Thousands petition for royal inquiry at Teoh memorial rally

A large crowd gathers to greet DAP veteran Karpal Singh as he arrives at the rally for Teoh Beng Hock at Kelana Jaya stadium. - Picture by Jack Ooi

By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani

PETALING JAYA– Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders today rallied thousands of their supporters today with fiery rhetoric and demanded the government establish a royal inquiry into the death of Teoh Beng Hock.

Led by DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, they laid the blame for Teoh’s death on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

Teoh, political secretary to Selangor executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah, was found dead on July 16 outside the MACC office in Shah Alam. The 30-year-old was earlier questioned over alleged abuse of public funds by his boss.

The crowd began slowly to stream in for the Teoh Beng Hock memorial at Stadium Kelana Jaya here at 4pm.

The situation was calm with no visible police presence and people brought their families to show support for Teoh.

White carnations were distributed to the crowd while most present signed a petition urging MACC and Barisan National (BN) take responsibility for Teoh’s death, and to call for a royal commission of inquiry.

The memorial began with the crowd observing a moment of silence.

The normally soft-spoken DAP vice president Tunku Aziz did not mince his words in attacking Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

“Forget Najib’s 1 Malaysia, we have 1 black Malaysia. We will die for a better Malaysia where there is equal opportunity for all,” he told the crowd. “We should tell the government that we do not trust them anymore.”

The people listen as Pakatan Rakyat leaders harangued the government over its complicity in Teoh Beng Hock's tragics death. - Picture by Jack Ooi

Selangor executive councillor Dr Xavier Jeyakumar also attacked Najib and wanted him to explain to Malaysians what happened to Teoh.

“We want Najib Razak to answer to Selangor people, Teoh’s parents, Malaysians … what the hell is going on?” he thundered.

Datuk Husam Musa, a member of PAS’s central working committee, was also present to show support and told the crowd that Teoh’s life was as valuable as any Malay, in an apparent reference to a story in Umno-controlled Berita Harian today which equated criticism against MACC as an attack on Malay institutions.

“If you kill a man, you have killed humanity. There is no doubt that Beng Hock was murdered. Beng Hock is our hero, his family are also heroes,” he said.

The PR leaders also expressed their belief that the public had lost confidence in the police as well and called for the resignation of the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan.

“Why don’t we trust them? They are suppose to be our friends? They are suppose to be our protectors? We pay their salary, we are their paymasters!” Lim kit Siang told the applauding crowd.

Lim also called for MACC chief commissioner Datuk Seri Ahmad Said Hamdan to step down.

“We want the director general of MACC to resign and the Cabinet to take responsibility because the MACC acted under the directive of the Cabinet,” he said.

However the biggest cheer went to Selangor Speaker Teng Chang Khim. He received a five-minute standing ovation when he related how he was able to kick former Selangor MB Datuk Seri Mohd Khir Toyo out of the state assembly while the MACC failed to act on allegations surrounding the Umno leader’s palatial mansion.

The leaders also mocked the MACC for targeting Teoh over allegations surrounding the allocation of flags worth RM2,400 in Ean Yong Hian Wah’s constituency of Seri Kembangan while no action has been taken in other more significant cases like the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) RM12.5 billion scandal.

“When we saw Teoh Beng Hock lying helplessly on the ground, we also felt helpless because the government and authorities that were supposed to protect us have now become oppressors,” Guan Eng, who is also DAP secretary-general, told the crowd.

Selangor MB Khalid said that there were too many questions that remained unanswered.

“This is not about politics, activists or race. This is about justice,” Khalid said.

The memorial ended with DAP national chairman Karpal Singh announcing the party would soon take the MACC to court over Teoh’s death.

After the speeches, PR supporters were seen burning copies of Berita Harian and Utusan Malaysia to express their anger over the articles criticising the opposition for allegedly politicising Teoh’s death. (TMI)

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Wrath of Dr M about to befall Najib

KUALA LUMPUR– Ever since Datuk Seri Najib Razak took office as prime minister just under 100 days ago, the outspoken Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has held his peace and refrained from attacking the Barisan Nasional (BN) government.

But today Dr Mahathir hit out at the Najib administration for “not listening to the voice of the people” when it decided to abandon the policy of teaching science and mathematics in English.

“I am not surprised over the disappointment and even anger towards the government’s decision on the teaching of maths and science,” he said.

“Seems to me like the government is not listening to the voice of the people,” the former prime minister said in a short posting on his blog today.

Dr Mahathir also appeared to be planning a campaign to stop the government from reversing a policy he had initiated six years ago just before he retired.

He has started a poll to ask readers of his blog if they supported or opposed the decision to now revert to teaching science and mathematics in Bahasa Melayu.

A separate poll conducted recently of voters in peninsular Malaysia by the independent Merdeka Centre showed that a majority of Malaysians wanted English to remain as the medium of instruction for the two subjects.

But yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced the government’s decision to scrap the policy, bowing to pressure from nationalists and education activists.

Dr Mahathir, who had been informed by the DPM prior to the announcement, said yesterday that his recommendations were not taken into consideration.

He had suggested the government at least keep English as the medium of instruction for secondary schools.

The former PM also punched holes in the government’s arguments, and pointed out that if the government was now going to train more English teachers, they could also train science and mathematics teachers in the same language as well.

Dr Mahathir had been a strident critic of the Abdullah Badawi administration, and his attacks against the last prime minister had contributed significantly to the latter’s eventual downfall.

Last year, Malaysia’s longest serving PM even quit Umno and only rejoined the party this year when Najib took office. Since then Najib has taken pains to pay homage to Dr Mahathir.

But in recent weeks, Dr Mahathir had begun to seethe over some of Najib’s decisions.

Besides ignoring Dr Mahathir and deciding to skip the recent Penanti by-election, Najib has also disregarded the former PM over the “crooked bridge” to Singapore.

Dr Mahathir had also recently come out to say that the liberalization of the economy was not the right move by Najib.

The ongoing attempt by the Najib administration in trying to appoint his aide Omar Mustapha to the board of Petronas has also irritated Dr Mahathir who is still the national oil company’s adviser.

But with the flip-flop on the government’s English policy, Dr Mahathir appears to be preparing to strike back. (TMI)

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BN component parties split over meaning of ‘unity government’

KUALA LUMPUR – Their boss may be selling the 1 Malaysia concept but other Barisan leaders have many different ideas about his take on unity.

In response to the prime minister’s call to PAS to reconsider unity talks for the sake of Malay-Muslim unity, MCA leaders said any talk about unity should be based on national and not racial interests.

But some MIC leaders believe that there is nothing wrong with Najib’s and Umno’s intentions, arguing that unity among the majority race is integral in ensuring the country’s growth.

Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday seemed to resuscitate the whole unity government idea when he called on the Islamist party to forget their political differences and co-operate with Umno in the name of Malay-Muslim unity.

Umno has, however, rejected any notion of a multi-racial Pakatan Rakyat(PR)-Barisan Nasional (BN) unity government, saying that it was interested in engaging only with PAS, sparking concerns among its non-Malay allies.

