Teoh did not commit suicide but AG's Chambers want to make it a suicide?

Published: Wednesday August 18, 2010 MYT 9:21:00 AM
Updated: Wednesday August 18, 2010 MYT 3:19:25 PM 

Teoh inquest: Dr Pornthip maintains death was not suicide (Updated)

Today, Malaysiakini reported - Court dodges clash over Teoh verdict review.

Outside court, Gobind told reporters that he had seen the notice of appearance from the AG's Chambers stating it is pursuing a verdict that Teoh had committed suicide and claimed, saying, "I have spoken to DPP Dzulkifli and saw the letter from the AG to that effect. I am surprised the AG wants to proceeds with this, I have seen the letter (stating) that the AG wants to push for a verdict of suicide.”

One thing is certain - Teoh's death was not suicide and he died in MACC custody.

If not suicide, then homicide? Very unlikely because MACC is not a murderer. ;)

'MCA cawangan Tenang' Torn cash cheque of RM3,000 found: BN won by hook?

DAP alleges vote buying in Tenang

Teoh El Sen | January 30, 2011

Allegations of bribery are making the rounds in Tenang as voting proceeds.

LABIS: Allegations of vote buying have surfaced in Tenang with DAP claiming that its rival MCA is using bribes to win over more Chinese votes.

DAP believed that it had uncovered one of MCA’s operations earlier today.

DAP Election Commission observer Teo Chin Liang said the party received a tip-off and discovered the shady operation after going to SJK(C) Ai Chun to investigate the matter at about 9am.

SJK(C) Ai Chun is nearby the Tenang station polling centre, located at SMK Tenang Stesyen, near Kampung Sawah Padi.

“My colleague and I drove there and found the gate to the hall of the primary school open – it is not usually open – and there were some cars going in and out,” he said.

“Inside the hall, we saw three men, and two of them were seated,” said Teo, 64, who is also the father of MP Serdang Teo Nie Ching.

Teo said that when he went closer to the men, one of them asked him: “Who are you? Who asked you to come?”

“I replied that I was only here to look around and he appeared to be shocked. That was when I knew something was fishy and I told my colleague, who was in the car, to take some photographs,” he said.

His colleague, DAP Muar member Liew Choan Chee, said when he went in to take photographs, they wanted to grab his camera.

“But I got into the car. We saw that they were going to get violent so we told them: ‘If you do anything, in two minutes, PAS people will be here’. They left us alone,” he said.

The trio then hurriedly left the place.

When FMT surveyed a table in the school hall, there was a torn-up cash cheque of RM3,000, which was not addressed to anyone. On it was written: “MCA cawangan Tenang”.

Meanwhile, Johor DAP Youth chief Tan Hong Pin said the party was still trying to gather more proof.

“If this is not vote buying, the circumstances are very suspicious. We are trying to gather more evidence, as we don’t have enough for further action.”

Tan said that no police report would be lodged for now.

“We’re still considering it but I don’t think we should waste time at a police station. But if police are willing to take action, then it’s a different matter.”

BN to win with 700-vote boost in majority: Tenang folks, don't screw with BN

PREDICTION Tomorrow, Jan 30, and just four days before Chinese New Year, voters in Tenang will decide on the 14th by-election since the 2008 general election.

The outcome is not in doubt. BN will win this seat. Even the opposition has conceded as much. The only question that remains is BN's winning majority and why the margin may (or may not) be important in the larger electoral picture.

Like most analysts and observers, I anticipate a higher vote margin for the BN than in 2008 as a reflection of the larger national trend of voters moving back to the BN in 2010, especially the Malay and Indian voters...

My wife received unsolicited email from Najib Razak and family. Najib spam!

My wife is totally disinterested in politics. She has neither visited 1Malaysia.com.my nor any politically-related sites.

So, how did Najib's email end up in her inbox? I'm curious. Why is 1Malaysia invading the privacy of Malaysians?

FF: Ferrari Revolution. 12 cylinders. 4 seats. 4 wheel drive. The Ferrari Four Revealed - www.ferrarifour.com

Read all about it at:

Ferrari's fantastic four-wheel-drive FF flagship four-seat fastback

Discover it now!

