Anwar Ibrahim, an Interview in Malaysia

by Dinda Elliott

What is it that makes some people so courageous, willing to risk everything for something they believe in? I am asking myself this question, thinking about how we Americans take so much for granted in the freedoms we enjoy every day.

In the cool, high-ceilinged villa that is home to Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia's former deputy prime minister, who spent six years in solitary confinement after challenging then prime minister Mahathir Mohammad, the drone of Islamic music fills the living room. The Anwar family is religious--his wife and daughters, now both politicians in their own rights, proudly wear tudongs, Malaysian headscarves reflecting Islamic modesty--and I figure the music is part of the Muslim atmosphere of their daily lives. But I am a little worried that my tape recorder will not pick up Anwar's soft voice above the din. I have waited ten years for this interview.

As Hong Kong bureau chief for Newsweek magazine, I had covered the anti-corruption and reform movement Anwar launched in 1998. Before he went to jail, I had interviewed Anwar and gotten to know him a little bit. Through secret channels, I was able to publish a letter from Anwar in prison when Newsweek named him "Asian of the Year." Or rather, I should say Anwar found a way--and dared--to sneak a letter to me.

I ask Anwar how he survived six years in solitary confinement. "It wasn't easy," Anwar replies. The worst moment, he says, was when his mother died. He just stared and stared at the wall, not knowing what to do. Mahathir had ordered to have cameras installed just outside his cell to prevent guards from chatting with him. Nonetheless, sympathetic guards would shout to the clinic down the hall that Anwar had a headache so that he could have some human contact. There, he tells me, he saw a young Indian man who had been severely caned for a simple theft. "As a politician, I used to say to people 'I feel for you,'" Anwar says, "but after prison, when you have seen something like that, it is very different. Yes, I feel other people's pain."

Halfway through our talk, Anwar stands up to turn off the music, which has reached a louder pitch. "Even here, we always have to keep on some music, because you know," he says, pointing to the ceiling, "there is always someone listening." Right now, Anwar is facing more charges--the second time the government has gone after him for alleged sodomy. The case has been kicked up to the high court, and Anwar says he may well go back to jail.

But the anti-corruption movement he launched has taken on steam. Last year, the opposition to the coalition that has ruled Malaysia for 50 years won five states out of 13, and the ruling coalition lost its two-thirds majority. Things have gotten vicious of late, as the ruling elite, widely considered to be extremely corrupt, fight to hold onto power. Most Malaysians think that is the reason the new case has been raised against Anwar. "Yes, they would like to get rid of me," says Anwar. "But I believe we will prevail."

There are certainly Malaysians who are suspicious of Anwar, arguing that he is a slick politician just like the rest of them. But like him or not, this man has more courage than I can possibly imagine. Yes, he is a politician; but at least he has a vision of a different, clean Malaysia. And Anwar is willing to risk everything for the sake of that goal.

Further reading:
* "Sexual Politics, Malaysia Style": The first charges again Anwar Ibrahim

SAMBUTAN SETAHUN PEMERINTAHAN RAKYAT 8 MAC-RAKYAT MALAYSIA BUKAN SEPERTI DAHULU

Sewaktu berceramah di Bukit Selambau baru-baru ini bersama ketua umum PKR Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim ,Ketua penerangan Pusat YB Tian Chua menjelaskan bahawa rakyat adalah tuan dalam negara dan sekarang rakyat telah tahu dan faham akan apa sahaja peristiwa yang berlaku kerana rakyat telah banyak berubah dan melihat disekeliling mereka peristiwa yang telah dan sedang berlaku .Media alternatif adalah pemangkin kepada keterbukaan minda rakyat.

Kini rakyat makin faham dan tahu bahawa pemerintahan antara rakyat dan juga pemerintahan antara Bn dan juga PR.Barang keperluan naik,malah kos elektrik,cukai,dan juga minyak.Bukit Selambau adalah masa yang sesuai untuk menilai semua ini.

Kita yakin kita bukan semuanya baik, namun kita janji,komitmen kita untuk membebaskan dan memerdekakan rakyat bagi menaikkan imej rakyat dan negera di mata dunia.

Bn mengunakan berbagai isu yang bertujuan untuk menjatuhkan Kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat,

"saya ingin menjelaskan bahawa kita jelas telah menjunjung tinggi dan hak-hak yang terkandung dalam perlembagaan dan kedudukan Islam serta kita tidak pernah mencabar kedudukan keistimewaan yang telah sedia termaktub,yang kita pertikaikan ialah bagaimana BN memainkan peranan dan dengan memainkan isu perkauman,menggunakan media untuk kepentingan mereka,mengunakan instrumen kepolisian dan menuduh kita cuba mempersoalkan tindakan mereka,yang kita persoalkan ialah bagaimana samseng masuk ke parlimen dan tidak seorang pun di tangkap.Saya masih ingat bagaiamana saya sendri ditangkap hanya kerana menuntut agar diadakan pilihanraya yang adil,itu pun saya ditangkap. tapi kini tidak ada sebarang tangkapan pun kepada pemuda Umno,mereka , pemuda umno boleh membuat kacau bilau tanpa di tangkap.Tapi kalau kita nak buat laporan,nak serah memorendum, kita di tangkap .Ini yang menyebabkan rakyat membuka mata kerana ini adalah sikap double standard." demikian jelas Tian Chua.

Keadaan ini sebenarnya menyebelahi kita dan kita percaya rakyat semakin faham dan dengan ini walau pun Perak telah di rampas dan wujudnya kerajaan haram, rakyat telah tahu dan mereka sebenarnya telah tewas dengan kuasa rakyat.

MASYARAKAT BUKIT SELAMBAU HARUS TUNTUT KEPADA SAMY VELLU

Bukit Selambau-sewaktu berceramah di Bukit Selambau YB Gobalakrushnan menjelaskan kepada masyarakat di Bukit Selambau bahawa jika Samy Vellu datang ke kawasan mereka , maka mereka penduuk Bukit Selambau harus menuntut kepada Samy Vellu kerana beliau adalah antara orang India yang paling kaya di Malaysia.

Ini menurut YB Gobala lagi adalah kerana beliau tahu kerana Samy Vellu telah membina IAMS Institut Of medical Advance Studies dengan mengumpulkan lebih 600 juta akan tetapi hanya membina dengan harga 260 juta.

Maka kerana itu jika Sammy vellu datang minta kepada sammy vellu agar menukar bumbung atap,perbetulkan parit dan juga minta lebih kaim pelikat kepada beliau..dan disambut dengan gelak ketawa oleh lebih 15000 yang hadir pada malam tersebut.

PAK BAGI RESPON-HISHAMUDDIN LAMBAT BERTINDAK.ASYIK SALAH GURU

PM mahu isu PPSMI diselesai segera


07/03/2009 5:54pm


Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi berharap agar keputusan berhubung isu Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Sain dan Metematik Dalam bahasa Inggeris (PPSMI) dibuat segera bagi mengelakkan isu yang lebih besar tercetus.


HIDUP PAK LAH-JANGAN LETAK JAWATAN

Indian Malaysians deserting Pakatan?

Thursday, 05 March 2009 23:23


Malaysians have indeed awakened. Indian Malaysians, for instance, voted in droves for the opposition in the last general election. It is time to tackle the root causes of their discontentment, says P Sivakumar.


Malaysia’s two million Indians, who make up less than 8 per cent of the population today have been largely sidelined by the NEP policy since 1971. Once traditionally very staunch supporters of the ruling Barisan National, the majority of them have switched camps following years of grassroots agitation concerning their neglect under the NEP, the demolition of historical temples and some sensitive religious issues. We thank the Government for the immediate halt to temple demolition and the positive attention given to religious rights made possible after the outlawed Hindu Action Force (Hindraf) took to the streets with an unexpected turnout of some 30,000 Indian Malaysian supporters in November 2007.

