FMT - Disputes will scare off voters, Pakatan warned

GEORGE TOWN: A non-governmental organisation (NGO) here has slammed the DAP and PAS over their inability to manage their internal disputes.

Penang Malay Congress president Rahmad Isahak said the manner in which these open disputes have spilled onto the glare of the public was raising some concern.

Rahmad said as an NGO, the congress would not take sides but will voice out the sentiments of the society.

“The squabbles in DAP and PAS are injustices to the people. Some feel that since the people voted them in, they should be busy serving the nation instead of squabbling among themselves.”

Rahmad added that the squabbles were a form of a political gimmick to distract the attention of the people from the actual problems of both the political organisations.

However, it was a sham to the public that both parties seemed to be quarelling to no end and on top of it, none of their top leadership has the political will to resolve it, he said in an interview. Rahmad was referring to the spat between DAP chairman Karpal Singh and his deputy secretary-general Prof P Ramasamy.

There is also the lingering rift between former PAS deputy president Nasharudin Mat Isa and former Selangor PAS commissioner Dr Hasan Ali with secretary-general Mustafa Ali and vice-president Mahfuz Omar.

He added that the public could not understand why the disputes were happening.

He said it appeared to him that the DAP dispute was over the apparent rift between Ramasamy and the Penang Indian DAP faction which was linked to Karpal.

And in PAS, he added, Nasharuddin and Hasan seemed to be the “poster boys” of the conservative faction (the ulama), which was unsettled by the progressive (Erdogan) faction.

“Is this true? Nobody knows! and if both parties continue their spat unabated and without proper engagement and constructive criticism, people would no longer care. People have better things to do,” he said.





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FMT - Kekayaan Taib bukan rahsia lagi

PETALING JAYA: PKR menyarankan pembentukan serta merta Suruhanjaya Di Raja bagi menyiasat empayar perniagaan Ketua Menteri Sarawak Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud serta menangkap dan mendakwa beliau dan 13 ahli keluarganya.

Naib Presiden N Surendran berkata, PKR juga mendesak Taib segera meletak jawatan sebagai ketua menteri dan anggota keluarganya yang memegang jawatan di dalam anak-anak syarikat atau badan-badan berkanun kerajaan.

“Kekayaan Taib dan keluarganya yang diperoleh secara haram bukan lagi rahsia bagi rakyat Malaysia,” tegas beliau dalam satu kenyataan media semalam.

Beliau merujuk kepada surat bertarikh 13 Disember lalu daripada badan-badan bukan kerajaan enam negara, yang mendesak penangkapan dan pendakwaan ke atas Taib dan 13 ahli keluarganya di atas penipuan, rasuah, rampasan tanah secara haram dan penyalahgunaan kedudukannya.

Menurutnya, selama bertahun-tahun individu, pertubuhan dan parti-parti pembangkang telah mendesak Barisan Nasional (BN) untuk menghentikan rompakan kekayaan dan hasil mahsul Sarawak oleh Taib. Tetapi tiada tindakan diambil terhadap Taib dan kroni-kroninya.

Katanya, fakta-fakta yang didedahkan di dalam surat ini amatlah memeranjatkan. Kepentingan keluarga Taib di dalam 14 syarikat sahaja bernilai RM4.6 bilion. Keluarga Taib dikenalpasti mempunyai kepentingan di dalam 332 syarikat Malaysia dan 85 syarikat asing.

read more at FreeMalaysiaToday.com

Video - Khalid Ibrahim: Kalau Rakyat Tak Suka Pada Pengurus, Boleh Buang Pengurus, Sebab Rakyat

Betul kata MB Khalid!

TMI - PKR: Terbukti polis, tentera diperkuda Umno pilih calon

KUALA LUMPUR, 1 Dis ― Kenyataan Ketua Pemuda Umno Khairy Jamaluddin semalam bahawa polis dan tentera terlibat proses pemilihan calon bagi pihak parti itu membuktikan kedua-dua sayap keselamatan tidak bertindak bebas, kata seorang pemimpin PKR hari ini.

