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Berita Harian admits error over Lim’s ‘seditious’ remark

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
The Malaysian Insider
November 04, 2010

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 4 — Berita Harian admitted today that it had made an error over remarks which it had attributed to DAP’s Lim Kit Siang during a PAS ceramah at Singai Terah, Gua Musang on Monday.

The Umno-owned daily had yesterday accused Lim of saying “orang Umno kafir” (Umno members are infidels) to “influence Malays to vote for PAS” during the now ongoing Galas by-election.

The article quoted Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam as saying that Lim’s alleged remarks were made in the presence of PAS spiritual advisor Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat and PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim during a ceramah in Sungai Terah.

However, in an about-turn today, Berita Harian claimed the Melaka chief minister’s remarks were taken from his speech during a ceramah, and that Ali Rustam’s remarks was not made in reference to the DAP advisor. Continue reading “Berita Harian admits error over Lim’s ‘seditious’ remark”

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DAP: To sue Melaka CM, Berita Harian over sedition accusation

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
November 03, 2010
Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 3- The DAP said today that it will initiate legal action against Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam as well as Umno-owned daily Berita Harian for making false allegations against DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang.

DAP national chairman Karpal Singh demanded that Ali Rustam as well as Berita Harian “ retract and apologize unconditionally” for claiming that Lim had uttered seditious remarks during a PAS ceramah in Sungai Terah, Gua Musang.

“In lieu of the seriousness of the allegations made against Lim Kit Siang, I’ve been instructed as the party legal advisor to take action against Berita Harian and the CM of Melaka, Ali Rustam. It’s a very serious matter in that it adverts to something is very sensitive and something which can be abused… Berita Harian should be responsible. In fact a police report will be lodged against Berita Harian for publishing false news. This is an offence under the Printing Press and Publications Act (PPPA) 1984,” Karpal told reporters today.
Continue reading “DAP: To sue Melaka CM, Berita Harian over sedition accusation”

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Kit Siang denies ‘Umno kafir’ remark

By S Pathmawathy | Nov 3, 10 1:45pm
Malaysiakini

DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang has denied a news report that he had dubbed bitter rivals Umno as kafir (infidels) during a ceramah (political talk) in Gua Musang, pointing out that he was not even present at the event.

“It is a slanderous report… I have never been there. This is very irresponsible and they are doing it to propagate hatred,” Lim told a press conference at the Parliament lobby today.

Malay-language daily Berita Harian had claimed that Lim made the remark during a ceramah on Monday in Kampung Baru Hulu, Sungai Terap while campaigning for the Galas by-election in Kelantan.

PAS spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat and PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim were said to have been at the event as well.
Continue reading “Kit Siang denies ‘Umno kafir’ remark”

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Ku Li caught in an Umno trap?

By Philip Bowring
Malaysiakini

The result of the 12th by-election since the tumultuous general elections in 2008 is in practical terms irrelevant. Whether or not PAS retains the state seat of Galas in tomorrow’s by-election will make no difference to the Islamic party’s control of the state legislature. (PAS captured 38 of the 45 state seats in Kelantan, while ally PKR picked up one and Umno, six)

But it will be a test of the influence of Umno’s most distinguished internal dissident, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, and his calls for sweeping reform of Umno. Galas is part of Razaleigh’s federal parliamentary constituency and is centred on his hometown of Gua Musang in the south of Kelantan. And, together with a federal seat by-election on the same day, the election is expected to play a role in whether Prime Minister Najib Razak will go to national polls in early 2011.

But interpreting the Galas result will not be easy. The 73-year-old Razaleigh, usually known as Ku Li, is between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, the Kelantan aristocrat knows that his calls for reform of Umno are unlikely to make much progress if the erosion of support for the Umno-led BN ruling coalition that was seen both in the 2008 federal election and in subsequent by-elections is stemmed or reversed.
Continue reading “Ku Li caught in an Umno trap?”

