Anwar Challenges Najib to Debate






In a desperate attempt to regain his popularity, Anwar is seen here calling on Najib for a public debate. We doubt Najib will fall for this trap, and even he wanted to, he is going to give this a very low priority given his busy schedule, and with the coming election on his Agenda.

Thou Shall Not Tell The Truth

At last, someone has the conscience and righteousness to come up and speak the truth about what is behind UMNO and its terrorist branch called UMNO Youth.

UMNO-owned mouthpiece seeks to muzzle truth-teller

Utusan Malaysia, the flagship Malay-language newspaper of the United Malays National Organisation is seeking to fire Hata Wahari, one of its leading journalists, for defending the independence of the press and calling for moderation in reporting on Malaysia's tense race relations.

Hata, a 16-year veteran reporter with Utusan who was elected president of the country's National Union of Journalists in September, is expected to face a disciplinary hearing on Jan. 17 into charges that he tarnished the newspaper's image with statements he made calling for press freedom that he issued to independent media between Sept. 21 and Oct. 14 of last year.

The country's political parties own all of Malaysia's major dailies and television stations, in Malay, English, Chinese or Hindi. Opposition parties also own their own publications. The Internet largely supplies the country's only independent journalism, a fact that appears to account for fast-growing online readership.

"I just issued a press statement asking the editors to please go back to our real function, to submit unbiased information to the public," Hata said in a telephone interview. “At the moment, Utusan is doing propaganda for the government. They have raised up racial issues, so that is why they are losing the trust of most of the community in Malaysia. Everybody, even the common public, feels the same way.

"We have to go back to our original mission, not act as a propaganda tool for the government," he told Asia Sentinel. “That is why I issued that statement. I feel I have the support of all of my friends, from the political parties and from other NGOs."

He said he would defend himself vigorously in the disciplinary hearing, partly because if he were to lose he would also lose his right to be the National Union of Journalists president. He is also president of the Confederation of Asean Journalists. “We will fight to the end," he added.

V. Anbalagan, general secretary of the National Union of Journalists, called Utusan's claim that Hata had tarnished the organization's image with his public statements "ludicrous".

"Hata, in his capacity as NUJ president, issued the statements in defense of press freedom and the welfare of members," Anbalagan said in a prepared statement.

Under Malaysia's complicated labor laws, employers must first submit evidence to a disciplinary hearing. Any employee who feels he has been dismissed without cause can take it up with the Director General for Industrial Relations within 60 days, then a reconciliation proceeding must be held to see if a settlement can be arrived at. If not, the labor minister then must decide if the case should be referred to the Industrial Court for adjudication.

Once Malaysia's biggest-selling Malay-language daily, with a circulation of 250,000, Utusan has slumped to 170,000 per day and it is now the No. 6 paper in the country. The continuing loss of circulation, Hata said, stems from the paper's determination to act as a mouthpiece for UMNO and its inflammatory reporting on race and politics.

Certainly, the controversy over Hata hasn't slowed down Utusan's strident racial rhetoric. On Jan. 5, the paper raised the possibility that the state of Selangor, which is controlled by the opposition Democratic Action Party, which is predominantly Chinese, could possibly join Singapore as another "country belonging to China outside mainland China."

According to a translation by the website Malaysian Chronicle, assistant editor in chief Zaini Hassan asked in his column: "Do we Malays [already so few in the world] want to allow another country belonging to China or India outside their own lands? It should be enough with Singapore [a country belonging to China outside mainland China]. Do we also want to give away this homeland?"

In an interview shortly after he was elected NUJ president, Hata told the online publication Malaysiakini that Utusan had lost its way: "People no longer read it, because it is not relevant. If they want to be relevant, they must return to their origins," he said, adding that ultimately the public would give up reading the mainstream papers altogether.

In the interview, he cited what he called Utusan's irresponsible behaviour by daily headlining the news of a Christian preacher who allegedly delivered a speech insulting Islam in a church in Kuching in East Malaysia. Although other papers, including the UMNO-owned Berita Harian also carried the news, it was not given the prominence that the Utusan gave it, he said.

"They focus on stories of Malays disparaging other races, then they run stories of other races making insulting remarks of Malays," he told the website.

Najib Chided as Irresponsible in Rais' Rape Case

Najib is buying time. And now it is time to buy out the maid, make sure she is stuffed with so much money in her mouth, she couldn't say the word rape anymore, for the rest of her life. :)


Rape row: Gerakan Youth leader rebukes Shamsul
Athi Shankar
ALOR STAR: A Gerakan Youth leader today rebuked PKR national Youth chief Shamsul Iskandar Akin for criticising Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s call on all to stop passing judgments on the “Rais Yatim” case

Kedah Gerakan Youth chief Tan Keng Liang said he was upset that Shamsul and the PKR Youth movement could not accept a simple advice from the premier.

He said that in a fair and democratic country, a person shall be presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Hence, he pointed out that one cannot be prejudged and sentenced prematurely until one was found guilty following completion of a proper investigation and a fair trial.

“Although Pakatan Rakyat is all geared up to conquer the country, its mission shall not be accomplished at the expense of the country’s legal system based on fairness and democracy,” Tan said in a statement today.

The embattled Information, Communications and Culture Minister Rais Yatim is embroiled in an alleged rape case that happened in 2007 involving his former Indonesian domestic maid.

The case has burst into the hottest public topic in the country today, prompting Najib to make a public call to all to stop commenting about it until a full probe was completed.

“We cannot prejudge and pronounce something against someone before proper investigation is done. In any case, what happened was in 2007, the question is why (bring it up) now,” he was quoted as saying in press reports.

Double standards

Shamsul has chided Najib’s call as irresponsible and a practice of double standards.

