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BNM can freeze Bersih assets, says Awang Adek

July 15, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

Datuk Awang Adek Hussin today said Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) can freeze the assets of those believed to be participating in activities deemed risky to the nation’s security if the police recommend so.

The deputy finance minister highlighted this in relation to reports that the Bersih 2.0 movement headed by Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan was receiving foreign funding for its activities.

According to Awang, provisions within the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act allowed for the central bank to not only bar access to such funds but also trace both deposits and withdrawals of the offending accounts.

Bersih 2.0 chairman Ambiga was earlier reported to have received funds from foreign non-profit organisations through a local bank.

The report carried by a local newspaper said the bank was chosen by Ambiga and the NGOs to help the former Bar Council president in her plan to “cause chaos in Malaysia”.

It was also alleged that an opposition leader owns shares in the bank.

Responding to the issue last week, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar said the police will work together with BNM to investigate the claims.

Bersih was also hit before by allegations of having received funding from, among others, foreign Christian organisations to finance its July 9 rally for electoral reforms.

The group, however, moved to repudiate the accusations by saying the donations for the rally came from Malaysian citizens here and abroad.

It also clarified that money the group received from two US organisations — the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and Open Society Institute (OSI) — were for other projects unrelated to the July 9 march.

Bersih 2.0’s protest last Saturday saw thousands converge on the capital city in a march for free and fair elections.

The protest, which the government had earlier declared illegal, turned chaotic close to midday when the police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse protestors.

33 Replies to “BNM can freeze Bersih assets, says Awang Adek”

  1. So go ahead & begin with freezing the assets of all the members of the 62 NGOs la. What a vile threat!
    Shame on Home minister Hishammuddin!
    Stop bulldozing ordinary Malaysian citizens!!!!

  4. Awang Adek,for starters why don’t you freeze the foreign bank accounts of your masters.There are hundreds of billions of ringgit of corrupted laundered money parked there.Bersih has only thousands of accounted money.You a banker.Do your arithmatics.Not mathematics.Go ponder.Running dog.Hahaha.

  5. See the power of the government! We Malaysians must never forget this – that the government of the day, unless is kept in check, will abuse its power to the extreme through the state apparatuses. Where does BN, particularly UMNO, get its funding? Open up the book. Those who live in glass house should not throw stone.

  6. Awang Adek,
    Marching in a peaceful protest rally comes under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Terrorism Financing Act.

    Politicians looting and leaving the people’s bank high and dry.What act are you going to apply on them, Mr Banker.Cheers.

  7. How does this actually work? Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2001 (AMLA) relates to funding (local or foreign) generated from unlawful & criminal means eg drug, prostitution, terrorist, kidnapping, robbery/extortion corruption or if in process of transfer/movement contravenes the country’s foreign exchange controls (ECM) or other financial regulations. Where is there suggestion that foreign funding (money or asset) of Bersih, if true, are from these unlawful sources?

    Even if Bersih got funding from foreign Christian organisations NDI or OSI, so what, in what way are these monies from these foreign organisations tainted by criminal activities? One may ban Bersih and make it unlawful but that does not equate to saying that its sources of funding unlawful or money laundering to kick in!

  8. Awang Adek,being a Deputy Finance Minister I must assume that you must be a professional of an accounting or banking background.

    Let me ask you a simple question.Three decades ago Malaysia was a developing nation.Now thirty years later Malaysia is still a developing nation.

    If not for the mass looting of the people’s bank of hundreds of billion of ringgit by politicians would Malaysia be a developed nation umpteen years ago.

  9. For an NGO like Bersih there are (as ar as I am aware) any restriction or special rule regarding foreign funding (though it does not look good), other than those set out in the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001 (funds generated from unlawful activities) and the MACC Act (corrupt monies). Even if a political party and not NGO involved, where in our Election Offences Act 1954 does it say that foreign funding of the political party is illegal even though a candidate spending over the limit or bribing electors for vote is? As I said in preceding posting (under moderation), banning & making Bersih unlawful does not by itself mean its sources of funding (from Christian organisations, NDI or OSI) unlawful for money laundering to kick in & Bank Negara to act! If one were not careful and investigate on Bersih’s supporters accounts in violation of banking secrecy supporters will take deposits out and cause a small run.

  11. Lim Kit Siang,are you there my friend.Well,first I must congratulate you for still jumping around like a jack rabbit.I still remember seeing you for the first time in the late sixties or early seventies.

    What I must tell you is in your early twenties,you scream like a firebrand or I would say a loose cannon.

    But what I would like to say to you is your comment blog is an “Mother Teresa” compared to bloggers such as Sak,Zorro,KTemoc and even the middle of the road like Khoo Kay Peng.

    You have to advice your moderator to be more accomodating.Sometimes commenters need to vent out their anger at the you know what.As long as the language is middle of the road.What say you,young man.

  14. The government will find ways to stop the funding from overseas because this is an easy way to corner people.What about the money in the Swiss bank stached away by UMNO/BN cronies.Bank Negara should do that first.If all the oppositon members giveRM10 it will be more than enough for Ambiga to organise more Bersih protests.The government is becoming more vicious to attack its own citizens.

  18. by raven77 on Friday, 15 July 2011 – 10:34 pm

    Please lahhh…first freeze taib’s account, Toyol, Rosmak, etc…..until then dont waste our time and your breath….

    This is worth repeating: and all UMNO, MIC, MCA ministers too. They must be getting funding from Talebans of one sort or another.