FF: Ferrari Four

Eat N' Run @ Tropicana City Mall: How to order your eat-n-run meal in four easy steps

Hungry and in a hurry? Want something fast? Try Eat 'N Run.

 How to Order your Eat N' Run meal:

1. Chicken Chop OR Fish Fillet

2. Butter Rice OR Garlic Spaghetti

3. A choice of sauce

4. A choice of  sideline

Fish Fillet Butter Rice plus Black Pepper Sauce and Scramble Eggs with Baked Beans = RM8.90.

One Nestle Iced Lemon Tea = RM1.00.

 The kitchen area and counter...

This small shop can serve at least 20 eat-in patrons at any one time.

Cop can kill and go 'scot free'? Cop in Kugan's case acquitted. Jenain next?

Cop in Kugan's case acquitted

The Petaling Jaya Sessions Court today acquitted 28-year-old police constable V Navindran charged with causing grievous hurt to detainee A Kugan, without his defence being called.

Well, well.

Whaddaya know. Jenain may be the next 'licensed killer'!

No clear indication that fatal shot fired by Jenain, court told

Lil Wayne on the Bible: Lil Wayne talks about his reading material in prison

"I also read the Bible for the first time. It was deep! I liked the parts where some character was once this, but he ended up being that. Like he'd be dissing Jesus, and then he ends up being a saint. That was cool."

-- Lil Wayne, talks about his reading material while serving his prison sentence last year. Wayne also mentions that he enjoyed Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis' memoir Scar Tissue. (Via Rolling Stone)

(Source: Pitchfork: Echo Chamber: Lil Wayne on the Bible)

Grow up, Hishammuddin! Even the CIA and Saudi Arabia had 'terror links'!

Hisham: Cops probing Anwar's 'terror links'

Kow Gah Chie | Jan 28, 11 4:18PM

UPDATED 9.20PM Although the home minister has yet to read the original report, he has ordered the authorities to probe Anwar Ibrahim's 'terror links'.

Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said that he has issued an order for the police to investigate PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim's alleged links with international terrorists.

Why the hurry? Was there any hurry when Najib was linked to the murder of  Altantuya? Any probe?

An excerpt from the said CNN report:

According to the report the payback was simple. "Once in power these candidates are expected to further the Brotherhood's goals." Al Qaeda was able to benefit from these secret funding mechanisms, according to the source, because some in the Muslim Brotherhood had "historic sympathies and connections" with members of the terror group -- dating back to when Saudi Arabia and the CIA covertly funded the Afghan mujahideen to fight the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.

There you go! Even the CIA and Saudi Arabia funded the Afghan mujahideen. What hypocrisy!

The USA is the real 'terrorist'! Umno too!

Malaysia is fifth in illegal money chart. GFI ready to help Bank Negara

EXCLUSIVE COMMENT A recent study, 'Illicit Financial Flows from Developing Countries: 2000-2009', noted that the term “illicit financial flows” rather than “illegal capital flight” has been used by governments and international organisations around the world to draw attention to how such flows worsen poverty and inequity and thwart economic development. Such flows arise due to the cross-border transfer of money earned through corruption, criminal activities, trade mispricing, and transactions involving contraband goods as also tax evasion on legitimate income or profits...

Limitations of economic models in capturing outflows of illicit funds which were generated in unrecorded cash transactions such as in drug and human trafficking, sex trade, trade mispricing carried out on the same invoice through collusion among traders and a number of other illegal activities significantly understate estimates of illicit financial flows.

Ahh...so that means the 'bizarre' figure of RM208 billion ($68.2 billion) reported by GFI could be higher!

Don't make mistake, DPM tell voters. Azahar sued by lawyer for land scam

PAS continues onslaught on BN candidate's past

The PAS offensive against the BN candidate in the Tenang by-election continues, with the party digging up more on the past of Umno's Mohd Azahar Ibrahim as former assistant district officer (ADO). Following its 'revelation' that Mohd Azahar had been negligent and reckless in his duties, to the extent of causing an illegal sale of the land, PAS has now produced court documents to show that he was also sued by the buyer.
 

