Posted on

RHB mega-merger: ‘Najib must be accountable’

Jun 12, 11 | MalaysiaKini

DAP has asked Prime Minister Najib Razak to explain why Bank Negara is pushing hard for the RHB merger with one of Malaysia’s two largest banks when the move would lead to foreign exchange outflow and an unhealthy monopoly.

“Najib should present ministerial statement in Parliament tomorrow on the rationale and status of Bank Negara’s (approved) merger between RHB Capital with (either) Maybank or CIMB Group to create Southeast Asia’s biggest bank,” said DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang in a statement today.

“Basic principles and questions about Bank Negara’s push for the country’s largest corporate merger need to asked and clarified,” he said. Continue reading “RHB mega-merger: ‘Najib must be accountable’”

Posted on

“Jika Utusan fitnah kamu, maka kamu patut diam saja”

Komentar Roketkini
12 June 2011 | Roketkini

12 JUN – Mungkin mengajar ketam berjalan betul lebih mudah daripada memujuk Utusan Malaysia supaya menghentikan perbuatan keji dan terkutuk memfitnah DAP dan Pakatan Rakyat.

Sidang pengarang Utusan atas nama Awang Selamat kini membawa satu lagi ajaran fitnah – jika Utusan fitnah DAP kamu, maka kamu patut diam saja.

Utusan telah menuduh DAP terlibat dalam isu pemilihan khariah masjid di Pulau Pinang, dan walau pun laporan itu bohong dan palsu, Utusan mahu DAP duduk diam dan terima sahaja fitnah kejam itu. Continue reading ““Jika Utusan fitnah kamu, maka kamu patut diam saja””

Posted on

Penang CM shoots at Star

By Susan Loone
Jun 12, 11 | MalaysiaKini

MCA-owned Star Publication’s editorial today has displeased the Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng so badly that he has urged the paper not to follow in the footsteps of Utusan Malaysia.

The Malay language paper has come under fire of late, for its extreme views and sensationalised reporting.

Lim has urged the English language daily to correct its editorial titled ‘The Pearl of the Orient needs a new polish’, saying it has twisted facts about the state’s economic performance. Continue reading “Penang CM shoots at Star”

Posted on

Can bloggers be in solidarity with the media?

By Dr Lim Teck Ghee
Sunday, 12 June 11 | Centre for Policy Initiatives

In Malaysia, bloggers have been engaged in a battle to correct the spinning and political bias which has become part of the normal business and deep culture of the media. Since Independence, the majority of the media has been a willing partner in the Barisan Nasional’s one overriding pursuit: that of self-promotion, self aggrandizement and opportunism. In the process, the old media has contributed to the corruption, injustice and bad governance that are the hallmarks of BN rule, especially during Dr Mahathir’s administration and continuing today.

The reason why journalistic ethics and principles of truthfulness, accuracy, objectivity, impartiality, fairness and public accountability are in short supply is not difficult to fathom. When these qualities do exist especially amongst younger and idealistic media practitioners, the calls from the Home Affairs Ministry, Special Branch, and the political bosses are quickly there to remind them of the Printing Presses and Publications Act; the ISA; the Sedition Act; and the major roadblocks to career advancement should they offend the authorities with their writing. Continue reading “Can bloggers be in solidarity with the media?”

Posted on

Bersih rally goes on, says Ambiga, PAS

By Boo Su-Lyn
June 12, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, June 12 — Bersih 2.0 chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan and PAS leaders have dismissed opposition towards next month’s Bersih rally and maintained plans to proceed with it.

Umno daily Utusan Malaysia today urged Malaysians to boycott the protest and quoted Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hussein’s warning that “it will be chaotic when those for and against the street demonstration clash.”

“Opposition is normal. It is a democratic country,” Ambiga told The Malaysian Insider today.

“My own reading is that a lot of people are very supportive of the demands we are making. There’s unhappiness…like example in the Sarawak (election), unhappiness about corruption, (and) unhappiness about the independence of our institutions,” added the election watchdog chief. Continue reading “Bersih rally goes on, says Ambiga, PAS”

Posted on

Artiste Day: ‘Rais blew half year’s budget in 1 day’

Malaysiakini
Jun 12, 11

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has slammed minister Rais Yatim for splurging RM100 million, or half the annual budget for creative projects, on a poorly attended one-day arts event that local artists reportedly dubbed an “instant noodle project”.

Lim said a fraction of that amount, or RM2 million, would have gone a long way in funding the internationally-rated month-long George Town Heritage Festival in Penang.

“Information, Communication and Culture Minister Rais Yatim must explain the rationale of wasting RM100 million for the 2011 Artistes Day on May 29 that received a lukewarm response from art activists. Continue reading “Artiste Day: ‘Rais blew half year’s budget in 1 day’”

Posted on

Guan Eng: royal commission on IPPs, PPAs

Malaysiakini
Jun 12, 11

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng has challenged the BN-led foreign government to set up a royal commission of inquiry into the issue of independent power producers and the related matter of power purchase agreements (PPA).

