Salleh: No need for Musa to quit

Sabah Umno is firmly behind Chief Minister Musa Aman
who is facing 'whispers' within Barisan Nasional to
step down over money-laundering allegations.

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Umno has brushed off calls for Chief Minister Musa Aman to step down from his post while investigations continue into undeclared money worth hundreds of millions of ringgit in bank accounts said to be linked to him.

Musa’s deputy chief in Sabah Umno, Salleh Said Keruak, when contacted, said: “Musa is doing a good job for Sabah and there are leaders who are power-crazy and jealous of his achievement.”

Salleh, who is also the Sabah State Legislative Assembly Speaker, and a former chief minister himself, was speaking after outspoken local politician, Daniel John Jambun, of the State Reform Party (STAR), called on Musa to step down as he is embroiled in what appears to be an international banking scandal that has caught the attention of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.

Sabah MPs to quit BN this week?

Will Upko's Wilfred Bumburing and Umno's Lajim Ukin
announce their exit from their respective
parties on July 15?

By Joseph Bingkasan of FMT

KOTA KINABALU: National coalition MPs Wilfred Bumburing and Lajim Ukin are expected to announce their pullout from their respective parties during gatherings in Tuaran and Beaufort, respectively on June 15.

PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim will be attending both functions where the two are expected to become “independent” MPs.

Bumburing who is Tuaran MP will make his much awaited announcement in Tuaran in the morning while in the afternoon Beaufort MP Lajim is to formalise his departure from the BN at his hometown in Beaufort.

Although both leaders would be declaring that they are leaving the government coalition parties in the presence of Anwar, they are not expected to join either PKR or other opposition Pakatan Rakyat component members.

STAR to resurrect controversial provision

The practice of 'nominating' representatives to the
Sabah State Legislative Assembly was discontinued
when Umno-led Barisan Nasional took over in 1994.

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Chapter of the State Reform Party (STAR) will appoint six nominated members to the State Legislative Assembly if the party led by Jeffrey Kitingan secures enough seats to topple the Barisan Nasional (BN) government in the coming general election.

This nominated members will be in addition to the 60 elected state lawmakers. Nomination of unelected members to the assembly is provided for in the state constitution but was dispensed with when Umno-BN came into power.

“We (a Star government) need professional and credible non-governmental organisation personalities in the assembly, “ STAR deputy chairman Daniel John Jambun told FMT in Kota Kinabalu yesterday.

Oscar-winning film star Ernest Borgnine dies in LA at age 95

By Wendy Carpenter of The Upshot

Lifetime achievement honoree Ernest Borgnine waves after receiving his award at the 17th annual Screen Actors Guild …Ernest Borgnine, who created a variety of memorable characters in both movies and television and won the best-actor Oscar for his role as a lovesick butcher in "Marty" in 1955, died Sunday. He was 95.

Borgnine's longtime spokesman, Harry Flynn, told The Associated Press that Borgnine died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles with his family by his side.

A prolific and talented character actor, Borgnine was known for gruff, villainous roles such as the heavy who beats up Frank Sinatra in "From Here to Eternity" and one of the bad guys who harasses Spencer Tracy in "Bad Day at Black Rock."

Embattled Syrian regime in defiance show of military force

By ALBERT AJI and ZEINA KARAM of Associated Press

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — In a show of force, Syria began large-scale military exercises Sunday to simulate defending the country against outside "aggression." Damascus' staunch ally Iran warned of a "catastrophe" in the region if no political solution to the 16-month-old Syrian conflict is found.

Tehran is Syria's closest ally, and has stood by President Bashar Assad's regime throughout the revolt against his rule despite a growing chorus of international condemnation. The relentless bloodshed has accelerated diplomatic efforts to find a solution to the crisis, and spurred some in the Syrian opposition to urge the West to intervene militarily to stop a conflict that activists say has left more than 14,000 people dead.