Google PageRank for http://wrlr.blogspot.com is: / 10
Total Backlinks: 33,925
MENCAPAI JUTAAN HITS SEMASA PILIHANRAYA KECIL PERMATANG PAUH.TERIMA KASIH PENGUNJUNG YANG BUDIMAN
Google PageRank for http://wrlr.blogspot.com is: / 10
Malaysian leader proposes anti-corruption, judicial reform
bills10.12.08 15:27
Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Wednesday proposed a much-anticipated anti-corruption bill and another bill to restore integrity to the country's judiciary, reported dpa.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission bill, aimed to take effect in January, was aimed at stamping out corruption in the public and private sectors.
Abdullah also proposed an independent judicial body to manage the appointment of judges of superior courts.
Both bills came amid growing criticism that Abdullah has done little to make good on his pledge to clamp down on corruption since taking office in November 2003.
Abdullah said the reforms would boost foreign investor confidence in the government and the judiciary, both often often regarded as corrupt and lacking in integrity.
"When there is a negative perception like this, it will also influence investors, businessmen and industrialists. They will certainly be uneasy about investing their money if they think corruption is rife, Abdullah said.
"A less than satisfactory judiciary also can erode the nation's competitiveness," he was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.
However, he defended provisions in the judicial appointment commission to allow the prime minister to have a say in the selection of judges.
"Surely such power cannot be in the hands of the commission alone," he said.
The judiciary has been hit by several major controversies in recent years, including a videotape which surfaced purportedly showing a veteran lawyer in a phone conversation with a former chief justice allegedly fixing the appointment of senior judges.
Outrage following the release of the tape caused the government to form a royal commission of inquiry, which found that the process of judicial appointments was open to manipulation by the executive and private citizens.
Some critics dismissed Abdullah's move as a political manoeuvre.
"We need to wait and see, because true reform needs political will to carry through," said human rights lawyer Malik Imtiaz.
Abdullah, who has announced he will step down in March next year, has said he intends to make good on his promises to create a cleaner government before he retires.
BN govt releases JI extremists, no rationale given
, 10 Disember 2008 • Kategori: Berita Utama
Will dampen confidence of int’l community, raise questions on Hindraf 5
The Barisan Nasional government has quietly released more than a dozenextremists linked to the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) terror organisation, including Malaysian Yazid Sufaat, who is believed to have abetted the Sept 11 attacks in New York.
Inspector General of Police Musa Hassan confirmed a recent news report that Yazid, 44, had been released together with another Malaysian on Nov 24.
The surprise and sudden move - given the recent execution of three Balibombers in Indonesia last month and the heightened fears of reprisal attacks- is bound to spark criticism from both abroad and from within thenation.
“These releases appear to be arbitrary, nobody knows the real rationale,” said PKR Information Chief Tian Chua. “That is not good. It definitely will erode the confidence of the international community for Malaysia.”
“Yes, it will raise some questions about Malaysia’s commitment towardsfighting terrorism,” said a political analyst who requested anonymity.
“Domestically, what civil groups will also want to know is why thesehard-core terrorists were released but our own Hindraf 5, who were justprotesting internal social injustice, are still being detained,” the analyst added.
The Hindraf 5 refer to five Hindu Rights Action Force leaders who werearrested under the oppressive Internal Security Act, which allows forindefinite detention without trial. They were detained in December last year after leading street protests against the government’s inattention to the Indian community.
But according to the news report in the Singapore Straits Times, Indonesian, Malaysian and Filipino detainees were also released over the past month after a government advisory board at the Kamunting Detention Centre in Perak decided that they were no longer security threats.
Another freed was Thai national, Kasem Dayama, who was arrested in October 2006 for espionage.
Among the detainees released, many knew the Bali bombers well and are known to several JI militants who are still at large, including Noordin Mohammad Top and the Singapore detainee who escaped, Mas Selamat Kastari.
Regional intelligence officials fear that the freed men might still beanti-Western and could easily return to their underground networks in places such as the predominantly Muslim regions of southern Thailand and southern Philippines.
Yazid released ahead of 2010 detention timeline
Nevertheless, a government official insisted that Kuala Lumpur remainedcommitted to the fight against religious extremism, stressing that the men who were released had been rehabilitated after an intensive programme.
