Court throws out Anwar’s RM100m suit against Dr M’s ‘gay’ remark

PUTRAJAYA, Oct 20 — The Court of Appeal today struck out an appeal by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to continue with his RM100 million defamation suit against Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for calling him a homosexual in 2005.

Anwar had appeal against a High Court ruling in 2007 which threw out his case.

Today, the Court of Appeal allowed an application by V.K. Lingam, counsel for Dr Mahathir, to strike out the appeal based on technical defects.

Justice Abdul Malik Ishak, who sat with Justices Azhah Ma’ah and Syed Ahmad Helmy Syed Ahmad, ruled that Anwar’s appeal was defective because it was not prepared in Bahasa Malaysia. Anwar’s lawyer also failed to sign the appeal memorandum. Read more

Pua wants probe into BN’s abuse of federal allocations

By Syed Jaymal Zahiid

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 20 — The DAP’s Tony Pua claimed today that Barisan Nasional (BN) and Umno divisions had abused federal allocations in Pakatan Rakyat-held constituencies.

The Petaling Jaya Utara MP wants the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to probe the alleged abuse which was highlighted in the latest Auditor-General’s report which was released to Parliament yesterday.

As an example, he said the report showed that in Taman Danau Desa, an area under the Seputeh parliamentary constituency of the DAP’s Teresa Kok, three projects involving the construction of an indoor stadium, community hall and a recreational park given to Umno-affiliated contractors in 2007 were not carried out. Read more

Anwar: Ketelusan Dalam Tadbir Urus Masih Menjadi Isu Utama

Laporan Audit Negara tahun 2008 yang baru diperoleh oleh ahli parlimen menunjukkan kerajaan mungkin terpaksa menanggung beban sebahagian dari kerugian projek mega yang bernilai ribuan juta dana awam. Jabatan Audit Negara menganggarkan jumlah kerugian projek rel keretapi berkembar dari Rawang ke Ipoh berjumlah sekitar RM 1.14 billion.

Sehingga bulan Disember 2008 sebanyak RM 5.77 billion telah dibelanjakan untuk projek tersebut, bermaksud 32.9%(RM 1.43billion) lebih tinggi dari nilai sebenar, iaitu sekitar RM 4.34 billion.

Malahan Laporan tersebut mengakui bahawa kelemahan pengurusan yang mengakibatkan kerugian yang sebegini besar. Saya percaya perkataan yang tertera dalam Laporan Audit sedikit “diplomatik.” Sesungguhnya ada bukti jelas seumpama penangguhan dan memesan secara lebih bahan untuk projek tersebut sudah cukup buat kita menyiasat jika wujudnya sebarang penyelewengan. Read more

Khalid: ‘We’re understanding the misunderstandings’

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 20 — Affable and avuncular as he is, Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim tends to take every challenge by the horns. In an interview with The Straits Times in Singapore recently, he shared his thoughts on:

Being Malay

“I’m proud to be a Malay, yet not proud just to be a Malay who makes use of my ‘Malayness’.”

Being a Malay politician

“That doesn’t mean I cannot help the whole of Malaysia. If I help (everyone), invariably the Malays will be helped anyway.”

Being an ex-Umno man

“I didn’t get rewards from Umno. I got rewards for the work I had done.” Read more

Tan Sri Khalid: No more short-changing ourselves

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 20 — For corporate czar turned mentri besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, the past 18 months have seemed like 18 years.

From Day One, Selangor’s 14th — and first from the opposition — mentri besar has been beset by shocks and scandals — from protests against a pig farm project approved by his predecessor to a Malay mob publicly stomping on a severed cow’s head in August to protest against the presence of a Hindu temple in their neighbourhood.

Many of his colleagues in the opposition Pakatan Rakyat coalition have also suffered body blows — from being detained under the Internal Security Act to having their sexual trysts filmed. Recently, an aide to one opposition figure died suddenly after being interrogated by a federal government agency.

But then Khalid, 62, is a seasoned giant-killer steeled for tough challenges, on and off the political scene. In September 1981, the then-CEO of the government’s investment vehicle Permodalan Nasional pulled off an infamous dawn raid on the London Stock Exchange by taking over Britain’s Guthrie Corporation within two hours. Read more

Selangor Tingkatkan Langkah Keselamatan Tarik Pelabur Asing

Kerajaan negeri Selangor akan mempertingkatkan lagi langkah kawalan keselamatan di sekitar negeri itu bagi menarik lebih ramai lagi pelabur dari luar untuk melabur di negeri ini.

