MUHAMMAD TAIB CRIES FOUL OVER DIRTY TACTICS

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 5 (Bernama) -- Umno information chief Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd Taib claimed that certain quarters had been using threats and dirty tactics to block his nomination for the party deputy presidency.

"Do not use dirty tactics to stop me... I come across these threats at several places. After a name is proposed and seconded, the nomination is immediately closed.

"Some people have been warned that if a particular candidate becomes the deputy president, they will be in trouble," he told reporters at the parliamentary lobby here Wednesday.

Muhammad, who is also Rural and Regional Development Minister, also denied that he would pull out of the race and the rumours had caused some members to think that he was no longer interested to go for the number two post.

He said Umno divisions should not be discouraged from nominating candidates of their choice, and he and vice-president Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam should be given the opportunity to vie for the deputy presidency.

On the walk-out staged by the opposition at the Dewan Rakyat yesterday, he said it was a desperate attempt by the opposition to divert the attention of the people as the government had taken bold steps to stimulate the economy.

-- BERNAMA

TAN LIAN HOE - MALAYS ARE IMMIGRANTS FROM MALAY ARCHIPELAGO

How can Tan came up with a controversial statement during her speech at Gerakan Wanita meeting that the Malays came from the Malay Archipelago when the Malay peninsular itself is part and parcel of the Malay archipelago. This is pure nonsense. It is like saying the Han Chinese in Yunnan are immigrants when Yunan is part of the Chinese world. Tan and others like her should checked their history first before coming with such sensitive statements as it can unnecessarily arouse the anger among the Malays. She needs to clear the air by apologizing to the Malays publicly.

KUALA LUMPUR: Wanita Gerakan chief Datuk Tan Lian Hoe said she had never made remarks that questioned the rights of the Malays and that she had clarified the issue with the Deputy Prime Minister.

She said her speech during the Oct 10 Gerakan annual general assembly had merely stated that Malays hailed from the Malay archipelago.

“My speech was misconstrued and was never intended to disturb the sensitivities of any race or group in Malaysia, nor did I want to criticise anyone,” she said after the first Wanita central committee meeting on Sunday.

ASKING FOR AMOUNT PAID TO JUDGES IS A VALID REQUEST SAID NAZRI?

In my humble opinion it is not necessary to disclose the amount paid as ex-gratia to the former judges . They had suffered enough in the aftermath of the 1988 judicial crisis. Some of them had passed away. It would be suitable that the privacy of their families be respected as no amount of monies can ever compensated their sufferings. It is more appropriate to put a closure to the whole incident and not politicised it. At the end of the day what can be achieved by disclosing the amount of monies paid by the government?

PUTRAJAYA, Oct 30 (Bernama) -- Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz believes that Barisan Nasional backbenchers and Opposition MPs' request for the government to reveal how much was spent on ex-gratia payments to six former judges was a valid one.

The six were involved in the 1988 judicial crisis

Nazri said he had spoken to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on the matter and it was being looked into.

"We should not hide anything. If we do not reveal the amounts it might be intrepreted in a wrong way...because we used the public's money," he told reporters after a ceremony to commemorate the Anti-Corruption Agency's 41st annivesary here today.

"They are judges...when they are doing their job they talk about how important transparency is and now it should be applied to them.

"In the name of transparency, the request (by the judges' families) not to reveal the amounts should not be used as an excuse not to do so," he added.

Nazri said he hoped to reveal the amounts in Parliament as soon as possible.

The former judges were former Lord President Tun Salleh Abas and former Supreme Court judges Tan Sri Azmi Kamaruddin, Tan Sri George Edward Seah Kim Seng, Tan Sri Wan Hamzah Mohd Salleh, the late Tan Sri Eusoffe Abdoolcader and the late Tan Sri Wan Suleiman Pawanteh.