Yesterday, PAS revealed that Mohd Azahar (right) - who was the Segamat ADO - had caused businessman Mansor Mohamad's land to be auctioned off, back in 2003, without a proper inquiry and the High Court Muar returned the land back to Mansor, with costs, in 2008  after a lengthy legal battle.

PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub said that now one Norhana Mohd Ali, who had bought the 3.24ha land from Mansor for RM70,000, had recently sued Mohd Azahar.

Can Azahar represent the rakyat when he couldn't even do a proper job as a AOD?

I guess DPM was right when he told the Tenang folks - Don't Make Mistake, Ensure BN Candidate Wins!

Yes, BN must win and rakyat of Tenang lose!

Press freedom: Was former premier Dr M better than current PM Najib?

Was former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad better than current Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak as far as freedom of the press was concerned or is the latter worse?

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng did not find it easy to answer that question.

Lim said that Mahathir, who resigned as PM in 2003, merely guaranteed no censorship on the Internet and gave Malaysia its own “Bill of Rights” but Mahathir did not guarantee that there would be freedom over cyberspace as users, including journalists, were still subjected to various laws like the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA), as well as sedition and defamation acts.

“These are two different things... no censorship and no freedom over the Internet,” said Lim when asked to compare the two premiers' record vis-a-vis press freedom and he added, saying, “To say whether Mahathir is better (would be difficult) as during his time, there was no (social networking sites like) Facebook or Twitter. The Internet was not so extensive then, and now they want to guard even our personal space... if he (Mahathir) had the power, he would have done worse” he added.

Yes lah, not easy to compare but I think Mahathir was worse given his 22-year rule that saw his opponents being detained under ISA - the most effective way to silence the voice of the opposition! ;-)

Censorship: Najib not listening to Mahathir, Wikipedia founder and Khairy

Mahathir: Censor porn, not political views

One of the most popular bloggers in the country, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, believes that the government should not follow China in censoring political views on the Internet.

Wikipedia founder says Malaysia should ditch censorship

AFP - A co-founder of online encyclopedia Wikipedia said on a visit to Malaysia Tuesday that the country should ditch censorship which is a damper on economic growth.

Jimmy Wales said censorship was counter-productive for Malaysia, which ranked 131 out of 175 nations on the 2009 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index because of its tight controls on print and broadcast media.

KJ: Youths will balk at online curbs

BN Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin warned that the nation's Internet users, who are mostly youths, will not accept federal government attempts to tighten controls on the Internet.

On a statement on his blog today, Khairy expressed strong reservations against the Home Ministry's proposal to expand press laws and make it enforceable on Internet content.

Arrest warrant out for runaway cop: Cops failed to catch own 'in-house' cop!

Arrest warrant out for runaway cop

A warrant of arrest was issued against a policeman who did not turn up at the Petaling Jaya Magistrate's Court to answer a charge of making a false report against trader Chia Buang Hing.

Magistrate Ahmad Solihin decided to issue the warrant against Lans Koperal Norzali Rosle upon request by deputy public prosecutor Amirah Md Yusof who said, "Your honour, the suspect was reasonably aware that he was going to be charged today. However they seem to be an attempt at running away or to defy the court's order for him to present himself here today."
 

Amirah, the DPP, argued that all avenues have been exhausted in their attempt to contact the accused.

Norzali, 25, is stationed at the Damansara police station was supposed to be charged in the court today under Section 211 of the Penal Code for making a false charge of an offence made with intent to injure Chia who operates a framing shop in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, for drug and weapons possession.
 

Norzali faces a maximum jail term of two years or a fine, or both and is among five people that were charged earlier with assaulting Chia.

Youths in BN T-shirts heckle Guan Eng - desperate tactics of unholy Umno

The welcome given to Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng at two back-to-back functions in this small constituency of Tenang last night were poles apart.

