Altantuya Killers' Appeal Up Soon

Altantuya Killers' Appeal Up Soon

Written by John Berthelsen, Asia Sentinel

Case reopens doubts about Malaysian justice system

The politically-charged appeal of two elite Malaysian police bodyguards who were sentenced to death two years and nine months ago for the 2006 murder-for-hire of Mongolian translator and party girl Altantuya Shaaribuu is due on Feb. 10 in Malaysia’s Court of Appeal.

The High Court trial, in which everything appeared to have been done ignore the question of who hired the two killers, stands in vivid contrast to the appeal filed by prosecutors on Jan. 19 in the case of Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, in which everything appeared to have been done to bend the evidence to try to put the 64-year-old Anwar behind bars. As Judge Mohd Zabidin Mohd Diah pointed out in his not-guilty verdict, “the court cannot be 100 percent certain that the DNA evidence against Anwar was not contaminated.”

The two bodyguards, Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar, were to be paid RM50,000 to RM00,000 to kill Altantuya, according to a confession by Sirul which was never produced in court.

Although the three-judge court is expected to hear arguments, it is unsure if the verdict on the appeal by the two will be concluded on that date. Even if it is, according to criminal defense lawyer Manjeet Singh Dhillon, that is unlikely to be the end of the case. If the two are found guilty once more, they have the right of appeal to the Federal Court, Malaysia’s highest tribunal. That could take as long as another 2-1/2 years, Dhillon said in an interview.

Although the Malaysian court system has been working to shorten the length of time appeals take, delays remain. However, the length of time this particular case is taking is extraordinary, Dhillon said. Indeed, however, he said, the appeal in Anwar’s case could take a similar amount of time. As with the Sirul-Azilah case, Anwar’s appeal to the Federal Court could also take another two and a half years after the appellate verdict.

The murder case been linked to the fortunes of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak. Azilah and Sirul served as bodyguards in an elite police unit supervised by Najib, then the country's deputy prime minister. It has continued to dog him as bloggers and journalists from France and other countries have continued to question his involvement. Also on trial with the two, but acquitted without having to put on a defense, was Altantuya's jilted lover and one of Najib's best friends, political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda.

From the start of the year-long trial, during which prosecutors and the judge were hurriedly switched without warning, to the end, when the verdict was delayed since February 2008 until after the United Malays National Organization convention that named Najib party leader and thus prime minister, the case has appeared more about suppressing evidence than determining the guilt or innocence of the accused.

Asked about the failure of investigative agencies to attempt to discover why no attempt had been made to ascertain who had hired the two to kill the woman, Dhillon responded: “Frankly, that is ridiculous. It clearly shows the intention of the investigative agency. If you are a hired killer, someone has hired you, and he is a far greater criminal, whoever it is. If I am the head of the investigative agency, I would want to know who the mastermind is. Everybody wants to sweep this under the carpet.”

The murder was one of the most gruesome in recent Malaysian memory. It is a tale worth repeating. By several accounts, the then-28 year-old woman, who was executed with two bullets to the head in a jungle clearing near the suburban city of Shah Alam and whose body was blown up with military explosives, was at the center of a massive scandal over the purchase by Malaysia of two French submarines and the lease of a third.

The sale of the submarines and other vessels by the French government-linked military contactor DCN to Malaysia, Pakistan, Taiwan. India and other countries have been investigated sporadically by prosecutors who have alleged it involves a string of murders and kickbacks paid to some of France’s top political figures.

Altantuya, then Razak Baginda's lover according to Razak Baginda’s testimony to police, reportedly was a translator in the purchase, which cost Malaysian taxpayers €1 billion (US$329.1 billion in current dollars). The purchase netted a company controlled by Razak Baginda €114 million in "commissions," according to testimony in Malaysia's parliament.

By Razak Baginda's own cautioned statement to the police, he grew tired of Altantuya and broke up with her after a year-long affair in which he gifted her thousands of dollars. However, she flew to Malaysia to demand as much as US$500,000, according a letter found after her death. Other reports alleged the payment was for her part in the purchase of the submarines.

As she stood in front of Razak Baginda's house, demanding that he come out, the two policemen, accompanied by a policewoman, swooped down on her, tossed her into the back of a car, and she was never seen alive again.

In a cautioned statement that was never introduced in court, Sirul testified that in her last moments, Altantuya begged for her life, saying she was pregnant. Sirul said he and Azilah had attached explosives to the woman's legs up to her abdomen and her head, raising questions why they had sought to destroy her abdomen rather, for instance, than her hands, which could identify the body. Presumably the explosives would have destroyed any DNA samples of whose baby was inside her, if any.

P. Balasubramaniam, a private detective hired by Razak Baginda to keep the woman away from him, swore in an intensively detailed statutory declaration that he was told by Razak Baginda that Altantuya had been the lover of Najib as well, that she liked anal sex, and that she had been passed on to the analyst because Najib intended to become prime minister and didn't want a sex scandal hanging over his head.

In the declaration, Balasubramaniam said he had seen text messages from Najib after Altantuya disappeared, telling him to "be cool" and that he would take care of the matter. After delivering his statutory declaration, Balasubramaniam was summoned to a Kuala Lumpur police station, where he was forced into a total recantation of the document. He and his entire family disappeared. There apparently was never an attempt made by the court trying the three men to find him and ask him to testify as to the accuracy of the statement.

Other questions remain. In Sirul's cautioned statement, the police constable said Azhar told him Najib's chief of staff, Musa Safri, had ordered them to pick up the young woman. Azhar first suggested going to the Hotel Malaya, where Altantuya and two friends were staying, to kill them all, but decided not to because of the presence of closed-circuit cameras. Neither of the two was ever asked in court about Musa's involvement in the matter, nor about their relationship to Najib.

Burmaa Oyunchimeg, Altantuya's cousin who accompanied her to Kuala Lumpur and one of the two women whom Sirul and Azhar presumably intended to kill in the hotel, testified in the trial that she had seen a picture of Najib together with Razak Baginda and Altantuya. Najib has sworn on the Quran that he had never met the woman.

Both the prosecution and the defense leapt to their feet and asked that her testimony be stricken and she was never asked about it again. She also testified that when she attempted to leave the country, there was no indication that she had ever arrived there, leading to questions of how her records had disappeared from the immigration department. No questions were ever asked about how that could have happened either.

When Razak Baginda was first brought into court in June of 2007, his wife, Mazlina, angrily shouted, asking why he was being brought to trial when he had no ambition to become prime minister, which could have been construed as a reference to the allegation of Najib's relationship to Altantuya that was described by Balasubramaniam. Mazlina has never been asked to explain her statement.

Nor has Najib, along with Musa Safri, ever been asked to appear in court or been questioned about the case. It appears unlikely that they ever will be.