-- BERNAMA

SHAHIDAN CADANG SYARIKAT BUKAN BUMIPUTRA AMBIL 30 PERATUS PEKERJA BUMIPUTRA

Cadangan Datuk Seri Shahidan ini memang baik dan sesuai. Dewan Perniagaan Melayu pun pernah pada satu ketika dahulu menyuarakan cadangan supaya syarikat bukan Bumiputra yang mendapat projek pengswastaan dari kerajaan diberikan syarat supaya mengambil 30 peratus pekerja Bumiputra. Ini cadangan yang baik. Diharap agensi-agensi kerajaan yang berkenaan mengambil tindakan sewajarnya.

KUALA LUMPUR, 30 Okt (Bernama) -- Anggota Majlis Tertinggi Umno Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim mencadangkan syarikat bukan Bumiputera yang telah berjaya kerana Dasar Ekomoni Baru (DEB) mengambil sekurang-kurangnya 30 peratus pekerja Bumiputera.

"Ini kerana ketika itu kebanyakan syarikat-syarikat itu mendapat pinjaman daripada Bank Bumiputra malah lebih daripada syarikat yang dimiliki oleh Bumiputera sendiri," katanya kepada pemberita di sini, Khamis.

Beliau berkata demikian ketika mengulas mengenai cadangan Naib Presiden MCA Datuk Liow Tiong Lai yang mahukan syarat pemilikan ekuiti Bumiputera syarikat senaraian awam dihapuskan bagi memastikan ia terus bersaing.

Liow dilaporkan berkata, pemilikan ekuiti 30 peratus Bumiputera itu hanya menjadi halangan dalam mewujudkan kerjasama jitu antara peniaga Melayu, Cina dan India di negara ini.

Shahidan yang menghadiri majlis menandatangani memorandum persefahaman (MoU) antara Kesatuan Olahraga Amatur Malaysia (KOAM) dengan syarikat Octagon mendakwa masih terdapat syarikat yang tidak mengambil pekerja Melayu malah mensyaratkan bahasa Mandarin sebagai keutamaan.

Shahidan berkata ini bukanlah masa untuk menuduh siapa yang adil dan sebaliknya tetapi hakikatnya sesetengah syarikat itu berjaya kerana DEB yang diperkenalkan oleh kerajaan.

"Kita ni umpama kapal yang bocor sedikit, jadi janganlah minta bayaran sebelum menampal bocor itu...kalau tenggelam, semua karam tanpa mengira kaum," katanya.

Sementara itu, mengenai cadangan Naib Ketua Pemuda Umno Khairy Jamaluddin supaya diadakan debat terbuka antara calon-calon Ketua Pemuda bagi pemilihan Umno akan datang, Shahidan berkata perdebatan seumpama itu perlu diadakan bukan sahaja bagi jawatan Ketua Pemuda tetapi juga jawatan lain pada pemilihan Umno.

"Timbalan Presiden Umno, Naib Presiden, Ketua Wanita, Ketua Puteri dan sebagainya semuanya kena berdebat bagi menyatakan pendirian mereka," katanya.

Bagaimanapun, beliau berkata debat itu tidak boleh dilakukan secara terbuka seperti debat Presiden Amerika Syarikat kerana orang Melayu masih belum lagi matang sepenuhnya.

-- BERNAMA

PUNCA MALAYSIAKINI SIAR BERITA PALSU NAJIB

Artikel berikut jelas menunjukkan penyalahgunaan kebebasan di media eletronik oleh Malaysiakini dan Steven Gan . Minta maaf sahaja tidak cukup. Kerajaan hendaklah mengambil langkah2 tertentu menentu kan media eletronik perlu bertanggong jawab . Jika ada sebarang penyalahgunaan atau kecuaian hendak diambil tindakan menggunakan undang2 termasuk di bawaghAkta Hasutan dan ISA. Jika tidak porak peranda jadinya negara kita ini.

Bashir Ahmad

STEVEN GAN, Ketua Pengarang Malaysiakini mempunyai sebab untuk gelisah dan malu apabila portal berita kendaliannya terpaksa memohon maaf kerana menyiarkan berita palsu mengenai Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak.

Malaysiakini telah melaporkan bahawa Najib mengeluarkan manifesto untuk bertanding jawatan Presiden UMNO berikutan pengosongan jawatan tersebut oleh Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Dilaporkan kononnya isi kandungan manifesto palsu itu menonjolkan bahawa Najib adalah seorang rasis Melayu.