Nearly 85 per cent of Indian Malaysians are ethnic Tamils, about 70 per cent of them are descendants of plantation workers. Of the 8 per cent of Malaysians who are Indians, 80 per cent of them are Hindus, 15 per cent Muslims among whom are Tamils and Malayalees who have wangled their way into the bumiputra preserve. The rest are Christians, Sikhs, Gujaratees and others.Today after 51 years of Independence, the Indian definition has become a metaphor for backwardness.


Even though the median family income of Indian Malaysians, according to official statistics, is higher than that of Malays, certain segments of the Indian Malaysians live in abject poverty and form part of the lowest strata in terms of economic ownership. The official statistics indicate Indians account for only 1.2 per cent of traded equity since 1971. According to Hindraf, 15 per cent of Malaysian juvenile delinquents, 50 per cent of all convicts in prison since 2004 and 41 per cent of the beggars in 2003 were Indians.


The percentage of Indians in the civil service fell from 40 per cent in 1957 to less than 2 per cent in 2005. According to official records, 30-35 Indians per 100,000 committed or attempted to commit suicide annually as compared to 10-12 Malaysians per 100,000 in 2006. In education they make up less than 5 per cent of the university intake of over 45,000 annually.The current agitation in Malaysia by Indians is directed against discrimination and violation of human rights, which is evident in the piling up of complaints with Suhakam. Apart from the economic hardships, they have specific grievances.


Their immediate concern is to be treated equally and offered business opportunities and government jobs. This is where their expectations are understandably high in the Pakatan controlled states because they had thrown in their lot with the Pakatan Rakyat and provided their crucial support to vent their frustrations and demonstrated their anger for the detention of the Hindraf leaders without trial under the infamous ISA.


A political awakening



The now outlawed Hindraf as you can see had provided serious data and hard facts that had baffled MIC, the 60-year-old Indian political Party. These data and facts were used to awaken the Indian ethnic minority in Malaysia regarding the root of their discontentment.Many feel that if not for the actions of Hindraf, the Indian minority issues would not have received such an extensive national and international attention unheard of over the last 60 years of the MIC leadership which by and large depends on the charity of BN leadership for handouts.Indian Malaysians are seeking equality after 51years of Independence. The people of the world are more affluent now. What Malaysia needs now is a sacrifice of the rich and super-rich of all races to refrain from grabbing everthing under the NEP and allow the poor of all races to benefit a little in order to move up and progress.

Pakatan supremo Anwar Ibrahim to his credit has pledged to cater for the needs of the Indians and all other neglected segments of our society and that is why he has won their support perhaps permanently. The BN may argue that the Indians are not a force when it comes to voting in any constituency. However the Indians would be the deciding factor in at least 40 to 50 constituencies s in the next general elections based on assumptions from the last general elections.. Thus the Malaysian Indian Business Association (MIBA) does not see many Indians deserting the Pakatan unless the BN comes up with something more tangible and meaningful rather than the same handouts..The Hindraf Five must be released unconditionally and they should be allowed to form a public policy think tank which will contribute to the building of a strong and progressive Indian Malaysian community.


Such a think tank will adopt a balanced and inclusive approach when addressing the community’s grievances.BN leaders cannot avoid the changing patterns in the globalised world of today especially so when a coloured person has become president of the United States – something that was deemed impossible. If, Americans can set aside their prejudices, cross party lines and elect Barak Obama purely based on merit, why are we stuck with our narrow mindedness, bigotry and unfair policies? Why can’t we move on? It is only proper for Malaysia to seriously promote a Malaysian national identity in order to unite all the people of the land. Malaysia, being a founding member of the Association of South East Asian Nations signed the Asean charter on 21 November 2007. Under the Asean Charter and also as a member of the UN Human Rights Council, Malaysia is duty-bound to promote and protect human rights irrespective of race, religion and gender. In keeping with this moral obligation, the MIBA humbly requests the Prime Minister of Malaysia to release all those languishing under the ISA or failing which they should be tried in a court of law so that we will be seen as a nation that honours and respects the rule of law.


P Sivakumar is president of the Malaysian Indian Business Association

Political tsunami still making waves

Home > World

Oil paintings of Malaysian ministers being sold in downtown Kuala Lumpur. (AP photo)
AP
First Published : 07 Mar 2009 10:11:33 AM IST
Last Updated :
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians called it a political tsunami when public discontent loosened the government's five-decade grip on power in elections a year ago. The period since has been likened to a circus.

The National Front coalition remains in power, and main opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has had to back off claims that he would topple the government within months.
But normally predictable Malaysian politics is increasingly less so, as new cracks keep opening up in the ruling coalition.


The prime minister is being forced out by an open revolt in his own party. The National Front lost two special elections to fill parliamentary vacancies, an unimaginable result in the past. And the government's attempt to oust an opposition-led state government has wound up in deadlock, with both sides claiming to be in charge.
The unprecedented weakness of the National Front has emboldened Malaysians to demand more rights in a country accustomed to virtual one-party rule since independence in 1957.
In last year's March 8 election, the ruling coalition had its worst-ever showing, losing its longtime two-thirds majority in parliament and control of five of Malaysia's 13 states.


Malaysians realized for the first time that "there can be alternative governments ... that the power to shape opinions and decisions comes from them," said Tricia Yeoh, a political analyst who advises the opposition.
"This translates into a more demanding public, holding governments accountable to standards higher than they themselves would have imagined prior to March 8th, 2008," she said.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who was widely blamed for the setback, resisted resignation calls for months before agreeing in October to step down around March 31.


"We have been in power for so long that some people (in the party) take it for granted. We are telling our people times have changed," said International Trade and Industry Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, a vocal critic of Badawi. "It is a question of survival."
The public appears lukewarm toward his successor, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak. In a poll of 1,018 registered voters, 41 percent said he would do a good job, while 36 percent disagreed. The nationwide telephone survey by the Merdeka Center had a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.


Razaleigh Hamzah, a respected ruling party official, said Najib's ascent "will not magically set us on the path to restoration."
Najib spearheaded campaigns for the two special elections, but the ruling coalition lost both.
Much of the voter anger stems from the government's empty pledges to curb corruption and cronyism, especially in awarding public contracts.
The ruling coalition has also failed to resolve racial and religious grievances of ethnic Indian and Chinese minorities in this Malay-majority nation, including alleged police killings of Indian suspects.


Fears that Malaysia may tumble into its first recession since 1998 have increased disquiet. The economy grew just 0.1 percent in the final three months of 2008, and 22,000 people have lost their jobs since October.
The National Front's sole success was in wresting back control of the northern state of Perak, which it had lost in the March 2008 elections. But even that may have backfired.
It coaxed three lawmakers to leave the rival People's Alliance coalition, tipping the balance in the Perak legislature in its favor.


But instead of waiting for a vote by lawmakers, the National Front got the state's sultan to appoint a new chief minister from its coalition. The move was condemned as unconstitutional, and the People's Alliance and the national lawyers' association are demanding elections to end the deadlock. The National Front has refused.

Najib under fire in Malaysia and Europe over Altantuya commission and murder case

Khamis, 5 Mac 2009 • Kategori: Berita Semasa, Berita Utama, English News, Kedah, Kelantan, Nasional, Parlimen, Perak, Politik, Pulau Pinang, Selangor & Putrajaya



It would be taboo to shame the incoming prime minister, even though he may shame the nation

Ianya akan menjadi sesuatu yang amat memalukan kepada kemunculan perdana menteri yang baru,jika tidak pun ianya akan memalukan negara sendiri

Terjemahan dari Wong Choon Mei




Ada satu berita yang sedang hangat diperkatan dalam sebuah tabloid terkenal dan amat di minati di Perancis iaitu "liberation" yang mendapati bahawa ianya melibatkan Timbalan perdfana Menteri Najib Tun Razak, selepas mereka menyiasat bagaiman seorang wanita cantik dari Mongolia yang menjadi penterjemah, Altantunya Shariibuu , yang telah dibunuh di Malaysia 2 tahun yang lalu.

