Friday, May 23, 2008
School uniform not sexy: Pas - NST
By : Arman Ahmad
KUALA LUMPUR, Fri:
KUALA LUMPUR: The baju kurung worn by schoolgirls to government schools is not that sexy, Pas said today. Pas Youth chief Salahudin Ayub said there was no problem with the school uniforms from an Islamic perspective.
“As long as the baju kurung is tailored according to the traditional Malay interpretations of the garment and not too tightly, I don’t see any problem,” he said.
On Wednesday, National Islamic Students Association of Malaysia vice-president Munirah Bahari was reported as saying that the school uniform worn by schoolgirls was sexy.
Her comments generated a furore of responses from teachers, students as well as various women groups, who said that her claims were baseless.
Munirah was reported as saying: “The white blouse is too transparent for girls and it becomes a source of attraction”, and that it could encourage “rape, sexual harassment and even premarital sex”.
Salahudin said, however, said it was unlikely that the school uniform contributed to such social ills.
[More at http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Friday/Frontpage/20080523161103/Article/index_html]
S'pore takes Pulau Batu Puteh, M'sia gets Middle Rocks - The Star
THE HAGUE: The International Court of Justice has ruled that Singapore has sovereignty over Pulau Batu Puteh while Malaysia owns Middle Rocks.
As for the South Ledge, the ICJ ruled that it belongs to the state in whose territorial waters it is located.
ICJ vice-president, Awn Shawkat Al-Khasawneh read out the judgment, which was carried live over RTM1 Friday.
Pulau Batu Putih, which Singapore calls Pedra Branca, an isle no larger than half a football field, is about 14.3km from Tanjung Penyusop in Johor and 46.3km from Singapore.
Middle Rocks is about half a nautical mile from Pulau Batu Putih and 1.7 nautical miles from South Ledge.
The 17-member bench heard oral arguments from Malaysia and Singapore between Nov 16 and 23 last year.
The judgment ends the 28-year old territorial dispute between Malaysia and Singapore and both countries had earlier pledged to abide by the decision of the ICJ that is final and not subject to appeal.
[More at http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/5/23/nation/20080523184425&sec=nation]
Khalid: Previous government undertook 62 risky projects - The Star
By Wani Muthiah and Edward Rajendra
SHAH ALAM: The previous state government had embarked on 62 joint venture projects worth RM36bil with private companies which the current government deems very risky.
Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim told the State Legislative Assembly Thursday that the joint ventures could result in the loss of close to 5,000ha of state land.
He said the previous government had provided the land for joint venture projects with private developers through state-owned corporation Permodalan Negri Selangor Bhd (PNSB).
He said the companies held a 70% stake in the joint ventures while the state only held 30%.
At a press conference later, he explained that the state was not protected as far as the issue of completion of the projects was concerned.
What made matters worse, he added, was that the deciding factor was not based on the companies’ capabilities and track records but on the “individuals behind them.”
[More at http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/5/23/nation/21341220&sec=nation]
Dr M: I’m offering alternative for Barisan - The Star
By Mergawati Zulfakar
TOKYO: Umno is preparing its own demise and that of Barisan Nasional if it continues to have Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi at the helm, former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Thursday.
He also said that his son Datuk Mukhriz, who decided against following his move to quit Umno, might face “difficulties” staying on should Abdullah continue to be the president.
“Yes, Umno can consider me irrelevant. It is their funeral and not mine. Today the Barisan has been destabilised by Abdullah not being able to lead it to victory in the general election.
“Barisan, in some cases, has become irrelevant. Gerakan has become irrelevant, MIC could not win. All this was due to him. He not only destabilised Umno, he destabilised component parties and he destabilised Barisan,” Dr Mahathir told The Star Thursday in an interview here.
Dr Mahathir, who is here for a dialogue session at the Nikkei conference, said he predicted Barisan would be finished in the next elections if Abdullah continued to serve as Prime Minister.
