tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20621054690449005432024-03-14T11:01:53.108+08:00KOTA RAJA DAILY (EN)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger425125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062105469044900543.post-62793424901406291032011-03-11T11:04:00.002+08:002011-03-11T11:04:28.501+08:00Gambling: Can't have your cake and eat it too<table class="contentpaneopen" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; border-bottom-style: none; border-collapse: collapse; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; width: 679px;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" valign="top"><span class="small" style="color: #666666; font-size: 13px;">Li Fook Gao </span> </td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" valign="top"><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Before I go for some serious hitting, consider the following: Smoking is legal, but some shops ban smokers. So did they violate the Federal constitution for not allowing patrons to smoke there?</div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Shop owners argue that smoking causes pollution to other customers, therefore they ban it. Critics say they should not as it is a violation of human rights. They even rubbish claims of smoking being linked to lung cancer because the disease is also caused by other factors. They point out that many other shops do not ban smoking and there should be no exception. They claim people have freedom to emit smoke whenever and wherever they want. They somewhat suggest that non-smokers have the choice of whether to inhale the second hand smoke or simply hold their breath. For them, those who ban smoking are 'extremists'.<br />
<br />
<img align="right" border="0" height="241" src="http://en.harakah.net.my/images/stories/newslocal/toto.jpg" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial;" width="319" />It took me a while before writing this piece. Should I be blunt or polite in hitting some senses back to a section of non-Muslims, especially the Chinese community, with regards to the PAS-led Kelantan state government's decision to consolidate its 20-year ban on gambling?</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong>Why now?</strong></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The ban on gambling activities has always been there, since before the existence of Pakatan Rakyat. So why did it now make it into news headlines?</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">And some even went to the extent of urging PAS to reconsider the ban, or "risk not marching to Putrajaya".<br />
<br />
And because of one non-issue that has been propelled into something big, it has become convenient to heap all the problems faced by PR on PAS. This is confounded by the fact that PAS had just lost four by-elections in a row. One may even add that they have lost every general election for the last 50 years! But does this mean the party's consistency and principled stand should be thrown away?</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">These same 'turbaned people' who some call 'hardliners' are the same people who have continued to oppose the government through thick and thin, way before non-Muslims suddenly woke up from their 50 years of blind support for BN, which in turn encouraged UMNO's metamorphosis into a monster.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Why do the Chinese support Pakatan Rakyat?</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">They hate MCA and Gerakan for not having the ball to reprimand their big brother UMNO who continues to make decisions against the wishes of the Chinese community.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong><img align="left" border="0" src="http://en.harakah.net.my/images/stories/newslocal/dap_mca.jpg" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial;" />Sustaining Chinese support</strong></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">DAP has tried to keep this factor in mind, to sustain this hatred against MCA and Gerakan and thereby consolidate Chinese support for the opposition, often by openly reprimanding the Malay-dominated PAS on any issue.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">They do it publicly to prove to MCA, Gerakan and the Chinese community that they will not kow-tow to anyone, gaining applause from the Chinese. This washing of dirty linen in public goes a long way towards getting political mileage among MCA and Gerakan's vote bank.<br />
<br />
When reprimanded by its Malay partners, DAP leaders have often been quick to justify their action as a sign of their courage to speak out. Never mind that more harm has been done to PAS, whose win will be crucial in determining whether or not PR gets to go to Putrajaya.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">It appears that a section of the Chinese politicians are taking advantage by repeatedly asking PAS to change, change, and change in order to suit their personal habits and lifestyle. These politicians knew too well that doing the same to UMNO would invite threats.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Hence, many agree that PAS has been heading to the middle in their cooperation within Pakatan Rakyat.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Three years after the 2008 general elections, the Malays' protest vote against UMNO seem to be reverting back to Barisan Nasional. As a result, PAS's grip on its traditional vote bank is fast losing.<br />
<br />
<strong><img align="left" border="0" src="http://en.harakah.net.my/images/stories/newslocal/pas-for-all.jpg" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial;" /></strong>To assure the non-Muslims, PAS adapts the slogan "PAS for All", telling them that Islam is fair to all races, unlike UMNO-BN's 1Malaysia/Ketuanan Melayu irony. PAS has always come to DAP’s rescue in times the latter finds itself at the mercy of UMNO ulama. In all this, PAS has taken the huge risk of further losing Malay support to UMNO's propaganda.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">PAS has continously emphasised it commitment in Pakatan Rakyat, but to expect it to dump their Islamic ideology is to overstep the boundary.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong>Holding PAS to ransom</strong></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The recent brouhaha created over the ban on lottery in Kelantan serves as a good example of how some non-Muslims tried to hold PAS to ransom for upholding something a principle which they held way before non-Muslims understood the monster that was BN.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Some ill-informed observers even go to the extent of attributing PAS's recent losses in Merlimau and Kerdau to its ban on gambling in Kelantan, completely ignorant of the fact that such a policy has kept BN at bay for the past 20 years.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Ther term 'hardline' is subjective. DAP can also be called 'hardline' from the Muslim point of view, and this can also be the reason why Malays, whose vote is ever crucial, are actually ditching Pakatan Rakyat.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Support comes with understanding. Just because you voted for a certain party, it does not mean the party should be held to ransom. It is this kind of understanding that has kept both DAP and PAS alive for decades despite the odds stacked against them.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><img align="right" border="0" height="108" src="http://en.harakah.net.my/images/stories/newslocal/pas-dap.gif" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial;" width="172" />Heavily beaten in 1999 (DAP) and 2004 (PAS), both parties held on, and then in 2008, Malaysians suddenly looked for them upon realising who they had been voting for in the last half-a-century.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">No party can claim credit over their gains in 2008, though credit is due to Anwar Ibrahim who managed to pull the opposition together.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">While PR's component parties are still intact, it must be remembered that protest votes are no longer such nowadays, what with the way PR handled itself in public.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Prior to 2008, Kelantan was the only opposition state in Malaysia. Gambling was, and still is, banned, but some shops sold them illegally. It would now seem that DAP had eaten the bait by UMNO and MCA by making a fuss about the ban.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The current controversy stems from anti anti-PAS blogger from Kelantan who reported that lottery tickets were still being sold illegally in Kota Bharu, a claim highlighted by UMNO in the state assembly, and for which PAS decided to take action to enforce the law.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Then came MCA, screaming about their gambling rights in the dailies they control, baiting DAP to jump into the fire. And jump the DAP did. After all, the 'courage' to speak up has been the deciding factor for Chinese support.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong><img align="right" border="0" height="236" src="http://en.harakah.net.my/images/stories/newslocal/galas_banner.jpg" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial;" width="369" />PAS's reaction</strong></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Instead of countering the attack, PAS reacted by calling on a meeting among top PR leadership to look for an amicable solution. Even then, Selangor DAP issued a warning to PAS, giving the cliched excuse that “If PAS pushes this further, it’s not going to help them win more Malay votes and it might cost them non-Malay votes.”</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">In other words, it means: “You are going to lose Malay votes anyway, but don’t kill our Chinese votes too!”. Again, never mind about PAS’s support base which is crucial for the march to Putrajaya.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">UMNO would soon be going to town crying “PAS kuda DAP” to tell unsuspecting Malays that unlike UMNO, which controls everything in BN, PAS and Anwar could not even weigh in on small matters such as this. Such propaganda have worked really well recently.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong>Kelantan</strong></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><img align="left" border="0" src="http://en.harakah.net.my/images/stories/newslocal/kelantan_logo.jpg" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial;" />It takes only a 5-10 percent swing in Malay votes to present Kelantan and even Penang, that fort of DAP, to BN in the next general election.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">As far as support for the opposition is concern, Kelantan has proved time and again. It would be silly to now ask for the state government to bend its policies when it had been managed well both economically and politically by PAS, keeping BN at bay for two decades.<br />
<br />
In the gambling issue, some DAP leaders appear to have stepped into uncharted waters. It is therefore no suprise that many Muslim supporters of Pakatan Rakyat find it unacceptable.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">DAP should not get too big-headed either. The Chinese support for PR was not merely due to their effort. It has more to do with UMNO's actions. One can also argue that sustaining Chinese support has been due to PAS's movement towards the middle, not DAP's 'hardline' modus operandi.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">By the same logic, one can also conclude that PR's dwindling Malay support has been mainly due to DAP’s hardline policy rather than PAS's softening of its 'hardline' stance on many issues.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">No matter how flawed, both arguments may augur well with the Malays.<br />
<br />
<img align="right" border="0" height="204" src="http://en.harakah.net.my/images/stories/newslocal/gambling_chinese.jpg" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial;" width="281" />If one follows the debates on cyberspace, one gets the impression that gambling is so ingrained in the Chinese psyche that by just banning it will make them vote for UMNO!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">If that is the case, then go ahead, vote and gamble. And while at it, gamble your future away too.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong>Universal scourge</strong></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">To oppose the eradication of a universally-recognised social ill is not justified. The story of the smokers' right to pollute and spread diseases is just one example of how small minds are at work.<br />
<br />
Having said that, the realities in Malaysia are such that change must come gradually, creeping through<strong></strong>social and communal structures. A nationwide ban on gambling may be unwise, as much as it is unwise for Kelantan not to ban gambling now.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong><img align="left" border="0" height="250" src="http://en.harakah.net.my/images/stories/newslocal/gamblingposter.gif" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial;" width="218" /></strong>If Chinese opposition leaders insist on maintaining UMNO-BN’s legacy of the gambling industry for eternity, will not the same argument justify the perpetuation of the NEP. Why not, if majority of the Malays want such an unjust policy to continue, it can be argued.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">One must know to pick one's battle. One can't have the cake and eat it too. Our Muslim brothers in PR must also breathe easier by staying in the coalition. For those who chide PAS for focusing on what they term "petty issues" instead of corruption, then pray, why then do you make a big fuss out of it?<br />
<br />
If such an issue could drive you to punch your fist in the air crying "injustice", then it is anybody's guess who is being petty.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062105469044900543.post-36853127591316228602011-03-11T10:42:00.000+08:002011-03-11T10:42:05.870+08:00Malay Proverb: "KALAU TIDAK ADA-ADA, MASAKAN TEMPUA BERSARANG RENDAH"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Gobala's two fat cheques got PKR guessing</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Harakahdaily </span><br />
<br />