Already, lawmakers in Parliament are questioning whether Malaysia should be led by the scandal-plagued Najib, who has been dogged by allegations of graft throughout his 33-year career and lately - of being involved in the ruthless and gruesome murder of Altantuya, whom many believe was his one-time mistress.


In power since independence from British rule in 1957, Malaysia’s Umno-led government makes no bones about abusing and bullying federal institutions into carrying out the political will of its leaders. Unsurprisingly then that its credibility and those of its leaders, such as Najib, have plummeted to ground zero.




Although, the 55-year old has repeatedly denied the allegations, the speculation and the stories have refused to go away. To a large extent, Najib has himself and the Umno system to which he was born to blame.


In power since independence from British rule in 1957, Malaysia’s Umno-led government makes no bones about abusing and bullying federal institutions into carrying out the political will of its leaders. Unsurprisingly then that its credibility and those of its leaders, such as Najib, have plummeted to ground zero.


In Parliament today, Machang MP Saifuddin Nasution read out an excerpt of the Liberation report, which recounted how the pregnant Altantuya had begged for her life before she was shot in the left side of her face.


Noone - whether in august House or elsewhere in the nation - was surprised when Deputy Speaker Ronald Kiandee refused to let him continue with what could turn out to be a sizzling string of embarrassing questions. It would be taboo to shame the incoming prime minister, even though he may shame the nation!


Yet, apart from saving face, aside from politics, is there anyone who remembers that whatever her role, Altantuya was a human being whose life was wrenched from her against her will.
So perhaps, this is also why public interest has stuck stubbornly on the case. Despite the hot headlines, there are just too many unanswered questions over who conspired in her killing, including why she should be denied the justice of having those guilty brought to the dock and punished.


Making the headlines in Europe


In the Liberation article, journalist Arnaud Dubus revealed details from a cautioned statement obtained from Malaysian police sources. According to the statement, Dubus said how her killers denied her pleas for mercy and shot her first in the face, and then again, when they noticed her hand was still moving.


Malaysia’s own controversial blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin has since posted on his blog a cautioned statement from Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar, who together with his colleague Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri, are standing trial for Altantuya’s killing.



According to the Liberation, the slim and doe-eyed Mongolian beauty was also stripped of her clothes, before explosives were wrapped around her legs, her abdomen and her head and then set off.
Dubus also reported that Najib met Altantuya together with his close aide Razak Baginda in Paris in 2005. A photograph was also taken showing the three in a Paris nightclub, the Liberation article said.
Interestingly, a private investigator in Malaysia also involved in the case had previously disclosed the 28-year old Altantuya was Najib’s mistress before he passed her onto Razak Baginda.


The Liberation also suggested that Razak was Najib’s intermediary for arms purchases. When Altantuya found out in October 2006 that Armaris, the sprawling Europeans arms maker, had paid out the commission for Malaysia’s one billion euros (RM4.7 billion) purchase of three submarines, she flew over immediately.


The commission was allegedly paid into the account of a Razak-controlled company Perimekar and amounted to 114 million euros. Altantuya’s share was US$500,000.
But according to the Liberation, a jealous Rosmah Mansor - Najib’s wife - refused to give her a cent. And this is why she kept pestering Razak Baginda, until her own life was taken.
Meanwhile, Azilah and Sirul, assigned to act as bodyguards for top politicians and their families including Rosmah, will know their fate on April 9, when the court delivers its verdict.



Razak Baginda has of course been acquitted and discharged without his defence being called.
In Parliament today, Machang MP Saifuddin Nasution read out an excerpt of the Liberation report, which recounted how the pregnant Altantuya had begged for her life before she was shot in the left side of her face.


Noone - whether in august House or elsewhere in the nation - was surprised when Deputy Speaker Ronald Kiandee refused to let him continue with what could turn out to be a sizzling string of embarrassing questions. It would be taboo to shame the incoming prime minister, even though he may shame the nation!


Yet, apart from saving face, aside from politics, is there anyone who remembers that whatever her role, Altantuya was a human being whose life was wrenched from her against her will.
So perhaps, this is also why public interest has stuck stubbornly on the case. Despite the hot headlines, there are just too many unanswered questions over who conspired in her killing, including why she should be denied the justice of having those guilty brought to the dock and punished.

Anwar Malaysia sodomy trial moved to High Court

Reuters
Published: March 5, 2009
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's sodomy trial has been transferred to the High Court in a move that his lawyers have said in the past could prejudice the 62-year-old's chances of a fair hearing.

Anwar was only released from prison in 2004 after being sentenced in the late 1990s on what he said were trumped up sodomy and corruption charges and returned to parliament last August when he won a by-election in a seat held by his wife.

Thursday's ruling by a judge at a Kuala Lumpur High court will be appealed against by Anwar, one of his lawyers said.
"We are disappointed and my client is disappointed," Sankara Nair, one of Anwar's lawyers told journalists after the hearing.

The case will be formally heard by the junior Sessions Court next Tuesday and the judge in that court, who had opposed the move to the higher court, will now have to formally transfer the case.

If imprisoned for sodomy Anwar could face 20 years in prison as all homosexual acts in Malaysia, a mainly Muslim country of 27 million people, are against the law.
That would effectively end his political career which has seen him come close to mounting a challenge to the National Front government that has ruled Malaysia for the 51 years since independence from Britain.

The People's Alliance grouping that Anwar now heads deprived the government of its two-thirds parliamentary elections in March 2008 and ended up controlling five of Malaysia's 13 state legislatures, the best ever result for the opposition here.

Their strong performance forced Prime Minister Abudllah Ahmad Badawi to step aside early and he will leave office at the end of March to be replaced by Najib Razak who is currently deputy prime minister and finance minister.

Najib, the son of Malaysia's third prime minister, faces a huge challenge to avert a recession in Malaysia whose exports have been badly hit by the global slowdown.

He will present a mini-budget of new spending measures on March 10.

(Reporting by Razak Ahmad; Writing by David Chance; Editing by David Fox

2 PERKARA PELIK DI PERAK

2 perkara pelik di Perak belum terjawab
Oleh:Kerisijau

1) Dewan Rakyat (DR) dan Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) tempat undang-undang digubal. Sepatutnya ia institusi tertinggi negara dan negeri mengatasi Mahkamah.

Tetapi di Perak, Mahkamah lebih tinggi dari DUN, sedangkan DUN menggubal undang2 utk dilaksanakan oleh mahkamah.

2) Speaker adalah jawatan paling tinggi dlm DUN. Setiausaha DUN perlu patuhi arahan Speaker.

Tetapi di Perak, Setiausaha DUN lebih tinggi dari Speaker. Setiausaha boleh kunci Dewan Undangan Negeri. Speaker terpaksa bersidang bawah pokok!.

ISTANA tidak melarang himpunan anti-PPSMI

Rabu, 4 Mac 2009 • Kategori: Berita Semasa, Berita Utama, Nasional

KUALA LUMPUR, 4 MAC (SK) - ISTANA Negara tidak melarang perhimpunan bantahan pelaksanaan dasar Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Sains dan Matematik dalam Bahasa Inggeris (PPSMI) yang akan diadakan sabtu ini.

Menurut Pengerusi Gerakan Mansuhkan PPSMI (GMP) Dr Hassan Ahmad berkata, Istana memberikan respon positif bagi menerima memorandum membantah pelaksanaan dasar.