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Kit Siang rejects Gua Musang ‘sedition’ accusation

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
November 03, 2010
Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 3 — An outraged Lim Kit Siang denied today uttering seditious remarks during a ceramah in Sungai Terah, Gua Musang, saying that he was not even present at the function.

“This is a slanderous accusation…I never said this and I was not even there (at the ceramah). This is a twisted and irresponsible plot to spread racial and religious hatred,” Lim told reporters.

Umno-owned daily Berita Harian, in a news report dated yesterday had accused Lim of saying “orang Umno kafir” (Umno members are infidels) during a PAS ceramah in Sungai Terah, to “influence Malays to vote for PAS” for the Galas by-election.

The article quoted Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam as saying that Lim’s alleged remarks were made in the presence of PAS spiritual advisor Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) spiritual advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim during a ceramah in Sungai Terah.
Continue reading “Kit Siang rejects Gua Musang ‘sedition’ accusation”

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Why Umno so desperate? Losing Galas?

Tweets:

11/02/2010 07:25 PM
Tindakan Kit Siang tuduh UMNO kafir melampau (BH) http://bit.ly/dAULXk PemudaUMNO buat lprn polis trhdp Kit Siang (BH) http://bit.ly/cCZr6I

11/02/2010 07:35 PM
My attn just drawn 2Berita Harian rprts – Mcca CM AliRustam accused I had “mencampuri urusan agama Islam dng menuduh orang UMNO kafir”. (2)

11/02/2010 07:37 PM
I was accused of saying this at Galas ceramah in presence on TGNA n Anwar at Rancangan Pemulihan Tanah (RPT) KESEDAR Sungai Terah. Big lies.

11/02/2010 07:42 PM
Police rprts 2b made agnst AliRustam BHarian n naibketua PemudaUmno Putrajaya (4lodging false report). Y Umno so desperate? Losing Galas?
Continue reading “Why Umno so desperate? Losing Galas?”

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Umno’s fixation on the 30 percent

by Kee Thuan Chye
MalaysiaKini
Oct 27, 10 8:08am

COMMENT Every time an Umno general assembly rolls into town, the mainstream newspapers will be filled to overflowing with coverage of the event. Pages and pages will be devoted to the speeches and debates as well as photographs of the gathering.

But if you were to dig up your old newspapers of at least the past two or three decades to refer to the reports on the Umno general assemblies, you’d find that the basic issues and the exhortations of the party leaders are virtually the same.

At each assembly, the things that are said appear to be variations on the same themes – the Malays need to work harder and improve themselves; they need to be on guard against external threats; their rights will never be taken away from them; Umno will forever protect the Malays; at the same time, the Malays must understand that they live in a multi-racial society so Umno will also see to the interests of the other races… Continue reading “Umno’s fixation on the 30 percent”

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ETP without the NEM cannot achieve a high income economy

by Dr Chen Man Hin, DAP life adviser

The ETP (Economic Transformation Programme) without the New Economic Model (NEM) cannot achieve a high income economy for the people of Malaysia

Immediately after the UMNO assembly where the delegates unanimously rejected the NEM proposal to liberalise the economy beginning with the removal of the 30% bumiputra equity. There was alarm that this would mean the end of the NEM which was promoted Najib since he became Prime Minister.

To assuage the fears of investors and the economic and business world, PM Najib quickly assembled a coterie of 10 foreign investors before a gathering of a few thousand people, PM Najib presented them as multi-billion investors who are investing in the country. They were the pioneers of the ETP which is expected to harvest some US$444 billion of projects to propel the economy from a middle income to a high economy status by the year 2020.

This translates to bringing in investments averaging 1,300 billion ringgits a year. The government expects 99% of the money to come from the private sector.
Continue reading “ETP without the NEM cannot achieve a high income economy”

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Umno’s ugly side revealed again

By Jeswan Kaur | Malaysiakini
Oct 27, 10 3:47pm

What has made Umno president Najib Abdul Razak and his band of top officials so insecure as to use the Umno general assembly to harp on Malay rights and privileges?

