Abdullah: Discplinary action will be taken against saboteurs - TheStarOnline.tv

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi says sabotage within Umno caused Barisan Nasional to lose Perak and Kedah in the March general election. He told reporters this after a closed-door briefing session with Umno members at Putra World Trade Centre Sunday.

Up To Relevant Agencies To Investigate Dr M, Says PM - Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR, April 6 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Sunday it was up to the relevant agency or department to take appropriate action on Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for alleged interference in the administration of justice when he was prime minister, if the allegations were true.

He said any allegation or accusation backed by proof would be considered by the agency or department concerned for investigation and action. "If proven...we must not close eyes (and) say cannot (take action). If proven that it is (known), the matter must be considered by the government, important departments and agencies and if investigative action is needed, severe action must be taken.

"That is the approach we take for everyone," he said.

Abdullah said this to reporters after being asked about DAP chairman Karpal Singh calling on Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail to direct investigations into reports lodged against Dr Mahathir for alleged interference in the administration of justice.

[More at http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=325032]

Mahathir Says He's Not Making Comeback - Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR, April 6 (Bernama) -- Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Sunday that he had no intention of making a comeback as Umno president or prime minister.

"As an Umno member and an ordinary citizen, I have the right to express my views," he told reporters after giving a talk at a function entitled "Fikir-Fikir Bersama Mahathir" (Let's Think with Mahathir) hosted by Pusat Bandar Taman Cempaka branch of the Pandan Umno division here.

Asked how long he would continue to criticise Umno and the government, he said he would only give his opinions when invited to speak and would not wage a campaign on his own.

On whether he and Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah should speak in a congenial manner on Umno issues, he said:

"I will stop, I will stop. Honestly, I will stop if they will stop doing what is wrong which has caused Umno to lose in the (recent general) election." Dr Mahathir said during his premiership, he had never stopped anybody from voicing his opinions.

He said even when he was challenged by Tengku Razaleigh for the post of Umno president in 1987, he had given the freedom to the latter as well as Tun Musa Hitam who had contested against his deputy then, Tun Ghafar Baba, to express themselves.

[More at http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=325025]

Abdullah Answers Dr Mahathir And Tengku Razaleigh's Criticisms - Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR, April 6 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, while acknowledging that his predecessor Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has strengths and influence, Sunday pointedly stated that the latter had misused these to the extent of undermining Umno.

The Umno president and prime minister who had before said that he would not bow to pressure for him to step down, also answered the criticisms levelled against him by Dr Mahathir.

Speaking to reporters after a briefing for the Umno information machinery on the outcome of the recent general election, the usually reticent Abdullah showed a different side of him.

"Tun Dr Mahathir said he was strong, but he has misused that strength. When Barisan Nasional (BN) won big in the 2004 general election, he said (BN was) too strong, not good, needed to have opposition."

"In the recent elections when the opposition did well (winning 82 of the 222 parliamentary seats), we thought he would be celebrating, but he hit out at us instead. Why? "You shouldn't win too many (seats) then, and now you shouldn't win a few?," said Abdullah.

Asked whether he would fight head on with Dr Mahathir based on the tone of his statement, Abdullah said: I say what I only need to say, and don't say what I don't need to."

Abdullah said he was aware that the people wanted him to start addressing issues that were important to them so that Umno would remain strong and have the people's confidence.

He also refuted the claim by some quarters that he was a softy and left all the decisions to his son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin.

"Under my leadership, they say there is no freedom, but at the same say that I am 'lembik' (soft). Scared of the 'si lembik' (the softy)?

"The rest are all stupid, only Khairy is clever," he said, referring to Dr Mahathir's accusation that Abdullah allowed himself to be influenced by his son- in-law in running the country and in making decisions.

"This accusation is baseless," he said, adding that when Dr Mahathir was prime minister, the government imposed certain restrictions like asking the press not to use the pictures of former prime minister, the late Tun Hussein Onn.

On the offer by Gua Musang Member of Parliament Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah to contest the Umno president's post in the party elections in December, with the aim of restoring Umno, Abdullah said the Kelantan Umno leader needed to look at himself first and why BN failed to wrest the state from PAS.