Menurut laporan MalaysiaKini, Dr Hassan telah dimaklumkan Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin tidak berada di istana pada masa yang dijadualkan dan memorandum tersebut akan diserahkan kepada seorang pegawai bagi pihak baginda.

Dr Hassan menambah, satu salinan memorandum tersebut telah disampaikan kepada istana melalui setiausaha sulit kanan Yang di-Pertuan Agong semalam.

Pada himpunan yang bakal diadakan Sabtu, selain Dr Hassan, Sasterawan Negara A Samad Said dan pemimpin pembangkang termasuk Ketua Umum KeADILani Anwar Ibrahim dan Presiden PAS Abdul Hadi Awang dijadual hadir.

Ketua Polis Kuala Lumpur Mohammad Sabtu Osman dalam satu kenyataan hari ini menasihatkan orang ramai supaya tidak menyertai perarakan yang dirancang GMP

Anwar sodomy accuser lodges report against news portal

He said they had posted articles alleging that he had contracted a STD. -The Star/ANN
Wed, Mar 04, 2009

The Star/Asia News Network



KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - The man who accused PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim of sodomising him has lodged a police report against Pahang Daily Online for posting articles on the Internet alleging that he had contracted a sexually transmitted disease (STD).
Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, who is also Anwar's former aide, said the news portal published six articles claiming that he was critically ill due to the disease.
Mohd Saiful, 23, refuted claims made on the news portal after lodging a report at the Damansara police station here yesterday.

"As you can see for yourselves, I am perfectly fine and healthy. I was not bedridden or ill as claimed by the website. I want to stress that I do not have an STD or any other sickness.
"These are all lies created by irresponsible people. I want the police to investigate and take immediate action against those responsible," said Mohd Saiful, adding that he would file a suit against the news portal and others who spread similar lies via blogs and websites.

"There are also claims via e-mail and certain blogs that I am struck by bad luck for swearing on the Quran about my sodomy allegation against Anwar," Mohd Saiful said, referring to an interview last month by a website with former Federal Territory Mosque imam Ramlang Porigi, who witnessed his oath-taking on Aug 15 last year.

Mohd Saiful, who arrived at the police station at 11am, was accompanied by his father Azlan Mohd Lazim, 55, and lawyer Zamri Idrus.

On June 28 last year, the former Universiti Tenaga Nasional student leader lodged a police report alleging that he was sodomised by Anwar at the Desa Damansara Condominium in Bukit Damansara on June 26.

The case is pending in court.
The Star/Asia News Network

PPSMI........MENGGAMIT ANDA SEMUA

I: Bertaubatlah Tun sebelum 'wafat' (2)
Tun Mahathir yang dikasihi.. Apabila saya membangkitkan seruan agar Tun segera bertaubat sebelum..
7 Mac, runtuhkan kebodohan ini!
Segala persiapan telah diatur. Kempen penerangan jelajah seluruh negara selesai sudah. Hujah me..
Dengarlah suara hati nurani A. Samad Said
"Kalau ada calon (dalam pilihan raya nanti) yang menentang bahasa ibundanya, kita harus tentang mere..
Arkib Kolum-Kolum

500,000 pelajar akan tercicir jika PPSMI diteruskan!

PKPIM seru mahasiswa seluruh kampus hadiri Himpunan 100 Ribu 7 Mac

Jangan lupa semarakkan Himpunan Mansuhkan PPSMI 7 Mac ini!

Anti-PPSMI: Jangan sampai Melayu hilang Islamnya

PPSMI bawa 'kecelakaan' kepada pelajar luar bandar

Seru rakyat Perak sertai Himpunan Mansuhkan PPSMI

Seluruh ahli digesa sertai Himpunan PPSMI

Dengarlah suara hati nurani A. Samad Said
"Kalau ada calon (dalam pilihan raya nanti) yang menentang bahasa ibundanya, kita harus tentang mere..
Arkib Kolum-Kolum

PKPIM seru mahasiswa seluruh kampus hadiri Himpunan 100 Ribu 7 Mac

PKPIM seru mahasiswa seluruh kampus hadiri Himpunan 100 Ribu 7 Mac

Muhammad Faisal Abdul Aziz Mon | Mar 02, 09 | 9:55:16 pm MYT

Persatuan Kebangsaan Pelajar Islam Malaysia (PKPIM) yang merupakan badan penggerak Gerakan Mansuh PPSMI (GMP) menyeru seluruh mahasiswa di semua kampus untuk turun beramai-ramai ke Perhimpunan 100 ribu rakyat pada 7 Mac ini bagi membantah dasar Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Sains dan Matematik dalam Bahasa Inggeris (PPSMI) di hadapan Istana Negara. Sebelum ini PKPIM telah bertegas menyatakan kesediaan dan kesetiaan untuk bersama-sama GMP menggerakkan perhimpunan 100 ribu di peringkat mahasiswa memandangkan suara kami yang disalurkan melalui pendekatan berlembut masih tidak didengari. Rentetan itu, PKPIM telah mengambil keputusan untuk melakukan apa saja termasuk untuk turun ke jalanan menggerakkan demonstrasi 100 ribu rakyat sebagai wadah terakhir mendesak pihak pemerintah mendaulatkan kembali martabat Bahasa Melayu. Sebagai golongan anak muda yang berada pada zaman ketidaktentuan dasar pendidikan negara, kita harus sedar bahawa dasar PPSMI ini tidak boleh dipandang remeh memandangkan dasar ini menyentuh isu pendidikan negara dan pendidikan secara tidak langsung akan melibatkan generasi pelajar. Maka, dasar seperti ini sebenarnya yang akan menentukan corak dan identiti generasi masyarakat Malaysia pada masa akan datang. Dalam pada itu, dasar ini juga dilihat akan mengorbankan puluhan ribu anak-anak pelajar luar bandar memandangkan mereka berada dalam suasana yang jauh dari kemudahan untuk memperoleh pendidikan di peringkat asas lebih-lebih lagi dalam soal Bahasa Inggeris. Berdasarkan situasi tersebut kita dapat melihat bahawa PPSMI ini adalah satu bentuk diskriminasi yang hanya menguntungkan segolongan elit di bandar-bandar saja. Wajarkah kita berbangga dengan kejayaan segelintir rakyat ke peringkat tertinggi tetapi dalam masa yang sama kita menggagalkan masa depan majoriti besar anak-anak marhein di kampong-kampung? Kesan dari dasar PPSMI ini tidak akan dirasai oleh generasi pemimpin hari ini, sebaliknya bebanannya akan ditanggung oleh kita sebagai generasi masa hadapan. Maka, perjuangan untuk menolak dasar PPSMI ini merupakan tanggungjawab yang wajib digalas oleh seluruh anak muda yang sayangkan masa depan identiti rakyat dan negara Malaysia. Maka, sebagai gerakan pelajar yang membawa idealisme anak muda, adalah wajib bagi kita untuk berjuang menjayakan agenda 7 Mac ini. Biar kali ini kita mencatat sejarah dengan menjadi golongan yang bertanggungjawab mencorak masa depan Malaysia berbanding menjadi golongan yang tidak membuat apa-apa sehingga akhirnya dicaci oleh generasi akan datang. ----- Muhammad Faisal Abdul Aziz ialah Naib Presiden, Persatuan Kebangsaan Pelajar Islam Malaysia (PKPIM). _

Ahli Majlis MPPP,MPSP: PJ Pulau Pinang hargai pelantikan baru

Mohd Sabri Said Tue Mar 03

PULAU PINANG, 3 Mac (Hrkh) - Pesuruhjaya PAS Negeri Pulau Pinang, Ustaz Saleh Man menyifatkan pertambahan satu lagi kerusi menjadikan dua kerusi Ahli Majlis Perbandaran Pulau Pinang (MPPP) dan Majlis Perbandaran Seberang Perai (MPSP) menunjukkan jasa PAS dihargai.