Badrul Hisham Shaharin berkata, kenyataan dan pengakuan Khairy adalah sesuatu yang serius dan Polis Diraja Malaysia seharusnya bebas dan menjadi pelaksanan undang -undang yang bebas.

Semalam, pada ucapan penggulungan Persidangan Agung Tahunan Pemuda Umno, Khairy mengingatkan anggota Umno khususnya Pemuda agar tidak merajuk dan merasa sedih sekiranya tidak terpilih sebagai “calon boleh menang.”

Beliau berkata, golongan tersebut perlu menyemat rasa sayang kepada parti dan perjuangan parti berbanding jawatan dan kedudukan.

“Tengok saya sendiri, selama tiga tahun jadi Ketua Pemuda, walaupun tidak dapat apa (jawatan dalam Kabinet) tidak pernah wujud istilah merajuk atau sedih kerana sayangkan parti dan perjuangan ini,” katanya.

Presiden Umno Datuk Seri Najib Razak mempunyai formula tersendiri dalam memilih calon boleh menang yang berdasarkan maklum balas rakyat akar umbi dan bukan hanya daripada agensi-agensi kerajaan seperti Jabatan Hal Ehwal Khas (Jasa), cawangan khas polis dan perisikan tentera serta Kemas, kata Khairy.

Bagaimanapun Khairy berkata: “Saya sudah ada senarai pendek nama (calon Pemuda), kita akan kemukakan kepada presiden.”

read more at TheMalaysianInsider.com

TMI - Shahrizat guna kes liwat Anwar alih skandal NFC

KUALA LUMPUR, 30 Nov — Ketua Wanita Umno Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil berkata Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail juga harus meletakkan jawatan sebagai presiden PKR ekoran tuduhan jenayah dihadapi suaminya jika beliau dipaksa berundur berhubung isu Pusat Fidlot Kebangsaan (NFC).

Menteri Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat ini berhadapan dengan tekanan daripada PKR agar meletakkan jawatan kerajaan dan politik ekoran siri pendedahan berkaitan NFC, yang diuruskan oleh keluarganya.

Antara isu yang dibangkitkan oleh pemimpin-pemimpin PKR ialah salah guna dana projek ternakan lembu NFC termasuk untuk membeli kondominium mewah dan membiaya perbelanjaan keluarga, antaranya kos menunaikan umrah.

Sekali lagi hari ini, Shahrizat (gambar) mempertahankan dirinya bahawa beliau tidak kena-mengena dengan syarikat diuruskan oleh suami dan anak-anaknya.

Sebaliknya beliau mencabar Ketua Wanita PRK Zuraida Kamaruddin agar mendesak peletakan jawatan oleh Dr Wan Azizah.

Shahrizat membuat cabaran itu ketika menyampaikan ucapan dasar pada Persidangan Agung Tahunan Wanita di sini hari ini.

Projek NFC kini disiasat oleh polis. Pengerusi Eksekutif NFC Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Salleh Ismail merupakan suami Shahrizat.


read more at TheMalaysianInsider.com

TMI - Azmin says PKR will ‘break prison walls’ to make Anwar PM

JOHOR BARU, Nov 25 — PKR deputy president Azmin Ali pledged today the party will free de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim from prison to lead a Pakatan Rakyat (PR) government.

The Gombak MP said when opening PKR’s Youth and women’s wing national congress that the opposition coalition has reached a consensus that Anwar, who is facing a second sodomy charge, will be “Malaysia’s seventh prime minister.”

“Whatever conspiracy to jail Anwar Ibrahim, we the Youth and women pledge to rise up and break the cruel prison walls to free him,” Azmin (picture) said to thunderous applause from the 1,600 delegates here.

PKR de facto leader Anwar completed his defence case in the sodomy trial last month against what he has called an Umno ploy to end his political career.

The Kuala Lumpur High Court will hear closing submissions on December 8 before deciding on a verdict ahead of a general election expected to be held early next year.

