Sunday, August 29, 2010

PM: Government will not tolerate anyone making racist remarks

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has warned the people against spreading “half-truths” on racial issues and said the Government has zero tolerance of racist remarks.

“We are aware of some SMSes that have been going around, (in which the content) is not accurate and is intended to raise (racial) sentiments,” he said.

Najib emphasised that action would be taken against those who made remarks that were racist in nature and unlawful, and also against those who vandalised places of worship such as churches or surau.

“Let’s not have people who spin the issue racially, as if we practise selective prosecution,” he said after chairing the Umno supreme council meeting at PWTC here yesterday evening.

Earlier in the day, Najib said the Government had zero tolerance for racist remarks by anyone.

“Our stand is not to tolerate racist remarks by anyone. Unity is very important as part of our nation building,” Najib said during a dialogue session with youths at the Barisan Nasional Youth Lab programme here.

Najib, however, added that alleged racist remarks must first be investigated before action was taken.

He was responding to concerns from the floor of recent racially-based remarks made by two school principals against the Chinese and Indian communities.

Barisan Youth chairman Khairy Jamaluddin presented the Youth Lab report. More than 7,500 youths had been engaged in formulating the ideas since March.

On calls to amend the Internal Security Act (ISA) to ensure it was not abused, Najib said the days of “scare politics” or using the ISA to wield power and show that one was in full control were gone.

He also agreed to the lab’s suggestion for a special 1Malaysia Fund to support youth programmes that encouraged inter-racial relationships and also supported the idea of having have minimum wage for certain sectors.

To a question on press freedom, Najib said the media had more latitude today and was given more space.

But he said they must be very careful in their reports to ensure the truth was not twisted and racial flames were not ignited.

On his deputy Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Najib said some were out to “divide” them although they were “one government.”

Teo to apologise to Sultan over surau gaffe

KUALA LUMPUR: Serdang Member of Parliament Teo Nie Ching said she would seek an audience with the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, to apologise and explain her presence at a surau in Kajang on Sunday.

Her presence at the Al-Huda Surau in Kajang Sentral where she allegedly gave a talk in the prayer area has come under fire from various quarters.

Teo said in a statement that she had gone to the surau with the intention of handing over a Selangor government donation for repair of the fencing and to join in the breaking of fast with the surau committee and congregation.


"As I was invited to say a few words, I sincerely explained an education programme of the state government for the benefit of the people of Selangor.

"I regret that this matter has caused anxiety among Muslims and that the issue has been played up by certain quarters for political reasons," she said. Teo stressed that her visit to the surau was not politically motivated and she had no intention to cause the sanctity of mosques and surau to be questioned.

She welcomed the advice and suggestions from all quarters on the matter and vowed to exercise greater caution so as not to create discomfort and misunderstanding among Muslims in the future.


Teo's presence at the surau led the sultan to direct the Selangor Islamic Affairs Council (MAIS) to take immediate action against the surau committee which, according to a report, has been suspended.

In SHAH ALAM, Selangor Umno Youth Saturday sent a memorandum to Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim on the matter.

Its information chief, Safarizul Mustafa, said what Teo did should not be taken lightly because it went against the sultan's stated desire to uphold the sanctity of mosques and surau.


"We take seriously the matter of non-Muslim politicians and other individuals giving speeches at mosques and surau in Selangor as it is tantamount to ignoring the sensitivities of Muslims and can undermine public order and security," he told reporters.

Safarizul said the memorandum, among other things, called on the Selangor government to expel Datuk Dr Hasan Mohamed Ali as the chairman of the State Islamic Affairs and Malay Customs Committee for having allegedly failed to advise a non-Muslim elected representative of the DAP accordingly.

It also called for the chairman and members of the surau committee and the imam who had invited Teo and allowed her to give a talk to be expelled immediately.

In YAN (Kedah), Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom today advised mosque and surau committees to refer to the respective state Islamic affairs councils on the matter of permitting non-Muslims into Muslim houses of worship.

He said every state had its guidelines in the matter and the mosque or surau committee or management should adhere to these regulations and not act arbitrarily.

Other houses of worship also had guidelines on allowing people of other religions into the premises, he told reporters after presenting tithes to poor people.

"We have no problem allowing people of other religions into mosques or surau. Some of our mosques allow non-Muslim tourists to enter their premises but have guidelines, such as women having to wear a headscarf and so on," he said.