Source: http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4167&Itemid=178

ANWAR WANTS DEBATE WITH NAJIB AFTER TRADING BLOWS ON ECONOMIC POLICIES

January 28, 2012

Source:The Malaysian Insider

DENGKIL, Jan 28 — Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim again challenged Datuk Seri Najib Razak to a debate after both rivals had lashed out at each other’s economic policies yesterday.

Opposition Leader Anwar had said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal the prime minister’s policies benefited cronies despite embarking on an economic reform programme.

But Najib returned fire in the evening, saying the opposition’s promises of abolishing tolled roads, writing off study loans and reducing fuel prices were “a recipe for economic disaster” as the government would have to absorb RM40 billion in study loans alone.

Anwar (picture) issued at least his fourth challenge to the Umno president in front of over 1,000 who attended a ceramah here last night despite Najib so far declining to go head-to-head with the former finance minister.

“Najib said our policies will destroy the country. So I say, let’s have a dialogue. He can speak for 20 minutes, I will speak for 10. He can reply for 20 minutes, and then I will reply in 10.

“He said he is not afraid of Anwar but afraid he will give me a fever. But I will use the space (in a debate) with respect,” the PKR de facto leader said.

BN chief Najib has previously demurred by saying that political parties were more important than individuals in Malaysia’s parliamentary democracy.

Anwar’s call for an open debate has so far been answered only once — in July 2008 — by then-Information Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabeery Cheek, an event broadcast live on national television.

Independent pollsters Merdeka Center revealed earlier this week that focus group discussions showed that most Malay professionals would like to see the two go toe-to-toe on policy issues.

“There appears to be a change in what the people want. They want a new culture of debate rather than smear campaigns,” Merdeka Center director Ibrahim Suffian had said.

A survey commissioned by PKR in August last year showed that Najib was more popular than Anwar especially among Malays despite being seen as indecisive and a poorer communicator.

The poll noted, however, that Anwar could combat Najib’s “surface appeal” by leveraging on his image as a strong, decisive leader with good communication skills and an understanding of economic issues.

Proton’s price is 53% cheaper in Saudi Arabia

Source: http://refsa.org/relevant-number/protons-price-is-53-cheaper-in-saudi-arabia/

Same set of keys, different price - Saudi Arabians pay half of what a Malaysian would, when buying the same model of the “Malaysian car”.

The highest price of brand new Proton Waja, Gen 2 and Persona cars were RM 43,570 between 2008 and 2009 in Saudi Arabia. The lowest price could even go until to RM 33,200 for a Gen 2 1.6 M/T L-Line car, as revealed in a parliamentary answer by the Ministry of Finance.

In contrast, Malaysians paid RM52,999 for a standard Waja or Persona, RM 52,988 for a Gen 2.

Particularly, Gen 2 1.6 A/T H-Line is sold 53% cheaper in Saudi Arabia compared to in Malaysia!

Table 1: Same cars, but Malaysians pay more than Saudi Arabians

Sources: Ministry of Finance’s written parliamentary answer to Member of Parliament for Kubang Kerian, Salahuddin Ayub, 11 October – 16 December 2010; Proton Edar June 2011 price lists, http://www.proton-edar.com.my/

The fact that local cars are cheaper overseas makes little sense. Proton cars are locally assembled, and utilises a good amount of locally-made spare parts. To top it off, these Malaysian cars are not levied import tax, so what is impregnating the price tags?

The burden comes from excise duty and sale tax, which are a minimum of 65% and 10% respectively, according to Aisha Ahmad, the President of Malaysian Automotive Association.

Aisha said in January 2011 that every car sold in Malaysia had been levied 65-105% excise duties, not including 10% sales tax, adding that Thailand’s excise duty is about 35%, by contrast.

If every national car is levied 75% taxes, then every car owner will have to contribute RM 15,000, RM 17,142, RM 19,285 or RM 21,428 for the government for buying RM 35k, 40k, 45k or 50k worth car.

Aisha pointed out that Malaysians are currently paying RM6 billion in excise taxes on cars per annum to the government.

Contributing our hard-earned ringgit for the development of the country would have been noble, but with over nine ministries revealed to have overspent RM3.73 billion of its operational allocation, and RM 2.57 billion paid to 2,000 dead pensioners, amidst other questionable management of funds brought to light by the 2010 Auditor-General’s Report, one is hard-pressed to muster the enthusiasm in paying these taxes.

Aisha added the association has been lobbying the government to lower the excise duties to be in line with other ASEAN countries, but had been rejected.

The given reason? Why, the government" needs the money”!

Scant progress on reforms in Malaysia, says global human rights report

By Yow Hong Chieh
January 22, 2012

The HRW World Report 2012 states that Malaysia needs to buck up on its reform efforts. – file pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 22 — Malaysia has made “little progress” on its promise to reform draconian laws despite Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s Malaysia Day pledge to uphold civil liberties, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said today.

The New York-based NGO noted in its World Report 2012 that while Malaysia took some positive steps by repealing the Restricted Residence Act and the Banishment Act, it was undermined by the “hasty passage” of the new Peaceful Assembly Act.

The Peaceful Assembly Act has been criticised by the Bar Council and the opposition for disallowing “assemblies in motion”, or marches, and giving police greater powers over public gatherings.

“Malaysia’s new public assembly law is even more restrictive than the law it replaced. This is hardly the ‘reform’ that Malaysia needs,” HRW deputy director for Asia, Phil Robertson, said in a statement.

HRW also highlighted the “systematic targeting” and “arbitrary detention” of critics of the government before and during the July 9 Bersih 2.0 rally, which saw tens of thousands of Malaysians take to the streets of the capital to demand free and fair elections.

“The Malaysian authorities’ crushing of Bersih’s peaceful march showed the government’s true face as an entrenched power willing to run roughshod over basic rights to maintain control.

“Apparently, Malaysians are only allowed to speak and assemble freely when they support the government,” Robertson said.

The Malaysian government should also repeal colonial era laws criminalising consensual same-sex relations to live up to its status as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

Robertson stressed that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s second sodomy charge should never have gone to court and urged the Najib administration to stop using such outdated laws to “slander” political opponents.

HRW added that human rights and political reform will likely be important issues in the upcoming general election and cautioned that the ruling coalition was painting itself into a corner by backtracking on public promises to create a more open, liberal society.

“The more Prime Minister Najib and government politicians play their game of big talk, little action on rights, the more they should expect popular pushback,” Robertson warned.

The HRW World Report 2012, released today, assessed progress on human rights during the past year in more than 90 countries, including popular uprisings in the Arab world.

