Bersih: Assembly law means you can forget about 'fair' elections

KUALA LUMPUR — Bersih 2.0 called today for the controversial Peaceful Assembly Bill to not be gazetted, as it would defeat efforts to hold free and fair elections.
The electoral reforms movement said today the proposed law, which has been passed by both Houses of Parliament, would result in a “violation of the fundamental right to freedom of assembly” if implemented.
“Bersih 2.0 is disappointed that the Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011 was passed in the Senate yesterday. Clean, free and fair elections are fantasy when civil liberties are curbed,” the coalition of 62 NGOs said in a statement today.
The movement, which saw tens of thousands of supporters pour into the capital on July 9, said any move to gain royal assent and gazette the assembly Bill as law must be halted to ensure fair elections.

Najib: I have not received resignation letter from Shahrizat yet

KUALA LUMPUR — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today said he has not received a resignation letter from embattled minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abd Jalil.
“I have not received it,” he said when asked if he was handed a resignation letter from Shahrizat.
When asked to comment on the National Feedlot Centre (NFC) controversy dogging the women, family and community development minister and her family, Najib declined by saying he will make his views known at a later date.
“When the time comes, I will respond,” he said, before promptly ending the press conference.

-themalaysianinsider

Khairy fails to strike out Anwar's RM100mil defamation suit

KUALA LUMPUR- Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar has failed in his bid to strike out a RM100mil defamation suit filed by Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim against him.
High Court judge Justice Hue Siew Kheng rejected the striking out application by Khairy Wednesday and ordered Khairy to pay RM7,000 in costs to Anwar.
The judge made her order after meeting the parties in chambers.
Lead counsel Datuk Seri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah acted for Khairy while Sulaiman Abdullah and J. Leela represented Anwar.
Speaking to reporters later, Muhammad Shafee said the judge decided that "this is not a clearest case to strike out" the suit.
Muhammad Shafee said the case would go for a full trial now.
"We will appeal (against the court ruling)," he said.

Nurul to hold torch for Pakatan if Anwar jailed: Umno will be annihilated!

Malaysians have taken in that the Pakatan Pact has grown larger than Anwar’s image. With or without Anwar’s physical presence, Pakatan is on the road to make a big impact in the next general election, expected to be held in early 2012. Conviction of Anwar will assist the Opposition make deeper inroads into the voters’ psyche. If this is properly strategized, Pakatan can win big in the next general election.
January 9, 2012 will determine Anwar’s fate in the court of law. Guilty or not guilty, Anwar’s fervour and charm will keep haunting Barisan Nasional. If Anwar is convicted, the Pakatan torch  – according to many political observers – will be passed on to astute Nurul Izzah, his daughter. To UMNO and BN this will be nightmarish.  The sympathy for Anwar is then going to help the Opposition more and Nurul will gradually measure up to be made the political icon for Pakatan. The young generation, in particular, is bound to give unparalleled support to Nurul.
“Imprisonment of Anwar will enrage the masses, but a guilty or acquittal verdict will not yield political benefits for BN. If the strategy is to remove him it is not a wise idea. This will incur the wrath of  the people.” said a fence sitter in Penang.

Shahrizat hints of quitting: As a responsible leader, I know what action is needed

Under heavy fire for an abuse of power and corruption scandal, Umno minister Shahrizat Jalil gave her strongest hint yet she was ready to quit her Cabinet post ahead of snap general elections, widely expected to be held early next year.
However, it is less clear whether she would also resign her post as the head of Wanita Umno, the party's women's wing. In the past weeks, several Umno stalwarts including former premier Mahathir Mohamad have asked her to step down.
The quit calls came after arch rivals Parti Keadilan Rakyat exposed the RM250 million NFC debacle, showing documentary evidence that instead of using the government soft loan to finance the development of a cattle livestock industry, Shahrizat's family had spent the money to buy luxury condos in Bangsar and Singapore, a super-class Mercedes Benz plus grant million ringgit discounts and cash transfers to family-owned firms.
“Nobody needs to tell me what to do. As a responsible leader and veteran in politics who loves Barisan Nasional, I know what action needs to be taken and I will discuss it with (Prime Minister) Najib Razak,” Shahrizat told reporters on Wednesday.

Najib's vanity begins to hurt and drag down Umno

One of the students who demonstrated against Malaysia’s draconian University and Colleges Act last Saturday, Adam Adli, brought down a flag of Najib Razak. It is not clear why Najib Razak had himself flown as a flag. Does he think he is a country?
It is the first time many of us would have heard of such a practice by the Prime Minister of Malaysia. Najib Razak has a likeness of himself hoisted as a flag in front of his party headquarters. It is more the kind of thing one would expect of the late but unmissed Kim Jong-Il.
The case of Najib’s face on a flag moves from laughable to sinister when it is combined with a song called ‘PM Kita’ (Our PM) which is being played on the BN governments usual propaganda outlets.
There is clearly method in Najib’s vainness. He is starting a personality cult! Or perhaps we should be honest, and call it a lack-of-personality cult. For if there is one trait that differentiates Najib from Anwar Ibrahim; it is Anwar’s charisma, personality and ready wit compared to Najib’s startling lack of the same.

For 13 long years, Dr M lied to M'sians and the world to keep Anwar at bay

No singular event has defined Malaysia more than the still on-going battle between Anwar Ibrahim and Mahathir Mohamad. Their feud has shaped the country's political landscape since 1998. It has fueled the vilest form of character assassination, total degradation of the judiciary, the compromising of the integrity of the police force and the subjugation of the media to the ruling government. And the effects of this feud will continue to determine the course of the nation for many years to come.
Till now, the seed of the feud is shrouded in mystery. By the mid-1990s, it had become clear that the most serious threat to Mahathir's power was the strong leadership calibre of his then deputy. Perhaps sensing it, Anwar began to distance himself from Mahathir, overtly promoting his superior religious credentials and appearing to suggest he favoured loosening the restrictions on civil liberties that had become a hallmark of Mahathir's premiership.