    Also how can ministers and ex-ministers who have never worked a day in civil street afford all those Benzes and flashy cars and palatial mansions, eh?

    Macc is beginning to look like a biG MAC – greasy and ugly.

  21. How about freezing Najib & Co accounts? NOW it seems the ‘commission’ were much bigger than the RM540m reported earlier..Damn, no wonder Rosmah think RM73mil diamond is no big deal.

  22. Najib said that Bersih wants to topple the government. If by having clean and fair election will see BN going into opposition, as Najib believes it, then Bersih might bring a change to government. But Bersih does not topple the BN government like what the Egyptians did.

    ///Datuk Awang Adek Hussin today said Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) can freeze the assets of those believed to be participating in activities deemed risky to the nation’s security if the police recommend so.///–

    If Bersih’s call for clean and fair election is risky to the nations security, then the nation’s security relies on dirty and unfair election. Obviously Awang has got mixed up between nation’s security and the security of the political parties which got its power from dirty and unfair election. If a senior official of the nation’s central bank cannot differentiate between national and party interest, how can we expect them to perform duties that needed more brain power?

  24. ///Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai claimed today that someone was using the police attack on Tung Shin Hospital to pressure him into stepping down.In a statement, he also dismissed a rumour about him…///-Malaysiakini

    The thick skin does not know that people want him out of government with or without the Tung Shin Hospital incident. His comments only call attention that he is still a minister!

  25. Ambiga already said that there’s no more rallies for the time being. She said to WSJ that Bersih’s intent was electoral reforms not overthrow of the BN’s regime or asking Najib to step down. Any present attempt to link Bersih’s funding to laundering and freeze its assets must be viewed as one to punish and destroy Bersih for the damage it has inflicted on BN and the boost it has provided to the Opposition’s cause on 9th July. It cannot be to avert the damage on 9th July because that has already happened! In that sense investigating Bersih now is like closing the barn’s door after the horses have bolted! If the intent is to show Bersih being tainted with sourcing illegal funding, one wonders what’s the point when Bersih has already been gazetted an outlaw organisation by Home Ministry – unless by such further action being needed, it tantamount to an indirect admission on govt’s part that the initial ban and outlawing of Bersih is not convincing enough as of todate for both domestic and international audience – which is natural since it cannot be the case our King gave audience to an illegal organisation – hence the present requirement to investigate and obtain further “objective evidence” of illegal funding. The hope is that such revelations of foreign or illegal funding may prove more convincing than the present reason for the ban – that in the subjective determination of the Home Ministry, Bersih is acting or intending to act in a manner prejudicial to national security, public order, law and order within meaning stated in our various laws.

  28. So umno said bersih wants to topple the umno gobermen. So what if that is indeed so? Is there a problem? I want to topple umno too. Every election I throw my vote decisively to the opposition with the hope that my one vote, taken cumulatively with other similarly cast votes, could do the work. That is democracy. Except that the democracy which we see here is of the jenis-umno variety. And being of jenis-umno genus, the process and result have a definite and expected skew in favour of umno. Now that is the problem. My one vote is not worth a full vote but something less. That is not democracy. And that is what bersih is addressing. Bersih wants to change the jenis-umno election process. And that suits me well. For I see that as giving to voters the choice of wiping umno out of putrajaya completely and constitutionally come GE13. Is that a problem?

    Oh I forgot. That is anti-islam, anti-agung and a subversive act and also a communist movement.

  29. One more thing.
    Jibby jib is meeting the pope soon. Can someone in umno pls issue a putrajaya directive to the pope and his people not to display any cross, any religious objects or appear in religious robes etc etc or otherwise howsoever do or carry out any religious acts or things which may have the tendency to threaten, harm or prejudice jibby jib’s belief in islam jenis-umno.

    You see he has a frail fait… huh? Apa? Salah ke? Aisehman, sorry boss. Pagi ni I lupa makan rambutan.

  30. What did Hishamuddin actually outlaw – yellow colour or yellow colour T-shirts bearing Bersih’s words or insignia ??? Or is it anyone (by profiling) identifiable as being eiither opposed to the government or supportive of Bersih’s cause like the 6 DAP members wearing yellow Tee shirts but without Bersih’s insignia, hauled up by the police at Taman Pelangi market during a gotong-royong exercise?

    Surely it cannot be yellow colour per se. Its a colour of royalty and investitute here, the colour of crescent & moon in national flag, the emblem colour for Cancer. If it were so all yeloow t shirts in shopping boutiques and malls have to be taken off the shelf ! DAP MP Er Teck Hwa was apprehended whilst wearing a red T- shirt bearing a Chinese character which meant “Change”!

  31. Awang adek,are you bunch of suckers still adamantly implied that the Agong had an audience with illegal Bersih organiser which is Ambiga?Do you mean that the Agong also having the conspiracy to topple himself and the nation?Is there still any little good senses left in your head?If you idiots are truly concerned about the nation’s plight,ie. security,wealth,debt,illicit outflow money which in fact caused by none other than you idiots,then start the investigation from Apanama aka Kerala Mamak,Toyol,Najis n Rosmah corp.,ect ect included you,Awang Adek.

  33. Malaysians Christians practicing “love thy enemies”
    Buddhists and Hindus disobey with no violence.
    This will make Najib mad…and he is not smiling in Rome.
    Queen give him no titles.
    See the photo and post at Malaysiakini.
    And this Pope love to smile to everyone..but he sure have a serious hard thinking man face.
    One look at Najib…this Pope will know who Najib is.

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