Stopping the rot

Mar 6th 2008
From The Economist print edition

Peter Löscher of Siemens attempts one of the biggest corporate clean-ups in history

Reuters

HE WORKED as a ski instructor to pay his way through university—and today Peter Löscher is once again expected to provide guidance in a fast-moving and potentially dangerous situation. The tall, loose-limbed Austrian, brought in as chief executive of Siemens last July, could hardly be more squeaky clean. Even the decor in his office above Wittelsbacherplatz in Munich is spartan, which seems fitting for the man leading one of the biggest corporate clean-ups in history. Most recently, on March 1st, he appointed legal officers to each of the sprawling engineering group's divisions. He wanted to emphasise that obeying the law is a vital aspect of every operational decision.

His hope, and that of 400,000 employees at Siemens, is that the steady flow of allegations about bribery and corruption will soon dry up—and with them the damaging investigations. Since November 2006, when police raided the group's offices across Germany, hardly a week has gone by without new allegations of wrongdoing by company officials in places from Botswana to Beijing. Siemensianers, as employees were once proud to call themselves, are fed up with being the butt of jokes about slush funds and secret accounts in Liechtenstein. Mr Löscher's job is to purge the company from top to bottom, so that Siemens can put the scandal behind it and enjoy its position as one of the world's leading companies, and one of globalisation's great winner.

Last month a Munich court rejected Siemens's claim that the practice of bribing the clients of its medical division with airline tickets, which they could exchange for cash, was not “systemic”. That is just one example of how €1.3 billion ($2.5 billion) is reckoned to have been illegally spent around the world in the past few years to beat the competition. Investigators allege that there was a culture at Siemens, endorsed by senior managers, to use bribes and slush funds to win contracts, especially in its communications and power-generation divisions. Last year Klaus Kleinfeld, then chief executive, and Heinrich von Pierer, his chairman and predecessor, resigned under pressure from shareholders. (Both have denied knowledge of any corruption.) One former board member is being investigated, and others are expected to share his fate. And because of its New York listing, Siemens is being investigated by the much-feared Securities & Exchange Commission, which can impose much heavier sanctions than the €660m in penalties Siemens has paid in Europe so far.

Appointing Mr Löscher, an untainted outsider, was an effort to draw a line under the scandal. He had previously headed divisions at GE, Siemens's great rival, and Merck, a pharmaceuticals giant. He spent his first few months at Siemens travelling and learning the ropes. Despite its problems, the group impressed him with its global culture. In many countries, such as his native Austria, it is regarded as a local firm. (Mr Löscher has absorbed plenty of different cultures himself: he studied at the Chinese University in Hong Kong and Harvard Business School, and his wife is Spanish.) Over Christmas he then dropped a bombshell, warning top managers in a letter that ignorance and loyalty were no excuse for having broken the law. Managers were offered an amnesty until January 31st—later extended by a month—to encourage them to spill the beans. And they have been doing so: 110 came forward, giving investigators dozens of new leads.

That prompted an unusual decision, just before Siemens's annual general meeting on January 24th, to postpone a shareholders' vote of confidence in the managing board (the spotless Mr Löscher excluded, of course). A law firm hired by Siemens to investigate corruption said it had new information pertaining to the conduct and knowledge of people who “have served on the managing board during the past several years”. This is an awkward situation. There must be a presumption that Mr Löscher's fellow board members are blameless, but it is like climbing with a string of mountaineers, one of whom may conceivably have doctored the rope. “I have no information to suggest I should not have 100% confidence in my colleagues,” says Mr Löscher.

Meanwhile, there is a company to run

None of this seems to have dented Siemens's ability to make money and win new contracts—so far, at least. Most of its units met their target operating margins in the most recent quarter, and order books are fuller than they were a year ago. “It proves you can grow with compliant business,” says Mr Löscher. He has left in place his predecessor's strategy of exploiting two “megatrends”: demographic change (in particular, ageing in rich countries, which boosts demand for health-care technology) and urbanisation (which creates demand for power, water and transport infrastructure). Whatever the near-term effects of the credit crunch and an economic slowdown, these trends seem likely to continue for years to come. It is a good story, spun around a wide collection of businesses which analysts had long penalised with a conglomerate discount. Mr Löscher claims most analysts no longer apply this to Siemens.