In this way, all PPAs and other PPAs would be disclosed and it could be determined once and for all whether the government has been equitable in its energy subsidy cuts for end consumers while maintaining lopsided arrangements with the IPPs that supply power to utility firm TNB, said Lim.

Lim, who is also Penang chief minister, was echoing an earlier statement by Umno stalwart Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah that an RCI should be set up to review TNB’s contracts with the 26 IPPs currently producing about 60 percent of the TNB’s energy supply.

“The RCI would determine how severely the lopsided deals are burdening consumers with the rise in electricity tariffs and introduce measures to either reduce or remove this huge financial burden on the people,” said Lim in a statement today. Continue reading “Guan Eng: royal commission on IPPs, PPAs”

Posted on

Cabinet forms panel to study power deals

The Malaysian Insider
Jun 12, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, June 12 — Following growing calls for power purchasing agreements to be reviewed, Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah today announced that a Cabinet committee has been formed to evaluate the matter.

“The committee will study various aspects (of power supply) and not just the [independent power producers] problem… among them (production) costs and (requirements for) the future because there are IPPs whose concession is due to end in 2014 and 2015,” Ahmad Husni was quoted by Bernama Online today.

The second finance minister also stressed that the committee will take a birds-eye view of subsidies and not be focussed primarily with the power deals or the producers.

“We have not been given any deadline for submitting the report, but what must be stressed here is that it will give priority to the interests of the people,” he said.

It remains to be seen if the committee will be enough to assuage lawmakers calling for a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) to probe the lopsided power deals between Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) and the IPPs. Continue reading “Cabinet forms panel to study power deals”

Posted on

In ‘Mat Sabu sex scandal’, PAS chiefs scent Umno fear

By Boo Su-Lyn
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 12, 2011

Mat Sabu has been described as the engine that will drive PAS forward. — file picKUALA LUMPUR, June 12 — PAS leaders are accusing Umno of being behind a sex video implicating Mohamad Sabu, saying it reflected the ruling Malay party’s desperation to find issue with their newly-elected deputy president.

PKR MP Zuraida Kamaruddin said she received a VCD in her mailbox recently that has a picture of Mohamad together with the words “Skandal Seks Mat Sabu” (Mat Sabu Sex Scandal), a letter with a forged PAS letterhead and a flyer containing pictures of Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Mat Sabu is the PAS leader’s moniker.

“This shows that Umno has degenerated into a distributor of ‘blue’ films,” PAS central committee member Khalid Samad told The Malaysian Insider today. Continue reading “In ‘Mat Sabu sex scandal’, PAS chiefs scent Umno fear”

Posted on

Utusan says Bersih dirty, calls for boycott

By Shannon Teoh
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 12, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, June 12 — Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia has called on Malaysians not just to boycott next month’s Bersih rally, but also to gather against the movement that calls for free and fair elections.

The paper’s Mingguan Malaysia weekend edition also told Malaysians “who love peace and reject hypocrisy” to gather on the streets of Kuala Lumpur on July 9 “with banners of the opposition leader’s scandals” in reference to sodomy and sex video allegations against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

“Display also newspaper cuttings of the sodomy victims. They are the ones that should be defended if we support a clean culture. Awang believes the gathering will be a senjata makan tuan (backfiring weapon) for the opposition.

“This gathering is dirty,” it said in its Awang Selamat — the nom de plume of the newspaper’s editors — column today. Continue reading “Utusan says Bersih dirty, calls for boycott”

Posted on

What is the rationale and status of Bank Negara’s proposed merger between RHB Capital with Maybank or CIMB Group to create Southeast Asia’s biggest bank?

As Finance Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak should present a ministerial statement in Parliament tomorrow on the rationale and status of Bank Negara’s proposed merger between RHB Capital with Maybank or CIMB Group to create Southeast Asia’s biggest bank.

The top regional banks in Asean include three Singapore banks DBS Group Holdings Ltd, Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp Ltd (OCBC) and United Overseas Bank Ltd (UOB) with market capitalisation of US$27.7bil, US$25.7bil and US$24.5bil respectively.

While in terms of asset size, the Singapore banks remain at the top, a Maybank-RHB Cap merger could overtake DBS Group in terms of combined market capitalisation with US$28.8bil.

The potential merger of CIMB-RHB, on the other hand, would see a combined market capitalisation of US$27.3bil, just marginally below DBS but would overtake both OCBC and UOB. In terms of asset size, DBS, OCBC and UOB stand at US$238bil, US$198.4bil and US$178.8bil respectively. Continue reading “What is the rationale and status of Bank Negara’s proposed merger between RHB Capital with Maybank or CIMB Group to create Southeast Asia’s biggest bank?”

Posted on

Set up Opposition-headed Committee of Inquiry into Taib Mahmud’s “grand corruption” allegations

In Sibu yesterday, I had suggested that Sarawak Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud should go on a leave of absence until the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has cleared him of grave “grand corruption” allegations as otherwise it would a shame to Sarawak and Malaysia to have a state Chief Minister actively under MACC investigations following international pressures.

