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<b>Tiz Zaqyah</b> Nafi Berpisah Dengan Remy Ishak - xNews® Alternative <b>...</b>

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 04:13 PM PST


Tiz Zaqyah Nafi Berpisah Dengan Remy Ishak

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 02:26 PM PST

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Sekitar dua minggu lalu, khabar angin bertiup kencang membawa perkhabaran pasangan romantik pelakon Tiz Zaqyah dan Remy Ishak didakwa sudah berpisah. Ini berikutan beberapa catatan dan luahan di laman sosial milik kedua-dua selebriti pujaan ramai ni yang seolah-seolah samada secara sengaja atau dalam tidak, seperti memberi bayangan bahwa hubungan cinta mereka sudah berakhir.


Questioning the faith

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 03:02 PM PST

Four years ago, I had lost my mother to cancer. During the months from her diagnosis to her demise, I saw her withering like a flower. Not a day had passed then that I did not turn to God, pleading with him to spare her life. But as time passed, she slipped further and further into the jaws of death.

And when she had breathed her last, I became enraged with God and cursed Him for turning a deaf ear to my prayers. Overwhelmed with resentment, I shut the door of the altar at home and extinguished Him from my heart. Both the door and my heart had remained closed for more than a year.

But time, as it always does, healed the wound.

When the anger had subsided, I opened the door of the altar once again and sought forgiveness for all the harsh words uttered to Him. As I reflected on those who were unfortunate to have lost their loved ones at a tender age, I thanked Him for blessing me with my mother's presence for three decades.

But just like Hamza Kashgari, till this day, there are certain things about Him that I love, certain things about Him that I despise and certain things about Him that I do not understand.

In times of great personal loss, emotional upheavals and uncertainty, we, including the most pious amongst us, sometimes tread on the blasphemous path, questioning our beliefs and the existence of a compassionate and omnipresent divinity. Faith, after all, is a personal bond beween an individual and his maker.

How many times had we gone to a place of worship and threw our hands up in exasperation and contempt demanding answers whenever fate struck us with a cruel blow?

Religious scriptures reveal that great masters and prophets had also been assailed by the arrows of doubt during their spiritual endeavours. Even Jesus had looked up to the heavens during the crucifixion and questioned his Father why he had been abandoned. What more mere mortals like us?

Death for a poet?

Now, there is a possibility that the 23-year-old poet and newspaper columnist from Saudi Arabia could be put to death for questioning his faith or to be more precise, the infallibility of Prophet Muhammad.

Fearing for his life, he chose to flee his country, hoping to seek refuge in New Zealand. But a transit at Kuala Lumpur proved to be disastrous. Under pressure from the oil-rich kingdom, Malaysia acted swiftly to deport him despite objections from human rights organisations and before a court here could rule on an application filed against the move, with Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein brushing aside concerns for his life as ridiculous.

Commenting on this, a Muslim opposition leader had criticised the deportation, noting that Malaysia did not possess a commendable record with regard to human rights and this would taint it further.

PKR's Badrul Hisham Saharin also questioned Malaysia's seriousness regarding such issues and claimed that Dr Mahathir Mohamad, during his tenure as prime minister, had also insulted the prophet but never apologised for it.

On the same note, even Mahathir appeared to disagree with the repatriation, saying that a proper study of the case should have been conducted first as it might involve the loss of a life.

However, there is little doubt that Kashgari should have known better.

He should have realised that his remarks would stoke up tempers in a nation that is deeply religious and sensitive about its faith. And now the issue had taken a political twist, becoming a battle between the liberal and conservative forces within and outside the kingdom.

Kashgari himself had said that he was being made into a scapegoat of a larger conflict.

The controversy also ignited a worldwide debate over the the right to the freedom of expression, with numerous quarters calling on the Saudi government to respect critical viewpoints regardless of how bitter a pill it might be to swallow.

But perhaps Kashgiri was just a young man embroiled in some form of personal turmoil, and who like most of us, became angered and confused by the trials and tribulations of life. His actions were perhaps unwarranted of such an uproar.

Perhaps, his free-spirited nature grew frustrated with a regime that stifled freedom and chose to voice out against it, which most of us do in silence or in safe confines. Perhaps his only fault was to air his thoughts on a public forum in a country high on religious fervour and low on tolerance.

According to one news report, Kashgari, who had drawn the ire of Muslims for stating that there were certain aspects about Prophet Muhammad which he loved and others which he loathed, was described by a former colleague as being a loner and a dreamer.

"He had a broken look in his eyes and I think that was a sign of sadness or depression. He's a poet and had a lot of philosophical ideas," the newspaper editor had remarked.

The mind of a poet is a dangerous thing, for it refuses to conform and is often enticed by the romanticism surrounding the spirit of rebellion. But it is this, a mind that cannot be shackled by the chains of authority albeit even divine sanctioned ones, which is the creative catalyst behind all great poetic works, including that of Muslim poets.

To err is human

Kashgari later confessed that his offensive tweets were posted during a difficult psychological state and he had since repented and apologised.

"I declare my repentance and I distance myself fully from all the misleading ideas that affected me and made me write expressions that I do not support. I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of God. I shall live and die firmly believing in it… I strongly adhere to the testimonies that there is no deity but Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah," he had wrote.

Only God knows if Kashgari had truly seen the light or if his repentance was a desperate attempt to escape the executioner's blade.

Nevertheless an apology had been tendered and the "sinner" had expressed remorse. And for those who choose to continue baying for his blood, do remember that to err is human and to forgive is divine.

As one learned Muslim friend remarked, "God is compassion, and the prophet is the personification of that compassion. I am certain that the prophet would have forgiven him."


Making money out of criminal courts

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 03:01 PM PST

By Sara Webb

THE HAGUE: In a tiny office on Zeestraat 100, Alice Helbing puts the final touches to a script for an imaginary counter-terrorism exercise in the Netherlands.

A few doors down the corridor, staff from a legal aid group are digging into real war crimes in Ivory Coast.

Nearby at Humanity House, a small museum devoted to raising awareness about aid for the victims of disaster, visitors can find out what it's like to be a refugee – to have to flee your home, leaving dinner on the table, with no money, no mobile phone, no passport, just the clothes you are wearing.

