Lawyers: MACC’s reasons full of contradictions

The MAAC announced today it will not meet private investigator P Balasubramaniam in London and his lawyer Americk Singh Sidhu’s response is that the MACC’s reasons to cancel the interview do not qualify as reasons and are full of contradictions.

Americk  reiterated that Balasubramaniam was also willing to testify in any court of law and it was wrong for the MACC to assume he would not turn up in court.

He also took a swipe at the prosecution’s handling of the on-going Anwar Ibrahim sodomy II trial, saying if this were the case, such a statement recorded from star witness Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan would have been willingly tendered by the prosecution as part of their case instead of being hidden from view.

“There is no real excuse of not wanting to record a statement from Bala,” Americk said.

“Whatever advice the MACC has received from the attorney-general’s chambers is highly suspect and devoid of any legal basis.

“Instead it smacks of a hastily-assembled concoction of very weak excuses designed to avoid a potentially embarrassing situation for those who are obviously in control and who are able to hijack the machinations of the state and to manipulate the system to suit their own illegitimate agendas,” he added.

In a related development, Malaysia Today blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin reiterates in his blog that the scheduled press conference on July 5 will go on.

Americk’s statement in full.

Response to press by MACC regarding Bala interview in London

I refer to the press release by the MACC this afternoon to the effect that they will not be sending their officers to London to interview my client P.Balasubramaniam (Bala), as promised.

The excuses (they do not qualify as reasons), given are as follows:

1. That the MACC will instead submit questions to which my client will give his answers in affidavit form.

2. That the A.G’s chambers had provided advice along these lines to the MACC.

3. That precedence has been established in the Eric Chia case to the effect that a witnesses statement recorded overseas is inadmissible in a Malaysian Court.

4. That even if an affidavit was sworn by Bala it would not hold much weight in court if he was not available to testify.

These statements appear to be full of contradictions, misguided assumptions and ill-devised excuses used to decline the invitation to interview Bala which has been so vehemently pursued by the MACC in the past.

The recording of a witnesses statement can take place anywhere in the world as this statement forms part of the investigations conducted by the MACC for the purposes of a potential prosecution and is not intended to be used as evidence in a Court of Law.

f this were the case, then the statement recorded from Saiful in the ongoing Sodomy II trial of Anwar Ibrahim would have been willingly tendered by the prosecution as part of their case instead of being guarded jealously and hidden from view.

So this is really no excuse for not recording a statement from Bala.

It would never be tendered in court unless it is used to discredit the oral evidence of a witness if that evidence contradicts a previously recorded statement. This process is called impeachment. That is why a statement is first recorded.

The MACC have assumed that Bala will not turn up in court to testify.

Why have they assumed this?

Bala is ever prepared to testify against those personalities who have caused him and his family untold misery for the past two years. Was it not Bala who surfaced to tell his story as soon as he was able?

Has he ever shirked from his duty as a law abiding citizen to assist the authorities in whatever way he could without compromising his own safety?

All Bala asks is that the authorities concerned ensure that his well being is preserved if he is required to testify. Nothing more nothing less.

Bala could quite easily have gone into forced exile with RM5 million in his pocket and his life would have been a lot easier.

Instead he has come forward to expose the misdeeds perpetrated upon him by a host of unsavoury characters who stretch all the way to the personalities holding the highest positions in government and their immediate family members.

If the MACC requires signed depositions from Bala to wrap up their investigations, may I suggest they consult the documents available all over cyberspace in the form of Bala’s 1st SD released in July 2008 and the three parts of his Q&A released in November 2009.

These documents exhaustively detail all issues involved in this conspiracy and have been available for a long time now.

If this is all the MACC required, why suggest that their investigations could not proceed without the cooperation of Bala? Why did Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Abdul Aziz inform Parliament that the MACC were emasculated in continuing with their investigations because Bala could not be found?

Bala was available at all times and the MACC knew this. We have documents to prove we had informed them of our willingness to cooperate as far back as December last year.

Why is everyone becoming so coy at the eleventh hour?

It is nothing less than astounding to now realise that an authority such as the MACC, who would have been expected to have done everything in their power to investigate the very serious allegations made against the prime minister, his wife and his brother, to now forfeit that opportunity on tenuous and exasperatingly flimsy grounds knowing full well that much preparation has gone into organizing this interview and to then pull out at the very last moment contrary to the false perceptions created by them up till now.