<table class="contentpaneopen" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; border-bottom-style: none; border-collapse: collapse; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; width: 679px;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" valign="top"><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">KUALA LUMPUR, Mar 10: Even as he accused an absent Anwar Ibrahim of refusing to return one of his cars during a parliamentary session to debate the royal address yesterday, PKR's former member N Gobalakrishnan <strong>(right)</strong> has found himself in the centre of an allegation that he had received bribe worth RM1.4 million to quit the party last January.</div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.harakah.net.my/images/stories/pimpinanPR/gobala_pkr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img align="right" border="0" src="http://en.harakah.net.my/images/stories/pimpinanPR/gobala_pkr.jpg" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial;" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Revealing the details, PKR secretary general Saifuddin Nasution questioned how Gobala could "suddenly" settle his company's land lease with Kumpulan Pertanian Kelantan Berhad, worth RM1,401,250, and urged tax officers to investigate.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Backing his claim, Saifuddin showed two post-dated cheques from Hong Leong Bank, one dated January 12, 2011 for RM700,000 and the other March 15, 2011 for RM701,250, both payable to Kumpulan Pertanian Kelantan Berhad.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“Between January and March 2011 was the height of attacks, threats and slanders from Padang Serai MP against PKR. At the same time, he found himself able to pay RM1,401,250 million for the land purchase,” he said, and added that Gobala's financial woes had not been a secret.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“Gobalakrishan had sold his own house, his wife’s bakery business and faced with all sorts of difficulties to pick up bills," said Saifuddin, adding that Gobala had however remained patient in facing the hard times.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><img align="left" border="0" height="147" src="http://en.harakah.net.my/images/stories/pimpinanPR/saifudin.jpg" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial;" width="110" />However, Saifuddin <strong>(left)</strong> said Gobala showed his true colours three years after winning the Padang Serai seat on PKR's ticket, and his disgruntlement reached a peak after he was not given any lucrative post in state-linked cooperations.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Gobala, who was once a staunch supporter of Anwar following his sacking and incarceration in 1998, had been posting messages deriding Anwar and several other PKR leaders early this year. Gobala had demanded that the construction of a temple on the top of the Bukit Gasing green belt in Petaling Jaya be legalised, despite environmental concerns.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong>'Defections due to money'</strong></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Saifuddin said the spate of defections in PKR had been due to lucrative offers.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“Because of this offer, many succumbed. But they made the mistake of giving fancy excuses to justify their betrayal. The question is if Padang Serai Member of Parliament can settle a land payment worth RM1.4 million, how much in total did he receive?" he asked.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">"And if that’s the price for Padang Serai MP, what’s the price for Wangsa Maju, Bagan Serai, Kulim Bandar Baharu, Bayan Baru and Nibong Tebal members of parliament?" he pressed on, referring to five other PKR elected representatives who had since left the party.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Meanwhile, Kapar member of parliament S Manikavasagam joined calls for the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission to immediately investigate Gobala over his "sudden" wealth.</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062105469044900543.post-40371896942632426242011-03-08T15:40:00.000+08:002011-03-08T15:40:11.674+08:00Don't gamble away our children's future<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">By Thomas Lee Seng Hock</span><br />
<h2 class="title" style="color: #cc0001; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;">The issue of gambling is again hogging the political limelight, following the PAS Kelantan state government decision to disallow the sales of Big Sweep lottery tickets in coffee-shops and other business premises.<a name='more'></a></span></h2><h2 class="title" style="color: #cc0001; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;">The common perception at present is that since the Big Sweep lottery scheme has been given a licence to operate, the Kelantan state government has no authority and power to ban its sale of lottery tickets in the state.</span></h2><div class="node" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 15px;"><div class="content" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 4px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div class="content_wrapper" style="margin-bottom: auto; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 14px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">On the contrary, although the licence to operate the lottery is given by the federal government, the authority responsible for issueing permits to premises to operate as lotttery outlets is the local council.</div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The lottery can be sold in Kelantan, but only in premises which have been specifically licensed for the purpose, i.e.legally permitted to operate as lottery outlets.</div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Hence, the Kota Baru Municipal Council is not intrinsically wrong per se to take action on business premises selling lottery tickets as they are not licensed as lottery outlets. A bookshop, for example, has no business selling lottery tickets.</div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The argument in support of the Big Sweep lottery being allowed to be freely available to the people is that it is a fundamental right enshrined and endorsed by the Social Welfare Lottery Act.</div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">This antiquated and obsolete law was originally enacted to allow the federal government to raise funds via a lottery scheme for its welfare work among the poor and underpriviledged people.</div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Hence, it surely is not right to use this archaic legislation to justify the current business operation of the gambling commercial enterprises. The profits from these lottery schemes run by these companies are not specifically meant and used for welfare work, and as such, these schemes should not be covered by the provisions of the Social Welfare Lottery Act.</div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Having looked at the legal implication of the Kelantan action, we should also consider the religious, moral, social and ethical dimensions of the gambling issue.</div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Gambling is basically a games of chance, involving the wagering of money or something of value.</div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Currently, gambling is a major commercial activity, with a worldwide legal gambling market involving an estimated US$400 billion (RM1.2 trillion) in 2010. In Malaysia, hundreds of millions of ringgit are involved in the three weekly lottery draws operated by the three major gaming corporations -- Sport Toto, Magnum, and Big Sweep. Hence, gambling is a signficant economic activity, and an avenue for the federal government to collect massive taxes.</div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">But the moral and social consequences of the gambling habit are certainly matters of deep concern. The emergence of loan sharks, for example, is a direct consequence of the gambling culture.</div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">In view of the moral and social consequences, almost all religions frown on gambling as an evil practice, a sin, at least the official level.</div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">However, many countries, including Malaysia, have made allowance for those who wish to gamble, and accommodate them by regulating and limiting gambling with legal jurisdictions and taxation.</div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">In Malaysia, gambling has been legalized with licences given to various companies to operate lottery schemes, and at the turf clubs and casinos. Legally, only the non-Muslims are allowed to purchase lottery tickets and patronise these gambling joints.</div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The issue PAS raised concerning the moral evil of gambling is not without merit, and we should seriously give the party a hearing on the matter, at least on the following grounds:</div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">First of all, the most serious consequence of a legalized gambling scheme is the harmful impact it has on the poorest section of our society. Even without the benefit of extensive empirical studies, we can verify by objective observation that the largest number of gamblers come from the poorest section of our community.</div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Psychologically, many of these poor people have conditioned themselves to think that they could never uplift their current economic status, unless they could strike it big in a lottery draw or win big in other gambling schemes. Gambling gives them a hope of sort.</div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Secondly, the easily availablity of licensed gambling outlets leads to the temptation to try one's luck, especially when the jackpot winnings nowadays can be in tens of millions ringgit. The inititate "harmless" play can eveutally develop into a habit, a bondage to the gambling demon. Many a life and family have been destroyed by the evil of addicted gambling.</div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Thirdly, one serious consequence of gambling is the rise of criminal activities. Desparate addicted gamblers will steal, rob, or even murder to get money to fuel their gambling habit or to repay gambling debts. Many are harassed by loan sharks who use all sorts of violent tactics against the borrowers and their innocent family members. The rise in snatch thefts, break-ins, robberies, etc is certainly one consequence of unrestrained gambling.</div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Finally, many families have been destroyed by a gambling father, a gambling mother, a gambling son. Lives have been lost due to gambling losses. Recently, there have been some very sad stories about housewives from Johor travelling to the casinos in Singapore, and causing break-ups of families.</div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">While the MCA and Gerakan politicians, as usual, are trying to cash in to score political points by attacking PAS over its attempt to curb the spread of the gambling evil among the people, are they really aware and concerned about the moral-social and spiritual well-being of the citizens?</div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Whatever may be the theological basis of the PAS philosophy and practices, it is certainly clear on what is universally morally right and morally wrong, and as a Christian I accept and endorse its moral-ethical values as being consistent with universal moral principles. Note, I said moral-ethical values, not theology.</div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The promoters of Islamophobia and PASphobia in the MCA and Gerakan use every conceivable opportunity and excuse to attack the DAP for giving in to the PAS Islamic state agenda, exploiting the ignorance and fear of the theologically illiterate and politically naive in their desparate attempt to hold on to their little derived power given to them by Umno.</div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">We should not allow ourselves to be deceived and misled by the politics of fear propagated by the promoters of Islamophobia and PASphobia in the MCA and Gerakan.</div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">We need to understand that the essential need for our country's survival and progress is a politically viable formula, grounded on mutual trust and respect, with compromise and cooperation based on common universal moral, social and ethical values.</div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">There is a place for accomodation of common values, a need for adoption of a common political platform, a willingness to assimilate and integrate the good values and practices of each other, and the vision and mission too accelerate our country into a righteous, just, fair, equal, peaceful, harmonous, and prosperous nation, without the considerations of colour, creed, culture, and class.</div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The PAS stand on gambling is not something to be polticized, but something to be honestly, objectively and critically evaluated and reflected on, because our children's future is at stake. It doesn't mean that since gambling is legal, it must be morally right. The ISA is legal, but is morally evil and oppressive.</div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062105469044900543.post-22666496938756940902011-03-02T17:14:00.000+08:002011-03-02T17:14:11.984+08:00Anti-Taib protests spread to the USKUALA LUMPUR: Riding on the back of two successful “Anti-Taib Mahmud” protests in London and Ottawa (Canada), human rights groups and environmentalists have announced similar demonstrations in the US.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<br />
According to Swiss-based Bruno Manser Fund (BMF), “particularly embarrassingly” would be the street protest planned in Seattle for tomorrow outside the US Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) northwestern regional headquarters which is based inside Taib-owned Abraham Lincoln building.<br />
<br />
The property is held through Wallysons Inc, which is among the 49 names on BMF’s list of Taib-linked companies in eight countries estimated to be worth hundreds of billions of US dollars.<br />
<br />
Wallysons’ chairman is Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud’s son, Sulaiman Rahman, while Taib’s Canadian son-in-law, Sean Murray, is its president.<br />
<br />
Decrying Taib’s plunder of Sarawak resources, BMF said: “What a shame that the FBI, an institution set up to uphold the fight for justice and against corruption and money-laundering, is renting its premises from a well-known Malaysian criminal kleptocrat!”<br />
<br />
BMF has described Taib as “one of Southeast Asia’s most corrupt politicians and the chief culprit for the destructive logging of several hundred thousand hectares of Borneo rainforest”.<br />
<br />
The group, together with an international NGO coalition against Taib timber corruption, is asking the US authorities to freeze all Taib assets in the US.<br />
<br />
The Seattle protest will be followed by another demonstration on March 9 in San Francisco.<br />
<br />
The San Francisco protest will be held outside the Citibank branch which is in another allegedly Taib-owned building and the “seat” of his US-operation, Sakti International Corporation.<br />
<br />
According to BMF, Sakti used to be headed by the late Ross Boyert. After being dismissed by the Taibs, Boyert filed legal action against Sakti at a San Francisco court in early 2007.<br />
<br />
In September 2010, Boyert was found dead in a Los Angeles hotel.<br />
<br />
In an interview with Sarawak Report given weeks before his death, Boyert said he and his family had been harassed and terrorised by Taib agents ever since he had filed the case.<br />
<br />
<strong>Freeze assets</strong><br />
<br />
The BMF yesterday also urged the US government to investigate Boyert’s allegations against the Taibs and the circumstances of his death.<br />
<br />
The US protests followed similar campaigns in London and Ottawa on Feb 28.<br />
<br />
The London protest was led by Radio Free Sarawak deejay, Peter John Jaban, a native Sarawakian, and Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle Brown, the sister-in-law of former British prime minister Gordon Brown.<br />
<br />
The Ottawa protest was helmed by Mutang Urud who has been living in exile in Canada since the early 1990s after he was arrested and placed in solitary confinement by the Taib regime in February 1992 for running the Sarawak Indigenous Peoples’ Association (SIPA).<br />
<br />
Similar to campaigns in London and Ottawa, the US protests are also expected to zero in on Taib’s land and development policies which have stripped the state’s rich rainforest and left its people landless and poor.<br />
<br />
It is now an internationally known fact that Sarawak is the the third poorest state in Malaysia despite being a oil and gas hub.<br />
<br />
The UK, Canada and now US protests are expected to spill over into other five countries hosting Taib-linked companies.<br />
<br />
BMF has also called on governments in all these countries to freeze Taib’s assets.<br />
<br />
Last week, BMF criticised the Canadian authorities for their close business ties with Taib-family companies.<br />
<br />
No less than 11 Ontario government ministries occupy Taib-family owned Sakto’s Preston Square Tower III in Ottawa.<br />
<br />
These include the Ministry of the Attorney General, the Ministry of Children and Youth Services, the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration, the Ministry of Community and Social Services, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, the Ministry of Health Promotion, the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities and the Ministry of Transportation.<br />
<br />
Another Sakto building at 2745 Iris Street is occupied by federal government of Canada offices.<br />
<br />
<strong>No ebb</strong><br />
<br />
Sakto Preston Tower and a swanky shopping complex at Preston Square in Ottawa are part of the Taib family’s huge foreign property portfolio controlled in Canada by daughter Jamilah and Murray.<br />
<br />
BMF has also slammed Canada’s Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre (Fintrac), for its inaction to investigate Taib’s assets.<br />
<br />
According to BMF, it had lodged a detailed complaint with Fintrac director, Jeanne Flemming, in June 2010 .<br />
<br />
“Fintrac, however, has left the complaint unanswered,” it said.<br />