Behind its staid Dutch exterior, The Hague has become a hothouse for human rights ventures and international legal services, invigorating the local economy with new jobs and an influx of mainly foreign professionals.

But it has also become so much of an international hub that sometimes locals feel like strangers in their own town.

"The Hague has become an incubator, a sort of legal Silicon Valley," said one diplomat who follows the courts.

Many of the rights and legal groups are housed in two utilitarian office buildings near the city centre: At Zeestraat 100, staff from non-government organisation Africa Legal Aid rub shoulders with game designer Alice Helbing and her fellow conflict resolution trainers from the Pax Ludens foundation.

Around the corner, Laan van Meerdervoort 70 provides space for groups like the United Network of Young Peacebuilders.

The policy-makers, foreign or defence ministry officials, and students who attend Pax Ludens's training sessions on negotiating tactics can role play to get a taste of what it is like to be UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, or to head the Israeli and Saudi Arabian delegations and hold secret talks over the Arab-Israeli conflict.

"We have to be here," said Diederik Stolk, a project officer who develops training programmes for Pax Ludens. "We get access to policymakers, ministers, diplomats."

Essential work

Down the corridor, Africa Legal Aid tracks the work of the International Criminal Court, the world's first permanent war crimes tribunal, whose cases have so far all involved Africa, including investigations in Ivory Coast and Kenya that have had huge political significance at home.

ALA's director Evelyn Ankumah says the ICC's work in the Netherlands is essential to address crimes that otherwise might go unpunished in the places they are committed and, if anything, its remit should be expanded to take on economic and environmental crimes, piracy and human trafficking.

"In Africa, our heads of state, our leaders are committing these crimes against their people, who have no recourse," she said.

"The Hague is a provincial town that has acquired an international reputation, and there are wide-ranging economic benefits," said Menno Kamminga, professor of international law at Maastricht University.

"Certainly what The Hague and the Dutch government want to have is lots of people with high salaries. It's good for the economy: lots of courts, lots of lawyers, lots of conferences."

What originally put The Hague on the peace-and-justice map was the first international peace conference in 1899 – an initiative by Russian Czar Nicholas II to bring together states in Europe and Asia, as well as Mexico, to discuss peace and disarmament.

The conference led to the construction of the Peace Palace that now houses the International Court of Justice, the United Nations' judicial arm set up to settle legal disputes between states such as the long-simmering dispute between Greece and Macedonia over the latter's name.

In 1993, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was set up in The Hague to deal with war crimes during the Balkans conflict. It served as a model for the ICC and cemented the city's role.

"It could be Paris, it could be Rome, it could be Brussels. But the Dutch policy is to make The Hague the capital for international justice," ICTY prosecutor Serge Brammertz said.

Deep changes

As the courts and multinational organisations moved into town, they have changed its skyline, its social fabric and even its tastes in food.

Currently housed in temporary quarters on the outskirts of town, the war crimes court will eventually move into a stunning glass space overlooking the dunes, designed by Danish architects
Schmidt Hammer Lassen and due to be completed by 2015.

Construction projects such as the ICC's new premises and the new headquarters for Europol, completed last year, provide a welcome injection for the local economy, but the financial
benefits go deeper.

International agencies and courts, from Europol to the ICTY, spent about 2.7 billion euros in The Hague and its surroundings in 2010, and accounted for roughly 11 percent of the local economy, according to a report by consultancy Decisio.

They created more than 18,000 jobs directly, while a further 17,500 jobs were created indirectly as staff spend the bulk of their salaries in the Netherlands.

"One job in the international cluster means two jobs in our economy," Decisio said.

Hotels, shops and restaurants get a lift when celebrities come to town, whether it is supermodel Naomi Campbell testifying at Charles Taylor's trial or actress Angelina Jolie attending Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga's hearings. High-profile suspects who appear before the courts voluntarily are likely to be accompanied by large entourages.

International staff often enjoy higher salaries and tax benefits, giving them greater purchasing power. Decisio said the average income of such international employees is 79,500 euros a year: Dutch staff earn 54,000 euros on average.

That has created a certain feeling of "them and us", even within the legal community, also in part because there is very little intermingling between the Dutch and foreign lawyers, and very few Dutch judges or lawyers at the courts.

Where many see the benefits for the local economy, some bemoan the changes.

"You see it in the kind of things they sell in the shops – the Americans want their M&Ms, the English want their PG Tips (tea)," said an assistant at an art gallery in the centre of town, and added that property prices in areas such as the fashionable Statenkwartier district are now beyond the budgets of most local people.

"I grew up there, and moved away, but now I couldn't afford to buy a place in Statenkwartier," she said.

Reuters


Liow: Guan Eng not qualified to comment on Lynas

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 06:08 AM PST

KUALA LUMPUR: MCA deputy president Liow Tiong Lai said it was not appropriate for DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng to comment on the temporary operating licence (TOL) given to Lynas Advance Material Plants (LAMP).

Liow, who is also Health Minister, said Hulu Langat MP Dr Che Rosli Che Mat was the only opposition member qualified to present his views on LAMP in Gembeng, Pahang.

"This is because he (Che Rosli) can state his stance precisely and responsibly on the safety of the Lynas mineral plant in expressing the wishes of the people to the authorities.

"On the other hand, Lim is not qualified to speak on it as he is only politicising the issue," he told reporters in Mandarin after launching the "The PHAMA Industry Fact Book", here, today.

Yesterday, Lim in a news portal (freemalaysiatoday) questioned Liow's credibility and professionalism to monitor the project.

Another news portal (Mstar) reported Che Rosli as being a nuclear science expert.

"I wish to stress here that he (Lim) as a DAP representative and other opposition representatives relish politicising whatever issue we bring up," he said.

Meanwhile, Liow said the special committee set up with the cooperation of a number of Chinese associations was monitoring the project.

"For example, on Jan 3, we organised an activity to obtain feedback from residents in Kuantan and it received encouraging response," he said.

Bernama

Also read:

'Bumbung stadium pun runtuh, macam mana nak pantau Lynas'

'Suspend Lynas licence pending appeal'


Keeping watch on acts of sabotage

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 05:55 AM PST

KUALA LUMPUR: The Umno disciplinary committee will be using the services of the Council of Former Elected Representatives (Mubarak), Umno veterans and the Government Pensioners Club to monitor sabotage cases in the party.

