‘Khalid afraid to face the truth’

KUALA LUMPUR: Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim did not attend the highly-anticipated debate on the Talamgate controversy because he was afraid to face the truth, said MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek.

“The debate did not happen because there are people who dare not face the truth. Berani kerana benar, berani kerana nak tegakkan keadilan (Being bold in the defence of truth and justice).

“This is more so in Selangor where its (the state government's) policy is Competency, Accountability and Transparency. So, why must you hide?” he said after launching the 1MCA Micro-Credit Scheme for Youth here yesterday.

No-show by MB: Tee Yong speaking during the debate on the Talamgate controversy in Bandar Tun Razak, Cheras.

He was commenting on Khalid's absence from the debate with MCA Young Professionals Bureau chief Datuk Chua Tee Yong on Talam Corporation Bhd's debt recovery exercise on Wednesday.

Instead, Khalid had appointed Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua, his political secretary Faekah Hussin, Kuala Selangor MP Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad and Selayang MP William Leong as his spokesmen on the issue.

The four had walked out in protest during the event, saying Tee Yong had not wanted to debate with them.

Dr Chua said Khalid not a representative was the most appropriate person to clear the air by virtue of his post as the head of state government.

“The representatives are not members of the state's administration and as such, do not have full information. Documents and issues discussed in the state executive council meetings are only privy to the mentri besar and the exco members.

Some supporters clashing during the debate.

“Whatever information the representatives have are second, third and fourth-hand information conveyed to them,” he said.

In July, Tee Yong had questioned how an exercise to recover RM392mil debt owed by Talam to state-linked companies ended up in questionable deals worth over RM1bil.

The RM1bil deals include Talam assets acquired by the Selangor government at RM676mil to offset the debt and a RM392mil grant obtained by the Mentri Besar Incorporated to facilitate the debt recovery exercise.

Dr Chua said that in the past, MCA leaders would be labelled as “cowards” by the Opposition should they fail to take up the latter's challenges.

“So when we challenged Khalid for a debate and he didn't turn up what must we say? He cannot be a hero for not turning up,” he added.

Meanwhile, Cheras OCPD Asst Comm Mohan Singh said four suspects arrested during a commotion at the forum had been remanded for investigation.

Sources: The Star 

LA: Bagai anjing dengan bayang-bayang.

PR fears facing BN in next polls,says MCA

MCA claims that Pakatan Rakyat has no confidence in general Barisan Nasional in the next general election,a point proven by Selangor goverment's intention to hold a separate state election.

MCA national organising secretary Datuk Tee Siew Kiong said in order to stop at all costs to continue deceiving the people by resorting to their standard gimmicks.

The Selangor Pakatan goverment has once again shown that they are incoherent. While Pakatan leaders have declared that they are ready to face the general election anytime,and have ridiculed Barisan Nasional for not daring to announce the polling date and even delaying the general election,this decision shows Pakatan's consistency in self contradictions, he said in a statement yesterday.Tee said that the decision approved by the Pakatan Rakyat presidential council on Wednesday will force Selangor voters to adjust their schedules to cast their votes for parliamentary lawmakers and for state legislators on two different occasions.

Tee added that move by Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim's administration is not only a waste of rate payer's funds but also an unwise decision to deliberately inconvenience Selangor residents.

Sources: The Sun 14 Sept 2012

LA:  fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but  fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.

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.

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.

Karpal in ‘lonely battle’

KUALA LUMPUR: DAP national chairman Karpal Singh is fighting “a lonely battle” in trying to stop PAS from implementing hudud.

MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said other than Karpal, nobody else from the party was seen to be vocal against the law.

Dr Chua said PAS deputy president Mat Sabu had said in an interview that the Islamic party would seek to amend the constitution to implement hudud if it formed the government.

“He said all Muslim MPs will be committed to do this. There are currently over 150 Muslim MPs, which is more than two-thirds of the total representatives in the Dewan Rakyat.

“So DAP must do more to convince us that hudud will not be implemented if the Opposition wins,” Dr Chua told reporters after chairing the MCA presidential council meeting at Wisma MCA here yesterday.

On another matter, Dr Chua accused the Opposition of influencing youths to demonstate against the Government.

“Because the Opposition is so successful in inciting hatred against Barisan Nasional leaders, many of those who attend political functions do not want to even shake our hands.

“We may have different opinions but it shouldn’t be to the extent of hating us,” Dr Chua added.

On another matter, Dr Chua said the MCA’s annual general meeting would be held on Oct 21 and launched by the Prime Minister and Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

“A day before the meeting, MCA will give a briefing to all leaders in its branches.

“It will focus on issues raised by the Opposition to influence voters and confuse the people,” he said.

Meanwhile, DAP and PKR women lawmakers have been asked to rebuke PAS over its gender separation policy.

Wanita MCA Young Women Bureau national chief Tee Hooi Ling said in a press statement that Karpal had been the only one to speak up against what happened at PAS’ Hari Raya open house in Seremban.

“What is amazing is that DAP women lawmakers like Teresa Kok, Chong Eng, Teoh Nie Ching, Hannah Yeoh and Fong Po Kuan have not questioned it.

“Why are the women leaders from PKR like its president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail or PKR women’s chief Zuraida Kama­ruddin, or other legislators like Elizabeth Wong and Fuziah Salleh, keeping mum?” Tee asked.

Sources: The Star

LA; Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster