Ridhuan Tee Abdullah’s claim that “ultra kiasu” athletes are driven by money and popularity rather than patriotism to the country is an insult to Malaysian sportsmen, Khairy Jamaluddin says.
“Ultra kiasu” is a derogatory term Tee uses to describe non-Malays, the Opposition and the perceived enemies of Islam.
Admitting that he was disappointed when reading such comments, the youth and sports minister also said that Tee’s stance was both “wrong and irresponsible.”
“I know our athletes. Maybe he has never met them. Regardless of race and religion, they fought for Malaysia.
“Maybe Tee should not comment on sports.”
Khairy, who is also Umno Youth Chief, was speaking to reporters after officiating the Bandar Tun Razak Umno division meeting here.
The Rembau lawmaker was commenting on Tee’s claim which was published in the latter’s column on Monday in Sinar Harian.
In his weekly column, Tee claimed that the “ultra kiasu” were more involved in individual sports, rather than those that required teamwork. Football and hockey which required the strength of the “jamaah (congregation)” no longer interested the non-Malays, Tee alleged, reasoning that it was because individual events was where the money was.
Sports, the academician also reasoned had become a business, a platform to seek popularity and money, instead of about patriotism.
Source –FMT-
The King joined thousands of Malaysians to celebrate the 59th National Day Parade at Dataran Merdeka.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, accompanied the King at the National Day parade arrived at 7.54am, Wednesday for the celebration themed Malaysia: One Heart, One Soul (Sehati, Sejiwa).
The National Day parade began at 8.10am after the arrival of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Hajah Haminah.
Shortly after the arrival of His Majesty, the King inspected a guard-of-honour of the 1st Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment.
This was followed by the raising of the Jalur Gemilang, accompanied by the singing of the Negaraku.
Immediately after, there was a 14-gun salute by the 41st Battery of the Royal Artillery Regiment.
Among those present at the parade were former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, cabinet ministers, and foreign dignitaries.
Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) president Abdullah Zaik Abd Rahman was found guilty of sedition over his remarks in a 2014 article labelling the ethnic Chinese as “intruders” in Malaysia.
Sessions Court Judge Noridah Adam said the defence has failed to provide reasonable doubts.
Salim Bashir, Abdullah Zaik's lawyer later pleaded on behalf of his client’s by saying that this was his first conviction and that he has a family.
The Session Court Judge, later told the Isma president to pay a RM2,000 fine for his conviction.
The conviction under the alternative sedition charge carries a punishment of up to three years’ jail or a fine of maximum RM5,000 or both.
The Isma president told reporters he accepted the court decision when met after paying his fine.
“Alhamudillah, we accept it. I accept it,” he said in Malay when asked to comment on the ruling.
But Abdullah Zaik’s lawyer later reported that his client might have misunderstood the question, adding they will be discussing whether or not to appeal the conviction.
Earlier May this year, he was acquitted of his first sedition charge under Section 4(1)(b) of the same act for uttering the allegedly seditious remarks but was ordered to enter his defence for the alternative sedition charge.
Under the alternative charge of Section 4(1)(c), Abdullah Zaik was accused of publishing the article titled “The coming of the Chinese with the British colonialists a form of intrusion” on Isma’s website between 3pm and 3.30pm at Isma’s Bandar Baru Bangi headquarters on May 6, 2014.
He allegedly said that the Malaysia’s ethnic Chinese community were “intruders”, and that they were brought into the country by British colonialists to oppress the Malays.
Source -Malay Mail Online-
Preparation work for the next general election has started for MCA.
“All the branches must swing into action to help the party score better in the next polls.
“Our organisational structure must be very, very strong on the ground,” said party president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.
He wants all leaders and grassroots members to be totally committed to bringing the votes back to MCA.
He warned inactive branches that they would be closed down if they did not buck up.
“A special team has been set up to monitor and assist these branches to become strong and reliable again,” he said, adding that the party has about 4,000-plus branches nationwide.
Liow said preparation works for the 14th general election had started at division-level and the focus was on grassroots efforts in engaging the people.
“You must have the hunger to win. We know we are facing a difficult environment and situation.
“We still want the members to persevere and be determined to win,” he said after opening the new service centre for Kerling MCA branch near here yesterday.
Liow said he would go the ground himself to boost morale.