He has performed a cosmetic restructuring, however, streamlining the organisation into three main divisions: industry, energy and health care. Having shed its mobile-phone and car-navigation divisions, Siemens is still trying to unload its networking arm: on February 26th it said 6,800 jobs would have to go to make the unit more palatable to potential buyers. Its bulbmaking and computer-services divisions may be next.

Siemens shareholders are generally pragmatic: they have been more concerned about streamlining the business than the corruption scandal. The share price has responded favourably to news of a share buy-back programme, and the announcement in January that Mr Löscher had spent €4m of his own money buying Siemens shares. His fellow board members promptly bought €1.5m-worth of shares themselves, suggesting that they too are confident in his ability to stop the rot.

REKOD BN TERBUKTI -- BERI SEMULA MANDAT DEMI MASA DEPAN KELUARGA -- ABDULLAH

Oleh Habibah Omar dan Rokiah Abdullah- Utusan Online

PULAU PINANG 6 Mac – Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi meminta rakyat membuat penilaian bijak dan tepat bagi memastikan Barisan Nasional (BN) yang telah terbukti rekod perkhidmatannya, diberikan semula mandat pada Pilihan Raya Umum Ke-12, Sabtu ini.

Perdana Menteri menegaskan, adalah penting rakyat berfikir secara mendalam sebelum mengundi kerana pilihan raya merupakan sesuatu yang amat penting dalam menjamin masa depan diri dan keluarga.

‘‘Jadi saya berharap rakyat Malaysia fikir habis-habis (mendalam), ia adalah penting untuk masa depan negara,” katanya pada sidang akhbar selepas Majlis Pelancaran Projek Rancangan Malaysia Kesembilan (RMK-9), Menaik Taraf dan Pembinaan Pusat Jantung dan Pembedahan Hospital Pulau Pinang di sini hari ini.

Hadir sama pada majlis itu ialah isterinya, Datin Seri Jeanne Abdullah, Setiausaha Parlimen Kementerian Kesihatan, Datuk Lee Kah Choon dan Ketua Menteri, Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon.

Pusat jantung yang berharga kira-kira RM110 juta itu dijangka siap dalam tempoh 12 bulan.

Menurut Abdullah, rakyat pelbagai kaum perlu memastikan wakil mereka memenangi pilihan raya kali ini supaya semua kaum mempunyai suara dalam Kabinet kerajaan BN.

Beliau tidak mahu kerajaan yang diwujudkan kelak terdiri daripada satu kaum sahaja. Katanya, wakil semua kaum termasuk orang Melayu, Cina, India, Kadazan, Dusun dan lain-lain perlu berada dalam jemaah menteri.

“Ini yang kita mahu dan barulah kerajaan menjadi kerajaan yang benar-benar mewakili rakyat. Suara rakyat daripada semua kaum dapat didengar dan disampaikan oleh mereka yang ada dalam Kabinet.

“Apa akan berlaku jika masyarakat Cina menarik undi mereka daripada BN, nanti tiada suara Cina yang mewakili mereka.

“Kehadiran mereka (dalam Kabinet) pun tidak ada. Itu yang akan berlaku. Macam mana hendak dilantik menjadi menteri kalau semua sudah kalah,” katanya.

Abdullah turut menceritakan pengalaman tidak ada wakil MCA dan MIC memenangi pilihan raya di Pulau Pinang pada Pilihan Raya Umum 1990 dan ketika itu baru penyokong MCA dan MIC daripada kaum Cina dan India merasai bahawa mereka tidak mempunyai wakil di Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN).

Pada pilihan raya itu, parti komponen BN iaitu UMNO memenangi 12 kerusi DUN, Gerakan tujuh, MCA dan MIC masing-masing tidak memenangi sebarang kerusi manakala DAP memperoleh 14 kerusi.

Bagi Abdullah, ketiadaan wakil parti komponen tertentu dalam Kabinet akan menimbulkan kepincangan terhadap gabungan parti pelbagai kaum tersebut.

“Bagi BN, kalau tidak ada wakil daripada parti komponen lain, tentulah ada satu kekurangan yang saya fikir tidak baik. Itu yang boleh saya katakan.

“Jadi saya harap rakyat akan fikir habis-habis tentang perkara ini. Ia sangat penting untuk masa depan rakyat Malaysia yang pelbagai kaum. Anda mahu lebih banyak suara di Parlimen atau anda mahu suara dalam Kabinet yang lebih berkesan dalam mewakili pandangan semua kaum,” katanya.