Committee chairman Tengku Ahmad Rithauddeen Tengku Ismail said those identified and had no personal interest, would be appointed to report and monitor such cases in their respective places, to the committee.

"The contribution and cooperation of Umno members in making such reports are welcome. Accurate reports and information will facilitate the disciplinary committee to carry out its duties in an efficient and trustworthy manner," he said in a statement today.

According to Tengku Ahmad Rithauddeen, the disciplinary committee members would go to the states to brief Umno members on stern action to be taken against those involved in sabotaging the party.

He said the decision on the matter was made at a meeting between the disciplinary committee and Umno deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin last Wednesday.

"The party headquarters and state Umno liaison commitees will arrange the respective briefings, aimed at creating awareness and reminding members to put party interests above their personal interests and the implications if they sabotage the party," he said.

Tengku Ahmad Rithauddeen said the meeting with Muhyiddin was held followingthe Umno supreme council's decision recently of wanting the disciplinary committee to take early action against Umno members trying to sabotage the party.

- Bernama


Probe sand mining scandal, Noh to Khalid

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 05:44 AM PST

KUALA LUMPUR: Agriculture and Agro-based Industry minister Noh Omar today challenged the Selangor government to open an investigation into allegations of sand mining graft in the state.

The Selangor Umno deputy chief said he has evidence that the Pakatan Rakyat administration had abused its power in sand mining projects in the state.

"I have proof and we can give it to the Menteri Besar if he wants it. Khalid Ibrahim should not hide this and lie to the public," he told reporters here, adding that he had receipts, statutory declarations and other documents from sand contractors to back his claims.

Noh said Khalid's administration had dropped investigations into the state's sand mining industry to conceal their weaknesses and had opted to attack Barisan Nasional instead of doing "what is right".

"The Selcat's role seems to be to expose the weaknesses of Barisan Nasional leaders. But it does not act against their own leaders. Why has it stopped probing this matter?" he said.

Pakatan often boasted about its Select Committee on Competency, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat) as its check and balance mechanism.

The sand mining issue resurfaced after self-exiled blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin last week accused two Selangor PKR assemblymen of receiving bribes in the state's sand mining projects.

The two are Sri Muda assemblyman Shuhaimi Shafei and Batu Caves assemblyman Amiruddin Shari. Both have denied the allegation and accused the Malaysia Today editor as spin-doctoring on behalf of rivals BN.

Raja Petra had also made a serious allegation that businessman Patrick Wong was murdered in 2009 to prevent the sand mining scandal under Pakatan from being exposed. The police have shrugged off the idea and said the murder was still under investigation.

The Selangor government meanwhile had said that its sand mining industry was above board, pointing out to the fact that the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission and anti-graft watchdog Transparency International had been invited to monitor the industry.


Noh pleads ignorance on NFCorp's investments

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 05:26 AM PST

KUALA LUMPUR: Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister Noh Omar today claimed that he was unaware if the National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) had breached any loan conditions imposed by the government.

Noh told reporters here briefly that he had insufficient information on the matter.

He urged all parties to wait for the outcome of the police and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) probe on the issue.

"I don't know… because we have not received any decision. As agriculture minister, I have yet to receive any report. Let them investigate," he said.

Earlier today his Cabinet colleague Mohd Nazri Aziz said that Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil's family should return the RM250 million loan given to them. Her family runs NFCorp which was tasked to improve Malaysia's beef production.

Nazri, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, said NFCorp had committed a breach of trust when it used the loan for purposes other than running the national cattle-breeding project.

The de facto law minister was the latest to join in the growing chorus of attacks against Shahrizat, who is now facing increased pressure to quit.

Umno insiders recently told FMT that party leaders are now working towards forcing the Wanita Umno chief to resign.

Shahrizat and family had been accused of abusing over RM62 million in land, property and expenses unrelated to cattle farming although they denied any wrongdoing.

Her son, Wan Shahinur Izmir Salleh, NFCorp's managing director, defended the move, calling them sound investments during a break in business operations due to the government's decision to suspend construction of an abattoir. The abattoir would have been rented to NFCorp.

The 2010 Auditor-General's report did point out that the project would have been better off if the construction of the abattoir had been completed in time.


Mimos finds over 10,000 cases of dubious voters

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 04:58 AM PST

PETALING JAYA: The government's research and development organisation Mimos Bhd has discovered that there are more than 10,000 cases of multiple voters registered under same addresses.

In revealing its findings to the sub-committee of the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on electoral reforms today, Mimos also said that it did not find any cases of multiple voters with identical identification numbers in the voters' roll.

Speaking to FMT, PSC member Anthony Loke said Mimos also revealed that there were only five deceased voters who were still registered as active voters in the electoral roll.

He added that according to Mimos, the present electoral roll contained 12,652,424 voters.

Of this, 12,380,166 were regular voters while 272,258 were armed forces personnel who vote through postal voting. However, Mimos found that 785 armed forces personnel were registered under both lists.

Mimos, an agency under the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry (Mosti), was tasked by the PSC to oversee verifications on several contested issues in the electoral roll.

In specific, the PSC had wanted Mimos to weed out voters with same identification cards, multiple voters registered under same addresses and deceased voters who are still on the electoral roll.

Incomplete addresses

Loke said Mimos also provided a breakdown of multiple voters registered under same addresses where in about 6,000 cases, 11 to 20 people had shared a same address.

He added that there were 3,254 cases where 21 to 50 voters were registered under one address,  1,259 cases were noted where 51 to 100 voters listed under the same address, and in 820 instances more than 100 voters were registered under one address.

"The difficulties we face now is that most of these addresses with multiple voters are incomplete. There are cases where we only have the house number, but not the house lane and etc," he said.

Loke, who is also DAP's Rasah MP, said that these addresses however included army camps and police stations which would naturally have more voters than the regular households.

PSC had requested Mimos to exclude the armed forces from its finding. The agency has also been asked to group these cases of multiple voters registered under the same addresses according to their respected constituencies.

There are various sub-committees within the PSC, designated to overlook specific tasks on electoral reforms. Together with PSC chairman Maximus Ongkili,  Loke sits in the sub-committee to improve the electoral roll.