This turn of events has certainly destroyed what little credibility the MACC had left and has confirmed the suspicions held by most right-thinking members of society that they are a body existing solely to protect the interests of the powers that be and to ensure that any opposition to the government is dealt with by harsh, brash, unnecessary and lopsided vehemence with the sole purpose of destroying any legitimate questioning of the excesses of the ruling regime so that power is perpetuated in the hands of their masters.

As far as I am concerned, and I know I speak for the team of lawyers representing Bala in this matter, that we will all be in London at the Holiday Villas, Bayswater at 10 am on the 5th July awaiting the arrival of the three MACC officers who are supposed to interview Bala as arranged and as promised.

Let me add that whatever advice the MACC may have received from the attorney-general’s chambers is highly suspect and devoid of any legal basis, but instead smacks of a hastily assembled concoction of very weak excuses designed to avoid a potentially embarrassing situation for those who are obviously in control and who are able to hijack the machinations of the state and to manipulate the system to suit their own illegitimate agendas.

And if there are still any reservations as to whether the MACC were indeed genuinely planning on interviewing Bala in London then that misconception has now been destroyed by the fact that they had, up till now, not bothered to book the conference room at the Holiday Villas, Bayswater even though they had assured us they would handle the booking.

They had never intended to interview Bala and have spent the past few weeks scrambling around for an excuse not to. The only problem is the excuse is ludicrous and everyone knows that.

Americk Sidhu

Mkini

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Terence Netto

In the media hoopla over the Selangor PKR crisis, revolving as it did on the Khalid Ibrahim and Azmin Ali rivalry as prelude to a contest for the party deputy president’s post, little or no attention was paid to a vital question.

This is what is required of one to be No 2 in a PKR that is supposed to lead the Pakatan Rakyat coalition.

At this point, some may smirk at the entire notion of PKR being the leading party in Pakatan, what with five MPs and several lesser lights having left the party in the last one-a-half years of tumult in its ranks.

Although their departures have sullied PKR’s stature, few seriously feel that the quitters were anything other than fringe players in the overall composition of the party.

PKR can replace them with, in all likelihood, better quality candidates who can win back the very constituencies held by these defectors.

But can PKR find a leader with the intellectual and moral stature to be No 2 to Anwar Ibrahim and help him hold the Pakatan coalition together, which means striking a balance between an avowedly secular DAP and a theocracy-favouring PAS?

If you think light of this matter, consider the anxious musings of DAP chairman Karpal Singh on the possibility that once Pakatan takes federal power, there could well be a renewal of the question of an Islamic state which Karpal concedes is a matter of ideological principle to PAS.

While acknowledging that PAS would find it difficult to abandon its Islamic state agenda, Karpal reiterated that DAP would never give up its stance that Malaysia is a secular state.

Karpal, who once called for Anwar’s replacement as Pakatan supremo, now acknowledges that Anwar is the main adhesive in a coalition of disparate ideologies.

He is the only politician who can keep the improbable Pakatan coalition together. And keeping it together is the only way to propelling it to replace the status quo that is beyond redemption.

Islam compatible with democracy?

Two reasons explain the phenomenon of Anwar Ibrahim: One is that Anwar has been able to project his struggles against his Umno-imposed travails into a mirror of the larger citizenry’s need for a better Malaysia.

And secondly, Anwar has displayed surpassing intellection in his quest to build a religiously informed public philosophy for the Malaysian experiment in democratic restoration.

Just now this quest is connected to a world-historical issue, which is whether Islam is compatible with democracy in Muslim-majority nations.

Much of his career till now and to come – should be become prime minister of Malaysia – is joined to this issue.

Is this overstating the case?

Surveying national, regional and the world scenarios, one thinks not.

We are at a world-historical crossroads where the truths bequeath to us by religion, Greek rationality, Roman law and the European Enlightenment are knowable through the arts of reason.

These truths confer on us certain obligations, both personal and civil, that have to be held, assented to, and worked into the fabric of democratic institutions for the prevalence of peace, justice, freedom and unity.

The saga of Anwar’s tumultuous career and intellection contain constant reminders of the need to make the ongoing Malaysian experiment in democratic restoration a success.

