Bandar Mahkota Cheras access road to remain open - TheStarOnline.tv

The cabinet has decided that the Bandar Mahkota Cheras access road will remain open until the court decision on the matter.

Ku Li Suggests Election Of Umno Leaders Through Polls By All Members - Bernama

KOTA BAHARU, May 30 (Bernama) -- Gua Musang Umno division head Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah suggests that leaders at all levels in Umno, including the president, be elected through the polls by all party members.

In doing so, he believed, it could restore the party's image which had been dented following the March general election.

"We give back the power to the people by allowing them to choose the leaders at all levels through votes or other mechanisms," he told reporters after opening the Kelantan branch of the Council of Former Malaysian Elected Representatives (Mubarak) here Friday.

Tengku Razaleigh, who is also Gua Musang Member of Parliament, said Umno's 3.4 million members should be allowed to decide on the leaders in the party, at all levels, through votes.

He also suggested that the person be appointed for the post of the party State Liaison Committee Chairman be decided by Umno division leaders in the respective states, instead of the party president.

Tengku Razaleigh said that as an Umno member, he felt it his responsibility to make the suggestions with the intention of restoring Umno's image.

[More at http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=336390]

Ku Li: I will not drop out of race - The Star

By Ian McIntyre

KOTA BARU: Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah will not drop out of the race for the Umno presidency even if party president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi steps down.

“I offered myself not because of the Pak Lah (factor) but to rejuvenate Umno and to restore direction as the future now looks bleak. It is also to revive nation-building,” he said.

Tengku Razaleigh, the Gua Musang Umno division chief and a former party vice-president, has offered to vie for the presidency in the party polls scheduled in December. However, he has to garner 30% nominations from the Umno divisions to enable him to contest.

Earlier, when launching the Kelantan Tomoi (Thai Kickboxing) Association at Kedai Buluh, Kuala Besar here, he said that among the reasons why he offered to contest the post was to bring back Umno’s “soul”.

He said that to revive Umno’s soul in its political struggle, he had to reach out to all levels, starting with the grassroots.

Tengku Razaleigh said he chose to kick off his campaign in the PAS heartland of Pengkalan Chepa because “PAS is strong here and Umno is disillusioned.”

[More at http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/5/30/nation/20080530180552&sec=nation]

Parliament may follow British system, says Deputy Speaker - The Star

By Sim Leoi Leoi, Loong Meng Yee and Paul Choo

KUALA LUMPUR: Parliament should sit for the whole year to give MPs more time to debate and pass Bills.

This was the suggestion of Deputy Speaker Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar who said that in the new Parliament, more MPs were taking their time to debate Bills.

“For this meeting, we have had to postpone several Bills which were supposed to be debated to the next meeting because of time constraint.

“Maybe we will have to do a Westminster-style Parliament which sits for the whole year with holidays in between,” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby here yesterday.

He said that in Malaysia, Parliament meetings are fixed for three times a year.

Parliament had to struggle to finish debating and passing the Supplementary Supply Bill and the Pensions (Amendment) Bill despite the Dewan sitting for an extra two days.

[More at http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/5/30/nation/21402778&sec=nation]

Dr M: I’m out, he’s (Ezam) in - The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was his usual sarcastic self when commenting on former PKR Youth leader Ezam Mohd Nor rejoining Umno.

“Saya keluar, dia masuk. Baguslah dia sayang Umno (I leave and he is back in. Good that he loves Umno),” he quipped.

The former premier and party president was asked to comment yesterday on Ezam's move to rejoin Umno this week although he had left the party to help set up what was then known as Parti Keadilan.

Ezam, who was once Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s political secretary, followed Anwar out of Umno in 1998 after the former deputy prime minister was sacked. He was also detained under the Internal Security Act for his role in the reformasi movement.

However, Ezam quit Keadilan last year after a fallout with Anwar and an internal power struggle with current PKR vice-president Azmin Ali.

He then set up Gerak, a non-governmental organisation fighting against corruption and upholding judicial independence.

Dr Mahathir was speaking to reporters after autographing 100 copies of his book, Dr Mahathir's Selected Letters to World Leaders. The autograph session was organised in conjunction with the international BookFest@Malaysia 2008 exhibition.

[More at http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/5/30/nation/21401167&sec=nation]