Loke said that the sub-committee would meet again next month when they will discuss suggestions to address these issues. These suggestions will be included in PSC's final report to be tabled in parliament by the first week of April.


Palanivel coy over Sungai Siput

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 03:17 AM PST

KUALA LUMPUR: MIC president G Palanivel has refused to entertain any speculation over a possible run for the Sungai Siput seat in the upcoming general election.

Speaking at a media conference in Brickfields today,  he said that as far as candidacy is concerned, he would only make his decision at the eleventh hour.

The Sungai Siput MIC division yesterday declared its support for Palanivel or any candidate of his choice to contest the parliamentary seat which is currently held by Parti Sosialis Malaysia's (PSM) Dr Michael D Jeyakumar.

The division chairman, R Ganesan, had hailed the seat as a "historic" one for MIC, seeing as it was previously held by former MIC president, S Samy Vellu.

He had also assured that the agreement for Palanivel to contest in Sungai Siput had the backing of Umno, MCA, Gerakan, PPP and Makkal Sakthi.

But Palanivel, who is the newest Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, remained coy when asked whether he would consider the division's request and merely said that he could contest in any seat.

"Perhaps I will run in Tapah and field (Tapah MP) M Saravanan in Sungai Siput," he joked. "I will make the right decision when the time is right. But right now my focus is winning back the Indian votes for Barisan Nasional."

When asked whether he had identified MIC's "winnable" candidates, Palanivel answered in the affirmative but added that no final decision had been made yet. He also hinted that there may not be any fresh faces in the candidate line-up.

"The candidates will fall into three categories," he said. "First they must be experienced. Second they must hold a position or be of standing."

"And third they must be well-known inside and outside the party. We cannot just field strangers especially in a constituency like Lembah Pantai."

Lembah Pantai is touted to be among the hotly contested seats for the next general election with its current MP, Nurul Izzah Anwar, and Minister of Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing, Raja Nong Chik Zainal Abidin expected to battle it out there.

"But if the Brickfields traders are on our side, then BN will have no problems winning the seat," Palanivel said.

Palanivel visited Brickfields earlier this evening for a discussion with the traders on their grouses over Little India. Also present with him were Saravanan and Senator Bharat Maniam.

Also read:

Rebel MIC man refuses to back down


Rebel MIC man refuses to back down

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 03:03 AM PST

KUALA LUMPUR: Combative MIC branch chairman VT Rajen has insisted that he will form the Gerakan Anti-Palanivel (GAP) movement despite receiving a recent show-cause letter from the party leadership.

In a press statement, the Taman Mujur branch chairman said the GAP movement will be mooted if party president G Palanivel refused to steer clear of contesting in MIC's four Parliament seats.

"I received the show-cause letter on Sunday and I will reply to the letter," he said.

"My concern is very simple, do not disturb the incumbents. Let's give them another chance to defend their constituencies," he added.

MIC's four MPs are deputy president and Human Resource Minister Dr S Subramaniam (Segamat) vice-presidents and deputy ministers SK Devamany (Cameron Highlands) and M Saravanan (Tapah); and P Kamalanathan (Hulu Selangor).

According to Rajen, the four MPs are the real "winnable candidates".

"They won the seats despite the political tsunami and we should appreciate them and should preserve them in their respective constituencies," he said.

'This is a democratic party'

Rajen also rubbished a statement by certain party members that the president has the right to choose the seat which he wished to contest.

"MIC is a democratic party where the president cannot act like a dictator. As president, he should strengthen the party first instead of seeking positions," he added.

Meanwhile, Gadong Kecil branch chairman M Karunanidhi refused to apologise for calling on Palanivel to resign.

"There is no reason to apologise to the party," he told FMT.

Karunanidhi, who received a show-cause letter on Feb 8, said that he would not respond to it.

"Palanivel has been MIC's Selangor state chief for more than 10 years and MIC lost all its seats in the state in the last election.

"While his own state (Selangor) is in tatters, he is now planning to rejuvenate MIC's strength in Perak," he added.

Karunanidhi said he attempted to call the president, who has taken over the Perak MIC chief post last week, several times but the latter could not be reached, forcing him to turn to the media.


DAP man defends aide over 'inaccurate' report

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 02:55 AM PST

PETALING JAYA: Selangor state exco Ean Yong Hian Wah has come to the rescue of Kajang municipal councillor Lee Kee Hiong and two companies – WSK Services and Hong Chae Enterprise – alleging that news reports published on Monday were "unreliable and inaccurate".

He debunked allegations that Lee is a co-director of WSK and had received funds from the DAP Serdang Aman branch.

"In fact, Lee Kee Hiong has never owned any company directly and indirectly that received projects from the Selangor state government.

"Besides, WSK Services is owned by Wong Siew Keng and Hong Chae Enterprise is owned by Wong Hong Chae.

"Thus, the allegation that Lee Wye Wing is the co-owner of these two companies is untrue," said Ean Yong, who is also Sri Serdang state assemblyman.

It was reported yesterday that Lee was found "guilty" by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) of having "a clash of interest" as she was also the co-owner of WSK Services.

A FMT report meanwhile , quoting a source, noted that the disclosure was made during the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into the death of Teoh Beng Hock in June last year.

The source claimed that Lee's testimony in the RCI revealed that WSK Services deposited money to Serdang Aman DAP branch's bank account after obtaining it as an upfront for a business transaction.

Lee claimed during the RCI hearing that she obtained the money from the party as upfront cash.

Who leaked out RCI documents?

Speaking to reporters here today, Ean Yong said  Serdang Aman branch had no monetary transactions with any contractors and suppliers.

"I wish to stress here that the DAP branch have never received any cuts or kickback or provided loans to any of the contractors or suppliers," he said.

He also slammed the administrators of Teoh Beng Hock for Justice website for publishing photocopies of the transaction between the branch and the companies.

He said he had lodged a police report against the site but todate there has been no action.

Describing the website administrators as  "black blog", Ean Yong said: "There is also an unanswered issue as to why MACC remains silent until today although a police report had been lodged in 2009 concerning the black blog (website) that appeared immediately after the death of Teoh.

"It (website) accused DAP of murdering Teoh and (is) using this accusation to distract public attention from the real cause of his death," he said.

Ean Yong also queried how documents tabled at the RCI into the death of Teoh were leaked out and accused MACC officials for the leakage.