The opposition leader’s hopes of becoming prime minister will likely be quashed if found guilty of the offence which carries a maximum jail term of 20 years.

read more at TheMalaysianInsider.com

TMI - PKR challenges Umno to guarantee Malay PM

JOHOR BARU, Nov 25 — PKR Youth dared Umno today to amend the federal constitution to state that the prime minister must be Malay.

Youth chief Shamsul Iskandar Akin said in his policy speech at the wing’s national congress here that this was because “history shows Umno is willing to sell out everything.”

Shamsul accused Umno of ‘endangering the interests and position of Malays’.
“To ensure that the last Malay stronghold, that is political power, is not traded away by Umno, we challenge Umno to amend the federal constitution to insert conditions and guarantees that the prime minister must be Malay.

“The excuse that the post is held by a Malay because Umno is in power cannot be accepted. To cover up their evil, those who question them are accused of betraying Malays,” he told over 800 delegates.

He accused Umno of “endangering the interests and position of Malays... for their own gains.”

Umno has repeatedly accused Pakatan Rakyat (PR) of selling out the Malays to Chinese and foreign interests, insisting that the Malays can only be protected if Barisan Nasional (BN) remains in power.

read more at TheMalaysianInsider.com

TMI - Pakatan: ISA replacement ‘old wine in new bottle’

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 22 — Repealing the Internal Security Act (ISA) would be pointless if its replacement law will still include detention without trial, Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders have argued.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said yesterday the ISA substitute will continue to provide for such arbitrary detention.

He cited countries such as the United States, United Kingdom and Australia as examples of governments that exercised detention without trial in the fight against terrorism, naming the US’s Patriot Act as well as the UK and Australia’s Anti-Terrorism Acts.

“This is a shameful attempt at inserting ‘old wine into new bottle’,” Nurul Izzah Anwar told The Malaysian Insider.

“This announcement confirms many fears we have had regarding the prime minister’s political will in implementing his reform pledges to the Malaysian public on September 15, 2011, changes are merely rebranding exercises.”

The PKR vice-president charged that Barisan Nasional would only accord Malaysians limited civil, political and human rights, with disregard to the Federal Constitution.

Another PKR leader, Datuk Kamarul Baharin, said Hishammuddin’s announcement proved the government was not earnest in reforming the archaic laws.

“Like old wine in a new bottle. What’s the point then? Najib is not sincere in abolishing the laws.

read more at TheMalaysianInsider.com

FMT - PKR sudah ada calon di Wangsa Maju

PETALING JAYA: PKR sudah mempunyai calon untuk merampas semula kerusi parlimen Wangsa Maju dalam pilihan raya umum akan datang.
Pada pilihan raya umum 2008, Wangsa Maju milik PKR tetapi dua tahun kemudian Wee Choo Keong meninggalkan parti itu dan menjadi wakil rakyat bebas.

“Kita sudah pun mengenalpasti calon berwibawa yang telah pun bekerja di kawasan tersebut sejak berbulan dahulu,” kata Nurul Izzah Anwar.

Bagaimanapun, naib presiden PKR ittu tidak mahu mendedahkan nama calon.

Dalam perkembangan berkaitan, anak sulung Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim itu, menjawab tuduhan yang beliau mempunyai akaun bank di Israel.

read more at FreeMalaysiaToday.com

TMI - Pakatan says will kick off election campaign next month

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 15 — Pakatan Rakyat (PR) resolved today to launch a pre-election campaign beginning with a mass rally in PKR-led Selangor next month before sending out its top leaders to each state to identify key election issues.

The decision made by its leadership council this afternoon comes after The Malaysian Insider reported that Datuk Seri Najib Razak will meet Barisan Nasional (BN) component party leaders today to finalise the list of potential candidates and seat allocations.

A component party leader said the meeting, a follow-up to last Friday’s BN supreme council meeting, will likely touch on preparations for the 13th general election as the ruling coalition leadership had set December as the deadline for a final list of candidates.
“We discussed steps to prepare for an election that will happen soon beginning with a gathering on December 4 in Stadium Melawati,” Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim told reporters today.

