih and claiming massive vote-buying by his opponent in an all-out bid to defeat him.

A former Umno supreme council member, Lajim left to join the PKR led by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim. He was branded a ‘traitor’ by his former Umno colleagues who vowed political revenge against him and those who dared to follow his footsteps.

Pattern to come: EC cannot be found to wrong, only the Opposition candidates to be penalized?

It is telling that while approving the Klias election petition, Lajim’s own election petition challenging the result of the Beaufort parliamentary seat was thrown out by the court. While Lajim had won Klias, he lost Beuafort.

The Klias petition was filed by Isnin, who secured 6,182 votes against Lajim’s 6,324. Isnin was represented by counsel Japar Estaban, Saiful Aizat Moktar and Rizwandean Bukhari Borhan.

Sabah High Court judge Yew Jen Kie however struck out Isnin’s petition against the Returning Officer (RO) and Election Commission (EC) and ordered Isnin to pay them RM10,000 each in costs.

3-corner fight

In the Beaufort seat, which was won by Umno’s Azizah Mohd Dun, the judge struck out Lajim’s petition and ordered him to pay RM30,000 in costs to Azizah and RM10,000 each to RO Jupari@Jupri Etok and the EC.

Lajim, who was represented by lawyers Chau Chin Tang and Lawrence Thien, had challenged the outcome of the Beaufort seat in his petition filed on June 11 on various grounds, including abuse of power, unqualified individuals casting their votes, vote buying and discrepancies in the election process.

In Beaufort, Lajim was locked in a three-cornered fight with Azizah and Guan Dee Bin Koh Hoi of STAR Sabah.

Azizah, now the Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister, obtained 12,827 votes for a slim majority of 673 against Lajims 12,154 votes, while Guan Dee only received 409 votes.

Ex-prosecutor scoffs at Sodomy II ‘trial fixing’ claim

Posted: 06 Aug 2013 01:17 AM PDT

Malaysiakini

Former deputy solicitor-general II Mohd Yusof Zainal Abiden has urged those accusing prosecutors in the Sodomy II trial of taking bribes to examine his conduct during the proceedings, as well as his track record.

Mohd Yusof, the lead prosecutor in the trial, toldMalaysiakini that he will not entertain such claims as the nature of the allegation is questionable in that it does not mention anyone in particular.

"I would only say that if people observed my conduct (while I was) conducting the prosecution in the case, it would be sufficient for them to know how I am. Look at my track record while (I was) with the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC).

"I believe those who are making the allegation now were not in court to observe me. You had observed me in court, so would you believe it? I wonder who would make such the allegation. I did not even attack the government."

Mohd Yusof was responding to former Penang PAS deputy chief Mazlan Ismail’s claim to have received anonymous letters stating that sodomy accused Anwar Ibrahim had spent RM50 million on legal fees, paid to lead defence lawyer Karpal Singh, since 2008.

NONEMazlan also claimed that part of the money had been used to pay off judges and prosecutors.

Both Anwar and Karpal have denied the claim and have since lodged police reports.

During the trial, Mohd Yusof had given the defence a hard time by objecting to Anwar’s various applications.

The Kuala Lumpur High Court eventually returned a 'not guilty' verdict.

'Claim is incredulous'

Once the No 3 in the AGC, Mohd Yusof is currently in private practice, after making three attempts for early retirement. His application was only accepted after the conclusion of Sodomy II.

He is now part of Anwar’s defence team for an unrelated charge.

He said the latest allegation against Anwar and Karpal is "incredulous".

"If the allegation is true, someone bigger like the prime minister or the government would have revealed it," he said.

Also groundless, Mohd Yusof noted, is the allegation that those who successfully prosecuted Anwar in the first sodomy trial 1998 had received RM2 million, via Israeli bank accounts.
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