"I view these leakages seriously. These are part of the important evidence which should be kept confidential by an enforcement agency that is suppose to protect public interest.

"But instead they created an unfounded story by attacking the DAP as an attempt to cover up its own shortcomings.

"The relevant question is, who in MACC is responsible for the leakage?

Labeling the people who raised this issue, as an 'anonymous crowd' Yong stressed that they should stop making baseless attacks against DAP.

Also read:

'Why no action against councillor, DAP?'


Mystery call to Celcom mobile users

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 02:15 AM PST

FMT LETTER, From KNA, via e-mail

I would like to make a complaint. Yesterday night at around 9 to 10pm, my wife and I received a call from private number.

When we pressed to answer, a lady's voice from recorded message in English, Tamil and Malay asked us questions and gave instructions.

The question was:

'Pada pilihanraya umum akan datang, siapakah yang akan anda undi?

Tekan no.1 untuk PAKATAN RAKYAT

Tekan no.2 untuk BARISAN NASIONAL

Tekan no.3 jika belum membuat kepastian

We didn't choose/press any number. Maybe if we had pressed/answered, more question would have been asked for more details.

After checking with few people, it was confirmed that so far only Celcom users, especially Indians, are receiving this mystery calls, no doubt from a pollster.

Voting is our right. It is very private and confidential. No one or party or any media or telco has a right to ask or force us to reveal who we are voting.

This is very wrong. Please advise people not to answer such calls.


Open letter to Curtin University

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 02:08 AM PST

FMT LETTER: From Concerned Curtin Alumni, via e-mail

Dear Mr Pip Lapelms, PR Manager, Curtin University, WA Australia.

I would like to refer to your recent media release on Curtin University's Honorary Doctorate of Letters award to Rosmah Mansor, dated Feb 13, 2012.

I am an alumni of Curtin University, having completed a bachelors and masters between the years of 2003 and 2009, and a proud alumni at that. I am also a Malaysian citizen, and I am also an Australian tax payer for the past nine years. Hence, Curtin University's decision to award Rosmah Mansor with a Honorary Doctorate greatly interests and intrigues me from both an Australian and Malaysian perspective.

To start with, I would like to humbly point out that Rosmah Mansor is NOT the first lady of Malaysia. The official First Lady of Malaysia is the Seri Paduka Baginda Raja Permaisuri Agong (Roughly translated as Her Majesty The Queen) Haminah Hamidun. In Malaysia, the Queen takes precedence next after the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (the King) over all other persons in Malaysia.

Rosmah Mansor does not hold office in the government, and she's simply the Prime Minister's wife. She is as part of the Malaysian public as I am. The Malaysian public will greatly appreciate if you could remove "First Lady of Malaysia" title from your media release, and issue another addressing the change.

As you might have noticed, there is currently a barrage of posts and comments on the official Facebook page of Curtin University (to which the admins of that page have now resorted to deletion of posts) with regards to whether Rosmah Mansor is the rightful receipient of your distinguished Honorary Doctorate.

This note's purpose is to provide a represented front for those comments, and we would greatly appreciate if you could provide a direct reply to this note, or issue a media release explaining Curtin's decision to award Rosmah Mansor.

You cited Curtin's reason to award her as her dedication to education and the advancement of women. You also mentioned how she is the driving force behind the Permata project, and explicitly said:

"As a result of her involvement, there are more than 600 Permata centres in Malaysia, and the program now extends to centres for talented and gifted children with special academic and musical abilities, and to children with special acumen in spiritual matters."

Permata is a government funded agency. Permata receives funding from the government i.e. the Malaysian tax payers money. As such, it is our right (as Malaysians) to demand such services. With or without Rosmah, Permata is our right, not Rosmah's philanthropy. It's a whole different story if Rosmah used her own money – that's philanthropy.

This would be the equivalent of Julia Gillard's partner using Australian tax payer's money to set up day cares all over Australia and receives an award from a foriegn university for his philanthropical work.

Malaysians are partly incised at Permata because it has been abusing tax payers money. There's rife corruption, over-funding, safety and responsibility issues. Please read here for more details: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/12/12/permata-centre-wasnt-safe-for-my-child/

Curtin's decision to award Rosmah has got Malaysians questioning.

  • How was Rosmah's contribution and dedication to education evaluated? Was there an objective task panel set up to review this?
  • How was Rosmah's contribution to advancement of women evaluated?
  • How much of an involvement in early education centre does one entitle to a honorary doctorate?
  • How do the current Curtin PhD scholars feel about all this?

I certainly believe that Curtin University must have carried out extensive research and surveys to recognise Rosmah's contribution, Curtin being known as an excellent research institution. Will Curtin University care to share the full findings to the Malaysian public, so that we can better appreciate Rosmah Mansor?

It is also worth noting that Malaysian students make up the second largest number at Curtin University, and Perth is home to one of Malaysia's biggest diaspora in the world. Curtin's decision to award Rosmah is one of the most talked about subject on the Twitterverse, blogosphere and other social medias.

We would greatly appreciate if you can get back to us on this matter. Thank you.


Bursa Malaysia closes on weak note but CI steady

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 02:07 AM PST

KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia remained bearish but the market barometer, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia (FBM KLCI), closed steady indicating the market's undertone was still intact, said dealers.

Affin Investment Bank head of retail research Nazri Khan said the market was undergoing a temporary setback after the recent gains.

At 5pm, the underlying FTSE Bursa Malaysia (FBM KLCI) ended the day at 1,566.05, up 3.23 points, aided by bluechips which remained strong.

Nazri said the temporary easing would likely continue for one or two days as the market was in an overbought position.

"Bluechips remain strong and this clearly shows that fundamentals are intact.

"Most Asian indicies were down but on the local front, key indicies were steadier," he said.

Nazri also said Moody's downgrade of six countries in the euro zone and its warning to downgrade top-rated countries also affected investor sentiment globally.

The Finance Index earned 75.13 points to 13,902.7, the Industrial Index perked 5.63 points to 2,912.1 while the Plantation Index eased 43.69 points to 8,881.55.

The FBM Emas added 4.1 points to 10,882.63, the FBM Mid-70 gave up 51.62 points to 12,373.27 and the FBM Ace Index dwindled 41.87 points to 4,704.