PAS vice president Datuk Mahfuz Omar also said at the press conference the event will aim to kick-start efforts to bring PR leaders closer to the ground.

“The PR secretariat will also be organising events to send top leaders to each state to understand local issues in detail,” the Pokok Sena MP said.

When asked about the prime minister’s meeting with his top leadership, PKR de facto leader Anwar said, “We have been ready for some time, that is why we are launching the December 4 programme.”

Although the next polls are not due until 2013, there has been growing speculation that Najib could call for snap elections this year or early 2012 while the country’s economic growth is still relatively strong.

In dismissing the speculation, Najib, however, said last week that the BN meeting had merely discussed ways to strengthen the pact ahead of polls but had not deliberated the timing of the election.

The ruling coalition suffered its worst performance in the last general election in 2008 when it lost its two-thirds parliamentary majority and ceded control of five states by winning 140 of 222 parliamentary seats and 307 of 505 state seats.

read more at TheMalaysianInsider.com

TMI - PKR poll: Women shunning Pakatan, Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 14 — Pakatan Rakyat (PR) is losing the fight for the hearts and minds of female voters, most of whom view the opposition pact and its leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim negatively.

A recent internal PKR poll of four key states in the peninsula that was sighted by The Malaysian Insider found that 56 per cent of women would vote Barisan Nasional (BN) in the next election versus 43 per cent of men.

This bias extended to Anwar (picture) too, with 53 per cent of women saying they did not approve of him compared to only 31 per cent who viewed the de facto PKR chief positively.

Malay women especially saw the former Umno number two in poor light, with 69 per cent saying they disapproved while just 24 per cent supported him.

In contrast, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was seen positively by 50 per cent of female voters, in line with his 55 per cent approval rating with male voters.

Similarly, Anwar’s wife and PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail was more popular among Malay women — 46 per cent of said they liked her while 44 per cent did not.

The survey also showed that PR was favoured by younger voters, with 54 per cent of the 21-29 and 30-39 age groups saying they would pick the opposition in the next election, versus 43 per cent in the 40 and above age group.

read more at TheMalaysianInsider.com

TMI - RM10m cattle condo was an investment, says Khairy

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 11 — Khairy Jamaluddin savaged PKR today for claiming corruption in the purchase of a RM10 million Bangsar condominium by a federally-funded cattle project owned by a minister’s family.
The Umno Youth chief claimed the condo was bought as an investment when the National Meat and Livestocks Corporation (NMLC), a company wholly-owned by Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil’s family, found itself with excess funds.

Khairy, who has appeared as Shahrizat’s staunch defender over the National Feedlot Centre controversy, said NMLC was left with surplus funds that when the government ran out of funds to develop satellite cattle farms.

It then decided on real estate investment as a means to put the excess liquidity to work.

He did not, however, say if the company was authorised to make the property investment.

“Should they have left the money in the current account, which does not have a high yield, while waiting for the satellite farms or should they have invested the money while waiting,” said Khairy.

“The management made a decision that the best return on investment would have been from real estate.”

Khairy added that the condo has since been rented out and also appreciated in value since it was purchased. He did not, however, specify the rental yield.

Many real estate experts have concluded that Kuala Lumpur is facing a glut of luxury properties, with rental yields falling as much as 50 per cent in some cases.

PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution said yesterday the luxury apartment at One Menerung, Bangsar, was recorded by NFC, a cattle farming project managed by the minister’s family, as part of a RM83 million “loan” to NMLC.

Today, Khairy also slammed PKR strategic director Rafizi Rami and accused him of lying when the latter said beef from the feedlot project was sold only to elite restaurants.

According to the Rembau MP, beef from the project was also sold to Carrefour, Giant and wet markets.