Walaupun meminta maaf, padah telah berlaku. Wartawan yang menulis berita palsu itu, Wong Choon Mei yang bertugas di Malaysiakini sejak tiga bulan lalu, telah meletakkan jawatan. Kononnya beliau menerima manifesto itu dari sumber luar, tapi disiarkan tanpa usul periksa.

Di mana Gan mahu menyorokkan mukanya kerana beliau selama ini sentiasa mempertahankan bahawa Malaysiakini sebuah media yang adil dan bertanggungjawab.

Adakah Gan, yang mempunyai cukup pengalaman sebagai wartawan media arus perdana ketika berkhidmat dengan The Star, melupai tanggungjawabnya kerana turut terperangkanp dalam keghairahan politik perkauman yang semakin marak di Malaysia sekarang. Dulu Gan meninggalkan dunia persuratkhabaran dengan alasan tiada kebebasan. Kini beliau sendiri yang membuktikan betapa kebebasan yang tidak dikawal boleh disalahgunakan

Umum boleh mengandaikan betapa jika Malaysiakini tergamak menyiarkan sebuah berita palsu mengenai Timbalan Perdana Menteri, maka ia tentulah boleh mengada-adakan cerita terhadap sesiapa sahaja. Gan tidak boleh menuduh mereka yang berandaian demikian sebagai tidak adil kerana Malaysiakini telah melakukan ketidakadilan dengan menyiarkan laporan palsu terhadap Timbalan Perdana Menteri yang implikasinya sangat buruk terhadap beliau dan UMNO dalam suasana politik tidak menentu dan kalut sekarang.

Penulis ini lebih cenderung untuk berpendapat bahawa sikap perkaumanlah yang menyebabkan Wong dan Gan menulis dan menyiarkan berita palsu itu. Sebagai wartawan berpengalaman, Gan tentulah amat arif bahawa setiap berita hendaklah dipastikan kesahihannya sebelum disiarkan. Apatah lagi jika implikasi berita berkenaan boleh menjejaskan seorang pemimpin seperti Timbalan Perdana Menteri yang juga `bakal Perdana Menteri.'

Namun Wong dan Gan, sebagai bukan Melayu telah berfikir atas premis perkauman apabila menerima maklumat kononnya Najib mengeluarkan manifesto untuk meyakinkan ahli-ahli UMNO bahawa beliau seorang pemimpin yang ultra-Malay. Tanpa menyiasat mereka telah membuat kesimpulan dengan begitu mudah sekalipun personaliti yang terlibat adalah seorang Timbalan Perdana Menteri.

Kesimpulan itu dibuat atas premis prejudis bahawa parti UMNO hanya memperjuangkan ketuanan Melayu dan para pemimpinnya juga adalah `tuan-tuan Melayu.' Maka apabila cerita mengenai manifesto Najib itu dihantar kepada Malaysikini, tanpa usul periksa mereka telah mempercayai bulat-bulat maklumat palsu yang mereka peroleh atas premis syak wasangka yang berasaskan sikap perkauman itu.

Inilah realiti keadaan di Malaysia yang menyukarkan kita untuk membendung masalah perkauman.

Sebab itulah wujud pelbagai akta yang antara lain memperuntukkan larangan tertentu berhubung isu perkauman, termasuk Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri yang berupa undang-undang pencegahan.

Media arus perdana tradisional seperti akhbar dan TV amat memahami hakikat ini dan mereka sentiasa berwaspada, apatah lagi kerana mereka dikawal oleh undang-undang berkaitan. Undang-undang yang mengawal kebebasan inilah yang dulu menyebabkan Gan tidak selesa dan akhirnya keluar daripada dunia persuratkhabaran untuk menerokai dunia media maya atau internet.

Pada hari ini Malaysiakini mempunyai pembaca yang besar bilangannya, malah lebih besar daripada beberapa surat khabar. Maka amatlah tidak adil jika surat khabar mengamalkan etika kewartawanan, tetapi media baru yang berpengaruh seperti Malaysiakini boleh menyiarkan apa yang mereka suka.