<br />
Fintrac, Canada’s financial intelligence unit, was created in 2000. Its mandate is, among others, to facilitate the detection, prevention and deterrence of money laundering.<br />
<br />
Fleming, with over 30 years experience in the Canadian government, has also served as an executive assistant to a federal cabinet minister and as special adviser to two deputy ministers.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, the global momentum on “Anti-Taib” protests against the injustices meted out to the indigenous communities in Sarawak and the massive raping of the Borneo rainforest are not likely to ebb.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062105469044900543.post-3473248032137170202010-08-03T09:31:00.000+08:002010-08-03T09:31:32.387+08:00Penang open tender spree shows up Putrajaya<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: grey; font-size: 11px;">By Lee Wei Lian</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: grey; font-size: 11px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 3 — The Penang government’s open tender spree in the past few months could put the federal government in a bad light as both strive to show the public that they stand for transparency and excellence.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">While both have initiated efforts to make procurement more transparent to the public, the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) Penang government seems to have taken the lead with a stream of open tenders announcements for its big ticket items while the Barisan Nasional (BN) federal government has appeared very slow off the mark.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Among landmark projects that were tendered out by the Penang state government include the multi-billion 100 acre Bayan Mutiara township project, the restoration of Fort Cornwallis, restoration of Crag Hotel, management of the Penang International Sports Arena and the Penang Hill facelift. Upcoming tenders include that for the Pulau Jerejak tourist development project.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">In the case of the Bayan Mutiara project, the Penang government seems to have taken a leaf out of the Singapore playbook and has opened the tender to international bidders in an attempt to build an “iconic, prestigious and sustainable” development.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Singapore’s newest landmarks — the two world class integrated resorts (IR) at Sentosa Island and Marina Bay were built by international investors. A subsidiary of Malaysia’s own Genting Berhad had built the IR at Sentosa Island.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The federal government on the other hand has been slow to open up major projects to open tenders. The highly valuable 65 acre piece of government land in the prestigious Jalan Duta area was privatised last November to the Naza group without an open tender.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Other major parcels of land where open tenders have yet to be called for redevelopment include the 3,300 acre Malaysia Rubber Board land in Sungai Buloh and the redevelopment of the 400 acre Sungai Besi Airport and the development of the 85 acre KL Financial District. Other valuable tracts of land where no open tenders have been called include 204 acres of government land in Jalan Cochrane and land at Jalan Peel and Jalan Lidcol.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The open tender debate in Malaysia is a politically charged one as it is widely acknowledged that many if not most government contracts and licenses go to companies controlled by persons close to the political leadership. As companies are not selected based on merit, completed projects and public services are often of poor quality despite high costs and subject to much public complaint.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Both governments also maintain public procurement portals but Penang had launched its portal first. The federal government portal — MyProcurement — also suffered the embarrassment of having glaring data entry errors discovered just a few days after being launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">While Najib has taken steps to tidy up procurement and the New Economic Model (NEM) framework mooted by his administration has also stressed the need for open tenders, the slow pace at which such reforms are taking place under his administration are leaving many wondering if anything has really changed.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The danger for the prime minister than is that the island state will prove to be much more serious in terms of public accountability and performance and his government will suffer in comparison.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">While some expressed fears that the Penang open tender system would penalise Bumiputeras, Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng quashed such claims and revealed in January that 70 per cent of tenders from two state owned firms were won by Bumiputera contractors.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">He said that Malay contractors had won 16 out of 23 tender awards, or 70 per cent, from the Penang Development Corporation(PDC) and 44 out of 66 or 67 per cent of contracts issued by the Perbadanan Bekalan Air Pulau Pinang(PBAPP) in open tenders since March 2008.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Najib has had to contend with continued demand for quotas set aside for Malay contractors after he said the NEM will free the economy and make it more competitive.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Malay rights group point out that the BN government has yet to meet the 30 per cent target for Malay equity with just nearly 20 per cent since the New Economic Policy (NEP) came to effect in 1970.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">But detractors say the amount does not include equity by government units and companies investing on behalf of the Malays and Bumiputeras such as PNB and others.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062105469044900543.post-60790341335639237332010-07-23T16:41:00.000+08:002010-07-23T16:41:00.065+08:00Umno rules because of the non-Malays<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"></span><br />
<div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 15px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Raja Petra Kamarudin</em></div><div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 15px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak says that Umno does not need PAS and that it is strong enough to survive without PAS. There are some in Umno who also belittle MCA, MIC, Gerakan, etc., and suggest that Umno is better off without these non-Malay parties -- especially when the non-Malays are ‘so demanding’.</div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 15px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Well, let the facts speak for themselves. Umno, on its own, is dead meat. Umno needs PAS because it realises that it rules this country at the pleasure of the non-Malays. Without the non-Malays Umno is dead. So how can Umno claim to represent the Malays when the Chinese, Indians and natives of East Malaysia are giving it that power to rule?</div><div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 15px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Umno needs PAS because it wants to be able to legitimately claim that it is a Malay party. Currently it has no legitimate right to that claim. It is not the Malays but the non-Malays who have given Umno the power to rule.</div><div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 15px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">In the last General Election, Umno won only 29.33% of the votes and 35.6% of the seats in Parliament. Only when you add the votes of the other 13 parties in the ruling coalition would Barisan Nasional win 50.27% of the votes and 63.1% of the seats.</div><div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 15px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">And that is after taking into consideration the gerrymandering and postal votes, mind you. Without all this fraud and election rigging Barisan Nasional would have been kicked out and today the opposition coalition, Pakatan Rakyat, would be running the federal government.</div><div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 15px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">So, no, Umno is not strong enough, as what Prime Minister Najib claims. On its own -- without the Chinese, Indians and natives of Sabah and Sarawak -- Umno would have been buried back in March 2008. And that is why it is still, until today, talking about courting PAS.</div><div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 15px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Umno knows, unless it can get married to PAS, it’s future will always depend on non-Malay support. And Umno hates that. But most Malays do not realise this and thus far Umno is safe. But once the Malays wake up and realise that it is the non-Malays who are keeping Umno in power that would be fatal for Umno.</div><div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 15px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Umno may be a Malay party. But it is not the Malays who give Umno that power to rule. It is the ‘pendatang’ Chinese and Indians and second-class citizens from East Malaysia who have been colonised by Umno. They keep Umno in power. And they allow Umno to insult them on top of that.</div><div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 15px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Bodoh punya Cina, India dan orang Sabah dan Sarawak. At least prostitutes get paid for getting screwed. You get screwed and you pay for it. You are worse than prostitutes. I have no sympathy for these types of Malaysians. And these are the people who complain the most. Stupid!</div><div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 15px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Let me say that again. Without the Chinese, Indians and natives of East Malaysia, Umno is dead. You keep Umno in power. And you get insulted on top of that. You deserve what Umno dishes out to you. And Najib has the gall to say that Umno is strong enough and does not need PAS. And do you know that there are some leaders in PAS who feel that they should go to bed with Umno? Yes, not only are the Chinese, Indians and natives of East Malaysia bodoh. Melayu pun ada yang bodoh.</div><div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 15px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><img border="0" height="597" src="http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/ae159/Malaysia-Today/GE1.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-left-radius: 3px 3px; border-bottom-right-radius: 3px 3px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-left-radius: 3px 3px; border-top-right-radius: 3px 3px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 5px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 3px; padding-right: 3px; padding-top: 3px;" width="601" /></div><div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 15px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><img border="0" height="557" src="http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/ae159/Malaysia-Today/GE2.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-left-radius: 3px 3px; border-bottom-right-radius: 3px 3px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-left-radius: 3px 3px; border-top-right-radius: 3px 3px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 5px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 3px; padding-right: 3px; padding-top: 3px;" width="602" /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062105469044900543.post-58121921385832531032010-07-22T10:15:00.000+08:002010-07-22T10:15:06.946+08:00Years of cheap power depleting Malaysia’s gas wells<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
<div class="title" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><h3 style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'Nimbus Roman No9 L', serif; font-size: 25px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">KUALA LUMPUR, July 22 — Malaysia is set to become a nett gas importer in five years, no thanks to a profligate subsidy policy where Petronas has been subsidising independent power producers (IPPs) by RM116.4 billion since 1997, a report said today.<a name='more'></a></span></h3><h3 style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'Nimbus Roman No9 L', serif; font-size: 25px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/images/uploads/07/22/emptygauge.jpg" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; float: none; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 400px;" /></span></h3></div><div class="article reset" id="article" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); clear: left; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div class="caption-box" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: top; width: 400px;"><div class="img-caption" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-width: 0px; color: #1b75bc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 1px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 400px;">Unbridled demand for cheap subsidised gas is quickly draining the country’s gas wells. — Reuters pic</div></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Singapore <em style="border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Straits Times</em> report blamed soaring domestic demand for cheap gas — fuelled by a “financially costly gas subsidy” — as the cause of a looming gas crisis that will turn Malaysia, a key gas producer in Asia, into a nett importer.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">This costly subsidy policy largely benefits the power sector “which takes up more than half of Malaysia’s gas supply at below market prices because of the country’s subsidy policy,” the report added.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“According to industry executives and Petronas official data, about 56 per cent of the gas supply in Peninsular Malaysia goes to its power sector, and of that amount, more than 55 per cent is taken up by independent power producers, which have been buying the gas at a subsidised rate since 1997,” it said.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The report also said the discounted fixed rate was extended to the industrial sector in October 2002 to spur economic activity.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Last year alone, Petronas incurred a gas subsidy bill of RM18.9 billion. Only six per cent of the country’s gas is sold to Singapore.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Industry analysts have often said the subsidy policy leads to the “inefficient use of a depleting resource, [has] made the Malaysian economy less competitive and diverted funds that could have gone towards scouring for more reserves.”</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">It is believed the government is studying ways to solve the looming crisis, “including the gradual dismantling of subsidies and removal of import restrictions.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“It is also considering removing Petronas’ monopoly over the market and opening up the use of the national gas transmission network to new players,” the report added.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">While the government cut subsidies on sugar, cooking gas, petrol and diesel last week — a move it said will save RM750 million annually — gas subsidies were spared.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">But Pakatan Rakyat has said the Barisan Nasional government should re-look the subsidies for the IPPs rather than burden the people.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">At the heart of the debate is whether the country’s sole power utility, Tenaga Nasional Berhad, can re-negotiate terms and conditions of buying power from the IPPs.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Yesterday, Penjanabebas, the Association of Independent Power Producers (AIPP) issued a statement defending its members from the “misconception” that the gas subsidy contributed to the overall profitability of the IPPs.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">It said the savings are passed on to the customers.</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062105469044900543.post-54079238063778562302010-07-19T09:44:00.000+08:002010-07-19T09:44:01.917+08:00Paris Hilton detained while traveling with 'powerful' MalaysiansAJACCIO - American party girl Paris Hilton was briefly held by police on the French island of Corsica after being caught with cannabis in her handbag, according to police sources.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Hilton was detained after arriving at the airport in Figari on a private jet from Paris on Friday.<br />
