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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.
Continue reading “A cyberwar waged by an army of Julian Assanges”

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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. Continue reading “July 9: Umno Youth to march as well”

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Umno ‘welcomed’ to sue Penang on mosque polls

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. Continue reading “Umno ‘welcomed’ to sue Penang on mosque polls”

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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. Continue reading “What’s so “dirty” about Bersih 2.0 rally?”

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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”. Continue reading “Twitter Power – Helen Clark comes to detainees’ rescue”

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Sarbaini continues to haunt Parliament

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. Continue reading “Sarbaini continues to haunt Parliament”

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Yen Yen blames DAP for Facebook ‘distortion’

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. Continue reading “Yen Yen blames DAP for Facebook ‘distortion’”

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Despite counter protest, Bersih gathers pace on Facebook

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. Continue reading “Despite counter protest, Bersih gathers pace on Facebook”

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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. Continue reading “DAP and Dayak Think Tank”

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Kit Siang adds voice to Sarbaini RCI call

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. Continue reading “Kit Siang adds voice to Sarbaini RCI call”

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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.
Continue reading “At least 41 websites hacked, no data compromised”

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Economic Development Reverses Brain Drain

By M. Bakri Musa

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.
Continue reading “Economic Development Reverses Brain Drain”

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Yen Yen claims Facebook pages free, contradicts reply in Parliament

By Shannon Teoh
June 15, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, June 15 — With Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) both demanding an explanation for the tourism ministry’s RM1.8 million Facebook campaign, Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen denied any wrongdoing today and accused DAP of twisting the truth.

“The opposition just goes around saying it’s for Facebook. They are twisting the issue.

“The Facebook pages do not cost a single sen. This is a social media advertising, promotions and branding campaign and also data collection,” the MCA vice president told reporters today.

However, her contention that the Facebook pages were free appeared to contradict her ministry’s detailed account of the cost for each page. Continue reading “Yen Yen claims Facebook pages free, contradicts reply in Parliament”

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Mat Sabu tells cops to shield Bersih protestors

By Boo Su-Lyn
June 16, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

KLANG, June 16 — PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu has urged the police to protect protestors at the Bersih 2.0 rally next month instead of working to prevent them from gathering.

Mohamad pointed out that in the West authorities usually ensured the safety of protestors, unlike the recent revolts in the Middle East where demonstrators were killed by government forces.

“The police here should not imitate the police in the Middle East,” he said at a ceramah here last night.

“We acknowledge the strength of the police. They can arrest us under the ISA (Internal Security Act), launch tear gas, and kick us. [But what] do you profit by doing that to the rakyat?” asked Mohamad, more popularly known as Mat Sabu. Continue reading “Mat Sabu tells cops to shield Bersih protestors”

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And they think we are stupid

By Othman Wahab
June 16, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

JUNE 16 — Ibrahim Ali thinks he is a brilliant strategist and Umno is confident that it is onto something and Khalid Abu Bakar, the deputy inspector-general of police for Umno, performed just like a politician did.

Of course, I am referring to the moves to stop civic-minded Malaysians from gathering on July 9 and protesting about election shortcomings. The Bersih 2 rally is now not likely to happen, with police threatening tough action (they can’t nab criminals but they can bully tax payers. That is what happens when an institution becomes politicised).

As pointed out by Raja Petra Kamarudin, blogger extraordinaire, the government is worried at the prospect of huge turnout, concerned that momentum could build towards coming polls. They are also worried about the impact of Arab uprising here, despite protestations by the government that Malaysia is not like Egypt. Continue reading “And they think we are stupid”

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Utusan comic strip insulted Islam, say Muslim scholars

By Syed Mu’az Syed Putra and Debra Chong
June 15, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, June 15 — Persatuan Ulama Malaysia (PUM) has accused Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia of insulting Islam with a comic strip published today, which the society said was based on an incorrect reading of the religion’s laws.

The 4,000-strong Muslim scholars’ society demanded the authorities charge the cartoonist and the publisher for insulting Islam, saying the publication of the misleading cartoon had portrayed in a negative light the religion of the majority in multicultural Malaysia at a time when Muslims were seen to lack religious knowledge.

PUM was referring to a two-panel comic strip on page 15 of the Malay daily today titled “Kekeliruan kes rogol” [“Confusion in rape cases”] depicting a tudung-clad woman seeking advice after being raped. Continue reading “Utusan comic strip insulted Islam, say Muslim scholars”

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Government portal down, 27 others defaced

By Shannon Teoh
June 16, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, June 16 — Operation Malaysia launched by the international hacker group known as Anonymous has succeeded in not just bringing down the official website of the Malaysian government, but also spawned attacks on at least 27 other websites.

These include at least five other government sites such as the webpages of the information ministry, the fire and emergency services department and the land public transport commission.

As of 8.30am, malaysia.gov.my remained inaccessible, while other hackers appear to have taken it upon themselves to target sites like Sabah’s tourism website (sabahtourism.com) and the Tour Malaysia travel guide (tourmalaysia.com.my).

On the Sabah Tourism webpage, hackers claimed to have extracted the details of more than 3,400 of the site’s users and posted the particulars of 392 accounts. Continue reading “Government portal down, 27 others defaced”

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Lawmaker sees red over his ‘pig head’

By Kuek Ser Kuang Keng
Jun 16, 11 | MalaysiaKini

A DAP assemblyperson in Selangor is seeing red after finding a photograph of him superimposed with a pig’s nose in a blog posting that also contained a fabricated ‘report’ that he had attempted sabotage his counterparts in PAS.

Sekinchan assemblyperson Ng Suee Lim submitted a printed copy of the doctored picture as well as a copy of the blog posting in his complaint filed at the Sekinchan police station yesterday.

The offending picture and posting were found on pro-Umno blog ‘Sungai Rapat Online’.

“I suspect the blog is owned by Perak exco member Hamidah Osman or her supporters, because 90 percent of the content is about her,” Ng told Malaysiakini when contacted. Continue reading “Lawmaker sees red over his ‘pig head’”

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‘Selfish’ Dayak politicians stifling community’s growth

Joseph Tawie | June 15, 2011
Free Malaysia Today

A blogger has warned Dayaks that BN’s money politics will “devour the community” and eventually make them non-existent.

KUCHING: A well known native activist has slammed Dayak politicians in Sarawak, describing them as ‘shallow and selfish’ leaders who were willing to compromise the community’s culture and intergrity.

Blogger John Brian, who is also an academician, alleged that Dayak politicians were more interested in enriching themselves than looking out for the brethrens.

“Many Dayaks prefer to be BN candidates so that they not only can win easily, but can also enrich themselves faster.

“Helping the people who have elected them is not their agenda, as they are more concerned of enriching themselves. Continue reading “‘Selfish’ Dayak politicians stifling community’s growth”

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RM63.9m spent on consultants and ETP, GTP open days

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 15, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, June 15 — A total of RM63.9 million was spent to hire consultants for Pemandu and to organise three open days for Government Transformation Plan (GTP) and Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) initiatives, the government said today.

Minister in the prime minister’s department Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon said that the government had paid RM36.3 million to various consultants, while RM27.6 million was used for the open days in Kuching, Kuala Lumpur, and Kota Kinabalu last year.

In two written replies to DAP’s Liew Chin Tong, Koh said that the costs were justified as they were far lower than the allocated budget. Continue reading “RM63.9m spent on consultants and ETP, GTP open days”