MCA leaders like Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, the party’s vice president, did not want to comment on Najib’s statement but said that any form of unity talks should be based on pluralism.

Liow, who is also the Health Minister, said the unity government concept itself, first proposed by a faction in PAS, is vague, and unclear as to whether the unity government idea involved only PAS and Umno, or the entire PR-BN lot.

Backing him is Deputy Education Minister Wee Ka Siong, the MCA Youth chief, who said that his party had never thought of engaging rivals, the DAP, about Chinese unity.

“What for? I believe MCA’s stand about this is clear from the beginning. Any engagement with any quarters should be of national and not racial interest,” he told The Malaysian Insider in Parliament today.

But as far as MIC is concerned, the racial undertone in the unity government idea is not something to be worried about.

Its information chief, Datuk M. Saravanan, said the country is not prepared for national unity given its young age, arguing that unity among the majority race superceded other issues.

“I totally agree with Najib. It is important for the majority to be united and the minority divided as the majority is at the forefront of the country’s development,” he said.

For Saravanan, a deputy Federal Territories minister, the country is not ready for a Bangsa Malaysia (Malaysian race).

Meanwhile, Datuk Joseph Salang Gandum, the Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) MP for Julau, is fully supportive of Najib’s calls for Malay and Muslim unity to pave the way for 1 Malaysia.

“My view is that there is nothing wrong with any group wanting to be united,” Salang told The Malaysian Insider today.

“What we are against is if they unite to suppress others,” he added.

He disagrees with Lim Kit Siang’s view that Malay-Muslim unity talks between Umno and PAS, if it takes place, will stunt Najib’s goal of closing the growing gap among the different races and religious groups.

The PRS information chief said that for national unity to happen, the people within the same religious and ethnic groups must first be united. (TMI)

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Berlusconi denies ever paying for sex

June 2004 file photo of Berlusconi and his wife Veronica in happier times. — Reuters pic

ROME,— Silvio Berlusconi can breathe again. After weeks of revelations about his private life — culminating in a prosecutor's decision to question dozens of young women on suspicion that they were paid to attend his parties — Italy's Prime Minister shrugged off the pressure yesterday, recording a convincing victory for his centre-right coalition in provincial and municipal elections across the country.

Beyond Italy's borders it may seem inconceivable that an elected national leader could comport himself like an ancient Roman emperor without facing grave political consequences. But within Italy, Berlusconi's fallible humanity and the fact that he is not so obsessed with power play that he has no time for the sweeter things in life, are seen by many as points in his favour.

So while the centre-left celebrated their success in hanging on to much of its traditional "red zone" in central Italy, Berlusconi's Freedom People Party managed to seize control of Milan and Venice. "If this is a victory for the opposition, we always want to lose like this," Berlusconi crowed after results were in. "Before this provincial election, the Freedom People governed five million people [in the constituencies which voted]. Now it governs as many as 21 million."

In reality the result was more complex and nuanced, and according to Italy's top pollster, Renato Mannheimer, a steep rise in abstentions was the most important new development. Berlusconi is also responsible for the fact that the popular opinion of politicians has sunk to a new low, 25 per cent of people associating politics with "disgust", and another 22 per cent with "anger".

And Berlusconi is by no means out of the woods. Since his wife of 20 years, Veronica Lario, announced in early May that she was suing for divorce because of his endless womanising, the Italian Prime Minister has been engulfed by wave after wave of damaging revelations regarding his apparent obsession with surrounding himself with pouting lovelies.

One of the women invited to a party last November at Berlusconi's home in a palazzo in central Rome, 42-year-old Patrizia D'Addario, said she was promised €2,000 (RM9,800) to attend and when she saw the gaggle of women already present, said to herself: "But this is a harem." Photographs were released of two other women, Lucia Rossini and Barbara Montereale, supposedly taken by themselves in the bathroom in Berlusconi's apartment. And now as many as 30 women invited to such events, many of them from eastern Europe, are being questioned by prosecutors as part of an investigation into the alleged procuring of prostitutes for these parties, while a business acquaintance of Berlusconi, Giampaolo Tarantini, who D'Addario said had paid her for attending the party, is also to be questioned in the same investigation. Tarantini has denied the accusations, but publicly apologised to Berlusconi for the embarrassment the affair had caused.

Yesterday, in an interview published in La Famiglia Cristiana, Italy's best-selling weekly, whose editor says he has received "many angry letters" about the Prime Minister's peccadilloes, Berlusconi attempted to draw a line under his troubles. He claimed that D'Addario had been given "a very precise and well-compensated mandate" to discredit him, but denied flatly that he had paid any of the women. "I have never paid a woman," he declared. "I have never understood what satisfaction there would be if not in the satisfaction of conquest... There is nothing in my private life for which I must apologise."

But the editor of the magazine thought otherwise. "It's gone beyond the limits of decency," Antonio Sciortino wrote of the affair in the magazine. "One cannot ignore the moral emergency, one cannot pretend that nothing has happened. Christians — as the letters from readers demonstrate — are appalled by this climate of moral decadence."

Taken together with recent criticism in the columns of L'Avvenire and by the Archbishop of Lanciano-Ortona, these words must send alarm bells ringing in the Berlusconi camp. No Italian politician with their wits about them likes to alienate the Catholic vote. So the scandal continues to fester, though Berlusconi will not face another electoral test until next year. And already the accusations against him have obliged him to abandon or at least downplay his ambitions for the highest office in the land, that of president. "I have no interest in being president," he replied flatly when questioned about it in recent days.

This week three academics at Italian universities have gathered "hundreds" of signatures for a letter to the wives of G8 leaders due to arrive in Italy next month for the G8 summit, urging them to boycott the event because of "the way in which Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi treats women both in public and in private".

The proximity of the scandal to the summit revives unpleasant memories for Berlusconi: at a summit in 1994, during his first term as PM, he was served with legal papers alleging corruption. Soon afterwards he resigned. — Independent

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Muhyiddin admits that PPSMI is a failure

KUALA LUMPUR— The teaching of maths and science in English the last six years has not improved the performance of students in those subjects, the education minister admitted today.

“There have been changes but the difference is nominal,” said Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

He said there had only been a two to three per cent change since the policy was implemented in 2003.

The deputy prime minister was responding to a supplementary question by DAP’s Tan Seng Giaw in Parliament.

The Kepong MP said the policy had been in existence for six years and asked for the reports on its effectiveness to be made public.

The education minister also said that the government, after much delay, will make a decision on the issue by next month. It is expected to continue with the programme, while finding ways to accommodate differing views.

Muhyiddin's reply drew flak from opposition MPs, who accused the government of negligence for its refusal to shut the policy down despite admitting to having problems in implementing it.

Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad from PAS said it was obvious in the minister's response that the government is not fully prepared for the implementation of the policy and students are being victimised as a result.

"It is apparent that they are not fully prepared for this and have not taken into account the implication and the repercussion," he told a press conference in Parliament.

