Kalau Hanya Mencari Nama!

NGO Muslim tarik diri dari sertai Flotilla II

Ismail Hashim

SHAH ALAM, 24 Jun: Dewan Pemuda PAS menegaskan tidak akan menghantar wakil untuk menyertai Flotilla II dan Lifeline4Gaza (LL4G) Malaysia. Ketua Penerangannya, Ustaz Riduan Mohd Nor berkata, meski dipujuk oleh pihak terbabit untuk bersama dengan Flotilla II, namun Pemuda PAS enggan. Dalam kenyataannya kepada Harakahdaily petang ini, Riduan berkata, pihaknya akan membantu rakyat Palestin dalam bentuk lain dan tersendiri. "Kami hanya enggan sertai flotilla II ini tetapi Pemuda PAS akan bantu melalui kaedah lain dan kami akan mengelak diri dari dimanipulasi oleh Umno BN. "Banyak pihak menyifatkan misi kali ini cuba dikudatunggangi BN yang ingin mewajahkan mereka mesra Palestin sedangkan sudah RM154 juta mereka bayar pada APCO," tegasnya. Beliau mengesahkan Ketua  Pemuda PAS, Ustaz Nasrudin Hassan Tantawi telah dihubungi oleh Pengerusi LL4G, Dr Noorazman Shamsudin melalui panggilan telefon, semalam. Dalam pada itu, sehingga petang ini semua NGO Muslim yang merintis LL4G untuk menjayakan Flotilla II telah menarik diri. Setelah Muslim Care Malaysia dan Cakna Palestin secara rasmi menarik diri pada 22 dan 23 Jun, dimaklumkan hari ini Public Campaign to Protect Palestine (PC2P) - Aman Palestine pula akan menarik diri secara rasmi. Sementara itu ketika dihubungi, Pengerusi Haluan Palestin, Dr Syed Muhamad Haleem Syed Hassan mengesahkan Haluan Palestin tidak bertanggungjawab di atas apa-apa tindakan Noorazman kerana beliau  tidak mewakili Haluan dalam LL4G Malaysia ataupun Flotilla II. Jelasnya, kepimpinan tertinggi Haluan telah membuat keputusan rasmi pada hujung April 2011 bahawa Haluan tidak menyertai LL4G Malaysia dan Flotilla II dan Noorazman juga telah dinasihatkan  tidak terlibat. Menurut Dr Syed Muhamad, penglibatan Norazman dalam LL4G dan Flotilla sekarang ini adalah atas kapasiti individu dan bukan sebagai wakil Haluan. Sementara itu, Muslim Care pula memaklumkan sedang membuat persiapan untuk misi bantuan ke Gaza melalui Rafah. Misi ini kemungkinan akan turut disertai oleh Cakna Palestin dan NGO serta beberapa pihak lagi.

Tun Mahathir! Harap Tolong Jawab Bahawa Apa Yang Berlaku Adalah Tidak Benar!

IPP: Najib harus jelaskan subsidi gas RM131.3 bilion

FMT Staff 

Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang Lim Guan Eng desak Perdana Menteri jawab skandal subsidi gas yang didedahkan oleh bekas CEO TNB Tan Sri Ani Arope.

KUALA LUMPUR: Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang Lim Guan Eng mendesak Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak menjawab pendedahan mantan Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif (CEO) Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) Tan Sri Ani Arope mengenai skandal subsidi gasyang mengakibatkan negara menanggung kos sebanyak RM131.3 bilion.
“Najib harus menjawab pendedahan yang dibuat oleh Ani Arope berhubung skandal subsidi minyak ini,” katanya dalam satu kenyataan media yang dikeluarkan di sini hari ini.
Bekas CEO TNB itu mendedahkan bahawa Unit Perancangan Ekonomi (EPU) bertanggungjawab terhadap skandal subsidi minyak yang menyebabkan rakyat Malaysia menanggung kos berjumlah RM131.3 bilion pada tahun 2010.
Lim berkata, Ani Arope sanggup memilih untuk melepaskan jawatan beliau daripada menandatangani perjanjian berat sebelah, yang melihat penciptaan generasi pertama IPP, seperti YTL Power Services, nPowertek dan Malakoff semasa pentadbiran mantan perdana menteri Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
“EPU telah memaksa Tenaga untuk membeli kuasa daripada pengeluar bebas elektrik (Independent Power Producer – IPP), yakni Genting Sanyen, sebanyak 14sen/kWh walaupun terdapat penawaran sebanyak 12sen/kWh; dan IPP mengenakan bayaran sebanyak 16sen/kWh.
Menurut Lim, Ani Arope turut menggelar EPU sebagai ‘Economic Plundering Unit’ dengan menaikkan tarif elektrik sewenang- wenangnya.
Ani Arope menyatakan bahawa agensi janakuasa tersebut telah memaksa syarikat janakuasa nasional untuk menandatangani perjanjian pembelian berat sebelah hampir 20 tahun yang lalu di mana Tenaga mesti membeli tenaga yang tidak diperlukan.