Menteri Besar, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim berkata, kerajaan negeri akan mempertingkatkan langkah keselamatan tersebut dengan memperkasakannya melalui belanjawan 2010.

“Saya juga telah menerima banyak cadangan dan juga pemerhatian mereka antara yang dinyatakan ialah mengenai isu keselamatan di negeri Selangor.

“Saya telah membuat kenyataan dalam belanjawan 2010, kita telah mengumumkan beberapa peruntukan supaya kita dapat menumpukan usaha mengurangkan keadaan pencurian dan beberapa perkara yang berlaku yang memberi kesan terhadap keselamatan dapat dikurangkan,” katanya.

Dalam pada itu, Khalid berkata kerajaan negeri melihat beberapa cadangan yang diterima supaya mengadakan perhubungan dua hala antara negeri-negeri Selangor dengan negara-negara yang menguruskan pelaburan di negeri Selangor. Read more

Pelabur risau, internet Malaysia lembab

Syarikat-syarikat Australia yang berhasrat untuk melabur di Malaysia bimbang dengan tahap kelajuan Internet yang tidak memuaskan di negara ini, kata timbalan pengerusi Majlis Perniagaan Malaysia- Australia, Michael Halpin.

Capaian Internet yang laju adalah penting bagi syarikat-syarikat Australia yang mempunyai dokumen besar untuk dihantar dari Malaysia ke ibu pejabat mereka di Australia, katanya.

“Ada dokumen teknikal yang amat besar dan selalunya kami mendapati ia mengambil masa yang panjang untuk menghantar dokumen-dokumen sebegini akibat kelembapan Internet di Malaysia. Read more

Jeffrey says Sabah PKR facing crisis

Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Sabah is heading to a crisis as two factions led by Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan and Ansari Abdullah are arguing about the party’s top leadership’s decision to appoint Selangor Exco member Azmin Ali as the Sabah PKR liaison chief.

Dr Jeffrey, who is a Vice President of PKR, maintained that the party top leadership must listen to the voices of the majority of the grassroots in making its decision.

“I’m just saying that the leadership must listen to the majority and the basis of the majority is based on the constitution É they don’t want to play politics,” he said when met at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA), Saturday. Read more

Sekat Peruntukan, Umno perlu ambil tindakan pada Shukor

Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim menasihati kepimpinan Umno supaya mengambil tindakan terhadap Ketua Peneranngan Umno Selangor, Abdul Shukor Idrus terhadap gesaan yang dibuat dalam Persidangan Agung Umno ke-60.

Menurutnya kenyataan Abdul Shukor itu jelas membuktikan Umno melanggar perlembagaan yang termaktub bahawa kerajaan Persekutuan mesti menyalurkan pendapatannya kepada semua kerajaan negeri.

Sehubungan itu beliau menyarankan supaya Umno mempelajari Perlembagaan Malaysia yang menetapkan terdapatnya hubungan antara kerajaan negeri dan kerajaan Persekutuan. Read more

Anwar Ibrahim: Media Arus Perdana Putar Belit Isu Zaid

Ketua Umum Parti Keadilan Rakyat Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim berkata media massa arus perdana telah memutarbelitkan cuti enam bulan yang diambil oleh Zaid Ibrahim dari tugas-tugasnya di dalam biro politik parti.

Anwar berkata beberapa perkara mengenai program di Sabah yang dikaitkan dengan Zaid turut diselesaikan tanpa masalah.

Anwar berkata demikian selepas menghaidiri majlis Sambutan Aidilfitri dan Deepavali anjuran Keadilan Wilayah Persekutuan.

“Benda ini tidak berbangkit kerana dia baru telefon saya dari Sarawak bersama Presiden ada program parti. Kemudian dia hendak bercuti menunaikan haji. Program di Sabah itu kerana dianjurkan oleh cabang tanpa negeri. Dua hari lalu negeri bermesyuarat dan mengesahkan sebagai program negeri jadi selesai,” katanya. Read more

Syed Husin: Tiada Kepincangan Dalam PKR

Permohonan cuti mantan Menteri Undang-Undang Zaid Ibrahim disensasikan media arus perdana, walhal ia bukan sesuatu yang luar biasa.

