By Khoo Kay Peng
Najib Razak, Sharizat Jalil and Khairy Jamaluddin are going to form the leadership backbone for UMNO. Can their leadership provide a new impetus for the party’s revival? Can UMNO help to rejuvenate other BN component parties?
There are several issues which the new leadership must address quickly:
Yesterday I gave an interview to Sarah Stewart, the Bureau Chief of AFP in Malaysia. Among the questions she asked me was the unavoidable question about the international scandal linking Dato’ Seri Najib Razak with the murder of Altantuya Sharibuu and with the purchase of the Scorpene submarines.
I told Sarah that in my long experience as a politician the only way to clear one’s name when a scandal has broken out around oneself is to meet it head on in the court of law. The BMF scandal of the 1980’s also had its share of lurid detail. There too a large sum of money and a murder was involved. An unseen hand had woven the threads of the story around me to destroy me politically. But when international newspapers alleged that I was involved in any wrongdoing, I took action against each and every one of them in their home jurisdictions.
I sued The Telegraph and The Sunday Times of the UK, and The South China Morning Post of Hong Kong. I won all three cases, the newspapers published unreserved apologies and printed retractions covering half a broadsheet page each, and I came away with a tidy sum of money for my trouble.
Continue reading ‘Najib Perlu Membuktikan Dirinya Bersih Dari Tuduhan Yang Dilemparkan’
From Wall Street Journal
As Najib Razak takes power, the ruling party must not return to its old ways.
In 2001, as Mahathir Mohamed’s long tenure as prime minister was in its final years, we wrote that Malaysia was “in danger of stepping back from the world of democracy and the Internet into a darker age of racial conflict and government repression.” Eight years later, with the economy deteriorating and politics in turmoil, that threat looms again.
Dr. Mahathir’s protege, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, is set to be elected today as leader of the United Malays National Organization, the leading party in the coalition that has governed the country since independence in 1957. Next week he is expected to take over as prime minister, replacing the moderate and mostly ineffective Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. During his six years in office, Mr. Abdullah made scant progress in efforts to end political corruption, liberalize the economy and reform the judiciary. The unpopular premier led UMNO to a dismal performance in elections a year ago.
Mr. Najib’s ascension to power has been marked by a government crackdown on UMNO’s political opponents and on free speech. On Monday, police fired tear gas on a rally in Kedah as opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was speaking to the crowd. Also this week, reporters from popular online media, including Malaysiakini and Malaysian Insider, were denied credentials by the party to cover the UMNO party congress taking place in Kuala Lumpur.
From The Australian
A FORMER minister in Malaysia’s ruling UMNO party has questioned the suitability of Najib Razak to take over the prime ministership because of his alleged links to corruption scandals and a murder case.
Radio Australia reported yesterday that Zaid Ibrahim, a former law minister in Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi’s Government told a Rotary lunch in Kuala Lumpur that Mr Najib, the current deputy, was unfit for the national leadership.
Mr Zaid singled out charges of cronyism over the award of military contracts, a recent power grab in Perak state and alleged links to the murder of Mongolian model, Altantuya Shariibuu, who was the lover of a close associate of Mr Najib at the time of her death.
Continue reading ‘Malaysia deputy Najib Razak ‘unfit to govern’’
By Tulang Besi
Najib was never a leader. He shuns competition and he always expects everything to be served to him on a silver platter. I mean, what can u expect from someone who has been raised with a silver spoon fed into his mouth.
At least, Dr. Mahathir was tested several times and won. But, Dr. Mahathir prefers the iron fist tactics to maintain his hegemony. Najib, on the other hand, needs to invoke and iron fist because without it, his reign will not last more than one term.
Continue reading ‘Najib is Set to Continue Mahathir’s Iron Fist Policy’
Anda dijemput menandatangani petisyen bantahan terhadap Najib Razak sebagai Perdana Menteri Malaysia di laman web
SHAH ALAM, March 25 — Permodalan Negri Selangor Berhad (PNSB) chief executive officer Datin Khairiyah Abu Hassan testified before the legislature today that the state subsidiary was ‘instructed” to pick up the cost to Melbourne for the wife of former menteri besar Datin Zahrah Kechik to visit their son who was studying there.
Khairiyah told the Special Select Committee for Competency, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat) that she received the instructions directly from Zahrah and was “told” to accompany her on the three day visit, in 2007.
