| Borneo Herald

Demokrasi Sabah needs the right debate format

By Joe Fernandez

The initial word from Demokrasi Sabah (Desah), an NGO just set up by former Sabah state secretary Simon Sipaun to encourage one-to-one contests at the forthcoming 13th General Election, has not been too encouraging.

For starters, there’s the little matter of the NGO declaring that it wants to help further strengthen and entrench a two-party system in Malaysia. These two parties, or rather coalitions and/or alliances, i.e. Pakatan Rakyat (PR) and Barisan Nasional (BN) are both Peninsular Malaysia-based.

BERSIH 3.0 Broke Many Glasses (Including A few Glass Ceilings)

By M. Bakri Musa

In the aftermath of the largest public demonstrations against the Barisan government, the officials’ obsession now turns to the exercise of apportioning blame and the associated inflicting of vengeance. Both are raw human reactions, but hardly enlightening, sophisticated, or even fruitful. Besides, there is plenty of blame to go around. I prefer to look at the bright side and on the lessons that can be learned.

Analysis of Bersih 3.0

By Dr Bridget Welsh

COMMENT With well over 100,000 people gathering last week for electoral reform in the largest street protest in the nation's history - and the event marred by violence by both state and non-state actors alike - Malaysian politics has reached an important impasse.

The Bersih 3.0 rally and its aftermath reveal that the path ahead for Malaysian politics will grow even more contentious and complex. As the different ‘Bersih stories' pour in, ranging from ‘ordinary' heroism to the darker accounts of beatings and abuse of power, the move of Malaysian politics outside of the realm of elite to the streets and social media is both empowering and scary.

Jeffrey to Pakatan, BN: Get out of Sabah

By Luke Rintod of FMT

RANAU: State Reform Party (STAR) Sabah chairman, Jeffrey Kitingan, has again called for all Peninsula-based political parties to get out of Sabah.

The maverick politician urged the opposition Pakatan Rakyat coalition parties – PKR, DAP and PAS – and the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition members – Umno, MCA MIC and Gerakan – to fold up their tents and leave Sabah to Sabahans.

He advised the Peninsula-based opposition parties to instead focus their strength on wresting all the 165 parliamentary seats at stake in the Peninsula and let the opposition here battle it out for the 25 parliamentary seats in Sabah.

Surat terbuka Hata Wahari untuk bekas majikannya Utusan Malaysia

Saya telah dipecat dari Utusan Melayu (M) Berhad ketika bertugas di akhbar Utusan Malaysia pada 21 April dan ketika menerima berita pemecatan itu saya melakukan solat sunat memohon kepada hadrat Allah SWT memberi hidayah kepada rakan-rakan saya di Utusan Malaysia agar menjadi seorang mukmin dan muslimin yang mematuhi perintah Allah SWT supaya mereka akan dapat menikmati kelazatan hidup sebagai seorang Islam yang patuh kepada perintah Allah SWT dan suruhan Rasululullah.

BN really must GO!

By Capt (r) Iskandar Dzulkarnain

Tun Dr Mahathir was Prime Minister of Malaysia for 22 years. All of us lived under his leadership during his tenure, and many of us have come to admire him and regard him with our deepest respect, for what he had done for the country.

His Vision 2020, the Look East Policy, the Multimedia Super Corridor, the Internet and his efforts to industrialize the country has brought countless prosperity to our nation.

Having had the privilege of looking at some of the Paris Papers on the Scorpene submarine scandal recently, it behoves me to give anxious landlubbers a ‘hitchhiker's guide' to this convoluted mesh of payments that have gone on to grease this most expensive (more than RM7 billion) arms purchase in Malaysia's history.

Since Suaram lodged its complaint with the French courts for a judicial review of the Scorpene contract in November 2009, the French prosecutors have certainly been busy with their investigations.

STAR Sabah kesal pembentukan Malaysia dilakukan tergesa gesa oleh pemimpin terdahulu

Oleh: KULI KULI AK

Datuk Dr Jeffrey berucap ketika melancarkan Parti
Star di DUN Kemabong.

