Guan Eng says 'I'm no Soi Lek': No affair, no sex ok

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has finally broken his silence on recent allegations that his wife Betty Chew assaulted his former staff member. 

While denying that he had an affair with his former staff and that his wife assaulted anyone, Lim said the allegation was a result of BN and MCA's character assassination.

In reference to Chua’s admission of an extramarital affair in December 2008, Lim said, "Let my wife and me prove in court that MCA lied, that Lim Guan Eng is not (MCA president, left) Dr Chua Soi Lek."

Referring to Duyong state assemblyperson Gan Tian Loo’s allegation at the Malacca state legislative assembly on Monday, Lim said it was an abuse of assembly immunity and he challenged Gan, who is Malacca MCA chief, to repeat the allegations outside the state legislative assembly so that he and his wife can take legal action against him for defamation.

Reading from a prepared statement at a press conference in Penang today, Lim said, "Gan has abused the Malacca assembly privilege and immunity by making false allegations of a private moral scandal against me and my wife.”

Voters shifting from race politics. ONLY BN RACIST

Voters shifting from race politics, say analysts

 

By Ida Lim

July 04, 2012

Voters are now beginning to place importance in issues that “transcend ethnic boundaries”, said Agus.—File pic

KUALA LUMPUR, July 4 — Although race-based politics will still be a part of the Malaysian political landscape, analysts have said that voters are more “mature” and moving away from casting their votes based on their ethnicity.

 

The analysts were responding to former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s recent remark that race will be the main issue in the 13th general election that must called by next April.

“It won’t be racial issues, but issues like the economy, justice, alternative media, corruption and young voters,” said Datuk Dr Mohammad Agus Yusoff, a political analyst from UKM, in disagreement with Dr Mahathir’s view.

Pointing out that “these are universal issues that transcend ethnic boundaries”, Agus said that “both sides are going to face an uphill task” to win support from the Malaysian electorate.

Faisal Hazis, a political scientist from Unimas, said “racial politics has been in Malaysia for a long time” due to the “kind of policies the ruling party has adopted”.

“But racial politics has been slowly diluted,” Faisal said, adding that “there has been an emergence of new multiracial politics” over the past decade while agreeing that people now “discuss more on issues rather than race”.

Wan Saiful Wan Jan from the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas) also said, “Society is trying to make up its mind on who to vote, as they decide they will look at issues instead of ethnic identities.”

However he noted that: “It has always been about race. To me what will happen as we get closer to elections, all ethnic-based political parties will make sure all issues are turned into ethnic-based issues”

“Their sole existence is based on fighting for ethnic-based issues; it is in their interest to do so.”

Wan Saiful said that “there [is] rhetoric on the need for multi-racial policies” by both the ruling Barisan National (BN) coalition and federal opposition Pakatan Rakyat but they have still failed to truly carry it out “in reality”.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has pushed his “1 Malaysia” concept in a bid to change BN’s image as a coalition made up of race-based parties, with the more prominent examples being Umno, MIC and MCA.

Najib’s administration had rolled out various plans to benefit the public regardless of race, including student vouchers and one-off RM500 handouts to low-income households under the Bantuan Rakyat 1 Malaysia (BR1M) scheme.

The three main opposition parties — DAP, PAS and PKR — have also tried to show a multiracial stance.

Wan Saiful said all political parties “should focus on policies for Malaysians as a whole rather than harping on and on about ethnic groups.”

Earlier this week, Dr Mahathir had said BN’s weakness after losing its customary two-thirds majority in Parliament in the March 2008 election has forced the coalition to cater to various racial demands.

“In this country, we are very racist, even more than before. The next election is going to be about race. Who gives what, who gets what based on race. When the government is weak, it caters to demands which are not going to be good for the country in the long run,” he said.

Najib’s predecessor, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, had also in March said: “We are always concerned about race. Because there is a tendency for certain parties to make use of these issues, as a way of getting support for them and creating problems for us.”

Burglary in KL, kidnap drama in Johor and Selangor

DAP: Burglary another sign of worsening security

 

Singapore family in Johor kidnap drama

Remember the internet marketeer who fought off abductors at the Curve car park last May:

Marketeer fights off abductors

Spain rewrite the rule book! The Star rewrite history!

Record-breaking Spain rewrite the rule book

Unrelated to sports but here's the story:

Penang CM lashes out at daily for 'rewriting history'

UEFA: Spain vs Italy. Hope morning traffic will be ok

Since the match will start at 2:45 AM Malaysian time today, I hope many who watch will not wake up for work - hence contribute to less traffic on the road.

Probably, as the trend of every major sports event goes, the diehard fans will just take leave from work to watch the final.

My only hope is that morning traffic to work will be less jam than the usual Monday jam.

Many are rooting for Spain, as I know. Here's one reason why:
http://thesoccerstuff.tumblr.com/

Google Docs NOW has offline editing. Google Docs

Google Docs gets offline editing

July 01, 2012

Users can now access Google Docs with no internet connection. — Afp pic

CALIFORNIA, July 1 — Google has finally launched offline editing for Google Docs users, enabling them to keep writing even when their internet connection drops out. 