“Most of the rest of the cow are sold in hypermarkets and wet markets and also enjoy this discount that Rafizi so desperately wants to link only to Meatworks,” said Khairy. “So this talk of ‘a subsidy for the elites who have expensive taste buds’ is absolute nonsense on multiple levels.”

read more at TheMalaysianInsider.com

TMI - Najib better liked than Anwar, PKR survey shows

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 11 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak is more popular than Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim but is seen as more indecisive and a poorer communicator, a PKR internal poll has found.
The prime minister was seen positively by 53 per cent of voters compared to 38 per cent who gave him the thumbs-down, according to the survey obtained by The Malaysian Insider.

Much of Najib’s support came from the Malay community, where he was well-regarded by 71 per cent of those polled (net positive 46 points), compared to 34 per cent of Chinese voters (net negative 18 points).

Voters in the Barisan Nasional (BN) stronghold of Johor were more likely to back the Umno president (61 per cent), followed by those in Perak (52 per cent), Selangor (49 per cent) and Kuala Lumpur (47 per cent).

In contrast, Anwar scored just a 40 per cent approval rating, with 48 per cent saying they disapproved of the de facto PKR chief.

Only 32 per cent of Malay voters said they favoured the former Umno number two compared to 61 per cent that did not.

Female voters, in particular, did not like Anwar, with 53 per cent saying they disapproved of him (net negative 21 points), compared to an approval rating of 47 per cent among male voters (net positive two points).

Malay women especially saw Anwar in poor light, with 69 per cent saying they viewed him poorly compared to just 24 per cent who did not.

Chinese voters, on the other hand, were slightly more likely to back Anwar, with 43 per cent saying they approved of him, a net positive of two points.

He was better regarded in PKR-led Selangor and Kuala Lumpur (44 per cent) than in Perak (38 per cent) and Johor (35 per cent).

Anwar was most popular among those aged 40 and above (43 per cent) while Najib was best liked in the 30-39 age group (55 per cent).

While the opposition leader was almost equally popular among graduates and non-graduates — 42 and 40 per cent respectively — the prime minister found more favour with non-degree holders (61 per cent versus 49 per cent).

read more at TheMalaysianInsider.com

TMI - Pakatan says won’t slash civil service size

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 9 — Pakatan Rakyat (PR) says it will not trim the bloated civil service if it takes over Putrajaya, but will instead focus on making government staff more efficient.

In what appeared to be a move to quell public sector anger over DAP publicity chief Tony Pua’s proposal to reduce civil service headcount, the opposition pact today pledged to retain existing staff should it come to govern Malaysia.

“Pakatan Rakyat would like to clarify that the position of the 1.2 million civil servants and officers will be guaranteed, as enshrined in [Articles 132 and 135] of the Constitution,” Salahuddin Ayub told reporters in the Parliament lobby.

The PAS vice president was flanked by PKR vice president Nurul Izzah Anwar and PAS central committee member Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.

Salahuddin pointed out that PR had acknowledged in its alternative Budget the important role civil servants played in carrying out government policies and any attempt to suggest otherwise was slander.

He said the opposition understood that political interference had led to a drop in public sector efficiency and promised a stop to such intervention if PR seized Putrajaya.

Nurul added that PR also intended to get rid of the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) and consultants if voted in as the government, to cut Putrajaya’s operating expenditure.

Pua had previously said that DAP would work towards progressively improving the efficiency of Malaysia’s bloated civil service by terminating government staff who failed to perform once PR secures federal power.

read more at TheMalaysianInsider.com

FMT - Ultimatum to Shahrizat: Answer charges or else

GEMAS: PKR strategic director Rafizi Ramli claims he has more information than already revealed about Shahrizat Abdul Jalil’s involvement in the National Feedlot Centre (NFC) and has threatened to expose them unless she responds to allegations made in recent days.

Rafizi visited the NFC farm here yesterday, a day after he alleged in a press conference that most of the beef produced by the centre is supplied to luxury restaurants owned by the family of Shahrizat, the Minister for Women, Family and Community Development.