A Critique of the ETP (Part 1) – Let’s evaluate PEMANDU on its DEEDS

By :
Dr. Ong Kian Ming BSc (LSE), MPhil (Cantab), PhD (Duke)
Teh Chi-Chang, CFA, BSc (Warwick), MBA (Cantab)
Refsa | 19 January 2012

The Economic Transformation Programme is ambitious indeed. The ETP promises to double gross national income (GNI) per capita to RM48,000 by 2020 from RM23,700 in 2009. An average 6% per year real income growth over 10 years and 12.8% per year private investment growth over 5 years is required to achieve this. Ultimately, RM1.4 trillion of investments in 131 Entry Point Projects (EPPs) within 12 National Key Economic Areas (NKEAs) will create 3.3 million new jobs.

Predictably, there are critics. Any plan as bold as this is bound to attract critics. But the attacks so far have mainly been against specific projects, such as the MRT and 1 Malaysia email; carping about the slick façade and expensive costs at PEMANDU – the Performance Management and Delivery Unit, prime minister’s department – the government agency that created and is now steering the ETP; or questioning the viability of its lofty targets.

We will evaluate PEMANDU on its DEEDS. In this series, we shall evaluate PEMANDU and the ETP on its own terms by looking at the goals and plans outlined in the ETP Roadmap document. So, for example, rather than questioning its ambitious targets, we shall analyse how well it is measuring up to those aspirations. Doing so facilitates constructive debate as it uses the same framework which PEMANDU has chosen to work within.

DEEDS – Data transparency and integrity; Execution – progress or lack thereof on announced EPPs; Enterprise – the success in stimulating private investment; Distribution – the spread of the 12 NKEAS; and Socio-economic impact – who benefits the most will be our concern. Mark the date – Wed, 25 Jan – when we declare “It does not compute!”

The Roadmap to High-Income Nation Status

The Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) was launched with much fanfare on Sept 21, 2010. 500 experts from the public and private sectors had spent 8 weeks brainstorming to produce this very ambitious roadmap to take Malaysia to high-income nation status by 2020, with a gross national income (GNI) per capita of RM48,000.

The ETP was conceived as a comprehensive programme to lift the country out of the middle-income trap to become a developed, high- income nation. It would be action-oriented, and aims to achieve ‘big and fast results’, a direct contrast to the nicely laid-out but poorly implemented government blueprints in existence.

Real GNI growth must average 6% for the next 10 years and private investment growth 12.8% over the next 5 years in order to achieve its goals, says PEMANDU – the Performance Management and Delivery Unit within the prime minister’s department – the government agency charged with steering the ETP.

Over the next 10 years, the ETP aims to pour RM1.4 trillion worth of investment into the economy to create 3.3 million new jobs:

• 92% of this investment will come from the private sector (with GLCs investing
32% and the non-GLC private sector investing 60%) and 8% will come from the
public sector;
• Domestic direct investments will account for 73% of total private investment
with the remaining 27% coming from foreign direct investments (FDI). This will
require, on average, 60% more private investment than the historical average.

The ETP focuses on 12 National Key Economic Areas (NKEAS) for which it has identified 60 business opportunities and 131 Entry Point Projects (EPPs). They include:

1. Expanding the production of swiftlet nests and unlocking value from Malaysia’s
biodiversity through herbal products under the Agriculture NKEA

2. Growing aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services and building
globally-competitive outsources under the Business Services NKEA

3. Scaling up early childcare and education centres and building an Islamic
finance and business education discipline cluster under the Education NKEA

4. Expanding the semiconductor and solar power industries under the Electronics
and Electrical NKEA

5. Becoming the indisputable global hub for Islamic finance under the Financial
Services NKEA

6. Pursuing generic export opportunities and developing a Health Metropolis under
the Healthcare NKEA

7. Attracting 100 of the world’s most dynamic firms within priority sectors to set
up shop in Kuala Lumpur/the Klang Valley and revitalising the Klang river under
the Greater KL / KV NKEA

8. Building a regional oil storage and trading hub and attracting MNCs to bring
their global oil-field services and equipment operations to Malaysia under the
Oil, Gas and Energy NKEA

9. Developing oleo derivatives and increasing the oil extraction rate under the
Palm Oil NKEA

10. Ensuring broadband for all under the Communication, Content and Infrastructure
(CCI) NKEA

11. Improving rates, mix and quality of hotels under the Tourism NKEA

12. Modernising small retailers under the Wholesale and Retail NKEA.

Let’s move beyond criticism of PEMANDU

A programme as massive and ambitious as the ETP is bound to have detractors. Critics have focused on 4 main issues:

1. The enormous budget allocated to PEMANDU and the exorbitant fees running into
tens of millions of ringgit paid to consultants:
o RM66 million was spent to set up PEMANDU, the bulk of this going to foreign
consultants including RM36 million to McKinsey and Co1;
o RM16 million was paid to seven consulting firms to run the 12 NKEA labs2;
o The operating cost of the now 60-strong ETP unit is estimated at RM53
million per year in 2011 and 2012. Its eight directors pocket about
RM39,000 a month each, while the associate directors each receive an
average RM23,300 per month3.

2. Accusations that the ETP lacks substance and is given weight only by the
excellent presentation skills of Datuk Seri Idris Jala, the charismatic PEMANDU
CEO who has skillfully hyped up the “many EPPs” during each of the eight ETP
updates so far4;

3. Carping that many projects were private sector projects that would have
proceeded regardless but were shoehorned into the ETP to boost its scale. Some
examples include the St. Regis Hotel at KL Sentral, which was already under
construction when the ETP was launched5, as well as the Educity initiative in
the Iskandar Development Region; and

4. Claiming that the ETP has unrealistic assumptions with regard to expected
investments, job creation, incremental GNI and real wage and GNI growth rates.

For example, if the objective of the ETP is to really double our incomes, it would require a per capita real GNI growth of 6.6% per year from 2009 to 2020. This is two times the 3.2% average real per capita GNI growth rate achieved over the ten years ended 2010 – a tall order indeed.

Chart 1: 6.6% per year growth rate needed to double income per capita by 2020 is two times the average 3.2% in the last decade

Sources: Monthly Statistical Bulletin, Bank Negara

Supporters of PEMANDU, in response, may say:
1. The fees and costs associated with developing and overseeing the ETP should be considered sunk costs and would be paid back many times over if the ETP is indeed successful in significantly increasing economic activity in the country;

2. Assuming the “hollowness” of the EPPs without going through the due diligence of examining their individual economic potential is unfair;

3. PEMANDU as coordinator between the private and public sectors clears red tape to help expedite private sector projects. In addition, naming hitherto private sector projects as EPPs focuses the energies and budgetary commitments of the stakeholders – the government, government-linked companies (GLCs) and the private sector – to drive these projects to completion in a timely fashion; and

4. PEMANDU should be expected to set ambitious targets in terms of real GDP growth, attracting investments, creating jobs, increasing wages and incomes. PEMANDU as an organisation is adding value only if it delivers performance exceeding the ordinary expectations of economic forecasters and analysts. It is unfair to criticise these targets as unrealistic. Rather, PEMANDU should be evaluated annually to see if it meets its targets and justifies the high fees of its directors.

