Anwar Ibrahim

Rabu, 12 Oktober 2011

Anwar Ibrahim

Lebih 200 PATI Diberi IC Untuk Mengundi BN
Kebebasan Ekonomi Malaysia Jatuh ke tangga 78
MP: Kenapa Takut Hingga Hantar Pulang Peguam Perancis?
Malaysia’s Old Economic Model
More Abuse Of Power? Confirmed, The Najibs Used Govt Plane For “Private” Visit
Rakaman Rapat Umum Selamatkan Kampung Baru

Lebih 200 PATI Diberi IC Untuk Mengundi BN

Posted: 12 Oct 2011 04:44 AM PDT

Keadilan Daily

Kira-kira 260 Pendatang Tanpa Izin (PATI) yang dipercayai bakal dijadikan pengundi hantu oleh Umno, berjaya dikesan di sebuah resort di sini hari ini.

Sekumpulan PATI itu dibawa dengan 6 buah bas persiaran dari Johor ke Putrajaya untuk diberikan kad pengenalan segera.

Bagaimanapun, tindakan pantas Pemuda Pas berjaya menghalang tindakan yang dipercayai didalangi Umno-BN itu, sehingga memaksa mereka membatalkan rancangan tersebut.

Sehingga kini difahamkan kumpulan PATI tersebut masih dikurung di Istana Dugang Country Resort, Dengkil, tetapi 6 bas yang membawa mereka sudah bertolak balik ke Johor lebih kurang jam 1 petang tadi atas nasihat polis.

Lokasi yang dipercayai menjadi tempat simpanan PATI sebelum diberikan kad pengenalan segera

Menurut Pengerusi Lajnah Tanah dan Pembangunan Wilayah PAS Pusat, Mazlan Aliman, perkara tersebut diketahuinya daripada pemandu bas yang membawa PATI tersebut.

"Saya dapat maklumat malam tadi daripada salah seorang pemandu bas, sebabnya dia meragui kerana masing-masing ada dokumen dan cakap-cakap daripada penumpang, mereka akan dapat kad pengenalan hari ini.

"Ekoran itu saya sudah berhubung dengan Suhaizan Kaiat (Ketua Pemuda Pas Johor) lebih kurang jam 1 pagi dan meminta Pemuda PAS Selangor dapat bergerak sebab mereka dijangka sampai sekitar Subuh di Putrajaya," kata Mazlan pada sidang media di luar pagar Istana Dugang Country Resort.

Katanya, daripada maklumat yang diterima, kesemua PATI itu mempunyai dokumen khas sehingga menimbulkan kecurigaan mereka.

"Berdasarkan dokumen yang ditunjukkan kepada kami dokumen disiap terlebih dahulu, maknanya ejen-ejen mereka menyiapkan terlebih dahulu.

"Ejen-ejen ini juga yang mengikut mereka ke mari dengan menggunakan kereta Exora hitam yang jadi mastermind dalam modus operandi mereka," katanya.

Sementara itu, Timbalan Pengerusi Lajnah Pemulihan Demokrasi dan Mobilisasi Rakyat Pemuda PAS, Mohd Adram Musa berkata, pihaknya kini masih memantau kawasan tersebut dibimbangi kegiatan itu akan diteruskan.

"Lebih kurang jam 11 pagi, pintu pagar resort ditutup, tapi tidak mengapa kerana kami sudah ada bukti kehadiran PATI dan gambar-gambar mereka.

"Kami Pemuda PAS, akan memantau keadaan di sini walaupun pintunya ditutup. Setakat ini, kami tidak nampak apa-apa yang mencuriga," kata beliau.

Kebebasan Ekonomi Malaysia Jatuh ke tangga 78

Posted: 11 Oct 2011 11:24 PM PDT

Keadilan Daily

Malaysia jatuh di tangga ke 78 dari 141 negara dalam Senarai Indeks Kebebasan Ekonomi Sedunia, dalam laporan tahunan 2011 yang dikeluarkan Institut Hal Ehwal Demokrasi dan Ekonomi (IDEAS).

"Pada tahun lalu, Malaysia berada pada tangga ke 77. Tetapi tahun ini, kita jatuh satu tangga ke angka 78. Sebenarnya, kedudukan Malaysia jatuh sejak beberapa tahun dan ini trend membimbangkan," Ketua Eksekutif Ideas, Wan Saiful Wan Jan dipetik sebagai berkata.

Indeks berkenaan mengukur kebebasan ekonomi dari skala 0 hingga 10, dengan 0 adalah yang terendah dan 10 yang terbaik.

Skor Malaysia dalam setiap ukuran kategori pada tahun ini menurun berbanding tahun lalu dari segi saiz kerajaan (merosot kepada 5.5 mata) , laluan kepada kewangan yang mantap (merosot kepada 6.50 mata) dan kebebasan untuk berdagang di arena antarabangsa (merosot kepada 7.23 mata).

Menurut Wan Saiful, masalah utama yang membawa kepada penurunan itu ialah saiz kerajaan.