“It shows two sets of law being applied here, one for Umno and another against the opponents of Umno,” Shamsul has reportedly said.

After weeks of speculations on “who’s who” of the case, Rais finally came out in the open this week to vehemently deny he was the alleged minister involved.

Another of his former domestic maid, Sumati, came in support of him to dismiss the rape claims.

A video featuring Sumati dismissing the allegations as untrue has appeared on several pro-Umno blogs since yesterday.

Sumati is said to be a friend of Robengah, the woman at the centre of Internet rumour of the alleged rape case,.

Sumati is said to have worked alongside Robengah at the minister’s home at the material time.

“For as long as I have worked here, I never heard of any rape stories,” she said a five-minute video clip dated Jan 6, 2011.

Sumati, who said she knew Robengah since she started work on Aug 23, 1999, said as room mates, Robengah had never once skipped sleeping in their room, responding to a question whether there had been any night Robengah was absent.

Robengah returned to Indonesia in 2007.

Political factions

Sumati also said that they were happy with the treatment from Masnah, Rais’s wife, during their employment.

“If not, I would not have lasted so long,” she added.

Tan said Shamsul’s criticism against Najib has put the country’s political standards at its lowest ebb.

He accused certain political factions of pressing on false allegations against Barisan Nasional leaders merely to serve their selfish agenda.

He alleged these quarters are prepared to sow seeds of suspicion among Malaysians that all BN leaders were criminals as charged without proper probes and trials.

He expressed disappointment that these quarters were willing to deploy any unethical methods to achieve their political goals.

He said the whole episode had already unfairly tarnished the image of Rais and his family, as well as the country’s international reputation.

“Are these principles of justice and democracy advocated by Pakatan?” asked Tan.

Teoh Beng Hock - coroner's verdict is he died naturally or killed by Aliens

Now how else can we conclude from this strange verdict of the Coroner? Clearly he is under pressure not to take side. So he stood in the middle. So Teoh's death has to be a misadventure, or attacked by vampires or seventh-month ghosts and spirits. Puzzled.

Teoh family questions AG’s motive
Nantha Kumar and K Pragalath

KUALA LUMPUR: Teoh Beng Hock’s family has questioned Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail’s motive in seeking a revision of the coroner’s findings announced on Wednesday.

“Does he want it to be suicide?” asked Gobind Singh Deo, the family’s lawyer.

“I think the AG should tell us why is he filing a revision. What is he unhappy about?”

Coroner Azmil Muntapha Abas delivered an open verdict, saying Teoh’s death was neither suicide nor homicide.

Gobind, speaking at a press conference here, said the AG should instead direct investigations into the coroner’s findings.

The inquest revealed weaknesses in police investigations into Teoh’s death, including a failure to find out how he got bruises in his neck.

He also questioned the rationale behind the government’s decision to exclude the cause of death from the terms of reference of the royal commission of inquiry, as announced by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak today.

Najib said the commission would study only the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) procedures to “determine whether there has been a violation of the human rights of Teoh Beng Hock during the investigation”.

Gobind said: “How are you going to ascertain the procedures did not violate Teoh’s human rights when we do not know what actually happened to him?”

He said he was “disturbed and disappointed” at the narrow scope of the inquiry.

“Why hold a royal commission now to look into the investigation procedures by the MACC? That aspect should have been looked into long ago. At the end of the day, everybody wants to know how Teoh died.”

Teoh Lee Lan, Beng Hock’s sister, said the family was still hoping for a royal commission that would investigate her brother’s death.

Responding to Minister in Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Aziz’s call to the family to accept the coroner’s decision, she said: “Would Nazri accept the decision if it was a member of his family who died?”
-----------------------------------------------





Just who is politicising Beng Hock's death, MCA?
Jackson Ng
This was what the Sun reported today in their article 'Don't politicise TBH inquest verdict: MCA':

“The MCA has extended its sympathy and condolences to the family of political aide Teoh Beng Hock, and criticised the Opposition for politicising the inquest decision.

“At a press conference today, MCA president Chua Soi Lek said: 'The unfortunate death of Teoh Beng Hock has been used as a political instrument to discredit the government.

'While we admit it has not been handled very well from the beginning, nor has it inspired confidence in the government, it should not be used as a political weapon. Doing so will only prolong the suffering of his family,' he said.

“He added that the MCA will discuss the matter in its next central committee meeting on how to help move this case forward …”

What a load of bull.

Nineteen months after Teoh's death and the conclusion of a lengthy coroner's inquest, the MCA president Chua Soi Lek says his party central committee will discuss the matter in its next meeting.

That is all our so-called Chinese leader had to say in response to an unacceptable open verdict by the coroner.

The self-confessed adulterer doesn't even have the courage to call for a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) into the death of a Pakatan Rakyat DAP aide while under the custody of the Selangor Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

And he criticises the Pakatan for politicising the inquest decision. Now, who in the first place is politicising the death?

Was it the Pakatan government that took Teoh into custody for questioning as a witness who then failed to emerge alive?

Chua, please, don't play politics when a precious life has been lost.

Irrespective of political affiliation, Teoh died in custody and do you expect Malaysians to believe that no one in MACC knows what happened?

Sounds more like a cover up to protect those responsible for causing Teoh's death, directly or indirectly.

Chua also gave an illogical advice that prolonging the issue would mean prolonging the suffering of Teoh's family.

Please don't insult our intelligence this way. It is the government's lack of will to deliver justice for Teoh's death that is prolonging the issue.

Just find the culprits responsible for Teoh's death and the case will be closed. Period.

Or, are you too scared to push for this for fear of your own personal transgressions?.

I certainly don't place much hope on you and the MCA to take care of the rakyat's interest.