We think these issues can be further debated, but these questions ultimately boil down to PEMANDU’s raison d’être. PEMANDU is already a fait accompli. Debating its existence serves no useful purpose at this point.

Evaluating PEMANDU on its DEEDS

In this series of Focus Papers, we shall evaluate PEMANDU and the ETP on its own terms by looking at the goals and plans outlined in the ETP Roadmap document. Doing so facilitates constructive debate as it uses the same framework which PEMANDU has chosen to work within.

In that vein, and in keeping with the spirit of the alphabet soup of NKEAs, NKRAs, SRIs, EPPs, GNI surrounding the entire GTP6, we evaluate PEMANDU and the ETP on its DEEDS:

1. Data transparency – the ease with which an independent analyst can evaluate the
figures relevant to the ETP and its targets;

2. Execution – the progress, or lack thereof, of announced EPPs (Entry Point
Projects);

3. Enterprise – whether the target of stimulating private investment is being
achieved. The ETP aims for a 92:8 split between private and public investments;
4. Distribution – the distribution of EPPs across the NKEAs (National Key Economic
Areas), which shows whether a healthy balance of projects is being maintained;
and
5. Socio-economic impact – an evaluation of the main beneficiaries of the economic
activities generated by the EPPs.

Pengisytiharaan harta

Pengisytiharaan harta

— Aspan Alias
The Malaysian Insider
Jan 21, 2012

21 JAN — Sekarang isu pengisytiharan harta oleh ahli Jemaah Kabinet menjadi bahan perbincangan rakyat ramai di mana-mana. Belum pun habis dengungan saranan yang anjurkan oleh DAP serta MACC, Nazri Aziz, seorang menteri kanan kerajaan negara, dengan pantas tidak bersetuju dengan cadangan itu.

Nazri memberikan alasan yang jika dilakukan pengisytiharan harta itu ia akan merbahayakan keselamatan individu itu. Apa bahayanya saya pun tidak tahu melainkan Nazri didapati mempunyai harta yang bertimbun secara haram.

Nazri bersetuju jika pengisytiharan harta itu hanya dibuat kepada Perdana Menteri sahaja. Lain-lain perkataan Nazri hanya sanggup memberitahu PM sahaja berapa jumlah harta beliau sejak menjadi menteri ini.

Selangor telah mengambil tindakan mengisytiharkan harta ahli Exconya dua tahun lepas dan Pulau Pinang telah mengambil tindakan mengisytiharkan harta ahli majlis mesyuarat kerajaannya dan boleh dilihat melalui internet oleh semua rakyat. Contoh-contoh baik yang dilakukan oleh kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat ini patut diikuti oleh kerajaan Barisan Nasional di peringkat persekutuan dan negeri-negeri yang ditadbirnya.

Dalam kes pengisytiharan harta ini nampaknya pihak Pakatan Rakyat lebih telus dan nampak kesediaan harta mereka dilihat dan diketahui umum. Bak kata Lim Guan Eng, DAP merasakan rakyat sepatutnya tahu tentang harta-harta yang ada pada mereka yang menduduki jawatan awam terutamanya yang mewakili kumpulan legislatif dalam kerajaannya.

Keengganan Nazri dan yang lain-lain dalam Kerajaan Persekutuan untuk mengisytiharkan harta secara terbuka menunjukkan yang kumpulan pemimpin dalam BN ini mempunyai banyak perkara yang hendak dilindungi dari pengetahuan umum.

Pengisytiharan harta ini merupakan amalan yang biasa bagi negara-negara yang maju dan mengamalkan pentadbiran mengikut undang-undang dan etika yang tinggi. Di negara-negara maju memang inilah amalannya. Selagi pengisytiharan harta ini tidak dilakukan selagi itulah kerajaan itu tidak boleh dianggap sebagai negara yang telus pentadbirannya dan tinggi etika kepimpinannya.

Jika menteri-menteri kita hanya mengisytiharkan harta mereka kepada Perdana Menteri sahaja ia tidak akan membawa apa-apa makna kepada pengisytiharan harta itu. Jika cara Nazri ini dilakukan hanya Perdana Menteri sahaja yang tahu dan tidak akan dapat “public scrutiny” seperti yang berlaku di negara-negara maju.

Jika hanya Perdana Meneterri sahaja yang tahu, paling mampu yang dilakukan oleh Perdana Menteri ialah untuk membandingkan di antara jumlah harta yang dikumpulkan oleh Nazri dan harta yang dikumpulkan oleh Perdana Menteri dan isterinya.

Kenyataan Nazri itu amat mengecewakan ramai dan ia hanya memberikan gambaran yang pemimpin-pemimpin kita tidak berani untuk menunjukkan bagaimana harta-harta yang menggunung itu didapati oleh mereka. Dalam isu pengisytiharan harta ini kita akan nampak dengan jelas yang di sebelah BN dan Umno, pemimpin mereka tidak menggemari ini dilakukan dan hanya pihak Pakatan Rakyat sahaja yang berani melakukannya.

Maka stigma Umno itu adalah kumpulan perasuah semakin diyakini oleh orang ramai dan sebaliknya keyakinan rakyat terhadap Pakatan Rakyat itu bertambah utuh dan kuat. Di sini kita boleh lihat yang Umno tidak berdaya untuk meningkatkan keyakinan rakyat terhadap sahsiah dan kejujuran mereka.

Hanya satu suara dari Kabinet Negara yang menyambut pengisytiharan harta ini dengan baik, iaitu Ismail Sabri Yaacob. Secara peribadi saya juga pernah mendengar yang menteri ini tidak pandai mencari duit luar dari jawatannya. Jika Ismail mahu bersama untuk membersihkan negara dari rasuah yang keterlaluan ini, saya berharap Ismail bersama PR kali ini.

Tetapi Nazri bolehlah mengisytiharkan harta beliau kepada Perdana Menteri. Kita tahu jika itu dilakukan oleh Nazri, maka Perdana Menteri hanya akan dapat membandingkan harta yang Nazri kumpulkan dengan harta yang PM sendiri kumpulkan.

Selepas itu elok Perdana Menteri mengisytiharkan hartanya kepada Nazri pula. Nanti Nazri dan Najib sama-sama tahu jumlah harta yang mereka masing-masing kumpulkan. — aspanaliasnet.blogspot.com

They are going to convict Anwar – that is certain!

They are going to convict Anwar – that is certain!

by P. Ramakrishnan
22 January 2012

What wasn’t expected surprisingly happened. The High Court acquitted and discharged Anwar. That decision took everyone by surprise and they hoped that it would be the end of this sordid affair.