Last week’s 61st general assembly once again revealed the party’s ugly side as Najib, deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin and vice-presidents Shafie Apdal and Hishammuddin Hussein reminded the ‘other races’ not to question the Malay rights and privileges.

In short, all three told non-Malays to leave the federal constitution alone with regard to Article 153, which assures the special privileges of the Malays and the bumiputera of Sabah and Sarawak.

Why does Najib play with public emotions by raising the issue? How dare he make the irresponsible remark that “the Malays had actually made the biggest sacrifice to achieve independence when they were willing to share the ownership of the Tanah Melayu, … their motherland, with the other races”.
Continue reading “Umno’s ugly side revealed again”

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DAP, PKR dismiss ‘secret’ pact to ensure Chinese rule

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal | The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 29 — PKR and DAP lawmakers have furiously dismissed the notion of a secret pact between the two allies to ensure Chinese rule should Pakatan Rakyat (PR) capture Putrajaya.

Instead both parties trained their guns on ex-PKR MP Zulkifli Noordin, who made the claim, calling him a liar who was “spinning tall tales” to serve his “political masters” in Barisan Nasional (BN).

The Kulim Bandar-Baharu MP told Parliament yesterday that there was a “secret contract” between PKR and DAP and that even PAS — a PR partner — was unaware of.

“There is no secret pact or deal at all. This is a ridiculous ploy by Zulkifli who only intention is to split up members of Pakatan Rakyat.
Continue reading “DAP, PKR dismiss ‘secret’ pact to ensure Chinese rule”

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Budget 2011 : Najib must explain his “crushed bodies, lives lost” “ethnic cleansing” speech in Parliament

2011 Budget not a child of New Economic Model but bears all the marks of old discredited Mahathirish policies (Part 3 of 5)

Any doubts about the lack of political will and leadership of the Najib administration to spearhead political, economic, social and government transformation which must be the pillars for Malaysia’s economic and national salvation are banished by the recent Umno General Assembly and Najib’s Presidential Address and Closing Speech.

What reaction does Najib expect to elicit when he used the language of “crushed bodies, lives lost” for Umno to defend power at any cost in Putrajaya and even talked about “ethnic cleansing”?

How can the Malaysian Chronicle editor Wong Choon Mei be harassed and victitmised of publishing a report using these terms, when this was exactly what Najib said, regardless of the English translation issued by Bernama?

This was what Najib said in his Umno Presidential Address last Thursday:

“Walau berkecai tulang dan juga badan, walau bercerai jasad dari nyawa. Saudara dan saudari, walau apa pun yang gerjadi, Putrajaya mesti kita pertahankan!”
Continue reading “Budget 2011 : Najib must explain his “crushed bodies, lives lost” “ethnic cleansing” speech in Parliament”

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The ‘social contract’ — Concerned Scholars

by Dr Lim Teck Ghee, Dr Mavis Puthucheary, Dr Azmi Sharom, Dr Toh Kin Woon and Dr Wan Zawawi Ibrahim
October 27, 2010

We would like to provide some feedback to the speech made by Prime Minister Najib Razak on 21 October 2010 to the Umno general assembly in which he gave the impression that there is a ‘social contract’ whose terms are set in stone. He also told the delegates that no Malaysian should question it.

It is necessary to note that there is a range of views amongst us on the social contract issue and on how to respond to the Prime Minister’s advice.

One colleague has argued that it is not yet time for an “organized effort” of civil society to make such a statement as it may provoke negative reactions that may be harmful to our common pursuit of a fair and united nation.

Another has expressed concern that we must not play into the hands of politicians who will mobilize Malay support by trying to show that the non-Malays have reneged on their so-called promise to accept Malay political superiority in exchange for citizenship.
Continue reading “The ‘social contract’ — Concerned Scholars”

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Umno and PM declaring war against the rakyat?