MCA secured seven parliamentary and 11 state seats in the last polls.
Liow had earlier revealed that the preliminary list of candidates for the next general election had been finalised.
When asked, he refused to reveal any details.
“We are getting feedback on the ground (before any name is confirmed),” he said.
As for the Kuala Kubu Baru state seat, which was lost to DAP in 2013 after MCA held it for seven terms, Liow said the party must get the seat back.
Source -The Star Online-
Former deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin claimed close to RM1 billion was already in Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's personal bank account even before the widely reported RM2.6 billion came in.
Najib had claimed the US$681 million which he received in March 2013, widely referred to as the RM2.6 billion based on the exchange rate when it was first publicised in July last year, was a donation from a member of the Arab royal family.
Muhyiddin said he learnt about the deposits prior to the purported 'Arab donation' from then attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail, who had shared the information with him.
"The former attorney-general did mention - before he suffered the same fate as me by being sacked - there was already almost RM1 billion in Najib's account before that (RM2.6 billion controversy).
"So in total, it was around RM4 billion in the prime minister's account. Can you believe it?" he told a ceramah in Ketereh, Kelantan yesterday.
A video recording of the ceramah was uploaded on Gerakan Harapan Baru TV and KiniTV.
Muhyiddin said he almost passed out after he looked at the figures in Najib's personal bank account.
"The attorney-general at that time... he showed me - I almost fainted looking at that much money in Najib's account.
"I felt like fainting but luckily I didn't," he said.
Muhyiddin's claim appear to corroborate a report by Australia-based ABC News in March which put the peak figure in Najib's bank account at US$1.051 billion (RM4.202 billion) based on bank statements.
According to the report, prior to RM2.6 billion deposit from Tanore Finance, Najib also received US$120 million from Blackstone Asia Real Estate Partner Ltd (BVI), US$80 million from Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Finance and US$75 million from Prince Faisal bin Turkey bin Bandar Alsaud.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) also highlighted deposits not mentioned or disclosed in the ABC News report, including an additional US$10 million on Feb 23, 2011 and another US$10 million on June 13, 2011 from Prince Faisal, referred to as "PetroSaudi co-founder".
An additional US$5 million on Oct 30, 2012 and US$25 million on Nov 19, 2012 also came in from Blackstone Asia Real Estate Partner Ltd (BVI), according to the DOJ.
This put the total sum prior to the RM2.6 billion deposit at US$325 million, or just under RM1 billion based on the exchange rate in 2011 and 2012.
The DOJ claimed the deposits from Tanore Finance, Blackstone Asia Real Estate Partner Ltd and the PetroSaudi co-founder originated from 1MDB.
The DOJ, claimed more than US$3.5 billion was allegedly misappropriated from 1MDB, largely focused on the money trail that passed through the US financial system.
Najib had denied wrongdoing and said he had never taken public funds for personal gain.
Attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali had also cleared the prime minister of wrongdoing.
Muhyiddin was removed as deputy prime minister in July last year, the same month when the RM2.6 billion deposit came to light.
Muhyiddin claimed he was removed after confronting Najib about the deposits.
His sacking coincided with the removal of then attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail.
Malaysiakini has sent a query to the Prime Minister's Office over the matter.
Source -MKini-
The Immigration Department has chosen four states and two Urban Transformation Centres (UTC) as part of a pilot programme to issue passports renewed via the ‘MyOnline Passport’ system, beginning Sept 1.
Its director-general Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali said the service would be made available at the Immigration offices in Pahang, Sarawak, Penang and Putrajaya, as well as two UTCs, namely in Pudu Sentral, Kuala Lumpur, and Galleria@Kotaraya, Johor.
“The application for passport renewal online can be done from anywhere, including via mobile phone, regardless of the time or day.
“The applicants are allowed to choose any of the passport issuing counters in the four states involved, for example, the online application is made in Johor, but (the applicant) may want to collect it (passport) at the Immigration Department counter in Penang.”
He told this to reporters after visiting the Johor Immigration Department at the Setia Tropika Home Ministry Complex, here, today.
Mustafar said hopefully, the online renewal system would help overcome the congestion at Immigration offices, adding that if the pilot programme went well, it would be extended to other states in the near future.