Will Taib go voluntarily on a fairly extended “leave of absence” until he is cleared of “grand corruption” allegations not only inside the country but internationally to the extent that it has become a diplomatic scandal with the Swiss Federation President Micheline Calmy-Rey forwarding information about Taib’s assets in Switzerland to its regulatory body Finma (the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority) for investigation? Continue reading “Set up Opposition-headed Committee of Inquiry into Taib Mahmud’s “grand corruption” allegations”

Posted on

Soi Lek’s impossible dream

by Thomas Lee Seng Hock

MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek has appealed to the Chinese to review their perception of the party and reevaluate its past and present contributions, especially on matters affecting the community.

In an apparent desperate endeavour to try to redeem whatever remains of the party’s credibility, integrity and authenticity among the Chinese, Chua claims indirectly that the community has never rejected the party, but just went uncontrollably overboard in voting for a strong opposition in the last general election.

In an interview with Malaysiakini on Wednesday 8 June 2011, Chua claims that the Chinese want some representatives in the government to articulate their frustrations, and also want a strong opposition to keep a check on the government, but “sometimes, when they do this balancing act, they go haywire.” Continue reading “Soi Lek’s impossible dream”

Posted on

Orang Melayu tak sejahil sangkaan UMNO

– oleh Muhammad Zir
Roketkini
10 June 2011

10 JUN – UMNO menganggap orang Melayu kurang cerdik dan mudah dicucuk hidung. Matlamat UMNO menyerang DAP adalah untuk menimbulkan kebencian orang Melayu terhadap DAP, dan seterus supaya menolak Pakatan. Ini adalah pakej UMNO mengajak Melayu membenci DAP, dan ia diulas untuk membuktikan UMNO sendiri tahu yang para pemimpinnya banyak omong kosong dan terlalu bergantung kepada fitnah.

Mengapa orang Melayu tidak ramai menyertai DAP?

Kerana UMNO berjaya menfitnah sejak zaman-berzaman, mereka memberi persepsi buruk terhadap DAP dengan mengaitkan hal perkauman, agama dan ideologi komunis. Hakikatnya, semua dakwaan itu palsu dan UMNO sendiri pun tahu yang ia palsu. Semua fitnah ini telah dibuktikan tidak relevan dan salah sama sekali. Komunis tidak mengiktiraf Perlembagaan Persekutuan tetapi DAP menjunjung Perlembagaan dan segala isinya. Ideologi DAP adalah demokrasi social yang ditolak dan ditentang oleh komunis. Dalam UMNO, pernah ada pemimpin ditahan di bawah ISA kerana dituduh komunis. Bagaimana UMNO boleh menyamakan kuda dengan basikal?

Apakah benar DAP parti berbilang bangsa dan Melayu boleh menjadi pemimpin dalam DAP?

UMNO menerusi ejen-ejen seperti Utusan dan Perkasa melukis gambaran pada fikiran orang Melayu bahawa mereka hanya akan menjadi kuda tunggangan orang-orang Cina dalam DAP. Hakikatnya, untuk menjadi pemimpin yang baik dalam mana-mana organisasi, setiap individu perlu mempunyai kualiti dalam semua segi. Kualiti hanya akan wujud sekiranya organisasi itu mempunyai jumlah kuantiti yang mencukupi. Tanpa kuantiti, sukar untuk memilih kualiti yang terbaik di kalangannya. Sifir ini dengan mudah menjelaskan, mengapa orang Melayu belum ada yang menjadi pemimpin besar dalam DAP, kerana jumlahnya masih sedikit. Senario ini juga adalah kesan dari kempen UMNO BN menakut-nakutkan orang Melayu kepada DAP, hingga jumlah ahli Melayu dalam DAP belum ramai. Kini, masa depan kita pasti akan berubah.

Pada masa yang sama, perlu ditanya: MCA itu kuda tunggangan UMNO atau UMNO kuda tunggangan MCA? Continue reading “Orang Melayu tak sejahil sangkaan UMNO”

Posted on

We were soldiers

by drrafick
June 11, 2011

1.I read with interest the statement by Zahid Hamidi on Malaysian Mirror where he refuted claims that former members of the Armed Forces (AF) are opposing the government. Apparently he made the comments in view of claims by some that many ex-servicemen opposed the government by expressing their views on the Internet. I am not sure whether me and Arshad Raji can be considered in the same category with other since we are ex-serviceman. I know many ex-servicemen do not blog but express their frustration with BN over my blog and at coffee shops.

2.Are we really frustrated with the government or with the politicians that governs the machinery? Personally on occasion I am frustrated with both. I am fed up with the hypocrite politicians. I am sick and tired with politicians that divide the nation. I am fed up with the politicians who make decisions that bring misery to the people. I am fed up with this “legal robbers” that drain the nation’s wealth and who makes lousy decisions that burden the people. The list about the politicians does not end there. Continue reading “We were soldiers”