Trading volume was lower at 2.546 billion shares, worth RM2.258 billion, compared with yesterday's 2.661 billion shares worth RM2.119 billion.

Market breadth was bearish with 58l losers and 321 gainers, 288 unchanged, 290 untraded and 15 suspended.

Volume leaders, Hibiscus Petroleum perked 31 sen to RM1.82, British American Tobacco advanced 28 sen to RM51.78 and Fraser & Neave Holdings rose 24 sen to RM17.60.

Among heavyweights, Maybank added two sen to RM8.52, Sime Darby and Petronas Chemicals gained three sen each to RM9.64 and RM6.98, respectively, while CIMB rose 15 sen to RM7.31.

Volume on the main market fell to 1.753 billion shares, valued at RM2.138 billion, from 1.766 billion shares, worth RM1.959 billion, registered yesterday.

Turnover on the ACE Market slipped to 503.694 million units, worth RM71.210 million, from 568.432 million units, valued at RM105.312 million, recorded previously.

Warrants also eased to 284.233 million shares, valued at RM46.726 million, from 299.666 million shares, worth RM51.666 million, transacted yesterday.

Consumer products accounted for 128.153 million shares traded on the Main Market, industrial products 234.927 million, construction 64.464 million, trade and services 863.870 million, technology 76.592 million, infrastructure 28.576 million, finance 75.025 million, hotels 2.668 million, properties 167.687 million, plantations 24.872 million, mining 154,000, REITs 7.719 million and closed/fund 42,800.

- Bernama


PAC meeting on NFC can be made public

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 02:05 AM PST

PETALING JAYA: The minutes of the meeting of the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on the controversial National Feedlot Centre (NFC) can be made public, said PAC chairman, Azmi Khalid.

Azmi, the Padang Besar MP, however, said that two conditions must be met before the minutes of the meeting can be revealed.

The two conditions are PAC members must agree on it (releasing the information) and opposition parties must write officially to Azmi conveying their approval.

It is understood that the leader of opposition coalition, Anwar Ibrahim, must sign the letter.

Yesterday, Pokok Sena MP Mahfuz Omar called for the minutes of the meeting to be released and to be made available to all MPs before the start of the next parliamentary session in March.

The one and only PAC meeting on NFC scandal took place on Nov 23.

Mahfuz said he would write an official letter to Azmi and also inform Anwar that the latter must sign it (requesting for the minutes of the meeting to be made public).

It is not clear what actually transpired at the Nov 23 meeting. Initial reports stated that only representatives from the Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Ministry participated.

Since then, there have been reports indicating that many more representatives from government agencies were also present.

Mahfuz, who is also PAS vice-president, said he was informed that the meeting involved officials from the Attorney-General's Chambers, Finance Ministry, and NFC.

Last week, PAC member and Petaling Jaya Utara MP, Tony Pua, also revealed that a senior official from the Finance Ministry had informed that the RM250 million soft loan given to the National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) was never meant to be used to purchase property.

This information came amidst revelations that NFCorp had purchased two more condominium units in Singapore which cost RM34.5 million. It had earlier allegedly bought condominium units in Kuala Lumpur.

It was also revealed that NFCorp had allegedly used the RM250 million loan to purchase plots of land in Putrajaya, a luxurious car and to finance a holiday trip abroad.

NFCorp, a private corporation owned and operated by the family of Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, was engaged to assist NFC to boost beef production.


Wake up Malaysia

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 01:51 AM PST

FMT LETTER: From Lang Hlei Par, via e-mail

Tens of thousands of refugees and asylum seekers are at undue risk of being arrested arrest in the upcoming raids all over Malaysia.

On Saturday afternoon, Feb 11, at the beautiful Central Market and Kota Raya in downtown Kuala Lumpur, while many tourists and locals shopped, more than 100 people (including illegal migrant workers, asylum seekers, and refugees) were arrested for illegally working.

Just 20 minutes after the arrests were finished, one looking at the market would never even have known that anything out of the ordinary had occurred. Onlookers must be unaware of the situation involving many of the arrested and the at risk individuals for arrest.

Approximately 40 of the arrested people were refugees and asylum seekers that came to Malaysia trying to escape the violations of their basic human rights by the Myanmar government.

These refugees and asylum seekers didn't come to Malaysia to work like many of the immigrants that the ministry recently asked to register under the Illegal Immigrant Comprehensive Settlement Programme (6P).

The 6P doesn't pertain to the refugees or asylum seekers. The refugees and asylum seekers are simply waiting to be registered with UNHCR and then resettled. The refugees and asylum seekers are more than willing to register with the ministry too, which was stated (at least twice in The Star) would become available early January 2012. No such registration became available.

This registration would have then provided proof of status and exclusion from arrest for these individuals and those at risk in the upcoming raids by Rela, Immigration, and the Malaysian police.

The "Big Sweep" starts this Thursday.

Without the means to support oneself or family, tens of thousands are left to wait. At this time, there is no way to register with UNHCR or the Malaysian government leaving the refugees without proof of status, not allowed to legally work, dormant in their quest for resettlement, and vulnerable to arrest possibly leading to detainment for up to six months for refugees (who are registered with UNHCR) and possibly longer for asylum seekers.

All of the arrested are currently being detained at the KLIA Camp. Action must be taken to stop the wasting of more precious time, resources, and human energy on this undirected attack on innocent people.


Lesser toll fare for Cheras-Kajang highway?

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 01:50 AM PST

KUALA LUMPUR: Motorists using the Cheras-Kajang highway have a reason to cheer next month as they may be forking out less in toll fare.

FMT learned that one of the two tolls along the route is slated to be abolished.

A staff of concessionaire Grand Saga Sdn Bhd said that the company is expected to do away with one of the tolls on March 4.

However, the staff, who spoke on condition of anonymity, could not confirm the new toll rate.

Currently, motorists must pay RM1.90 in total for the 11.5km journey – RM1 at the first toll in Batu 9 and RM0.90 at the second in Batu 11.

When contacted, Grand Saga corporate communication officer Mustafa Kamal refused to confirm the matter and asked FMT to check with the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM).

LLM public relations officer Norhaslinda Abu Yazid also remained tightlipped on the matter.