He added that it was absurd that the government realised the programme's failure only after six years it has been implemented.

"Don't make our children guinea pigs," said Khalid, adding that teaching maths and science in English won't upgrade students' English quality, suggesting that it would be better for the government to focus on getting the best teachers to teach the international language instead. (TMI)

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Anwar’s sodomy trial delayed

KUALA LUMPUR — Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was given a brief reprieve by the High Court today.

His sodomy trial, the second in a decade, was originally fixed to start on July 1.

Judge Datuk Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah today postponed the hearing to July 8, pending his decision to strike out the case.

Anwar had last week filed to the High Court for the sodomy charges against him to be dropped.

He claimed that two hospital reports on his accuser had put him in the clear.

Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, Anwar's former aide, accused the 61-year-old father of six of sexually attacking him in June last year. He had gone to a private hospital and Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) for medical exams to support his claims.

Both reports, the HKL report released recently, showed there was no penetration or wound on Mohd Saiful's anus.

The hearing for the case to be struck out, originally fixed for Friday, has also been pushed to July 8 because of a delay in getting some documents from the public prosecutor (PP) related to his trial.

Anwar accused the PP of purposely withholding information and denying him a fair trial.

But a lawyer on the prosecution team told The Malaysian Insider that they had given all the relevant documents that they would be using in the trial proper to Anwar's lawyers, as required by the law under Section 51A of the Criminal Penal Code (CPC).

The High Court is set to deal with that application on July 1.

Anwar is charged with sodomising the then 23-year-old Mohd Saiful at Desa Damansara Condominium in the leafy enclave of Damansara Heights in June last year.

If found guilty, he can be jailed up to 20 years and whipped under Section 377B of the Penal Code.

The former deputy prime minister, who made his comeback after winning the Permatang Pauh parliamentary by-election last year, has lately been using the Sodomy II charge against him in a campaign to discredit the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition. (TMI)

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‘Unity’ may result in more Malay votes, but not more seats

KUALA LUMPUR — There is an issue raging in the Malay press right now, and it is about Chin Peng, the former leader of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) who is now living in Thailand. Should he be allowed to return to Malaysia? The Malaysian courts have disallowed it, but public opinion is divided – roughly along racial lines.

The Chinese tend to be more open about his return, but there is strong Malay sentiment against it.

New Straits Times columnist Zainul Arifin explained the issue yesterday: “The CPM may have terrorised everyone equally, but psychologically affected Malays more because they saw it to be promoting Red China’s agenda to make Malaya a Chinese-dominated satellite, or the 19th province, of Beijing.”

Yet, at the same time, there are also some Malays, such as opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who support Chin Peng’s return.

This controversy goes some way towards explaining the current Malay political sentiment in Malaysia after last year’s general election upended the status quo.

It brought out a deep sense of Malay anxiety over the perception of a loss of Malay political clout.

“They see the minorities as exerting more than the ‘ordinary’ sense of influence in national issues,” said Merdeka Centre director Ibrahim Suffian.

It is this sentiment that underlies the current fervour for ‘unity’ talks between Umno and Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS).

Umno still holds around 54 per cent of Malay support nationwide.

There is a clear leaning, though a slight one, in Malay support for Umno, largely based on the sense that there is a need for the Malays to stand united.

But it would be a mistake to boil Malay sentiment down to this one category of anxiety to maintain political dominance. This may be the impression given by the Malay-language media, but the sentiment is a lot more diverse.

Pick any other racially sensitive issue – pro-Malay economic policies, scholarships and, yes, even bilateral issues with Singapore – and it will become apparent that the range of opinion is wide.

Indeed, the Malay political sentiment is riddled with subtleties. A political analyst said it would not do to underestimate the Malay sense of fair play and justice, and concern for issues of governance and democracy.

Many young and urban Malays focus strongly on these issues because of their access to information. They dislike the excesses of Umno, and see pro-Malay economic policies as benefiting a crony class.

They tend to give greater prominence to issues of justice and governance than to ethnic interests, but at the same time, they are generally also socially more conservative than the minorities.

As it stands now, the Malay vote favours the Barisan Nasional (BN) slightly, particularly because a vast majority of Malays live in rural areas. This would likely remain the case in the next general election, due in 2013, but after that, as the number of young voters increases, the scenario may change.

Given the current situation, a ‘unity’ of both parties – whether through a merger or cooperation – will probably win them more Malay votes, but ironically, this may not win either party more seats.

PAS and Umno generally contest against each other in the Malay-majority seats, while the mixed seats go to the other component parties.

“They are ploughing the same field,” said Merdeka Centre’s Mr Ibrahim.

Furthermore, the many by-elections over the last one year, in particular, the one in the mixed seat of Bukit Gantang in Perak in April, have shown that parties that take the middle ground have the best chance with voters. – The Straits Times

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Umno would rather ‘burn bridges’ than sell sand

KUALA LUMPUR – There seems to be no way around it: Umno leaders say if Singapore wants sand as part of the deal for the third bridge, it’s a “no go”.

For them, whatever the benefits the construction of the third bridge may bring must not come at the expense of the country’s sovereignty.

This issue came up when Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said that it would not make sense for Singapore to agree on a third bridge if Johor does not lift its ban on the export of sand to the republic, which has been in place since 1997. He was speaking at a press conference during his recent trip to Malaysia.

Government officials say Najib’s administration is willing to resolve outstanding bilateral issues with Singapore and consider lifting the ban on sale of sand to the republic.

But Najib’s efforts, ironically, may be undermined by his own party members, especially those from the southern states who appear reluctant to see Singapore expand through land reclamation with Malaysian sand.

Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and Rembau MP said he doesn’t believe Malaysians, and especially BN-Umno, will find this “deal” acceptable.

“Although certainly Singapore will ask for some kind of trade-off, sand is very sensitive so if it were up to me, the answer would be no,” he told The Malaysian Insider.

Tangga Batu Umno MP and former Deputy Higher Education Minister Idris Haron said Malaysians’ “long tolerance” of Singapore has nurtured greater hatred towards the republic.

“These grouses come from the fact that Singapore has always expected reciprocal agreements. Any prospect of getting their co-operation on something must be reciprocated,” he said.

If there is a necessity like better integration between the two nations that can be realised through building the third bridge, Idris said imposing any condition is likely to hamper the idea.

And Umno is not the only one with this view. It’s got a friend from the most unlikely of places – its arch-rival PKR is also against the sale of sand to Singapore.

PKR leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim rejected the idea outright.

But for some, the third bridge proposal is an idea too far-fetched and the government should not even waste time discussing the sand issue.

Datuk Shahrir Samad who is the Umno parliamentarian for Johor Baru, said the government should think of ways to improve the existing bridge that links his constituency and the country to the republic instead of hollering about the third bridge.

“It’s bullshit. The government should address the many problems facing the existing bridge, like traffic congestions and so on, and not waste time on something totally unnecessary,” he said.

Shahrir said the joke is on the government when it started talking about the third bridge when the current Causeway Bridge and the Second Link have yet to be fully optimised.