“We released him as he had shown remorse and repentance after almost seven years of rehabilitation. He was released on several conditions. He has to report to the police regularly and cannot leave Selangor without policepermission,” said Musa.
“Our officers will also be monitoring him as well as several others who havebeen released over the past years to ensure they do not go back to their old ways.”
Similar conditions are believed to apply to Sabah resident Sulaiman Suramin,who was arrested in 2003 and is also among those just released.
Key figure in the JI
By far the most prominent of the JI suspects released, Yazid was arrested in December 2001 and supposed to be detained until Jan 31, 2010.
He emerged as a key figure in JI’s regional network because of his link to Zacarias Moussaoui, a French citizen of Moroccan descent who was convicted of conspiracy charges in the Sept 11 attacks in New York.
A trained biochemist and former army captain, he emerged as a key figure inJI’s regional network because of his link to Zacarias Moussaoui, a Frenchcitizen of Moroccan descent who was convicted on conspiracy charges in theSept 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.
Yazid hosted Moussaoui during his visit to Malaysia in September and October 2000. Eight months earlier, he allowed Khalid al-Midhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi to use his apartment. They were the two hijackers on board the American Airlines aircraft that crashed into the Pentagon.
The foreign nationals released by the Malaysian government were mainly lowly functionaries of JI, which has ambitions of establishing a pan-Islamic state linking Indonesia, Malaysia and the Muslim southern islands of the Philippines.
The freed foreigners included eight Indonesians who were detained for two days at a West Java detention centre before being allowed to return to their families.
Indonesian and Philippine nationals
The Indonesians include:
Ahmad Zakaria, who was arrested off Sabah in 2004;
Arifin Iwan, who was caught in 2005 en route to the southern Philippines. He had been active in sectarian fighting in Ambon and Poso;
Terhamid Dahlan alias Adi Utomo Sukamto, who was arrested while trying to enter Sabah illegally in 2004;
Zakaria Saman, alias Ahmad Said Maulana, who was arrested in 2003 while returning from south-east Philippines. He fought in Ambon and received his military training in the southern Philippines.
Philippine nationals Shaykinar Guat and Argadi Andoyok were arrested in 2006 off Sabah.
It is not clear whether they have been released since they were handed overto the Philippine authorities.
Thai national Kasem Dayama was also arrested in 2006, but he had no links to JI. Malaysian security officials say he was arrested for spying on southern Thais seeking refuge in Kelantan.
It is believed that there are another 30 suspected JI operatives, a handfulof them foreigners, still in detention at the Kamunting detention centre.
Will dampen confidence of int’l community, raise questions on Hindraf 5
The Barisan Nasional government has quietly released more than a dozenextremists linked to the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) terror organisation, including Malaysian Yazid Sufaat, who is believed to have abetted the Sept 11 attacks in New York.
Inspector General of Police Musa Hassan confirmed a recent news report that Yazid, 44, had been released together with another Malaysian on Nov 24.
The surprise and sudden move - given the recent execution of three Balibombers in Indonesia last month and the heightened fears of reprisal attacks- is bound to spark criticism from both abroad and from within thenation.
“These releases appear to be arbitrary, nobody knows the real rationale,” said PKR Information Chief Tian Chua. “That is not good. It definitely will erode the confidence of the international community for Malaysia.”
“Yes, it will raise some questions about Malaysia’s commitment towardsfighting terrorism,” said a political analyst who requested anonymity.
“Domestically, what civil groups will also want to know is why thesehard-core terrorists were released but our own Hindraf 5, who were justprotesting internal social injustice, are still being detained,” the analyst added.
The Hindraf 5 refer to five Hindu Rights Action Force leaders who werearrested under the oppressive Internal Security Act, which allows forindefinite detention without trial. They were detained in December last year after leading street protests against the government’s inattention to the Indian community.
But according to the news report in the Singapore Straits Times, Indonesian, Malaysian and Filipino detainees were also released over the past month after a government advisory board at the Kamunting Detention Centre in Perak decided that they were no longer security threats.
Another freed was Thai national, Kasem Dayama, who was arrested in October 2006 for espionage.
Among the detainees released, many knew the Bali bombers well and are known to several JI militants who are still at large, including Noordin Mohammad Top and the Singapore detainee who escaped, Mas Selamat Kastari.