The ‘MyOnline Passport’ system was introduced to enable people to have the option to renew their passport online by updating their details, uploading the required photo, and making payment via a debit or credit card, before collecting the passport at any of the designated counters.
― Bernama
Former UMNO president Dr Mahathir said today that, it is not enough to only remove Najib Razak from power, but instead UMNO itself must be defeated too.
The former premier, speaking at a ceramah in Kota Bharu last night, said he was disappointed with UMNO’s condition.
UMNO leaders were no longer proper leaders; they feared to speak up and would only follow orders, he told the Sinar Harian newspaper.
“This party (UMNO) has to be defeated and we need a new party that is stronger than UMNO. I loved UMNO, that was why I was with UMNO for a long time,” he said.
Dr Mahathir has spearheaded a campaign for more than a year with the focus on ousting Najib Razak as UMNO president and prime minister.
He left UMNO earlier this year and has founded Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, which is awaiting registration, to form a united opposition front to contest at the next general election against the Barisan Nasional.
Responding to criticisms of his association with the DAP in the new alliance, Dr Mahathir said Najib’s father, Tun Abdul Razak, had also forged an alliance with opposition parties.
Tun Razak had formed the Barisan Nasional in 1973 after bringing opposition parties Gerakan and PAS together with UMNO, MCA and MIC, which had formed the Alliance party.
“Some people have asked me, how can I work with (DAP’s) Lim Kit Siang when I fiercely condemned him in the past and he did the same to me. But in our efforts to achieve success, we have to always be smart,” he said, pointing out that Tun Razak had also approached the DAP (which rejected the offer).
He said he was using the same strategy.
Source -FMT-
Umno president Najib Razak has urged the party to continue to be inclusive, whether in dealing with its political partners in Barisan Nasional (BN), or with the Malaysian public.
This was to ensure that the agenda to struggle for the people and national development is achieved, he said today when opening a combined Umno delegates meeting of divisions in Kudat, Kota Marudu, Kota Belud, and Tuaran.
As an example, he said, if there were more than 60 ethnic and sub-ethnic groups in Sabah, then all these groups must be placed under the responsibility of Umno, BN and government to ensure that their cause was championed.
“I say Umno must be inclusve. Umno is no longer exclusive… (issues such as) the state Native Court in Sabah, I as the Prime Minister gave the allocation. The problems of Native Land, I gave the allocation and many others so that we can feel that Malaysia belongs to us.
“Malaysia belongs to us, regardless of who we are, we must have a sense of belonging,” he said.
While expressing his determination to see close ties and unity between the people of Malaysia in Sabah and Sarawak with those in the peninsula, Najib said with the strong unity of the Malaysian people, whatever problem that arose could be faced successfully.
However, he said, in order to realise this objective, there must be political stability and in Sabah, this political stability had existed since Umno officially set foot in the state on Feb 21, 2009 and now had about 546,850 members in 5,676 branches in all the 25 divisions.
“This is one of the ingredients for success. When we have political stability, we must hold on to Umno and BN to achieve political unity for the people in Sabah. Umno must struggle for the cause of all ethnic groups. We are not a communal party,” said the prime minister.
Najib said that in addition, the security and sovereignty of Sabah must be protected and he took a serious view on the aspects of security and sovereignty in Sabah.
He said that although no country in the world could guarantee that they would be 100 per cent free from any threat, Malaysia had so far succeeded in eliminating several threats due to the serious attention given by the BN government to national security.
-Bernama
An estimated 1,000 Malaysians has successfully braved the scorching heat to joined the TangkapMO1 rally at the heart of the city.
Despite the obstacles of not getting approval from Kuala Lumpur City Hall, the student-led rally saw crowds from all walks of life gathering in numbers at Masjid Negara and the Sogo shopping complex before marching to Dataran Merdeka.
The TangkapMO1 rally was aimed at pressuring authorities to take action against the so-called “Malaysian Official 1”, an unnamed high-ranking government official with authority over 1Malaysia Development Berhad.
The protest went on peacefully despite a few minor scuffles that broke out here and there, including one bizarre incident of supporters trying to block a public bus.
To the end, there was no crackdown by the police and the crowd dispersed at 4.30pm after almost two hours of rallying.