Maka amat benarlah takrif Menteri Dalam Negeri, Datuk Seri Syed Abdul Hamid Albar bahawa portal-portal berita kini termasuk dalam kategori media arus perdana. Malah dalam masa beberapa tahun sahaja lagi banyak surat khabar pula yang tidak boleh dikategorikan lagi sebagai media arus perdana. Persoalannya adakah portal-portal berita boleh dibiarkan menikmati kebebasan berterusan tanpa batas? - malaysiaaktif.com

2 NAMA ISI JAWATAN PENGURUS BESAR PKNS

Kerajaan PR Selangor hendaklah lebih peka mengenai perasaan orang Melayu. Apakah matlamat perjuangan Kerajaan PR Selangor yang dipimpin oleh seorang Melayu ? Beliau pula telah lama berkhidmat di PNB dan telah mendapat mendapat banyak banuan dari Dasar Ekonomi Baru untuk peruntukan saham Guthrie yang banyak jumlah dan nilainya. Kadang2 kita lupa sejarah diri kita tapi orang Melayu lain tidak lupa. Seeloknya kita bermuhasabah dan perlu tanya apa matlamat parti kita dan tindakan kita? Menguntungkan Melayu atau pun sebaliknya?

SHAH ALAM: Pas Selangor akan mengemukakan dua nama daripada kalangan tokoh korporat bagi mengisi jawatan Pengurus Besar Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Selangor (PKNS) kepada Menteri Besar, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, tidak lama lagi.

Timbalan Pesuruhjaya Pas Selangor, Iskandar Abdul Samad, berkata pemilihan dibuat berdasarkan pengalaman serta latar belakang yang dimiliki oleh dua individu berkenaan tetapi beliau enggan menyatakan nama mereka.

"Namun, kedua-dua calon untuk mengisi jawatan itu adalah Bumiputera dan individu berkenaan tidak semestinya pegawai daripada PKNS," katanya kepada pemberita selepas persidangan Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) di sini, hari ini.

Semalam, Pas Selangor mahu mencadangkan beberapa nama calon kepada Abdul Khalid untuk dilantik sebagai Pengurus Besar PKNS selepas mengadakan pertemuan dengan Menteri Besar itu.

Pas membuat cadangan itu ekoran keputusan Abdul Khalid melantik Timbalan Pengurus Korporat dan Akaun PKNS, Low Siew Moi sebagai pemangku jawatan itu yang membangkitkan rasa tidak puas hati pelbagai pihak, termasuk kakitangan PKNS sendiri yang membantah supaya jawatan itu diisi seorang Bumiputera yang layak.

Pelantikan Low itu dikatakan lari daripada matlamat asal penubuhan PKNS untuk meningkatkan taraf sosial dan ekonomi Bumiputera di Selangor. - Bernama

INCOMPETENT JUDGES SHOULD OPT OUT - CHIEF JUSTICE

PUTRAJAYA, Oct 29 (Bernama) -- Judges and judicial officials who feel they are unable to serve their level best should opt out for their own sake and if they decide to stay put, they should shoulder the burden in the interest of the public.

Tan Sri Zaki Tun Azmi issued this reminder in his inaugural speech as the 12th Chief Justice at the ceremony where he witnessed the swearing-in of Tan Sri Alauddin Mohd Sheriff as Court of Appeal President and Datuk Arifin Zakaria as Chief Judge of Malaya.

Alauddin took the oath of office before Court of Appeal Judge Datuk Gopal Sri Ram while Arifin before High Court Judge Datuk T. Selventhiranathan.

Zaki, 63, formerly Court of Appeal President, was appointed as Chief Justice after Tun Abdul Hamid Mohamad went on mandatory retirement on Oct 17. Alauddin's previous posting was as Chief Judge of Malaya.

Present at the ceremony were Hamid, another former chief justice Tun Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah, Attorney General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail and other justices of the Federal Court, Court of Appeal and High Court.

"We must always remind ourselves that our salaries are paid from the people's pockets. However big is our interest and however uncomfortable we are with this treatment, we must remember that the interest of the public is far bigger," said Zaki.