Regional intelligence officials fear that the freed men might still beanti-Western and could easily return to their underground networks in places such as the predominantly Muslim regions of southern Thailand and southern Philippines.
Yazid released ahead of 2010 detention timeline
Nevertheless, a government official insisted that Kuala Lumpur remainedcommitted to the fight against religious extremism, stressing that the men who were released had been rehabilitated after an intensive programme.
“We released him as he had shown remorse and repentance after almost seven years of rehabilitation. He was released on several conditions. He has to report to the police regularly and cannot leave Selangor without policepermission,” said Musa.
“Our officers will also be monitoring him as well as several others who havebeen released over the past years to ensure they do not go back to their old ways.”
Similar conditions are believed to apply to Sabah resident Sulaiman Suramin,who was arrested in 2003 and is also among those just released.
Key figure in the JI
By far the most prominent of the JI suspects released, Yazid was arrested in December 2001 and supposed to be detained until Jan 31, 2010.
He emerged as a key figure in JI’s regional network because of his link to Zacarias Moussaoui, a French citizen of Moroccan descent who was convicted of conspiracy charges in the Sept 11 attacks in New York.
A trained biochemist and former army captain, he emerged as a key figure inJI’s regional network because of his link to Zacarias Moussaoui, a Frenchcitizen of Moroccan descent who was convicted on conspiracy charges in theSept 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.
Yazid hosted Moussaoui during his visit to Malaysia in September and October 2000. Eight months earlier, he allowed Khalid al-Midhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi to use his apartment. They were the two hijackers on board the American Airlines aircraft that crashed into the Pentagon.
The foreign nationals released by the Malaysian government were mainly lowly functionaries of JI, which has ambitions of establishing a pan-Islamic state linking Indonesia, Malaysia and the Muslim southern islands of the Philippines.
The freed foreigners included eight Indonesians who were detained for two days at a West Java detention centre before being allowed to return to their families.
Indonesian and Philippine nationals
The Indonesians include:
Ahmad Zakaria, who was arrested off Sabah in 2004;
Arifin Iwan, who was caught in 2005 en route to the southern Philippines. He had been active in sectarian fighting in Ambon and Poso;
Terhamid Dahlan alias Adi Utomo Sukamto, who was arrested while trying to enter Sabah illegally in 2004;
Zakaria Saman, alias Ahmad Said Maulana, who was arrested in 2003 while returning from south-east Philippines. He fought in Ambon and received his military training in the southern Philippines.
Philippine nationals Shaykinar Guat and Argadi Andoyok were arrested in 2006 off Sabah.
It is not clear whether they have been released since they were handed overto the Philippine authorities.
Thai national Kasem Dayama was also arrested in 2006, but he had no links to JI. Malaysian security officials say he was arrested for spying on southern Thais seeking refuge in Kelantan.
It is believed that there are another 30 suspected JI operatives, a handfulof them foreigners, still in detention at the Kamunting detention centre.
Media Invitation Letter to Attend "Forum Wanita Kerjaya, Keluarga & Politik", on 13 December 2008, 1:30pm-5p
Dear Friends from Press, You are cordially invited to attend/participate the Forum organized by Wanita KeADILan Rakyat Negeri Pulau Pinang entitling “Wanita Kerjaya, Keluarga & Politik”.
The schedule is as follows:·
Day: Saturday, 13 December 2008·
Time: 1:30pm to 5:00 pm·
Place: Bilik Anggerik, Bougainvilla & Cempaka, Dewan Sri Pinang, Penang The guest speakers for the Forum:1) YB Dato’ Zahrain Mohd Hashim bin Dato’ Zainuddin Mohd Hashim· Member of Parliament for Bayan Baru· PKR Central Committee, Penang PKR Chief, PKR Bayan Baru Divisional Chairman2)
Ms. Felica Ling· Practising lawyer having her own legal practice “Feei Feisal & Partners”· Joined politics in 1998 – Elected MCA Wanita Central Committee before leaving MCA in April 2008· Joined PKR in May 2008 – Currently PKR Cheras Divisional Chairman, PKR Wanita Central Committee and PKR Cheras Divisional Wanita Chairman3)
YB Dr. Lo’ Lo’ binti Dato’ Haji Mohamad Ghazali·
Member of Parliament for Titiwangsa·
PAS Central Committee4)
YB Chong Eng· Member of Parliament for Bukit Mertajam·
DAP Deputy Secretary-General and DAP Wanita Chairperson We look forward to your participation. Herewith we enclosed the official media invitation letter and the tentative program.