KEMABONG: Pemimpin terdahulu telah membuat keputusan tergesa-gesa dalam persetujuan pembentukan Malaysia melalui penyatuan Tanah Melayu, Sabah, Sarawak dan Singapura. Ini adalah antara punca utama hak asasi rakyat Sabah sepertimana yang terkandung dalam 20 Perkara mudah dimanipulasikan oleh pihak persekutuan.

Negara Brunei dan Singapura yang kini jauh lebih maju dan pesat membangun malah memiliki ekonomi yang jauh lebih baik berbanding Sabah selepas mereka tidak meneruskan untuk bersama dalam pembentukkan Malaysia pada ketika itu (Singapura keluar dari Malaysia tahun 1965).

Support for Jeffrey's calls to leave Sabah parties alone

RANAU : State Reform Party's (Star) Sabah chairman, Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan has again repeated and reiterated his call for Malaya-based political parties especially the Pakatan Rakyat to consider focusing its aim at wresting all the 165 Parliamentary seats at stake in the 11-state Peninsular and to leave Sabah and Sarawak parties to stand in the rest 57 in both states and one in Labuan.

How NEP works

Three contractors are bidding to fix a broken fence at the PM's residence.

One is from MIC , another is from MCA , and the third is from UMNO.

All three go with a PM's House-official to examine the fence.

Russia's military threatens preemptive strike if NATO goes ahead with missile plan

By Mansur Mirovalev, The Associated Press
MOSCOW - Russia's top military officer has threatened to carry out a pre-emptive strike on U.S.-led NATO missile defence facilities in Eastern Europe if Washington goes ahead with its controversial plan to build a missile shield.

President Dmitry Medvedev said last year that Russia will retaliate militarily if it does not reach an agreement with the United States and NATO on the missile defence system.

RANAU : A State Reform Party (Star) leader claimed that Sabah had lost every opportunities to Malaya and is losing even more as greed entrenched itself in the ruling elites who could easily find a matching capitalists.

Star's division head for Ranau, Jalibin Paidi, in a statement here said if one reflects long enough on this point, he or she would agree with his finding that Sabah had always been at the receiving end of Malayan mannouvres in the state, both politically and economically.

French public prosecutors probing shoddy deals in French-Malaysian arms deals found evidence that then-defence minister Najib Abdul Razak had sought US$1 billion (RM3 billion) for local company Perimekar from French shipmaker DCN's subsidiary DCNI.

According to prosecution papers revealed by NGO Suaram today, a fax shows that Najib had asked for the amount for Perimekar as a condition for a meeting with him on July 14, 2001.

What Umno solved all problems? retorts Star on Sairin's claim

KOTA KINABALU: The State Reform Party (Star) has queried varied claims by Umno on solving all problems in Sabah including the 20 Points and Borneonisation, issues raised by the party, and dismissing it in the process as "a party from outside" i.e. Sarawak.

The party, in a statement, challenged Deputy Chief Minister, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) president and Huguan Siou Joseph Pairin Kitingan to state his stand publicly on the Umno claims, "equivalent to staying in a glass house and throwing stones at others".

By Dr Nicholas James Guntobon
KENINGAU : Two days ago, an old lady, a bona fide Sabahan, in her 70s who had been living alone for years in an old shack (look at the hut in the piucture) in Kampung Ulu Kauran near here died without seeing her application for a more decent house under PPRT being approved after years of pleading.

Kg Ulu Kauran is in Liawan, and was not allocated a proper Kampung Development and Security Committee (JKKK). The kampung was put under the JKKK Kampung Ulu Patikang instead.

Muhyiddin's election promises in Kadamaian an insult, says SAPP man

By Ezra Haganez

KOTA BELUD : Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) said the recent pledge made by DPM Muhyiddin Yassin to asphalt six important rural roads in the Kadamaian state constituency next year is an insult to the people's intelligence.

SAPP's Kota Belud CLC vice head, Peter Marajin said the Kadamaian folks were not amused when Muhyiddin further revealed that he had instructed Minister of Rural Development and Regional, Shafei Apdal, to bring forward the fund for the purpose from 2014 to next year.