In KEPALA BATAS, former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said all elected representatives should be more sensitive in matters concerning religion to avert tension among the races.

They should have an understanding of religious and racial harmony so as not to cause ill-feelings which could undermine it, Abdullah, who is the MP for Kepala Batas, told reporters after presenting Aidilfitri aid for the Pinang Tunggal state constituency.

In BESUT, the Religious Advisor to the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Abdullah Md Zin, asked Muslim leaders in the opposition Pakatan Rakyat to advise their colleagues from the DAP to observe the rules on the use of Muslim houses of worship such as mosques and surau.

He said Islam required that women entering houses of worship should use a headscarf.

He also said that people of other religions should not enter the prayer area but could present donations or give speeches outside of it.

In IPOH, Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said houses of worship should not be used to spread political influence in the personal or party interest.

He spoke to reporters after addressing a multi-religious prayer session attended by about 600 people of various religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Sikhism and Taoism, in conjunction with the 53rd anniversary of independence on Tuesday.


Read more: Serdang MP to apologise to Sultan over surau issue http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/SerdangMPtoapologisetoSultanoversurauissue/Article/#ixzz0xv32Wsqr

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Azmin takes over as Selangor PKR chief from Khalid

SHAH ALAM: PKR vice-president Azmin Ali has been appointed as the party’s Selangor chief replacing Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim.

Azmin’s position as a Federal territory party chief has been taken over by PKR supreme council member Datuk Zaid Ibrahim.

Although the move is seen by many as a compromise to stop the attacks against Khalid by Azmin’s purported supporters, party leaders said it was to allow Khalid to concentrate on the state administrative and economic development.

PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who announced the change said Khalid had asked not to be burdened with party responsibilities so that he could concentrate more on state affairs.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

DAP wins Sibu with majority of 398

A crowd of 3,000 gather outside the main tally centre at Dewan Suarah to celebrate DAP's victory in Sibu. They shout, "Dacing tipu".

Independent Narawi Haron forfeited his RM10,000 deposit for failing to obtain at least one-eighth of the total vote cast.

The Election Commission has revised the voter turnout. It now says the turnout was 70% instead of 59.86% (which is higher than the 68% in the 2008 general elections).

azlanVotes cast - 37,919 votes
Turnout - 70%
Spoilt votes - 395 votes
Majority - 398 votes
Postal votes - 2,429 votes

Monday, March 29, 2010

MCA Polls: Live updates - Soi Lek is new MCA president

7pm: Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek is the new MCA president.

The former MCA deputy president polled 901 votes. His nearest challenger was Tan Sri Ong Ka Ting, who received 833 votes while incumbent party president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat garnered 578 votes.

Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek celebrates with his wife Datin Seri Wong Sek Hin after winning the MCA presidency.

Dr Chua says he would be “inclusive” and practise collective leadership as the new party president.

Deputy: In the straight fight for the deputy presidency, Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai won over Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha. Liow received 1,171 votes to Kong’s 1,106 votes.

Vice-presidents: Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen (1528 votes), Datuk Donald Lim Siang Chai (1469), Datuk Chor Chee Heung (1202) and Gan Ping Sieu (1202).

Central Committee Members
1. Lee Chee Leong - 1,430
2. Hou Kok Chung - 1,312
3. Heng Seai Kie - 1,267
4. Wee Jeck Seng - 1,175
5. Toh Chin Yaw - 1,142
6. Tee Siew Kiong - 1,141
7. Gan Tian Loo - 1,117
8. Tan Chai Ho - 1,114
9. Ong Ka Chuan - 1,104
10. Lee Wei Kiat - 1,100
11. Loh Seng Kok - 1,086
12. Hoh Khai Mun - 1,077
13. Liew Yuen Keong - 1,059
14. Tan Cheng Liang - 1,054
15. Koh Nai Kwong - 1,040
16. Por Choo Chor - 1,037
17. Tan Ken Ten - 999
18. Kong Sing Chu - 981
19. Chong Itt Chew - 975
20. Yoo Wei How - 974
21. Tan Ah Eng - 969
22. Wong Koon Mun - 953
23. Ti Lian Ker - 929
24. Teh Kim Poo - 864
25. Chuah Poh Khiang - 851

6.30pm: Incumbent MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat arrives at Wisma MCA to await the election results.

6pm: Candidates start arriving at Wisma MCA. Presidential candidate Tan Sri Ong Ka Ting arrives with deputy president hopeful Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai arrive at about 6.10pm.

5.45pm: There is a tie for the 25th Central Committee post (only 25 seats are available). Gan Hong Su and Datuk Alex Chuah Poh Khiang are called to the stage. They ask for a recount.

5.15pm: MCA delegates file back into Wisma MCA to await election results.

Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen arrives at the party Hq to say thanks to her supporters, an indication that she may have won her bid for a vice-president’s post.

5.10pm: Vote-counting for vice-president posts ends, counting for the deputy president post begins. Some scrutineers also start counting votes for the keenly contested three-way fight for the president’s post.

Some candidates for the 25 Central Committee posts are seen shaking hands with their supporters, who applaud, shortly after CC vote-count completed. There were 86 candidates who contested for the posts.

4.30pm: Vote-counting for Central Committee members end. Tallying for the four vice-presidential posts begins.

3.40pm: Scores of supporters are at the second and third floors of Wisma MCA witnessing the counting inside Dewan San Choon via live telecast. The crowd is expected to grow as results time draws near.

2.00pm: Counting begins.

1.50pm: 2,315 ballot papers were given out. This means that three delegates out of the 2,318 who registered did not collect the ballot papers. The ballot papers are now being given out to the scrutineers

1.30pm: Ong Tee Keat and his team leave Nikko Hotel. He is limping, not fully recovered from his Achilles' heels operation. He has skipped physiotherapy for two weeks.

1.25pm: Ballot boxes being opened and the ballot papers being separated by MCA staff

1.20pm: MCA administration chief Lim Chin Hai says scrutineers have been divided into 24 groups. They are not allowed to leave the hall until counting ends. The counting will start with central committee posts. The tally for the president’s post will be the last one.

1.15pm: Yik goes up to the stage

1.00pm: Scrutineers asked to put their handphones in envelopes. MCA staff will hold the handphones for them until counting ends.

12.40pm: Chua Soi Lek, Loh Seng Kok, Tee Siew Keong and Chong Itt Chew leave Nikko Hotel after lunch. Kong Cho Ha has just left. Donald Lim is still in the hotel. So are Ong Tee Keat and his people.

12.30pm: EGM is adjourned.

12.15pm: Voting process ends. The ballot boxes are being sealed. Counting to begin after 1pm.

12.05pm: Central delegates have finished voting. Now the scrutineers, who are also central delegates, are voting.

11.30am: Ka Ting says MCA elections are smooth and orderly and that he is happy with the delegates’ turnout. He says it shows that all delegates value unity and harmony.

Hundreds of campaigners who thronged the hallways leave, leaving the party HQ seemingly deserted.

11.10am: Ka Ting leaves the hall after casting his vote. He will return after the tally to hear the results later today.

10.31am: Voting begins.

10.30am: Registration ends. 2,318 (97.52%) out of 2,377 central delegates have registered.

10.08am: Yik calls party general assembly to order. Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon appointed Chief Scrutineer by the election steering committee. There are 48 scrutineers.

10.06am: Yik said 2,316 (97.43%) out of 2,377 central delegates had registered to vote by 10am.

10.05am: Media asked to leave the voting hall. Speaker Datuk Yik Phooi Hong takes the stage to start the EGM and polls.

10.00am: Central delegates taking their seats.

KUALA LUMPUR: The MCA elections is on today and all eyes are on the three-cornered fight for the presidency that is too close to call.

Today, 2377 delegates will make the decision that will chart the future course of the party.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Sodomy II: Pakatan MPs join Aussie counterparts, want charge dropped