<a href="http://draft.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2062105469044900543" name="more"></a><br />
Police found less than a gram of cannabis in her handbag, and released her soon afterwards without charge.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://cdn.wn.com/ph/img/bf/84/cec8e477a477cf8580ea43c4d7e8-grande.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://cdn.wn.com/ph/img/bf/84/cec8e477a477cf8580ea43c4d7e8-grande.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(34, 136, 187); border-left-style: solid; border-right-color: rgb(34, 136, 187); border-right-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(34, 136, 187); border-top-style: solid; border-width: initial; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px; position: relative;" width="200" /></a>According to Corse-Matin newspaper, Hilton was traveling on the private jet with "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-large;">people close to power in Malaysia</span>", and was due to travel by yacht to the luxury resort of Porto Cervo in Sardinia, Italy.<br />
<br />
The incident is the American's second brush with the law this month.<br />
<br />
The 29-year-old was arrested during the World Cup in South Africa after a friend she was with took a joint to the Brazil-Netherlands quarter-final match in Port Elizabeth.<br />
<br />
A darling of the tabloids, Hilton, the great-granddaughter of the Hilton hotel chain's founder, shot to fame in 2003 when her boyfriend leaked a video of their sexual escapades on the Internet. - <i>AFP</i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062105469044900543.post-35742600895684206492010-07-16T09:22:00.000+08:002010-07-16T09:22:31.294+08:00S’gor Pakatan reps pick BN’s Shamsudin to head PAC - TheStar<h2 id="story_byline" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">By WANI MUTHIAH</h2><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">SHAH ALAM: Sungai Burung assemblyman Datuk Shamsudin Lias of Barisan Nasional has been appointed the new Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman by the Pakatan Rakyat-controlled Selangor legislative assembly.</div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The motion to appoint Shamsudin was unanimously supported by all Pakatan elected representatives.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The unprecedented move to appoint an opposition member to head PAC is said to ensure a check-and-balance system in the state administration.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Debating the motion, Opposition chief Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo said Shamsudin’s role as the PAC chairman could be an uphill task with only one other Barisan representative in the seven-member team.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“If the move is sincere, let the position be strengthened as there cannot be a check and balance if there is only one other member from Barisan,” he said.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The other Barisan member in PAC is Semenyih assemblyman Johan Abdul Aziz.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Met later, Dr Mohd Khir said Shamsudin would assume the position on a trial basis to see if it would work out well.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">(He had said during the debate that the appointment would only be accepted if the state assembly agreed to appoint four opposition members into PAC).</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“But since the motion has already been passed, Shamsudin will take up the position on a trial basis for three months,” he said.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">He said the Barisan side decided on Wednesday about wanting more representation in the PAC.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">However, Dr Mohd Khir also praised Speaker Teng Chang Khim for appointing an opposition member as the PAC chairman.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“Teng is a good person. This is a good gesture towards us,” he said.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">(Both men were previously known for their battles when Teng was the state Opposition chief during Dr Mohd Khir’s tenure as Mentri Besar.)</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Teng, when approached by the media later, said Barisan’s request for more Barisan representation was unexpected.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“I had a meeting with Dr Mohd Khir about the appointment three weeks ago and he had agreed to it. We went ahead to table the motion based on his agreement.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“He did not say anything then about wanting to increase the number of opposition members in the PAC,” he said.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Teng explained that the regulations stated that the membership in PAC was based on the ratio of elected representatives in the House.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“Since the motion has been passed, (they) can decline to assume duty but this does not affect the validity of the motion unless another motion is moved to revoke it,” he said.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Earlier, Dr Mohd Khir made a “grand appearance” at the state assembly after a year-long hiatus.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">He was suspended in July last year for failing to attend a hearing by the Select Committee on Competency, Accountability and Transparency and also for allegedly attacking the committee in the media.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Surrounded by Barisan elected representatives, Dr Mohd Khir said he would be actively participating in the debates</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062105469044900543.post-10493989613007772982010-07-08T11:42:00.000+08:002010-07-08T11:42:16.223+08:00PI Bala: Razak Baginda is innocent - The Malaysian InsiderBy Shannon Teoh<br />
<div class="date" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); clear: left; color: grey; float: left; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-size: 13px;">LONDON, July 7 – Private detective P. Balasubramaniam today dropped a bombshell by insisting that his former client Abdul Razak Baginda was not involved in the murder of Mongolian translator Altantuya Shariibuu.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-size: 13px;"><a name='more'></a></span></div><div class="article reset" id="article" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); clear: left; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></div><div class="caption-box" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-width: 0px; float: left; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 5px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 400px;"><img src="http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/images/uploads/07/07/0707leadbala.jpg" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; float: none; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 400px;" /><br />
<div class="img-caption" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-width: 0px; color: #1b75bc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 1px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 400px;">Lawyers Americk Sidhu and Manjeet Singh Dhillon flank private detective P. Balasubramaniam, in London. – Picture by Danny Lim</div></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Although Abdul Razak, a close associate of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, was acquitted of the crime, certain quarters, especially those in the opposition, continue to assert that he is culpable.</span><br />
<div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“As far as I am concerned, Razak is a scapegoat. He has got nothing to do with the murder,” said the former Special Branch detective of his then client.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Balasubramaniam, who has been living in India since releasing statutory declarations on the murder, reasoned that there was no reason for Abdul Razak, on the night of Oct 19, 2006, to hire him until Oct 26, 2006, if he knew that Shariibuu would be murdered that night.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“Yes, he was financing her and he had a relationship with her, but as far as I am concerned, he is innocent. In fact, my testimony in court saved him,” he added.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Balasubramaniam had first released a statutory declaration in 2008 that detailed various links to Najib including the three officers who were part of the then deputy prime minister’s security detail having picked up Shariibuu on the night of her death – two of whom, chief inspector Azilah Hadri and corporal Sirul Azhar Umar were sentenced to death for the crime.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Although, he then released a second declaration the next day removing all links to Najib, he has since gone on record stating that he did so under duress and was offered RM5 million to change his stance by Najib’s brother, Datuk Mohamed Nazim Razak.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">He has also identified another man who drove past Abdul Razak’s house on the night of the murder as Datuk Nasir Safar, an aide of Najib’s who has since been sacked after he made derogatory remarks about Malaysian Chinese and Indians in a public event.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">In a press conference here today, Balasubramaniam and his lawyers expressed disappointment that an interview with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) scheduled for the past two days had been cancelled as they were eager to stress the “conspiracy web” that seemed to centre on Najib.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“What we had intended, if MACC had turned up, was for Bala to highlight the series of events that are a conspiracy web at the highest level to keep out references to Najib,” said Manjeet Singh Dhillon.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“Why did they miss a golden opportunity? Because it is dangerous to people who hold the reins of power,” said Americk Sidhu.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">They stressed that they have never stated that Balasubramaniam would not appear in court, so long as the right person was being tried. As such, the reason given by MACC, on the advice of the Attorney-General’s office, that a statement recorded overseas was not useful, was flimsy.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“Never in theory nor practice, do you make that decision beforehand. You collect all statements and investigate and then you decide on witnesses,” said Manjeet.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Balasubramaniam also confirmed that he would be recording his statement in Paris on Monday to French authorities who are investigating the possibility of unlawful practices with regards to commissions paid – alleged to be RM500 million – in the purchase of Scorpene submarines by the Malaysian government.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Shariibuu’s alleged involvement in the deal is as a translator, for which she demanded US$500,000 for her services.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Balasubramaniam also added that even though he has been given up to RM750,000 by Deepak Jaikrishnan, a carpet dealer who is said to be a close associate of Najib’s wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, he has been surviving in India on his own funds.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“I am from South India. My father left me and his two daughters property there after he passed away. I am self-sufficient,” he said to dispel reports that he has been funded by opposition figures.</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062105469044900543.post-27692386481585118112010-07-07T09:08:00.000+08:002010-07-07T09:08:57.878+08:00No idols here: Malaysia glued to quest for young imam - TelegraphBARNEY HENDERSON, KUALA LUMPUR<cite style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">June 28, 2010</cite><cite style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">A MALAYSIAN version of <em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">X Factor</em> has forsaken the world of pop to conduct a search for an inspiring religious leader.</span></cite><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;"><a name='more'></a></span><br />
<ul style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; float: right; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></ul><bod></bod><br />
<div class="articleBody" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="cT-imageLandscape" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="Mastering the mullah ... contestants during the filming of the Malaysian reality TV show Imam Muda or Young Leader." src="http://images.theage.com.au/2010/06/27/1648282/Young-Leader-420x0.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" /><br />
<div style="background-color: #dedede; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.94em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em; padding-left: 0.5em; padding-right: 0.5em; padding-top: 0.3em; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">Mastering the mullah ... contestants during the filming of the Malaysian reality TV show Imam Muda or Young Leader. <em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Photo: Lai Seng Sin</em></div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.2em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.8em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Instead of singing pop songs, male contestants on <em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Young Imam</em>chant passages from the Koran to prove they are the best mullah.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.2em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.8em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The show is in its third week and is fast becoming popular in the Muslim-majority country. The contestants' fate is in the hands of Hasan Mahmoud, the former grand mufti of Malaysia's national mosque.</div><div class="ad adCentred" id="adspot-300x250-pos-3" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.2em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.8em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Instead of a record deal, the winner from the 10 contestants aged between 19 and 27 will get a post as an imam at a mosque in Kuala Lumpur, a Haj pilgrimage to Mecca and a scholarship to Madinah University in Saudi Arabia.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.2em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.8em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Like their counterparts in the West, the <em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Young Imam</em> competitors are becoming idols to teenage viewers. The show's Facebook page has more than 25,000 fans, including prospective mothers-in-law looking to marry off their daughters.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.2em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.8em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Each week the aspiring imams are given clerical tasks to complete.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.2em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.8em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The first challenge was to bathe and bury a body that had lain unclaimed in a morgue for a month. The man had died of an AIDS-related condition. They washed the body, wrapped it in white cotton, offered prayers and buried it, with some contestants weeping at the grave.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.2em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.8em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Izelan Basar, the channel manager of Astro Oasis, which screens the show, said: ''Seeing and handling a dead body is the most difficult ritual they could face as an imam. The 10 boys were brilliant, but the crew was not so good. The producer fainted and several crew members vomited.''</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.2em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.8em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Other tasks included trying to teach young street racers caught by police about Islam, and visiting an orphanage. The group is secluded from the outside world in a dormitory on a mosque compound.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.2em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.8em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Each contestant has to deliver a sermon in a mosque every Friday. Last week, Sharafuddin Suaut, 25, was sent home for a lack of clarity on the finer points of Islamic theory.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.2em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.8em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mr Izelan said: ''The aim of the show is to get both the contestants and the audience to know, understand and practise their religion in an entertaining way. The reactions to the show have been hugely positive.''</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.2em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.8em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">With contestants dressed in fashionable suits, the show seems to be keen to move away from the stereotype of elderly imams in robes. The television channel collaborated with the government to ensure religious sensitivities were not bruised.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.2em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.8em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Malaysia's reputation as a progressive Muslim country has suffered recently, with the firebombing of churches in January, the caning of three Muslim women for adultery in February and news last week that al-Qaeda-linked extremists have been recruiting from Malaysian universities.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.2em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.8em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">TELEGRAPH</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062105469044900543.post-24900944423557919842010-07-07T09:04:00.000+08:002010-07-07T09:04:22.868+08:00Opposition paper banned in Malaysia - The AgeKUALA LUMPUR<cite style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">July 3, 2010</cite><br />