Lim was given a  rousing welcome when he arrived for his first ceramah in Bandar Labis Tengah but it was a totally different scene in the night, in Felda Chemplak Barat.

Even though Lim has been to other Felda settlements before,  he said it was his first visit to Felda Chemplak Barat and that "this won't be my last. He also told Malaysiakini, saying, "But we were not shocked. We learnt that they would gather, but we still came. How can we be intimidated by such tactics and ruffians?"

Malaysia is fifth in illegal money chart. Illicit fund outflows probe launched

Bank Negara has already begun its probe on claims that Malaysia was a hub for illicit financial outflows, said Deputy Finance Minister Donald Lim.

Lim (left) said that the government will establish how Washington-based group Global Financial Integrity (GFI) derived such conclusions.

When contacted yesterday, Lim said the government wanted to know how they found out and what their sources were.

Lim also said that a thorough investigation is being undertaken by Bank Negara and the public can expect a response soon.

However, Lim subtly cast doubts on the veracity of the report and said, “Most of the time, all (outflow of) funds and transactions are registered (with the Finance Ministry).”

Exactly, that is the problem! Who helms the Finance Ministry most of the time? Isn't the Finance Minister also a  leader of Umno most of the time?  Well, even Dr Porn Chua while campaigning in Tenang, said that  Umno had large-scale corruption because it was the federal government. Read my previous post here. 

 

Malaysia is fifth in illegal money chart

Malaysia is fifth in illegal money chart

By Shannon Teoh

January 20, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 20 — Illicit money outflows from Malaysia tripled to US$68.2 billion (RM208.1 billion) in 2008, from US$22.2 billion in 2000, according to a report by US-based financial watchdog Global Financial integrity (GFI) released this month.

The country also had the fifth largest amount of illegal money outflows between 2000 and 2008, among developing countries. GFI defines illicit financial flows as generally involving the transfer of money earned through illegal activities such as corruption, transactions involving contraband goods, criminal activities, and efforts to shelter wealth from a country's tax authorities, said the programme’s website.

The report titled Illicit Financial Flows from Developing Countries: 2000-2009 said that illicit financial outflows from Malaysia totalled US$291 billion (RM888 billion) in that period.

It said that the increase was “at a scale seen in few Asian countries.”

“The volume of illegal capital flight from Malaysia has come to dwarf legitimate capital inflows into the country in recent years,” said the report.

Top of the list of 125 developing countries was China at US$2.18 trillion in that period while Philippines, at 12th, was Malaysia's closest regional neighbour at US$109.3 billion.

Zimbabwe was 73rd at US$4.1 billion and Myanmar at 85th with US$2.9 billion.

The report said that it is clear that significant governance issues affecting both the public and private sectors have been playing a key role in the cross-border transfer of illicit capital from the country.

It noted that there have been media reports that large state-owned enterprises such as national oil company Petronas could probably be driving illicit flows.

GFI said its research indicates that political instability, rising income inequality, and pervasive corruption are some of the structural and governance issues that could be driving illicit capital from many developing countries.

“In the case of Malaysia, the additional factor could well be the significant discrimination in labor markets which move people and unrecorded capital out of the country,” it stated.

GFI identified deliberate trade mispricing - which allows companies to avoid paying taxes — as the cause of 54.7 per cent of illicit outflows from developing countries.

The report said that between US$1.26 to US$1.44 trillion flowed out from developing countries alone in 2008.

“Increasing transparency in the global financial system is critical to reducing the outflow of illicit money from developing countries,” the report said.

According to GFI, illicit financial flows pertains to the cross-border movement of money that is illegally earned, transferred, or utilised.

The Washington-based GFI says that it promotes national and multilateral policies, safeguards, and agreements aimed at curtailing the cross-border flow of illegal money.

It is a programme under the Center for International Policy, which was founded in 1975 to promote a US foreign policy based on international cooperation, demilitarization and respect for human rights, according to its website.