Ditanya bagaimana beliau melihat prestasi BN setelah 12 hari berkempen, Perdana Menteri yakin BN akan memenangi pilihan raya 8 Mac ini termasuk di dua negeri yang dianggap menghadapi persaingan sengit iaitu Kelantan dan Pulau Pinang.

Abdullah berkata, berdasarkan suara rakyat yang mahukan BN terus memerintah, beliau percaya BN akan diberikan mandat baru untuk menerajui negara.

“Boleh menang, boleh menang, insya-Allah boleh menang. Kita juga akan menang di Kelantan dan Pulau Pinang,” katanya.

Mengenai harga minyak selepas pilihan raya, beliau menjelaskan kerajaan akan sentiasa memantau perkembangan itu bagi memastikan rakyat tidak dibebankan dengan kenaikan lain yang tidak munasabah.

“Apa yang kita mahu ialah supaya rakyat tidak dibebankan dengan bayaran lain, itu kehendak kita namun dalam menghadapi kenaikan minyak, kita juga akan terus beri perhatian kepada usaha lain supaya rakyat tidak terbeban.

“Kalau kita tidak kawal, keadaan lagi teruk. Jadi apa yang dilakukan oleh kerajaan ialah memainkan peranan untuk membantu rakyat dengan memperkuatkan ekonomi serta meningkatkan bidang-bidang lain termasuk perniagaan dan latihan kemahiran,'' kata Abdullah.

DR M: NO REGRETS OVER ANWAR'S JAILING

Friday March 7, 2008-The Star Online ALOR STAR: Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad reiterated yesterday that he felt no guilt whatsoever over what happened to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. He said the video clip containing his remarks about the former deputy prime minister that had been distorted by the opposition to say he regretted the jailing of Anwar, was taken at a ceramah (political talk) he (Dr Mahathir) gave two years ago. “I was making some sarcastic remarks because there were still people who believed I was responsible for his jailing when the fact is, it was the court that found him guilty,” he said at his home in Kampung Titi Gajah here . He said that the Parti Keadilan Rakyat adviser was an opportunist and would use whatever means available to get what he wants. “Initially he wanted to join PAS. But when he saw he would get nowhere in that party, he asked to join Umno ... not that we invited him in ... I did not bring him into Umno. “Two days after joining he wanted to be the Youth leader, a year later vice-president and a year after that deputy president. I only got a chance to be an elected representative after 18 years in the party and a minister after 28 years. “I was willing to be patient but he wanted to become prime minister straight away and even got his boys to take swipes at me and accuse me of practising nepotism and cronyism when in fact, he was the one doing it,” he said. He said that now even his close friend Dr Chandra Muzaffar was criticising him when then, Chandra had taken Dr Mahathir to task for purportedly oppressing Anwar. Asked about his son Mukhriz’s chances in the Jerlun parliamentary seat in the election on Saturday, Dr Mahathir said Mukhriz’s chances were bright so long as he had the full support of Umno members. Mukhriz is up against PAS’ Idris Ahmad for the seat. – Bernama

HOW FAR THEY HAVE TRAVELLED

Mar 6th 2008 | BISHKEK AND ISTANBUL
From The Economist print edition

A Turkish-based movement, which sounds more reasonable than most of its rivals, is vying to be recognised as the world's leading Muslim network

Amberin Zaman

IT IS a long way from the Anatolian plains to a campus in the heart of London, where eminent scholars of religion deliver learned papers. And the highlands that used to form the Soviet border with China, an area where bright kids long for an education, seem far removed from a three-storey house in Pennsylvania, where a revered, reclusive teacher of Islam lives.

What links these places is one of the most powerful and best-connected of the networks that are competing to influence Muslims round the globe—especially in places far from Islam's heartland. The Pennsylvania-based sage, Fethullah Gulen, who stands at the centre of this network, has become one of the world's most important Muslim figures—not only in his native Turkey, but also in a quieter way in many other places: Central Asia, Indochina, Indonesia and Africa.

With his stated belief in science, inter-faith dialogue and multi-party democracy, Mr Gulen has
also won praise from many non-Muslim quarters. He is an intensely emotional preacher, whose tearful sermons seem to strike a deep chord in his listeners; but the movement he heads is remarkably pragmatic and businesslike.