What the vast majority of Malaysians had hoped for following Anwar’s discharge did not happen. The Prosecution shocked everyone and appealed the High Court decision.

What will happen following this appeal is predictable. We have said as much in our previous statement on 23 December 2009. This is what we said:

“Aliran has been keeping track of recent Court decisions and with this knowledge we must warn the jubilant litigants not to get carried away easily. This is Round 1 and Round 1 usually goes in favour of truth and justice. It is here where the facts are scrutinised diligently and justice has its sway. It is as far as justice can go!

“In Round 2, this decision will almost certainly be overturned, as has been the case on many occasions. It is here where facts don’t matter but technicalities will be the overriding factor and justice will be forced to take a back seat.

“This glaring outcome is inevitable in our system of justice. We have witnessed this without fail in Anwar’s cases, in the Perak Pakatan government’s tussle for democracy, in the Kampung Buah Pala residents’ plea for justice and in the MACC case involving Tan Boon Wah’s human rights.”

Based on the track record of the Judiciary, it is not difficult to predict the outcome of Round 2. Anwar’s freedom must be curtailed and his fundamental rights must be denied to ensure the very survival of the Barisan Nasional.

The only person who can wreak havoc and destroy the entrenched power of the Barisan Nasional through Pakatan Rakyat is Anwar and therefore he must be put away. And to give this political plot a semblance of legality, knowing Malaysians argue, the Judiciary has to play the subservient role it has been accustomed to since 1988.
It is a great tragedy that the Judiciary – except for some rare occasions when a few brave and honest Judges stood firm on the side of truth and justice – had been such a terrible disappointment. It is so tainted and tarnished that it no longer commands the respect of Malaysians. By its very questionable conduct, it has brought upon itself the loss of public confidence and earned itself the disrepute that it deserves.

What is the game plan? Well, the Anwar hearing will come very near to the election in order to tie him down with his case. He has to be convicted just before the election so that he would be disqualified to contest the poll.

Alternatively, the case can drag on until the election. Or the judgment could be delayed until the election. Whatever course the case takes, the intention remains the same. Don’t give Anwar the breathing space to campaign.

All these underhanded tactics can only be prevented when there is a change of government. The only way to redeem the Judiciary is to bring about a government that will respect the separation of powers.

On changing horses midstream and the man who can walk on water

On changing horses midstream and the man who can walk on water

— Sakmongkol AK47
The Malaysian Insider
Jan 21, 2012

JAN 21 — The prime minister told the people not to change horses midstream. So we asked, don’t we change even if the horse is limping and is running on three legs? In endurance races, riders change horses in order to arrive at the destination. Malaysians should be pragmatic when it comes to deciding their future.

Midstream for Barisan Nasional and Umno is already over 50 years. Since 1955, when the first elections took place until now, from Perikatan to BN, we have had more than 50 years of BN rule. What do we have?

We have development, for sure, but are also damaged by rampant corruption, utter disregard for the rule of law, abuses of all kinds, political manipulations, deception and lies and gross mismanagement of the economy. To all that, the PM says, we don’t change? If we don’t, we shall have another 50 years of unchecked corruption, emasculation of the judiciary, thugs running the legal institutions, abuses and gross mismanagement.

At another point in his speech, the PM says we don’t know whether the opposition knows what to do if they come into power. We don’t know whether, under Pakatan Rakyatwe, we can achieve developed status by 2020 with the fabled per capita income of US$15,000.

Of course Pakatan knows what to do. In the short years since they came into power, direct investments have been highest in Pakatan led states of Penang, Selangor and Kedah. These states have achieved balanced budgets without doing arithmetic tricks.

In Penang, which is led by a non-Muslim, grants to Islamic religious institutions have reached RM30 million a year. Compare that to Negri Sembilan, which is led by a good Muslim, where the grant is only RM 12 million a year. How is that possible? Because the state coffers have been managed better in one state than in the other managed by BN and Umno.

So, in answer to the PM’s pained exhortations, we should change horses if and when necessary. It’s now most necessary to change the tired horse. Retire him. But as a good animal lover, we won’t put it to sleep, but maybe employ it as a riding horse for children.

The other piece of news that struck me as odd was the statement from Khazanah Nasional that it didn’t make a profit from its sale of Proton shares to DRB-Hicom. If no profits were made, why sell the shares? You mean, a simple bottom-line judgement call require a phalanx of Oxbridge analysts to justify in order to sell at a profit?

Secondly, Khazanah’s statement can be construed as an admission that it was given a fait acompli, take-this-and-don’t-ask-any-questions offer. In Malaysia, only one person can do that – the man who can walk on water.

I hope I can throw more light on the sale of Proton shares to DRB-Hicom. Were there any other bids besides DRB-Hicom’s that were presented to Khazanah? Is Khazanah brave enough to publish the identity of all bidders?

If it has the courage to do so, we shall not be surprised if the bidders were only the Tengku Mahaleel- Arumugam group, DRB-Hicom, plus Nadzmi Salleh and Co.

If that is the case, whoever gets the shares has only one master. The man who can walk on water. — sakmongkol.blogspot.com

Indonesia draws US$19b FDI in 2011, tops Malaysia

Indonesia draws US$19b FDI in 2011, tops Malaysia

By Debra Chong
January 20, 2012

A worker from state-coal miner PT Bukit Asam oversees coal blending via conveyor belt before these are sent to barges in Tarahan coal port, in Indonesia's Lampung province August 20, 2011. — Reuters pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 20 — Indonesia’s foreign direct investment (FDI) hit a record US$19.3 billion (RM59.8 billion) last year, the highest in the region, and is expected to rise another 25 per cent this year despite the gloomy global economy.
In contrast, Malaysia only pulled in about US$10 billion (RM31 billion) last year, same as Vietnam, considered among the other top growing economies in Southeast Asia.
Indonesia, with a population of 237.6 million, attracted about as much investment as India and just under one-fifth that went into China, making it Southeast Asia’s biggest economy, Singapore’s Straits Times (ST) reported today.

As at October last year, total approved foreign investments in Malaysia stood at RM26.4 billion.

Approved foreign investments in Malaysia are primarily in the electrical and electronics industry, accounting for RM7.2 billion; metal-based products (RM2.4 billion); food processing (RM1.8 billion); chemical and chemical products (RM1 billion); transportation apparatus (RM902.4 million); petroleum products, including petrochemicals (RM520.8 million); and fabricated metal products (RM520.7 million).
Indonesia’s biggest investor last year was Singapore with US$5.1 billion, trailed by Japan and the US with US$1.5 billion each.

Slightly more than half of those inflows went to its capital Jakarta and the nearby West Java and Banten provinces. The rest was spread across the archipelago.
A fifth of the Indonesia’s FDI went into transport, storage and communications. Another fifth went into the mining sector.