This news has been in the 'Most Read' section of The Malaysian Insider since Jan 20, 2011. Certainly, it is not good news and gives Malaysia a bad name. So, why does Umno-led government keep saying that the Opposition 'talk bad' about the country when this 'damning' report is yet another proof that Malaysia is deep in corruption. Well, even Dr Porn Chua while campaigning in Tenang, said that  Umno had large-scale corruption because it was the federal government. Read my previous post here.

Kafir Chua Soi Lek under fire from all sides - Perkasa, Muhyiddin, Muslim NGO

Perkasa: Soi Lek has insulted Islam

Malay rights pressure group Perkasa has accused MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek of insulting Islam in his ceaseless tirade against Normala Sudirman, the PAS candidate in the Tenang by-election.

Muhyiddin ticks off MCA on 'hand shake' row

MCA has been slapped on the wrist by Deputy Prime Minister and BN deputy chairperson Muhyiddin Yassin for its attempts to ridicule PAS candidate Normala Sudirman for refusing to shake hands with male voters in Tenang.

Chua must apologise, say Muslim lawyers NGO

MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek must apologise for his condescending remarks against Islam, said president of the Muslim Lawyers Association president Zainul Rijal Abu Bakar.

Grabbing the Spoon FAIL

see more funny videos

BN only wants top civil servants to be 'yes' men to Umno, not the government of the day

January 23, 2011 20:22 PM

BN To Oppose Proposed Amendment To Selangor State Constitution

SHAH ALAM, Jan 23 (Bernama) -- Selangor Opposition Leader Datuk Mohamad Satim Diman said today the Barisan Nasional (BN) would oppose the proposed amendment to the Selangor Constitution because it did not want the state's top civil servants to be mere "yes" men.

The special sitting of the Selangor Legislative Assembly tomorrow is to debate an amendment to the state constitution purportedly to restore the powers of the sultan and the state in the appointment of the top three civil servants, namely the state secretary, the state legal advisor and the state financial officer.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting of the BN assemblymen here, Mohamad Satim said every good government had good policies and these policies should be implemented by the civil servants, but why does Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim doubt his own powers to want to amend the state constitution.

He said he feared that if the amendment was approved, there would be no final decision on the appointment of the three top civil servants because the candidate proposed by the Public Service Commission could be disputed by the menteri besar who might have another candidate.

"We will attend the special sitting and question why the matter has been turned into a big issue, as though to restore the powers of the sultan but when it is actually about the menteri besar advising the sultan, meaning he is more powerful than the sultan," he said.

Mohamad Satim said the meeting of the BN assemblymen was held today because many of them had received a copy of the draft amendment only on Friday.

He also said that five BN assemblymen would speak during the debate on the amendment, they being himself, Deputy Opposition Leader and Kuala Kubu Baru Assemblyman Wong Koon Mun, Sungai Burong Assemblyman Datuk Mohd Shamsudin Lias, Permatang Assemblyman Sulaiman Razak and State Umno Information Chief and Kuang Assemblyman Abdul Shukur Idros.

-- BERNAMA

Temiar, a BN vote bank is aided by PR: Kudos to MP Dr Jeyakumar & PAS

The Temiar of Sungai Siput have long been a reliable vote bank for the BN, something like 9,000 of them domiciled on the banks of tributaries of the Sungai Perak that crisscross the constituency, giving the ruling coalition 99 percent of the vote in the general election of 1999, 96 percent in 2004, and 90 percent in 2008.

Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj of the Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM), who was elected on a PKR ticket because PSM was not yet a registered political party in March 2008, asked help from his Pakatan Rakyat cohort in Sungai Siput.

Popularly known as 'Dr Kumar', Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj of the Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) had made forays into Orang Asli villages deep in the interior of Sungai Siput even when he was not their elected MP prior to 2008, to see what could done for them. 

Reason being the Orang Asli are a terribly marginalised group and they needed all the help they can get, Dr Jeyakumar rationalized.

So when Pos Legap's Temiar wanted new cables for a dilapidated bridge, Dr Kumar and his crew of PSM stalwarts in Sungai Siput decided that it would be better to build a new bridge a kilometer away from the site of the old one but financial funding was  a problem given that opposition MPs are deprived by the federal government of constituency allocations rendered to the tune of RM2 million a year to BN legislators.

