Speaker bars ‘question’ on Taib-linked property
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Sarawak, State Assembly on Friday, 17 June 2011, 1:15 pm
By Joseph Tawie
June 17, 2011 | Free Malaysia Today
KUCHING: The Sarawak legislative assembly Speaker has rejected a request by a newly elected representative for details of a proposed development by Monarda Sdn Bhd, in the BDC Kuching district area.
Monarda is owned by Chief Minister Taib Mahmud’s son and daughters.
Padungan assemblyman Wong King Wei said he received a letter from the Speaker’s office informing him that his written question on the matter, which was submitted for the next week assembly’s sitting, has been rejected. The assembly sits from June 20-23. Read the rest of this entry »
Why the rift?
By Nitya Kamalanathan
June 16, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
JUNE 16 — I am currently a PhD student in the United Kingdom, my first time in England. When people ask me about Malaysia, I beam, telling them how wonderful our country is and our food!
Oh that is my favourite topic of discussion. We come from a country bursting with flavour, warmth, culture and diversity all of which have been the building blocks of the country.
The three representing races of Malaysia each have rich traditions and cultures, which have blended together to produce a Malaysian culture of which I am proud to say I am part. Read the rest of this entry »
Kartunis Utusan, rogol dan zina
By Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin
June 16, 2011 | THe Malaysian Insider
16 JUN — Saya tidak pasti, apakah kartunis Utusan itu hendak menghina Islam atau hendak menghina pihak tertentu. Jika dia bertujuan menghina Islam, dilakukan pula dalam keadaan yang sedar akal fikirannya, maka dia terkeluar daripada Islam. Namun, jika dia bertujuan mengkritik salah faham sesetengah pihak mengenai perbezaan hukum zina dan rogol, maka itu tidak merosakkan imannya, bahkan satu sumbangan membetulkan fahaman yang salah. Adapun jika dia bertujuan membohongi fakta yang dimaksudkan oleh seseorang, sehingga menimbulkan salah sangka, maka dia berdosa besar.
Persoalan yang timbul; apakah jika seseorang wanita membuat aduan kepada mahkamah syariah bahawa dia dirogol maka mahkamah syariat akan menyatakan: awak mesti mendatangkan empat orang saksi, jika tidak awak disebat 80 rotan? Adakah di dunia ini empat orang saksi yang soleh sanggup membiarkan seorang wanita dirogol di hadapan mereka? Read the rest of this entry »
Loke says Yen Yen’s answers unsatisfactory
Posted by Kit in Facebook, Good Governance, Tourism on Friday, 17 June 2011, 12:52 pm
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
June 17, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, June 17 — The DAP’s Anthony Loke today accused Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen of not answering why six Facebook pages cost RM1.8 million.
“This is unsatisfactory. She has not yet explained what exactly is integrated social media campaigning…what is the scope of social media? Facebook and Twitter? If it’s not a website, what is the money for? Advertisements? Where?” the DAP socialist youth chief (Dapsy) told The Malaysian Insider.
The Tourism Minister said yesterday she did not contradict a detailed account of the costs, and that the sum of money was for an “integrated social media campaign.” Read the rest of this entry »
Putrajaya overrules Prasarana, takes pricier LRT extension deal
Posted by Kit in Corporate, Corruption on Friday, 17 June 2011, 10:27 am
By Jahabar Sadiq
Editor
June 17, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, June 17 — A Finance Ministry committee has ignored the city’s light rail transit (LRT) operator’s recommendation for the Kelana Jaya line extension project by awarding it to a company whose project price of RM890 million is almost 50 per cent higher than that of the lowest bid.