“The key to raising investments in the future will be regulatory reform,” Indonesia’s trade minister Gita Wirjawan was reported by ST as saying today, about his country’s boom.

The Singapore daily reported him adding that Indonesia’s growth was due to “a series of improvements in the investment climate” at the central and local government levels, including better marketing efforts.

Gita, who also heads Indonesia’s investment coordinating board (BKPM), was reported saying its labour laws, which have been slammed by employers as being too rigid, could be amended.

ST reported observers saying Indonesia’s economy is largely domestic driven and that the country must dismantle more hurdles to doing business, such as poor physical and legal infrastructure and red tape.

The daily said FDI inflows into Indonesia came on the back of multinationals seeking cheaper labour with China rising up the value chain.

Investors were also drawn to Indonesia’s relatively untapped natural resources.
Indonesia’s National Economic Committee chief, Chairul Tanjung, was reported saying recent credit upgrades could pull in even more investments, notably in the infrastructure sector.

ST reported that motorcycle and car makers from Honda and Toyota to General Motors have announced plans to bump up their operations there.

It reported Standard Chartered economist Fauzi Ichsan saying consumer sectors like retail banking and pharmaceuticals were expected to rise as Indonesia’s middle class grows.

University of Indonesia economist Muhammad Chatib Basri has also written about his country’s economic boom, noting half the population are under 30 years old.
He wrote in this month’s issue of policy magazine, Strategic Review: “We need growth above eight percent through 2030... If we fail, we will leave our grandchildren only serious poverty and unemployment in 2050.”

Guan Eng says national debt ‘dangerous’, potentially disastrous

Guan Eng says national debt ‘dangerous’, potentially disastrous

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
The Malaysian Insider
Jan 11, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 11 — Massive borrowing and irresponsible spending by the Barisan Nasional (BN) government will result in Malaysia becoming a fully indebted nation before the end of the decade, Lim Guan Eng said today.

The Penang chief minister said that Putrajaya’s debt to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio has increased yearly from 53.1 per cent in 2010 to 53.8 per cent last year and is expected to hit 54.8 per cent this year.

“This is extremely dangerous, and even more disastrous when coupled with statistics from Bank Negara’s Annual Report 2010, which revealed that Malaysia’s household debt at the end of 2010 was RM581 billion, or 76 per cent of GDP, thus giving us the dubious honour of having the second-highest level of household debt in Asia, after South Korea.

“In absolute terms, federal government debt rose by 71 per cent in four years to RM456 billion at (the) end (of) 2011 from RM266 billion at end (of) 2007,” said Lim in a statement today.

The DAP secretary-general said by following the same expansion rate, national debt would be a projected RM780 million by 2016 and RM1.3 trillion by 2020.

Lim’s remarks are in response to a statement by Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER) distinguished fellow Mohd Ariff Abdul Kareem, who warned that federal government revenue was growing too slowly to keep up with its borrowings which hit 53.1 per cent of GDP in 2010.

Mohd Ariff told The Malaysian Insider recently that Malaysia’s national debt will hit 100 per cent of the GDP by 2019 should Putrajaya continue to borrow more than it earns. He said while the current size of government debt relative to GDP was not troubling, the pace of its growth in recent years was cause for concern.

Debt-to-GDP ratio jumped from 41.4 per cent in 2008 to 53.1 per cent in 2010 while government debt grew 14.6 per cent in 2008 and 18.3 per cent in 2009, far outpacing the country’s GDP growth, Ariff had said.

Lim added that a stagnation in salaries, coupled with increased prices for basic commodities such as sugar, eggs, and bread, will further result in Malaysians becoming even more debt-laden.

The Bagan MP said that MIER’s projections that Malaysia could end up becoming bankrupt by 2019 showed the need for new federal government, one that should be led by Pakatan Rakyat (PR).

He said that PR has successfully “managed” finances in states such as Penang.

“Penang managed to reduce (its) state debt from RM630 million in March 8, 2008 to only RM30 million as at end of October 2011. This represents a debt reduction of 95 per cent, or RM600 million, which is the highest debt reduction of any state in Malaysia’s history.

“Clearly, Malaysians who wish to have a better life for themselves and their future generations must make a choice between a government that is spendthrift and that borrows irresponsibly without being able to make the pie grow bigger, or a government that is prudent and transparent that will put the concerns of the rakyat first,” Lim added.

THE LAST DAYS OF UMNO ARE BEGINNING; SIMILAR TO WHAT HAPPENED TO SOVIET RUSSIA

Media Statement by Dr Chen Man Hin, dap life advisor in Seremban on 18th January 2012

THE LAST DAYS OF UMNO ARE BEGINNING; SIMILAR TO WHAT HAPPENED TO SOVIET RUSSIA, WHICH COLLAPSED IN 1990, ALTHOUGH MICHAIL GORBACHEV TRIED TO SAVE RUSSIA WITH HIS POLICIES OF GLASNOST AND PERESTROIKA. 1 MALAYSIA AND ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION PROGRAMS WILL NOT RESCUE NAJIB AND UMNO.

UMNO shows no signs of genuine reforms despite claims by PM Najib that UMNO is on the reform road as shown by the verdict of freedom for Anwar over the Sodomy 2 conspiracy. If there are no signs of reforms than UMNO will collapse in time, similar to what happened to the Soviet Union which collapsed in 1990.

Like Najib, Mikhail Gorbachev tried to save Russia with his policies of ‘glasnost and perestroika’ but these failed to save Soviet Russia, because he could not introduce democracy and economic restructuring as there was no policies or infrastructure to modernise Russia.

Najib is also claiming that he has great plans to reform the country, ever since he introduced his 1 Malaysia program. However, all he had to deliver are just promises. Nothing concrete he promised to cut down corruption, but every day corruption is the rule in government departments, judiciary and the police. Events have overtaken Najib and there is no way he could reverse the corruption cancer pervading the country.

Anwar's verdict of freedom in sodomy 2.
PM Najib claims that his government supports judiciary independence by not influencing in the verdict of not guilty in Anwar’s sodomy 2 trials. This must be the greatest lie of the century, when it is well known by all the people and international countries that sodomy 2 was a conspiracy hatched by PM Najib, his wife Rosmah and Saiful. This is a fact which is undeniable.

Much as he would like to, Najib could not do otherwise like forcing a verdict that Anwar was guilty of sodomy 2, as the DNA evidence proffered by a well known Australian authority on DNA was irrefutable – there was no evidence of ANWAR’s DNA sperm on any of the Prosecutor’s forensic evidence. To do otherwise would make Najib’s government the laughing stock of the world. He must have been so advised by APCO, an Israel organisation commissioned by Najib to boost his image internationally.