"Ku Li (Tengku Razaleigh) should look at himself, as he was the cause of Kelantan falling into the hands of PAS. While PAS ruled Kelantan, he did once tried to win back the state for BN but he failed." Kelantan fell to PAS in 1990 by cooperating with Semangat 46 led by Tengku Razaleigh then. In the 2004 general election, BN almost wrest back the state when it won 21 of the 45 state seats and one more seat when it won the Pengkalan Pasir by-election in 2005. Abdullah said he had also been informed that Tengku Razaleigh did not assist BN in the March 8 general election.

He also said that he had no problems with his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Razak and that he would be his successor "when the time comes".

On efforts to restore the party, he said besides him and Najib going to the ground to meet the party grassroots, relations between the party branches and the top leadership would be strengthened by meeting regularly.

[From http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=325011]

拒承认国阵大选惨败 敦马抨首相不知羞愧 - Nanyang Siang Pau

（吉隆坡6日讯）前首相敦马哈迪医生今日强烈抨击首相拿督斯里阿都拉“不知羞愧”，不但拒绝承认巫统及国阵在本届大选惨败，而且还企图告诉巫统党员，指只差8 席就可达到国会三分二多数议席的目标。

“若日本人面对挫败，早就已经切腹自杀或跳楼自尽。”

马哈迪今日出席由巫统班丹区部Cempaka 花园支部举办的“与马哈迪共同思考”讲座会上，这么说。

在场者包括该支部主席赛夫丁、马哈迪夫人敦西蒂哈丝玛、巫统前副主席丹斯里沙努西等人。约有500 名公众出席这场讲座，现场气氛沸腾。

马哈迪指出，国阵除了面对大选惨败，阿都拉日前所推荐的州务大臣人选，也首次遭王室拒绝的情况，其实应让人觉得羞耻。

“在这样的紧绷情况下，你（阿都拉）应该感到羞耻，可是呢？……这就是导致国阵惨败的原因，因为国阵不接受事实，领袖只喜欢听他们想听的话。”

[More at http://www.nanyang.com/index.php?ch=7&pg=10&ac=830994]

巫统不应视为极端 慕尤丁: 马华捍卫华社没错 - Nanyang Siang Pau

（吉隆坡6 日讯）巫统副主席丹斯里慕尤丁认为，若巫统将马华捍卫华社权益的举动，视为一种极端或不合理的要求，马华在华社眼中就变成了没有效率的政党，华社也不会对它有信心。

他说，巫统及国阵其他成员党的合作关系，须以新方式作出调整。

“我们必须理解马华是捍卫华社，而这个角色是必须受到承认的。”

他接受《每日新闻星期刊》专访时说，当要谈重振巫统的士气，就必须先深入探讨它与其他国阵成员党、社会及选民的关系。

他强调，若少了国阵其他成员党，巫统是不可能强大及稳固的。

“有人说，华社对马华及民政没有信心，并以为这两个政党是在巫统之下，说马华及民政（在国阵）不能发言及反映意见，甚至是说巫统经常认为它们的意见是无关紧要的。

[More at http://www.nanyang.com/index.php?ch=7&pg=10&ac=830960]

Nik Aziz Slams Karpal's Criticism On PAS Becoming Backbone Of Pakatan Rakyat - Bernama

KOTA BAHARU, April 6 (Bernama) -- PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat has criticised DAP chairman Karpal Singh for saying that PAS should not dream about becoming the backbone of the proposed "Pakatan Rakyat" and establishing an Islamic state in the country as belittling the Kelantan state government's efforts to promote Islam.

The Kelantan Menteri Besar asked Karpal to prove the weaknesses of the PAS administration in Kelantan under Islamic principles over the past 18 years.

"I want to know (from him) what is wrong with Islam and where does he (Karpal) disagree with Islam. The non-Muslim communities are happy under us (PAS)," he told reporters after meeting the Japanese ambassador to Malaysia, Masahiko Horie, at his office here Sunday.

Last week, Kelantan Deputy Menteri Besar Kelantan Datuk Ahmad Yaakob had said that PAS should be the backbone of "Pakatan Rakyat", a yet to be formed coalition of Opposition parties if it wanted to realise its dream of establishing an Islamic state.

