Dari MalaysiaKini
Oleh John Berthelsen

Joseph Breham, seorang daripada anggota perundangan Perancis yang memfailkan aduan di mahkamah di Paris berhubung skandal pembelian kapal selam kepada kerajaan Malaysia dijangka mendarat di Kuala Lumpur hari ini.

Misi Breham adalah untuk mencari maklumat lanjut bagi menyediakan kes berkenaan serta berjumpa dengan pertubuhan hak asasi manusia, Suaram, yang juga adalah anak guamnya dalam kes berkenaan.

Perjanjian pembelian kapal selam yang menelan belanja berbilion dolar itu dimeterai oleh menteri pertahanan ketika itu (2002), Datuk Seri Najib Razak yang kini adalah perdana menteri Malaysia.

Perjanjian itu dikatakan memberi komisyen RM3.7 billion kepada seorang sekutu rapat Najib, Abdul Razak Baginda.

Nilai pembelian itu adalah untuk memperolehi dua kapal selam kelas diesel – yang dibina oleh Armaris, sebuah anak syarikat firma pertahanan gergasi Perancis, DCN (yang dulunya dikenali sebagai Direction des Constructions Navales) dan pemajakan kapal selam ketiga yang sudah bersara yang diusahakan oleh sebuah syarikat usahasama antara DCN dan firma, Sepanyol, Agosta.

Breham, seorang daripada tiga peguam yang memfailkan kes berkenaan dengan pihak pendakwaan Perancis bagi pihak Suaram memberitahu Asia Sentinel bahawa mahkamah Perancis telah membuka siasatan awal dan akan menasihatkan anak guamnya berhubung langkah seterus mereka. (more…)

28 April 2010

1. Every citizen has a fundamental right to vote. But this right is
meaningless if he is not able to exercise it because his name is
removed from the electoral roll without his knowledge; or if he is
intimidated, or bribed or given all kinds of inducements to influence
his choice. In the recent Hulu Selangor by-election, we witnessed all
of the above. We have witnesses who will come forward with the
necessary evidence of blatant bribery starting from the Barisan
Nasional (BN) party worker right up to the Prime Minister (PM)
himself. The conduct of the Prime Minister is shameless and without
precedent. More importantly it is illegal. In these circumstances, we
will file an election petition as soon as my legal team is ready to do
so. Any voter from Hulu Selangor who wants to volunteer relevant
information to any of the PKR, DAP or PAS offices.

2. The conduct of free and fair elections is the constitutional duty
of the Election Commission. I maintain that they have violated that
duty in the recent by-election. They have allowed intimidation, false
information, and unfair and illegal electoral practices by the BN
machinery without any attempt to stop them. In fact, it was obvious to
me that the Election Commission was on the side of BN and wanting BN
to win. I will therefore institute appropriate legal action against
the Election Commission, in hope that future elections will be
conducted fairly to reflect the will of the people.

I will also sue Utusan Malaysia for calling me kaki botol. I was never
an alcoholic. Whatever I consumed was no more than whatever Mahathir
and other UMNO leaders had consumed. The Election Commission should
not have allowed for such a malicious and false campaign.

3. Pakatan Rakyat will mobilize a fresh campaign to make free and fair
elections a reality in this country. We will never be able to reflect
the will of the people and form the next Federal government if BN can
conduct the elections as they see fit, as they are doing now. Our
Election Commission must conduct elections that conform to
international standards. Our country must allow for international
observers to attend the Sibu by-election and all other elections in
the future. I ask the PM if he is as popular as he claims, then why is
he so afraid of a free and fair fight with the Opposition?

4. A Pakatan International Support group will be launched in London in
July. This is to garner international support for free and fair
elections in Malaysia. Malaysians residing overseas are eligible to be
members of this group. They will make representations and provide
information to other countries and international organizations on how
elections are conducted here and what the ruling party in Malaysia has
done to stay in power. By exerting international pressure so we hope
this BN government will one day allow for free and fair elections.

Zaid Ibrahim
Hulu Selangor By-Election Candidate
Central Leadership Council Member
Parti Keadilan Rakyat