THE REFORMS THAT NAJIB MUST MAKE TO REASSURE THE PEOPLE THAT HIS GOVERNMENT IS IMPARTIAL, INDEPENDENT, INCORRUPT AND FAIR TO ALL MALAYSIANS IRRESPECTIVE OF RACE, CULTURE OR RELIGION

1. AMEND THE CONSTITUTION TO RESTORE THE SEPARATION OF POWERS, WHICH ARE INHERENT FOR THE JUDICIARY, THE LEGISLATURE AND THE EXECUTIVE. THE RESTORATION OF THE SEPARATION OF POWERS IS AN URGENT IMPERATIVE. WE SAW THIS IN THE WAY THAT THE EXECUTIVE COULD MANIPULATE THE JUDICIARY, PARLIAMENT AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENTS LIKE THE ATTORNEY GENERAL AND THE POLICE.

2. PM NAJIB MUST IMPLEMENT BASIC FUNDAMENTALS LIKE EQUALITY FOR ALL RACES. IN HIS MUCH PUBLICISED 1 MALAYSIA, HE HAS YET TO DECLARE THAT THE PEOPLE ARE MALAYSIANS FIRST AND FOREMOST, AND THERE SHOULD NOT BE ANY DISCRIMINATION BETWEEN MALAYS, CHINESE, INDIANS, KADAZANS OR DYAKS.

3. WE HAVE YET TO WAIT FOR PM NAJIB DECLARES THAT MALAYSIANS SHOULD NOT BE DIVIDED INTO BUMIPUTRAS AND NON BUMIPUTRAS. THIS DIVISION IS NOT IN THE CONSTITUTION, AND IS THE WORK OF UMNO. APARTHEID WAS PRACTISED IN SOUTH AFRICA BUT WITH MANDELA AS PRIME MINISTERE THERE IS NO MORE APARTHEID. THIS IS WHAT THE PEOPLE WANT TO HEAR, SINCE HE DECLARED THAT UMNO IS ON THE REFORM PATH, NO APARTHEID. NO KETUANAN MELAYU

4. PM NAJIB HAS PUT ALL HIS FAITH ON THE ETPS TO TRANSFORM THE ECONOMY. IF HE REALLY WANTS TO MAKE MALAYSIA PROSPEROUS AND BECOME A HIGH INCOME NATION, THEN HE MUST LISTEN TO THE ADVICE GIVEN BY BOTH THE WORLD BANK AND IMF THAT HE MUST DISMANTLE THE NEP POLICY, OTHERWEISE, MALAYSIA WILL BE LEFT BEHIND WHILE OTHER COUNTRIES LIKE INDONESIA, VIETNAM AND THAILAND OVERTAKE MALAYSIA IN THE COMING ASIAN CENTURY.

SO PM NAJIB, WE WANT TO SEE THESE REFORMS BEING IMPLEMENTED IF YOU DO NOT, IT IS QUITE CERTAIN THAT PARTY RAKYAT WILL TAKE OVER PUTRA JAYA, AND DRAMATIC CHANGES WILL BE MADE, COURTESY OF HIS NEMESIS, ANWAR IBRAHIM .


Dr Chen Man Hin
Dap life advisor

Nota BIPPA – Isu Pemikiran Umat Pasca Pembebasan DSAI

By Anwar Ibrahim


KEBENCIAN, KEDENGKIAN, KESOMBONGAN DAN
DENDAM KESUMAT MASIH MEWARNAI SEGELINTIR PEMIKIRAN
UMAT ISLAM PASCA PEMBEBASAN DSAI.

Bagi setiap insan terdapat parameter yang menjadi panduan untuk dia berfikir dan bertindak. Seorang athies yang tidak mempercayai kewujudan tuhan, akan bertindak dalam kerangka kefahaman dan kepercayaannya itu. Begitu juga bagi kalangan yang mempercayai kewujudan tuhan, akan berfikir dan bertindak mengikut kehendak dan kepercayaan kepada arahan tuhan. Seorang muslim yang mempercayai kepada Allah sebagai Rabb (Tuhan) yang memiliki alam, mengurus dan mentadbir sewajarnya bertindak mengikut kehendak kepercayaannya itu.

Mutaakhir ini bagaimana pemikiran muslim bila bertembung dengan isu yang melibatkan hukum hakam agama ?. Kedengaran dari suara-suara tertentu yang meresahkan umat Islam, malah mengelirukan serta berlaku pelanggaran pada syariat dan lebih menyedihkan dia menyesatkan orang lain dalam tindakannya itu. Amat malang bagi kita apabila mencampuri kepentingan peribadi dan emosi bila mengungkapkan perkara yang berkaitan dengan hukum agama. Tidakkah pelik seorang yang bergelar muslim yang sepatutnya menuruti ajaran agama lantas bersedia untuk mengenepikan hukum bila berhadapan dengan isu-isu tertentu. Seharusnya agamalah yang meluruskan emosi dan peribadi seorang muslim itu.

Rujukan kes yang ingin saya utarakan adalah berkaitan dengan fitnah liwat yang melibatkan DSAI. Bukan sekadar memberikan maklumbalas kepada keputusan mahkamah yang telah membersihkan DSAI daripada salahlaku tersebut. Tetapi bagaimana seorang muslim seharusnya berfikir dalam kerangka orang yang beragama dan yang memiliki Tuhan. Apa maknanya agama jika ia bukan untuk diamalkan dan dituruti jalannya.

Pasca keputusan diterima oleh orang kebanyakan, terutamanya penyokong PR dengan gembira, kesyukuran dan sebahagian dari episod kemenangan dalam perjuangan. Namun bagi orang yang membawa emosi dan peribadi sukar untuk menerima keputusan tersebut, lantas mengeluarkan kenyataan yang jelas melampaui batas-batas hukum dan syariat yang dianutinya. Kepercayaan bahawa berlaku peristiwa liwat tersebut kekal dalam minda mereka , kerana dendam kesumat, kebencian yang sukar dinyatakan serta kesombongan diri dan dikelirukan dengan fakta palsu.

Tidak ada asas langsung untuk kelompok ini menjustifikasikan liwat telah berlaku. Pertama dari sisi agama, jelas amat rapuh, tidak ‘valid’, bertentangan dengan kaedah mensabitkan perbuatan liwat. Malah membuat tuduhan tanpa bukti yang dipinta oleh syarak patut dikenakan hukuman qazaf. Kedua, bukti di mahkamah yang cuba dimanipulasi dengan pelbagai cara dan kaedah saintifik juga ditolak. Apa lagi hujah kalau ia bukan suatu kesombongan, kebencian dan kedengkian serta dendam kesumat untuk melakukan apa sahaja, walaupun ia bertentangan dengan agama sendiri.