Margin simpanan elektrik tertinggi di dunia
“Hal ini menyebabkan Malaysia mengalami margin simpanan elektrik yang tertinggi di dunia iaitu 52.6% pada tahun 2010,” ujar Setiausaha Agung DAP itu.
Menurutnya lagi, sehingga akhir tahun 2010, Petronas telah menjengkakan subsidi gas asli terhadap sektor janakuasa dan sektor
bukan janakuasa sebanyak RM131.3 bilion.
“Sekiranya harga gas asli tidak berubah (dalam sektor janakuasa pada RM10.70/MMBTU; sektor bukan janakuasa pada RM15.35/MMBTU), sejumlah RM27 billion terpaksa ditanggung pada 2011,” katanya.
Beliau berkata TNB dibenarkan untuk menaikkan 7% kenaikan kerana Tenaga perlu membayar lebih untuk harga gas asli yang naik sebanyak RM3 se MMBTU, di mana ianya akan mengurangkan kos subsidi kepada RM25.64 bilion daripada RM27.22 bilion.
Jelas sekali, tiada justifikasi untuk Putrajaya menaikkan tarif elektrik sebanyak 7% apabila kajian semula syarat asal IPP adalah memadai daripada pemotongan nilai subsidi tersebut.
Katanya, ‘Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers’ (FMM) telah menyatakan bahawa harga dalam sektor janakuasa Malaysia belum menjadi lebih kompetitif, walaupun bayaran untuk gas asli adalah lebih murah (RM13.70/mmBtu) berbanding Thailand (RM18.23), Singapura (RM43.32) dan Indonesia (RM21.04).
“Kos elektrik di Malaysia berikutan kenaikan kadar adalah menghampiri kadar di Thailand. Sekiranya kita membandingkan kadar tenaga elektrik di Thailand yang berkategori tenaga bervoltan rendah, sederhana dan tinggi, kadar tarif Malaysia antara kategori tersebut adalah lebih tinggi.
“Perdana Menteri harus menjawab kepada rakyat Malaysia kenapa rakyat harus ‘membayar’ bagi kesilapan atau perjanjian yang tidak seimbang oleh EPU yang bertentangan dengan kepentingan nasional kerana ia hanya menguntungkan beberapa IPP dengan mengorbankan kepentingan 27 juta rakyat Malaysia,” tambahnya.

Scorpenes and Altantuya: Does Khairy hold the key to Najib's Pandora Box

The noose is tightening. Although it is his former bodyguards who are on death row, Prime Minister Najib Razak is feeling the heat as his alleged former mistress Altantuya Shaariibuu returns to haunt him via a trial due to begin in France within the next two months.
The Turks in UMNO are already eyeing the prime minister’s post. And before anyone starts pointing fingers at Najib's immediate successor, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyidden Yassin, they should cast an eye at Khairy Jamaluddin, the Umno Youth Chief.
PM by 40
Khairy is no ordinary Youth leader. He is not only enormously wealthy but also richly connected. Khairy is the son-in-law of former premier Abdullah Badawi and has previously been reported to have said he wants to be PM by age 40. The Oxford graduate is now 34.

There is widespread belief that during the 2006 Altantuya trial, Badawi was prepared to take Najib out of the picture. It would have worked if not for the insistent hand of Mahathir Mohamed, who still itched to control and govern the country despite retiring in late 2003.
Dr M wanted to ensure that Najib, who was then the DPM, would replace Badawi, whom he hated for scrapping several of his beloved mega-projects and thereby stopping the tap of benefits accruing to these deals from flowing back to him.
The grandfather of Malaysian politics was pulling strings to eject Abdullah and his hand is evident in how the whole trial was mismanaged by the Malaysian judiciary and police department. A fact which was clearly stated in the US Embassy cables released via WikiLeaks, with one cable calling it, “prosecutorial misconduct”.
The cables also drew attention to an attempt by Badawi to use the Altantuya trial to sink Najib. It was an attempt which Najib fended off successfully with help from the powers that be in UMNO and their corrupt hold on the various institutions of government, such as the police, the immigration and even the judiciary.
Fast forward to 2011. French investigators are now preparing to bring to trial a case against French arms-dealer DCNS for allegedly giving bribes to secure the Malaysian acquisition of three submarines, of which Altantuya and Razak Baginda are alleged to be involved on behalf of Najib.
Unable to break into the UMNO old-boys club
The role that Khairy Jamaluddin is alleged to have played in opening up the Altantuya case to the public has come into focus as a result of renewed interest ahead of the French court hearings due to take place soon.
Khairy’s immediate link to the Altantuya case can be found in a written report by military intelligence that was allegedly passed to Abdullah Badawi and to himself for safe-keeping.
And though Badawi’s attempt was foiled by Najib and Mahathir, Khairy’s current push up the UMNO ranks may not be so easily foiled. Especially now when the stakes are much higher and Najib in a precarious position after two years in the top job that has yielded little results.
Khairy married into UMNO, but Badawi is not part of the elite such as the Razaks, the Husseins and the Mahathirs. Anyone other than a scion from these families will have a tough time breaking in. Even Badawi was merely meant tobe a seat-warmer.
But Khairy is much more ambitious than his dad-in-law. As an outsider, he has the appeal that attracts the Malay intellectuals. A fresh voice, despite being tainted by corruption and past racist politicking. Shut out by Mahathir and of course also by Najib, Khairy is the only Youth Chief not to have a ministerial or deputy ministerial portfolio.
Recently, he has tried to strike out on his own, calling on the Najib administration not to hike fuel prices. Instead, Khairy called on the government to cut down unnecessary projects, but for his troubles, he was slammed by his own party colleagues although it won him a modicum of respect from the general public.
It is highly unlikely that Khairy Jamaluddin would be on the list of those the French courts might invite to testify. But certainly, he would be the last person, Najib would want on the witness stand.
Will Khairy spill the beans - one way or another
Even without the French probe, there is speculation Khairy has the trump card that could drive the final nail into the coffin for Najib and even his wife Rosmah.
Bear in mind, Najib’s fingerprints are all over the Altantuya murder.
As Defense Minister, he had the biggest say in the acquisition of military equipment. It is on Najib’s advice that the government agrees to purchase equipment using public funds. It is on Najib’s advice that contracts are negotiated, approved and signed.
If it is proven that a shady deal was in place, then Najib has to be responsible for it. If the so-called military report were to suddenly surface, Najib would really be in hot soup.
In the kill-and-be-killed scenario of UMNO politics, perhaps a player with massive destructive power has emerged. And it looks like this person could be Khairy Jamaluddin.
Would Khairy step up to the plate and hammer the final blow to an embattled and war-weary Najib?
This remains to be seen but the spectre of Altantuya would stay on until she has received the justice that rightfully belongs to her.
- Malaysia Chronicle

Tiada Pencegahan:Setiapkali Berlaku Setiapkali Siasat!