KUALA LUMPUR: Pakatan Rakyat MPs will be
submitting a memorandum to the Government
calling for the sodomy charge against their
leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to be dropped.
DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang said Pakatan MPs
were united with their Australian counterparts.
"The memorandum will ... call for the Prime
Minister, Government and the Attorney-
General to drop the charge against Anwar," he
told reporters at the Jalan Duta Court
Complex Thursday.
Lim also called on Prime Minister Datuk Seri
Najib Tun Razak to convene an emergency
Parliamentary meeting on the sodomy charge
as the matter involved the country's
reputation.
"We need to be clear on Parliament's position
on the matter. The charge needs to be
dropped," said the Ipoh Timur MP.
PAS vice-president and Pokok Sena MP Mahfuz
Omar claimed the case was an "evil
conspiracy," hence the need for the
memorandum.
Batu MP and PKR strategic director Tian Chua
said MPs had a universal responsibility in the
democractic system to defend justice and
human rights.
DAP chairman Karpal Singh said the
memorandum would most likely be sent to the
Attorney-General.
"The AG should drop the case. In my mind, the
charge is groundless. The medical evidence is
clear. Three doctors from the KL Hospital have
reported that there is no conclusive findings of
penetration," he said.
About 50 Australian MPs from both sides of
the political divide had recently lodged a formal
protest urging Malaysia to drop the sodomy
charge in the interest of building "confidence in
the impartial rule of law in Malaysia."
The chairman of the Australian Parliament's
foreign affairs sub-committee, Michael Danby,
had delivered the letter to the Malaysian High
Commission in Canberra last Friday.
On Wednesday, about 500 people protested
outside the Australian High Commission in
Kuala Lumpur against alleged interference by
the Australian MPs.
Leading the protest was Umno Youth chief
Khairy Jamaluddin, his deputy Datuk Razali
Ibrahim, Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club
deputy chairman Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin,
Perkasa president and Pasir Mas MP Datuk
Ibrahim Ali, Makkal Sakhthi's R. Thanenthiran
and MIC Youth chief T. Mohan.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Kelantan prince to seek legal recourse in Indonesia

The Tengku Temenggong of Kelantan Tengku Muhammad Fakhry Sultan Ismail Petra plans to initiate legal action against his estranged wife Manohara Odelia Pinot and her mother Daisy Fajarina in Indonesia.

His lawyer Mohd Haaziq Pillay said he intended to do so if Manohara and her mother still did not respond to the three court judgements passed by the Malaysian syariah and civil courts last year.

Mohd Haaziq said this after he and two other lawyers, Zainul Rijal Abu Bakar and Abdul Halim Bahari, submitted documents containing the court judgements to the Indonesian Embassy here so that it could pass them on to Manohara and Daisy and advise them to abide by the judgements.

“The embassy would use its own channels to serve the papers, and a government agency’s word would carry more weight,” said Mohd Haaziq, adding that it would also facilitate their intentions of commencing further proceedings in Indonesia.

Mohd Haaziq said that the embassy would play an advising role as it had no enforcement rights and foreign laws did not apply in Indonesia.

The lawyers were met by Indonesian Minister Counsellor for Information, Social and Culture to Malaysia Widyarka Ryananta and the documents were received by Minister Counsellor for Consular Affairs Amiruddin Pandjaitan.

On Tuesday, the lawyers also handed copies of the judgements to the US Embassy as Manohara’s father is a US citizen.

The lawyers said they were told that Manohara also held US citizenship.

Zainul told reporters that the embassy did not have a deadline to deliver the documents.

Both Manohara and Daisy have not responded to the judgements from both courts delivered to them in mid-November and early January.

On Nov 5 last year, the Kuala Lumpur High Court granted Tengku Muhammad Fakhry a judgment-in-default in his RM105mil defamation suit against Manohara and Daisy.

On Dec 13, Kota Baru Syariah High Court judge Mohd Yusof Awang ordered Manohara to return to her husband and pay him the RM1,112,250 she borrowed from him.

The judge said the 18-year-old Indonesian former model had 14 days to return to her husband and had 30 days to return the money after Tengku Muhammad Fakhry took the Yamin Istizhar (explicit promise) oath.

The order was enforced after he took the oath in court on Jan 3.

Pakatan Rakyat - Opposition leaders decry court’s ruling

PETALING JAYA: Opposition party leaders have expressed disappointment over the Federal Court’s unanimous decision to declare Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir as Perak’s rightful Mentri Besar.

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng urged Barisan Nasional to dissolve the Perak state assembly and hold fresh elections.

Lim, who is Penang Chief Minister, said Barisan has to restore democracy and the constitutional right of the people to determine their government.

“Any government that does not have any directly elected mandate violates the democratic principle of people’s power,” he said in a statement yesterday.

DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang, who was also at the press conference at the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya yesterday, described the unanimous decision as shameful.

PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the Pakatan Rakyat would continue its political battle to wrest Perak from the Barisan despite the Federal Court’s ruling.