Considering the strong feelings against supplying sand to Singapore, Najib now faces the risk of alienating the Umno hardcore and their anti-Singaporean supporters.

He might not have to deal with their discontent now considering Umno’s “culture of silence” but its outcome may prove to be deadlier when the party faces the impending 13th general elections. (TMI)

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Work should be enjoyed, says Rosmah

KUALA LUMPUR – A person has to enjoy a task entrusted to him or her and carry it out with sincerity to achieve personal satisfaction, said Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, wife of the prime minister.

She said as the wife of the prime minister, she must enjoy what she did everyday and be committed to it.

“To me, we should enjoy our work without feeling pressured into doing it, otherwise we will feel tired and stressed out. I like to interact with the people ... it is a personal satisfaction for me,” she said in an interview in the VIP Awani programme anchored by Suhaimi Sulaiman over the Astro Ria channel last night.

She said she always motivated herself to be positive in fulfilling her responsibility to the people who had chosen her husband Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak as the prime minister.

Rosmah, who is chairman of the National Permata Policy Executive Committee, said a positive attitude kept her focused in her social welfare activities as she is also the Bakti president and patron of the Girl Guides Association Malaysia.

She said she reminded her children to have a similar attitude and not take things for granted although their father is the prime minister.

“Although our family has heavier responsibilities with tight schedules, we have to carry out the tasks for the good of the people, nation and religion,” she said.

Rosmah said as the wife of a national leader, she must be able adapt to situations, whether in an urban or rural setting, and had learned to cope from Najib.

She hoped for continuous support for Najib as the prime minister and Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman and prayed that he would succeed in administering the country fairly and with dedication.

On the Permata children’s centre, she said it provided child care and early education to children aged five years and below and the programme would be extended nationwide in stages. – Bernama

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Zaid tells PAS not to emulate Umno

KUALA LUMPUR, June 8 — Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, the ex-Umno minister who has become a leading and influential voice for Pakatan Rakyat (PR) supporters, has warned PAS against over-confidence or else the fledgling coalition could end up being just another version of the Umno-dominated Barisan Nasional (BN).

The former de facto law minister says that the three PR components are only strong because of the partnership and they should avoid tussling for dominance or risk becoming like BN whom he described as being unable to adapt to the current political landscape.

Zaid, whose resignation from the Cabinet and subsequent sacking from Umno has made him an icon for the opposition, said that PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang had ignored the feelings of the party’s spiritual advisor Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat and other leaders who had opposed a unity government with Umno.

“Without hesitation, he defended the unity talks with such confidence. But for me, Hadi has become over-confident,” Zaid wrote in a blog posting today.

He applauded the ambition of the party in its plans to build an RM27 million complex in Putrajaya, penetrate East Malaysia and accepting non-Muslims as members.

But he said that if any one party dominated PR, then it would emulate the culture within BN, where the direction was decided only by Umno.

“That is why they have problems finding a new formula. To change, we need to accept different views from our partners.

“Pakatan does not need a dominant party. No party in Pakatan can beat their chest and say they are strong even if they stood alone. Let them be humble and accept that they are all equal and need each other,” he said.

The PR alliance was formed last year after the three parties won a combined 81 seats and five states in the general elections.

But PAS has trumpeted Hadi as their prime minister-elect and the continued talk of forming a unity government with BN has caused tension within the ranks of all three parties.

Both PKR and DAP are firmly against such a move and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng today insisted that PAS must explain itself on the matter. (TMI)

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Malaysians say politicians the most corrupt lot

KUALA LUMPUR — We may have voted them into office but the truth of the matter is, we don't think very highly of our politicians.

Malaysians believe that politicians are the most corrupt group, according to a global survey by anti-graft body Transparency International (TI).

In the 2009 Global Corruption Barometer (GCB), 42 per cent of Malaysians said that political parties are the most corrupt institution, followed closely by the civil service at 37 per cent.

They are also not optimistic that graft will be curbed as two-thirds of Malaysians have no faith in the government's efforts to fight corruption.

TI Malaysia president Datuk Paul Low said that this was due to the fact that the public had no idea how political parties were funded.

"Corruption in politics is the mother of all corruption. Nobody knows how they are funded. They need to eliminate money politics as well as disclose their sources of funding," he said, adding that changes in electoral laws as well as compulsory audits would be needed to reverse public perception.

However, he felt that the results may not be accurate as the survey was conducted three months ago, amid speculation of monetary inducement that resulted in the Perak political crisis as well as vote-buying in the Umno party polls.

Low also called for better accessibility to information regarding government contracts and concession agreements as well as reviewing the Official Secrets Act as "these are not strategic interests" which could compromise national security.

Malaysia regularly scores close to five out of 10 on TI's Corruption Perception Index and last November's results left it ranked 47th out of 180 countries.

Despite the move to give further powers to the national anti-graft squad when it was converted from the Anti-Corruption Agency to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), 67 per cent of Malaysians still feel the government has been ineffective in dealing with corruption.

While Low said it was still too early to judge the MACC, he acknowledged public perception was that it practised selective prosecution and must instead "take the big fish along with the small fish." TI Malaysia would also attempt to conduct a public poll on its performance later this year.

Meanwhile, of Malaysians polled, only 9 per cent admitted to paying a bribe in the last 12 months, slightly below the global average of 13 per cent. Low noted that while three out of 10 Indonesians admitted to bribery, three-quarters felt their government has been effective in fighting graft.

"We can see that the Indonesian president has become more popular so it shows people value the intergrity of politicians," he said, referring to surveys showing Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's popularity has increased ahead of this year's presidential elections.

Globally, political parties were considered by 29 per cent to be the most corrupt followed by the civil service at 26 per cent, while on average, 56 per cent felt their governments had not tackled graft well.

Also, respondents indicated an 8 per cent increase in the perception that the private sector is corrupt. Low said that companies should take heed to the fact that 50 per cent of Malaysians said they would prefer to purchase from "corruption-free" companies.

"The private sector should introduce anti-bribery and whistle-blowing policies as well as integrity agreements," he suggested.

He also said that while he was disappointed that Malaysia has not improved its corruption index for over eight years, he was encouraged by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's statements on graft so far as it was early days yet in his two-month-old administration.

Low said that TI Malaysia has been consulted by the government many times before and he would be submitting a copy of this year's GCB, its sixth edition and the first with Malaysian participation, to Najib and was hopeful of further discussions with the government on the matter. (TMI)

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Air France flight crashes with 228 aboard

Relatives and friends of Air France flight AF447 passengers leave a crisis center at the Tom Jobim International airport in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, today. - Reuters pics

PARIS—An Air France plane with 228 people on board was presumed to have crashed into the Atlantic Ocean today after hitting heavy turbulence during a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris.

The airline offered its condolences to the families of the passengers, making clear it did not expect to find survivors.

At least 60 of those on board were French, roughly 60 were Brazilians and two were Slovaks, their countries said.