Kabinet Arah PBT Siasat Terperinci Keadaan Bangunan Di Kawasan Berisiko

KUALA LUMPUR: Kabinet telah mengarahkan Pihak Berkuasa Tempatan (PBT) di seluruh negara menjalankan siasatan ke atas bangunan yang telah dan akan dibina di lereng bukit dan kawasan berisiko tinggi berlaku tanah runtuh.
Menteri Perumahan dan Kerajaan Tempatan (KPKT) Datuk Seri Chor Chee Heung berkata, arahan itu dikeluarkan minggu lepas dan semua PBT diminta membuat bancian atau siasatan ini dengan secepat mungkin dan perlu disiapkan dalam tempoh sebulan.
"Selepas itu, saya akan menyiapkan satu laporan khas kepada kabinet. Kawasan yang disiasat bukan hanya terhad dalam bidang kuasa PBT sebaliknya turut melibatkan kawasan di luar bidang kuasa PBT berkenaan," katanya kepada pemberita selepas menerima sumbangan Majlis Jaksa Pendamai Selangor untuk membantu mangsa tragedi tanah runtuh di Hulu Langat pada 21 Mei lalu, di sini Isnin.
Arahan itu dikeluarkan selepas kejadian tanah runtuh di Rumah Anak-anak Yatim dan Anak-anak Hidayah Madrasah Al-Taqwa di Hulu Langat yang mengorbankan 16 orang.
Sehubungan itu, Chor menyeru pemilik bangunan dan rumah yang mempunyai risiko tinggi menghubungi segera PBT terdekat untuk menyiasat kawasan mereka.
Katanya, sebaik siap laporan daripada PBT, kementerian akan meminta pemilik rumah atau bangunan berkenaan untuk mengadakan perancangan bagi mengelak dari erlaku tragedi.
Mengulas mengenai kejadian tanah runtuh di rumah anak-anak yatim itu, Chor berkata ia terletak di luar bidang kuasa Majlis Perbandaran Kajang dan ia diklasifikasikan sebagai kawasan pedalaman.
"Rumah itu sudah pun dibina 15 tahun yang lepas. Di bawah Kanun Tanah Negara, bagi tanah-tanah yang mempunyai kegunaan pertanian atau kampung, tuan tanah berhak untuk membina sebuah rumah untuk keluarganya tanpa kebenaran kecuali tanah itu dalam kawasan operasi atau kawalan PBT.
"Madrasah Al-Taqwa ini juga didapati tidak pernah didaftarkan khususnya di bawah agensi kerajaan di bawah Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat," katanya.
Hari ini Majlis Jaksa Pendamai Selangor diketuai oleh Presidennya Datuk Seri M. Fathil Mahmood menyerahkan sumbangan bernilai RM100,000 kepada Chor untuk disampaikan kepada mangsa tragedi tanah runtuh itu. - BERNAMA

Awas............Saman Trafik!!!

AWAS...
NAMPAK SATU DUA HARI INI
MACAM ADA OPERASI TRAFIK
DI JALANRAYA (BUKAN ROADBLOCK)
SAMAN SAMBIL RONDA-RONDA
MAHU TAMBAH TABUNG PRU13?

Sweet for Felda, bitter for the poor

Teoh El Sen

 

DAP says the raising of sugar prices shows that corporate-centric BN has failed to put people first.

PETALING JAYA: The recent dramatic cut in the sugar subsidy was done to benefit an already rich government-owned sugar company, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said today.
He said the RM116.6 million that the government said it would save from the subsidy cut could be readily offset by the RM232 million in profits reported last year by MSM Malaysia Holdings Bhd, the sugar refining arm of Felda Global Ventures Holdings Sdn Bhd.
“Instead of doing its corporate social responsibility to help Malaysians, especially the poor, Felda would benefit from the RM116.6 million extra to be paid by Malaysians,” said Lim in a press statement.
MSM accounts for close to 60 % of the refined sugar production in Malaysia and is valued at about  RM2.3 billion.
“The BN government can easily transfer this RM116.6 million cost to MSM since it is owned by Felda,” Lim said.
“Instead, in line with BN’s misguided and corporate-centric policy of helping the rich companies at the expense of poor ordinary Malaysians, BN has chosen to hit the pockets of 27 million Malaysians first,” he said.
On May 9, Dosmetic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Ministry secretary-general Mohd Zain Mohd Dom announced a government decision to increase the price of sugar from RM2.10 to RM2.30 a kilogramme as part of the its subsidy rationalisation programme. He said the move would save the government RM116.6 million.
Repeating a call he made last week, Lim urged the government to withhold subsidy cuts on diesel or sugar until it has cut subsidies enjoyed by independent power producers (IPPs).
“BN has not been able to explain why no action has been taken to reduce gas subsidies of RM19 billion annually to IPPs, when it can take action to reduce diesel and gas subsidies of a few hundred million ringgit that hurts ordinary Malaysians,” he said.
“The failure by BN to do so clearly shows that BN is about Barang Naik instead of PR (price reductions),” he said.

 

Bulan Jun 11 Yang Kelam Buat Rakyat Marhaen? 2 Bahan 1 kali naik?

Bill elektrik dan petrol dijangka naik Jun akan datang. Dua komponen penting ekonomi yang digunakan setiap masa oleh setiap lapisan masyarakat. Bila 2 komponen penting ini naik, maka semua barang dijangka akan naik! Baru berapa minggu gula naik bagi mengurangkan subsidi. Bila petrol dan elektrik naik, gula juga akan naik disebabkan kos logistik dan lain-lain naik...maka kenaikan akan berantaian dengan bahan-bahan keperluan lain.......terima kasih BN (BarangNaik). Apa lagi yang nak dikata?