Ahmad said the dream would only become a reality if all parties understood and accepted the real Islamic concept because Islam was a religion for all.

Karpal responded by saying that there was no question of any one party -- PAS, DAP or PKR -- becoming the backbone in the Pakatan Rakyat as all were equal in the alliance.

[More at http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=324991]

Disciplinary Action Against Umno Members Who Sabotaged BN In Election - Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR, April 6 (Bernama) -- Disciplinary action will be taken against Umno members who sabotaged the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidates in 14 parliamentary constituencies and denied the BN from winning the two-third majority in the last general election, said Umno president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Abdullah, who is also the Prime Minister, said based on the party's analysis, several of the seats concerned were `white' or safe areas which should have been won and thus allowing the BN to win with the two-third majority.

He said the BN would also not have lost Kedah and Perak if there had been no acts of sabotage against the coalition in the 22 state constituencies concerned.

He said if there had been no acts of sabotage which had robbed BN of victory in the 14 parliamentary constituencies, the BN would have won the general election with a more than two-third majority, he said at a press conference after attending a briefing session with the Umno president which was attended by the party's information machinery at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC), here Sunday.

Asked why there were members who had sabotaged candidates from their own party, he declined comment.

Abdullah said that at the moment, there was no need for him to state the reasons why the members had acted in such a manner but he would give the information needed to the Umno Disciplinary Committee for appropriate action to be taken.

[More at http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=324984]

Rich to pay more - NST

By : Sheridan Mahavera

JOHOR BARU: The subsidy on petrol may be revised with the bulk going to the regular type so that prices will be kept down for the average motorists.

Under the plan, the existing classes of petrol at the pump — Octane 92 and Octane 97, commonly referred to as RON 92 and RON 97 — will be abolished and replaced by Octane 95 and Octane 99.

Octane 92 is used mainly by motorcycles while other vehicles normally use Octane 97.

Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shahrir Samad, who disclosed this yesterday, said Octane 95 could be used in most vehicles and would be the fuel of choice for low- and middle-income earners.

The government would also introduce Octane 99, a premium fuel that costs more than Octane 95 or 97, that is usually used in performance luxury cars and Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs).

Under the proposed system, Shahrir said, subsidies would be mainly used to keep the price of Octane 95 low.

The price of Octane 99 will still be subsidised but to a lower extent.

[More at http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Sunday/Frontpage/2205500/Article/index_html]

Ahmad Zahid: Dr Mahathir wrecking Umno - The Star

PETALING JAYA: Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said he still remembers the warning Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad gave him about “not throwing a stone at a glasshouse.”

He said he was then the Umno Youth chief and the glasshouse depicted Umno while Dr Mahathir had referred to the stone as criticisms he (Ahmad Zahid) had made against the party.

“But now Dr Mahathir is the one using a bigger stone to throw at the glasshouse not only to destroy the ‘walls’ but to totally destroy the whole glasshouse.

“Will it not be better if a leader like Dr Mahathir use a better method to criticise the leadership and not the way of the Opposition?

“The Opposition will use his criticisms to destroy Umno, as Dr Mahathir is wrecking Umno from the inside while the Opposition is trying to destroy it from the outside,” he said.

[From http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/4/6/nation/20868410&sec=nation]

Muhyiddin: BN should change - The Star

MUAR: The Barisan Nasional Government should initiate a major shift in the way it manages the country, as the people now can see what the Pakatan Rakyat can provide in the five states it rules.

Umno vice-president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said that things had changed now and the people could compare what the Pakatan states and Barisan states could provide.

He said that Barisan leaders, including Umno, should undergo a drastic change and allow others to speak up.

“We must listen to what others say and if what they said is the truth, we should accept it or say they are right,” he said.

“We cannot stop or prevent any party leader from speaking up and I say this because I am very concerned with the present situation,” he told newsmen at the Pagoh Barisan Nasional thanksgiving get-together yesterday.

Muhyiddin also said that there was a need for Umno Johor to form a think-tank to look into the people’s needs, to better understand their aspirations and feelings towards Barisan and also Umno.

[More at http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/4/6/nation/20867897&sec=nation]