Malaysia No. 2 in Asia-Pacific for cargo theft
By Yow Hong Chieh
June 25, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, June 25 — Cargo theft in Malaysia is now the second highest in the Asia-Pacific by value and looks to increase as more cargo from Singapore, the world’s busiest port, is routed overland through the Malay peninsula, the New York Times has reported.
The US daily, quoting figures compiled by the Transported Asset Protection Association, said more than US$22.7 million (RM68.9 million) worth of goods was reported stolen from Malaysian ports, airports, warehouses and trucks from 2007 to 2010. Read the rest of this entry »
Who’s the idiot?
By Shamini Darshni
June 25, 2011
JUNE 25 — When I read how Ibrahim Ali “clarified” what he said about the Chinese community, I had a vision of him in a sampan with a panic-stricken look on his face, working those oars in reverse like the devil was after him.
But this time, I am not stomping my foot in anger or screaming obscenities for the things he said. Then again, I cannot make the same promise the next time he says something that once again breaks the barrier of stupid… and with his track record, that could well be tomorrow. Read the rest of this entry »
Bersih 2.0, Perkasa and the ‘middle-ground’ fallacy
By Pak Sako
June 24, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
JUNE 24 — Based on my analysis, I believe the government faked the plane crash and demolished the World Trade Center North Tower with explosives. The South Tower, in a simultaneous but unrelated plot, was brought down by actual terrorists. — Randall Munroe, on taking the middle ground, in xkcd.com
An article entitled “Bersih 2.0 — is there a third alternative?” appeared in The Malaysian Insider. The author, Anas Zubedy, attempted a clever-clogs proposal.
He argued that since Perkasa has vowed to take to the streets with the Bersih 2.0 gathering, to prevent disruptions, why not go for the “centrist’s” solution to everything: take the magical “middle-ground approach” and call off both demonstrations in downtown Kuala Lumpur. Read the rest of this entry »
Tambatuon folk fear Bakun fate
Posted by Kit in environment, Sabah on Saturday, 25 June 2011, 12:07 am
By Michael Kaung
June 24, 2011 | Free Malaysia Today
PENAMPANG: The villagers of Tambatuon are anxious to avoid the heartbreak that the people of Bakun suffer, according to testimony before Suhakam commissioners who are conducting a study on Native Customary Land Rights (NCR) issues.
Jahim Singkui, who heads the Tambatuon Villagers’ Action Committee, told the commissioners today that the government had ignored pleas against its plan to build a RM450 million dam in the village, which is in the Kota Belud district.
The project would submerge ancestral lands, he said. Read the rest of this entry »
Another day, another bogeyman raised
by Farah Fahmy
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 24, 2011
JUNE 24 — In all the furore surrounding the Bersih 2.0 rally, I couldn’t help noticing that all the things and events used to scare us are being dragged out yet again, presumably so that we would all be scared of history repeating itself and therefore stick to the status quo.
First up is of course the spectre of May 13. Time and again self-serving politicians bring this up to remind us to toe the line. You know what? I was born after 1969. I didn’t live through those events, and all I know about May 13 I learnt through my own endeavours.
If May 13 is so important to us, and if we’re always exhorted to remember it, then why, if we so much as try to discuss what happened then, are we told NOT to do so because it may be detrimental to our racial sensibilities? Read the rest of this entry »
“Datuk T” trio’s gross abuse of process of the court
What happened in the Kuala Lumpur magistrate’s court this morning in the “Datuk T” trio Sri Carcosa sex tape case was a gross abuse of the process of the court, reducing the judicial process to a farce.
It was alleged for instance that there are expert testimony that the man in the sex tape is “99.99 per cent” opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
What is the probative value and credibility of such expert evidence when they are not challenged or tested by other expert testimonies, reducing them to the status of one-sided accounts not much better than mere hearsay. Read the rest of this entry »
Isa, hands off our EPF money
Posted by Kit in EPF, Financial Scandals on Friday, 24 June 2011, 11:57 am
Malaysiakini Your Say | Jun 24, 11
‘Isa, if you are so good at doing business why don’t you borrow from the bank rather than from EPF? Is it because EPF is forced to lend to you?’