Elektrik: Putrajaya patut kaji konsesi IPP, bukan naik tarif dijangka Jun

KUALA LUMPUR, 23 Mei – Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim menjangkakan tarif elektrik dinaikkan bulan depan, tetapi mahu pentadbiran Najib mengkaji balik konsesi pengeluar tenaga bebas (IPP) dengan Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) agar tidak membebankan rakyat.
Di sebalik kenyataan demi kenyataan mengenai kemungkinan pemotongan bakal dibuat oleh Putrajaya, Ketua Pembangkang (gambar) berkata, beliau sudah sekian lama menegaskan sekitar RM22 bilion subsidi gas yang diberi kepada IPP tidak memberi makna kepada rakyat, sebaliknya ia hanya memberi keuntungan kepada ahli perniagaan dan kroni rapat dengan pemerintah.
The Malaysian Insider difahamkan Kabinet pada Rabu ini akan menyentuh soal itu.
“Sudah sekian lama negara kita dirompak jumlah wang yang besar, yang mampu digunakan untuk membendung inflasi serta membangun model industri lebih baik untuk rakyat.
“Berdasarkan perspektif ini, saya menggesa kerajaan pusat berlaku adil dengan menyemak semula harga dikenakan IPP ke atas Tenaga Nasional Berhad, termasuklah menggugurkan elemen harga tetap seumpama harga kapasiti bersedia dan kapasiti tetap yang mengakibatkan kos elektrik meningkat,” kata beliau dalam satu kenyataan dikeluarkan hari ini.
Ketua Umum Pakatan Rakyat ini berkata, merujuk kepada kenyataan demi kenyataan dikeluarkan oleh beberapa menteri  berkaitan, kemungkinan tarif elektrik dijangka naik bulan depan.
Anwar berkata, isu kenaikan tarif elektrik negara ini berkait rapat dengan perjanjian berat sebelah dipaksa ke atas TNB untuk dimeterai bersama dengan IPP terutamanya dengan pengeluar tenaga swasta generasi pertama.
Awal hari ini, Menteri Perdagangan Dalam Negeri, Koperasi dan Kepenggunaan Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob berkata, kerajaan pusat akan mengumumkan perkembangan langkah rasionalisasi subsidi termasuk pelarasan harga petroleum minggu ini.
Bagaimanapun, Ismail Sabri berkata kerajaan akan menyediakan kaedah paling sesuai untuk mengurangkan beban rakyat ekoran kenaikan itu.
“Tunggulah (pengumuman) dalam masa seminggu ini... kita akan membuat keputusan sama ada ingin meneruskan subsidi petrol, diesel dan gas memandangkan jumlah subsidi yang ditanggung kerajaan terus meningkat dari RM8 bilion kepada RM18 bilion,” katanya.
Dalam kenyataannya, Anwar berkata bekas ketua pegawai eksekutif TNB Tan Sri Dr Ani Arope telah menyatakan kepada umum bahawa beliau tidak bersetuju dengan harga terlalu mahal dikenakan oleh IPP ke atas TNB di mana harga yang dicatatkan iaitu 13.7 sen sehingga 15.5 sen per kilowatt.
“Harga yang dikenakan IPP ke atas TNB adalah harga lebih mahal dari harga yang dihasilkan sendiri oleh TNB.
“Ini bermakna TNB dipaksa membeli elektrik pada harga yang tak sepatutnya. Malahan harga tersebut ditetapkan sebagaimana dalam perjanjian, sepanjang membekalkan tenaga tersebut, harga yang dikenakan ke atas TNB berubah menuruti kadar terdahulu sekali gus membolehkan IPP mengaut keuntungan yang besar lebih awal,” katanya lagi.
Bekas menteri kewangan itu berkata, perjanjian antara IPP dan TNB juga telah direka untuk memastikan IPP dilindungi daripada sebarang risiko kenaikan harga bahan api seumpama gas asli, diesel dan arang batu manakala jika berlaku kenaikan harga pada bahan api tersebut, maka TNB yang terpaksa menanggung beban.
“Akibat daripada perjanjian ini telah menyebabkan Petronas terpaksa mengeluarkan dan membeli gas asli pada harga yang lebih mahal dan kemudiannya menjualnya pula pada kadar harga subsidi yang tetap.
“Hakikatnya kos subsidi gas ini telah melonjak kepada RM22 bilion setahun.
“Justeru, dari perjanjian yang rumit dan berat sebelah inilah rakyat Malaysia terpaksa membayar tarif elektrik tinggi,” katanya.
Kata Anwar lagi, kos harga tenaga elektrik terpaksa dibayar TNB kepada IPP dan pengambilan untung pada kadar masa yang cepat oleh pihak berkenaan ternyata membebankan rakyat sama ada secara menaikkan tarif elektrik atau kerana kerugian kewangan akibat subsidi gas.
“Malangnya, sedangkan negara kita yang sememangnya memberi subsidi kepada sektor pengeluar tenaga melalui gas asli yang murah, itupun jika dibandingkan dengan negara jiran seumpama Thailand, tarif elektrik Malaysia ternyata masih tinggi, sungguhpun negara jiran itu membeli gas asli pada kadar harga semasa (pada masa ini harga semasa tersebut tiga kali lebih tinggi dari harga gas asli yang disubsidikan di Malaysia),” katanya lagi.