He said PKR regarded the decision as a black mark in the history of the country’s judiciary.

“It definitely will not break Pakatan’s spirit in its efforts to ensure its victory in Perak in the next general election,” he said.

The party’s political bureau chief Datuk Zaid Ibrahim said the court has decided that the principles of constitutional law, parliamentary democracy and justice were subservient to political wishes.

“It means that the Malay Rulers now have an absolute power over the Chief Executive of the State.

“The Sultan now not only has the power to refuse the appointment of anyone proposed by the government of the day as the Mentri Besar that he disapproves of, he also has the power to dismiss the said Mentri Besar if he so wishes,” he said.

He said it seemed that the constitutional requirement that a constitutional head only acted on the advice of the Mentri Besar or the Prime Minister was now no longer applicable.

PAS spiritual adviser Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat called on the people to reject the Federal Court decision.

He said in Kota Baru that it was not wrong for the people to reject the decision because people have recently demonstrated their displeasure over a High Court decision.

He said it was not wrong to demonstrate against the decision as it was part of democracy.

Perak DAP chairman Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham claimed that if fresh elections were not called, the rights of 54% of the people of Perak whom he claimed supported Pakatan, would be denied.

Sodomy II: Karpal claims judge lied (Updated)

KUALA LUMPUR: Lead defence counsel Karpal Singh accused the judge presiding over the Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim sodomy trial of being a liar.

Karpal on Wednesday argued that trial judge Justice Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah was lying when he said that evidence in relation to a bed in the Desa Damansara condominium had been given in open court.

The judge had said last Friday that he did not find any indication of contempt of court in a photograph showing Anwar’s accuser Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan pointing to a bed that was published in a Malay daily.

Karpal is asking Justice Mohamad Zabidin to recuse himself for not cautioning the newspaper for publishing the photograph.

The defence maintains that the visit to the bedroom and condominium was part of proceedings held behind closed doors.

“There is nothing in the notes of proceedings or audio before this court to show that this detail was ever mentioned in open court.

“With much respect, your lordship did not tell the truth. We translate, you are lying. You lied and it can and has been proven that you are not being honest in court. You can’t be impartial and you can’t be unbiased.

“On those grounds, you have no alternative but to step down. It is not a mere perception but a reality. You stand condemned by your own ruling,” Karpal submitted in the recusal application before a packed courtroom Wednesday.

Anwar had on Monday applied to recuse the trial judge on the grounds that his two rulings concerning news reports of the case had raised an element of bias.

The Opposition leader, 63, claimed trial to sodomising his former aide, Mohd Saiful, 24, at the Desa Damansara Condominium in Jalan Setiakasih, Bukit Damansara, here between 3.01pm and 4.30pm on June 26, 2008.

Karpal said: “In this application, what is fundamental, I say without mincing my words, you are guilty of not having stated of what is the truth.”

“It is not the truth and it is a lie,” he said firmly, shocking the courtroom.

He said his role was to defend his client to the best of his ability, adding that justice must “manifestly, expressedly and undoubtedly” be seen to be done.

“It is no point blaming the foreign press for (writing about) our legal system if a judge does not deliver what is expected of him in a trial. The judiciary of this country must redeem itself in the eyes of international (observers),” he said.

He said there was no blanket immunity for judges.

“You have forfeited the right to sit down on that chair and proceed to hear the trial,” he said, stunning everyone in court.

On the trial judge dismissing his application summarily and ruling that the two articles with allegedly misleading headlines published by Utusan did not have the intention of being mischievous or to disrupt proceedings, Karpal said the judge could not come to such a conclusion on behalf of the newspaper.

Citing the Judges Code of Conduct 2009, enforced on July 1 last year, Karpal said the judge could also be subjected to disciplinary proceedings if he was found to have contravened the ethical requirement to perform his judicial duty without bias.

Lead prosecutor Solicitor-General II Datuk Mohd Yusof Zainal Abiden, however, submitted that no one should carelessly argue about impartiality of a judge.

DPP Mohd Yusof said the concerned party should prove that a judge had a pecuniary interest in order to disqualify him from further hearing the trial.

“The real danger of bias has to be examined in the context of the complaint. There is real danger of bias when the public concludes your lordship will be unfair to the parties by not deciding based on evidence adduced in court, or your lordship decides on erroneous grounds,” he said in asking the court to dismiss the disqualification application.

