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Withdrawal of sedition charge against Azmi Sharom only silver lining in gathering of dark clouds following Apandi’s appointment – call for dropping of all sedition charges

The only good news in the past six months is the withdrawal of the sedition charge against Universiti Malaya law professor Azmi Sharom, following on the earlier withdrawal of the sedition charge against DAP MP for Seputeh Teresa Kok over a Chinese New Year video “’Onederful’ Malaysia CNY 2014”.

The withdrawal of sedition charge against Azmi, and the earlier withdrawal of the sedition charge against Teresa Kok, are the only silver lining in the gathering of dark clouds following the sudden and shocking sacking of Tan Sri Gani Patail as Attorney-General and the appointment of Tan Sri Mohamad Apandi Ali as the Public Prosecutor of the land six months ago.

But this is not adequate, as both Teresa and Azmin should not have been charged in the first place.
I fully agree with Azmi that Malaysians are relieved that common sense had prevailed, but this must apply not only in the two cases of Azmi and Teresa, but also in all the other cases where the Sedition Act been used to stifle legitimate dissent and criticism.

For this reason, I call on Apandi to drop all charges under the Sedition Act against Opposition MPs, civil society activists, lawyers and cartoonist including Zunar. Continue reading “Withdrawal of sedition charge against Azmi Sharom only silver lining in gathering of dark clouds following Apandi’s appointment – call for dropping of all sedition charges”

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Hasan Arifin should resign as PAC Chairman if he dare not summon Jho Low to appear before the PAC investigations into 1MDB

One of the greatest sins of omission of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) investigations into the RM55 billion 1MDB is the rescindment of its earlier decision to summon Jho Low to testify before it.

The Malaysian public are still waiting for a cogent and reasonable explanation from the new PAC Chairman Datuk Hasan Arifin why he rescinded the decision of the earlier PAC Chairman, Datuk Seri Nur Jazlan Mohamad, who announced on July 24 last year that Low Taek Jho would be summoned to appear before the PAC on Sept. 8 to testify on the 1MDB scandal.

But Nur Jazlan was “kicked upstairs” to become Deputy Home Minister in the “purges” launched by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak on July 28 last year, which saw the sacking of the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Senior Minister for Rural and Regional Development Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal, the Attorney-General Tan Sri Gani Patail, the dissolution of the high-powered multi-agency Special Task Force to investigate 1MDB and the four-month sabotage of the PAC investigations into 1MDB.

Najib’s world-class RM55 billion 1MDB and RM2.6 billion “donation” twin mega scandals have proved to be more intriguing than any long-running television series, having more complicated plots and sub-plots – and we have not seen the end of these plots and sub-plots yet – making the audience wonder who is the Samaritan and who is the real crook.

At times, there is even the “Alice in Wonderland” quality – bordering on the surreal. Continue reading “Hasan Arifin should resign as PAC Chairman if he dare not summon Jho Low to appear before the PAC investigations into 1MDB”

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“The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting” – Milan Kundera’s quote befits Keningau Batu Sumpah Movement

From Tweets
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First achievement of DAP Batu Sumpah movement http://goo.gl/ELlVqW Oath stone in Keningau to be gazetted as national heritage site (MMO)

I first visited Keningau Oath Stone in March 2010 with KK MP Jimmy Wong (then Sri Tanjong Assemblyman) and DAP MPs Teo Nie Ching/Lim Lip Eng.

I am first MP to raise issue of Keningau Batu Sumpah in Parliament in March 2010, and called for Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on Sabah/Swak in Msia & Batu Sumpah’s Three Pledges.

This led to DAP Batu Sumpah Awareness Campaign – replica of Batu Sumpah in every Sabah village! Kudos to DAP Sabah SA Edwin Bosi and Peter Saili.

Although Keningau Batu Sumpah has come in from the cold – after 53 yrs – more important is fulfilment of Three Pledges of Batu Sumpah. Continue reading ““The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting” – Milan Kundera’s quote befits Keningau Batu Sumpah Movement”