 

Najib vs. Anwar: Epic Battle

Such good friends Wikileaks cables detail a struggle Najib has won so far Hidden in thousands of pages of US diplomatic cables obtained by WikiLeaks and made available to Asia Sentinel, is a years-long battle for Malaysian political primacy between Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. It is a battle that Najib appears to have won, at least for now, having been named prime minister while an embattled Anwar remains in the dock, fighting charges that he sodomized an aide. The cables, more than 900,000 words long and covering 15 years from 1993 to 2008, depict an Anwar who from the start saw Najib as a danger to him personally. He was in frequent touch with US Embassy officials, warning constantly that Najib was the perpetrator of a long series of corrupt acts in the procurement of defense equipment and that he was a danger to the exercise of democracy.  Equally, the cables depict an American legation determined to avoid becoming ensnared in Malaysian politics by taking sides. Christopher LaFleur, US ambassador from 2004 to 2007, wrote in a July 31, 2007 cable to US Army Gen. George W. Casey that “Malaysia is important to us because it is an economically successful, stable, predominantly Muslim country that, over the longer term, may be able to support us more strongly in places like the Middle East… The overall tone in Malaysian-American relations has improved considerably since Abdullah Badawi became Prime Minister in late-2003, and we seek to translate this into substantive improvements.  Bilateral relations eroded under Abdullah's vituperative predecessor Dr Mahathir Mohamad, but Abdullah brought with him a friendlier style and an interest in projecting a more moderate image, both for himself and for his country. “ The embassy, however, watched closely as Anwar forged an unwieldy opposition coalition from the Islamist Parti Islam se-Malaysia, the Chinese Democratic Action Party and Anwar’s own Parti Keadilan Rakyat, made up largely of urban Malays.  From the time Anwar was released from prison after a 1999 trial on what were widely seen to be bogus charges of corruption and sexual deviancy, the cables show a United Malays National Organisation paralyzed by inaction and led by an ineffective Abdullah Badawi while opposition forces raise enthusiastic crowds of tens of thousands of cheering spectators demanding political reform. The need for Anwar’s crucial leadership of the awkward coalition is underscored by a Feb. 23, 2007 cable signed by LaFleur. “PAS valued Anwar as the ‘bridge’ between the non-Malays especially the Democratic Action Party (DAP) and PAS, and as a name-brand figure able to attract voters,” La Fleur wrote.  PAS elders, he wrote, found it impossible to communicate with the DAP and other non-Malay parties. He quotes Azizan Abdul Razak of PAS saying that PAS and DAP were “like chickens and ducks, feeding at the same trough, but unable to talk to one another.” Anwar was seen as the only one who could blunt the “ruling National Front juggernaut.” Anwar, LaFleur wrote on July 17, 2007, was concentrating his attacks on then Deputy Prime Minister Najib as a way to “open up fissures in UMNO middle ranks that will give him other opportunities.”  As pressure continued on the ruling coalition, Anwar led enthusiastic rallies all over the country, culminating in the March 2008 national elections that ended the Barisan Nasional’s 50-year two-thirds hold on parliament.  The cables in general seem to indicate a sense of growing panic and paralysis on the part of Barisan leaders, particularly in UMNO, and a desire to drive Abdullah Badawi from the premiership to make way for Najib.  Anwar compounded the fears by displaying an eight-minute videotape of a prominent lawyer, VK Lingam, apparently telling a Supreme Court judge to fix key appointments in the government’s favor, thus spurring a royal inquiry into judicial corruption. According to Ambassador James Keith, who succeeded LaFleur in July 2007, UMNO leaders worried “about Anwar's drawing power on the streets.  That Anwar and other opposition leaders proceeded successfully in the face of PM Abdullah's personal warnings should bolster the opposition's resolve and embolden them to plan further events.“  After Anwar returned to politics by taking back his Penang parliamentary seat in a by-election, it was only a matter of time before UMNO replaced a faltering Abdullah Badawi with Najib.  As Mahathir goaded Najib to act in April 2007, Anwar was telling the diplomats that his opposition coalition “had a ‘realistic’ opportunity to topple PM Abdullah's government by bringing over 30 or more BN MPs for a no-confidence vote in Parliament,” Keith wrote.  All of that was brought to a halt on June 30, 2008,when former aide Mohamed Saiful Bukhary Azlan, charged that he had been sodomized by Anwar, a case that goes on to this day.  The charges brought the opposition’s momentum to a halt. On July 23, 2008, apparently aware that this second sodomy arrest was being viewed skeptically by the international community, Malaysian Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar assembled a flock of foreign diplomats to give them the government’s view.  According to a cable on that date signed by Keith, Syed Hamid dismissed claims of conspiracy, defended the police handling of the case and emphasized that Anwar was “being treated fairly.” “The Government of Malaysia is becoming aware of the negative impact the Anwar case has had on its international reputation and is acting to change the negative foreign perceptions,” the cable read.  “Today's briefing was an attempt by the GOM to influence the diplomatic community, counter Anwar's own messaging the day before, and work against critical international media attention.”  The skeptical tone of the cable is difficult to miss. Syed Hamid, the cable said, “shared no new information with the group as a whole and we doubt the briefing swayed diplomats to change their prior opinions; indeed, we heard a good measure of cynicism from some of the gathered diplomats. The government's decision to hold the event and the Ambassador's discussion with the Home Minister afterward served to reinforce our belief that the Government of Malaysia already has decided to charge Anwar for sodomy, and it will take this next step by mid-August.”  The cables take note of the fact that Anwar filed a police complaint on July 1, 2008 against the national police chief and the Attorney General.  He held a press conference and later headlined a mass rally, using the podium to attack Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor, “whom he believes to be behind the current sodomy allegations.”   Anwar's wife Wan Azizah met with Abdullah Badawi, the cable notes, “to provide him with information on Najib's connection to Anwar's accuser, and receive Abdullah's assurances her husband would be treated fairly… The sodomy case highlights that the risks for Anwar from the political status quo are significant and very personal, and provides impetus for Anwar to move ahead more aggressively to try to topple the BN government and stop Najib from becoming the next Prime Minister.” That was 2008 and that is pretty much where the political situation still stands three years later.  Frustrated with the sodomy case and hamstrung by internal political squabbling within his coalition, Anwar may not be a spent force, but Najib has the far stronger hand.  The cables contain no smoking guns about the sodomy case. But the trial itself, with the prosecution’s numerous missteps and admissions that Najib, his wife and police officials met with Saiful before he made the allegations against Anwar, provides enough evidence of that.

Subsidi RM19 bilion kepada IPP akan dikurangkan

Regina Lee

Subsidi bahan bakar kepada pengeluar tenaga bebas (IPP) akan disemak semula dan dikurangkan, kata Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Perdana, Datuk Seri Idris Jala kepada Malaysiakini dalam satu wawancara.

