From TODAYonline.com
By Ansley Ng

ansley@mediacorp.com.sg

ONE way he would improve racial ties in Malaysia if he were Prime Minister, said opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, would be to stop awarding scholarships to the children of government ministers.

Describing his experience when his eldest daughter Nurul Izzah — now Member of Parliament for Lembah Pantai in Kuala Lumpur — went to university,Mr Anwar said he was told he needn’t pay her fees as she was “automatically” given a scholarship.

But Mr Anwar, who was then Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, persisted and the university eventually accepted his payment.

“This has to be stopped,” he said of the practice, which has angered families of poor Chinese and Indian students who qualified for assistance but did not receive it.

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Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim can be heard live at 5:00 PM (GMT + 8) on BBC World Service’s news program, World Update.

Click here to listen

Office of Anwar Ibrahim

Dari Malaysia kini

26 Mei 09 – Lapan wakil rakyat pembangkang termasuk ahli parlimen Ipoh Barat M Kulasegaran ditahan polis selepas perasmian mogok lapar Pakatan Rakyat untuk mendesak DUN dibubarkan.

Mereka antara 14 orang yang ditahan pagi ini, termasuk lima pekerja syarikat pengurusan acara yang sedang menyiapkan khemah untuk acara tersebut.

Kelima-lima ditangkap di depan Wisma DAP di Ipoh selepas jam 6 pagi ini. Tiada maklumat lengkap diperolehi tentang status mereka, setakat ini.

Belon udara besar dengan tulisan ‘Bubar DUN’ turut dirampas. Difahamkan kakitangan Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh cuba meruntuh khemah untuk majlis pelancaran tetapi tidak meneruskan niat mereka.

Sekurang-kurangnya 50 anggota polis termasuk yang berpakaian biasa dan pasukan pencegah rusuhan kelihatan di sekitar ibu pejabat DAP negeri itu.

Pakatan Rakyat melancarkan mogok lapar selama 72 jam di ibu pejabat DAP itu mulai 11 pagi bagi mendesak dewan dibubarkan untuk memboleh satu pilihanraya negeri dipanggil sebagai langkah penyelesaian kemelut politik yang berlarutan sejak Februari lalu.

Menteri besar mereka Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin dan speaker gabungan pembangkang itu V Sivakumar dijadual melancarkan dan menyertai mogok tersebut.

Beberapa ADUN Pakatan dan penyokong DAP, PAS dan PKR dijangka menyertainya sebagai bantahan terhadap rampasan kuasa BN.

Mogok lapar ini akan berakhir di pejabat PAS Perak petang Khamis ini.

KHAMIS, 28 MEI 2009

5.00 -6.00 ptg : Ceramah Umum di Rumah Haji Umar
 [ Lot 488 Kg. Terus Tertitik, Kuala Perlis ]
 ( Dekat Tangki Air Di Tepi Lebuh Raya )

6.00-6.30 ptg : Sidang Media dan Ramah Mesra

7.20 – 8.00 mlm : Solat Maghrib di Masjid Seberang Ramai

PEJABAT DATUK SERI ANWAR IBRAHIM

27 MEI 2009 – RABU

10.00 – 12.00 mlm – Ceramah Perdana – Guar Jering

(Penceramah: YB Azmin Ali, YAB Tuan Guru Dato’ Seri Nik Abdul Aziz, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim)

———-

28 MEI 2009 – KHAMIS

10.00 – 12.00 pagi  – Perjumpaan Dengan Jentera Pilihanraya

4.30 – 8.30 mlm – PROGRAM DI KUALA PERLIS

11.00 – 12.00 mlm – Ceramah Perdana – Homestay Mengkuang Titi

(YB Husam Musa, YB Saifuddin Nasution, Anwar Ibrahim)

———-

29 MEI 2009 – JUMAAT

12.00 – 2.30 ptg – Solat Jumaat – Masjid Haji Saad – Tanah Liat

5.00 – 6.30 ptg – Perjumpaan dan Dialog dengan Warga Pendidik dan NGO – Yayasan Aman

7.30 – 8.30 mlm – Solat dan Tazkirah Maghrib –  Masjid Ara Kuda

8.45 – 10.00 mlm – Jamuan Makan DAP – Tanah Liat

10.00 – 11.00 mlm – Ceramah Kelompok –  Kampong Terus

11.00 – 12.00 mlm – Ceramah Perdana –  Tok Pekong Kubang Ulu

(Dato’ Mustafa Ali, YB Tian Chua, YB Nga Kor Ming, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim)

———-

30 MEI 2009 – SABTU

9.30 – 11.00 pg – Rondaan ke kedai-kedai kopi

11.00 – 4.30 ptg – Kenduri kendara

5.30 – 6.30 ptg – Program bersama komuniti cina – Bkt Mertajam – Bomba Sukarela

8.30 – 10.00 mlm – Solat  Isyak, Hajat dan Tazkirah – Masjid Kubang Semang

10.00 – 11.30 mlm – Ceramah Grand Finale – Taman Guar Perahu

(Penceramah YB Azmin Ali, YAB Dato’ Seri Nizar, Ybhg Mat Sabu, YAB Tan Sri Khalid , YAB Lim Guan Eng, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim)

PEJABAT DATUK SERI ANWAR IBRAHIM

From Nasdaq.com

SINGAPORE (AFP)–Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim called Monday for stronger regional efforts to force Myanmar to release pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Anwar, speaking to the Foreign Correspondents Association of Singapore, suggested that some neighbors were more interested in doing business with Myanmar’s military regime than promoting freedom.

“There’s more construction than constructive engagement,” he said, referring to contracts awarded to Asian investors in Myanmar.

Anwar lamented what he called “the utter abdication of responsibility in the region” to use more direct methods to convince Myanmar’s military regime to free the Nobel Peace Prize winner.

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From Nasdaq.com

SINGAPORE (AFP)–Malaysia opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim vowed Monday to put up a strong defense against sodomy charges, saying it wouldn’t be easy to convict him of the offense for a second time.

Addressing the Foreign Correspondents’ Association in Singapore, Anwar insisted the case against him was based on false evidence concocted by political enemies.

“What case are you talking about? We have seen medical records,” said Anwar, who is on bail ahead of a trial set to be heard in Malaysia’s High Court between July 1 to 24.

He insisted that he was innocent of the allegations of sodomy leveled against him by a 23-year-old former aide.

“Of course, with or without a case they will always charge and convict you. But I don’t believe they can do it that easily this time. We’re going to fight a very strong case,” he added.

“I don’t believe they can fool Malaysians or the international community.”

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