As a global force, the Gulenists are especially active in education. They claim to have founded more than 500 places of learning in 90 countries. A conference they staged in London last October was co-hosted by four British universities, plus the House of Lords. Its organisers produced a slick 750-page volume that included all the conference papers.

In its homeland, the Gulen movement is seen as a counterweight to ultra-nationalism. But in places far from home, the movement has rather a Turkish nationalist flavour. In the former Soviet south, it fights the “Turkish” corner in areas where the cultures of Russia, China and Iran co-exist uneasily. “If you meet a polite Central Asian lad who speaks good English and Turkish, you know he went to a Gulen school,” says a Turkish observer. In Kyrgyzstan, for example, the movement runs a university and a dozen high schools, which excel in international contests. Even in Pakistan, pupils at Gulen schools learn Turkish songs, as well as benefiting from gleaming science labs.

Amazingly enough, the Gulen movement has built up a significant presence in northern Iraq, through schools, a hospital and (soon) a university. Although this arena of Turkish-Kurdish conflict is not the easiest environment for a Turkish-based institution, the movement has deftly built up relationships with all the region's ethnic and religious groups.

The influence that the Gulen movement has quietly accumulated would be a surprise to some veteran observers of Islam. Asked to name the world's most active Islamic network, many a pundit would think first of the Muslim Brotherhood, whose reach has extended a long way from Egypt, where it began in the 1920s as a movement of resistance to the twin evils of secularism and colonialism. And it remains true that in every Western country (including the United States) where Muslims are politically active, the influence of the brotherhood—or at least of movements that grew out it—is palpable.

Among the brotherhood's ideological affiliates is the biggest Muslim group in France; a federation that aims to co-ordinate Muslim activities all over Europe; and a “fatwa council” that offers moral guidance to European Muslims. In Britain, the pro-brotherhood camp has split between a pietist wing and a more political one, known as the British Muslim Initiative, which is now busy organising protests against Israeli actions in Gaza. On the face of things, the Gulen movement seems more benign—from a Western point of view—than either the brotherhood or any of the other networks that compete for a similar role. Although the brotherhood tells people to take full advantage of secular democracy, it also insists that the ideal form of administration is an Islamic one. The Gulenists say their embrace of democracy is wholehearted, not tactical. If there is one group of people who doubt this, it is secular Turks; many view the Gulenists as “chameleons” who only show their true, conservative face in deepest Anatolia.

Still, if the Gulen message is well received in the West, that is partly because the message from other Muslim networks (leaving aside the ones that openly espouse terror) is often so dark. Take, for example, Hizb ut-Tahrir (Party of Liberation), which is active in at least 40 countries, including Britain and Australia. Its line is that Muslims should eschew electoral democracy altogether, on the ground that the only regime worth supporting is a global caliphate. Its maximalist stance, and the solidarity it proclaims with embattled Muslims across the world, can appeal to impressionable students. Yet another competitor is an Islamic revivalist movement, Tablighi Jamaat, rooted in south Asia but active in Africa and Europe, especially Britain. Compared with all these groups, the Gulen movement offers a message to young Muslims that sounds more positive: it tells them to embrace the Western world's opportunities, while still insisting on Islam's fundamentals.

This measured tone has won the Gulenists many admirers. But that does not mean that all Western governments automatically accept the movement's claims of moderation. “We know we are under surveillance from Western security services,” laments a Gulenist insider. That is quite true, but so far those services have not detected any hidden ties with extremism.

ANWAR SAMAN DR CHANDRA RM10 JUTA

Adalah di laporkan dalam The Sun Online 7 Marc 2008 bahawa Penasihat PKR Anwar Ibrahim telah menyaman malu bekas Timbalan Presiden Parti Keadilan Nasional (PKN) Dr Chandra Muzzafar sebanyak RM10 juta bila Dr Chandra enggan memohon maaf atau menarik balik kenyataan-kenyataannya terhadap Anwar.

Chandra menurut The Sun adalah seorang dari lima orang ahli panel forum umum mengenai Pilihan Raya Umum 12 telah berkata pada hari Isnin lalu bahawa "adalah satu bencana besar kepada Malaysia sekiranya Anwar menjadi Perdana Menteri".

"Apa yang saya katakan itu adalah berlandaskan fakta-fakta dan maklumat yang ada pada saya" kata Dr Chandra dalam satu kenyataan akhbarnya semalam selepas Anwar mengugut akan menyamanya.