Buat masa ini IPP menikmati sebahagian besar subsidi bagi barangan berasaskan petroleum yang dibekalkan oleh kerajaan pusat dan menurut Idris kontrak mereka hampir luput dan subsidi berkenaan akan disemak semula.

"Ia sedang dirunding semula. Perbincangan sedang berlangsung dan ada juga yang telah beres. Kami akan membuat pengumuman tidak lama lagi,” katanya.

Pengumuman berkenaan perkara itu adalah dalam bidang kuasa Menteri Teknologi Hijau, Tenaga dan Air, Datuk Seri Peter Chin.

"Rundingan semula masih berterusan dan sesetengahnya sudah ada penyelesaian,” kata Idris yang juga mengetuai Unit Pengurusan Prestasi dan Pelaksanaan (PEMANDU).

Didesak sama ada rakyat boleh mengharapkan pemotongan subsidi kepada IPP, beliau berkata: “Sudah, tentu,” tetapi tidak mahu mengulas lanjut.

Pengeluar tenaga bebas atau IPP adalah entiti swasta yang memiliki kemudahan bagi membekalkan tenaga elektrik untuk dijual.

Buat masa ini terdapat 26 IPP di seluruh negara dan semua mereka menikmati pembelian harga gas dan barangan berasakan petroleum pada harga disakuan.

Pada tahun 2008, subsidi gas kepada IPP bernilai RM8.1 bilion, manakala Tenaga Nasional Bhd pula menerima RM5.7 bilion.

1Malaysia: ‘Good slogan, poor product’

Stephanie Sta Maria

 

How much headway has the 1Malaysia concept made in the government's efforts to build the nation on a platform of unity?

PETALING JAYA: The endorsement of unity as the golden key to nation-building is an age-old practice that has not always produced the envisioned borderless society.

In the 1960s the military leaders of Burma promoted “Burmese nationalism”, but this ideal disintegrated when the ethnic Burmese majority sidelined the identities and interests of the other communities.

Thailand, too, fumbled with the unity baton as its political parties jostled for ownership of the unity concept while igoniring the plight of minority communities.

And then there’s Malaysia whose trumpeting for unity came a year after Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak took office in 2008. From the moment of its inception, the 1Malaysia concept has struggled with various distractions that have challenged both its validity and authenticity.

First came the accusation that 1Malaysia is based on the 1Israel concept to which the government and its public relations company, Apco, fiercely denied.

The denial has found support in Professor Emeritus Khoo Kay Kim who rubbished the allegation and pointed out that “unity in diversity” was a concept first touted by former prime minster, Tunku Abdul Rahman, and MCA founder, Tan Cheng Lock.

“Even the British had set up a Communities Liaison Committee in 1949 to unite the people, but fac

ed resistance because people couldn’t differentiate between ethnicity and nationality,” he said.

This inability to differentiate between the two became 1Malaysia’s next stumbling block when Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced that he was first Malay and only second, Malaysian. The proclamation sparked public mockery of 1Malaysia that only grew as more members of Najib’s Cabinet performed similar blunders.

Perennial dispute

“The real question is how many people feel like Malaysians first,” said Farish Noor, a political scientist with Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

“Nation-building must be internalised and this can only happen when citizens think and behave like Malaysians. So then the next question is, how do you deal with pluralism?”

Khoo viewed the issue in a simpler light. If it is your ethnicity you want to emphasise, he said, then call yourself a Hokkein or a Tamil instead of a Chinese

or an Indian. To him the mix-up is a result of an “unenlightening education system”.

“If history is clearly explained all these issues can be resolved,” he declared. “But our government says that history isn’t as important as science. So then bring your science to solve this issue!”

Yet neither history nor science will be able to settle the perennial dispute of whether 1Malaysia champions equal rights for all or continues perserving the Malays’ special position. And the government’s benevolence towards Malay right-wing groups like Perkasa has only added to the furore.

Just two months ago Najib admitted that his brainchild may need further clarification in light of its varied interpretations. His acknowledgement contrasted with a survey conducted by the Information Ministry last July that reported an 84.4% rise in public understanding of 1Malaysia.

The ministry claimed the figure had surpassed its key performance index of 71.9% and labelled 1Malaysia as the “most saleable and spreadable national principle”. A branding expert, however, disagreed.

Poor product

The expert, who requested anonymity, was blunt in his assessment of 1Malaysia as a good slogan attached to a poor product, namely the government.

“A strong brand needs a strong product,” he explained. “A badly designed and manufactured product will never have a good brand. And this product has many fundamental problems, mainly its constant policy flip-flops. If this was a company all its investors would ditch it.”

“1Malaysia has succeeded as a slogan in that everyone knows it but whether they buy it is a different matter. Slogans don’t really mean very much. It’s just marketing hype.”

Meanwhile, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) president, Dr Nasir Hashim, called 1Malaysia a “pro-management political system that needs overhauling”.

“If the system is pro-management, then it cannot be pro-people,” he said. “So the government should stop saying that 1Malaysia is pro-people just because it sounds good. All this sloganeering means that something is up Najib’s sleeve. If unity truly existed, we wouldn’t need a slogan.”

Going purely by these observations it would be easy to deduce that 1Malaysia has not quite met its objective. But Farish is restrained in his judgment. According to him, it is difficult to qualify or quantify the success or failure of 1Malaysia from an academic standpoint alone.

“You have to look at the general behaviour of the Malaysian public,” he said. “Look at the state of the Malaysian society and in the newspaper headlines. That will tell you all you need to know.”

Next: David Arumugam of Alley Cats’ take on 1Malaysia

Wikileaks dedah 19 ‘aktor pengaruh’ dalam kitar politik Najib

Oleh Yow Hong Chieh

KUALA LUMPUR, 19 Mei — Kabel diplomatik Amerika Syarikat (AS), yang terbocor dan disiarkan oleh Malaysia Today hari ini menyenaraikan 19 pemimpin bisnes utama sebagai “aktor-aktor berpengaruh” dalam kitar politik Datuk Seri Najib Razak — dua tahun selepas menjadi perdana menteri.