Air France said the Airbus flew into stormy weather four hours after take-off from Brazil and soon afterwards sent an automatic message reporting electrical faults.

A company spokesman said several of the plane’s mechanisms had malfunctioned.

“It is probably a combination of circumstances that could have led to the crash,” he said, adding that the airliner might have been hit by lightning.

Aviation experts said lightning strikes on planes were common and were not enough alone to explain a disaster.

The Brazilian air force said the plane was far out over the sea when it went missing.

Military planes took off from the island of Fernando de Noronha off Brazil’s northeast coast to look for it and the Brazilian navy sent three ships to help in the search.

France sent one of its air force planes from west Africa.

Flight AF 447 left Rio de Janeiro yesterday at 7pm (6am today, Malaysian time) and had been expected to land at Paris’s Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport today at 11.15am (5.15pm).

STORM PATCH

File Photo of an Airbus A330-200 similar to the Air France plane which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean today, a few hours after leaving Rio de Janeiro.

On its flight northeast from Rio, the jetliner would have had to pass through a notorious storm patch shifting around the equator known as the Intertropical Convergence Zone.

“It is a zone in the tropics where you can have particularly deep thunder clouds,” said Barry Gromett, a meteorologist at the London Weather Centre.

The carrier said 216 passengers were on board, including seven children and one baby, as well as 12 crew members.

The passenger list was not released, but French tyre company Michelin said the head of its Latin American operations, Luis Roberto Anastacio, had been on the flight.

Tearful relatives and friends were led away by airport staff after they arrived at Roissy expecting to greet the passengers.

About 20 relatives of passengers also arrived at Rio’s Galeao airport today morning seeking information.

Bernardo Souza, whose brother and sister-in-law were on the flight, complained he had received no details from Air France.

“I had to come to the airport, but when I arrived I just found an empty counter,” he said.

Senior French government minister Jean-Louis Borloo ruled out the possibility of a hijacking.

“It’s an awful tragedy,” he told France Info radio.

If no survivors are found it will be the worst loss of life involving an Air France plane in the firm’s 75-year history.

The plane was an Airbus 330-200 powered with General Electric engines. If the plane is confirmed to have crashed, it would be the first time an A330 has been lost during an operational airline flight.

Air France said the plane had 18,870 flight hours on the clock and went into service in April 2005. It last underwent maintenance in a hangar in April this year.

The last major incident involving an Air France plane was in July 2000 when one of its Concorde supersonic airliners crashed just after taking off from Paris, bound for New York.
All 109 people on board were killed along with at least four on the ground. – Reuters

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PKR Dr.Mansor wins, heads for DCM office

PENANTI—Dr. Mansor Othman is the new state representative of Penanti and Deputy Chief Minister (DCM) of Penang after winning today's by-election, a whopping 6,052 out of the total of 7,100 votes.

His closest rival was Nai Khan Ari, an independent who received just 494 votes while Aminah Abdullah took 392 votes.

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said that Mansor would be sworn in on Wednesday morning so that he can attend the weekly state executive council meeting.

A lower turnout and missing names from electoral rolls marked the sure PR victory at the close of a by-election campaign called ‘uninspiring’ due to Barisan Nasional’s (BN) absence.

But ultimately PKR and PR were the winners as it has now successfully removed a troublesome politician in Fairus Khairuddin who was forced to quit as assemblyman and deputy chief minister because of graft allegations.

The lower voter turnout today showed however that clearly by-election fatigue had set in.

The final turn out today was 7,100 voters. The reduced interest in voting is likely due to BN supporters not coming out to vote in the by-election as their party is not contesting.

BN leaders have called the by-election frivolous and part of a political game and can now use the low turnout as ammunition to say that it is a sign of protest from the voters.

Fairus won 7,346 votes in his electoral debut in Election 2008, winning by a majority of 2,219 against BN’s Datuk Abdul Jalil Abdul Majid.

The double Masters lawmaker said he resigned to further his studies, prompting BN to boycott what it called an uncalled-for by-election.

Mansor, a Yale graduate and a former academic, is expected to be named DCM I after his victory against Aminah, former Gerakan member Nai Khan Ari and Kamarul, who had earlier lost his deposit in the Bukit Gantang vote.

This is the sixth by-election since Election 2008. BN has not won in any of the four previous by-elections in Peninsular Malaysia, only winning in Batang Ai in Sarawak.

Another by-election will be held in the rural Kelantan state seat of Manek Urai on July 14 after its five-term assemblyman Ismail Yaacob from PAS died on May 22.

Earlier PKR said they received ten complaints from voters who found out they were transferred to the Permatang Pasir ward as turnout came in lower than the party’s target of 65 per cent.

The Election Commission (EC) said total voter turnout was 46.15 per cent or 7,100 when polls closed, against the 82.13 per cent in Election 2008. Police said polling was trouble-free.

PKR Penang secretary Lim Boo Cheng said the voters had verified being from the Permatang Pauh parliamenatary constituency but he was unsure if they – one Malay and nine Chinese – had previously voted in Penanti.

PKR election director Saifuddin Nasution earlier today stuck to his forecast of a 65 per cent turnout as the party moved election workers to encourage more to come out and cast their votes.

Voting began at 8am and closed at 5pm in the semi-rural state seat within the PKR political fortress of Permatang Pauh held by its de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Despite Barisan Nasional’s boycott, PKR has focused on the federal government’s rule and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s performance in its nightly ceramahs, saying a bigger majority will underscore the people’s ire against the ruling coalition.

PKR’s Dr Mansor, who has lost in three elections, faced three independents in a by-election that was his to lose.

Mansor told reporters outside the Guar Perahu polling station that the turnout is “very low” when asked about the roughly 30 per cent turnout by noon. He however hoped things pick up after 2 pm.

He earlier claimed to have received up to eight reports of voters finding their names missing from the Penanti electoral rolls during his rounds at the polling centres.

Voters said the EC had transferred them out of the state seat in the latest electoral roll dated April 16.

Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng, who visited polling stations with Mansor and DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang, rapped the EC and called it a conspiracy to sabotage Penanti voters.

EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof later denied any conspiracy, blaming the voters for not checking the rolls ahead of the by-election.

“They should have checked. This is all the last minute mentality but if we get many complaints, we will probe,” Abdul Aziz told reporters while visiting the polling centres.

He added that 90 per cent of electoral regulations had been met but said voter turnout was still low.

This was seen in both the Berapit and Teluk Wang polling centres. Independent candidate Nai Khan Ari cast his vote in Teluk Wang and told reporters he hoped Penanti voters would give him a chance to represent them.

But turnout at the SMK Guar Perahu polling centre, where PKR lost to BN in the last polls, was high with nearly 400 votes cast at noon.

A PKR election voter claimed that 80 per cent of those going in were the party’s supporters.

Police mounted tight security and deployed Light Strike Force units armed with batons and shields outside the polling centres where most voters trickled in.

Polls observers said the heavy police presence was unnecessary and is seen as intimidating apart from defying international norms.

However, police have been putting in extra policemen for the by-elections which has ramped up government costs, a reason cited by the BN to skip the Penanti vote.