[More at http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/5/23/nation/21341076&sec=nation]
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Indelible ink 'conspiracy': Report lodged - Malaysiakini.tv
Two polls watchdog groups today lodged a police report against Election Commission chief Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman and Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi for the last-minute cancellation of the indelible ink in the March 8 general elections.
Also named in the police report are two other key individuals who were allegedly responsible for the abrupt reversal in the use of the ink - inspector general of police Musa Hassan and attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail.
Indelible ink fiasco: Poice report against PM, 3 others - The Malaysian Insider
By Debra Chong
KUALA LUMPUR, May 22 – Looks like Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has another headache to add to his expanding cluster.
At 11.30am today, the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH) and National Institute for Electoral Integrity (NIEI) lodged a report at the Dang Wangi district police headquarters against the government over the cancellation of the indelible ink at the March general elections.
Faisal Mustaffa and Amin Iskandar, from Bersih and NIEI respectively, in their joint report named the prime minister, Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail, Election Commission (EC) chairman Tan Sri Ab Rashid Ab Rahman and Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan as the parties responsible for causing the cancellation of the indelible ink, bought at a cost of RM2.4 million from India.
The two non-profit organisations, which have been keeping a close watch on the proceedings of the electoral process and maintain that the last general elections were conducted unfairly, want the named individuals investigated for what they allege was a conspiracy to tamper with the electoral process.
[More at http://www.malaysianinsider.com/mni/indelible-ink-fiasco-poice-report-against-pm-3-others.html]
Dewan Rakyat: ISA being reviewed - The Star
By Lee Yuk Peng
KUALA LUMPUR: Internal Security Act (ISA) and the deferred Special Complaints Commission Bill, are being reviewed Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim said.
He said the review of certain sections of the ISA was being re-looked into by Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Syed Albar, Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail and himself.
Zaid said the Cabinet had tasked them with review in its meeting on May 2.
"There is no plan to abolish ISA as we still need this preventive measure in this country but we are open minded and sensitive toward peoples' demands,'' he said while replying to points raised during the motion of thanks to the Royal Address.
As for the Special Complaints Bill, which originated from the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) bill, he said it was was tabled for first reading in Dewan Rakyat last year.
The bill, scheduled for its second reading on Dec 18, was deferred to this year.
[More at http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/5/22/nation/20080522190511&sec=nation]
Mahathir fires back at Musa and Shahrir - The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has shot back at two Umno veterans who criticised him and said their comments "has really tickled my heart."
He took a pot shot at his former deputy Tun Musa Hitam who had described him as 'thorn in the flesh' and chastised Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad whom he said had forgotten how he was allowed to return to Umno after being out of the party.
"Tun Musa Hitam claimed that I was a thorn in the flesh that has now been removed. Has Tun (Musa Hitam) forgotten that he was a thorn in the flesh in Umno back in 1986-1987 when he was the deputy prime minister appointed by me?"
"He resigned as deputy prime minister and Umno deputy president because he wanted me to step down as the Prime Minister and be replaced by him. Following an appeal by Supreme Council members, he returned as Umno deputy president as he still had intentions to bring me down.
"That is why he instigated his worst enemy, Tengku Razaleigh (Hamzah), to fight against me," Dr Mahathir claimed in his blog www.chedet.com Thursday.
[More at http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/5/22/nation/20080522165639&sec=nation]
It's for real: Anwar - TODAY
I will get the numbers to grab power, he tells sceptical journalist
By Nazry Bahrawi
A CONFIDENT Anwar Ibrahim met foreign correspondents based in Singapore yesterday and opened the door a wee bit more on his plans to grab power.
Once the former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister and now torch-bearer for the Opposition has the numbers to make up a simple majority in Parliament, Mr Anwar said he will call for a vote of non-confidence in Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's government.
The numbers game is a simple one.
Twenty-nine more seats — that is what his grand coalition called Pakatan Rakyat needs to send an embattled Mr Abdullah and his ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) packing.
But his audience did not seem totally convinced. A sense of expectation mixed with scepticism was evident among the foreign journalists, some of whom have followed his sensational roller coaster political career with professional zeal.