<ul style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; float: right; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></ul><bod></bod><br />
<div class="articleBody" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.2em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.8em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Malaysia has suspended publication of a main opposition newspaper, in a move political rivals criticised as a crackdown on dissent.<br />
<a name='more'></a></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.2em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.8em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>Suara Keadilan</i>, run by the Keadilan party of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim (pictured), ran into trouble after the authorities said it violated publishing laws with a report this month claiming a government agency was bankrupt.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.2em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.8em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Home Ministry, which oversees newspapers, said it would not renew <i>Suara Keadilan's</i> permit, as it was not satisfied with the paper's explanation for the report. The opposition vowed to defy the ban.</div><div class="ad adCentred" id="adspot-300x250-pos-3" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.2em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.8em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Malaysia's mainstream media is largely government-linked, and the opposition relies on its own press, as well as internet news sites and blogs, to communicate with the public.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.2em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.8em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">''I am shocked. This is utter rubbish and certainly it is not an isolated incident. The government is trying to crack down on dissent. This is an interference on press freedom,'' said Lee Boon Chye, vice-president of the Keadilan party. ''With or without permit, we are going to publish our paper.''</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.2em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.8em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Reporters Without Borders ranked Malaysia 131 out of 175 on its worldwide press freedom index last year<br />
.</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062105469044900543.post-83516784240883858062010-07-02T17:05:00.000+08:002010-07-02T17:05:03.213+08:00Bala vs SPRM (or Najib)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.merdekareview.com/bm/image_files/comics/n100702_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="452" src="http://www.merdekareview.com/bm/image_files/comics/n100702_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062105469044900543.post-70506792064230762242010-07-02T16:48:00.002+08:002010-07-02T16:48:50.197+08:00Umno, Pakatan slam Dr M’s Malay theory as ‘far-fetched’<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
<div class="byline" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); clear: left; color: grey; float: left; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 1px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal</div><div class="article reset" id="article" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); clear: left; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 — In a rare show of unity, Umno and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) have slammed Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s argument that the Malays could end up being a minority.</div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">They called the former prime minister’s theory “far-fetched”.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Umno’s Pulai MP Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said statements like these from Dr Mahathir had resulted in the Malays being even more split and unable to assert dominance.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“He (Dr Mahathir) is giving a far-fetched scenario, without really properly looking into finding a way to give out a proper message that young Malays could understand. He is scaring the Malays into becoming more Malay,” said Nur Jazlan.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Dr Mahathir suggested yesterday that future government leaders could open the immigration floodgates to dilute the number of Malays in the country.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">He said in a posting on his popular blog that the current national leadership appears to believe that the Malays would continue to account for 60 per cent of the country’s population.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“He’s just being Dr Mahathir. Immigration polices would only be amended to allow more immigrants if the country desperately lacked labour and needed the input a lot.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“Bear in mind that even if immigrants come, they cannot vote. So how are they going to affect the Malays’ position?” Nur Jazlan told <em style="border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Malaysian Insider.</em></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">He said that it was “not right” for the former PM to assume that the Malays were constantly under siege and could not compete with the other races.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“He should realise that it was from his own industrialisation policies which have resulted in the Malays being more progressive. The Malays<span id="adv_hiliteText" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 102, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-width: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> today </span><innity style="border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></innity>are competitive, strong and capable of direct competition,” said the Umno man.<span id="advholder" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><object height="1" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="100%"></object></span></div><br />
<div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">He claimed that the reason why the Malays were not united in the first place was because of Umno’s own policies.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“It is the questioning of Umno’s own policies. If Umno wants their support it has to fight for them. Get them to be on our side,” said the Pulai MP.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“Dr Mahathir is just doing it for Perkasa. Perkasa is not taking off, Ibrahim Ali sounds racist when he opens his mouth. With Dr Mahathir’s position, he hopes to attract moderate Malays.”</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">But Nur Jazlan admitted that Dr Mahathir’s remarks would still have an “effect on the more rural Malays, who still regard him as a national icon.”</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Another Umno member, Johor Baru MP Datuk Seri Shahrir Samad, said that while Umno could take heed of Dr Mahathir’s advice, he personally felt it was too speculative.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“I think that it is purely speculative. I’m not too worried about his remarks.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“He is basing his theory on a perception of Semenanjung Malaysia, on what had happened to Malaya. But we have to view his arguments in the context of Malaysia, including Sabah and Sarawak,” said Shahrir.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The former chairman of the Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club (BNBBC) told <em style="border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Malaysian Insider</em> that it would be highly unlikely that the government would open the immigration floodgates in the future, because Sabah and Sarawak would not be “agreeable” to that.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“We will take note of what he says. It will only happen if Sabah and Sarawak encourage such a policy. They would also have to agree, and for now I don’t see why they should. Decisions like these are made on a federal level, not just peninsular.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“And don’t forget, would PAS and PKR even approve of it?” said Shahrir.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">He also said he understood what Dr Mahathir was trying to say.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“He is saying that BN would not do well if Umno does not command Malay support, and if the Malays remain divided between PAS, PKR and Umno.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“I think Umno has to work harder and be more mindful of the reversals of policies that how we have suffered from it. But Umno is still strong, we just have to build on our base,” added Shahrir.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Former Umno deputy president-turned PR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim claimed that Dr Mahathir’s views were the actual obstacle for the Malays.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“I think that ideas like his are an obstacle, and will create even more insecurity among the Malays.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“He (Dr Mahathir) is oblivious to the fact that the new generation of Malays are more assertive, and confident of their abilities and position,” Anwar told The Malaysian Insider.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">But Dr Mahathir’s one-time blue-eyed boy stressed that the Malays must also not be marginalised and that equal opportunity be given to all.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“We cannot take his views and position about non-Malays as he did during the 1950s. The second and third generation of non-Malays are as much citizens of the country as the Malays.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“I appeal to young Malays to be confident and move on with the future,” Anwar said.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Dr Mahathir’s latest remarks mark a continuation of a more strident right-wing tone adopted by the former prime minister in recent months in his push for a siege mentality among the Malays.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Last month, he argued that the community’s political leaders are now under the thumb of “the others” and need to be united again for the sake of its future.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">He illustrated his argument by referring to the fall of the Perak PR government which he characterised as being “led by a Malay (but) a certain race considered it the fall of a government belonging to their race”.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Dr Mahathir has been stepping up his rhetoric in recent months to lobby for the current Umno leadership to respond to disquiet among conservative Malays.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Backed by increasingly influential right-wing Malay groups like Perkasa, Dr Mahathir and his supporters have rattled Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s reform agenda<br />
.</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062105469044900543.post-23210971268699197482010-06-29T14:03:00.001+08:002010-06-29T14:03:32.721+08:00Money from sports gambling: A sure bet? - The Malaysian Insider<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
<div class="byline" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); clear: left; color: grey; float: left; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 1px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">By Sheridan Mahavera<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #1b75bc;"><object height="1" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 11px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="100%"></object></span></div><div class="article reset" id="article" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); clear: left; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
<div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">KUALA LUMPUR, June 18 — Datuk Teh Kim Poo is steeling himself for more headache and misery.</div><a name='more'></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">As a MCA grassroots leader and ex-wakil rakyat, he gets a lot of sob stories from distraught wives and he is expecting more once legalised sports-betting takes off.</span><br />