The Malaysian Insider understands the committee decision was made on Wednesday to hand the electro-mechanical system project to the Hartasuma Sdn Bhd-Bombardier joint-venture, which is already facing a heavy penalty for late delivery of the RM1.2 billion 35 four-car sets to Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd. Read the rest of this entry »
‘Golden opportunity to make a stand on war crimes lost’
Posted by Kit in International, Parliament on Friday, 17 June 2011, 10:14 am
By Tarani Palani
June 16, 2011 | Free Malaysia Today
KUALA LUMPUR: Parliament lost a ‘golden opportunity’ to enhance its standing in the international community when a motion to discuss Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir’s visit to Malaysia was rejected, said an opposition MP.
Ipoh Barat MP, M Kulasegaran said it would have given MPs an opportunity to show “displeasure at world leaders who abuse their citizens and have scant respect for the rule of law”.
Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes in the war-torn western Sudanese region of Darfur, where about 300,000 people have died since 2003. Read the rest of this entry »
‘The file-sharers are not the villains’
Malaysiakini Your Say | Jun 16, 11
‘We live in an age where the Recording Industry Association of Malaysia and its ilk, with their immense wealth, monopolise mainstream airwaves and distribution channels, driven by a desire to market rather than nurture creativity.’
Recording industry lauds ban on file-sharers
Nick C: As a member of the creative industry in Malaysia, I would like to state for the record that if there is any activity or organisation that has “highly destructive effects on the local music industry”, it is none other than the Recording Industry Malaysia and it’s efforts at suffocating online content.
Indeed, we now live in an age where RIM and its ilk, with their immense wealth, monopolise mainstream airwaves and distribution channels, driven by a desire to market rather than nurture creativity.
Read the rest of this entry »
Don’t expect nude squat probe to be transparent
Posted by Kit in Law & Order on Friday, 17 June 2011, 10:03 am
Malaysiakini Your Say | Jun 17, 11
‘The gov’t expects the public to believe that they would carry out a fair and transparent probe? Since when have they been known to do that?’
Special board to probe ‘nude squat’ claims
L Joy: The Immigration Department is to set up a special board to investigate the nude squat? They and the government expect the public and Singapore to believe that they would carry out a fair and transparent probe?
Since when have they been known to do that? Could they state just one case in the history of the Immigration Department? Name any ministry or department, for that matter, that has made a finding against its own self?
Just using the word ‘special’ does not make the investigation transparent and fair.
Read the rest of this entry »
A cyberwar waged by an army of Julian Assanges
Malaysiakini Your Say | Jun 17, 11
‘It’s great that the government has a taste of how it was like when Malaysiakini was attacked prior to Sarawak election.’
At least 41 websites hacked, says MCMC
Patriot: The truth cannot be hidden no matter how one tries to suppress it or prevent access to it. Malaysians who access the Internet are mostly those who have the capability of making their own judgements on what is right or fabricated, destructive or educational, etc.
Malaysians who surf the Internet today have intellectual capacity on par with their Western and advanced Asian counterparts. Third World governments and their depraved leaders are always fearful of their hidden skeletons in the closets being exposed and thus try to suppress anything that may even have an inkling of their wrongdoings.
Read the rest of this entry »
July 9: Umno Youth to march as well
By Wong Teck Chi
Jun 16, 11 | MalaysiaKini
Umno Youth today resolved to hold a major street rally that will coincide with the Bersih 2.0 movement’s rally on July 9.
Like the Bersih 2.0 movement, Umno Youth seeks to march to the Istana Negara.
But while Bersih 2.0 said it is rallying to call for electoral reforms, the Umno Youth rally seeks to support the current electoral system.
“We are supporting the present electoral system and want to work with the (Election Commission) to improve it further,” Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar said told Malaysiakini. Read the rest of this entry »
Umno ‘welcomed’ to sue Penang on mosque polls
Posted by Kit in Islam, Penang Government on Friday, 17 June 2011, 9:43 am
By Susan Loone
Jun 17, 11 | MalaysiaKini
Penang state executive councillor for religious affairs Abdul Malik Abul Kassim has challenged groups protesting the elections to mosque committees in the state to sue the government.
Abdul Malik said the election would go on despite the fierce protests from Umno as the procedure was in compliance with Section 22(4) of the Penang Islamic Religious Council (MAIPP) enactment.