Timbalan Presiden Parti Keadilan Rakyat Dr Syed Husin Ali berkata desas-desus pergeseran antara Zaid dan pihak tertentu dalam PKR tidaklah separah yang dikhabarkan.

Syed Husin berkata demikian merujuk kepada liputan media hari ini yang melaporkan Zaid menghadapi kesukaran susulan pergeserannya dengan Naib Presiden Azmin Ali.

Pengumuman cuti Zaid ini dibuat sewaktu muncul khabar bahawa beliau berkemungkinan meninggalkan PKR.

“Sememangnya adalah satu perkara biasa pihak BN mengambil peluang secara opotunis, sekiranya kalau ada perkembangan dalam Pakatan terutamanya dalam keadilan. Saya nampak berita tentang Zaid ini sudah terlalu dibesar-besarkan dan diselewengkan untuk kepentingan BN dan untuk menunjukkan seolah-olahnya ada krisis besar” ujarnya.

Zaid dibawa masuk ke PKR oleh Ketua Umum Anwar Ibrahim pada Jun lalu dengan tanggungjawab untuk menyatukan Pakatan Rakyat menghadapi Pilihanraya Umum ke-13. Read more

Anwar blames media for exaggerating PKR problems

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 18 — PKR’s de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim played down today Datuk Zaid Ibrahim’s six months’ leave of absence from the party, but conceded there were problems in the opposition party.

“He is still in the party and still in the leadership.” said Anwar, who added the former Umno law minister would be going to perform the Haj during his leave of absence.

Anwar said he did not understand why Zaid’s leave was being interpreted in such a negative manner.

“I concede, yes we have to address this, if there are issues to be discuss.” said Anwar, but he blamed the media for sending the negative signal that there was serious infighting in the party and that PKR was unravelling. Read more

Cracks in Sabah PKR

A split in the Sabah PKR leadership is now out in the open following the appointment of party vice-president Azmin Ali as state liaison chief.

PKR vice-president Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan said 18 leaders of the party’s 23 active divisions in Sabah have signed a memorandum voicing their protest over Azmin’s leadership in the state.

The memorandum had been submitted to PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim “some time ago,” he said yesterday.

“The issue is not whether his appointment is accepted, it is about certain decisions he made,” Dr Jefrey said when met at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport here to greet former cabinet minister and PKR member Datuk Zaid Ibrahim.

Dr Jeffrey said the decisions of state liaison leaders should be made after consultation with division chiefs and not be “shoved down the throats of division leaders.” Read more

Dr M dismisses Khairy’s call to end ‘siege mentality’

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal

PETALING JAYA, Oct 17 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad yesterday brushed aside Khairy Jamaluddin’s call for Malays to end their siege mentality, pointing out that perhaps “some of us are already successful.”

But the former prime minister said there were still many Malays who found it hard to make a living.

Dr Mahathir said last night he believed Malays still had a siege mentality because of their relative poverty.

“Maybe the average Malay feels that he is under siege, so to speak because he does not earn enough,” said Dr Mahathir.

He was commenting Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin’s speech at the Umno general assembly.

“Well, maybe some of us feel that we are already successful, so we don’t need to be under ‘siege’,” said Dr Mahathir.

Khairy had this week urged Malays to end their siege mentality and emphasise Malay leadership as opposed to Ketuanan Melayu, or Malay supremacy.

His call to end the siege mentality was virtually blacked out by Umno’s Malay-language newspapers. Only English-language newspapers, vernacular and online media published stories emphasising the siege mentality part of his speech.

Khairy was also criticised by a number of right-wing Umno blogs, with many likening his remarks to something which Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim would say.

When asked last night, Dr Mahathir — a fierce critic of Khairy — declined to say whether he agreed or disagreed with the Umno Youth chief’s remarks.

“I’m not saying I’m agreeing or disagreeing with what he (Khairy) said. I don’t have to agree or disagree with anything.”

Khairy has been forced to defend his remarks after receiving flak from right-wing elements in the party.

The Malaysian Insider