Seen and defined in this way, the question of who is to be No 2 in PKR dwarfs the presumptive candidates. They ought to be in no hurry to fill it. Mkini

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Kematian Altantuya: Menteri Enggan Sahkan Pembabitan Pegawai Najib

Making the murky even murkier – Sahak aka khalid ibrahim simply got to go, he’s an arrogant nincompoop

Sahak aka khalid ibrahim is not fit to be the mb. during the hulu selangor by-election, he spent rm800,000 but we could not figure out where this money goes to. in term of flags, banners or billboards, it’s no where to be seen during the by election. furthermore he was advised not to distribute package of rices to the villagers during the by election yet he still persist & his umno-also-do-it answer is showing he is purely an arrogant  nincompoop.

can u imagine that he bought rice, canned sardin,  onions etc for the outstation election workers for their meals?  in the first place, these election workers do not have a proper kitchen to cook the stuffs, even if they have , they got no time to cook the meals & they don’t have cook to help them do it. in kalumpang, where the perakians stay, they presented to Sahak a bowl of uncooked rice with chopped onion to welcome him.

beside that, he ordered the staffs in mb office to print out 14,000 postcards, sorted & delivered it by hand to the voters affected by the transfer of their polling stations.  before they could finished printing the first batch of the post cards sahak issued another order just 2 days before the election day, asking the same staffs to print another set of 14,000 post cards that would include the original & new polling stations. i personally told the staffs if they decided to print the 2nd batch of the post cards & delivered it to me, i will send  all of them to the  mb office.   on the eve of the election day, who’s going to deliver the cards?

the operation rooms in hulu selangor was in existence on paper only, when the matter was brought up to the mb, he refuse to listen & was seen checking his blackberry instead of seeking ways to activate the operation rooms.

the whole operation during the by election was in shambles, he as the election director failed to control the direction of the campaign & thus the party lost.

during the by election, the voters in hulu selangor thought that all the things initiated by the state government were  done by the federal government. some of the orang asli still think that khir toyol is still the mb!! after 2 years, the selangor state government has failed to disseminated the info to the ground. if this continue, then there is no more hope for PR in selangor.

if sahak can be the mb then a lot more out there could as well. to grade him from 1- 10, he can get only 2, no more no less. he simply failed & has to go. otherwise, selangor will definitely return to umno-bn.

some people are trying to spin the story that those who are against sahak, are those who are seeking positions, contract & so on from the state, but the reality is sahak is losing the touch on the ground. if you don’t believe it, you can go to Ijok & check it out yourself. he may even lose the seat in the next general election.

in Ijok, if sahak could not get at least 50% Malay votes, 70% Chinese votes & 40% Indian votes, he is as good as losing the seat.

ckchew

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

You can read below what Wong Choon Mei wrote today in the Malaysia Chronicle. I would say that Choon Mei’s analysis of the Selangor situation is quite off the mark. For example, the comment that Free Malaysia Today is an Umno-friendly online portal is certainly off the mark.

Just because certain websites or portals take a stand and that stand may not be favourable to the opposition does not make them pro-Umno. Free Malaysia Today is trying to maintain a neutral stand and take the middle road as far as it possibly can. So sometimes it whacks the government when the government is wrong and sometimes it whacks the opposition when it too is wrong. Has that not been the stand that Malaysia Today also takes?

The last two days I have been receiving many phone calls from people asking me why I have not written about the current goings-on in Selangor. My response was that I had already written many pieces about Selangor since Perak first fell more than a year ago. I have already said what I want to say so what more can I say? I told you so?

Yes, if I write about Selangor that is probably what I would say: I told you so. But I have written so many ‘I told you so’ pieces in the past I do not want to sound like what some people accuse me of being: a stuck or broken record.

Anyway, I must response to Wong Choon Mei’s piece — which just made what is murky even murkier. First of all, there is no G15, Gang of 15, or Group of 15. And there is no conspiracy, unless it is a conspiracy of one involving just Azmin Ali.

Just because 15 people talk with one voice does not make them a gang of conspirators. I too agree with some things that Khairy Jamaludddin says and I can support him on those stands or statements. Does this mean I am now in Khairy’s team and that I am one of his ‘conspirators’?