On the photograph caption, DPP Mohd Yusof said it only referred to a room where the offence allegedly took place and that there was no dispute that the complainant went there.

“To say your lordship lied is a very strong word. You (lawyers) have to be polite. Certain ethics must be preserved,” he said.

On the contention that there were two misleading headlines in Utusan over the sodomy trial, DPP Mohd Yusof said it was “proven” through the notes of proceedings that the concerned reporter had reported the truth and that the defence owed an apology.

Justice Mohamad Zabidin set Feb 18 to deliver his decision on the recusal application, saying that he needed time to study the submissions and case law provided by both parties.

Blow-by-blow account of today's proceedings:

11.25am: Court is adjourned. Justice Mohamad Zabidin will deliver his decision on recusal application on Feb 18.

11.12am: Justice Mohamad Zabidin said he is unable to decide today. Court stands down as judge wants to see both parties in chambers to discuss on a date to deliver a decision on recusal application.

11.01am: Karpal begins responding. “If you are referring to a room, why are you pointing to a bed?” he questioned.

11.00am: Mohd Yusof describes the Utusan Malaysia "blunder" as remeh (frivolous) and expresses hope that the application to recuse the judge will be dismissed.

10.39am: He said the caption for the photograph, “Menunjukkan katil di mana tempat kejadian berlaku” does not mean alleged sodomy took place on the bed. He added that the caption meant to refer to the master bedroom where the alleged incident happened and not the bed.

10.37am: He said the Utusan Malaysia “blunder” was not committed in court and subsequently, the judge not responding to it, was not an outright dismissal. He added that it was erroneous to give an impression to the public that the judge had dismissed the motion. Quoting from the court transcript, Mohd Yusof said: “Apa sebab sebab kamu berhenti kerja?” “Sebab sebenar, saya tidak mahu diliwat lagi.”

10.20am: Mohd Yusof said reasons to disqualify the judge must come from the trial itself and not over minor things like newspaper reports adding that the complaint against Utusan Malaysia is not an issue.

He said a decision, which is adverse to one party, is not grounds to disqualify the judge. He added earlier that personal bias is when there is personal friendshp or animosity by the judge with anyone involved in the case.

“That is not the case here,” he said.

10.10am: Lead prosecutor Solicitor-General II Datuk Mohd Yusof Zainal Abiden starts addressing the court.

10.05am: Karpal said complaints in Anwar’s affidavit is over a photograph which appeared on the frontpage of Utusan Malaysia and was captioned as Mohd Saiful pointing out to the judge the bed where he was sodomised.

Karpal added there was nothing in the proceedings which mentioned “bed” as a detail during the trial.

He added that Justice Mohamad Zabidin needed to step down as he was quoted as saying that the details of the bed had been made in open court when the actual proceedings never mentioned anything about a bed.

He also questioned Justice Mohamad Zabidin’s conclusion that the Malay daily was not attacking Anwar with its headline: “Berhenti kerana tak mahu diliwat lagi”.

9.55am: In addressing Justice Mohamad Zabidin, Karpal said that impartiality must exist when presiding over a case and a judge must be honest and beyond suspicion. "Judges have the fundamental duty to be impartial, regardless of race, religion and ethnicity," he said.

9.45am: Karpal said the prosecution has replied to Anwar’s application to recuse the judge Justice Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah from presiding over the trial, which in turn has been replied by the defence on Wednesday.

“Let us not waste time with the proceedings. We want to go ahead,” he tells the court.

9.40am: Court is in session.

9.21am: Anwar Ibrahim’s lead counsel Karpal Singh arrives at court. Earlier, the courtroom was slowly filling up as police checked those who wanted to enter.

RM 50 - Low quality notes!!! Pity dear fellow

PETALING JAYA: A mechanical engineer had RM200 literally “washed away” when the print on his new RM50 notes disappeared after he accidentally left his wallet in the laundry.

Yeoh Jit Shiong, 25, was shocked to find that the damaged notes were almost unrecognisable on Saturday evening.

What remained were the security threads and watermarks.

Pity to the good fellow Mr.Yeoh, arrgh CNY at the corner, end-up with some low quality water soak MYR.

In another words, MYR soak sui and lat sek. Memang malulah, papernote also can diluted by soap.