It is believed that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak will announce the 'good news' at the end of this month.


Angkasa alami ketirisan berbilion ringgit akibat penyelewengan

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 01:50 AM PST

PUTRAJAYA: Persatuan Usahawan, Kosultan dan Pengarah Islam Malaysia (Uruskop) mendakwa Angkatan Koperasi Kebangsaan Malaysia Berhad (Angkasa) terjebak dengan penyalahgunaan kuasa dan salah urus tadbir sehingga menyebabkan ketirisan berbilion ringgit.

Presiden Uruskop Datuk Seri Mustafa Kamal Maulut dalam memorandumnya ke pejabat Perdana Menteri berkata, ketirisan itu membabitkan kerugian RM6.5 juta dalam pembelian tanah, pegawai Angkasa mengumpul elaun sehingga berjuta ringgit dan melanggar

Undang-Undang Kecil Seksyen 30 (5), termasuk membelanjakan RM1.27 juta membeli tujuh Toyota Camry sedangkan peruntukan yang diluluskan hanya RM400,000 sahaja.

"Angkasa juga pada tahun 2009 didapati berbelanja untuk Persidangan Tahunan Kebangsaan Angkasa (PTKA) berjumlah RM2.62 juta, melebihi 31 peratus daripada RM2 juta bajet tahunan yang sepatutnya digunakan.

"Lebihan perbelanjaan ini melanggar peraturan 14(2) Peraturan-Peraturan Koperasi 1995 yang memperuntukkan koperasi hanya boleh belanja tidak melebihi lima peratus daripada jumlah peruntukan yang diluluskan oleh mesyuarat agung.

"Hasil siasatan oleh Suruhanjaya Koperasi Malaysia (SKM) pada tahun 2010 juga mengesahkan berlakunya penyelewengan tersebut namun sehingga sekarang tiada tindakan dikenakan terhadap Angkasa," katanya dalam memorandum tersebut.

Kredibiliti Ali Baharum dipertikai

Mustafa Kamal yang juga Pengerusi Portfolio Koperasi Dewan Perniagaan Melayu Malaysia (DPMM) Pusat turut mempertikaikan kredibiliti Prof Datuk Dr Mohd Ali Baharum sebagai Yang DiPertua Angkasa yang didakwanya pernah terlibat dalam aktiviti koperasi skim cepat kaya dan memperdaya orang ramai melabur sehingga jutaan ringgit.

Beliau berkata pihaknya sebelum ini pernah membuat laporan polis, Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) selain menghantar aduan kepada Kementerian Perdagangan Dalam Negeri, Koperasi dan Kepenggunaan Malaysia namun sehingga sekarang masih tiada tindakan.

Katanya, isu ini tidak boleh dipandang sepi memandangkan ia membabitkan 8,500 koperasi yang mempunyai sembilan juta ahli dan 92 peratus daripadanya adalah Bumiputera yang berpendapatan rendah dan sederhana.

"Terlalu banyak penyelewengan dalam Angkasa sehingga menyebabkan kami terpaksa membawa perkara ini terus kepada Perdana Menteri sekaligus mahu tindakan tegas diambil terhadap pihak yang tidak bertanggungjawab," katanya.

Memorandum tersebut diserahkan kepada Setiausaha Sulit Kanan kepada Perdana Menteri Saiful Azhar dan Pengarah Bidang Keberhasilan

Utama Negara (NKRA) Membanteras Rasuah Ravindran Devagunam di lobi Bangunan Perdana Putra di sini hari ini.

Turut hadir menyerahkan memorandum itu Penasihat Uruskop yang juga Penasihat Koperasi Malaysia Thuraisingam Shan.


Ridhuan Tee spreads M'sian First love around

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 01:45 AM PST

FMT LETTER, From Helen Ang, via email

A Valentine's eve article by Ridhuan Tee, the famed Utusan personality, has been well received in his weekly Sinar Harian column, in the Perkasa website and in his own blog.

Titled 'Politik warna angpau yang menjijikkan' (The despicable politics of angpow colour), Ridhuan lamented that the recent lunar new year celebration unfortunately left a bitter taste in the mouth of the Perkasa group.

Ridhuan says that although Perkasa obviously had good intentions, a handful of vile people ("segelintir orang hina") blew the issue out of proportion and into a national problem.

Stressing that he sees nothing wrong with angpow being given in white envelope, Ridhuan reiterated that this is really "only a small issue". It's just a matter of colour, he asserted, accusing the critics of splitting hairs. Semantics-wise, Perkasa did not distribute any "white angpow" but instead gave out 'pekpow' (which is not the same as 'pek-kim'), according to his interpretation of the Chinese terms.

Ridhuan explained to his Malay readership that as someone who understands Chinese language, he found the Chinese community's outrage on the issue to be sickening (made him "want to puke" or "meloyakan") apart from the ultra kiasus' over-the-top ranting inducing hilarity at the same time.

Chiding that Perkasa's sincerity to do charity was totally unappreciated, Ridhuan said Perkasa's forced apology clearly showed that the NGO fell into the trap of "the cunning politics of the ultra kiasu".

Ridhuan proceeded to salute Perkasa for their nobility in apologizing even though they did nothing wrong and praised such a culture (i.e. Malay willingness to say sorry) as one he holds in high esteem.

He compared Perkasa with the ultra kiasu – who despite being evidently guilty of hurting Malay feelings and insulting Islam and the rulers in the past – nonetheless absolutely refuse to apologize. And not only that, the ultra kiasu remained haughty and conceited, to the extent of being thick skinned enough to ask for titles and awards from the Sultans regardless, noted Ridhuan.

Questioning the symbolism of red versus white, he observed that Chinese brides nowadays wear white gowns while the bridegrooms don black blazers. Is that not pantang funereal attire, he asked.

Ridhuan concluded that the recent uproar merely reflected a sensitive reaction to just about everything if the mistake was inadvertently committed by the Malays. However if a subversion of Chinese tradition originated from the West – such as the white weddings – somehow these imported practices are inexplicably okay.

Bearing in mind this anomaly, he slammed the recent white angpow controversy as allowing a certain community that does not know its place to now boldly step on the head of the Malays (employing the proverb "kaduk sudah naik junjung").