Melvin San shares his personal experience at Bersih 3

I am very proud of my 2 younger children who were with me at Bersih 3.0 (my eldest is in Japan). They braved the tear gas, chemical-laced water and intimidation by the police and riot squad - they refused to leave until 4 pm, the official time that the organisers informed the rally would end. In the process, my son, Aaron was badly affected by the tear gas when he went forward to the "frontlines" to take pictures of the Police. I had to restrain my daughter, Audrey from following him.

FRIENDS who could not attend yesterday's Sydney wedding of Kevin Rudd and Therese Rein's eldest son were kept informed of the special day by regular tweets.

As Nick Rudd, 25, and Zara Shafruddin exchanged vows at St James' Church in King St, Sydney, Mr Rudd, his wife Therese Rein and their daughter Jessica all tweeted throughout the ceremony.

This time around, Bersih was a family event. I went out to fulfill my duty as a responsible citizen together with my wife and sister. We left the little one with my mom and got a friend to drive us right up to Muzium Negara (right up to the police block and as far as we could go with a car). From there we walked with other families and Bersih supporters to Masjid Negara. Along the way, there were bus drivers who provided us with drinking water and cheered us on.

NEIL ARMSTRONG'S SECRET,
GUARANTEED TO MAKE YOU SMILE

In case you didn't already know this little tidbit of trivia, it might make you chuckle when you read it.

This is the SOP of police…,Hishammuddin Hussein

KUALA LUMPUR: The Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar today said that the police do not have a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) allowing them to seize media equipment including cameras or memory cards.

“There is no such thing, we act in accordance with the law,” said Ismail, stressing that the police acted professionally during the Bersih 3.0 on Saturday.

Ismail’s statement contradicted with what his boss, Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, said yesterday.

KOTA KINABALU: Sabahans know the difference between wealth and poverty and they don't need former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who "squatted" on them for 22 years and Petronas, to "insult their intelligence on the difference between the two situations".

That's the challenge from the State Reform Party (Star) on Mahathir's take in the local media on Wed forecasting Sabah will be the richest state soon in Malaysia in terms of natural resources.

The whole nation is asking this same question !!!

In the Malaysian Parliament recently, an UMNO MP during his speech told a story........

"There was a father who gave RM100/- each to his 3 sons and asked them to buy things and fill up a room completely.

First son bought hay for RM100/- but couldn't fill the room entirely.

Najib under fire

PETALING JAYA: Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) has described Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s minimum wage announcement as a “cunning election announcement”.

Yesterday, Najib said the minimum wage for workers in Peninsular Malaysia will be set at RM900, whereas in Sarawak, Sabah and Labuan, it will be RM800.

PSM secretary-general S Arutchelvan said a higher minimum wage for Peninsular Malaysia is illogical when Sabah and Sarawak have a higher poverty line.

KOTA KINABALU: The State Reform Party (Star) is not amused by Sukau State Assemblyman, Saddi Abdul Rahman's alleged attempts to 'belittle' party Chief, Jeffrey Kitingan's political struggle for Sabah and Sarawak all these years.

"Saddi is indulging in the politics of distraction and disruption by harping on Jeffrey moving from party to party before finally settling on Star," said a Star Deputy Chairman, Daniel John Jambun. "Saddi even had the cheek to suggest that Jeffrey will eventually abandon the first party he has ever headed in his life."

SEORANG pembantu tadbir yang bertugas di mahkamah sini dihadapkan ke Mahkamah Khas Rasuah kelmarin atas tuduhan menerima rasuah untuk memproses permohonan Pendaftaran Lewat Kelahiran tanpa melalui perbicaraan dan menggunakan sijil kelahiran itu sebagai sah.

Bagaimanapun Jinny Daniul, 30, mengaku tidak bersalah untuk kedua-dua pertuduhan yang dibacakan kepadanya di hadapan hakim Mahkamah Sesyen, Dean Wayne Daly.

By Luke Rintod of FMT

KOTA KINABALU: Both Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin were not in Kuala Lumpur during yesterday’s massive Bersih 3.0 rally.

The sit-in rally calls for electoral reforms including the purging of “illegals” from the the electoral rolls, an issue that is especially prevalent in Sabah. Najib was in Sarawak and Muhyiddin was in Sabah.