Or should I oppose Khairy even when he is right to demonstrate that I am anti-Umno? So, when Khairy opposes the licencing of sports betting, especially the way it was awarded to Vincent Tan on an award without tender to the highest bidder basis, then I should support the giving of the licence to Vincent Tan just to take the opposite view to Khairy.

Well, if I oppose the giving of the licence to Vincent Tan, just like Khairy, then Wong Choon Mei will say I am pro-Khairy and am an Umno mole whose aim is to create problems in the opposition. Better I oppose Khairy by supporting the betting licence to prove I am not an Umno mole.

That is silly. And it is equally silly to spin the G15, or Gang of 15, conspiracy theory just because all 15 share the same view as to the precarious situation Selangor is in.

I have been getting much feedback from many Chinese business people in Selangor who have indicated they are disappointed with Pakatan Rakyat and come the next election they may vote Barisan Nasional if the situation in Selangor persists. These are people who hate MCA and despise Umno. Yet they want to go back to Barisan Nasional, and not because they love MCA or Umno, mind you.

There certainly must be something wrong with Selangor when those who supported you in 2008 now want to turn their backs on you. And these are people who have invested heavily in Selangor and can determine the future direction of the state’s economy.

We must listen to the ground. We need to get our fingers on the pulse. And these 15 Members of Parliament, the so-called G15, have done just that. And the feedback they get is not reassuring. If the Selangor State Assembly were to be dissolved today and a new state election were to be called in 10 days time, Selangor would most likely fall to Barisan Nasional. That is the reality of the situation.

No, there is no conspiracy, in particular an Umno conspiracy. There are no Barisan Nasional moles amongst those 15 Members of Parliament. There is no Gang of 15 either. But there are 15 Members of Parliament who have received the same feedback that I have received — and that is the people who supported us in March 2008 now no longer do so because they are disappointed with the Selangor state government.

And just because 15 Members of Parliament share the same view does not make them a gang of conspirators.

*************************************************

PKR retreat: Enough, the time has come to take strong action

Wong Choon Mei, Malaysia Chronicle

Most of PKR’s supreme council members are looking forward to their two-day retreat in Shah Alam beginning on Saturday. The exceptions though may be those guilty of having helped stir up the media frenzy against Selangor Mentri Besar Khalid Ibrahim.

Nonetheless, the majority of PKR leaders are eager and looking forward to finding out what is happening to ‘poor Khalid’.

Is there really a revolt? Who is this G15 or Group of 15 federal lawmakers? And has Azmin Ali really reached the point of no return with Khalid?

Firstly, there is no revolt. As Khalid has pointed, what erupted in the past few days was overdone media speculation by the mainstream press including Umno-friendly online portals FreeMalaysiaToday and The Malaysian Insider. Their aim – to destabilize PKR.

That is indeed their ultimate objective. Already, former Umno MB Khir Toyo has rushed to take a bow because he knows that when the retreat ends on Sunday, this entire episode will once again be exposed to be what it really is – a collaborative attempt between Selangor Umno and saboteurs within PKR to weaken the party and Pakatan Rakyat.

As usual, Khir could be counted on to resort to gutter and racial polemics. Quick as a flash, he told The Malaysian Insider that Khalid will not be unseated because he is being propped up by the DAP. He omits to mention that Khalid cannot be toppled because he has the support of the great majority of Pakatan state assemblymen including those from his own PKR party.

Who then is unhappy with Khalid? The G15? But aren’t they federal lawmaker, i.e. members of Parliament? Do they have the locus standi to oust Khalid? But no, Khir and the online portals conveniently overlook this point. What they say boils down to this – wake up! The Chinese are now in charge in Selangor! Look at how the Malays in the state are being bullied – even poor Azmin has to quit his directorship in PKNS … and all because Khalid appointed a new political secretary without informing him and the other Malays!

But isn’t Khalid’s new pol-sec is also a Malay? This is the logic and the spin of the Umno media. To be fair, they are ably abetted by saboteurs still embedded in PKR, intentionally leaking false news and stirring up trouble. If past reports are true that guys like Ezam Mohd Noor, Salehuddin Hashim and their cronies were dangled huge carrots to jump ship, then their jobs are still far from done and you can expect them to keep rocking the PKR boat for a while more.