When Dr Kumar, who was elected on a PKR ticket because PSM was not yet a registered political party in March 2008, asked help from his Pakatan Rakyat cohort in Sungai Siput, the PAS leader in the constituency, Ahmad Mazlan Othman, a retired army engineer who had been a candidate for the Lintang state seat in the 1999 and 2004 elections, responded to Dr Kumar's call for help.

Ahmad was instrumental in getting his party to contribute RM5,000 to the overall cost of the new bridge which was estimated at RM70,000 while the rest of the budget was raised from the MP allowances for Dr Kumar (RM35,000), from sundry friends of his (RM20,000) and from two Catholic groups (RM10,000).

This joint effort by PSM and PAS will see the completion of the new bridge by this weekend or over the next.

WiP Bangsar: Gobble the Lamb Rogan Josh & watch out for the toilet signs

 Simply delicious lamb and spicy curry!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For first-time patrons, the toilet sign can be confusing - hence misleading.

Remember, the signature 'W' of the 'WiP' logo stands for Woman.

Turn the 'W' upside down and it becomes 'M' for Man.

Blog posting on my first visit here:

'WiP Bangsar Shopping Complex: Gobble, Guzzle, Nice food, Red Sangria'.

Man believes wife overcome by jet lag, fell from ninth floor of Radisson Hotel

Man believes jet lag caused stewardess wife’s death

January 22, 2011

SEREMBAN, Jan 22 — Jet-lag syndrome might have led Malaysia Airlines (MAS) stewardess Chin Swee Len to fall to her death from the ninth floor of a hotel in Amsterdam last week.

Refuting the allegation that she had committed suicide, her husband Cheng Yin Chet, 39, believes she was instead overcome by jet lag while enjoying the view of Amsterdam from the balcony of a room at the Radisson Hotel room.

The businessman said Chin, 34, was at the balcony between midnight and 6am (local time) when she fell off the balcony.

“Before the incident, she told me through a short messaging system (SMS) that she felt dizzy or overcome by jet lag.

“My wife did not commit suicide... and she was not even suicidal. Our relationship was great.

“She had even sent an SMS to her brother, inviting him to have dinner with us in the coming Chinese New Year,” Cheng, who has a 16-year-old son with Chin, told a press conference here today.

In medical terms, jet lag is defined as a temporary disorder that causes fatigue, insomnia and other symptoms as a result of rapid air travel across time zones.

Cheng said Chin had contacted him earlier, asking him to wait for her to return before going shopping for the new year celebrations.

He refuted a claim that the hotel room where Chin stayed was ransacked as her money, camera and laptop computer were intact. — Bernama

Muhyiddin lied, say Indian groups. Muhyiddin also 'lied' about Lee Kuan Yew

Besides PM, it looks like DPM has an integrity issue as well. Bernama reported on WED, 19 AUGUST 2009 - Muhyiddin Denies Allegation That He Sold Land To Singapore. In that report, Muhyddin mentioned that Lee Kuan Yew said that Singapore was ready to go to war if Malaysia did not want to supply enough water.

In his blog posting on August 26, 2009 entitled SOUND BITES (Water for Singapore), Dr M said:

1. Tan Sri Muhyiddin spoke the truth about my persuading him to supply water to Singapore (read here). But Lee Kuan Yew did not threaten to go to war if we did not supply water. If he had done that, I think I would have stopped any further supply.

Chua: Umno has large-scale corruption because it is the federal government

Soi Lek zooms in on PAS to woo Chinese votes

MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek again adopted his party's usual modus operandi in warning the Chinese community about PAS' Islamic state agenda ahead of the Tenang polls.

On BN's chances, Chua conceded that the coalition and Umno, which is representing the coalition for the Tenang by-election, both have weaknesses just like the opposition, saying, “Umno is not perfect. It has corruption. But PAS is also not perfect. You need to look at (PAS-ruled) Kelantan. If you have friends in Kelantan, ask them about it. It's just that PAS is not the federal government thus they don't have large-scale corruption."