Dua muka baru di MPPP ialah Yang Dipertua PAS Bukit Gelugor, Ir Aziz Ismail dan bekas Calon PAS Bayan Baru, Asnah Hashim.
Mereka mengantikan Haji Abdul Halim Saleh yang tamat tempoh perkhidmatan pada 28 Februari 2009.
Sementara itu, bagi MPSP, PAS mengekalkan Setiausaha Badan Perhubungan PAS Negeri, Fadzil Kemi dan menambah seorang lagi nama iaitu Abdul Rahman Ramjan.
Menurut Exco Kerajaan Tempatan, Chow Kon Yeow mereka yang dilantik akan berkhidmat mulai 1 Mac sehingga 31 Disember 2009.
MPPP mendapat tujuh muka baru antaranya Ong Ah Teong (DAP), Haji Mohd Razali Abdullah (KeADILan), Lim Boong Chang (KeADILan), Yasir Hafiz Munawar Ali (NGO), Profesor Mohd Zahry Shaik Abdul Rahim dan dua wakil PAS.
Bagi MPPP mereka yang tidak dilantik ialah Than Eng Fatt (DAP), Chua Kheng Ee (KeADILan), Abdul Halim Saleh (PAS), Loh Kok Wah @ Francis (NGO), Rizal Faris Mohideen Abdul Kader (NGO) serta Pegawai Daerah Timur Laut dan Barat Daya.
Manakala di MPSP enam muka baru dilantik mereka ialah Chandrasekaran a/l S. Maniam (DAP), Ahmad Farid Mohd Arshad (PKR), Amir Mohd Ghazali (PKR), Haji Mohamad Hashim (PKR), Idersi Ibrahim (NGO) dan dua wakil PAS.
Mereka yang tidak dilantik sebagai Ahli Majlis sessi 2009 ialah Norhayati Jaafar (keADILan), Amizudin Ahmat (KeADILan) dan Pegawai Daerah Seberang Perai utara, Tengah dan Selatan. Kesemua Ahli Majlis MPPP dan MPSP seramai 24 orang. - mks._

ADA PIMPINAN UMNO BERSIDANG DI HOTEL ONE WORLD-

1. Ada maklumat menyatakan bahawa ada pimpinan UMno sedang bermesyuarat di sebuah hotel One World membincangkan penundaan tarikh perhimpunan agong Umno.


Mohon injuksi halang Perhimpunan Agung Umno 24 Mac ini

2. Saiful report polis berhubung dengan laporan yang di keluarkan oleh Pahang Daily dan kini kemungkinan pengendali blog sedang di cari polis dan satu sidang akhbar mungkin di buat oleh pengendali terbabit.

Malaysian opposition blocked from state parliament

Updated Tuesday, March 3, 2009 3:39 pm TWN, By JULIA ZAPPEI, AP

IPOH, Malaysia — Opposition lawmakers held a meeting under a tree after riot police blocked them from entering a northern state's parliament Tuesday in a tussle for power that has become symbolic of the turmoil in Malaysian politics.

The 28 legislators, accompanied by some 100 supporters, scuffled briefly with police and ruling party supporters outside the Perak state assembly building before retreating to a side street where they held the meeting.

Standing in the shade of a large tree, the lawmakers of the opposition People's Alliance coalition passed a resolution calling for fresh elections to end a constitutional deadlock with the ruling National Front coalition on who should govern Perak.
"This is utter rubbish. Elected representatives are not allowed to go inside. It is not in accordance with the law. The police are practicing double standards," said A. Sivanesan, an opposition legislator.

The spat in Perak state highlights the growing instability in Malaysian politics since the March 2008 elections when the National Front coalition of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi suffered its worst results ever.
The ruling national coalition lost control of five states including Perak, as well as its traditional two-thirds majority in Parliament, conceding a large number of seats to the People's Alliance.
Since then, the National Front has been trying hard to undermine the People's Alliance. Perak, where the alliance had a three-seat majority, has been one of the centers in the political wrangling.

In early February, three People's Alliance lawmakers defected amid allegations of bribery, tipping the balance in the 59-member state parliament in favor of the National Front.
Soon afterward, the state's titular head, Sultan Azlan Shah, appointed National Front politician Zambry Abd Kadir as chief minister and head of a new government.
The People's Alliance claimed the sultan acted unconstitutionally in appointing Zambry without waiting for a vote of confidence in the state parliament. Zambry's predecessor, Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin, meanwhile, has refused to step down.

Tuesday's attempt by Perak parliament speaker V. Sivakumar, who belongs to the People's Alliance, to hold an emergency session was foiled by police and supporters of the National Front.
"Go back!" the National Front supporters screamed, pushing back alliance members. Police did not intervene in the scuffle.

During the special session held under the tree, the alliance lawmakers, dressed in suits, called for dissolving the legislature and holding fresh elections.
"We are the rightful government ... Now the state has two chief ministers, one that is legal, one that is absolutely illegal," said Mohammad Nizar. "The crisis must be solved ... through the dissolution of the state assembly."

Sidang DUN tamat 10.33 pagi

03/03/2009 10:35am
IPOH 3 Mac – Sidang Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) pakatan pembangkang tamat pada pukul 10.33 pagi .Semua undi sokong Ir Mohd Nizar.

Sidang DUN tamat 10.33 pagi

03/03/2009 10:35am
IPOH 3 Mac – Sidang Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) pakatan pembangkang tamat pada pukul 10.33 pagi .Semua undi sokong Ir Mohd Nizar.

JALAN KE SUK DAN MAHKAMAH DI TUTUP

foto-malayian insider
updates 10.00am selasa.





Maklumat terkini dari Cecelia PWW.

Maklumat menyatakan bahawa jalan ditutup ke SUK dan juga mahkamah tinggi.Polis mengawal.

Pekerja di SUK diberi cuti dan semua temujanji di batalkan.

PAKATAN BERSETUJU UNTUK ADAKAN PERPADUAN DENGAN KERAJAAN JIKA PAK LAH KEKAL SEBAGAI PERDANA MENTERI

Memahami bahawa gesaan PAS untuk mengadakan satu perpaduan dengan kerajaan Pusat Umno/Bn dan membuang prasangka serta sifat-sifat negetif dalam politik, dan mengkhususkan kepada kemajuan nasional dan meningkatkan kemajuan eknomi telah menyebabkan kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat mahu ianya di nyatakan dalam bentuk perpaduan antara kerajaan pimpinan Pak Lah dan Pakatan Rakyat.

Namun ianya bersandarkan kepada beberapa syarat yang nyata.
Pada dasarnya Pakatan bersetuju dengan syarat dan rinsip bagi penyatuan dan perpaduan di dalam kerjasama antara kerajaan bagi meningkatkan kemajuan ekonomi dan mengharungi cabaran negara, demikian jelas Tian chua.


Kita hanya bersetuju sahaja, jika perpaduan kerajaan ini dibawah pentadbiran kerajaan perdana menteri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Anda semua boleh melihat ini semua, ianya berjalan lancar walau ada kelemahan disana sini, namun rakyat berasa tidak selesa di bawah Najib dan kami perlu perjelaskan kehendak rakyat Malaysia .



LETAK SEBELAH PERBEZAAN SEHINGGA PILIHANRAYA AKAN DATANG?


Presiden PAS Abdul Hadi Awang telah menjelaskan bahawa barisan Nasional tidak boleh berjuang sendirian bagi menghadapi masalah ekonomi yang melanda negara masa kini dan akan datang.