Do you really have the numbers, or is it just good psychological warfare, asked veteran journalist Barry Wain, who is now writing a book on former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.
Mr Anwar smiled somewhat coyly, then replied: "I've said it on April 14. Yes, we have the numbers." Where does this confidence come from? Not wanting to give too much away, he said it came from reading the mood among the BN backbenchers. As though anticipating the follow-up question, the man who believes he is within kissing distance of becoming prime minister gave an example: Only three or four of Mr Abdullah's diehards — and not 30 or 40 parliamentarians — rush to his defence every time Umno's top leadership comes under attack.
Want more evidence? Well, look no further than what the grand old man of Malaysian politics, Dr Mahathir, said recently.
Said Mr Anwar: "Even Mahathir has conceded: Yes, there is a possibility of Anwar taking over. He didn't say it is going to be a turmoil, or a disaster or politically disastrous for the country."
Earlier this month, Dr Mahathir warned Umno members to take Mr Anwar's threat seriously. In that conference at Putrajaya on May 7, Dr Mahathir said: "I first wanted to dismiss this possibility but on studying the situation I feel that there is a great danger."
With the opposition now controlling 82 out of 222 parliamentary seats, Mr Anwar said he needs just 30 BN lawmakers to cross over for the new opposition government to run the country with a simple majority.
[More at http://www.todayonline.com/articles/255191.asp]
MPs refuse to be dictated by Dr M's personal agenda - NST
KUALA LUMPUR: After failing to get even a single Umno MP, including his own son, to walk out of the party with him, former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad unabashedly appealed to MPs from Barisan Nasional component parties to do so -- with the same result: zero.
The MPs were wise to the fact that if they did so, they would destabilise the government and help the opposition achieve its cherished goal of forming the government.
But as Dr Mahathir walks alone, lurking in his shadow for an opportunity to pounce is his former deputy-turned-nemesis Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
"I do intend to topple the government; we have the numbers," Anwar told reporters in Singapore. "I'm looking forward to early elections," he said, adding that he hoped these would take place before September.
"The moment we are sure we can contest, we move. If you have a one to two majority, the government will be too fragile ... You don't need a two-thirds majority."
He wanted a majority of five or six and saw a vote of no-confidence in Parliament as the best course of action.
Barisan MPs were obviously wiser. They said as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had led the coalition to victory, he should only be disposed of through a ballot -- not by asking BN MPs to become independents.
Opposition stalwarts also dismissed Dr Mahathir's call as wishful, gleefully pointing out that even his son, Datuk Mukhriz, was not taking his call seriously.
[More at http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Thursday/Frontpage/2246879/Article/index_html]
Mukhriz faces action over call for Abdullah to quit - The Star
By Loong Meng Yee and Teh Eng Hock
KUALA LUMPUR: Umno Youth will refer Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir to the party’s management committee for action to be taken for asking Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to step down as party president.
Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein hit out at the Jerlun MP, who is also an executive council member of the movement, saying: “Mukhriz pressuring the president to step down is nothing new, but what I am sad and disappointed over and cannot accept is that he set conditions by saying that if the president did not resign by July, he would not hesitate to leave the party.”
In an immediate response, Mukhriz said he was prepared to face any possible action but hoped “we are not told to shut our mouths”.
“I am prepared. Had I not been, I would not have made public statements. As for my position, I have made it known I will remain in Umno. I will also not leave Barisan Nasional. That will be my very last option,” said Mukhriz at the Parliament lobby Wednesday.
He said Hishammuddin had misunderstood his remarks, adding that he had not issued an ultimatum for Abdullah to resign by July because “the cause and effect is not as direct as that”.
“I said the branch meetings would start in July and hoped changes would occur before the meetings start,” he said.
[More at http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/5/22/nation/21324579&sec=nation]
Ezam to rejoin Umno - The Star
By Joceline Tan
PETALING JAYA: Former PKR Youth leader Ezam Mohd Nor will be rejoining Umno after receiving the green light from the top Umno leadership.