Controversial: The 'farewell intercourse' law is part of a raft of measures being introduced by the Islamist-dominated parliament

Egyptian husbands will soon be legally allowed to have sex with their dead wives - for up to six hours after their death.

The controversial new law is part of a raft of measures being introduced by the Islamist-dominated parliament.

It will also see the minimum age of marriage lowered to 14 and the ridding of women's rights of getting education and employment.

Large turn-out at Bersih gatherings in Sabah, Sarawak

By Luke Rintod of FMT

KOTA KINABALU: About 1,500 people from all walks of life converged at the historic Padang Merdeka in the city today, only to be turned away by hundreds of policemen barricading the field.

They, however, managed to conduct their Bersih 3.0 sit-in – for free and fair elections – around the field which on normal days is open to the public either for sport or recreation.

Star denies flogging the 'politics of 2nd Chance'

KOTA KINABALU: Star deputy chairman Daniel John Jambun has denied flogging the "politics of 2nd Chance" as charged by Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman during a party function on Thurs at the Umno building in Kota Kinabalu.

He was referring to Musa alleging that opposition leaders had done nothing for the people during their "glory days in power" and were now striving to get a second chance on the comeback trail. Musa had also added, in his caustic remarks, that such leaders would not be able to "make a difference" in future if they couldn't do so in the past.

Najib Razak

They came by the thousands and by word of mouth. And they listened attentively to Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman talk of Prime Minister Najib Razak’s success in governing Malaysia since he took office three years ago. Village chiefs and community leaders, said Musa, are still important “eyes and ears” of the government despite the speed and reach of the internet in delivering information to the people.

“There are still those who do not get their news through radio, television and the newspapers,” he told a meeting with them in Kudat, 131km (82 miles) northeast of Kota Kinabalu, on April 25.

Musa said community leaders have a duty to inform and explain to the people of all the good that the Barisan Nasional (National Front) government has done for them.

I got a call from a reporter a little while ago to ask my thoughts on the court order obtained by the authorities, banning the Duduk Bantah Bersih 3.0 taking place at Dataran Merdeka.

To explain my point to her, I shared this little episode that took place whilst in I was in London in the 80′s.

Following the Falklands war, information had leaked out that greatly embarrassed the Thatcher administration.

The leaked information was finally traced back to a member of the British civil service, one Clive Ponting.

Ponting was charged with an offence under the Official Secrets Act.

At the end of the trial, the judge DIRECTED the jury, that on the evidence, they must enter a finding of guilt.

KOTA KINABALU: BERSIH Sabah 3.0 will go on as planned today at Padang Merdeka at 2pm – 4pm in spite of resistances put up by various parties as reported in the media.

“We are members of the public; therefore we are entitled to attend the programme if we wish to. Too much has been put at stake for fellow Malaysians. Civil liberties are being threatened, we must act now!” says BERSIH Sabah spokesperson Andrew Ambrose, also known as Atama.

Go to the people, Musa tells BN leaders and members.

“United we stand; divided we fall.” That was the message which Chief Minister Musa Aman drove home to more than 1,000 leaders and members of eight Barisan Nasional coalition parties in Sabah on April 26. Musa knows what he is up against in a general election that could be as early as late May or mid June. But he is undaunted. “We want an even bigger victory this time,” he said as he launched the BN election task force at the Umno building in Kota Kinabalu.

A Message To The People of Sabah

My fellow Sabahans,

With less than 48hours for Bersih Sabah 3.0 and Duduk Bantah in the historic Padang Merdeka 2804, all I can think about is our immediate future, our state - our nation of Sabah. With so much things going through everyone's mind, the opposition to Bersih 3.0, the ignorance of it's main issue & the playing up of fear into the hearts of sovereign individuals; the fact remains that everyone of us clearly still wants one common thing - fairness and equality.

Michael Liew

KOTA KINABALU: Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM) fully backs BERSIH Sabah, according to MCLM Sabah chief Michael Liew.

According to Liew, “Based on our understanding, BERSIH Sabah never applied to use Padang Merdeka.