Isa on RM6 bil EPF loan to Felda: So?
Brainless: These politicians from Umno/BN, whether they are ministers or chairpersons of government-linked companies are crooks and liars, typified by this man called Isa Samad, now Felda chief.
He still doesn’t get it that the court have found Felda guilty of cheating the settlers on many instances, it has made loses of hundreds of millions in its investments and now seeking to ‘con’ the rakyat, who are the Employees Provident Fund contributors, over this RM6 billion loan.
Read the rest of this entry »
Death threat: We shall not be cowed
Malaysiakini Your Say | Jun 24, 11
‘Who are the pariahs here – those calling others demeaning and insulting names or those who put up a fight for our democratic rights?’
SMS death threat against Ambiga making its rounds
TehTarik: I hope that Malaysia doesn’t sink to the level where we see political assassinations. Unfortunately, we seem to be rapidly heading in this direction, particularly due to inaction and selective prosecution by the police and the judiciary.
As many have said, some of the leaders of Perkasa should have been arrested a long time ago under the ISA and interned in Kamunting. Perkasa appears to be similar to the ‘brown shirt’ of the Nazi Party which was formed by Adolf Hitler, and was responsible for political threats and violence, and even assassinations.
Read the rest of this entry »
Question of efficiency, independence and professionalism of AGC and Police haunting Malaysia’s international image in a bigger way than any time in the past
Posted by Kit in Anwar Ibrahim, Court, Crime, Law & Order, Najib Razak, Police on Friday, 24 June 2011, 11:41 am
Two days after the Sri Carcosa sex tape caper on Monday, 21st March 2011, I had warned that police efficiency, independence and professionalism were again the major casualties of the latest criminal attempt to target and character-assassinate Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
My warning of March 23 has proven true. More than three months after my warning, the questions of the efficiency, independence and professionalism of the Attorney-General’s Chambers and the Police have bulked even larger to haunt Malaysia’s international image in a bigger way than at any time in the past in the nation’s history.
The farce this morning in the magistrate’s court where the “Datuk T” trio were charged for the Sri Carcosa sex tape screening has only served to further lower public confidence and esteem in the efficiency, independence and professionalism of the Attorney-General and the Police.
Read the rest of this entry »
Evil stalks the brave and threatens the peace
Posted by Kit in Articles, Bersih, Election, Law & Order on Friday, 24 June 2011, 5:41 am
by P Ramakrishnan
President Aliran
23 June 2011
Today, at around 1.00pm, I received an sms from +601119732179. The message conveyed to me was in Bahasa Malaysia and read:
Members of the Bersih steering committee at the launch of Bersih 2.0
Korg ni buta hati ke?? buat apa sokong ambiga keling paria haramjadah tu? dia ni kapir laknat. korang tau tak dia ni jadi alat anjing2 politik untuk musnahkan keutuhan melayu. dia kata je nak BERSIH kan SPR. bersih kepala bapak dia.
Puak2 PAS n PKR pun buta tuli n pekak badak.. kalau SPR tak bersih, boleh ke diorang menang kat Sgor, Kedah, Penang, Kelantan n perak dulu? DAP cina sial tu pulak lagi haram jahanam. dia tengok je melayu bertekak. hujung2 dia perintah negara ni dan kristiankan kita semua. aku nak kasi amaran kat korang semua.
Kalau perhimpunan ni jadi, aku dan org2 aku akan bunuh ambiga dan korang2 keliling dia satu persatu, termasuklah orang2 politik bangang yg bersekongkol ngan kafir laknat tu.. ini amaran aku. Korang tengokla nanti. Read the rest of this entry »
Maybank, CIMB call off RHBCap takeover plan
by Izwan Idris
The Sun
23 June 2011
LUMPUR (June 23, 2011): Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank) and CIMB Group have announced separately that they have aborted plans to take over RHB Capital Bhd.
