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The chameleon PM

By Othman Wahab | July 27, 2011
The Malaysian Insider

JULY 27 — Okay, now it is official. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has run out of ideas. After looking terribly unconvincing when handling the Bersih 2.0 rally, he is clutching at anything just to seem to have things under control.

But the sad fact is that his every act and every word uttered just shows him to be desperate ala a tikam-tikam politician, not the son of Malaysia’s second PM who showed some promise in the early days.

In the past few weeks, he has obliterated the image he was carving out as a moderate leader. He has played the religious card, calling Ambiga Sreenevasan an enemy of Islam for doing her legal duty of representing a client.

He has flip-flopped like an Olympic gymnast on the offer of a stadium to the Bersih 2.0 organisers.
Continue reading “The chameleon PM”

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BN MPs want more funds ahead of polls

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal | July 28, 2011
The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 — Barisan Nasional (BN) lawmakers have told coalition leaders that the government must ensure more funds trickle down to their constituencies instead of concentrating on big-ticket projects like the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) construction in Kuala Lumpur if the ruling coalition wants to receive a strong mandate in the next general election.

The Malaysian Insider understands that the matter was raised during a meeting on Monday night between 100 BN federal lawmakers and Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

The lawmakers argued that if Putrajaya could set aside funds for the MRT project, a similar amount should be given to generate economic benefits in more constituencies.
Continue reading “BN MPs want more funds ahead of polls”

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Why Najib must go

By Mariam Mokhtar | Jul 25, 11
Malaysiakini

The rakyat is angry with all politicians, not just BN or the opposition.

We have had 54 years of Umno/BN rule and have things really got any better? The rich appear to get richer, whilst the numbers who make up the poor, are increasing.

The old class system was royalty versus the serfs. Then it was the colonialists against the Malayans. Now it looks like it is the Umnoputras versus the rest.

The Umnoputras are the new elite. Even royalty depends on the largesse of those who lead Umno/BN to get funding from the civil list.
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After Bersih, doubts over Malaysia’s UNHRC spot

By Debra Chong
The Malaysian Insider
Jul 27, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, July 27 — LawAsia, a global organisation of lawyers, judges and legal experts has reminded Putrajaya it could lose its seat in the United Nations’ Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for its strong-arm tactics over the Bersih 2.0 affair.

The 45-year-old society based in Brisbane, with membership from over 50 countries in Asia and the Pacific region, issued a strong-worded statement earlier this week rebuking the Malaysian government for breaching the fundamental rights to freedom of opinion, expression and peaceful assembly set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights when it attempted to prevent the Bersih 2.0 rally for electoral reform on July 9.

It said the Najib administration’s actions of July 9 also appear to seriously breach another global agreement, the United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials, which it said Malaysia adopted in 1990. Continue reading “After Bersih, doubts over Malaysia’s UNHRC spot”

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TBH inquisition reveals racist underpinnings

By CPI | 27 July 2011

What is most telling about the Royal Commission report on Teoh Beng Hock is its total neglect of the two major structural factors accounting for the tragedy – the Umno and MACC agenda convergence, and the racist character of the civil service.

These ingredients together created a scenario where it is difficult to escape the implications that our independent public institutions, like the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission, are neither independent nor public.

It is unsettling to see the MACC operate as a tool of the state. It could be even more unsettling if there was perversion in the MACC’s function such that it resembles the interrogation unit of the secret police as found in some autocracies.

A deconstruction of events leading and consequent to the deadly outcome is necessary to assess the repercussions of Teoh’s tragedy.
Continue reading “TBH inquisition reveals racist underpinnings”

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A sham that deceived Malaysia

By Marcus van Geyzel (loyarburok.com) | July 25, 2011
The Malaysian Insider

JULY 25 — As the news filtered in on Thursday that the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Death of Teoh Beng Hock (“the TBH RCI”) had issued its findings, the conclusions seemed simple enough. The TBH RCI concluded that Teoh Beng Hock had been driven to commit suicide due to interrogation by 3 MACC officers in a manner that was “aggressive, relentless, oppressive and unscrupulous”. It seemed straightforward.

The newspaper reports of the findings were simple — after considering the evidence (70 witnesses, 750 pages of written submission, 19,200 pages of written testimonies, and 256 exhibits) before them, these learned members of the TBH RCI had come to this clear conclusion.
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Those whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad

By Zaharom Nain | July 27, 2011
The Malaysian Insider

JULY 27 — Many of us have long been opposed to monopolistic or oligopolistic control of institutions, including media institutions. More often than not, critiques of such control have been levelled at large corporations or moguls. Indeed, such concentration of control often invariably leads to lack of transparency and, of course, of accountability.

Hence, many who are concerned about media freedom and democracy are currently pleased, if not absolutely thrilled, with the reports about the closure of Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World (NOTW).