Richard Loh
Malaysia Chronicle
October 23, 2010

Is our country at war? Is our country being attacked by outsiders? It looks that way when we heard the Prime Minister declaring “Even if our bodies are crushed and our lives lost, brothers and sisters, whatever happens, we must defend Putrajaya.” I would be the first to stand by the PM and sacrifice my life to defend Putrajaya and the country if we are at war with outsiders. When an enemy attacked a country they will go for the capital city, trying to capture it, and if they succeed, the country will be theirs and they win the war.

This morning when I woke up, I hear no gun fire nor any bombing, just the normal sound of vehicles passing by and a beautiful sunny day.

So, what is the PM declaration all about? After reading it more closely I realized that it was umno and it’s president that is declaring war against the rakyat. They have taken control of Putrajaya and that Putrajaya belongs to umno, no one else has the right to it and they will protect it at all cost. Continue reading “Umno and PM declaring war against the rakyat?”

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Sanitary Pads and their relevance to intelligence

By Dina Zaman

I like giving our politicians a break. Doesn’t matter which side they swing. Like many Malaysians, I too laugh at some of the pearls that dance out of their mouths. When this happens, it makes for a sunnier day, and then we all get on with our lives.

However, today’s gem which came out from Johor delegate Azura Mohd Afandi, who wanted the Information Ministry to curb television shows and commercials that could lead people astray from the right religious paths, really made me think that time around, (1) nothing can ever beat this statement and (2) that’s it. The people who are involved in politics have four screws loose.

“For example, commercials on sanitary pads are openly shown on TV and this could influence the young to get involved in social ills,” said Johor Bahru Puteri Umno member, urging the ministry to increase shows that teach good values and religious practices.

As a still menstruating woman, I have yet to witness how sanitary pads and their ads could lead one to sin. I have always thought that sanitary pads are a bane to women and frighten the hell out of men, especially bloody and wet ones.
Continue reading “Sanitary Pads and their relevance to intelligence”

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What’s Worse Than Corruption?

By Zairil Khir Johari

Stealing money from the poor. Seriously.

I have refrained from making direct comments about the mindless cacophony UMNO has been trumpeting about the alleged use of gambling-derived income for state-sponsored aid programmes for senior citizens and the poor in Penang.

In my previous post, I made a passing observation on the issue, which I felt at the time was merely the latest in a long line of ‘baseless allegations of the week’, and that the matter would soon meet its natural demise. In any case, how many times can you tell the same lie and hope to get away with it?

Quite a few times, as it turns out. One, two, three sessions have so far been organized to steal money from the poor.
Continue reading “What’s Worse Than Corruption?”

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Get a backbone, Kit Siang tells MCA

by Joseph Sipalan
Malaysiakini
13.10.2010

DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang today challenged MCA’s ministers to take a clear stand and demand for action to be taken against two headmasters charged for racism and the closure of the National Civics Bureau (BTN).

He said Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had already given them the green light to make their position known, when the latter said that MCA should be given “space” within the BN coalition when officiating at their annual general meeting last weekend.

“Here you have the prime minister saying ‘give space to MCA’, and although he said that, you don’t see any MCA minister daring to stand up to make a clear stand to demand that action must be taken against the two headmasters,” Kit Siang (right) said at a press conference in the Parliament lobby.

“Even after Umno gave space to MCA, they don’t use the space. I call on MCA ministers to demand that action be taken against the headmasters and close down the BTN, which is a poisonous anti-Malaysia organisation.” Continue reading “Get a backbone, Kit Siang tells MCA”

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Why after more than half a year, not a single Cabinet Minister dare to rebut the communal extremists and state that the New Economic Model is not against Article 153 of Constitution?

I walked out of Dewan Rakyat in disgust this morning.

I had stood up to ask a supplementary question for the first oral question which was on the New Economic Model, but the Deputy Speaker, Datuk Ronald Kiandee, who was in the chair, refused to call me.

The question on the New Economic Model was posed by the UMNO MP for Maran, Datuk Haji Ismail bin Hj Abdul Muttalib who asked the Prime Minister “to state the guarantee that in carrying out the New Economic Model it is effective and will achieve the objective set out to make Malaysia a high income nation and at the same time spur the economy and the programmes planned for implementation”.