“ untuk menunjukan bahawa kerjasama sesama rakyat ianya haruslah di terjemahkan dengan adanya perpaduan diantara semua parti untuk meneruskan nya agar bersatu menghadapi semua ini.
Saya suka mencadangkan kepada Pak Lah agar membuat sedikit perubahan, sekurang-kurangnya menghabiskan agenda beliau untuk melakukan perubahan kepada sistem kehakiman,menghapuskan rasuah dan saya percaya Barisan Nasional tidak akan dapat melakukannya sendirian.
Abdullah di jangka melepaskan jawatan beliau pada 31 march ini.Penggantinya ialah Najib Razak 55 dan di kenali melalui ayahanda beliau Razak, dan ramai yang menyatakan beliau merupakan seorang bakal perdana menteri dan selama 33 tahun beliau dalam arena politik penuh dengan berbagai kontroversi dalam kerjaya politik beliau.
.
Masaalah keraguan di kalangan rakyat
Umno Bn tidak selamanya memerintah dengan 2/3 majority yang mudah di dalam parlimen.Ianya memerlukan lebih banyak kekuatan dan rancangan bagi di bentang di dalam parlimen.Bagaimana pun ianya tidak merasakan selesa dan yakin dengan kemenangan yang di perolehi dan sejak pilihanraya pada 8 march 2008 dalam pilihanraya umum.


Masalah menjadi lebih teruk apabila kes yang terjadi di Perak dimana menyebabkan ramai rakyat yang mula hilang keyakinan dan marah kepada Najib yang dikatakan memainkan peranan penting dalam kes tersebut antara Bn dan Pakatan Rakyat.


Kini berbagai pekej ekonomi telah di perkenalkan dan dibawah penasihat seperti Mahathir Mohamad dan Daim Zainuddin , rakyat mendesak agar Abdullah Badawi kekal bagi memantau perkmbagan ekonomi dan juga meneruskan egenda beliau.




Sebahagian teks terjemahan dari Wong Choon Mei

PROGRAM PRIHATIN GAZA

TKM1 melancarkan program prihatin GAZA di Tanah Liat semalam.ianya di sertai 50 buah motosikal dari AMK Permatang Pauh dan sekitarnya.

Melakukan lawatan ke beberapa kawasan di Kapung permatang Nibong, dan Kampung Besar.

SIDANG DUN TETAP BERJALAN-SAH KATA SIVAKUMAR

UPDATES 12.000 2. MAC 2009

"Saya dimaklumkan dengan jelas oleh pakar-pakar perlembagaan bahawa memanggil persidangan Dewan secara tergempar adalah terletak dalam ruang lingkup bidang kuasa Speaker," katanya yang dipetik daripada laporan agensi berita.

Setiausaha DUN Perak itu juga berkata mengikut Perintah Tetap Dewan Negeri (PT) 8(1) yang perlu dibaca bersama-sama dengan Perkara XXXVI(1) Undang-Undang Tubuh Kerajaan Negeri Perak Darul Ridzuan berkehendakkan perkenan Tuanku Sultan untuk memanggil apa-apa sidang Dewan Negeri sama ada dalam keadaan biasa atau tergempar.

Sivakumar sebaliknya menegaskan Abdullah tidak mempunyai kuasa untuk menafsir Perintah Tetap Dewan Negeri (PT) dan sebaliknya kewajipan beliau (Abdullah) adalah hanya untuk mematuhi perintah dan arahan Speaker serta menjalankan tugas seperti yang termaktub dalam PT.

Speaker DUN Perak itu berkata Abdullah telah membuat tafsiran yang salah ke atas PT kerana PT 8 (1) jelas menyatakan notis bertulis menarik perhatian kepada pemasyhuran memanggil Dewan adalah tidak diperlukan, sebaliknya hanya memerlukan notis memanggil Dewan bersidang dikeluarkan dengan seberapa segera.

"Artikel 36 (1) Undang-undang Tubuh Negeri Perak pula hanya digunapakai untuk permulaan sesuatu sesi Dewan ataupun apabila Dewan bermula selepas sesi itu tamat. Artikel ini tidak boleh digunapakai dalam keadaan setelah Dewan ditangguhkan dan dipanggil semula untuk bermesyuarat dalam sesi yang sama," katanya.

PAGI TADI DR ZAMBRY MENEMUI PEGUAM BAGI MAMFAILKAN SAMAN TERHADAP SPEKER V SIVAKUMAR YANG MENGHALANG MEREKA SELAMA 16 BULAN DAN SETAHUN DARI HADIR PADA SIDANG DEWAN.ALAHAI.....

PESAN A.SAMAD SAID BUAT RAKYAT.

"Saya menyarankan jika kita (rakyat) sayangkan bahasa kita. Jika mahu bahasa (Melayu) kita dilanjutkan dan dilestarikan. Gunakanlah undi anda (kita), gunakan undi anda.

"Sebab, pemimpin-pemimpin jenis ini hanya tahu 'bahasa undi' (pilihan raya). Dia (pemimpin Umno) tidak tahu bahasa Melayu," tegasnya

"Dia (Umno) selalu memperkecilkan angkatan (generasi) muda. Angkatan tua biasanya sudah bersikap jika dia Umno tetap akan Umno, jika syahdunya PAS dia akan tetap dengan PAS.
"Kuasa imbangan yang terbesar sekarang adalah ditangan anak-anak muda dan janganlah lupa menggunakan kuasa (pilihan raya) itu untuk menentukan masa depan bangsa dan bahasa," ujarnya.

"Kenapakah pemimpin (Umno-BN) kita telah melakukan satu jenayah dengan melanggar Akta Pendidikan dan melanggar Perlembagaan yang mensucikan bahasanya.
"Sekarang tahun 2009, perlanggaran itu berterusan. Apakah orang seperti saya yang membantah PPSMI kerana tidak mahu kemajuan.

"Saya telah berusia 76 tahun dan saya telah menulis sepanjang lebih 50 tahun dan

menghasilkan 65 buah buku khazanah untuk bangsa saya,"jelasnya.

"Kita (Melayu) sudah kepupusan huruf (jawi) dan kita sudah hilang Utusan Melayu oleh kerana kepupusan huruf.
"Kita (Melayu) hilang kitab-kitab jawi dan tidak lama lagi dalam lima dekad kita akan hilang bahasa kita (Melayu) sendiri," jelasnya.

Malaysia reverses move to raise tolls amid protest

The Associated Press

Published: February 28, 2009

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Malaysia's government has reversed its decision to increase toll rates for five key highways following a public outcry amid an economic slowdown, officials said Saturday.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is currently in Thailand for a regional meeting, was quoted by the New Straits Times as saying the toll hike would only add to the people's hardship.

"At a time when we are planning a stimulus package ... to help the people, toll hikes are impractical," Abdullah said in the report. "There was also a lot of resistance."
The government earlier this week announced that tolls would be raised Sunday by up to 50 sen ($0.15) at collection booths on the North-South Highway spanning peninsular Malaysia and four other vital expressways in Kuala Lumpur, the largest city.

But consumer groups, truck and bus associations as well as opposition lawmakers had slammed the move, saying it would burden Malaysians.
Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak was quoted as saying the Cabinet decided Friday to defer the hike in toll rates. Under contractual obligations, the government has to pay 287 million ringgit ($78 million) this year to compensate the companies that maintain and operate the routes, he said.

An aide to Najib confirmed his comments but couldn't give further details.
Malaysia's economy grew 4.6 percent last year, below the government's target of 5 percent. Many economists have predicted a recession this year. The government is to unveil a second stimulus package March 10 to boost growth after a seven billion ringgit ($1.9 billion) injection announced earlier.

The Star newspaper said Abdullah denied the government's move to postpone the toll hikes was due to three by-elections in April, when the National Front ruling coalition hopes to keep a firm majority in parliament.