This, and the current revelations about the alleged dirty tricks employed by NOTW reporters and top executives, evidently now put Murdoch’s global media empire under much scrutiny and under threat.
Continue reading “Those whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad”

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For BN, a call to arms

By G. Manimaran, Bahasa Malaysia Editor | July 27, 2011
The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, July 27 — As speculation rises over the likely date of the next general election, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin rounded up over 100 Barisan Nasional lawmakers on Monday night and told them to work as if the “polls could be held at the end of the week”.

“The deputy prime minister did not give any indication except to tell us to be ready at all times, to assume as if the polls could be held at the end of the week… that was the only indication, nothing else,” one MP told The Malaysian Insider.

The first-term MP added that Muhyiddin also urged all representatives gathered for the annual meeting to make preparations as though they were already facing the polls.
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The Amanah agenda (Part 3)

By Sakmongkol AK47 | July 27, 2011
The Malaysian Insider

JULY 27 — There’s a practical side as to why I usually break up my articles into several parts. One is that I am writing from memory and therefore the output depends on my power of recall; if the issue at hand has decelerated, I can discontinue. I am also able to include responses to comments that come in if I judge them to be of material relevance.

Many of the comments on my articles on Amanah for example said they know of Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah’s well-meaning intentions and all that. But they lamented that this country needs action. The action will come in the next elections is the short answer.

I think, if I may put it as such, we don’t have to rush Tengku Razaleigh into doing something strategically inopportune. It will eventually be incorporated into a political agenda on a political platform. For the moment a little patience is prudent.
Continue reading “The Amanah agenda (Part 3)”

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MACC a house of criminals, says Kit Siang

By Joseph Sipalan and Lee Way Loon | Jul 27, 11
Malaysiakini

INTERVIEW Responsibility for the death of political aide Teoh Beng Hock lies squarely on the shoulders of the BN, which created a monster in the form of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), senior DAP leader Lim Kit Siang says.

Lim said the recently released report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Teoh’s death details a “horror” story that clearly outlines the gross abuses of the power MACC wields.

“… we let Parliament pass it (the MACC Act of 2009), gave it increased powers and funding, all sorts of support (were) given. What has happened? It became a monster,” he told Malaysiakini in an exclusive interview.

Lim, who marks 45 years in active politics this year, accused the BN of using the MACC, particularly the Selangor MACC, to further its political agenda in wresting the state back from Pakatan Rakyat rule.
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Government settles with ‘nude squat’ woman

The Malaysian Insider | July 27, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, July 27 — The government has agreed to compensate the woman who was videotaped performing nude squats in a Petaling Jaya police station six years ago.

A settlement was reached between the government and Hemy Hamisa Abu Hasan Saari, 28, at the Kuala Lumpur high Court today.

However, the amount agreed upon by the government, the constable who recorded the video and the mother of three who had initially sought RM10 million in damages when she filed her civil suit, was not disclosed.

The widely-circulated 2005 video had embarrassed the police and resulted in a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) which called for the practice of stripping detainees and forcing them to perform squats a violation of human rights and Islamic principles.
Continue reading “Government settles with ‘nude squat’ woman”

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The Amanah agenda (Part 2)

By Sakmongkol AK47 | July 25, 2011
The Malaysian Insider

JULY 25 — This is a gathering of concerned citizens. On the stage forming the committee members of Amanah were Kadir Sh Fadzir himself, Daniel Tajem, S. Subramaniam( a former MIC deputy president), Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah as chairman, Ong Tee Keat, Bujang Ulis from Sarawak and a sitting MP from Sabah.

The audience was made up of mainly concerned citizens of all races, with Malays making the predominant number. I am sure not everyone in there in the hall that day will commit themselves to the rigors of field politics; but I was sure of one thing. Everyone were united in the revulsion and rejection of what is going on in the country — the politics, economy, the divisiveness in our society, the future of democracy, the future of this country.
Continue reading “The Amanah agenda (Part 2)”

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Punish Bersih or risk losing support, Utusan warns BN

By Melissa Chi | July 27, 2011
The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, July 27 — The Barisan Nasional administration must penalise the outlawed Bersih 2.0 movement and the people behind it or risk losing electoral support for its perceived weakness, the Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia said today.

“The government needs to learn from this incident. To ensure peace and public safety, the authorities should immediately act against the troublemakers. Don’t waste the support of more than 4,000 non-governmental organisations and individuals who have lodged police reports against Bersih.

“The delay in taking action against the organisers and supporters of the illegal rally on July 9 can erode the people’s support because the government is seen as unable to implement the law. So, do not send the wrong message to the people, (that you are) afraid to take any action against the opposition leaders and Bersih organisers,” the Malay-language daily wrote in an editorial today.
Continue reading “Punish Bersih or risk losing support, Utusan warns BN”

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AG must go if MACC trio not charged, says DAP

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal | July 27, 2011
The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, July 27 — DAP has given Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail an ultimatum: Either prosecute the three Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers linked with Teoh Beng Hock’s death or resign as Attorney-General.