<div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Klang MCA division chief has seen it all in his career as a former state assemblyman for Pandamaran. This old Chinese new village in an ancient part of Klang is a hub for illegal gambling, he says.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Some of its faded wooden homes have vines of extra electricity cables snaking out from them — signs that the ramshackle-looking units house illegal internet-based gambling dens.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">That is what an observant visitor can see of Pandamaran’s unofficial cottage industry. What is unseen are the broken families that it creates.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">This is the fallout that Teh, as a wakil rakyat, has to clean-up because such problems are too personal for the police to solve.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“I get problems like this at least once a week. They may not be directly due to gambling but it plays a big part,” he says.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">It is the reason why he and Kapar MCA recently went on a drive to collect signatures to oppose sports-betting.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Though it was only a small initiative that has been overtaken by events, Teh’s opposition to the Barisan Nasional (BN) federal government’s decision speaks of how intractable the issue is.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">He believes that many of his BN compatriots privately share his stand. As it is not the finance ministry or the prime minister that has to negotiate with loan sharks over a gamblers’ debts or persuade gangsters to lay off a family.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Though it is not easily quantifiable, that kind of social ill has an economic cost. For critics and supporters of the move, it is a question of whether the benefits outweigh the cost.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 11px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Harmless vice?</strong></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">A small straw poll of 50 respondents conducted by <em style="border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Malaysian Insider</em> showed that a majority of them, 37, do not support the idea of legalising sports-betting.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The most common reason the naysayers gave is that gambling is generally an unhealthy activity that should not be encouraged.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">An equal number of non-Muslims disliked the idea compared to those who supported it. Muslim respondents overwhelmingly said no.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Out of the 16 who had bet on sports with their friends, nine said they would be interested in trying a legal league.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“You will get an increase in gamblers. Those who did not want to bet before because it was illegal will now want to try through legal channels,” says one of the respondents, explaining why he said no to the legalisation.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">What many misunderstand, says a supporter of the move and a gambler himself, is that sports-betting is like playing at the casino or at slot machines.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Betting on sports is more like predicting how a game will turn out based on one’s knowledge of a sport and the teams. There is an illusion that skill and knowledge play a larger part than luck.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“It’s more to add to the thrill of watching a game. Because you have money riding on a team, you tend to get more passionately involved.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“Daripada tengok saja, baik dapat duit (instead just watching a game, you might as well get something from it),” says another respondent who bets with friends. </div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Another big difference, says another gambler, is the nature of the pleasure. “In sports-betting, the pleasure is delayed. In slots or casinos, it’s more instant.”</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">It is this latter aspect, he says, that often hooks someone to games such as slots, roulette, baccarat and blackjack. The rush of laying money on the line for that instant high of doubling or even tripling your bet.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">This difference is also why the gamblers interviewed and those who support legalising sports gambling see it as being less addictive and harmful than casino gambling.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“With sports gambling, you rarely see people trying to make ‘money from it’. It’s more of an added thrill rather than an end in and of itself, like in the casino,” says one gambler.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 11px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Calculating misery</strong></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Among the legalisation supporters in the survey, all of them cited how it would increase government revenue as a chief reason why they are for it.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">At the same time, they felt that sports-betting might as well be legalised given that many do it illegally anyway.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“We’ll be able to cut away some of our subsidies,” says one supporter, echoing what tycoon Tan Sri Vincent Tan recently said.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Tan, whose Ascot Sports Sdn Bhd has been given preliminary approval to run the country’s only legal sports-betting operations, has been trying to calm fears and blunt criticism of the venture.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">In a June 5 report, Tan claimed that the turnover from illegal betting was estimated at between RM20 billion and RM30 billion annually. He said 10 per cent of this, or between RM2 billion and RM3 billion, was lost revenue from taxes.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">But economist Azrul Azwar Ahmad Tajudin disputes this.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“The overall sports-betting industry in Malaysia ranges between RM612 million to RM8 billion a year.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“The amount between RM20 billion RM30 billion annually sounds a tad too farfetched and a bit too bullish,” he says.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">According to Azrul Azwar’s estimates, a tax of 10 per cent would only amount to RM800 million in revenue, at the most.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“What is RM800 million compared to its social costs?” asks Azrul Anwar of Bank Islam.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Though it is economically viable, says another economist, Dr Yeah Kim Leng, there has to be a social and economic cost-benefit analysis.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Meaning a real effort to calculate whether the revenue from taxing sports-betting eclipses for example, the lost productivity hours from addiction, the more police work that has to be put into dealing with “ah longs” and the bad loans that are usually run up.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“Some of the tax the government collects from it will have to be ploughed back into programmes to educate and prevent people from becoming addicted,” says Yeah of RAM Holdings.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Another unexpected side-effect, says Azrul Awar, is the birth of a generation of Malaysians with bad borrowing habits.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“We’ll have generations of youths who accumulate bad debts from a very young age. You’re teaching people to have bad debts.” </div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 11px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The House always wins.</strong></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Some of the survey’s respondents also cleverly pointed out that the illegal betting rings will continue alongside the legal one.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">At the most, says Yeah, about half of the illegal sports-betting industry will be substituted by the legal one.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“The illegal bookies will just become more competitive. They will want to pull punters away from the legal one by offering higher payouts for instance,” says one gambler familiar with the industry. And those higher payouts are almost a guarantee since illegal rings do not have to pay tax.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">So in the end, says another respondent who opposed the plan, the government was not really dealing with illegal sports-betting.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“We’re just making gambling easier and accessible.”</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Tan revealed that sports-betting will be carried out 220 Sports Toto Outlets through-out the country.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Though supporters argue that the revenue generated could in the end benefit the people, a commentator on T<em style="border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">he Malaysian Insider</em> by the name “Alias” countered this by saying:</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“Can anyone trust the government, whether state or federal, to honestly channel the money down to the people without first helping themselves first??”</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Yeah says that in countries with legalised betting, it all boils down to individual discipline.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">This echoes what another survey respondent and betting supporter said:</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“Is it the government’s job to look after people’s vices?”</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">But in this case, the government and those running the betting rings are actually profiting and counting on more people to get involved in a particular type of vice.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“Remember, this isn’t some mega project that becomes a white elephant. Gambling can actually hurt people,” says Azrul Azwar. </div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062105469044900543.post-72351370719906524372010-06-28T23:29:00.000+08:002010-06-28T23:29:07.687+08:00Four more 'Muslim scholars' deny joining UMNOHarakahdaily <br />
<br />
KUALA LUMPUR, June 28: After revelations that the forty so-called 'Muslim scholars' who the media said joined UMNO last Friday had been cheated, four more individuals among the group have denied they had joined UMNO.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Instead, they said they were tricked to attend the event with prime minister Najib Razak last Friday.<br />
<br />
Hosni Mubarak Abdul Hamid (pic) said he and three of his friends, Mohd Fakhruzzaman, 37, Mohd Akram An-Nazilin, 27 and Mohd Jalaluddin Tahir, 26 had never joined the party.<br />
<br />
“Then, it was announced to the media, these were 40 young ulamas who join UMNO – true some did join UMNO however many clearly had been tricked based on their facial expression,” he told a Pakatan Youth event hosted by Shah Alam PAS Youth in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Shah Alam, last night.<br />
<br />
Also present were PAS information chief Idris Ahmad, Shah Alam member of parliament Khalid Samad, PAS Youth information chief Suhaizan Kayat, DAP youth chief Anthony Loke and Selangor state Exco Dr Yaakob Sapari.<br />
<br />
According to Hosni, they were taken to a building next to The Mall shopping complex neighbouring the UMNO headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. Upon exiting an escalator, without realising they were already in the PWTC building, they were greeted by camera flashes and forced to line-up to welcome Najib’s arrival.<br />
<br />
Hosni, who studied at Selangor's Markas Tahfiz Al-Quran Wal Qiraat in 2003, graduated from the Al-Albayt University in Jordan in 2009.<br />
<br />
In addition, Hosni expressed his regret over UMNO’s trickery as the incident had created a negative public perception towards his reputation as an Islamic scholar.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, commenting on the incident, Idris Ahmad said PAS was not bothered about the number of Muslim scholars joining UMNO as he believed the people could evaluate both PAS and UMNO's Islamic credentials. <br />
<br />
Yesterday, Wahab Abdullah, a teacher in Jejawi, denied he had joined UMNO despite being present in the press conference. He claimed that he was there to meet Najib over other matters but was tricked into joining UMNO instead by former Perlis MB, Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim.<br />
<br />
Last Friday, it was widely reported in the mainstream media that 40 'Muslim scholars' had joined UMNO, however the number was far less than the 100 people anticipated by UMNO, which excluded former Perlis mufti Dr Asri Zainul Abidin, who did not show up despite earlier speculation.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062105469044900543.post-9841965739271195522010-06-25T10:51:00.002+08:002010-06-25T10:51:47.237+08:00Back your claim, DAP tells 'Chinese expert' Rais<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"></span><br />
<table class="contentpaneopen" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; border-bottom-style: none; border-collapse: collapse; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; width: 707px;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" valign="top"><span class="small" style="color: #666666; font-size: 13px;">Harakahdaily </span> </td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" valign="top"><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">KUALA LUMPUR, June 24: The government's determination to legalise sports betting has been met with growing opposition, with DAP challenging Rais Yatim to name the Chinese associations he claimed had appealed to the government to legalise sports betting.</div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">DAP secretary general Lim Guan Eng today dismissed as nonsense the claim by Rais, who is the Information, Communications and Culture minister.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“I would like to ask him, which is the Chinese association who appealed to the government to legalise sports betting?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://harakahdaily.net/en/images/stories/pimpinanPR/dap_mps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img align="right" border="0" src="http://harakahdaily.net/en/images/stories/pimpinanPR/dap_mps.jpg" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial;" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“As far as I know, no Chinese associations requested to legalise sports betting. I just want to know,” he said at the Parliament lobby today <strong>(pic)</strong>.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Lim, who is also the Penang chief minister, was also surprised by Rais’s statement that the government should legalise betting to recognise the rights of non-Muslims.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“I am surprised by Rais Yatim’s statement, who has suddenly turned into an expert in Chinese affairs,” he retorted.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong>'What the Chinese want'</strong></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Lim said the Chinese community had never asked for the legalisation of sports betting as part of their rights.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“I would like to state that the Chinese community did not wish for the sports betting to be legalised as recognition to their rights.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">"I would also like to stress that the wish of the Chinese and Indian communities together with other non-Muslim communities such as Iban and Kadazan is the same as all other Malaysians which is (for a government) based on the principal of freedom, justice, truth, people’s welfare and belief in God.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">"That’s what the Chinese is asking for."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Lim said UMNO seemed to be more interested to legalise sports betting compared to the non-Muslims.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“Please do not issue any more statement saying the Chinese wish to have sports betting legalised," he said.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">He said the Penang administration would not ban gambling totally, but stressed that the activity should be controlled.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">"If possible, we want it to be reduced,” he said.</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062105469044900543.post-61663295908678058742010-06-24T16:08:00.002+08:002010-06-24T16:08:54.535+08:00DAP wants Parliamentary probe on Najib’s Sibu ‘promises’ - The Malaysian Insider<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