For a relatively uneventful protest, three things learnt from the TangkapMO1 rally:
1. Outspoken student activists Anis Syafiqah proves no big name necessary to mobilise people
Anis Syafiqah Mohd Yusof was a name most Malaysians barely knew several weeks ago. The moment she was announced as the face of TangkapMO1, the 24-year old varsity student from Sungai Besar instantly made the headlines with her gumption.
For a rookie rally organiser, Anis and her colleagues managed to mobilise support from not just university students, but Malaysians of all ages and opposition lawmaers as well.
In a speech at the climax of the rally, Anis insisted that the students took to the streets for the future generation, but her words were less than convincing. Maybe it was stage fright, it was her first time headlining a rally, after all.
But did it really matter? The NGOs backing the rally had planned meticulously on behalf of Anis, from the security detail right up to the design of posters. Undeniably, serious thoughts and resources have been pooled for the rally, and Anis made a perfect figurehead.
2) The presence of arts brought colour to an otherwise dull affair
Malaysians are a creative bunch, this has been proven time and time again at rallies. Clever posters and caricatures have always been a colourful part of protests and today's rally was nothing short of that.
The march was accompanied by live-sized caricatures, banners and placards with witty slogans, some of them specially designed by protest art collective Grupa.
The rally was also planned with a closing gimmick, complete with a replica of a jail cell that rebel designer Fahmi Reza could not resist playing with during the rally ― locking himself up in it, complete with his clown mask.
3. Ultimately, the rally achieves nothing
The rally might have been intended to send a message to Putrajaya, but were the authorities even listening?
Despite #TangkapMO1’s offer to help the government solve the 1MDB scandal, there was no concrete plan on how to achieve that ― no memorandum, no list of demands, not even discussion with any government officials.
Some participants believed #TangkapMO1 was just an event to kickstart the planned Bersih 5 mammoth rally, and the appearance of watchdog Bersih 2.0 chairman Maria Chin Abdullah further fuelled the rumours and allegations started by among others “redshirt” leader Datuk Jamal Yunos.
With the expected turnout much lower than the expected 5,000, chances are Malaysians have grown lukewarm towards street protests.
Will Malaysians once again flooding the streets with yellow outfit? Only time will tell.
Source -Malay Mail Online-
Gerakan Merah president Mohd Ali Tinju in a media statement said it will not hold a counter demonstration against the ‘TangkapMO1' rally scheduled to be held at Dataran Merdeka tomorrow.
“We, Gerakan Merah, will not hold a gathering or a protest because we respect the decision of the Kuala Lumpur police and Dang Wangi police.
“Gerakan Merah will follow the instructions of the police not to protest,” said the Red shirts movement leader, who is better known as Ali Tinju.
“This (Tangkap MO1) is a gathering organised by schoolchildren who are learning how to demonstrate. So we will leave it to the authorities to take action against them,” he added.
Meanwhile, Sungai Besar Umno chief Jamal Md Yunus, who heads Himpunan Merah, also confirmed that the red shirts would not be involved in any counter-rallies tomorrow.
“If there are groups opposing the rally, it will not be my group,” he told Malaysiakini.
Jamal, however, is confident that the TangkapMO1 rally would fail to gain public support.
“It won’t be like Bersih. If these kids come, they will gather 100 or 200 people. If they manage to gather 1,000 or 2,000 people, that means they are successful,” he said.
The student-led TangkapMO1 rally is to pressure the government to reveal who is ‘Malaysian Official 1’ mentioned in the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) court filings last month.
Critics claimed that MO1 is none other than Najib himself.
However, Najib has denied allegations of misusing public funds, saying such accusations were part of a plot to topple him.
Attorney-general Mohamad Apandi Ali also cleared the prime minister of any wrongdoing.
Source -MKini-
Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) has voiced out support for student coalitions participating in the #TangkapMO1 rally on Saturday while strongly condemning any attempt to restrict the freedom of expression and freedom of assembly enshrined in the Federal Constitution.
Suaram Executive Director Sevan Doraisamy pledged its solidarity with the student coalitions and said in a statement that the organisation will provide assistance and support for the #TangkapMO1 rally.
In any eventuality that those arrested at the rally can contact the “urgent arrest team” and provide their name, IC number, police station they were being held at and/or place of arrest to 012-256 6089, he added
“Standing up for democracy and human rights at the #TangkapMO rally cannot be used to expel students from institutions.”