Lanjutan dari saman tersebut blogger ini ingin bertanya siapa lagi yang akan di saman oleh Anwar kerana mengeluarkan kenyataan terhadap dirinya? Mungkinkah giliran sahabat baik tenisnya Dato Nalla Karuppan pula akan disaman? Nalla juga baru-baru ini ada membuat kenyataan mengenai diri dan perlakuan Anwar.

AWAS POLITIK PERKAUMAN DAP

Oleh ZULKIFLI JALIL dan HABIBAH OMAR-Utusan Online

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi diiringi Musa Aman (kiri) bersalaman dengan ribuan warga Keningau yang ingin berjumpa dengan pemimpin tertinggi negara itu semasa menghadiri majlis penutupan Pameran Bergerak Program Yayasan Sabah Bersama Rakyat dan Roadshow Koridor Pembangunan Sabah (SDC) di Dewan Masyarakat Keningau Sabah, semalam.

PULAU PINANG 5 Mac – Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi mengingatkan masyarakat Cina tentang bahaya politik perkauman yang dimainkan oleh DAP kerana ia boleh memecahbelahkan perpaduan rakyat negara ini.

Perdana Menteri berkata, beliau menyedari sepanjang kempen Pilihan Raya Umum Ke-12, parti pembangkang itu gemar menghasut satu kaum supaya membenci kaum lain serta cuba mempengaruhi kaum India dan Cina supaya jangan menyokong UMNO.

‘‘Dalam beberapa waktu ini, parti pembangkang mula main politik perkauman, nak ‘cucuk’, nak bagi pecah (negara).

‘‘Jadi, saya mahu ingatkan bahawa bukan orang Melayu bagi Cina susah, bukan India, tapi DAP main politik perkauman Cina. Saya tidak boleh terima politik macam ini,” katanya.

Abdullah berkata demikian ketika berucap di hadapan 5,000 penduduk Cina pada Majlis Malam Satu Hati Bersama Rakyat di Jalan Padang Tembak, Air Itam di sini malam ini.

Hadir sama ialah isteri beliau, Datin Seri Jeanne Abdullah; Presiden MCA, Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting; Pemangku Presiden Gerakan, Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon dan Penasihat Gerakan, Datuk Seri Dr. Lim Keng Yaik.

Sentimen perkauman yang dimainkan oleh DAP sepanjang kempen pilihan raya kali ini begitu ketara dengan parti itu mempengaruhi pengundi kononnya mereka bukan mahu menafikan majoriti MCA dan Gerakan di Pulau Pinang tetapi mahu melemahkan kekuatan UMNO.

Abdullah menegaskan, berbanding DAP, BN mahu memastikan konsep perkongsian kuasa dinikmati rakyat pelbagai kaum bagi menentukan negara terus aman, makmur dan stabil.

Beliau menarik perhatian bagaimana UMNO terus mempertahankan konsep perkongsian kuasa itu ketika parti Gerakan yang menerajui kepimpinan Pulau Pinang tewas teruk pada Pilihan Raya Umum 1990.

‘‘Pada 1990, kekuatan Gerakan hanya tinggal tujuh kerusi Dewan Undangan Negeri, MCA dan MIC kosong (tidak memenangi sebarang kerusi), manakala UMNO meraih 12 kerusi.

‘‘(Ada yang cakap) bahawa inilah masanya untuk UMNO mengambil jawatan Ketua Menteri.

‘‘Tapi saya cakap tidak, sebab muafakat kita dulu ialah jawatan Ketua Menteri ini mesti daripada kalangan orang Cina sebab mereka penduduk majoriti di Pulau Pinang dan ia harus datang daripada parti Gerakan.

‘‘Dan ketika itu Ketua Menteri yang dipilih ialah Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon,” jelas beliau.

Soal Perdana Menteri: ‘‘Siapa kata UMNO tamak, UMNO jahat dan UMNO dominan? Kita tidak pernah macam itu. UMNO hidup sebab ia adil kepada semua (kaum).”

Sebab itulah, kata Abdullah, beliau cukup hairan apabila Setiausaha Agung DAP, Lim Guan Eng secara tiba-tiba mahu bertanding di Pulau Pinang pada pilihan raya umum kali ini.