 

“No internet connection? No big deal. With offline editing, you can create and edit Google documents and leave comments.

Any changes you make will be automatically synced when you get back online,” said Clay Bavor, Product Management Director at Google in a post on the Google Docs Blog.

While most features are available in the offline mode Google Docs users will not be able to insert an image or drawing, use the translate or research tools, or share, download, publish and print documents.

The offline mode is only available for word processing documents right now but Clay Bavor said, “We’re also working hard to make offline editing for spreadsheets and presentations available in the future.”

Technology blog Venture Beat writes that, “Offline editing puts Google Docs in a position to take on note-taking applications such as Evernote. One major complaint about Evernote is the inability to share notes with others, which Google Docs obviously already enables.” 

To enable offline editing, click on the gear icon located in the top right hand side of the page in Google Drive (formerly known as Google Docs) in Google Chrome or ChromeOS and select “set up Docs offline beta.” For detailed instructions on setting up offline editing, visit Google’s Help Center. — Afp-Relaxnews

Police didn't stop Perkasa boy! Guan Eng 'brushed'!

Attacks against Guan Eng intensify ahead of GE13

UPDATED @ 03:40:18 PM 01-07-2012

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal

July 01, 2012

 

KUALA LUMPUR, July 1 — All eyes are now on the DAP’s Lim Guan Eng as the Penang chief minister struggles to fend off concerted attacks against him ahead of general elections due within a year.

The pro-Barisan Nasional (BN) mainstream media today published lopsided reports of the federal opposition leader’s run-in with members of Perkasa, a right-wing Malay organisation, at the Teluk Bahang market in Penang yesterday.

The reports, which related the incident from the viewpoint of the Perkasa members, appear to indicate a concerted effort by the ruling federal coalition to reclaim Penang, a key economic state under BN control until four years ago.

“The failure by police to immediately arrest Perkasa members involved in violence not just against members of the public and reporters but also make direct threats against my personal safety has only confirmed fears that Perkasa can do no wrong because they are supported by Umno and BN,” Lim said in a media statement today.

“[The] Police should review their hands-off approach towards Perkasa to avoid public perception that they condone the violent tactics by Perkasa to intimidate PR leaders,” he added, referring to the opposition Pakatan Rakyat pact formed in 2008 after their landmark win in the polls.

The DAP-PKR-PAS pact swept nearly 29 out of the total 40 state seats there in Election 2008, wiping out Penang BN’s controlling party, Gerakan, in the process.

The first-term Penang CM had told a news conference in George Town yesterday that Perkasa members had threatened his safety during the walkabout. 

But the country’s major newspapers including Umno-owned Mingguan Malaysia and New Sunday Times (NST) headlined reports that blamed Lim’s entourage for “roughing” up a Perkasa man. 

“I was brushed so suddenly from behind and the situation is like (he) wanted to threaten my safety. Somebody brushed me and my bodyguard pushed me to the car. 

“This is not the first time they acted violently. You are not supposed to rush in the close confines of Chief Minister in a threatening manner,” Lim (picture) told reporters yesterday. 

An audio recording of Lim’s news conference in George Town was made available to The Malaysian Insider. 

Today, Miggguan Malaysia, the weekend edition of Malay daily Utusan Malaysia, appeared to give a very different account of the marketplace clash, faulting Lim’s administration for oppressing the minority Malay residents in the island state. 

Lim’s account of the ruckus was conspicuously missing from the newspaper’s reports. 

Reports of the ruckus, headlined “Penduduk bantah kehadiran Guan Eng” (Residents oppose Guan Eng’s presence)”, the Malay-language paper highlighted allegations that a PR supporter who was part of Lim’s entourage had attacked a Perkasa demonstrator in the market. 

In similar reports carried on the English-language NST, Mohd Rizuad was quoted saying that Lim’s entourage had purposely “created” the incident to paint picture of the Malay movement. 

Lim’s relations with the mainstream media has been tumultuous at best in the past fours since helming Penang. 

It worsened after he banned all Umno-linked papers, notably Utusan Malaysia and NST from covering official state functions, saying they gave him unfair coverage and did not give him the right of reply in allegations against him. 

The DAP secretary-general had won a couple of defamation suits against Utusan and had recently filed another RM15 million suit against two mainstream newspapers and Perkasa leaders over unsubstantiated reports that he had leaked national secrets to Singapore’s ruling People’s Action Party. In his statement of claim, Lim suggested that the allegation was part of an agenda to help BN recapture power in Penang. 

He pointed out that Umno, the leading component party in BN, has a substantial shareholding in both papers through Media Prima Sdn Bhd and was therefore able to “politically manipulate news items for its benefit”. 

The Penang High Court had on June 22 found Utusan Malaysia guilty of defaming Lim, he second such ruling in six months, and ordered the Umno daily to pay him RM200,000 in damages and RM20,000 in costs. The Penang chief minister had claimed a March 12, 2008 article headlined “Tiada Lagi DEB (No More NEP)” in the Malay-language newspaper which said he would abolish the New Economic Policy was inaccurate. 

The DAP secretary-general said he had merely said his administration would be free from the “cronyism, corruption and systematic inefficiency” stemming from the policy.