YANG MENGAKU AHLI PAS KENA TURUN.BEGITU JUGA YANG SELALU LAUNGKAN REFORMASI

Arah Pemuda PAS hadir 'Himpunan Bantah PPSMI' 7 Mac ini


KUALA LUMPUR, 28 Feb (Hrkh) - Ketua Dewan Pemuda PAS, Salahuddin Ayub mengarahkan pemuda-pemuda seluruh negara untuk sama-sama menyertai perhimpunan aman membantah PPSMI pada 7 Mac, Sabtu nanti.


Katanya, ahli yang mengaku mereka adalah pemuda PAS haruslah memastikan kehadiran mereka sebagai komitmen terhadap perjuangan mengembalikan serta memartabatkan Bahasa Melayu yang semakin terpinggir akibat dasar PPSMI.


"Kita juga akan memastikan pemuda-pemuda PAS negeri dan kawasan supaya hadir dan menyertai perhimpunan membantah PPSMI itu nanti," katanya semasa dihubungi.
Malah, katanya, antara usaha Pemuda PAS menyokong himpunan 100,000 yang dianjurkan oleh Gerakan Mansuh PPSMI (GMP) iaitu mengadakan 'road show' seluruh negara sebagai penerangan jelas kepada rakyat bawaha dasar itu tidak boleh diteruskan.


Salahuddin juga memberi jaminan, kekecohan tidak mungkin akan berlaku jika tidak ada provokasi oleh pihak yang tidak bertanggungjawab.
"Saya jamin perhimpunan itu akan diadakan secara aman dan mereka yang datang tidak akan buat kacau melainkan ada pihak yang sengaja melakukan provokasi," katanya.


GMP yang dipengerusikan bekas ketua pengarah Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) Dato' Dr Hassan Ahmad yang dianggotai kumpulan NGO, sayap-sayap Pemuda PAS dan KeADILan akan menyerahkan memorandum bantahan PPSMI kepada Agong.- azm/mks.


ADA YANG MASA KEMPEN CEKAK PINGGANG DAN SAMBIL MAKAN ANGIN.....

UMNO YOUTH WEBSITE BROUGHT DOWN BY THE MIGHTY PEN

Filed under: 11:43 Tags: UMNO YOUTH WEBSITE BROUGHT DOWN BY THE MIGHTY PEN

The Mighty Pen wishes to announce that it has brought down the Umno Youth Main website, and the moment it is operational again later, all its activities will be monitored by our overseas intelligence network on a daily basis.. EARLY ANALYSIS OF THEIR TERRORIST ACTIVITIES POINT TO HINDRAF TARGETTED ACTIVITIES.

DARI NOTO UMNO

The following message has been placed by this Umno Youth website for publicity stunt and lack of readership. It is a terrible pity indeed that this website owner visited The Mighty Pen website more than 40 times today and yet does not learn a lesson. Hey, bloody small fry! You want to take us on! We ask your Najib, Hishammuddin and Khairy to take us on! Not you who is penniless, (sorry penisless!) What “majlis penutup” you are talking about. Can’t you see your masters website “telah pun ditutup.” Please get this into your head, we did not go after them! They came to us! And they paid the price! The price of liberty and freedom that can be dictated only by The Mighty Pen!

Please read the warning of that website here (in Bahasa Malaysia):

The following message has been placed by this Umno Youth website for publicity stunt and lack of readership. It is a terrible pity indeed that this website owner visited The Mighty Pen website more than 40 times today and yet does not learn a lesson. Hey, bloody small fry! You want to take us on! We ask your Najib, Hishammuddin and Khairy to take us on! Not you who is penniless, (sorry penisless!) What “majlis penutup” you are talking about. Can’t you see your masters website “telah pun ditutup.” Please get this into your head, we did not go after them! They came to us! And they paid the price! The price of liberty and freedom that can be dictated only by The Mighty Pen!

Please read the warning of that website here (in Bahasa Malaysia):

ARTICLES 27/02/2009, justice

KELAB BMW UTARA AKTIF-KELAB AKTIF UNTUK AHLI-AHLI

Kelab BMW Utara kini semakin aktif dalam beberapa program.Kelab yang ditubuhkan untuk aktiviti sosial termasuk juga dalam berbagai bidang termasuk juga membincangkan suasana politik negara ini diwakili dari berbagai fahaman politik dan juga latarbelakangbaik profesiaonal dan bukan profesional.Walau berbeza fahaman politik namun ianya tidak menjadi halangan untuk bersama dalam satu kelab.BIMMER UTARA.

HARI INI MEREKA KE IPOH PERAK DAN KE CAMERON HIGHLAND......

Malaysian PM: Push back Rohingya refugees

The Associated Press
Published: February 27, 2009

CHA-AM, Thailand: Malaysia's prime minister has called for Myanmar's Muslim boat people to be pushed back if they attempt to land on any Southeast Asian shores in search of asylum, a newspaper said Friday.

Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi also took swipes at Myanmar and Thailand on the issue of the Rohingya refugees, which has escalated into a major problem for the region and one of concern internationally.

Thousands of the stateless Rohingya have fled Myanmar as well as refugee camps in Bangladesh in recent years, but their plight was only highlighted recently when hundreds were believed to have drowned after being pushed out to sea by the Thai military.

"But if we cannot be firm we cannot deal with this problem. We have to be firm at all borders. We have to turn them back," Badawi said in an interview with the English-language Bangkok Post.

Badawi was scheduled to arrive at this beach-side resort Friday for the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a 10-nation bloc with includes Myanmar. The Rohingya issue is expected to be discussed on the sidelines of the three-day conference but is not part of the official agenda.

Thailand has called for a special regional conference on the refugees, who often attempt to land in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.
"We feel that they are being pushed onto us instead of Thailand accommodating them somehow," Badawi said who also criticized Myanmar's military regime.

"Of course, we know they come from Myanmar (Burma). When we ask Myanmar, they ask: 'Are you sure they are our people? What evidence have you got?'" he said.
It was unclear from the interview how Bawadi reconciled his call for Thailand to accommodate the refugees while at the same time saying that they should be pushed back from Southeast Asian shores.

The Rohingyas, an ethnic minority not recognized by Myanmar's government, number about 800,000 in that country. Hundreds of thousands have fled to Bangladesh, Malaysia and the Middle East.
"From Thailand they come to us, from us they go to Indonesia. We don't want to be unkind. But the problem has been about people who come to us without permits," Badawi said.
The prime minister said he would be pleased to see international organizations helping to solve the problem.

"They (the organizations) are very concerned and at times they are critical of actions taken by governments," he said.
Human rights groups have been highly critical of Thailand for allegedly abusing groups of Rohingya refugees whose rickety boats reached its shores and then towing them out to sea without adequate provisions or fuel for their craft. Thailand has denied the allegations.

"This is not just Thailand's problem. It's a problem for all the region's countries, whether they are countries of origin, countries of destination or countries of transit," Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has said.