Fortunately, PKR is getting a bit smarter at dealing with this. The Malaysian public is also getting immune to it. And as vice president Sivarasa Rasiah has pointed out the G15 that is supposedly led by Azmin is “a fiction of someone’s imagination”. Even if true, there is a solution. PKR co-ordinator Zaid Ibrahim has minced no words – the whole bunch should be sacked for their “blatant show of indiscipline”.

Because this group of 15 – if it exists – is following in the tradition of Khir Toyo, Ezam, Salehuddin and so forth. According to the news reports, they are out to squeeze goodies, fat allowances and perks from Khalid and Khalid’s crime was to have been un-diplomatic enough to deny them.

Should Khalid lower his standards and allow what he deems to be unsuitable candidates to help themselves to the Selangor vaults? Is this what Selangorians want? Perhaps not advisable, especially when it has not been confirmed that they are not still paying for Khir’s monster RM24 million Bali palace, Disney trips and so forth.

How about Azmin? Well, this is why PKR’s top decision-makers will be paying close attention this weekend. No dozing off because they will all want to hear with own ears what Azmin has to say. They want to see with their own eyes his body language, especially when he and Khalid bump into each other.

Also, will Zaid, Azmin and Khalid mingle at tea breaks, etc? Is it really true there is such awesome bad blood between the three men and what about the Supreme Commander that they are each supposedly plotting to replace? How does Anwar Ibrahim feel about the whole issue? Who among the three does he really prefer?

PKR leaders may not get the all the answers they seek, but for sure, they will be expecting firmness and direction from Anwar at this retreat. Words of advice that he gave at last month’s annual congress have obviously not worked. So tougher action must be taken or PKR may really be destabilized.

The Opposition Leader must do something like he did in the Zul Noordin episode – make the party’s stand crystal clear and also take steps to ensure that the Malaysian people get to hear and know the true story. He must not allow PKR to be sidestepped by silly media opportunism and internal sabotage. And Zaid’s advice – as always – is worth a deeper look.

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Say ‘no’ to sports betting, urges ex-footballer Radhi

Former national footballer Radhi Mat Din was unveiled as the poster boy for the PAS nation-wide anti-sports betting campaign, at a ceramah at the 56th PAS muktamar in Pengkalan Chepa, Kelantan late last night.

The Kedah state football coach spoke to the 3000-strong crowd after kicking off the Kelantan-level campaign at the Islamic Tarbiyah Centre where the muktamar is being held.

He decried the federal government’s legalisation of sports betting after its failure to curb illegal gambling.

He laments the reduction of the sport into one of profit and loss, saying the focus on money will cause the decline of the game.

“They will bet on everything. Public perception will shift from the quality of the game to what to bet in sports. Games will be orchestrated by the proxies of betting companies turning what is the game of sport into a puppet-show,” he said.

He predicted that players and coaches will in future be bribed with huge amounts of cash for the benefit of certain parties. The problem can only get worse off from there.

The youth will be the most vulnerable, since they constitute 80 percent of sport fans

“What will happen to future generations if the government legalises sports betting? If they fall into this bad habit at a young age, they will be trapped in it until they grow up. In the end, it will result in families of gamblers, who shall form a society of gamblers, and turn us into a nation of gamblers,” he added.

‘Fight this evil’

Radhi then exhorted the crowd to join the mammoth rally planned for July 3 which will see 100,000 protesters march through Kuala Lumpur to submit a memorandum of protest to the Agong.

He said that the rally is important to pressure the government to ban sports betting, something which will not happen without public support.

“The people of Malaysia must rise and fight this evil,” he said.

He also called on former premier Mahathir Mohammad and Abdulah Ahmad Badawi, and opposition leaders Kelantan MB Nik Aziz Nik Mat, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim and DAP stalwarts Lim Kit Siang and Karpal Singh to join in the rally.

Yesterday the PAS muktamar passed a resolution condemning sports betting and calling for the federal government not to re-issue the sports betting licence to Ascot Sports.

One of the strategies outlined was to channel the party mechanism and the grassroots into the massive July 3 initiative to make it a success.

PAS is one of the organisations behind the Movement to Ban Gambling (GMJ), the main organiser for the mammoth rally. Mkini

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Anwar: End subsidies for Umnoputras

Pakatan Rakyat de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim said the coalition’s MPs would demand when Parliament sits from tomorrow that the government stop subsidising the few who are rich in preference to the many who are poor.