The answer was given by the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk S. K. Devamany.

If I had the opportunity to pose the supplementary question, I would have observed that on the second day of the 34-day of the budget Parliament, the absence of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak or anyone of the many Ministers in the Prime Minister’s Department to answer this question shows that the Barisan Nasional government is neither really seriously nor fully committed whether to Najib’s 1Malaysia concept, New Economic Model or Parliament.
Continue reading “Why after more than half a year, not a single Cabinet Minister dare to rebut the communal extremists and state that the New Economic Model is not against Article 153 of Constitution?”

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Will Ku Li’s words get in the way in Galas?

By Yow Hong ChiehThe Malaysian Insider
ANALYSIS
Oct 9, 2010

Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah will lead the Barisan Nasional (BN) bid to recapture the Galas state seat in the November 4 by-election, campaigning for a party that has sidelined him over the years.

The Kelantan prince has not minced his words with Umno, with his latest battle centred on oil royalty payments for his home state.

The PAS state government has taken the matter to court and Tengku Razaleigh said today it would be sub-judice to mention it, when he accepted the task of leading the BN election campaign.

He will finalise the campaign details on Monday with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, his opponent for the Umno presidency.

In campaigning for Umno, the politician popularly known as Ku Li will have to live down his various speeches and quotes on issues that are at odds with the party. Continue reading “Will Ku Li’s words get in the way in Galas?”

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Will Muhyiddin return to Treasury his salaries and allowances as Federal Minister for past 15 years so as not to be associated with forbidden money?

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Umno Ministers should decide at the Cabinet meeting tomorrow whether they will return their salaries and allowances to Treasury as they do not want to be associated with gambling money.

Ten days ago on September 25, Bernama carried the following report:

MUAR, Saturday 25 September 2010 (Bernama) — Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has called on Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to answer allegations made by Umno Youth on the state government’s financial source to fund its poverty eradication programmes.

Muhyiddin said Muslims would not want to be associated should gambling money were used for the programmes.

“We want an answer from Lim. If the money is from a forbidden source, Muslims will have no part in it,” he told reporters after launching a Pagoh education excellence programme at the Dewan Sri Pekembar, here.

Muhyiddin was asked on a news report today quoting Umno Youth as claiming that funds from gambling activities were used to finance poverty eradication programmes in Penang.

Continue reading “Will Muhyiddin return to Treasury his salaries and allowances as Federal Minister for past 15 years so as not to be associated with forbidden money?”

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The Tengku Razaleigh factor

by Jema Khan
The Malaysian Insider
October 04, 2010

OCT 4 — The upcoming Galas state seat by-election is interesting on many fronts. It was a seat won by PAS in the last general election though Umno won the Gua Musang parliamentary seat which encompasses Galas.

By many accounts winning the Gua Musang parliamentary seat has nothing to do with Umno but more due to it being the stronghold of its long-standing MP, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.

Who is this man known colloquially as Ku Li?

Well, if you read “Malaysian Maverick” written by Barry Wain which is actually about Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, you would know. Ku Li is an elder statesman in Malaysia who also, by many accounts, could have been PM of Malaysia.

A jovial, effervescent and decent man who has within him the institutional memory of this country, he really personifies all that was good in our founding fathers. Ask him about any of them, be it Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak, Tun Hussein, you name it, he was there at the time and can still give you a decent recollection of what they stood for.

He has a very Malay way of putting his objections to all the bad things that are happening to our nation. See him on YouTube under Mycitizen and you will get a flavour of the man. Our founding fathers were the generation that really sacrificed their wealth and wellbeing for this country and their views would be very similar to that of Ku Li’s today.

In fact, the irony of it all is although Ku Li sacrificed so much personally for Umno, it is the opposition that today have a greater appreciation for his integrity and intellect. They accept him as an elder statesman that they would love to have on their side. Continue reading “The Tengku Razaleigh factor”