Crunch time for Anwar's coalition

Crunch time for Anwar's coalition

Fri, Feb 27, 2009 The Star/Asia News Network

by Baradan Kuppusamy ALMOST a year after making huge electoral gains, Malaysia's Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition is facing its most trying time yet. It has been dealt setback after setback this month, sparking division in the ranks and tension in its leadership. PR has lost one jewel in its crown, Perak, after losing its majority in the state assembly. In Kedah, state minister V. Arumugam quit amid bigamy allegations, forcing a by-election. Selangor state minister Elizabeth Wong has offered to resign after photos of her semi-naked began circulating. Meanwhile, Selangor Mentri Besar Khalid Ibrahim faces a "cows and car" controversy that may lead to charges of abuse of power or corruption. If he is forced out, naming a new MB will be tricky: All three parties in PR will stake a claim. Topping the bad news is a surprise by-election in Batang Ai, Sarawak, after the death of an incumbent. It is bad news because it comes at a time when PR supremo Anwar Ibrahim - though gaining popularity in Sarawak - is still unprepared for an acid test, despite repeatedly claiming that he would win the state by next year. It is the key to his hopes of becoming prime minister. Serious infighting within Sarawak's PR - between Chinese leaders of Anwar's Parti Keadilan Rakyat and the Chinese-based Democratic Action Party - is simmering under the surface, and could explode despite constant mediation by Anwar. The next three months will be long and hectic. Maintaining political momentum will tax Anwar's energies and political skills to the maximum. He is no stranger to setbacks. His long career, starting from his time as a student rebel in the 1970s, is nothing but a series of great comebacks after serious setbacks. But across the political divide, Umno is gaining strength and the potential is there for the party to unite again under a new leader: Premier-in-waiting Najib Razak. Let the PR beware.

An opening in cyberspace closes

ASIA HAND

By Shawn W Crispin

BANGKOK - When a state-linked Cambodian Internet service provider (ISP) blocked access this month to a critical non-governmental organization report detailing the government's alleged mismanagement of natural and energy resources, the censorship closed the loop on the region's fast-closing cyberspace. The Cambodian government has prioritized improving its Internet controls and legislation, despite the fact less than 0.3% of the population is online, one of the lowest Internet penetration rates in the world.

The recent bust of an alleged terror plot against the government revealed that authorities had capability to hack intosuspects' - and perhaps perceived other adversaries' - e-mail accounts. It wasn't long ago that Asia's Internet was being heralded as an inexorable force for democratic change across the predominantly authoritarian-run region. Rising Internet penetration rates and the proliferation of websites that provided alternative news and critical views, particularly in countries where the state had long dominated information flows, marked substantial democratic gains.

Across the world, governments are now bidding to claw back those gains and assert tighter control over the Internet through improved surveillance and censorship capabilities. Meanwhile, new laws are granting state authorities in many countries new powers to block and censor online content, often in the arbitrary name of maintaining social order or national security.

The battle for Internet freedom is particularly pitched in Southeast Asia, where even nominally democratic governments are now cracking down on journalists, bloggers and ordinary Internet users. China has emerged as the region's Internet censorship role model, with its successful use of sophisticated filtering and surveillance technologies, widely known as Beijing's "Great Firewall". Those capabilities have been widened through a new government-run computer monitoring information system, known as the "Golden Shield Project". Of the 28 journalists now imprisoned in China, as tallied by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), 24 of them were charged and sentenced for articles and commentaries they posted online.

In its recently released "Attacks on the Press" compendium, CPJ contends that a growing number of Southeast Asian governments have moved to emulate China's cyber-censorship techniques. The advocacy group argues that as Western nations have moved to engage China's authoritarian regime, several Southeast Asian governments no longer feel obliged to follow through on the democratic reforms - including commitments to Internet freedom - the West had once pressured them to adopt. Those pressures are expected to diminish further as the US looks towards China to help bail-out its bankrupt financial and banking systems through the continued purchase of US treasury bonds.

The US's collapsing demand for regional exports and flagging outward investments is expected to eventually translate into reduced diplomatic clout in Southeast Asia, a retrenchment that will likely enhance China's already rising regional influence.

Long-time US ally Thailand stands as a case in point. The Thai government has launched one of the most aggressive crackdowns on Internet freedom seen anywhere in the world - so far without a peep of dissent from Bangkok's US embassy. The crackdown was presaged by the passage of the 2007 Computer Crime Act, which among other measures made the use of proxy servers to circumvent government blocks on websites an offense punishable by imprisonment. The Information Technology and Communication Ministry has since earmarked millions of dollars to develop and deploy improved firewall technologies and the ministry now maintains an Internet "war room" where officials conduct surveillance over Internet content. The ministry said in early January that it had closed down 2,300 websites for posting materials deemed critical of the Thai royal family.

The Justice Ministry has since indicated it will seek a court order to block another 3,000 to 4,000 sites for the same reason. At least one Thai Internet user is currently in prison for posting materials deemed offensive to the royal crown, and two bloggers were temporarily detained but not formally charged on similar charges in 2007.

Cyber-backslider

Nominally democratic Malaysia is another prominent backslider. The government pledged in 1996 not to censor the Internet to lure foreign funds to the Multimedia Super Corridor project, an ambitious state gambit that aimed to incubate Malaysia's own version of the US's Silicon Valley. The no-censorship policy allowed online news providers and bloggers to report and comment on news that the state-controlled mainstream media either neglected or was instructed from above to ignore.

That commitment was symbolically dropped last year when the government ordered local ISPs to block access to prominent blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin's Malaysia Today news site, which has a larger readership than several established state-influenced newspapers. He has been charged and detained under both the Sedition and Internal Security Acts for online writings which were critical of the government. According to the CPJ, it's still unclear whether Malaysian authorities have deployed the same type of filtering and monitoring technologies seen in China, but the government is known to monitor Internet content through three different state agencies, including the Prime Minister's Office.

According to e-mail correspondence shared with this correspondent, Raja Petra, now temporarily released on Internal Security Act charges, is under family pressure to flee the country rather than stand trial in Malaysia's politically compromised courts. The situation is worsening in less democratic countries.

Vietnam, known to maintain some of Asia's most extensive Internet controls outside of China, has in recent months moved to introduce more stringent regulations governing bloggers and their postings. Singapore authorities recently harassed an Asia Times Online contributor for a November story that detailed the island state's mounting financial troubles. Police claimed that the article had been sent with added malicious comments to the head of state, opposition politicians and newspapers from the reporter's e-mail account. The reporter denied the charge and police officials later indicated that an unidentified hacker had sent the message from her account. Either way, the reporter has been put on official notice that her online writings and e-mail activities are under surveillance.

Meanwhile, countries as repressive as Myanmar are dedicating significant resources to Internet censorship. The country's technological failure to control the Internet was apparent for all to see when undercover journalists sent footage and reports of the 2007 Saffron Revolution street protests to outside news organizations, forcing the regime to unplug the Internet altogether before its fatal, final crackdown. Still, it's unclear how many undercover journalists the authorities have been identified and jailed as part of their wider crackdown on dissent.

There are indications that Myanmar authorities have since received censorship training from Russian and Chinese officials. Some contend that this explains the mysterious distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks on a number of exile media groups' websites last year. Soe Myint, editor of the New Delhi-based Mizzima News, said during a recent presentation in Chiang Mai that the cost to effectively protect his website from future DDoS attacks is beyond his news organization's financial means. Despite these growing attacks, there is some cause for hope. Human rights organizations, investors and several prominent US Internet companies, including Yahoo!, Google and Microsoft, agreed in a joint initiative last October to follow guidelines to protect online expression and privacy when faced with repressive government requests for user identities or assistance in blocking targeted websites.

Meanwhile, some regional media groups have received foreign assistance to locate their servers anonymously and remotely in second countries to guard against future DDoS attacks. And ever-evolving proxy server and other roundabout firewall technologies continue to put Internet users in countries as isolated as Myanmar a step ahead of government censors. Yet even with those agreements and technologies, Asia's Internet is a substantially more dangerous space than it was previously.

Southeast Asian governments are now responding with bigger budgets and heavier hands to the technological and political challenge presented by online expression. Under that mounting assault, previous high hopes for the medium's democracy-promoting potential have in large measure faded.

Shawn W Crispin is Asia Times Online's Southeast Asia Editor and Asia Program Consultant to the Committee to Protect Journalists. He may be reached at swcrispin@atimes.com. (Copyright 2009 Asia Times Online (Holdings) Ltd. All rights reserved. Please contact us about sales, syndication and republishing.)