Najib kini berada di AS sempena lawatan kerja.

Maklumat kabel itu, yang ditulis oleh kaunselor politik Mark D. Clark untuk membantu Jabatan Negara AS meneliti pentadbiran dan keputusan-keputusan dasar Najib (gambar), adalah yang pertama diterbitkan menerusi Malaysia Today, kendalian Raja Petra Kamarudin, selepas ia menandatangani memorandum persefahaman dengan Wikileaks, Isnin lalu.

Pengerusi Ethos Capital Rohana Mahmood mengetuai senarai personaliti korporat.

Maklumat yang diterbitkan menunjukkan Rohana ada hubungan dengan kebanyakan syarikat yang berhubung kait dengan Najib, yang sebelum ini merupakan menteri pertahanan.

Pada 2008 Najib dilantik sebagai menteri kewangan, portfolio yang disandang sehingga kini.

Antara 19 pemimpin bisnes yang disenaraikan, Rohana sangat berkait rapat dengan kepentingan-kepentingan komersial keluarga Najib.

Rohana bersama pembantu rapat Najib, Abdul Razak Baginda, yang dibebaskan daripada kes pembunuhan wanita Mongolia Altantuya Shariibuu, menubuhkan Pusat Penyelidikan Strategik Malaysia — badan pemikir yang menasihati beliau masa-masa lalu.

Pihak pembangkang seringkali mendakwa Altantuya, yang membantu dalam urusan pemerolehan kapal selam Scorpene bernilai RM3 bilion (AS$1 bilion), dibunuh disebabkan hubungannya dengan Najib, dakwaan yang dinafikan oleh perdana menteri.

Turut disertakan dalam senarai itu ialah pemilik MMC Corp Bhd, Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhary, Tan Sri Vincent Tan dari Berjaya Corp Bhd dan Pengerusi Hong Leong Group Quek Leng Chan.

“Syed Mokhtar Albukharry... mempunyai operasi bisnes yang signifikan dalam konstituensi Najib dan sektor pertahanan,” kata kabel itu.

The Malaysian Insider difahamkan Syed Mokhtar muncul sebagai penyumbang utama dana kepada Umno selepas ahli-ahli perniagaan Cina tempatan keberatan ekoran kekurangan kontrak di bawah pentadbiran Najib.

Syed Mokhtar memperluaskan empayar bisnesnya dengan memperoleh Pos Malaysia dan projek MRT Lembah Klang baru-baru ini.

Turut disenaraikan ialah:

• Pengarah urusan Khazanah Nasional Azman Mokhtar;

• Pengarah Khazanah Mohamed Azman Yahya, pengasas dan ketua eksekutif Symphony House Bhd;

• Pengerusi dan ketua eksekutif Johan Holdings Bhd Tan Kay Hock, yang juga anggota Lembaga Pembangunan Wilayah Iskandar (IRDA);

• Shahril Shamsuddin dari Kumpulan Sapura;

• Pengerusi jawatankuasa eksekutif Khazanah dan bekas pengarah urusan MAS Nor Yusof;

• Pengerusi dan pengarah urusan Konsortium Transnational Bhd Mohd Nadzmi Mohd Salleh;

• Pengarah eksekutif CIMB Group dan bekas konsultan Unit Perancang Ekonomi Dr Gan Wee Beng;

• Pengasas bersama Ethos Capital Omar Mustapha Ong, bekas pegawai khas Najib;

• Pengarah urusan dan ketua eksekutif Paramount Corporation Bhd Teo Chiang Quan;

• Pengarah urusan TH Group Bhd Lei Lin Thai;

• Ketua eksekutif Mamee Double Decker Bhd Pang Tee Chew;

• Ketua eksekutif Multi Vest Resources Bhd (MVest) Kenneth Eswaran, yang menurut kabel rapat dengan isteri Najib Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor;

• Ketua eksekutif Felda Holdings Bhd Bakke Salleh; dan

• Ketua Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera Lodin Wok Kamarudin.

Mesej kabel itu terdedah ini, yang ditulis sebelum Najib disahkan sebagai perdana menteri keenam pada April 2009, menyusul penerbitan siri pertukaran sulit antara Washington dan Kedutaan AS di Kuala Lumpur dalam Asia Sentinel membutirkan keprihatinan AS berhubung perbicaraan dua anggota polis yang dituduh membunuh Altantuya
.

Mari Kita Meraikan:"Kadar Tarif elektrik dijangka dinaikkan'

Kenaikkan kadar tarif elektrik di negara ini dijangka akan diumumkan pada 25 Mei ini menurut akhbar harian Cina Nanyang Siang Pau.

Akhbar itu yang memetik sumber berkata kerajaan memilih menaikkan harga elektrik dan bukannya harga petrol RON95 kerana bimbang tindakan itu akan mencetuskan kemarahan besar-besaran rakyat. Justeru, petrol RON95 dijangka kekal buat masa ini.

Impak atau kesan kenaikkan tarif elektrik dikatakan lebih kecil berbanding kenaikkan harga petrol RON95 ke atas kerajaan, dakwa sumber dari jemaah menteri itu.

Menurut laporan itu juga kerajaan telah meluluskan kenaikkan tarif berkenaan.

Ia sepatutnya diumumkan pada Khamis lalu tetapi ditangguhkan kerana pengumuman kenaikkan harga gula juga dibuat pada minggu lalu. Tindakan tersebut dikhuatiri membangkitkan kemarahan rakyat.

Negara 69?

Asri: Dakwa pencegah maksiat sebabkan kematian

Bekas mufti Perlis Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin menyelar tindakan penguatkuasa agama yang menyebabkan kematian dalam operasi pencegahan maksiat, seperti yang dilaporkan semalam.

Menurutnya, tindakan bagi membendung "maksiat peribadi" -- seperti khalwat dan minum arak -- yang dilakukan secara bersembunyi sehingga menyebabkan kematian merupakan satu dosa.