“In light of recent developments and following further deliberations, the board of directors of Maybank has decided not to pursue the possible merger at this juncture,” Maybank said in a short statement to Bursa Malaysia today.
Maybank and its biggest local rival CIMB Group had obtained Bank Negara Malaysia’s approval last month to start merger talks with RHB Capital.
The announcement from Maybank was released after trading on Bursa Malaysia ended for the day. Read the rest of this entry »
Apply the law equally
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Law & Order on Friday, 24 June 2011, 5:18 am
Terence Fernandez
The Sun
23 June 2011
BAD things happen because good people do nothing. How often have we heard this phrase and how many of us have been motivated enough to get off our butts to do something when others are trying to cause chaos and confusion?
At the rate things are going, it seems we are content to let things slide or sweep them under the carpet – a child’s logic: close your eyes and it will go away.
History has taught us that the worst atrocities were actually committed by the minority. But they were emboldened and abetted by a silent majority who at first laughed them off as a bunch of raving lunatics but to their horror, later discovered that this same group of madmen had taken control of the country’s social and political structures. Read the rest of this entry »
Seeing crackdown, Pakatan battens down hatches
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Elections, Human Rights on Thursday, 23 June 2011, 10:33 pm
By Clara Chooi
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 23, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, June 23 — Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders are bracing themselves for a possible repeat of the infamous 1987 Ops Lalang crackdown when election watchdog Bersih 2.0 stages its mass protest in the capital this July 9.
The leaders, many of whom were among those arrested during the crackdown, told a press conference today that they feared the government would again flex its muscles and embark on a spree to detain all leaders participating in the rally.
“As former Ops Lalang detainees, we must ask if they are preparing for an Ops Lalang 2,” said DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang, one of the 1987 detainees. Read the rest of this entry »
‘Would Hisham have arrested Onn Jaafar?’
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Elections, Human Rights on Thursday, 23 June 2011, 10:15 pm
By Yow Hong Chieh
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 23, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, June 23 — Lim Kit Siang has reminded Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein that his grandfather, Datuk Onn Jaafar, pioneered peaceful protests in Malaysia, and called on the home minister to ensure the smooth running of Bersih 2.0.
The DAP parliamentary leader pointed out that Umno was born in 1946 out of non-violent anti-Malayan Union protests helmed by Onn, and asked if Hishammuddin thought his grandfather’s actions constituted illegal assembly.
“Would Hishammuddin have arrested his grandfather Datuk Onn Jaafar for organising peaceful mass rallies and meetings resulting in formation of Umno if the latter had been alive today?” he asked in a statement today.
Lim also slammed Hishammuddin for putting electoral watchdog Bersih on the same footing as Malay rights group Perkasa by announcing yesterday that the police would summon Bersih, Perkasa and Umno Youth for planning separate rallies on July 9.
He said while Bersih has declared its commitment to peace, the Perkasa counter-protest was “a different kettle of fish” that was “born to create strife and unrest”. Read the rest of this entry »
Disclose RCI report tomorrow, Lim tells cabinet
Posted by Kit in Teoh Beng Hock on Thursday, 23 June 2011, 10:07 pm
Malaysiakini
Jun 23, 11
Veteran opposition lawmaker Lim Kit Siang has urged the cabinet to order the disclosure of the report by the royal commission of inquiry into Teoh Beng Hock’s death when it meets tomorrow.
In a statement today, Lim said that although RCI head Justice James Foong had said that the decision on whether the report can be made public lies with the Agong, the Agong still acts on the advice of the cabinet.
Citing Articles 39 and 40 of the federal constitution, Lim explained that the cabinet still had a large say on the matter.