For this by-election, Mansor and four independents – Aminah Abdullah, Mohd Saberi Osman, Nai Khan Ari and Kamarul Ramizu Idris – had filed their nomination papers on May 23 but Saberi was disqualified as PKR proved he was a bankrupt.

Aminah said after the results were announced that the low voter turnout showed voters were now rejecting PR.

Nai said he did not expect to lose.

PKR’s greatest challenge had been Aminah, its former Penang Wanita chief, who claimed the party had tried to bribe her RM80,000 to quit the race or offered her the deputy chief minister I post if she rejoined upon victory.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) are investigating her claims.

Police are also investigating its own reports that DAP strongman Lim Kit Siang and PKR’s Padang Serai MP N. Gobalakrishnan had committed sedition and criminal defamation for linking Najib to the Perak power grab and the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder during the election campaign.

The police had banned both topics in ceramahs at the Bukit Gantang parliamentary by-election last month but the opposition had defied them.

“In Najib’s Malaysia, speaking truth has become sedition criminal defamation. Darkness descending on Malaysia. Malaysians must not be cowed,” Kit Siang said after the police took his statement in his Island Glades home. (TMI)

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What’s the difference between Barca, MU, Chelsea, Liverpool? — goals

For the first time since 2005, the Champions' League final was won by the team that actually played better on the night.

Because as all football fans know, playing better doesn't guarantee winning and the past four finals either saw very balanced tussles or "injustice" being done.

On that fateful night in Istanbul, Liverpool were torn apart yet managed "six minutes of madness", a phrase immortalised by a stunned Carlo Ancelotti who saw his Milan team fail to put away a 3-0 lead, and then two point-blank chances in extra time, and three penalties in the shootout.

The next year, Arsenal had led despite having their goalkeeper sent off in the 18th minute and defended manfully only to for their defence to collapse in the last quarter of an hour.

Milan had their revenge on Liverpool in 2007, being put to the sword by the Reds but seeing a deflection off the back of Filippo Inzaghi giving them the lead before finishing 2-1 winners.

Last year, an evenly contested match ended up with John Terry being given the chance to win it with the last penalty against Man Utd. But disappointment turned to anguish for Chelsea as their captain slipped as he took the kick, seeing his shot come off the post and then in sudden-death kicks, Nicolas Anelka failed to convert.

It has happened time and again, teams snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. It's a point I've been trying to make in this column for the whole season, and has won me the adoring criticism of readers, partly for supposedly finding excuses for a Liverpool team that has failed to capitalise on early season promise, and partly for suggesting that Man Utd were lucky with "timely" rather than "favourable" decisions by referees.

But credit to most Manchester United fans, they have accepted that Barcelona were the better team on the night, even if not accepting the Catalans are the better team fullstop.

After all, if Sir Alex Ferguson could think his team was the better one after being mauled 4-1 by Liverpool, then his conceding that Pep Guardiola's men were better is already a shocking event.

To be fair though, Man Utd could so easily have picked up their fourth European title. For 10 minutes, only one team had showed up, with Cristiano Ronaldo determined to show that he is worthy of the title of world's best player.

But what happened? A goal happened, is what.

And then suddenly it was all Barcelona. There is no scientific way to explain it, but it happens all the time. Team gets a goal and the entire dynamics of the game, or even the entire competition changes.

The goal could and should have been avoided though. Anderson let Andres Iniesta — who Wayne Rooney later called the world's best player — waltz past him, then Nemanja Vidic was bamboozled by a simple cut-in from Samuel Eto'o, who then toe-poked it past Edwin van der Sar at his near post.

Three mistakes. If only one were avoided, the Devils would probably have continued their barnstorming start to the game. Instead, it was a footballing lesson, as Victor Valdez was only really troubled once more in the game, and that came after Lionel Messi had put Barca two ahead, capping a performance that won the overhyped Ronaldo-Messi contest.

On its own, it may seem like a simple truism to say that goals decide games. But often, it has shifted the momentum tremendously even across a 38-game league.

When Liverpool trailed to MU but then had Fernando Torres humiliate Vidic for the equaliser, it shifted the game and, indeed, put the entire title chase back on track. But the same title hunt by the Reds was doused when starlet Federico Macheda scored late goals in consecutive matches to give the Devils one-goal wins.

That same chase ended for good when MU pulled a controversial goal back against Tottenham after going two down.

They say the table doesn't lie, and rightfully, for taking their chances, and winning more games, Man Utd are the champions. But the table also tells us that Liverpool has the best goal difference.

What it tells us is that there is no such thing anymore in football about someone "deserving to win" or not. Someone just wins, fullstop.

If we boil it down to man management, then it's a big salute to Fergie who has rotated his team better than Rafa Benitez has. There is no point smashing teams by four or five goals and then drawing three games in a row like Liverpool have done.

The Man Utd rotation model of putting out a team that can just about grab the one-goal win is certainly what all managers hope they can achieve, given the 60-odd games teams now need to play across the season.

It has been a season where Barca have become champions of Europe by humbling Man Utd, but were said to have been gifted the semifinal against a better Chelsea side who were denied five penalty appeals. It has been a season where Liverpool completely a rare league double over Man Utd.

But in the end, it is Man Utd and Barca who have the important trophies, because they got their goals at the right time. (TMI)

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Ex-cop implicates Abdul Gani, Musa in Anwar black-eye case, clears Dr M

KUALA LUMPUR — Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim, the police officer who investigated Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s black-eye beating in 1998, has accused the country's top lawyer and police chief of fabricating evidence in the assault but cleared Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad of any wrong-doing.

He claimed he was told by the then prime minister to ensure there was no cover-up in the investigations, according to a statement of claim made by him in a suit filed against the opposition leader.

But the former investigator now implicates Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail and Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan in what he claims was an attempt to introduce a medical report which he found suspicious.

According to his statement of claims which was obtained by The Malaysian Insider, the medical report prepared by a Dr Abdul Rahman Yusof from Hospital Kuala Lumpur had suggested Anwar’s injuries were self-inflicted.

Instead, Mat Zain asserts in his statement of claim that he had taken all possible steps to prevent the medical report prepared by Dr Abdul Rahman from being included in his investigation papers.

Mat Zain filed a RM30 million defamation suit against Anwar last year after the Pakatan Rakyat leader claimed that Abdul Gani, who was a senior deputy public prosecutor then, and Musa, who was an investigating officer, had fabricated evidence against him in the black-eye assault.

Tan Sri Rahim Noor, the Inspector-General of Police in 1998, later admitted he had assaulted Anwar following a Royal Commission of Inquiry probe in 1999.

Besides Mat Zain, Musa has also filed a defamation suit against Anwar.

The statements of claim made by both Musa and Mat Zain have been admitted as part of an affidavit filed by Anwar for his Sodomy II trial which starts in July.

Anwar had claimed trial last August to sodomising his former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, his second sodomy case in a decade.