<div class="byline" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); clear: left; color: grey; float: left; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 1px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal</div><div class="date" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); clear: left; color: grey; float: left; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">June 24, 2010</div><div class="article reset" id="article" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); clear: left; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">KUALA LUMPUR, June 24 —The DAP demanded<span id="adv_hiliteText" style="-webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 102, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-width: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> today </span><innity style="border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></innity>that Datuk Seri Najib Razak be referred to the parliamentary rights and privileges committee over “inconsistencies” concerning money promised by the prime minister during the recent Sibu by-election campaign.<a name='more'></a><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“Najib, through a written reply yesterday to Sibu MP Wong Ho Leng and Bandar Kuching MP Chong Chien Jien, had said that the government had not promised any projects to Sibu folk during the by-election in Sibu.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“This is a clear lie. We have the recording on Youtube, which has now attracted over 90,000 views. It shows Najib, during a speech in Rejang Park, promising RM5 million if people voted for BN,” said Chong.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">During a last-minute pitch on the eve of the by-election, Najib announced an allocation of RM5 million for flood-mitigation projects in Rejang Park provided the BN candidate was elected.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“If Robert Lau becomes the MP on Sunday, on Monday I will ask [for] the cheque to be prepared. Do we have a deal or not? We do! You want the RM5 million, I want Robert Lau to win,” Najib told the crowd.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has also agreed to investigate claims that the prime minister committed an election offence during the Sibu vote, with his pledge to solve flash floods there if Barisan Nasional retained the Parliamentary seat.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The DAP had earlier today in Parliament moved to refer Najib under Standing Orders 36(12) to refer to him to the parliamentary rights and privileges committee for “misleading Parliament.”</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin said that he would look into the matter first before deciding any further action.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“This money was an assurance given by the PM. I want the money. The Sibu people want the money. He (Najib) should be responsible for this,” said newly-minted MP Wong.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Najib administration revealed yesterday that it had approved 107 projects and programmes collectively worth RM37.7 million during the recent Sibu by-election.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">However, the government denied that the approval for the projects was done because of the Sibu by-election to attract voters to vote for Barisan Nasional (BN).</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“The projects which have been approved for the Sibu parliamentary seat have been planned by the government long before the by-elections had been called, same as every parliamentary and state seat throughout the country,” said the statement.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“We want to know if the RM5 million promised by PM is part of the RM37.7 million used for projects in Sibu. If it is not, where is the money promised by PM? His denial contradicts what he said in Sibu,” added Chong.</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062105469044900543.post-26262360548965044102010-06-24T15:47:00.002+08:002010-06-24T15:47:58.142+08:00Khairy must quit, says Ibrahim Ali - The Malaysian Insider<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
<div class="byline" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); clear: left; color: grey; float: left; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 1px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">By G. Manimaran</div><div class="date" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); clear: left; color: grey; float: left; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">June 24, 2010</div><div class="article reset" id="article" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); clear: left; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">KUALA LUMPUR, June 24 — Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali<span id="adv_hiliteText" style="-webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 102, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-width: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> today </span><innity style="border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></innity>asked Khairy Jamaluddin to resign as Rembau MP for compromising Malay interests in defending the MCA Youth chief.<a name='more'></a><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The independent Pasir Mas MP claimed that the Umno Youth chief had failed to understand Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong’s remarks on Mara scholarships.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“That is why Perkasa is upset. How can Mara be equated with JPA. Mara is only for Malays. JPA is for all. If both are the same what would happen to Malay special rights,” said Ibrahim.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“If Khairy could not understand Ka Siong’s hint he should quit,” he said.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Last week, Wee reportedly asked if the Mara scholarship programme for Bumiputera students would be scrapped together with the Public Service Department (PSD) scholarships.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“If the government is only doing away with the PSD scholarships but retain the Mara scholarships, this will not be in line with the 1 Malaysia concept that the government is promoting,” he was quoted as saying.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Wee made the statement in response to the government’s decision to scrap the 1,500 PSD scholarships.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The deputy education minister had yesterday dismissed accusations that he was questioning the special position of the Malays and managed to get Khairy to defend him.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Ibrahim said this was the first time an Umno Youth chief had set aside the interests of the Malays.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“I have evidence to prove what Wee had said. Umno Youth for the first time had compromised the interest of the Malays,” said Ibrahim.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Yesterday Khairy had slammed Ibrahim for calling Wee “biadap” and for accusing the deputy education minister of questioning the social contract.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Khairy added that he had listened to the recording of Wee’s statement and found that the latter had not questioned the social contract.</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062105469044900543.post-3004305658949312022010-06-24T15:42:00.000+08:002010-06-24T15:42:34.055+08:00When non-Muslims have rights — The Malaysian InsiderJUNE 24 — It is a rare day when a non-Muslim’s right is upheld and cited as a reason why certain policies are introduced in Malaysia.<br />
<a name='more'></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Rare because it is never cited when a non-Muslim wants to build a temple, a church or any other house of worship. That is when non-Muslims must pander to the majority which in this country means Muslims.</span><br />
<div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Which is fine, because the majority rules. Although the minorities also have rights.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">So it is gratifying that the Barisan Nasional (BN) government is concerned that non-Muslims are entitled to their right to gamble, just as they are entitled to eating pork and drinking alcoholic beverages.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">These are their rights under the Federal Constitution according to veteran minister Datuk Seri Rais Yatim.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Information, Communications and Culture minister said yesterday that sports betting, which already happens in the guise of horse-racing in the country, should be allowed because non-Muslims too have rights under Article 153 of the Federal Constitution.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“You cannot see a Chinese New Year going without gambling, as far as I know growing up in Petaling, Jelebu. There are many cases in the country to show that betting is a way of life for the non-Muslims. We have to respect that, and just adding more does not hurt,” he was quoted as saying by The Sun newspaper.<br />
<br />
One up for the minister for defending the rights of non-Muslims in a country obsessed with race, religion and rights of the majority. After all, it is 1 Malaysia. People First. Performance Now.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">What would be great is if Umno members do this consistently and not just when the issue does not impinge on Muslim “rights” such as freedom of worship.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Perhaps, the good minister has forgotten about the cow head incident and temple demolitions in Selangor. As well as the directive to destroy the Kitab Injil.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">By all means, allow football pools. But don’t use the rights of non-Muslims to justify gambling or even drinking.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">No religion or faith promotes vice. Just virtues.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">For the government of the day, the virtue it ought exemplify is to be transparent about the licence approved or awarded to Ascot Sports Sdn Bhd. And to remember that non-Muslims have as much rights as Muslims, and not just for gambling.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062105469044900543.post-39245285815987094952010-06-24T15:30:00.000+08:002010-06-24T15:30:18.755+08:00Dr Asri won’t join Umno, yet - The Malaysian Insider<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
<div class="byline" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); clear: left; color: grey; float: left; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 1px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> By G. Manimaran</div><div class="article reset" id="article" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); clear: left; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">KUALA LUMPUR, June 24 — Ex-Perlis Mufti Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin, who Umno officials claim will join their party, is believed to have changed his mind following reports linking him to Wahhabism and the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) terror network.<a name='more'></a><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">A source close to the popular Islamic scholar told<em style="border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> The Malaysian Insider</em> that Dr Mohd Asri reviewed his decision to join the Barisan Nasional (BN) lynch-pin for the moment.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“After considering the reports and allegations that Dr Mohd Asri is following Wahhabism and is linked to the JI group, he has decided that this is not the right time to join Umno... he is disappointed with what has been happening since early this week,” a close associate of the scholar said when contacted.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">But the associate said that talks between Dr Mohd Asri and the Umno leadership will continue despite his<span id="adv_hiliteText" style="-webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 102, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-width: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> move </span><innity style="border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></innity>not to join the Malay nationalist party.<span id="advholder" style="-webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><object height="1" style="-webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="100%"></object></span></div><br />
<div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“The space for talks has not closed yet,” he added.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Malaysian Insider understands that some 50 others, including Muslim intellectuals and scholars, are due to hand over their membership forms to Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak after the party’s supreme council meeting in Menara Dato Onn tomorrow.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“Although Dr Mohd Asri won’t join Umno, like what I said earlier, about 50 will join Umno tomorrow when we hand over the application forms.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“We are finalising the matter, there is still some issues to sort out,” the source added.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">It is believed that talks are being held to determine the role of the intellectuals and scholars if they join Umno. The original party founded in 1946 had Muslim scholars as members but most left in 1951 to form PAS when the party decided to stick to a Malay nationalist doctrine.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">It is also understood that most of those joining Umno tomorrow are academic staff mainly from the Klang Valley with some from outside the area. They are seen as young scholars with progressive thoughts on Syariah and Islamic laws.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Dr Mohd Asri has until now not confirmed or denied a Sunday morning report that he will join Umno, saying in his blog that he is still undecided about joining any political party.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">He also hoped that there will not be any speculation on statements issued by other parties on the matter.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“Discussions with the party that made the statement is going on. There won’t be any media statement for the time being,” he added.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Umno executiv secretary Datuk Ab Rauf Yusoh had told <em style="border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Malaysian Insider</em> last Sunday that a report on Dr Mohd Asri joining the party was true but had asked people to be patient about the matter.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Umno Online had quoted Rauf as saying that Dr Mohd Asri and his followers would join the Dataran Merdeka Umno branch which is under the Bukit Bintang division.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The report also quoted Rauf as saying that their membership will spark confidence among Malays and Bumiputeras in Umno.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">But Dr Mohd Asri’s colleagues and friends have said that the scholar should remain as a “neutral intellectual”.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><em style="border-bottom-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-left-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-right-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); border-top-color: rgb(208, 208, 208); font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Malaysian Insider </em>has learnt that a majority of text messages, emails and phone calls to the ex-mufti has asked him not to join any political party. They also said that Dr Mohd Asri should remain as an independent scholar to give his opinions about the faith.</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062105469044900543.post-38937058999373778062010-06-24T15:21:00.002+08:002010-06-24T15:21:43.994+08:00Umno Youth Is Against Football Betting - BernamaTAWAU, June 24 (Bernama) -- The Umno Youth movement is against the government's proposal to issue licence for football betting, its chief, Khairy Jamaluddin said on Thursday.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
He said it would bring more bad than good for the people if the government were to issue the licence.<br />
<br />
"After several weeks of getting views from the grassroots members and looking at the efforts by the police to curb gambling throughout the week, we, the Umno Youth, has made a stand to oppose if the government wants to issue licence for football betting.<br />
<br />
"We hope what is heard in the news on a statement that the government has agreed (to issue the licence) is not true," he told reporters after opening the Tawau Umno Youth divisional delegates meeting here<br />
<br />
Khairy said that gambling was not only prohibited in Islam, but also discouraged in any society, including among the non-Muslims.<br />
<br />
I ask my colleagues in MCA and MIC. They say gambling is not condone in their society. It is true that there are non-Muslims who gamble, but it does not mean that their community approves it. They also regarded gambling not their culture," he added.<br />
