Perkasa exposes 'sabotage fund'

Perkasa information chief Ruslan Kasim alleges that the opposition has set up a special fund to buy over dissatisfied Barisan Nasional component party members and to carry out sabotage works within the coalition.

He said Umno members who were not picked as candidates in the next general election would be targeted by the opposition.

"Sources have revealed that the opposition is trying to identify the target group or individuals in BN who would be sore if they are not picked as candidates.

"These people will be enticed to jump party or sabotage Umno and BN."

"This is not the first time such allegations have been hurled at Suaram," she said in a text message.

"I believe these accusations are aimed at discrediting Suaram.

"What is important is the work we do for the people and our work speaks volumes."

Suaram has been accused of receiving foreign funds to assist the opposition.

The Companies Commission of Malaysia, in its investigations, had exposed transactions involving foreign funds between Suaram and its parent company, Suara Inisiatif Sdn Bhd.

Sumber: NSTP

Defence Ministry calls Suaram a liar

The Defence Ministry has categorically labelled leaders of pro-opposition Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) as liars for telling the public there was a trial in France over the Malaysian purchase of its Scorpene submarines .

Deputy Defence Minister Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad said Parti Keadilan Rakyat's member of parliament for Batu, Tian Chua, had confirmed that the non-governmental organisation had lied on the issue during a Parliament session.

He said proof of this is in the Parliament's Hansard dated Nov 21 where Tian Chua's statement on the matter contradicted those of Suaram's.

Only an investigation by an 'investigating magistrate' took place, said Latiff.

In France, an investigating magistrate is a judge who carries out investigations into cases and arranges prosecutions.

He explained that the term meant that a trial was not conducted by a French court as claimed by Suaram.

"It was as if there was a judicial process, but in fact, the term just means there was an investigation," he said, adding that the process was conducted by the French Justice Department.

"The judge can investigate, but he cannot pass a verdict."

He said the investigation was made in lieu of complaints by two lawyers who were appointed by Suaram.

"Suaram was trying to confuse the rakyat by calling an investigation a trial."

On a separate matter, Latiff reminded veterans of the armed forces who were eligible for the Non-Pensionable Veterans (STB1M) aid to return their forms to receive a RM1,000 one-off payment.

The RM1,000 one-off payment was for ex-servicemen who had opted for early retirement.

Sumber: NSTP

Pegawai kerajaan jadi tali barut Suaram

Pertubuhan Jaringan Melayu Malaysia (JMM) mendakwa terdapat lebih 10 pegawai kerajaan terlibat dalam komplot menjadi tali barut Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) untuk mendedahkan maklumat melibatkan keselamatan negara.Presidennya, Azwanddin Hamzah mendakwa, pegawai kerajaan itu juga terlibat menutup maklumat Suaram menerima dana asing yang dikatakan bernilai kira-kira RM100 juta sejak 1998.

Azwanddin mendakwa pegawai kerajaan itu disogok Suaram melalui dua syarikat iaitu Suara Komunikasi Enterprise dan Suara Inisiatif Sdn Bhd.

Melibatkan beberapa kepentingan dalam kementerian dan jabatan antaranya Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara (JPN), Jabatan Perdana Menteri (JPM) dan Bank Negara

Sumber: Sinar harian

LA: Sangat memalukan bila maruah diri Pegawai-pegawai kerajaan diperlekehkan.hanya kerana nila setitik,rosak susu sebelanga.Mereka yang terllibat jangan sesekali dilepaskan.perlu dikenakan hukuman yang sangt berat kerana melibatkan keselamatan negara dan boleh mengugat keamanan negara.Kerajaan tidak memerlukan mush dalam selimut dalam pasukan.

Stop harassing Suaram, says Amnesty

PETALING JAYA (Sept 26, 2012): Amnesty International has called on Malaysian authorities to end “harassment and intimidation” on Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) after the civil liberties group was investigated over foreign funding.

“The government should respect Suaram’s right as a human rights organisation to seek and receive funding, rather than abuse its power to intimidate the group,” Amnesty said in a statement.

It cited Article 13 of the 1998 UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, that “organisations have the right to to solicit, receive and utilise resources for the express purpose of promoting and protecting human rights”.

On Sept 18, Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that Suaram and its affiliate, Suara Inisiatif Sdn Bhd, would be probed by the government.

He said the Registrar of Societies will take action against Suaram and Suara Inisiatif under the Societies Act 1966, while Bank Negara Malaysia will investigate Suaram under the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001 for anomalies related to its accounts.

“The rights to freedom of expression and to peaceful assembly and association are key human rights provided in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other internationally agreed instruments,” the Amnesty statement said.

Amnesty said this is not the first time the government has resorted to restricting the freedom of association, and clamping down on peaceful dissent.

Meanwhile, Ismail told reporters today that the Companies Commission of Malaysia has submitted a report on Suaram and Suara Inisiatif to the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) for further investigation.

He however declined to reveal the details requested by the AGC. “I cannot reveal the details because it will influence initial perceptions towards the case. You have to ask the AG,” he said.

Sources: The Star 27 Sept 2012

Suaram claims police intimidation

PETALING JAYA: Suaram has claimed that policemen who visited their office had intimidated and harassed their staff.

Suaram executive director E. Nalini said two policemen came to their premises in Jalan Gasing Indah, near here, at 1.50pm yesterday to serve a notice from the Registrar of Societies (ROS).