Mat Zain, who declined comment on the details of his lawsuit, told The Malaysian Insider however that he had decided to sue Anwar to clear his name because unlike Abdul Gani and Musa he had not been officially cleared of the allegations of abuse of power.

Yesterday, Mat Zain, who retired as the Kuala Lumpur CID chief, claimed there was a high-level plot using a bankruptcy notice to destroy his credibility ahead of several cases including Anwar’s sodomy trial.

State news agency Bernama had on Wednesday reported that Mat Zain was declared a bankrupt on April 21 for failing to settle a RM250,000 loan and was served with the notice on May 26. The news was carried by several Malaysian publications including The Malaysian Insider which subscribes to the Bernama service.

“I say with certainty that there are very powerful hidden hands that wanted it so. Their reasons are to destroy my credibility and/or to paralyse my capabilities and prevent me from giving evidence against Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail and IGP Tan Sri Musa Hassan for fabricating evidence in the ‘black-eye’ case of 1998 involving Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim,” said Mat Zain in a statement.

Mat Zain claimed the bankruptcy notice is related to his appeal to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) advisory board to clear his name after the anti-graft agency cleared only Gani and Musa from charges of fabrication lodged by Anwar.

“I have reasons to believe that the prosecution team anticipated that Anwar will certainly raise at certain points of his trial the issue of fabrication of evidence in the black-eye case. My evidence would be vital at this stage. Their only option is to destroy my credibility.”

In his statement of claim, Mat Zain points out that he had been instructed by Rahim, the IGP then, to head an investigation into Anwar’s allegation on Sept 27, 1998 that he had been assaulted while in police lock-up.

Anwar had been detained by police on Sept 20,1998, just 18 days after he had been sacked by Dr Mahathir as deputy prime minister. The widespread public protests and his subsequent sodomy trial led to the birth of the Reformasi movement.

In his suit against Anwar filed last August, Mat Zain states that he had accompanied two forensic specialists — Dr Halim Mansar and Dr Zahari Noor — to conduct a medical examination on Anwar on the day he started his probe.

He met Rahim later that night and was instructed by his boss “to leave no stone unturned” to protect the integrity of the police.

On Oct 16, Mat Zain claims he was told by the Attorney-General then to liaise with Abdul Gani on all matters related to the probe.

Ten days later he met with Abdul Gani at the latter’s office and was then introduced to Dr Abdul Rahman. The medical expert then signed a medical report and handed it over to Mat Zain.

Mat Zain then claims that he had objected to Dr Abdul Rahman’s report because it also contained personal attacks against Dr Halim, one of the original medical experts in the case.

He claimed further that on further enquiries, he had discovered that Dr Halim had previously lodged a police report against Dr Abdul Rahman for “criminal intimidation.”

On Oct 28, 1998, Mat Zain said he had come to the conclusion that Dr Abdul Rahman had never examined Anwar. He also claimed to have discovered that Abdul Gani had been present on the 30th floor of Bukit Aman on the night that Rahim assaulted Anwar.

Two days later, Mat Zain claimed that he submitted to Abdul Gani his investigation papers which asserted among other matters that Anwar’s injuries were consistent with an assault and that they were not self-inflicted. Mat Zain also asserted that he believed Rahim was the person who had assaulted Anwar.

The two men — Mat Zain and Abdul Gani — had a heated argument over the findings of the probe, according to the statement of claim.

Later that year on Dec 12, Musa, who is now the IGP, had asked Mat Zain to attend a meeting at Bukit Aman with Abdul Gani and Dr Abdul Rahman. At the meeting he was asked to accompany Dr Abdul Rahman for a visit to the lock-up in which Anwar had been held.

The next day, Mat Zain claims he took Dr Abdul Rahman to the lock-up, but points out that he left the doctor on his own in the room.

On Dec 31, 1998, Mat Zain claims that his investigation papers were returned to him. The papers included a second undated medical report by Dr Abdul Rahman.

In the second medical report, Mat Zain claims it was stated he had accompanied Dr Abdul Rahman and aided in a reconstruction of events, which he says was not true.

The initial police investigations prompted Dr Mahathir to suggest Anwar's black-eye could have been self-inflicted, an allegation that was later found to be untrue.

Mat Zain claims that he investigated the black-eye incident without fear or favour and had his statement recorded five times by the precursor to MACC, the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) when Anwar lodged a report on July 1, 2008 that Abdul Gani, Musa, Mat Zain and Dr Abdul Rahman had falsified a medical report on the assault case.

But MACC chief commissioner Datuk Seri Ahmad Said Hamdan announced on March 3 that a three-member independent panel led by the Solicitor-General had scrutinised the investigation papers and cleared Abdul Gani and Musa of criminal wrongdoing, prompting Mat Zain to later appeal the findings. (TMI)

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Mat Zain claims defamation plot ahead of Anwar case

KUALA LUMPUR— Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim, the police officer who investigated Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s black-eye assault in 1998, today claimed a high-level plot using a bankruptcy notice to destroy his credibility ahead of several cases including the opposition leader’s sodomy case in July.

State news agency Bernama yesterday reported that Mat Zain was declared a bankrupt on April 21 for failing to settle a RM250,000 loan and was served with the notice on May 26. The news was carried by several Malaysian publications including The Malaysian Insider which subscribes to the Bernama service.

“I say with certainty that there are very powerful hidden hands that wanted it so. Their reasons are to destroy my credibility and/or to paralyze my capabilities and preventing me from giving evidence against Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail and IGP Tan Sri Musa Hassan for fabricating evidence in the “black-eye” case of 1998 involving Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim,” said Mat Zain in a statement.

Mat Zain, who went on optional retirement in 2001 as the KL CID chief, said he believed the bankruptcy notice is related to his appeal to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) advisory board to clear his name after the anti-graft agency cleared only Gani and Musa from charges of fabrication lodged by Anwar.

“I have reasons to believe that the prosecution team anticipated that Anwar will certainly raise at certain point of his trial the issue of fabrication of evidence in the black-eye case. My evidence would be vital at this stage. Their only option is to destroy my credibility.

“Though this publication may cause some inconvenience to me and my family, but I take it as a blessing and that it will only enhance my resolve to disclose the whole truth of the “black-eye” episode.

“Believe me, that this is not the only case the duo had their fingers in. There are others which are as sensational. The truth shall prevail,” Mat Zain said.

He claimed that he investigated the black-eye incident without fear or favour and had his statement recorded five times by the precursor to MACC, the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) when Anwar lodged a report on July 1, 2008 that Gani, Musa, Mat Zain and Dr Abdul Rahman Yusof had falsified a medical report on the assault case.

But MACC chief commissioner Datuk Seri Ahmad Said Hamdan announced on March 3 that a three-member independent panel led by the Solicitor-General had scrutinised the investigation papers and cleared Gani and Musa of criminal wrongdoing, prompting Mat Zain to later appeal the findings.

“However, I am justified to state that the Prime Minister was never told the true and entire facts of this issue. Should the truth be told, I believe the PM would have taken the appropriate actions,” Mat Zain said.