<br />
On claims that illegal betting would be more widespread if the government did not issue the licence, Khairy said he could not accept the excuse because the police had succeeded in crippling several illegal betting syndicates since the World Cup started.<br />
<br />
-- BERNAMAUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062105469044900543.post-51981075043317532902010-06-24T10:45:00.000+08:002010-06-24T10:45:08.097+08:00Israeli assassination attempt on Erdogan failed: report - Press TVPressTV <br />
<br />
<tr><td style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" valign="top"><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">AMMAN, June 24: The Israeli intelligence agency Mossad has failed in an attempt to assassinate Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a Jordanian weekly says.<br />
<a name='more'></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="http://harakahdaily.net/en/images/stories/newsworld/erdogan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img align="left" border="0" height="250" src="http://harakahdaily.net/en/images/stories/newsworld/erdogan.jpg" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial;" width="345" /></a>Informed sources in Turkey say that the Mossad plot has been foiled by the country's securty forces, <em>al-Manar</em>quoted a report in the most recent edition of the <em>Al-Majd</em>weekly as saying.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">There are also reports that Israel has been trying to incite violence inside Turkey by lending support to the militants of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Earlier in June, Sedat Laciner, the head of the International Strategic Research Organization — a Turkish think tank — said Mossad agents and Israeli military retirees had been sighted providing training to PKK militants in Iraqi Kurdistan.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Laciner said Tel Aviv does not have a positive perception of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party, which is led by Erdogan.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">After an Israeli attack on a Gaza-bound flotilla that left nine Turkish citizens dead on May 31, Ankara drew up a roadmap to "completely" cut its ties with Israel.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Turkish President Abdullah Gul had earlier announced that a roadmap would be prepared on the issue of sanctions against Israel.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">"The roadmap details a process through which Turkey will completely cut its ties with Israel" in several stages, Turkish daily Today's Zaman reported on June 17.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">According to the roadmap, the first step would be that Turkey's ambassador to Tel Aviv, who had previously been recalled, would not be sent back unless Israel sends a member to a UN investigatory commission that aims to look into the Israeli attack on the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The roadmap would also require all military training and cooperation with Israel to be halted and states that an internal Israeli inquiry into the attack would in no way be recognized by Turkey.</div></td></tr>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062105469044900543.post-9750390356821584152010-06-24T10:42:00.000+08:002010-06-24T10:42:35.810+08:00Asri blasts govt, police over 'lies'Harakahdaily <br />
<br />
<tr><td style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" valign="top"><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">KUALA LUMPUR, June 23: Former Perlis state mufti Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin <strong>(right)</strong>has condemned the government's recent allegation that he and several other leaders were linked to Wahhabism and therefore were security threats.<br />
<a name='more'></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="http://harakahdaily.net/en/images/stories/newslocal/asri_mufti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img align="right" border="0" height="191" src="http://harakahdaily.net/en/images/stories/newslocal/asri_mufti.jpg" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial;" width="158" /></a><img align="left" border="0" height="122" src="http://harakahdaily.net/en/images/stories/newslocal/juanda.jpg" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial;" width="84" />In a joint statement with the current Perlis mufti Dr Juanda Jaya <strong>(left)</strong>, who is also said to be one of the targets of a government campaign, Asri described the label on them as malicious and "clearly something which is being concocted".</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">"Malaysians are aware of our line of thought which is progressive and advocates racial and religious harmony, and opposes fanaticism," he said.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Yesterday, news portal <em>Malaysiakini</em> reported that several religious and political figures in the country were named as followers of Wahhabism during a government briefing for police officials and academicians about the recent arrests of what the authorities claimed were members of Jemaah Islamiyah trying to stage terrorist attacks in the country.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Earlier today, PAS president rubbished the label of Wahhabism against him, saying that although he studied in Saudi Arabia "with a Wahhabi scholarship", he has his own opinion. Hadi further said the labelling of Muslims was an age-old Western tactic to undermine Muslim activists.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Wahhabism is the name given to a sect which flourished in the Arabian peninsula during the early years of the establishment of the present Saudi kingdom. The sect is named after its founder Abdul Wahhab, but takes shape in different forms of Islamic thought, usually deemed radical and sectarian in its approach on Islamic matters.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong>Truth in Pakatan Rakyat's claim: Asri</strong></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><img align="left" border="0" height="176" src="http://harakahdaily.net/en/images/stories/newslocal/zamihan.png" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial;" width="169" />Among the others named by the Islamic Training Institute's deputy director Zamihan Mat Zin <strong>(left)</strong> were PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang and former Perlis menteri besar Shahidan Kassim, and the Muslim NGO Jemaah Islah Malaysia (JIM).</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Asri blasted the allegations against Hadi and Muslim group Jemaah Islah Malaysia.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">"He (Hadi) is the former MB of Terengganu. He heads a political party. This shows his commitment to democracy and to the people's right to choose," said Asri, adding that such an accusation bordered on <em>fitnah</em> (false accusation) and was an insult to a political party which works within the democratic system.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">"Zamihan and the police must take responsibility over this lie," he added.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Similarly, Asri defended Shahidan, saying as a former Perlis MB and social activist, he did not deserve to be linked to terrorist activities.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">"It looks like UMNO and BN are willing to sacrifice their own friends to push forward the political interest of certain parties," he said.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">He said the police owed an explanation to the people over the "wild accusations", and questioned Zamihan which he said was linked to one Hasan al-Saqqah, a deviant Muslim preacher who had accused other Muslims of disbelief and was now being investigated by the Jordanian authorities.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Asri said there was truth in the claims by several political and community leaders who said the issue was being staged to divert attention from other problems.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">"There is some truth after all in what has been said by some community leaders, such as by S.M.Idris and the Pakatan Rakyat, that the issue has no basis.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">"It could be a dirty political game by the ruling government to deflect attention from certain issues," said Asri.</div></td></tr>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062105469044900543.post-11717217542622317902010-06-23T11:54:00.000+08:002010-06-23T11:54:13.298+08:00A Hidden Fact Regarding Penang Second Bridge<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #101010; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;"></span><br />
<div style="color: #101010; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: black; font-family: 'MS Shell Dlg', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; white-space: pre;"><b>Press Statement from Parti Keadilan on Penang Second Bridge</b></span></span></div><div style="color: #101010; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: black; font-family: 'MS Shell Dlg', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; white-space: pre;"></span>22 June 2010</strong></div><div style="color: #101010; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">In March, 2008, YB Sim Tze Tzin revealed a letter written by UEM Managing Director Dato Ahmad Pardas Senin to Director of Economic Planning Unit of Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Dr. Sulaiman Mahbob.</div><a name='more'></a> The letter dated August 2007, titled “Projek Jambatan Kedua Pulau Pinang – Analisa Kewangan” was sent to Parti Keadilan Rakyat by a whistle-blower.<br />
<div style="color: #101010; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">There were several main points in the letter.</div><div style="color: #101010; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">- Concession period 45 years.<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />- UEM requested the Government to provide Soft Loan (GSL) at 4%.<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />- UEM asked as high as RM22,872 million government assistance from the Government including Investment Tax Allowance (ITA), Government Grant, JBIC Loan and Soft Loan.<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />- Construction price was RM4,068 million.<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />- Projected Toll charges would amount to RM7,065 million<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />- Penang 2nd Bridge’s Beginning Toll rate to be RM9.40 (Class 2) with 2% every year till end of concession 2051, to be reviewed every 5 years.<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />- Penang First Bridge to be adjusted together with Second Bridge to RM9.40, and eventually reached maximum toll rate of RM11.50 and continue till 2051. (In fact concession ends in 2018, why till 2051?)<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />- No more 20% discount for Touch & Go cards.</div><div style="color: #101010; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Former Chief Minister denied Sim’s statement at that time. With recent developments, Sim’s revelations have proven to be true. Recently, first came the controversial cancellation of Touch & Go discounts. Under immense public pressure, the Gov flip-flop and announced that non-Penangites will no longer enjoy the discount.</div><div style="color: #101010; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Last week, Prime Minister has confirmed that Penang Second Bridge Toll will be RM9.40, consistent with Sim’s revelation. Now, we are worried that the Government will just go along with whatever proposal the UEM in this letter.</div><div style="color: #101010; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Something is not right with Penang Second Bridge Project. At a time where federal minister warned that the country would go bankrupt, huge amount of money has gone to subsidized crony companies (please refer Government Assistance section). Federal Government gave Penangites various construction costs, the construction cost keeps escalating although material prices have come down significantly, the toll rates jump 34% from RM7 to RM9.40. The terms and conditions of the contract are shrouded with secrecy. All these have to stop. Penang Parti Keadilan Rakyat demands accountability from the Federal Government.</div><div style="color: #101010; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Penangites have been short-changed for the first time when the Government proposed and selected the current alignment and design without consultation with the Rakyat. Then, the government again direct negotiated with UEM without open tender.</div><div style="color: #101010; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">We believe open tender will bring the best deals for Penangites. Competitive bidding will bring the cost down significantly. Competition will also bring in the best expertise and technology to construct the bridge. Competition will benefit the Rakyat. Unfortunately, with the current Barisan Nasional usual practice, their crony companies “didahulukan”.</div><div style="color: #101010; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">We need to put a stop to all these corrupt practices. Today, we are revealing the document that we got in 2008. This letter has not been disclosed to public before. It is an old document, we believe there will be more recent development. Under BN administration that has never practice transparency, this is the only financial analysis we have had. In the name of transparency, the rakyat has the rights to know.</div><div style="color: #101010; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Therefore, Penang Parti Keadilan Rakyat call upon the Prime Minister to de-classified the Penang Second Bridge Toll contract between The Government of Malaysia with UEM. Penangites have the rights to know what is in for them. They are the people who will use it everyday. They are the people who pay for it for the next 40 years.</div><div style="color: #101010; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Failure to do so, Penang Parti Keadilan Rakyat will intensify our campaign to halt the Toll Hike. We will mobilize the Rakyat to tell the Prime Minister, we don’t want toll hike. We want Competitive, Accountability and Transparency in Second Penang Bridge Project.</div><div style="color: #101010; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">YB Sim Tze Tzin<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />Ketua Biro Komunikasi Parti Keadilan Rakyat Pulau Pinang<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />ADUN Pantai Jerejak.</strong></div><div style="color: #101010; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">YB Yusmadi<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />Member of Parliament Balik Pulau</strong></div><div style="color: #101010; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">YB Sivarasa<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />Member Of Parliament Subang</strong></div><div style="color: #101010; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="color: #101010; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><i>A Letter from UEM to EPU as below....</i></div><div style="color: #101010; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oKAqpxZjB5c/TCClu5uvVmI/AAAAAAAAJlI/UYwUYJm6UK4/s1600/UEM-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oKAqpxZjB5c/TCClu5uvVmI/AAAAAAAAJlI/UYwUYJm6UK4/s640/UEM-1.jpeg" width="464" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">.</div><div style="color: #101010; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oKAqpxZjB5c/TCClo1ON0cI/AAAAAAAAJlA/LSf44grLlO8/s1600/UEM-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oKAqpxZjB5c/TCClo1ON0cI/AAAAAAAAJlA/LSf44grLlO8/s640/UEM-2.jpg" width="514" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oKAqpxZjB5c/TCClgwNE4ZI/AAAAAAAAJk4/64oMxzT2lGs/s1600/UEM-3.jpeg.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oKAqpxZjB5c/TCClgwNE4ZI/AAAAAAAAJk4/64oMxzT2lGs/s640/UEM-3.jpeg.jpeg" width="438" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">.</div><div style="color: #101010; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="color: #101010; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="color: #101010; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><b><br />
</b></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0