The officers claimed that the notice was connected to a report lodged against the human rights NGO.

“Because they refused to reveal what the notice was about, we asked that our lawyer be present when it was served. Instead, one of the officers began shouting at us and even warned me to not waste their time,” she said.

She said the duo left 20 minutes later without handing over the notice and their lawyer, Fadiah Nadwa, arrived soon after they had left.

Sources: The Star

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. 

NGOs gather in support of Suaram

KUALA LUMPUR: About 135 NGOs gathered to show support for human rights organisation Suaram and called for an end to alleged “harassment” of the organisation.

The NGOs, which included Tenaganita, Sisters in Islam and Aliran, said allegations of financial irregularities had to be investigated but must be done in an “impartial and fair” manner.

Suaram director Dr Kua Kia Soong said Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s recent statement that the NGO’s accounts were “highly suspicious” was defamatory.

Ismail had said Suaram’s financial report, submitted to the Companies Commission of Malaysia, showed it had received US$180,000 (RM594,000) in stages between 2007 and 2010 from a foreign foundation said to be linked to currency speculator George Soros.

The minister had added it was against the law for Suaram to receive foreign funds as it was not registered under the Registrar of Societies.

Women’s Aid Organisation executive director Ivy Josiah defended Suaram’s acceptance of funds from foreign institutions.

“It is not foreign funding, it’s global funding,” she said.

Also present was Bersih chairperson Datuk S. Ambiga who said acceptance of funds was “not a crime” as long as the money was accounted for.

Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) Datuk Paul Low said Malaysian NGO’s had the right to receive foreign funding.

“As a registered Malaysian NGO, TI-M is aware of the difficulty and challenges faced by civil society in raising funds for projects and activities,’’ said Low in a media statement.

Low added that many of its civil society partners, universities, think tanks and even the Malaysian Government received funding from various foreign institutions.

Meanwhile, Cheras Umno division chief Datuk Wira Syed Ali Alhabsheesaid Suaram should not be allowed to operate here, as it had received funds from a foundation associated with Soros who had sabotaged the Malaysian economy more than a decade ago.

He added that Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim also appeared to be using Suaram to push his political agenda.

Sources: The Star

LA: Please save our country from Suaram.

Suaram: German funds used for refugee aid

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 11, 2012): Funds given to Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) by the German Embassy were used for the NGO's refugees and undocumented migrants programme, Suaram adviser Dr Kua Kia Soong said.

"The money was channelled to the refugees programme; very few people would give money for refugees and undocumented migrants," he said when clarifying the use of funds provided by the embassy to Suara Rakyat Inisiatif Sdn Bhd, a Suaram-linked company.

He was speaking at a press conference organised by 135 NGOs showing support for Suaram today.

Bersih 2.0 steering committee co-chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan, who led the press conference, said the NGOs "expressed absolute horror at the manner in which Suaram, a respected human rights body, is being treated by the government".

"As NGOs, we have no issue in being investigated to ensure accounts are in proper order, but the many accusations against Suaram have been levelled against many civil societies in the past, especially when they are doing something uncomfortable for the government," she said, alluding to Suaram's investigations into the government's Scorpene submarine deal.

Centre for Independent Journalism executive officer Masjaliza Hamzah said many government-linked NGOs also received foreign funding for their work.

"It is definitely not unusual for human rights work to be supported by international organisations," she said.

According to the Foreign Ministry, German Ambassador Dr Guenther Georg Gruber had explained that the funds given to Suaram were for a workshop held in Kuala Lumpur in November 2010, which was attended by 21 NGOs.

"Funding [by the German Embassy] is only provided on a project basis, those which are close to German values including the protection and promotion of human rights," the ministry said in a statement after calling in Gruber to Wisma Putra on Friday.

The NGOs called on the government to stop the "selective persecution" of Suaram, which they described as a "witch hunt".

Suaram slams ‘premature’ accusations

PETALING JAYA (Sept 10, 2012): Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) slammed Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob for jumping the gun by saying that the organisation would be prosecuted even though investigations into its accounts are still ongoing.

In a statement today, Suaram executive director Nalini Elumalai said Suaram also condemns Sabri's alleged statement that its accounts are "highly suspicious" despite the ongoing probe.

"Suaram has all along complied fully with the Companies Act in our dealings, and our accounts are fully audited every year," said Nalini.

"This can only be seen as a political setup to frame Suaram because of our complaint to the French court to investigate suspected corruption in the Scorpene deal," she added.

It was reported on Saturday that Suara Inisiatif Sdn Bhd, the company linked to Suaram, would be charged in the next two weeks for breaching provisions under the Companies Act, and it would also be investigated for four other possible offences linked to its highly suspicious accounts.

It was also reported that the company has been receiving funding from foreign countries such as Germany, and has been linked to currency speculator George Soros.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry said Malaysia is deeply disappointed to learn that the German embassy had funded Suaram as it can be misconstrued and be seen as interference in the domestic affairs of the country.

According to the ministry's statement, the ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Malaysia Dr Guenther Georg Gruber told the ministry's deputy secretary- general (bilateral relations) the funds were for a project that is "close to German values – the protection and promotion of human rights".

rights".

According to the statement, the funds were used to organise a workshop which was held in Kuala Lumpur in November 2010 which was attended by 21 non-governmental organisations.

Sources:The Sun

LA:I hate people saying anything stupid .