My mother often says the Chinese are blind.

Obviously, she has never believed in BN, much less voted for it. The wise Dr M once  told voters: We need an opposition. My mother couldn't agree with Dr M more.

Chua endorses corruption by accepting and admitting the fact that Umno has corruption.

Will the Chinese be so blind as to continue voting for BN?

What PAS' Islamic state is Chua talking about when his Umno master Najib says that Malaysia is not a secular state but an Islamic nation with its own interpretation?

I guess zorro-unmasked summed it all up the best in his posting entitled 'WILL THE CHINESE EVER LEARN?'

MACC corrupt as Umno? Now even Robert Phang alleged to attempt bribing

Calls for MACC to investigate its advisor on alleged bribery

Deputy minister urges probe on bribery bid allegation, others say it is 'questionable'

SHAHRIM TAMRIN

Friday, January 21st, 2011 13:11:00

LIEW: MACC obliged to probe as it involves panel member

TAN: Any allegation on the Internet is always questionable

PETALING JAYA: Calls have been made for the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to investigate Tan Sri Robert Phang Miow Sin, a member of its Consultation and Corruption Prevention Panel, who is alleged to have tried to bribe a government official last year.

Deputy Minister in Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Liew Vui Keong urged MACC to initiate an investigation.

"It’s the obligation of MACC to check on allegations involving an important personality within the MACC circle. It has to investigate the allegations even though it’s from a blog post since it involves the commission panel member.

"They cannot depend on receiving formal complaints alone before they initiate a probe,” Liew told The Malay Mail in a telephone interview yesterday.

Adding that MACC had in the past initiated investigations based on claims from other unofficial sources, he said: “The commission should treat this case the same way they would ‘poison-pen’ letters. This kind of allegation can only be substantiated after an investigation.”

Liew's opinion was shared by MACC anti-corruption advisory board member Tan Sri Megat Najmuddin Megat Khas, who said any allegation concerning corruption should be investigated by the MACC.

“We cannot allow the MACC’s credibility to be undermined, especially if it involves an advisory panel member. So, I think it should be investigated by the commission,” said Megat Najmuddin when contacted yesterday.

The allegation against Phang first surfaced in the blog ‘A Voice’ last Monday. The blog athttp://anotherbrickinwall.blogspot.com named Phang and even posted his picture when alleging that he tried to bribe with money hidden in a T-shirt before Hari Raya at the office of a ministry’s secretary-general to induce the award of RM900 million worth of contracts by the ministry.

In an exclusive interview with The Paper That Cares yesterday, Phang had described the allegation as “utter rubbish, misleading and amusing”.

Phang had said the allegation was to intimidate him from speaking out on issues of public importance. He had said the bloggers were “cowards” for hiding their true identities.

On whether he would allow himself to be investigated by MACC, Phang said he welcomed such a probe. “If at all there is any investigation by MACC, not only do I welcome it but I will extend my fullest cooperation.”

Saying he would walk the talk, Phang was willing to relinquish his post as MACC advisor if an investigation was carried out.

“Likewise, I believe others should do the same.”

Phang believed he had come under personal attack because he recently voiced concern about several high-profile cases, naming issues related to Malaysia Airlines loss scandal; the Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail’s relationship with former MAS chairman Tan Sri Tajudin Ramli’s proxy Shahidan Shafie; perceived selective prosecution; and the disclosure of a confidential MACC meeting by panel chairman Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam, who announced the A-G had been cleared of any wrongdoing without any investigation.

Meanwhile, Navaratnam, when contacted with regards to the same issue, said one should not take the allegations by the bloggers seriously without proper evidence.

“We have to be fair and leave it up to MACC to handle this matter. Our role is purely advisory and we have no basis to urge for a probe by the commission. It’s not our role.”

Special Committee on Corruption panel member Dr Tan Seng Giaw said allegations from a blog post was not realistic enough to be worth consideration.

“This kind of allegation is difficult to prove without evidence. I respect the people’s view but any allegation on the Internet is always questionable.”

READ: Phang says bribery allegation 'utter rubbish and amusing'