Agriculture Minister Noh Omar had earlier confirmed that members of her family manage the luxury restaurants.

“We want to know how much exactly was spent for this farm,” Rafizi said after his visit.

“How many head of cattle are bred here and how many are slaughtered per day?”
He posed the questions in front of more than 70 people outside the farm. Most of them were journalists and publicity officials of opposition parties.

“Based on the information I have, they are supposed to breed 60,000 cows per year but I learnt that only 8, 000 cows were produced over a period of three years” he said.

Rafizi was accompanied on his visit by five Negeri Sembilan state assemblymen—Mohd Taufek Abdul Ghani (PAS-Paroi), M Ravi (PKR-Port Dickson), Aminuddin Harun (PKR-Sikamat), P Gunasekaran (DAP-Senawang) and Ng Chin Tsai (DAP-Temiang). Also in his delegation was Fariz Musa, the chief coordinator of Jingga 13, a PKR-linked NGO.

read more at FreeMalaysiaToday.com

TMI - PKR disputes government claim, says cattle project is a failure

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 1 — PKR revealed today what it said was proof the National Feedlot Centre (NFC) had only met under five per cent of its annual production target, refuting Putrajaya’s claim that the RM73.64 million scheme was a success.

Backing the Auditor-General’s assertion that the project had turned into a mess, PKR strategy director Rafizi Ramli (picture) claimed the NFC’s original target was to produce 60,000 head of cattle annually.

When declaring the project a “success” in Parliament yesterday, Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Noh Omar had said the cattle farming scheme only produced 8,016 head of cattle in three years from 2008, amounting to 2,672 a year, which is just 4.45 per cent of the 60,000 target.

“Yet, the minister declared the project a success. He clearly failed to refer to these details. We are not cows, we can count,” Rafizi told a press conference in Parliament here.


read more at TheMalaysianInsider.com

TMI - Tee Keat denies claims of crossover to Pakatan

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 29 — Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat denied today rumours that he will join the DAP or PKR, calling such allegations “mischievous and unethical.”

Reports online had claimed the former MCA president met PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Selangor DAP chief Teresa Kok on separate occasions before this week’s Deepavali celebrations.

But the Pandan MP said today “this has never happened, otherwise you would have reported it” when asked if he was planning to join another party.

Although he confirmed that he has received offers from other parties, he said “it is nothing new to me and has happened for a few years now. But I stop at that and it is all water under the bridge.”

Speculation that Ong (picture) will leave the MCA gained momentum after he vowed in February to defend his Pandan seat even if he was dropped by the party.

Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, who deposed Ong as MCA boss in a bitter contest 19 months ago, also called on his predecessor to leave the party after Ong criticised the Barisan Nasional component of being “irrelevant” just before this month’s annual general assembly.

Ong told reporters today that he did not discuss any plans to join the DAP when he met Selangor executive councillor Kok for lunch on October 25.


read more at TheMalaysianInsider.com

FMT - A way to outfox BN in Penang

GEORGE TOWN: A veteran PKR politician has suggesred a way to outfox Barisan Nasional in the coming general elections.

Bukit Gelugor PKR division chairman Lim Boo Chang said that to keep BN off balance, DAP and PKR should swap seats.

The former two-term state assemblyman noted that DAP had contested and won mostly Chinese-majority seats in Penang, while PKR stood in mixed-constituencies in the 2008 election.

Both DAP and PKR together with PAS later formed Pakatan Rakyat which holds 29 of the 40 state seats in Penang while Umno has 11 seats. DAP has 19 seats, PKR nine and PAS one.

All 19 seats that DAP contested and won in Penang are regarded as Chinese-majority seats here.

Lim suggested that for the next election, DAP should switch four seats with PKR to reflect their own multi-ethnic background.

“If DAP continues to rely on Chinese-majority seats, voters might swing back to BN. We must move away from the race and religious cards which the BN loves to play.

read more at FreeMalaysiaToday.com

Video - Anwar Ibrahim: We Are Here To Change This Corrupt Govt. For The People