MACC announced on Saturday the temporary suspension of the three officers named in the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report — former Selangor MACC deputy director Hishammuddin Hashim and enforcement officers Arman Alies and Mohd Ashraf Mohd Yunus — pending the outcome of an internal probe.

The commission also said yesterday that it will only probe the three officers, and has remained silent on extending investigations to other officers in connection to this case.
Continue reading “AG must go if MACC trio not charged, says DAP”

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The Amanah Agenda — part 1

By Sakmongkol AK47 | July 24, 2011
The Malaysian Insider

JULY 24 — Last Friday, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah launched the setting up of another NGO. It is called Amanah. Its full name is Angkatan Amanah Merdeka. The name suggests that, independence and the wider meaning term, freedom, is a responsibility entrusted upon our shoulders.

It seems the main ingredients of an independent nation are being eroded and violated with irresponsible impunity. Our economy is slowly going to be run by powerful economic plutocracy. An elite group has taken over the planning and running of the country. We are simultaneously enthralled and goaded into believing that our economy can get better miraculously through stylish presentation using Microsoft PowerPoint authored by expensively paid consulting companies. Those people in Balakong, Sungai Besi and Jalan kelang Lama did not need power point presentations authored by McKinsey consultants. They didn’t have to pay Idris Jala for leveraging on McKinsey people either!
Continue reading “The Amanah Agenda — part 1”

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The ghosts of Mahathirism

By Stanley Koh | July 27, 2011
Free Malaysia Today

Is Mahathirism back with a vengeance?

Recent events do make it seem like the Najib regime has decided to adopt the former prime minister’s authoritarian style in saving its flagging political fortunes. It has resorted to using draconian laws and shameless propaganda in the face of an awakening electorate and increasing exposures of its misdeeds.

The government seems to have ignored the strong signal given by the 2008 election result that Malaysians want more democratic space. And what was Bersih 2.0’s July 9 rally if not a reaffirmation of that demand?

But instead of using the occasion to promote his much-vaunted liberalist image, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak seemed to have done what Dr Mahathir Mohamad would have done—crush them and damn what the world says.
Continue reading “The ghosts of Mahathirism”

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4 new leads from the TBH RCI Report providing powerful reasons why police should re-open investigations on who were TBH’s killers

The James Foong Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into the death of Teoh Beng Hock (TBH) is a great disappointment, as it has come out with a finding of “TBH was driven to commit suicide by the aggressive, relentless, oppressive and unscrupulous interrogation by certain officers of the MACC”(Para 119) , which is rejected by all right-thinking Malaysians.

There is however a silver lining in the TBH RCI Report as it has provided four new leads which are powerful reasons why the police should re-open investigations into who killed TBH at the MACC headquarters at Shah Alam on July 16, 2009.

LEAD ONE –

the TBH RCI was most scathing in its indictment of the character and testimony of the MACC officers especially from Selangor at the RCI. Apart from two brave and truthful souls from Selangor MACC, i.e. Azeem Hafeez Jamaluddin and Azlan (Para 176), the TBH RCI virtually dismissed the rest as a pack of liars led by Hishamuddin Hashim (HH), the “mastermind” of the massive and unjustified operation which resulted in TBH’s death. Continue reading “4 new leads from the TBH RCI Report providing powerful reasons why police should re-open investigations on who were TBH’s killers”

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Have the TBH RCI absolved MACC and MACC officers of responsibility for the death of Teoh Beng Hock?

On Thursday, the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz made public the James Foong Royal Commission of Inquiry Report on the death of Teoh Beng Hock while in custody, control and care of the MACC at the MACC headquarters at Shah Alam on July 16, 2009.

In an interview with Mingguan Malaysia on Sunday, Nazri said among other things that although the MACC “needs to revamp itself, the RCI had absolved it of murder charges and this should not be questioned further”.

In my speech at the DAP Taman Housing Trust dinner/ceramah in Ipoh on Sunday night, I took Nazri to task for his Mingguan Malaysia interview and in particular his stand that the TBH RCI had absolved MACC and MACC officers of all responsibility for Teoh Beng Hock’s death.

This was why I challenged Nazri to quote the RCI report to show where it had “absolved” MACC of responsibility for Teoh Beng Hock’s death. Continue reading “Have the TBH RCI absolved MACC and MACC officers of responsibility for the death of Teoh Beng Hock?”

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Nazri agrees to debate with Kit Siang over Teoh RCI

By Clara Chooi | July 26, 2011
The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, July 26 — Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz today declared his willingness to debate the findings of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into Teoh Beng Hock’s death with Lim Kit Siang.

Through his media officer, the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, who is now in London, said he would accept Lim’s offer but suggested that the meeting with the DAP stalwart be held after the fasting month of Ramadan.

In a blog posting yesterday, Lim had slammed Nazri (picture) for saying that the Teoh RCI had absolved the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) of murder charges and called on the minister to justify his stand.
Continue reading “Nazri agrees to debate with Kit Siang over Teoh RCI”