“In another 23 days, it will be the second anniversary of Teoh’s mysterious and unusual death at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters in Shah Alam on July 16, 2009.
“The cabinet should not sit on the RCI report but must act responsibly by releasing it immediately to the public tomorrow itself in line with the principles of accountability, transparency and good governance,” said Lim. Read the rest of this entry »
‘Hisham would have jailed his grandpa’
Posted by Kit in Elections, Hishammuddin on Thursday, 23 June 2011, 7:28 pm
By Patrick Lee and Tarani Palani
June 23, 2011 | Free Malaysia Today
KUALA LUMPUR: Taking Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein to task over his handling of the Bersih 2.0 rally issue, DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang ropes in the Umno leader’s late grandfather.
“I would like to ask Hishammuddin would his grandfather be allowed to hold gatherings in Malaya (during the pre-independence period)?” he asked.
In 1946, Hishamuddin’s grandfather Onn Jaafar, along with many Malay leaders at the time, had rallied against the colonial government’s Malayan Union concept.
Read the rest of this entry »
Bersih to go global with July 9 rally
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
June 23, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, June 23 — Election watchdog Bersih today confirmed that overseas rallies will be held simultaneously with its upcoming July 9 event, and that these will be spearheaded by Malaysian citizens living abroad.
Rallies will be held in Seoul (South Korea); Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney (Australia); Osaka (Japan); Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York (US).
“All the overseas solidarity rallies held were initiated by Malaysian citizens living abroad who supported the demands for Perhimpunan Bersih 2.0. They personally contacted Bersih 2.0 and expressed interest in organising [rallies] where they were. Read the rest of this entry »
‘Death threat against Ambiga deplorable’
By Joseph Sipalan | Jun 23, 11
Malaysiakini
Senior Pakatan Rakyat leaders today unanimously condemned the recent death threat against Bersih 2.0 chief S Ambiga, labeling the “deplorable act” a direct result of the government’s alleged whitewashing of extremist behaviour.
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim (PKR-Permatang Pauh) said the death threat is a culmination of unbridled extremism that has been allowed to continue without fear of reprisal from the government.
“Extremists and racists are tolerated, and in some ways condoned. This is not the first time. I remember the threat on Nurul Izzah and her daughter and now against Ambiga,” he said after chairing a Pakatan presidential council meeting at Parliament’s tower block.
Read the rest of this entry »
Bersih: Death threat the work of cowards
By Kow Gah Chie | Jun 23, 11
Malaysiakini
Bersih 2.0 today slammed the “cowardly” move of those behind the death threat SMS targetting its chief Ambiga Sreenevasan, in relation to its planned July 9 rally.
“This is unacceptable, the SMS is not only life-threatening, but also has connotations of racism,” said Maria Chin Abdullah (centre in photo), a Bersih 2.0 steering committee member.
“Let’s be brave enough to come out and talk, instead of being so cowardly as to send threatening and racist SMSes. Let’s talk,” Maria told a press conference after lodging a police report at the Travers police station in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon.
Maria also urged the sender to stop such moves.
Read the rest of this entry »
Release TBH RCI report immediately in line with principles of accountability, transparency and good governance
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Teoh Beng Hock on Thursday, 23 June 2011, 5:55 pm
The Royal Commission of Inquiry report into the death of Teoh Beng Hock submitted its report to the Yang di Pertuan Agong yesterday, three days ahead of its deadline of June 25.
The RCI Chairman Tan Sri James Foong told a press conference yesterday that a copy of the 124-page report had also been submitted to the Prime Minister.
However, the contents of the report will remain secret, pending a decision from the Yang di Pertuan Agong if the report should be made public.
This means, under Article 39 on “Executive Authority of Federation” and Article 40 on “Yang di Pertuan Agong to act on advice” of the Federal Constitution, the Yang di Pertuan Agong shall act in accordance with the advice of the Cabinet on the question of making public the RCI report on the death of Teoh Beng Hock. Read the rest of this entry »