"Maka anggota operasi perlulah didakwa dan dibicara atas tuduhan menyebabkan kematian," katanya ketika mengulas kes mangsa mati terjatuh bangunan kerana mengelak intipan sebuah jabatan agama, dipercayai merujuk kepada Jabatan Agama Islam Wilayah Persekutuan (JAWI).

"Mereka ini telah menyebabkan mungkar yang lebih besar iaitu kematian kerana ingin mencegah kemungkaran kecil iaitu 'khalwat' dan menggunakan kaedah pencegahan yang dilarang oleh agama iaitu mengintip."

Semalam, seorang bekas polis dilaporkan maut selepas terjatuh dari tingkat 16 sebuah hotel di ibu negara ketika cuba mengelak daripada dicekup anggota JAWI yang melakukan operasi cegah maksiat.

Bernama melaporkan, dalam insiden kira-kira jam 2 pagi, mangsa berumur 49 tahun -- yang menginap dengan pasangannya di hotel itu -- terjatuh ketika cuba lari melalui tingkap.

Ketua Polis Daerah Dang Wangi ACP Zulkarnain Abdul Rahman mengklasifikasikan kematian itu sebagai mati mengejut.

Maksiat dalam filem, atas pentas?
Dalam kenyataan hari ini, Dr Mohd Asri juga berkata, beliau dukacita dengan berita kematian itu kerana ia bukan kes yang pertama dan sudah sering berulang.

"Walaupun sudah kritikan dibuat, tetapi hal ini tetap berulang. Apabila berita tersebar dalam media, ia memalukan keluarga mangsa, memberikan mesej yang salah mengenai Islam kepada bukan muslim dalam negara ini...," katanya.

Pensyarah agama di Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) itu juga mengulangi pendiriannya bahawa Islam tidak cenderung menghukum dan membongkar dan mengintip maksiat peribadi walaupun pelakunya sendiri mengaku.

Menurut Dr Mohd Asri, cubaan menyembunyikan dosa itu melambangkang pelaku itu masih mempunyai nilai malu dan mahu menjaga maruah diri dan keluarga.

"Apa yang peliknya dalam negara kita, maksiat yang jelas, berpelukan lelaki dan perempuan dalam filem, atas pentas lakonan, pentas seni dibiarkan oleh pihak berkuasa pencegah maksiat, sehingga ada isteri orang besar pun yang memeluk artis luar negara di hadapan umum, dibiarkan, (tetapi) yang sembunyi dicari dan diburu," katanya.

Tambahnya, sikap suka mengintip itu juga mencetuskan kontroversi video seks yang dikaitkan dengan Ketua Pembangkang Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Perkara itu juga menurut Dr Mohd Asri lagi, jika dibiarkan akan menjadi trend untuk menjatuhkan sesuatu pihak.

Sekadar Berita.........

 

Wikileaks: Najib dan pembunuhan Altantuya

 

Kedutaan Amerika di Kuala Lumpur mengikuti secara dekat perbicaraan tertuduh dalam kes pembunuhan jurubahasa Mongolia, Altantuya Shaariibuu dan sering berbincang sama ada Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak terbabit dalam pembunuhan tersebut, demikian menurut kabel diplomatik yang dibekalkan kepada Asia Sentinel oleh lamanweb WikiLeaks.

Para diplomat tersebut, seperti juga orang awam, turut membuat spekulasi bahawa perbicaraan itu sengaja dilambat-lambatkan dan khuatir apa yang disebut dalam salah satu kabel tersebut sebagai "salahlaku pendakwaan" yang telah dimanipulasi untuk tujuan politik.

Pegawai kedutaan mengasaskan kebimbangan mereka kepada sumber-sumber pendakwaan, kerajaan dan pembangkang.

Kabel itu juga menarik perhatian kepada satu dakwaan menarik bahawa Perdana Menteri ketika itu, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi,
mungkin telah cuba untuk menggunakan prosiding tersebut untuk membabitkan Najib - satu dakwaan yang cepat-cepat didiamkan dalam akhbar Malaysia.

Altantuya dibunuh pada Oktober 2006 oleh dua pengawal peribadi Najib - ketua inspektor Azilah Hadri, 30 dan koperal Sirul Azhar Umar, 35, - yang dihadapkan ke mahkamah dan didapati bersalah pada April 2009.

Abdul Razak Baginda (kiri) - kawan karib Najib dan kekasih Altantuya -
dituduh bersubahat dalam pembunuhan tersebut tetapi dibebaskan tanpa dipanggil membela diri.

Pembunuhan itu telah dikaitkan dengan pembelian kapal selam Perancis membabitkan AS$1 bilion oleh Kementerian Pertahanan, yang ketika itu diterajui oleh Najib.
Altantuya dilaporkan bertindak sebagai penterjemah dalam urusniaga tersebut, di mana syarikat Razak Baginda memperolehi 114 juta euro (RM534.8 juta) "bayaran komisyen" daripada pembelian itu.

Dilaporkan Altantuya ditawarkan AS$500,000 untuk khidmatnya
sebagai penterjemah. Selepas ditinggalkan, dia menuntut pembayaran tersebut.
Sepucuk suratnya yang didedahkan selepas kematiannya, menyatakan dia menyesal kerana cuba "memeras ugut" Razak Baginda.

Peguam Perancis pula menyiasat sama ada sebahagian daripada 114 juta euro adalah habuan kepada ahli politik di Perancis atau di Malaysia.

Kabel itu turut menceritakan tentang satu siri pertemuan di mana ketua pembangkang Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, berulangkali memberitahu pihak Amerika bahawa Najib dikaitkan dengan amalan rasuah dalam pembelian kapal selam tersebut serta pembelian jet pejuang Flanker Sukhoi Su-MCM-30 dari Rusia.
Anwar juga menarik perhatian kepada kaitan Najib dengan kes Altantuya. (mkini)