Over RM14,000 was spent to purchase return business class and economy class tickets sometime in December 2007.
Continue reading ‘State paid for Khir’s wife to visit son in Melbourne’
KUALA LUMPUR, March 25 — DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang was ejected from the Dewan Rakyat by Deputy speaker Ronald Kiandee at about 10.50am for refusing to retract his accusation that Umno was ‘gila kuasa’ or ‘power crazy’ while debating amendments to the Human Rights Commission Bill.
Kiandee ordered Lim to retract his statement but he refused. Lim will not be allowed into the Dewan till 1pm today.
Preceeding that, a screamfest ensued between Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lawmakers over Lim’s words.
Ronald also ordered Kinabatangan member of parliament, Bung Mokhtar Radin, to retract his insults which he did after Lim was ejected.
Belum pun menerima kuasa secara mutlak sebagai Presiden Umno, Timbalan Perdana Menteri sudah mula menunjukkan belang sebenar pentadbiran beliau apabila mengarahkan pihak polis menghalang perjalanan satu majlis memperkenalkan calon Parti Keadilan Rakyat(PKR) yang diadakan di Padang Awam, Taman Ria Jaya kira-kira jam 9.20 malam tadi.
Majlis itu yang turut mengundang Penasihat PKR, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim dan Menteri Besar Kedah, Datuk Seri Ustaz Azizan Abdul Razak dicemari oleh insiden menyayat hati apabila lebih 50 kali tembakan gas pemedih mata dilepaskan dan dua kali semburan air kimia Water Canon dihalakan kepada orang ramai.
Kelab Anwar Ibrahim (AIC) mengutuk sekeras kerasnya kejadian malam tadi dan menyifatkan tindakan itu sebagai membunuh proffesionalisme Polis Diraja Malaysia kerana telah bertindak zalim ke atas rakyat yang berhimpun secara aman.Penganjuran majlis itu difahamkan telah menerima permit tetapi dibatalkan pada saat-saat akhir.
For the second successive night, a ceramah by PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim was disrupted by the police this time in Bukit Gantang, Perak.
Last night, a Pakatan Rakyat ceramah held at the PAS headquarters in Sungai Tinggi in Bukit Gantang ended when about 200 riot police waded into sections of the 5,000 crowd, ordering them to disperse.
Anwar was just warming into his speech when the police intervened to end the ceramah.
The pattern of police intervention was similar to Monday night in Bukit Selambau in neighbouring Kedah when a much larger contingent of police broke up the ceramah by firing tear gas and chemical spray into the crowd (left). Thirty-one were arrested.
From ABC Radio Australia
In Malaysia, an explosive speech by a former UMNO minister has cast a shadow over the imminent prime ministership of Najib Razak. Prominent Malaysian lawyer Zaid Ibrahim says long-standing scandals and sensational charges, including alleged links to a murder case, against Datuk Najib make him unfit for leadership.
Presenter: Joanna McCarthy
Speaker: Professor Clive Kessler, emeritus professor in international studies, University of New South Wales; Lim Kit Siang, parliamentary leader, Democratic Action Party; Razali Ibrahim, UMNO youth head, Johor
Continue reading ‘‘Doomsday pin pulled’ on Malaysian politics over Najib Razak’
The Franco-Spanish Scorpene diesel-electric attack submarine competes on the global market against an array of competitors, foremost of which is ThyssenKrupp HDW’s U209/212/214 family. In June 2002, the Malaysian government signed a EUR 1 billion contract with Armaris (now DCNS) and Spanish naval shipbuilder Izar (now Navantia) for 2 SSK Scorpenes and associated support and training. The first of class KD Tunku Abdul Rahman has begun trials, and is scheduled to enter service in 2009.
Within Malaysia, the sale has been compromised by an ongoing trial and set of legal actions around the public kidnapping and private execution of Mongolian modeling student, translator, and paramour Altantuya Shaariibuu. The case took a dramatic turn when the victim was closely connected to EUR 114 million in “commission” payments to Perimekar, a firm owned by a close associate of Malaysia’s current Defence Minister and impending Prime Minister. The monies were paid by Armaris (now DCNS) for for “support and coordination services,” a term that may bring to mind the murder of Taiwanese Captain Yin Ching-feng in connection with a bribery scandal involving Taiwan’s DCNS frigates.
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