Sincerely,
Dr. Joyce Lee Yueh ChooOrganizing Committee Chairman
The schedule is as follows:·
Day: Saturday, 13 December 2008·
Time: 1:30pm to 5:00 pm·
Place: Bilik Anggerik, Bougainvilla & Cempaka, Dewan Sri Pinang, Penang The guest speakers for the Forum:1) YB Dato’ Zahrain Mohd Hashim bin Dato’ Zainuddin Mohd Hashim· Member of Parliament for Bayan Baru· PKR Central Committee, Penang PKR Chief, PKR Bayan Baru Divisional Chairman2)
Ms. Felica Ling· Practising lawyer having her own legal practice “Feei Feisal & Partners”· Joined politics in 1998 – Elected MCA Wanita Central Committee before leaving MCA in April 2008· Joined PKR in May 2008 – Currently PKR Cheras Divisional Chairman, PKR Wanita Central Committee and PKR Cheras Divisional Wanita Chairman3)
YB Dr. Lo’ Lo’ binti Dato’ Haji Mohamad Ghazali·
Member of Parliament for Titiwangsa·
PAS Central Committee4)
YB Chong Eng· Member of Parliament for Bukit Mertajam·
DAP Deputy Secretary-General and DAP Wanita Chairperson We look forward to your participation. Herewith we enclosed the official media invitation letter and the tentative program.
Sincerely,
Dr. Joyce Lee Yueh ChooOrganizing Committee Chairman
Not the time to point fingers
Wed, Dec 10, 2008The Star
BUKIT MERTAJAM, MALAYSIA: Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has called on all parties to stop the blame game over the Bukit Antarabangsa landslide tragedy.
He said the focus should be on finding out the cause of the tragedy and not point fingers.
"Now is not the issue of blame. We need to get to the bottom of the cause (of the tragedy) and the results of whatever findings should be made public for the people to judge.
"But instead, we now have an attempt to cover up by proportioning the blame to who is in charge now," he said to newsmen during a press conference at the PKR headquarters in Yayasan Aman yesterday.
The Permatang Pauh MP called the Government to launch a full and independent investigation on not only Bukit Antarabangsa, but also other hillside development projects in the country.
He said the Pakatan Rakyat government in Selangor had stopped approving all category three and four hillside development projects on Bukit Antarabangsa since March this year.
"For the last 15 years, the projects on Bukit Antarabangsa have been blatantly approved by the previous administration.
"Now, the Selangor Government has to scrutinise all 90 hillside development projects in the state that were approved by the previous government.
"It will be difficult for the current government to cancel the projects because it could lead to court cases," he said.
On the Kuala Terengganu by-election, Anwar said PKR and DAP would support any candidate PAS picked.
He was optimistic that Pakatan would make it in Kuala Terengganu if all its coalition parties worked hard to face the might of the Barisan Nasional machinery.
Anwar had a tight schedule yesterday when he visited sick constituents, distributed beef and attended kenduri Qurban at Telok Wang, Mengkuang Mak Sulong, Sungai Semambu, Kampung Paya, Permatang Rawa, Kampung Pertama, Sembilang, Tanjung Putus and Bukit Indera Muda.
Online writers future targets
10 Dec 08 :
By Elizabeth Looi
elizabethlooi@thenutgraph.comPrinter Friendly Format
PETALING JAYA, 10 Dec 2008: Online journalists and bloggers may face greater scrutiny in the future compared to traditional media workers, warns human rights group Aliran.
Its joint coordinator Mustafa K Anuar said this future scenario was likely, as some bloggers here have already been hauled up or detained for their postings.
Mustafa, who is from Charter2000-Aliran, admitted that although there were bloggers who relied on unverified sources for stories, there were also those who were careful with their stories, analyses and comments.
"It is these online writers and bloggers that the powers-that-be are concerned about, especially if these writers are able to side-step the official censorship mechanisms and at the same time command a sizeable following," he told The Nut Graph in a telephone interview.
Mustafa was commenting on a report by New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on imprisoned journalists.
The non-profit organisation found that more online journalists and bloggers were jailed compared to those in other media. Some 45% of media workers jailed worldwide in 2008, as of 1 Dec, were bloggers, web-based reporters, or online editors.