Suaram said it was repulsed by attempts to criminalise and restrict the rights of students and youth groups to take part in public assemblies. “Public Assembly is a fundamental right under the Federal Constitution.”
Any attempt to criminalise and/or penalise students for the #TangkapMO1 rally would be a gross violation of human rights, warned the statement.
The NGO sees adverse moves against student and youth groups as stifling them and limiting democratic rights.
Source -FMT-
A senior citizen was charged in a magistrate's court here with the murder of a durian seller over the quality of the fruits sold by the latter.
Self-employed Ooi Chang Ang, 60, who was wearing a white shirt, nodded as the charge was read to him in Hokkien. No plea was recorded.
He was charged with killing Ong Ting San, 61, at a house in Taman Sri Kijang, Bukit Mertajam, between 4.45pm and 5.15pm on Aug 18.
The charge carries the mandatory death sentence upon conviction.
Ooi's counsel, Rafael Abdullah, told the court that his client experienced pain at the back of his head and asked to go to the hospital before being sent back to the lockup.
Magistrate Jamaliah Abd Manap granted the appeal and set Nov 25 for mention of the case.
It was reported that Ong was stabbed several times near his stall in Taman Sri Kijang after running away from a suspect.
He died at the Seberang Jaya Hospital about six hours after the attack.
The suspect was arrested when he reported at the central Seberang Prai police headquarters about 20 hours after the incident.
Source -The Star Online-
Newly formed Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia pro-tem committee member Anina Saadudin proposed a suitable career change for Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor if he is unwilling to declare his assets.
"It is best for him to declare his assets. Do what he should. Does he have so many assets that he is afraid to declare them? If he is scared, then don't be a minister.
"It would be better for him to be a DBKL sweeper," she said in a media statement.
Tengku Adnan, better known as Ku Nan, had said declaring his assets publicly would expose his family to kidnapping and robberies.
However, the Umno secretary-general said he had declared his assets to the prime minister.
Anina took a swiped at Tengku Adnan after he taunted her after she dropped her lawsuits against him.
Tengku Adnan had claimed that Anina, who was expelled as an Umno member, withdrew the legal action because she knew that she couldn't win.
Anina had sued Tengku Adnan in his capacity of Umno secretary-general as well as Umno in a bid to reverse her sacking.
She had also sought for Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to "return" the remainder of the multi- billion deposits in his personal bank accounts to Umno.
Explaining her move, Anina said she dropped the suits because she is now onboard with Umno splinter party Bersatu.
Source -Mkini-
A woman was killed when a crane hook fell onto her car at Jalan Raja Chulan during rush hour Thursday evening.
The victim is identified as Chin Khoon Sing, 24, from George Town, Penang.
It is understood that the incident occurred at 7.20pm.
The hook, which was attached to a crane at a nearby construction site, is believed to have somehow detached and fell on her car.
Chin, whose car was stationary in the traffic jam, was killed instantly.
The construction site is believed to be part of the Pavilion shopping mall.
A City Fire and Rescue Department spokesperson said firemen were alerted to the incident at 7.23pm, and 16 firemen were deployed to the scene.
It is learnt that the hook weighs about a tonne.
Police believe Chin was returning from her office when the tragedy occurred.
Source -NST Online-
Polish discus thrower Piotr Malachowski has donated his Olympic silver medal to raise funds for a three-year-old boy with a rare form of cancer.
Malachowski threw 67.55m to claim silver, finishing 82cm adrift of Germany’s Christoph Harting who took gold.
It was the 33-year-old’s second Olympic medal having taken silver back in 2008 at Beijing.
His donation enabled compatriot Olek Szymanski, who has retinoblastoma (an eye cancer affecting young children), to fly to New York to undergo treatment.
"My silver medal is worth a lot more than a week ago," said Malachowski.
"It is worth the health of little Olek."
He added: "We were able to show that together we can do wonders. It is our great shared success.
"Winning an Olympic medal is one of an athlete's life dreams. Of course, the most precious is gold.
"I did everything in my power to get it. Unfortunately this time I did not succeed."
Malachowski made his original appeal via Facebook where he remarked: “In Rio I fought for the gold. Today I appeal to everyone ― let’s fight together about something that is even more precious: the health of this fantastic boy.
“If you help me, my silver can be more precious than gold.”
-The Independent-