Imagine, banjir at BNM, then our notes inside there also gone teruk-teruk.

Where too find, countries with such similar notes quality like Malaysia? Maybe Zimbabwe, maybe Cuba, maybe Haiti and some low class country.

Yah, pencapaian yang hebat, duit tulen pun boleh rosak kena air.

Tak tahulah, syiling 20sen pun boleh karat nanti.

Come on, notes is a denomination of a countries economy and financial. All notes, must be able to withstand waters and trampling, as the notes has to endure trampling in pocket, bags, wallets and rain.

Yet, now!!! Just like toilet paper.

Undies Free Valentine's Day!

“On Valentine’s night, we will conduct a preventive operation called Operasi Sayang Remaja at Queensbay Mall in Gurney Drive and along the Butterworth Outer Ring Road stretch.

Since, we do not have enforcement powers like Jakim officers, we will concentrate on counselling and advising couples against committing adultery,” he said.

In fact, all the 'hooha's were caused by women who threatened not to wear panties on that day, so shouldn't the officers do something to ensure that all women wear them.

Doing anything else would sidetrack the issue!

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Government calls for calm over Allah court ruling issue

Honestly, I'm amused by what is happening. Why should you even appeal? As long as the Christian newsletter that uses the word "Allah" has a tag saying "Strictly for Christian" or something along that line, I don't think / see there should be any problem? Come on, let's view this positively. This is religion matters, don't blow it out of proportion. Respect each other religion rights and the right to use any word they deem fit. As long as its not offensive to others religion, i will personally think its alright.

Don't bring us back to a time where we can make use of "religion" to do anything. Racial issues are already a blunder to us. Malaysia, set an example to the rest of the world, a good example, a good tolerance and perhaps it will give us the opportunity to live happily ever after side by side and grow the country together.

Malaysia in no danger of losing visa-free status in Britain

Malaysia’s visa-free status with Britain is under no threat of being revoked, according to the British High Commission.

Revealing the good news, High Commissioner Boyd McCleary said any such notion was misleading.

He said Britain’s visa-free status with Malaysia had already been reviewed and the outcome was to have it maintained pending any future review.

“There have been ongoing concerns and we have been working with the authorities here to reduce the cases of visa abuse. And we do see some improvements.

“We have seen a commitment on the part of the Malaysian government to work with Britain on this issue. There has been greater enforcement activity here. So we haven’t made any decision to include Malaysia under the visa-regime,” he said in an interview.

McCleary was responding to news reports that Malaysia was set to be included in the list of countries whose citizens required visas to enter Britain.

Malaysian Deputy High Commissioner to Britain Datuk Rustam Yahaya was quoted as saying that the number of Malaysian overstayers had reached a “critical” level following a recent situation update by the British Home Office.

He said based on the current trend, British authorities were likely to impose visa requirements on Malaysians travelling to Britain.

Malaysia was in a group of 11 non-European countries whose visa-exempt status was reviewed by Britain in mid-2008.

After a six-month wait, the British Home Office announced last January that Malaysia was to maintain its visa-free status.

McCleary said most Malaysians who went to Britain did not abuse the visa-free status they have been enjoying.

“We have tens of thousands of Malaysians going over as holidaymakers and visitors who don’t abuse their visas and they are very welcome. Visit Britain (Britain’s tourism body) is very happy to see Malaysians coming to enjoy the sights of London and the wider UK.

“We are not trying to deter genuine visitors, nor are we trying to deter Malaysian students,” he stressed.

The High Commissioner was pleased that the number of Malaysians applying to study in Britain had increased, with 5,900 applications received last year — an 8% increase from 2008.

“Of these, 97% obtained their visas and this is very good. We also improved our visa services with students being able to get their visas within three days,” he added.

McCleary said further improvements would be made this year to Britain’s points-based visa system for foreign students implemented here in 2009.

He said the acceptance letter issued by a British institution to an applicant would be made available online and need not be physically presented to the High Commission at the time of applying.

“There were delays in such letters being received here by Malaysian students in 2009. This year, the universities will indicate online if the student has been successful in securing a place and this will expedite matters,” he added.

A student needs 40 points to qualify to study in Britain – 30 points are awarded if a letter of acceptance is issued by a registered British institution and 10 points if the student shows proof of enough funds to support the course fee and living expenses for the first year.