Saya cuba untuk membawa pemikiran pembaca untuk melihat dari sisi agama, dengan mengenepikan sentimen kepartaian dan ketaasuban. Jauh sekali untuk memaksumkan insan yang bernama Anwar Ibrahim. Kerana apabila ia melibatkan soal hukum hakam syariat, sewajibnya seorang muslim itu mengutamakan agama lebih dari segalanya. Perkara ini saya tegaskan berkali-kali dalam pertemuan, kuliah atau berbicara dengan sahabat-sahabat supaya jangan kita terlajak untuk menghukum seseorang dengan hukuman yang melibatkan syariat Allah. Termasuk kepada musuh-musuh dalam politik kepartaian. Tidak ada sebab juga untuk kita membalas serangan dan tuduhan sebagaimana kita menerima tohmahan dan fitnah dari musuh politik.

Sering saya ingatkan sahabat-sahabat, supaya menjaga lidah daripada membuat tuduhan zina atau liwat kepada musuh politik kita, kerana kita tidak ada asas dari sudut agama untuk menjustifikasikan tuduhan. Maklumat yang berupa “hear say” tidak membenarkan kita untuk membuat tuduhan yang melibatkan hukum syariat. Serangan kepada musuh politik juga mesti dipelihara adap dan batasan agama, supaya kita tidak melanggar tanpa alasan yang syarie. Kerana menuduh seorang muslim baik lelaki atau wanita yang terkenal suci melakukan zina dan liwat amat berat disisi agama.

Kesimpulan dari topik perbincangan ini, saya ingin mengajak semua muslimin dan muslimat untuk kembali ke jalan yang telah ditetapkan syariat. Sekiranya begitu kehendak syariat maka begitulah kata kita. Walaupun di hadapan kita ada musuh yang sepatutnya diganyang semahunya, namun syariat tidak membenarkan, maka patuhilah syariat. Bersifat tawaduk dan menghormati syariat mengatasi segala-galanya mudah-mudahan hidup kita penuh keberkatan dan mendapat keredhoan illahi.

Disediakan oleh :
Ahmad bin Kasim,
Pengerusi Biro Pemahaman dan Pemantapan Agama (PKR)
Ahli Parlimen Kawasan Kuala Kedah.

Anwar acquittal alters Malaysian political landscape — Kim Quek

January 11, 2012

JAN 11 — The judge walked into the court room, read the judgment in one minute, and disappeared into his chamber.

By the time the flabbergasted people in the court room recovered from their shock and realised what it all meant, they jumped in uncontrollable jubilation with shouts of joy, burst of tears, hugging, back-slapping, utterances of congratulations and thanks.

Within minutes, the same ecstatic outburst also came over the thousands of supporters gathered outside the court building. In fact, the sense of joy and emotional relief has quickly reverberated right across the nation, transcending race and religion.

Such was the high drama that greeted the totally unexpected acquittal of Anwar Ibrahim from the sodomy charge by Justice Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah at the Kuala Lumpur High Court on January 9.

And such was the impact of this sensational Anwar story that it travels instantly around the globe with international TV channels like Al-Jazeera and BBC stopping their programmes to break the news, which no doubt has also brought relief and satisfaction to overseas pro-democracy and human rights bodies and well-wishers who had been anxiously awaiting the outcome of this sodomy trial.

No doubt the heightened sensation derived partly from the shock element of the verdict as no one had expected an acquittal. This is due to the fact that the trial had been so outrageously unjust and vindictive right from the start that everyone recognised it as political persecution and had anticipated a conviction and possibly instant jail on D-day, January 9. And so, imagine the joy of learning the opposite in such a dramatic fashion at the end of this long drawn ordeal.

It is common human experience that it is only when one is on the verge of losing a dear person that he discovers how much he loves that person.

And so it is with Anwar Ibrahim. The nationwide anxieties (expecting the worst scenario) that were steadily building up in the run up to judgment day, and the irrepressible smiling faces that appeared everywhere upon learning Anwar’s acquittal is the best testimony of the hitherto not so obvious truth that the nation has in fact all along treasured his leadership.

Such spontaneous response is also indication that Anwar’s indefatigable struggle to bring an end to the long antiquated and corrupt autocracy in this country, against unparalleled cruelty inflicted on him, has not gone unnoticed and unappreciated by the people, despite the regime’s high-handed media black-out on him all this time.

World won’t wait for Malaysia to catch up, says Bloomberg columnist

By Debra Chong
January 11, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 11 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak must hasten reforms, starting with dismantling the lopsided “New Economic Policy” that dampens competition as the world will not wait for Malaysia to catch up, a popular Bloomberg columnist said today.

William Pesek said the real issue was Malaysia’s policies to raise its economic game amid growing competition from its Asian neighbours.

“The world won’t wait for Malaysia,” he said in an piece on The Ticker, Bloomberg’s commentary on economics, politics and the world.

Pesek urged Najib (picture) to take bold action now and declare an end to policies that were holding Malaysia back, adding that doing so “would cheer investors” who were growing increasingly sceptical of his pledge to reform.

“It’s high time for Prime Minister Najib Razak to change the story, to shift the focus toward reforms, not tabloid scandals. Announcing the end of affirmative-action policies that hurt Malaysia's competitiveness might be just the thing,” he said.

He pointed that the government’s “New Economic Policy” continued to favour the majority Malay community had outlived its usefulness after more than 40 years and urged Najib to remove this hurdle to economic growth.

“It limits investment, stifles competition and keeps the economy from becoming a meritocracy,” Pesek said.

He noted that China, India and Malaysia’s Southeast Asian neighbours Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam were evolving swiftly and would be able to outstrip their competition within a few years.

He further warned that developing economies needed to “watch their backs”.

He said Malaysia’s huge 5.8 per cent growth potential deserved attention as it stood to join the ranks of Asia’s top economies, but foreign investors were being increasingly sceptical that the country could live up to its promise with the Najib government being constantly distracted by other issues.

He listed Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s recently-concluded sodomy trial; the religious tensions between Malaysia’s Muslim majority and its minority Christians; and “murder investigations involving high-ranking officials” as examples in his opinion piece.

He advised: “It’s time to take ‘CSI: Malaysia’ off the air. An unscripted bout of economic change could be just the thing.”

Malaysia’s other observers have been saying the same thing.

“The public is looking for leaders who are able to manage Malaysia through economic turmoil,” Bridget Welsh, a political science lecturer at Singapore Management University was quoted as saying this week by Bloomberg.

Najib must persuade Malaysia’s 28 million population they are the right choice to overhaul the country’s US$238 billion (RM749.75 billion) economy laden with economic policies that are seen to benefit only one race and which the World Bank has warned is holding back the country’s growth.

Worried local economists have warned Putrajaya that federal revenue was growing too slowly compared to its sovereign debt and urged him to quicken the pace of his economic reforms to claw back foreign investor support.