They had issued letters of notification to both PDRM and DBKK of their activities on 17th of April 2012.”

According to section 9(1) of the newly enacted Peaceful Assembly Act, an organiser shall, ten days before the date of an assembly, notify the Officer in Charge of the Police District in which the assembly is to be held.

Dakwaan 1:

SPR telah sengaja membetulkan sempadan kawasan pilihan raya DUN dan Parlimen tanpa kelulusan Parlimen bertujuan meramaikan pengundi di satu-satu kawasan bagi membolehkan Barisan Nasional beroleh kemenangan pada PRU Ke-13 nanti

Dakwaan tersebut merupakan suatu fitnah dan tidak berasas sama sekali. SPR tidak pernah melakukan apa-apa perubahan terhadap sempadan kawasan atau bahagian pilihan raya sama ada DUN atau pun Parlimen kerana urusan berkenaan hanya dapat dilakukan apabila tiba masanya mengikut peruntukan Perkara 113(A) Perlembagaan Persekutuan. SPR telah pun mengeluarkan pengumuman bahawa urusan kajian semula persempadanan bahagian-bahagian pilihan raya hanya akan dijalankan apabila tiba masanya selepas PRU-13. SPR akan mengeluarkan kenyataan rasmi berhubung dengan perkara tersebut apabila tiba masanya nanti.

Oleh Maslan Maginda

Senario politik di Malaysia hari ini sudah berubah jika dibandingkan pada era PBS kerana kerajaan persekutaan pada waktu itu masih kuat dan masih boleh memerintah walaupun tanpa Sabah dan Sarawak. Datuk Dr Jeffery Kitingan pengerusi Parti STAR Sabah, telah menjelaskan kepada rakyat di seluruh negeri ini agar memilih parti STAR pada pilihanraya ke 13 untuk menyelamatkan Sabah daripada terus dikuasai oleh kerajaan Barisan National dan UMNO yang dilihat sudah menjajah Sabah dan sewenang-wenangnya melanggar Perjanjian Malaysia.

STAR adalah sebuah parti tempatan yang benar-benar berjuang untuk rakyat. Datuk Dr Jeffery juga telah memberikan jaminan kepada rakyat Sabah, yang STAR akan menyelesaikan segala isu yang membabitkan hak-hak rakyat apabila STAR memerintah nanti.

Star should adopt SAPP proposal for Sabah IC, says Star man in Kinabatangan

TONGOD : A key leader of State Reform Party (Star) in Kinabatangan, which is flooded by illegal immigrants, has called upon Star leadership to consider adopting and improving the proposal by another opposition party, Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), to introduce a Sabah identification card, as among its objective.

James Ait, who is also Star state committee member, in a statement today said that the issuance of such state own identification card should be stringent and will differentiate between those genuine Sabahans and those who got the easily-available to immigrants Malaysian MyKads.

Sangkong (centre) flanked native vice chief Mudat Majupi (left)
and Ketua Kampung, Mogak Majupi explaining their predicament.

KOTA KINABALU : Families who were served with court notice late last year to move out in one month of "their" lands in Kampung Tangkarason, Beluran now pin their hope that the plantation company involved and the court would "grant" some mercy on them, knowing there is no where to go after this.

Leader of the group, Nulius Sangkong, 34, who managed to get court order for a stay said they never dreamed that this could happen to them as natives of Sabah after toiling the lands and living there since 1980s.

BERSIH Sabah to remain in Padang Merdeka,
April 28th, after successful meeting
with KK PDRM and DBKK

KOTA KINABALU: BERSIH Sabah has the full support of DBKK and the KK PDRM to gather at Padang Merdeka on April 28th. A successful meeting were made today, April 24, with the KK PDRM and DBKK representatives at Karamunsing Police Station.

A team of seven from BERSIH Sabah and Himpunan Hijau was met with about 30 representatives from the police and DBKK at 3p.m. today to discuss about the planned gathering on the 28th of April. The meeting was chaired by the Head of Police Kota Kinabalu, ACP Ahmad Sofi bin Zakaria.