“So if anybody wants to challenge this, you are welcome,” said Abdul Malik, the assemblyperson for Batu Maung.
“Those who cannot accept improvements that benefit the people and the Muslim community surely cannot accept this change,” he added. Read the rest of this entry »
What’s so “dirty” about Bersih 2.0 rally?
By Mustafa K. Anuar
June 17, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
JUNE 17 — We’ve heard it all. Dire warnings issued, threats yelled out, police reports filed, scathing commentaries published in incredulous and incredible news sheets. And all this prior to the planned Bersih 2.0 rally on July 9, 2011 in Kuala Lumpur.
If these “noises” were to be believed, our collective mind would be filled to the brim with mental pictures of Bersih participants, in the worrying words of Perkasa boss Ibrahim Ali, throwing stones and burning cars!
Why, these people might even go the whole hog and work themselves into a frenzy on the streets of Kuala Lumpur, wildly throwing Molotov cocktails into the tourist spots of, say, Bukit Bintang, storming the Parliament building, running amok and attacking whoever dare come their way. Read the rest of this entry »
Twitter Power – Helen Clark comes to detainees’ rescue
by MICHAEL FIELD
stuff.co.nz
Former Prime Minister Helen Clark has played a crucial role in winning the release of three jailed Bahraini activists and it is partly due to her passion for Twitter.
Now Secretary General of the United Nations Development Programme, she appears to have followed the arrest of the three women who were Twittering through it all, and then used the power of the social network and her office to win their freedom.
The three women were arrested as they tried to stage a sit-in at a United Nations office in the capital Manama.
Zainab Alkhawaja, Asma Darwish and Sawsan Jawad, who are all closely related to men who were detained during the recent protests, were finally released at about midnight local time.
According to the New York Times, throughout their seven hours in captivity, they managed to hold onto their phones and called on their followers on the social network to apply pressure on Bahrain’s government and on the United Nations.
Clark, who Twitters regularly, then used the UNDP handle to tell the women – and the world – “we’re looking into the situation and establish the facts with a sense of urgency. We’ll give an update asap”. Read the rest of this entry »
Sarbaini continues to haunt Parliament
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Parliament, Sarbaini on Friday, 17 June 2011, 8:41 am
Tarani Palani | June 16, 2011
Free Malaysia Today
The government maintains its stand that by law, an inquest needs to be established before a RCI. But Lim Kit Siang says the argument is flawed.
KUALA LUMPUR: The death of Selangor Customs Department assistant director Ahmad Sarbaini Mohamed continues to haunt Parliament despite a motion to disclose the deceased’s assets being rejected earlier this week.
The government has insisted that a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) cannot be established to investigate the death because an inquest must be carried out first, according to the law.
Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Liew Vui Keong reiterated the government’s stand on this issue in Parliament today. Read the rest of this entry »
Yen Yen blames DAP for Facebook ‘distortion’
Posted by Kit in Facebook, Good Governance, Tourism on Friday, 17 June 2011, 8:36 am
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 16, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, June 16 — Datuk Seri Ng Yen Yen blamed DAP for “distorting” facts on the tourism ministry’s RM1.8 million expenditure to develop six Facebook pages, insisting today she did not contradict a detailed account of the costs.
Her deputy, James Dawos Mamit, had told Parliament that each Facebook page had cost RM293,072.
“My deputy minister had answered it very clearly… Facebook is free.
“The cost is for the integrated social media campaign, the DAP has taken the campaign and distorted it… I accuse him (Anthony Loke) of distortion,” she told reporters today.
The tourism minister said that so far RM250,000 had been spent on the campaign. Read the rest of this entry »
Despite counter protest, Bersih gathers pace on Facebook
Posted by Kit in Elections, Human Rights on Friday, 17 June 2011, 8:30 am
By Shannon Teoh
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 16, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, June 16 – Support for the Bersih 2.0 rally on July 9 appears to be unaffected by the threat of clashes with the anti-Bersih counter protest in the streets of the capital city.