"We are giving them too much face only because of votes and the election", he complained, and slamming the widespread criticisms of Perkasa as "Politik kurang ajar apakah ini?"

Ridhuan reads Ibrahim Ali as being more familiar with the Malay-centric idea that "white is clean, beautiful and attractive", adding that it is hardly surprising that Malays should genuinely be unaware of the taboos within minority cultures.

His discourse is an excellent sampling of DAP's Malaysian First philosophy (i.e. don't think like a Chinese, think like a Malaysian; only a Chinese First would be so upset by the white angpow).

After all, since the DAP ideologues so vehemently advocate Malaysian-ness, the extremely negative reaction to Perkasa's angpow can only be indicative of putting Chinese-solely beliefs at the forefront.

If we were to prioritize generally accepted Malaysian beliefs, and Malays think 'white is pristine", then according to DAP's own slide rule, there's no need for Malaysian Firsters to take issue.

Ridhuan further challenged "the many out there" (whom he is convinced are lacking in their understanding of Malay culture and Islam) by giving as example the faux pas of entering mosques while wearing sexy clothes that "menjolok mata" – this phrase doesn't require translation, I trust.

He contrasted the ultra kiasu reaction to Ibrahim Ali's ignorance of Chinese customs with the Malay reaction to non-Muslim visitors who are ignorant of dress protocol when visiting mosques. The Muslims "did not make noise", said Ridhuan, because to forgive is divine.

"This is the behaviour of Malays that I laud and which is scarcely to be found in the other races," he added. ("Inilah sikap orang Melayu yang saya puji yang sukar untuk dicari dalam bangsa lain.")

Thus, it was most baffling to Ridhuan why, considering that the recipients still took the money, the black-hearted ultra kiasu who are in the thick of opposition politics felt themselves justified in bashing Perkasa.

Ridhuan disclaimed any intention of defending Perkasa but explained that he preferred extending goodwill rather than playing despicable and dirty politics.

My disclaimer is that I'm only the messenger (don't shoot me) taking the trouble to translate Ridhuan's article because I know that many Malaysian Firsters do not look at Malay publications.

While I personally do not agree with his views, I feel that in the context of the huggy-wuggy, inter-racial Love Day efforts, Ridhuan nevertheless makes the perfect Malaysian First role model for DAP supporters to emulate.

Malaysian First poster girl Hannah Yeoh, who is Ridhuan's kindred spirit in building bridges to the Malay community, has made wearing the tudung almost synonymous with her political outreach activities. See how alike they are.

Likewise, the prolific tweeter Hannah did not condemn Perkasa in her Twitter over the white angpow incident.

Throughout Ridhuan's article, he has emphasized forgiveness, understanding the Other (advocating that the minorities should learn about the majority culture), respecting and admiring the Other, and loving the Other.

Writing in Malay and being in sync with Malay thinking, isn't Ridhuan doing exactly what DAP has been heavily promoting since March 2008?

DAP embarked on many high profile initiatives to win over the Malay community. Ridhuan Tee is someone wildly popular with and honoured by the Malays. If DAP wants to replicate his success among them, it should take a leaf from Ridhuan's book and tailor their messages to follow his cloth.

The writer blogs at http://helenang.wordpress.com


Realign route, Chinatown tells MRT Corp

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 01:44 AM PST

KUALA LUMPUR: Supporters of Chinatown here believe that stonewalling the My Rapid Transit (MRT) project will force the government to reveal the full details of its construction which will ultimately save one of KL's best known heritage sites.

KL Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH) secretary-general Stanley Yong Yew Wei said this included the MRT routes and "mutual agreements" that were currently being negotiated between project owners, MRT Corp, and the worried landowners of Jalan Sultan and Bukit Bintang.

"If we can stop them at this juncture, they (MRT Corp) will have to reveal the route in Jalan Sultan, Bukit Bintang and Imbi.

"They will have to go back to the design board and check one more time whether going through (this part) of KL's city centre will really help to solve (its) traffic problem."

"We want to break the deadlock by getting support from the public by going against whatever they (MRT Corp) plan, so as to force them to sit down (and talk to us)," he told reporters after meeting with several KL-based Chinese clan associations on the matter.

Yong had been referring to the government's plan – through MRT Corp – to build underground tunnels and stations beneath Jalan Sultan, Bukit Bintang and Imbi.

In August, Prasarana – the MRT's initial project owners – told landowners in Jalan Sultan, Bukit Bintang and Imbi that their land needed to be acquired for the building of what may be Malaysia's largest public transport infrastructure project to date.

The announcement came as a total surprise to these landowners, many of whom did not appreciate being told that their lots were to be taken away at the very last minute.

What mutual agreement?

Over the past six months, politicians, NGOs and other support groups have protested against the MRT, warning that it may see many heritage buildings here demolished.

These parties have also claimed that the government had not released any traffic impact or social assessment reports on the matter to date.

Yong alleged that MRT Corp was "not prepared" to solve the acquisition despite claiming that it wanted a win-win solution over the matter.

He said that none of the Jalan Sultan or Bukit Bintang landowners have seen any points or terms relating to a possible "mutual agreement" with MRT Corp.

"What kind of agreement? Until today, nobody knows about the points…(they have) not been clearly or conclusively done, not even for Jalan Bukit Bintang…Even the owners don't have a clue (about the points)," he said.

According to Yong, MRT Corp was interested in an all-or-nothing approach.

He said if any of the landowners in these two areas refused to give up their land, then Finance Ministry-owned company would be halted in its tracks.

He also accused the government of holding the Land Acquisition Act over the landowners' heads, forcing them to negotiate.

"In other words, MRT (Corp) is not prepared yet. Neither are the owners prepared to give up.

"As long as the points (or terms of an agreement) are not drafted out, or not given to anyone to reveal, there is no chance that the so-called majority (of) owners are able to agree to give (MRT Corp) that right (to construct tunnels under all the lots)," he said.

MRT must realign

In December last year, MRT Corp announced that it had signed a Points of Agreement (POA) with 21 Imbi landowners.

The company claimed that the POA would form the basis of a mutual agreement, which would solve MRT-related issues there.

In a previous FMT report, a majority of Chinatown's MRT-affected landowners said that they were waiting on MRT Corp for their own version of a "mutual agreement".

However, a few did not agree, preferring the MRT's realignment.


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