He will also cease to head the anti-corruption NGO, Gerak, from June 1 in preparation for his return to Umno. Mohd Nazree Yunus has been named to take over as chairman of Gerak.
Sources said he has met both the Umno president as well as deputy president for discussions in connection with his move.
His return to Umno is expected to be announced soon and will be seen as a blow to PKR.
Ezam, 40, was a rising star in Umno when he chose to follow Datuk Seri Anwar Irahim out of Umno after the latter’s sacking in 1998.
He was then Anwar’s political secretary and had also gone to jail under the ISA and OSA.
He resigned from PKR last year after an internal power struggle with PKR vice-president Azmin Ali. At the time of his resignation, he criticised Anwar for his “dictatorial politics” and accused Azmin of being “a schemer who dominates Anwar.”
[More at http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/5/22/nation/21321829&sec=nation]
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Umno Supreme Council special meeting - TheStarOnline.tv
Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak spoke to reporters at a press conference after the Umno Supreme Council held a special meeting to discuss Dr Mahathir’s resignation at the party’s headquarters Wednesday night.
Now it is Mokhzani who follows dad out of Umno - NST
KUALA LUMPUR, Wed:
Two days after Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad announced his shock resignation from Umno, his second son, Datuk Mokhzani, followed suit today. The 46-year-old businessman also made the same demand as his father that the Prime Minister and Umno president steps down.
Dr Mahathir's third son, Datuk Mukhriz, is, however, not following into his father's footsteps, preferring to remain as a member and Jerlun MP, rationalising that it would be better for him to fight the PM from within the party.
Dr Mahathir's wife, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamed Ali, had also resigned together with her husband.
The ex-Prime Minister's resignation triggered a party wide condemnation and shock, with many Umno leaders either criticising Dr Mahathir or appealing that he re-consider his decision.
Umno's 70-odd MPs had yesterday pledged support for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to continue leading the party and Government during a meeting at Parliament House.
[From http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Wednesday/Frontpage/20080521115515/Article/index_html]
Muhkriz Denies Having Said He'll Quit Umno In July - Bernama
KUALA LUMPUR, May 21 (Bernama) -- Umno Youth Executive Council member Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir Wednesday denied he had stated he would quit Umno in July should Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi not step down as Umno president and prime minister by then.
He said he had only said that he had the right to change his stand at any time according to developments and had also not stated that there was only one way out, and which was to quit the party, when there were many other options.
"I did not say that by July if the prime minister does not step down, then I will quit the party," he told reporters at the lobby of Parliament House, here.
Mukhriz, who is the Member of Parliament for Jerlun, said the reference to July was because of the Umno branch meetings scheduled to begin then and he hoped that a drastic change would take place before the branch meetings begin, and not that he would quit the party.
He had said Tuesday that he would not quit Umno as his father, former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, did two days ago because there was much work to be done and his struggle was not for the party alone but for his parliamentary constituency as well.
Umno Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein had expressed regret over Mukhriz's statement and said he would refer the matter to the party's management committee.
[More at http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v3/news.php?id=334497]
ACA ordered to reinvestigate Eusoff - The Star
By Lourdes Charles
PUTRAJAYA: The Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) has been ordered to reinvestigate former Chief Justice Tun Mohd Eusoff Chin and lawyer V.K. Lingam.
The directive came from Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail who wants investigations to be centred on the New Zealand vacation in 1994 when the former top judge and his family were photographed holidaying with Lingam’s family.
It is learnt that Abdul Gani issued the directive to the ACA yesterday morning.
The investigations will focus on certain issues raised by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the V.K. Lingam video clip.
The ACA had in 1998 investigated the case following information from the public but it was ordered closed by the then Attorney-General due to lack of evidence.
It is learnt that the ACA has set up a team to study the commission’s findings and to see if it can unearth new evidence.
[More at http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/5/21/nation/21311687&sec=nation]