Speaking at a dinner jointly organised by PAS Youth and PKR Youth in Batu Lanchang in Penang this evening, Anwar termed as “obscene the Umno-BN government’s featherbedding of an elite group of businessmen”, a pattern he claimed had weakened the national economy.

“Independent power producers are subsidised, contracts are given to cronies and families of the well-connected, and now when the economy has been brought down, they want to cut subsidies for the poor,” he told a working class crowd gathered at the multi-purpose hall in Batu Lanchang.

“No way that we in Pakatan are going to allow this to happen. You want to cut subsidies, remove them from the protected rich before you do anything to subsidies meant to help the poor,” said Anwar.

The dinner was the penultimate stop in a day-long campaign swing through Penang and Kedah that had earlier seen him officiate at the opening of a surau in Komtar.

Anwar told the largely Malay crowd that it was imperative the DAP-led Penang government headed by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng be supported because “what money they save in running the government they plough back to the people.”

“You hear some say this government is not good for the Malays and Muslims but did the former one open a surau for the public in Komtar like this one did this morning,” asked Anwar.

“I spoke at the mosque in Bayan Baru just before coming here. I told scores of worshippers there that they should support the Penang government because they do things right by the people, and not for their cronies and relatives,” he said.

Facing suspension from Parliament

A tired-looking Anwar told the crowd he would fight for them with every ounce of energy he had because not to do so would see the country proceed down a path where “the politics of fear, of stirring one race against another so that people will be suspicious of each other while a few get away with plunder” would continue to reign.

“There is no reason why this country cannot provide for all who are committed to it so long as a well-connected few are prevented from plundering it,” he said.

Turning to the parliamentary session opening tomorrow, he said, “If they suspend me from Parliament” – this was with reference to his being hauled up before the powerful rights and privileges committee on Tuesday – “that will give me more time to go all over the country to campaign.”

Before ending his speech which he had to curtail because he had arrived late and was off to his final stop in Kulim Bandar Baru in neighbouring Kedah, Anwar told the crowd that the points he had raised would be elaborated by PAS deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa who was scheduled to speak after him.

With that he was off to Kulim, leaving the crowd wondering from where he got his energy for he needed help to ascend the steps to the hall on arrival.

Terence Netto/Mkini

Anwar: Penang gov’t serving Muslims better

Pakatan Rakyat supremo Anwar Ibrahim today stressed the importance of economic development going hand-in-hand with social justice.

Speaking after officiating the opening a surau in Komtar, Penang , Anwar praised the state government for looking after the needs of Penang Muslims despite having to weather accusations that it was marginalising Muslims.

Anwar remarked that the Penang government’s aid for Muslim education and social welfare was much higher than what was available during the previous BN administration.

The opposition leader also supported putting mosques and suraus for use beyond ritual worship.

“These places are not just for the performance of prayers, but also for the advancement of the welfare of Muslims,” said the PKR leader.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and various state PKR officials, such as deputy chief minister Mansor Othman and state executive councilor for religion Abdul Malek Abul Kassim, were also present at the opening of the surau, on the fourth floor of the building that houses state administrative offices.

‘Competent civil service vital’

Earlier, Anwar also spoke at an hour-long briefing for state government officers, where he shared his years of experience as minister with the audience.

He said a professional and competent civil service was a vital foundation for economic development and social justice.

Terence Netto/Mkini

Charity bit is nice feint, but no thanks: Here is a clear case where the fall of several state governments to the opposition in the last general election has rebounded to the people’s advantage.

Charity, doffing the cap to Dr Samuel Johnson, is the last refuge of humbugs.

The pledge of billionaire Vincent Tan that he will donate the half a billion ringgit from the sale of his shares in a soccer betting business he owns to charity is a nice feint he is trying to sell the public in the hope of clearing the way to ‘goal’.

‘Goal’ here would be the mega profits he would reap from the licensing of soccer betting on the World Cup due to start in South Africa on Friday.

Public opposition to the scheme, manifested by the bans imposed against it in Pakatan Rakyat-run states, means that Tan’s route to more riches is stymied on some paths.

He is dangling the charity sweetener in a desperate attempt to clear the way to ‘goal’, relying on mere denial as sufficient to ward off claims that profits from the soccer-betting scheme would go to fund Umno-BN.