The Pakatan Rakyat-backed (PR) demonstration calling for free and fair elections has faced loud opposition from the right-wing Malay ground led by Perkasa, which has said that it is “ready for any eventuality.”
But as at 5pm today, the official Bersih Facebook group has over 14,300 likes, growing by more than a thousand in the last 24 hours, with nearly 300 more people confirming they will attend the march, which has close to 2,200 confirmed participants on its Facebook page.
In contrast, the anti-Bersih page now has 368 likes, 150 more than yesterday. Read the rest of this entry »
DAP and Dayak Think Tank
By: Dr. John Brian Anthony
16 June 2011 | Dayakbaru.com
The idea of Dayak Think Tank is not new but the “will and positive” action by DAP to want to make it happen is new. No Dayak Based party in BN would want to form a Dayak Think Tank for fear of because accused of a narrow agenda for Dayak, basically they do not want be branded as Dayak Racialist party. Other then that, the BN component Dayak based parties shouted on top of their voice that they are championing Dayak interest. But the evidence of their effort to cahmpion Dayak interest is not there.
A Dayak Think Tank is therefor very important. Tan Sri William Mawan talked about such initiative in private. But without the proper ground work and finance and leadership effort how will that happen. it is left at empty talk and nothing more. Educated and society active Dayak took their journey to promote change. without proper platform they adopted PKR and hopefully they choose DAP too in time to come. Read the rest of this entry »
Kit Siang adds voice to Sarbaini RCI call
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Sarbaini on Thursday, 16 June 2011, 12:10 pm
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
June 15, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, June 15 — Lim Kit Siang wants the government to override the decision by the police and Attorney-General to hold an inquest for the late Ahmad Sarbaini Mohamed, and instead convene a royal commission to investigate the death.
Lim said that the Cabinet should heed the call made by the late Custom officer’s son, Shahril Ahmad, that the family preferred a royal commission of inquiry (RCI).
Shahril earlier said it would be harder to determine the cause of Sarbaini’s death through an inquest and that this would delay the pursuance of justice.
“Sarbaini’s son has called for an RCI, which is what we (DAP) have been advocating from the very beginning. Read the rest of this entry »
At least 41 websites hacked, no data compromised
Jun 16, 11 | MalaysiaKini
At least 41 government websites were hacked into overnight but no personal or financial data were compromised, officials said today, as the Malaysia becomes the latest target of a cyber-war waged by the activists.
In the attacks, 51 websites were hit and at least 41 of these sites were disrupted, industry regulator Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission said.
The attacks, which began shortly before midnight yesterday, follow a warning by Internet vigilante group Anonymous, which said it would attack the government’s official portal to punish it for censoring WikiLeaks, the website that aims to expose governments and corporations by leaking secret documents.
hacked parliament”Our monitoring of the situation showed that there was a reduced level of attacks by 4am this morning and upon further evaluation, so far, we gauge that there has been little impact on Malaysian users as a result,” the communications commission said in a statement.
Read the rest of this entry »
Economic Development Reverses Brain Drain
Posted by Kit in Bakri Musa, Brain drain on Thursday, 16 June 2011, 11:20 am
A recent World Bank Report concludes that Malaysia risks jeopardizing its economic development if it does not ameliorate its “brain drain” problem. The Bank singles out the country’s affirmative action program as a major contributor to the problem.
Brain drain, as the Bank rightly acknowledges, is a universal problem. For the Bank to conclude as it did, it must present comparative international data showing that Malaysia’s problem is worse off than those without similar affirmative action programs. Alas, this is precisely the glaring deficiency of the report, its lack of comparative data.
The Report nonetheless contains a wealth of valuable data. However, as the information sage Edward Tufte observed, nature’s laws are causal; they reveal themselves by comparison and difference. This absence of comparisons makes the report’s conclusion not credible.
Read the rest of this entry »