‘‘Guan Eng dari mana... Melaka, dia tinggalkan negeri itu dan datang ke sini. Nak minta sokongan rakyat Pulau Pinang... bolehkah saudara-saudari?” soalnya sambil disambut oleh hadirin: ‘‘Tidak boleh, tidak boleh.’’

Perdana Menteri berkata, penduduk Pulau Pinang pasti tidak mahu diperbodoh-bodohkan oleh Guan Eng yang sebenarnya cuba mengambil kesempatan seolah- olah dia memperjuangkan nasib dan masa depan penduduk negeri ini.

ANWAR TIDAK BERTANGGUNGJAWAB - ABDULLAH

Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi bersama isteri, Datin Seri Jeanne Abdullah dengan wajah ceria melambai tangan bersama-sama pemimpin-pemimpin Gerakan (dari kiri) Datuk Seri Chia Kwang Chye, Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon dan Datuk Dr. Teng Hock Nan (kanan) semasa Malam Satu Hati Bersama Rakyat di Padang Tembak, Pulau Pinang semalam. – Gambar SAZALI CHE DIN.

PULAU PINANG 5 Mac-Utusan Online – Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi berkata, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim bukan pemimpin tulen kerana tindak-tanduknya menunjukkan beliau seorang yang tidak bertanggungjawab.

Perdana Menteri berkata, Penasihat Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) itu telah ditolak oleh UMNO yang menunjangi Barisan Nasional (BN).

‘‘Dia tidak penting kepada saya, tidak penting kepada UMNO. Dia tidak ada kawan dalam UMNO sebab itu dia lawan UMNO.

‘‘Dia nak cuba balik (sertai) dalam UMNO... no way. Kita mempunyai pemimpin yang cukup untuk mengetuai UMNO. Tidak payah tunggu dia balik, biar dia cari kawan daripada kalangan pembangkang.

‘‘Dengan UMNO cakap lain, dengan orang lain cakap lain, semua dia nak untung,’’ kata Abdullah ketika berucap di hadapan 5,000 penduduk Cina pada Majlis Malam Satu Hati Bersama Rakyat di Jalan Padang Tembak, Air Itam di sini malam ini.

Menurut Abdullah, Anwar sebenarnya gemar menabur janji kosong dan bukanlah pemimpin yang boleh dipercayai oleh rakyat negara ini.

‘‘Kalau kita (BN) berjanji, kita akan tunaikan. Itulah BN yang merupakan barisan tulen dan mendukung prinsip satu hati, satu tujuan, satu negara,’’ katanya.

Sementara itu, dalam ucapannya ketika berkempen di Keningau, Sabah, Abdullah tidak menolak kemungkinan perancangan yang dibuatnya semasa menjadi Menteri Pelajaran dahulu tidak diteruskan oleh Anwar yang menggantikannya.

Beliau berkata, pemimpin pembangkang itu mungkin tidak mahu warga pendidikan mengingati jasa dan pembaharuan yang cuba dilakukannya.

‘‘Semasa saya Menteri Pelajaran dahulu didapati banyak sangat skim guru yang menyebabkan satu-satu skim itu mencapai tahap gaji maksimum terlalu awal dan selepas itu gaji tidak boleh naik lagi.

‘‘Oleh itu saya merangka skim yang lebih baik, tetapi selepas dilantik sebagai Menteri Pertahanan dan diganti oleh Anwar, dia lupakan. Akibatnya yang rugi adalah guru-guru kerana kita bertujuan membaiki nasib guru,” katanya.

UMNO DOES NOT WANT ANWAR - PM

Thursday March 6, 2008-The Star Online

PENANG: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim tried to make a comeback into Umno but the party does not want him, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said.

The Prime Minister, who made this revelation last night, said the de facto PKR leader was not important as “we have enough leaders in Umno”.

“Furthermore, he fought against the party. We do not have to wait for him to come back. Now, he's looking for new friends and had gotten into a marriage of convenience.

“He is now working with others but in the end, all of this is only for his own benefit,” he said at the Malam Satu Hati Bersama Rakyat in Rifle Range here last night.

Abdullah also hit out at DAP, pointing out that its secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, who is contesting the Bagan parliamentary seat, “ran away” from Malacca to Penang.

United stand: Barisan Nasional leaders waving to the crowd. They are (from left) Tanjung Bunga candidate Chia Loong Thye, Kebun Bunga candidate Quah Kooi Heong, Air Putih candidate Tan Yok Cheng, Dr Lim (partly hidden), Ong, Abdullah and Dr Koh.

