Probe into Suaram status

KUALA LUMPUR: The Home Ministry and five government agencies, including the Registrar of Societies (ROS), will probe allegations that Suaram had received funds from an American organisation linked to currency speculator George Soros.

“We will look into the status of Suaram which is not registered under the ROS as well as allegations that it had been receiving foreign funds.

“The agencies will look at our investigation papers and check whether Suaram had breached any law. We will take action if there is enough evidence against it,” said Companies Commission of Malaysia (CCM)chief executive officer Mohd Naim Daruwish after chairing the first meeting on the matter yesterday.

The other parties are the CCM, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, Bank Negara and the police.

It was reported that investigations by the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry showed that there were three letters addressed to Suaram dated Oct 17, 2007, Dec 18, 2008 and Feb 12, 2010 stating the awarding of grants amounting to RM585,770 (US$188,775.65) from an organisation called the Open Society Foundation chaired by Soros.

Mohd Naim also denied that the investigation against Suaram was politically motivated and that CCM only began investigating it after they received a tip-off from an NGO.

“We are not selective in our investigations and we take action on all the reports lodged with us,” he said.

He also noted that the CCM was not investigating Suaram as it was an NGO and did not fall under its purview.

“We will be calling the board of directors of Suara Inisiatif Sdn Bhd (a company linked to Suaram) to explain the finances in their annual report from 2008 until 2011.

“In our second meeting, we will determine whether it is appropriate to set up a special task force to look into the matter,” he added.

Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, meanwhile, had questioned the motive of groups that had queried the investigations against Suaram.

“When Suaram is criticised, they claimed it is unfair but when Suaram criticised others, they called it free speech,” he said in his Twitter account.

Key persons in Suaram are mostly made up of PKR leaders. They include MPs R. Sivarasa and Tian Chua, state assemblymen Elizabeth Wong and Dr Nasir Hashim and PKR senator Dr Syed Husin Ali. The others are activists linked to the party like lawyer Charles Hector, Cynthia Gabriel, Irene Fernandez, Irene Xavier and Malaysiakini CEO Premesh Chandran.

Sources: The Star

LA: Just wait and see what happened after this. 

Penang keeping mum on separate polls

GEORGE TOWN: Penang is keeping mum on the prospects of a separate state election while Kedah says it will decide only after Parliament is dissolved.

However, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng is expected to make his stand clear today, an aide said.

“My boss will only comment about it tomorrow,” the aide said, when asked if Lim will hold simultaneous election with the federal polls.

This follows a decision by the Selangor government that it will hold its own state polls, separate from the parliamentary election.

Kelantan had said it would follow the Federal Government on the general election.

In ALOR SETAR, Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak said the state might go along with the idea of holding a separate election for Kedah.

He added that, however, the state government would consider first which move could ensure a win for PAS and its allies before making a decision.

“We will wait until Parliament is dissolved. We also need to know the decision of the Pakatan Rakyat council on the matter,” said Azizan, who confirmed he would defend the Sungai Limau state seat.

Meanwhile, Penang MCA secretary Lau Chiek Tuan said the island was not likely to hold separate polls as the Pakatan coalition had been saying it was confident of retaining the state.

“Selangor is probably worried to lose, hence the need to have separate state polls,” he said.

State opposition leader and Penang Umno secretary Datuk Azhar Ibrahim said the state assembly would decide on whether to have concurrent or separate polls.

Sources: The Star

Nasha-Karpal spat ‘personal issue’

PETALING JAYA (Sept 12, 2012): Pakatan Rakyat leadership is treating the dispute between former PAS deputy president Nahsarudin Mat Isa and DAP president Karpal Singh as a personal issue.

Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said his party, PKR will not interfere in the matter and had given PAS and DAP the right to deal with their members.

"Syura Council has made a decision (on Nasharudin) and we will respect that. As PAS and DAP had never interfered with our internal issue, we will take the same stand. Nasha's (Nasharudin) issue is their internal problem to deal with," he told the press conference after the Pakatan Rakyat presidential council meeting today.

The sentiment is also echoed by DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang who gave an assurance that DAP will not interfere or ask for action to be taken against Nasharudin.

"The Karpal - Nasharudin matter is personal. DAP will not interfere in the matter," he said.

On Sunday, PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang told reporters that Nasharudin's position in the party was not discussed in the Syura council meeting on Sunday.

According to Abdul Hadi, the meeting primarily focused on party candidates for the upcoming general election (GE) which will be announced later.

Nasharudin had described Karpal as 'anti-Islam' for his stand against hudud, which PAS is promoting.

The Bukit Gelugor MP responded by saying that he would take Nasharudin to court for claiming that he (Karpal) was against Islam and that as a lawyer, he (Karpal) should know that the implementation of hudud required high standards of proof.

Nasharudin had also created a stir when he accompanied the Prime Minister to Saudi Arabia in July, prompting speculation of him leaving PAS or being sacked from the party.

Sources: The Sun

LA:Karpal VS Nasha.