China had the highest number of journalists and bloggers who were jailed, followed by Cuba and Burma, the report stated. Malaysia was not included in the survey.
Mustafa felt that the CPJ findings did not reflect the local situation. Although there have been a few cases of bloggers being targeted by the authorities, in general, online journalists here do not face as high a possibility of persecution as some of the countries mentioned in the CPJ report.
"Having said that, I believe that these (limited Malaysian) cases are meant to warn other bloggers and online writers who might have the penchant for news-breaking stories, incisive analyses and critical commentaries about the Malaysian socio-political situation," he said.
Among the prominent bloggers who were arrested this year were Malaysia Today editor Raja Petra Kamarudin and Syed Azidi Syed Aziz, who is known as Kickdefella.
Raja Petra was arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA) on 12 Sept 2008 and sentenced to two years in the Kamunting Detention Centre. But he was released on 7 Nov. Syed Azidi, on the other hand, ran afoul of the Sedition Act when he suggested flying the Jalur Gemilang upside down on his blog. The blogger, whose case is still pending, is out on bail.
Writer Alliance for Media Independence (Wami) chairperson Wong Chin Huat told The Nut Graph that it would be better for Malaysia to produce its own national media freedom report.
He felt that the methodology used by most international media freedom reports may not be suitable or fair as a yardstick to measure media freedom in Malaysia.
But generally, Wong was pessimistic about the future of online media here.
"Until and unless we can change the paradigm of our thinking, our freedom will be limited.
"But based on my observations, we have more freedom now to talk about ethnic-related issues, for example, or to criticise a political leader, compared to 10 years ago," he noted.
By Elizabeth Looi
elizabethlooi@thenutgraph.comPrinter Friendly Format
PETALING JAYA, 10 Dec 2008: Online journalists and bloggers may face greater scrutiny in the future compared to traditional media workers, warns human rights group Aliran.
Its joint coordinator Mustafa K Anuar said this future scenario was likely, as some bloggers here have already been hauled up or detained for their postings.
Mustafa, who is from Charter2000-Aliran, admitted that although there were bloggers who relied on unverified sources for stories, there were also those who were careful with their stories, analyses and comments.
"It is these online writers and bloggers that the powers-that-be are concerned about, especially if these writers are able to side-step the official censorship mechanisms and at the same time command a sizeable following," he told The Nut Graph in a telephone interview.
Mustafa was commenting on a report by New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on imprisoned journalists.
The non-profit organisation found that more online journalists and bloggers were jailed compared to those in other media. Some 45% of media workers jailed worldwide in 2008, as of 1 Dec, were bloggers, web-based reporters, or online editors.
China had the highest number of journalists and bloggers who were jailed, followed by Cuba and Burma, the report stated. Malaysia was not included in the survey.
Mustafa felt that the CPJ findings did not reflect the local situation. Although there have been a few cases of bloggers being targeted by the authorities, in general, online journalists here do not face as high a possibility of persecution as some of the countries mentioned in the CPJ report.
"Having said that, I believe that these (limited Malaysian) cases are meant to warn other bloggers and online writers who might have the penchant for news-breaking stories, incisive analyses and critical commentaries about the Malaysian socio-political situation," he said.
Among the prominent bloggers who were arrested this year were Malaysia Today editor Raja Petra Kamarudin and Syed Azidi Syed Aziz, who is known as Kickdefella.
Raja Petra was arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA) on 12 Sept 2008 and sentenced to two years in the Kamunting Detention Centre. But he was released on 7 Nov. Syed Azidi, on the other hand, ran afoul of the Sedition Act when he suggested flying the Jalur Gemilang upside down on his blog. The blogger, whose case is still pending, is out on bail.
Writer Alliance for Media Independence (Wami) chairperson Wong Chin Huat told The Nut Graph that it would be better for Malaysia to produce its own national media freedom report.
He felt that the methodology used by most international media freedom reports may not be suitable or fair as a yardstick to measure media freedom in Malaysia.
But generally, Wong was pessimistic about the future of online media here.
"Until and unless we can change the paradigm of our thinking, our freedom will be limited.
"But based on my observations, we have more freedom now to talk about ethnic-related issues, for example, or to criticise a political leader, compared to 10 years ago," he noted.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)