“Do you think Penang people are stupid to support him? We Penangites are not stupid,” he told a large crowd.

Abdullah also chided the Opposition for making an issue of the scrapping of the indelible ink an issue.

He said Barisan too wanted credible elections so that its victory would be credible.

“I want credible elections more than anyone else. This I will leave it to the Election Commission,” he said.

Among the speakers were MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting, Gerakan acting president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon and former Gerakan president Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik.

The Barisan chairman also expressed confidence that the coalition would get enough majority to form government again.

“The opposition thinks that we are going to lose the elections and that’s why we are not going to use the ink.

“It has nothing to do with us losing. I know for a fact that Insyallah (God willing) we will get enough majority,” he said.

Abdullah, however, noted:

“I don’t know what is in your heart. But I can assure you that Barisan would do the best for you and the country,” he said.

He added that Barisan wanted to distribute the nation’s wealth equitably to all races.

On the Hindu Rights Action Force issue, he said the group was telling Indians to not vote for Umno candidates as the victory would make the party stronger.

This, he said, could anger the Malays who in turn would not support MIC candidates. Then, MIC will have to lingkup (fold up). This is bad as MIC is an old friend,” he said.

Abdullah said Barisan would be weak if it did not receive good support from Penangites.

“But if you are with us, we will be strong for you, Penang and Malaysia,” he added.

JANGAN GUNA KHUTBAH JUMAAT UNTUK KEMPEN

06/03/2008 4:40pm-Utusan Online

PEKAN 6 Mac - Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak mengingatkan Pas supaya menghormati masjid sebagai pusat ibadat dan tidak sesekali menjadikan khutbah Jumaat esok sebagai usaha terakhir untuk berkempen.

Timbalan Perdana Menteri menegaskan, masjid bukan tempat untuk menyampaikan propaganda politik kerana tindakan itu boleh memecah-belahkan umat Islam.

"Kita tidak pernah menggunakan masjid untuk tujuan politik, jadi Pas tidak patut menggunakan masjid untuk tujuan politik. Masjid rumah ibadat, rumah Allah," katanya kepada pemberita selepas merasmikan bangunan Arked Mara Pekan di sini hari ini.

INDON MILITARY JOINS IN SEARCH FOR FUGITIVE MAS SELAMAT

March 5, 2008-Straits Times
By Salim Osman, Indonesia Correspondent In Jakarta
THE Indonesian military has joined in the search for the Singapore terrorist Mas Selamat Kastari by stepping up patrols along the border. Military chief Djoko Santoso said that the military had been activated to look out for the fugitive if he sneaks into Indonesia. 'It's too premature to say that he has slipped into Indonesia. But we are taking all precautions,' he told reporters in Kuala Lumpur where he was on an official visit on Tuesday. The military chief was quoted by Bernama as saying that he had not received any reports that the terrorist, who escaped from a detention centre in Singapore last wednesday, was in Indonesia. General Djoko said that tracking Mas Selamat and other terrorist suspects was the job of the police force in Indonesia. 'We are just cooperating with the police to hunt for fugitive as part of our responsibility,' he added. Besides stepping up patrols along the borders, the military is also conducting road blocks and checking the identities of people passing in the area, he said. He added that such a precaution was being taken as Mas Selamat was known to disguise himself when in Indonesia. His remarks followed that of Indonesian police chief, General Sutanto, who said in Jakarta on Tuesday that the Indonesian police were working closely with their Singapore counterparts in the manhunt. According to the Jakarta Post, the high-profile jailbreak has led to grumbling among the top brass of the Indonesian police. Former police spokesman, Inspector General Sisno Adiwinoto, said that Indonesia was forced to deal with most of the fallout from the escape. 'The Singaporean jail is known for its extra maximum security, so how was Mas Selamat able to flee? That is what we need to question. What is behind all of this,' asked General Sisno, who was installed as South Sulawesi police chief on Tuesday. He said that it would be difficult for Mas Selamat, the leader of the Singapore branch of the Jemaah Islamiah, to find shelter in Indonesia. 'There is no easy entry to Indonesia that he could get through. The security along Indonesian borders is very tight right now,' he said. Besides stepping up security, the Indonesian police have also circulated pictures of the fugitive across the country.