He said he would not hesitate to take firm and drastic action on judges and judicial officals who fail to honour their obligations well.

"It was these people who have tarnished the image of our judiciary institution. If they are dishonest, they can also be regarded irresponsible," he said.

He said such problems should be corrected without delay before it spread and if toadying exists, "I say, stop it."

Zaki said that from his observation since a year ago, he did not doubt that there were judges and judicial officals who had worked hard in carrying out their duties.

"I will make sure their efforts and hardwork do not go to waste. Prove that you deserve to be rewarded, and I will fight for you," he said.

He said the big task in front of the judiciary institution was overcoming case backlogs and the delay in disposing of cases.

People would face injustice if there were delays in dealing with their cases and to tackle this, the institution needs solid support from all quarters, he said.

Zaki also said he had not dreamt of holding the position of Federal Court Judge which carries a very heavy responsibility before he was asked to assume the post over a year ago.

"Not long after that, I was given the duty of the Court of Appeal President. Within the short time frame, I have tried to do the best of my ability," he said.

He said not many people knew the reforms that had been implemented in the registry division of the Court of Appeal. The registration method had been expedited, replies to all letters were made quickly and bureacracy at the division was presently at the minimum, he said.

He said that perhaps his experience in the commercial field made him understand and appreciate more thoroughly administrative and management issues confronting a department.

Zaki also expressed his appreciation to Hamid who paved the way for him to arrive at this stage and left an excellent benchmark for him to follow.

"Hopefully, I will not disappoint him," he said.

Zaki, whose father the late Tun Azmi Mohamed was the second Malaysian to serve as Chief Justice, said if his father was still alive, he would have been happy as his son was following his footsteps.

Met by reporters later, he said: "Write what I said in my speech. No need to elaborate. I'm not a politician."

-- BERNAMA

PENAMPANG CALON NAJIB, MUHAMMAD TAIB

PENAMPANG 27 Okt. – Persidangan Perwakilan UMNO Bahagian Penampang, hari ini sebulat suara mencalonkan Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak untuk bertanding jawatan Presiden UMNO pada pemilihan parti itu Mac depan.

Bahagian itu juga mencalonkan Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd. Taib untuk bertanding jawatan Timbalan Presiden.

Bagi jawatan Naib Presiden, bahagian tersebut mencalonkan Datuk Seri Dr. Jamaluddin Jarjis, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein dan Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar.

Sementara itu, Ketua UMNO Bahagian Penampang, Datuk John Ambrose dan timbalannya, Fredie Suah, mengekalkan jawatan masing-masing apabila menang tanpa bertanding. - Utusan

KOTA TINGGI CALON NAJIB, MUHAMMAD TAIB

KOTA TINGGI 27 Okt. – UMNO Bahagian Kota Tinggi hari ini mencalonkan Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak dan Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd. Taib untuk bertanding jawatan Presiden dan Timbalan Presiden pada pemilihan parti itu Mac tahun depan.

Bagi jawatan Naib Presiden pula, bahagian itu mencalonkan Ketuanya, Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar, Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin dan Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. - Utusan

PUBLIC DEBATE NOT FOR QUARRELLING - KHAIRY

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 27 (Bernama) -- Umno Youth vice-chief Khairy Jamaluddin said today the public debate he proposed to those who had qualified to contest for the movement's chief post was to provide an avenue for them to explain their vision.

Stressing that the debate was not for quarrelling, Khairy, the second candidate to have qualified to contest the movement's chief post, said that on the contrary, it would be conducted in a responsible and orderly manner.

"The debate will be gentlemanly conducted... just tell me the place, time and date and I'll be there," he told reporters at the MIC Deepavali do at the Putra World Trade Centre, here.

He thanked former Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo, the third candidate to have qualified to contest for the post, for agreeing to the debate.

Khairy, however, declined to comment on the refusal of another candidate, Datuk Mukhriz Tun Mahathir, to be drawn into the debate.

When asked of his chances at the party polls, Khairy said he believed his chances remain bright.

"The chances are okay... let's see what happen. I look forward to campaigning hard," he said.

-- BERNAMA