"Sejak 1995, saiz kerajaan kita telah meningkat. Lebih buruk, kita mencatat sifar di bawah sub-kategori 'Perusahaan kerajaan dan pelaburan'.

"Ini menunjukkan tahap penglibatan kerajaan dalam ekonomi melalui GLIC (Syarikat berkaitan pelaburan kerajaan) dan GLC (Syarikat berkaitan kerajaan) adalah membimbangkan," katanya.

Menurutnya lagi, kerajaan perlu mengakui keperluan merasionalisasi penglibatannya dalam ekonomi dan telah terdapat rancangan melucutkan pegangan kerajaan dalam pelbagai GLC serta meliberalisasi berbagai sektor ekonomi.

"Ini penting dan ia mesti diperbaharui sekarang," katanya.

Laporan kebebasan ekonomi dunia menggunakan 42 ukuran untuk mencipta kedudukan indeks negara-negara di seluruh dunia berasaskan dasar yang menggalakkan kebebasan ekonomi.

Tahap kebebasan ekonomi diukur dalam lima bidang berikut:
(1) saiz kerajaan,
(2) struktur undang-undang dan keselamatan hakmilik harta,
(3) laluan kepada kewangan yang mantap,
(4) kebebasan untuk berdagang di arena antarabangsa, dan
(5) regulasi kredit, tenaga buruh dan perniagaan.

Hong Kong mencatatkan kedudukan pertama kebebasan ekonomi yang baik diikuti Singapura dan New Zealand. Manakala Zimbabwe menerima sekali lagi skor terburuk diikuti Myanmar, Venezuela dan Angola.

MP: Kenapa Takut Hingga Hantar Pulang Peguam Perancis?

Posted: 11 Oct 2011 11:17 PM PDT

Malaysiakini

Ahli parlimen Batu, Tian Chua mempersoalkan tindakan kerajaan yang “seolah-olah begitu takut” dengan perbicaraaan satu kes rasuah di Perancis melibatkan komisyen pembelian kapal selam Scorpene.

Hinggakan, katanyha, kerajaan Malaysia telah menahan dan menghantar pulang seorang peguam Perancis yang menangani kes berkenaan ke negara asalnya Julai lalu.

Sedangkan, peguam William Bourdon hanya berada di negara ini untuk menghadiri satu majlis mengutip dana untuk membiaya perbicaraan kes tersebut.

“Saya tak tahu apa yang kerajaan takut sangat. Saya agak, sebagai seorang profesional, dia tidak akan dedahkan maklumat yang belum disahkan di mahkamah.

“Apa yang ditakutkan Malaysia hingga beliau ditahan dan dihantar keluar daripada Malaysia?

“(Tindakan tersebut) tunjukkan Malaysia takut dengan kes ini, seolah-olah ada perkara yang hendak disembunyikan,” katanya di bangunan parlimen hari ini.

Beliau berkata demikian ketika mengulas satu jawapan bertulis oleh menteri dalam negeri di parlimen yang menyebut, tindakan itu diambil atas Bourdon kerana peguam hak asasi tersebut telah melanggar syarat pas lawatan sosial.

Tindakan itu diambil mengikut Seksyen 39(b) Peraturan-peraturan Imigresen 1963, menurut jawapan bertarikh 11 Oktober itu lagi.

“Mana-mana orang yang tanpa alasan yang munasabah melanggar atau gagal mematuhi mana-mana syarat yang dikenakan kaitan dengan, atau arahan yang diendors di atas mana-mana pas, permit atau pas sempadan, adalah melakukan kesalahan terhadap peraturan ini.”

Bourdon berdepan dengan hukuman penjara tidak melebihi enam bulan atau denda tidak lebih RM1,000 atau kedua-duanya sekali atas kesalahan tersebut.

Menteri dalam negeri juga menepis soalan yang dikemukakan Tian bahawa beliau telah memberi kenyataan yang bercanggah dengan kenyataan ketua pengarah imigresen berhubung kes berkenaan sebelum ini.

“Perkara yang dinyatakan menteri dalam negeri dan ketua pengarah imigresen adalah mempunyai maksud yang sama dan berlaku kekeliruan oleh laporan akhbar tersebut,” jawapan itu dipetik.

Malaysia’s Old Economic Model

Posted: 11 Oct 2011 09:27 PM PDT

From Wall Street Journal

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has unveiled a budget full of freebies designed to win over voters in the next general election, expected in the next six months. In the process, he is dashing expectations of economic reforms needed to promote growth.

This contrasts with the political reforms Mr. Najib announced last month. A promised overhaul of the country’s colonial-era legal code would guarantee political and civil freedoms long denied to Malaysians.

Mr. Najib seems to have thought of a handout for nearly everyone in 2012. The country’s 1.3 million civil servants will see salaries and pensions rise, in many cases by as much as 30%; households earning less than 3,000 ringgit ($960) a month will receive one-off payments of 500 ringgit; parents will find many school fees abolished or reduced. Then there are the taxi drivers who get fat tax exemptions.