He disclosed that he has instructed his lawyers to look into the bankruptcy matter as he had never received any notice of a hearing related to a suit by businessman Yap Thoong Choan, 72, of Damansara Heights, filed on Aug 10, 2004, against Mat Zain at the Bandar Baru Bangi Sessions Court claiming the remaining RM250,000 of a loan which was not settled.

He said in his statement of claim that Mat Zain, 60, had taken a RM500,000 loan via an agreement signed by both parties on Feb 22, 2002, and it was agreed that the loan was to be settled on or before Aug 21, 2002.

Yap said that so far, Mat Zain had settled RM250,000 of the amount. A letter of demand for the remaining RM250,000, dated July 14, 2004, was sent to Mat Zain but he failed to pay up. The Shah Alam High Court on April 21 this year issued a bankruptcy notice on Mat Zain ordering him to pay the RM250,000 with interest and costs, bringing the total to RM288,824.92 .

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Manek Urai vote on July 14

PUTRAJAYA— Polling for the Manek Urai by-election is set for July 14 while nomination day falls on July 6, Election Commission Chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Yusof announced today.

The election was called following the death of five-term Kelantan state lawmaker Ismail Yaacob last Friday.

Ismail, who was recently elected the Kuala Krai PAS deputy chief, first won the seat in 1986. In last year’s general election, he defeated Barisan Nasional’s (BN) Zulkepli Omar by 1,352 votes.

Ismail did not contest the 2004 election when Zulkepli won by 53 votes.

Manek Urai, which is about a two-hour drive from Kota Baru, comprises an electorate that is almost exclusively Malay, with other races making up less than one per cent of the 12,292 voters.

A largely forested area, Manek Urai is one of the four state seats in the Kuala Krai parliamentary constituency. The other three are Mengkebang, Guchil and Dabong.

The last by-election in Kelantan was held in 2005 for the Pengkalan Pasir state constituency, which saw BN wresting the seat from PAS. (TMI)

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Nik Aziz - BN no better than communist

PENANTI— PAS spiritual leader Datuk Seri Nik Abdul Aziz joined an all-star ceramah session last night as Pakatan Rakyat stepped up efforts to wrap up the by-election and bag the win.

Nik Aziz went straight for the Barisan Nasional (BN) jugular and mocked prime minister and BN president Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s decision not to allow former communist leader Chin Peng to return to Malaysia, describing it as hypocritical.

“Chin Peng wants to come back and somebody asked me what I thought about it so I said if BN wants to reject the communists, then the same can be said about nationalists,” he said.

The statement was made in reference to his belief and past statement that Umno should replace its nationalist trait with Islam as the main ideology.

Nik Aziz, who vehemently opposes the “cooperation with Umno” idea supported by some of his own party members, had stated in the past that the Islamist party will only work together with its rival if the latter discards its nationalist ideology.

But judging by how the charismatic PAS leader pounded BN last night, this “cooperation” is a long way off.

BN was accused of total evil, reigning with treachery, manipulation and corruption. He urged Penanti voters to rise against the BN rule and vote for PKR candidate Mansor Othman this Sunday.

The other big names at the ceramah were Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who also asked voters to send a strong signal to BN.

He also blasted BN for their decision to contest in Manek Urai, slamming the decision as a reflection of their arrogance and hypocrisy.

“When they did not want to contest at Penanti, they said they wanted to focus on improving the country’s economy and not play the political game supposedly created by me.

“But it seems that the economy of the country, in fact the world, has been solved since BN now has the time to contest there,” he said.

The Manek Urai by-election in Kelantan will be the seventh since the March 8 polls. The state seat was vacated following the death of its assemblyman, Ismail Yaakob.

Also present at the ceramah was PKR vice-president Azmin Ali. (TMI)

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Anwar sued Anifah for RM100m

KUALA LUMPUR— Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is filing a libel suit against Foreign Minister Datuk Anifah Aman today.

Anwar’s lawyer Sankara Nair told The Malaysian Insider that the suit will be filed at 2pm at the Kuala Lumpur High Court.

Anifah has refused to apologise. – Bernama pic

On May 16, Anifah who is also MP for Kimanis, told a group of foreign reporters in the United States that Anwar had offered him the deputy prime minister's position if he agreed to cross over to Pakatan Rakyat (PR) after the March 8 general election last year. He was speaking at a joint press conference at the State Department in Washington with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

He also alleged Anwar was “trying to buy other legislative members”.

When Anwar strongly denied the accusations and threatened legal action unless Anifah issued an apology, the latter refused.

"Oh yes, I have no problem with that, as the foreign minister I have better things to do, Anwar is the least of my concern."

On May 18, Sankara said that the allegations made by Anifah were “baseless, untrue, defamatory and made with malicious intent to tarnish Anwar’s reputation”.

The lawyer then sent Anifah a letter of demand for an immediate apology, pending which RM100 million would be sought “for the injury caused to our client’s reputation”. (TMI)

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PKR admit meeting Aminah but not to bribe

UPDATED

By Syed Jaymal Zahiid

PENANTI, May 26 – The two PKR leaders accused of attempted bribery by independent candidate Aminah Abdullah today admitted that the voices in the recording were indeed theirs.

Supreme council member Cheah Ka Peng and special officer to a Penang PKR exectuive councillor Peter Lim said the meeting, as claimed by Aminah, did take place at the latter’s house on May 13.

They, however, rubbished claims made by the former Penang PKR Wanita chief that they had tried to bribe her with a top post at the Penang City Council if she withdrew from contesting in the by-election.

They also denied trying to persuade her to rejoin the party and offering her the deputy chief minister (DCM) post.

Aminah claimed that the offer was done with the approval of party leader and opposition icon Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

“It was just a meeting of a jovial nature. We categorically deny the allegations made by her. The recording is misleading,” Cheah told a press conference adding that he felt betrayed by Aminah’s act of secretly recording their meeting.

“The meeting was done in our own personal capacity and not endorsed by any organisation.

“We are close friends for over a decade now. We always visit her during Hari Raya and we were there at her daughter’s engagement ceremony,” he said.

However, Cheah gave a vague answer when asked if the DCM post offer was part of their “jovial conversation” saying only that the topic came out “after she had thrown the question (in).”

He also refused to answer questions on the content of the compact disc which contains the audio recording saying it was best if the press asked Aminah instead of him as it was she who had made the allegations.

“Why don’t you ask her instead since she is the one raising the accusations,” a visibly annoyed Cheah said.

He added that the matter will now be dealt with by PKR party lawyers. A notice demanding Aminah retract her allegations and apologise has already been issued today.

The supreme council leader then appealed to the press to focus on the issues pertaining to the by-election instead of Aminah’s alleagtions which he described as nothing more than a political stunt.

But whether Cheah likes it or not, the issue has escalated to a different level now that the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) has stepped in.

Aminah today revealed that she was interviewed by MACC officers at their office in Butterworth yesterday.

She had also submitted the audio recording and pictorial evidence of the meeting to the Elections Commission this morning. (TMI)

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