Dr Jeffrey Kitingan

By Luke Rintod of FMT

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s political maverick Jeffrey Kitingan is taking his now famous “Borneo Tea-Party” to Kuala Lumpur. He is set to push his “In Kali” (This time) agenda with Sabahans residing and working in Peninsular Malaysia tomorrow.

Hundreds of Sabahans are expected to gather at the KL Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall in Kuala Lumpur to hear founder of the United Borneo Front (UBF) enlighten them on his version of why Malaysia is what it is today and why East Malaysia has been left far behind.

The death of civil liberties

By Malik Imtiaz Sarwar

Though the Government has said much about the repeal of the infamous Internal Security Act, little has been said to explain how its so-called replacement, the Security Offences (Special Measures) Bill (SOA), will impact on our lives. Even less has been said about the bill tabled to amend the Penal Code that went hand in hand with the SOA. I think there was a reason for this.

To say that the two bills are draconian would be a gross understatement. They brutally curtail the constitutional freedom of Malaysians to dissent. It seems that we have been made the victims of a sleight of hand. While we were being distracted by the song and dance that attended the termination of the ISA, Parliament was being harnessed to diabolical purpose. The passing of the two bills has sounded the death knell of civil liberties.

Research shows more Malaysians refuse UMNO-led BN but they will still take any money given

By Moaz Nair

A field trip to Tanjung Lumpur in Kuantan on January 21 to gauge the people’s perception on the aid given to the poor by the government and their appraisal of UMNO politics was quite inspiring.

It was found that the aid recipients are aware that the RM100, RM200, RM500, RM5000 now given to the people and the salary increase for government servants before the next general election are all from taxpayers’ money. The people are cognisant of the fact that the money distributed here does not come from UMNO or Barisan Nasional (BN). It comes from the hard-earned taxpayers’ money.

Pope Benedict has not been shy in regards to issues of the environment. He has spoken frequently about everyone's right to food, right to water and responsible sharing. He has spoken about the real meaning of progress and development and what that means for our planet of limited resources. He has discussed climate change, the connection between science and nature, and how the path of cultivating peace is directly linked to protecting creation.

These quotes are taken from a new book published by Our Sunday Visitor called: The Environment by Pope Benedict XVI.

Najib departs Sabah with nothing to say

By Luke Rintod of FMT

PENAMPANG: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak again spurned an opportunity to mollify Sabahans that the federal government is indeed serious about getting to the bottom how the state had become hosts to a massive population of illegal immigrants.

Opposition politician Jeffrey Kitingan was among the first to comment on the puzzling silence on the issue by the Prime Minister for the second time during a visit to the state.

‘Umno tore apart my father’s legacy’

By Luke Rintod of FMT

KOTA KINABALU: Former Sabah governor and chief minister Tun Mustapha Harun’s son has accused Umno of betraying his father’s trust and tearing apart his legacy.

Badaruddin Tun Mustapha said it was ironical that Umno, the party that his father had helped enter into Sabah politics, had plundered the state and reduced its immense wealth and power to a few handouts from the federal government.

BERSIH Sabah releases draft TOR for RCI, and
calls for interim findings before polls

Kota Kinabalu: The call for the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into the grant of Malaysian citizenship to migrants and the presence of illegal immigrants in Sabah has been reiterated by BERSIH Sabah, who has released a draft terms of reference (TOR) today.

BERSIH Sabah calls for the Commission to publicly produce its interim findings on or before 30 June 2012 or before the 13th General Elections.

“The call for RCI is urgent, particularly for interim findings to be made public before the 13th General Elections as to ensure that there are no phantom or illegal voters sabotaging a free and fair election for Sabah,” says Anne Lasimbang, Director of PACOS (Partners of Communities Organisations).

What the hell thousands "Bajau Semporna" doing in Liawan, Keningau ?

By Dr Nicholas James Guntobon

KENINGAU : I am responding to Liawan assemblyman Sairin Karno's reaction to an expose i made regarding the about 1,000 PATAIs suddenly sprucing up their houses in an open space in Liawan, only one km from town.

I think Sairin should not confuse the people about the facts surrounding the influx of about 1,000 illegal immigrants who had turned an open space near Keningau low-cost housing into illegal kampung dubbed the new "Indah Permai".

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