Worse, the government has not taken the necessary steps to wean Malaysia off food and fuel subsidies. Mr. Najib earlier pledged to phase them out, since they have skewed consumption patterns and strained public finances for many years. He even likened subsidies to “opium” and made small but noteworthy cuts last year. He could have continued that rehab this year by incrementally raising regulated prices to bring them closer to market levels.

This combination of temporary handouts and tax breaks on one hand and welfare spending on the other doesn’t help Malaysia’s competitiveness. The export-dependent economy is already hurting from weak markets abroad and a rising cost of living at home—GDP growth fell below 5% in year-on-year terms for the last two quarters—and needs long-term incentives to invest and build a stronger domestic consumer market.

Yet Mr. Najib offered no permanent changes to the tax structure and no guide to reducing regulation and spending. The 2012 budget proposes a 9.4% hike in expenditure from the 2011 budget. And considering the government spent 13 billion ringgit ($4.16 billion) more than it budgeted in the past year, it could well prove more profligate.

To its credit, one small of area of reform the government has kept pushing is liberalization of foreign investment in services. In 2009, Mr. Najib dismantled a long-time restriction that benefited “sons of the soil.” Foreigners were earlier forced to jointly venture with Malays, the country’s ethnic majority, but they can now own 100% stakes in businesses in 27 sub-sectors. Friday’s budget extends that reform to 17 more sub-sectors such as medical and education services.

However, these are small industries that don’t hire many Malays. The government needs to tackle bigger reforms in industries like manufacturing, where regulations still give Malays dominance. In the same vein, the labor market suffers from entrenched affirmative-action policies. Mr. Najib has spoken of enacting radical changes when he presented a “New Economic Model” last year, but he keeps disappointing voters by failing to follow through.

More Abuse Of Power? Confirmed, The Najibs Used Govt Plane For “Private” Visit

Posted: 11 Oct 2011 08:16 PM PDT

Malaysia Chronicle

Prime Minister Najib Razak’s office has confirmed that he left for a “private visit” to Perth, Australia on August 31, a day when Malaysians were celebrating Independence from British rule in 1957.

The PM and his family had sneaked off for their holiday without informing the country, which ran counter to protocol, and worse still, it was later discovered that the Najibs and their guests had flown there using the government’s jet plane reserved for official use.

"For the House's information, YAB Prime Minister's visit to Perth, Australia from 31 August to 3 September 2011 was a private visit," said the written reply to a question raised by PKR MP for Batu Tian Chua.

Between damage control and outright lies

The PM had last appeared in the King’s Palace for a Hari Raya function on August 30. News then leaked out that he had flown off on Merdeka Day, riling many Malaysians wo were already disgusted at his lavish spending and suspected abuse of government facilities for his personal use.

To compound matters, Najib’s advisers tried to damage-control by insinuating that the trip was for official purposes and Najib had gone to attend a dinner for students in Perth. But Najib and family flew out on Wednesday, while the dinner took place on Saturday night.

To make matters worse, national news agency Bernama reported the students as praising Najib to the skies. Compliments like “awesome” were used to describe his speech to them. But the overkill annoyed the students and many of posted the true situation on Facebook, again exposing the lies that surround the first couple.

“They totally changed and added stuff that we never said. And the whole thing was done before the speech and not after. I feel it is rather silly and unnecessary,” Malaysiakini reported the student as saying.

“They put in quotes that we actually did not say and altered our words. We did not say anything bad so I don’t see why they needed to do that."

Last week, the PM’s office also admitted that as much as RM9 million was spent to rent the Airbus A319-IIX used by Najib to fly to Perth. The plane has been rented from Syarikat Penerbangan Malaysia Berhad since 3 August 2007 for official use by important country leaders such as the King, the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister.

The government had been responding to a query from PKR MP for Lembah Pantai, Nurul Izzah Anwar.

Abuse of power

There is growing unhappiness about the first couple’s lavish lifestyle and public clamoring for a thorough public inquiry into whether they have been abusing their power and charging their personal expenses to taxpayers. ‘

On Tuesday, Parliament was also stunned to hear that a trip to Kazakhstan had cost Malaysians more than RM1 million. This trip caught the public’s eye after news leaked that Najib had intentionally scheduled an official visit to coincide with his daughter’s engagement to a rich Kazakh scion. Accusation were rife that the first couple had included their private guests in the official entourage, which was flown there and feted first class, courtesy of the Malaysian public.

It did not help when Najib also admitted to Parliament on Tuesday that he had paid RM94 million to disgraced UK public relations firm FBC Media to produce ‘glowing’ programs that gave a false impression of his leadership and projects. FBC is now under probe by the UK regulator for slipping these ‘propaganda’ productions as news into segments broadcast by CNN, CNBC and BBC.

“These are unethical practices and will tarnish the country’s image,” PKR vice president Chua Jui Meng toldMalaysia Chronicle.

Rakaman Rapat Umum Selamatkan Kampung Baru

Posted: 11 Oct 2011 05:16 PM PDT