To Pakatan, that denial is as plausible as assurances that the peace flotilla headed for Gaza is all about humanitarian aid, and not concealed weapons, would be to Tel Aviv.

In other words, Tan’s word, in these straits at least, is not regarded as his bond.

Coupled with the downside of what soccer betting – the illegal kind – has done to some households in World Cups past, let’s say the charity sweetener is just one desperate gambit to get through the roadblocks ranged against the scheme.

We can do without it

Here is a clear case where the fall of several state governments to the opposition in the last general election has rebounded to the people’s advantage.

A socially detrimental scheme is baulked by its unpopularity and the possibility of profits from it being put to fraudulent use is forestalled.

As for the potential of charitable use for its profits, well this is one opportunity for charity a wary public, with a touch of its forelock to Dr Johnson, would want to pass up.

TERENCE NETTO has been a journalist for close on four decades. He likes the occupation because it puts him in contact with the eminent without being under the necessity to admire them./Mkini

Sports betting controversy: Tan to donate RM525 mil to charity – Anak haram punya taukeh judi, ingat Rakyat bodoh

In the wake of widespread opposition to sports betting, tycoon Vincent Tan – whose Ascot Sports is the sole beneficiary of the gambling licence – pledged to donate over half a billion ringgit to charity.

Multi-billionaire Tan, one of the richest individuals in the country, said that he would donate RM525 million to his own personal foundation, the Better Malaysia Foundation.

The amount is the money which he will receive from the sale of his own 70 percent stake in Ascots Sports last month to Berjaya Corp, a conglomerate he controls.

“So you should know that I’m not getting one sen from this deal,” said the tycoon.

He is donating the entire proceeds to his foundation, which provides scholarships and medical assistance, to counter allegations that he has been unjustly enriched by the sale of Ascots Sports.

Asked how the RM525 million sales figure was arrived at for Ascot Sports, he aid it was based on an achieveable profit guarantee of RM125 million per year, which amounted to RM375 million for three years plus a net price earnings ratio of six times.

On the transparency of the Better Malaysia Foundation, Tan said that he will be appointing independent directors as well as having its books checked by audit firms.

No money for political parties

Tan also rubbished claims that he was funding political parties in return for the government’s approval of the sports betting licence.

“There is no money to be given to government officials and political parties, as claimed by this ‘fugitive’ who is hiding from the law overseas.

“These are all wild, baseless allegations and accusations,” he said at a press conference at the Berjaya hotel in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon.

When asked if he would be pressing for a defamation suit against his detractors, the tycoon said that it would be a waste of time.

“Why would I want to take legal action against this fugitive who is nothing but a bankrupt? When I was younger, I always like to sue. But now that I’m older, I’ll just let it go.

Although Tan did not mention any names, it was clear he was referring to blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin, who has been in “hiding” in London.

Raja Petra had recently alleged that the revenue made from the legalisation of sport betting is to be channeled to the BN’s coffers.

“What he has been saying is absolute rubbish. He should be put into jail with the keys thrown away,” he said sarcastically, at a rare meet-the-press session.

Also present at the press conference was his son, Robin Tan, the chief executive officer of Berjaya Corp.

To appeal to Pakatan states

Tan said that he would appeal to Pakatan Rakyat states, in particular Penang and Selangor, to lift the ban on sports betting.

“I hope they will be sensible and fair-minded,” he said.

Tan insisted that the legalisation of sports betting will help curb illegal bookies, who offer cut-throat credits.

“Legal bookmaking asks for cash up-front. It is only when you ask for credit, then they get into trouble,” he said.

He added that illegal bookies work hand-in-hand with loan sharks.

Tan estimated that illegal sports betting in Malaysia amounted to a
staggering RM20 to RM30 billion annually.

By legalising it, he said the government would be able to receive an
estimated annual revenue of between RM1 billion and RM3 billion.

The Pakatan opposition coalition, along with key NGOs, have planned to organise a mammoth rally in Kuala Lumpur on July 3 to deliver a memorandum to the king at Istana Negara urging his intervention to halt the sport-betting licence.

When asked about further legal avenues for Berjaya Corp, which intends to offer sports betting products in 220 of their Sports Toto outlets, he declined comment.

“I will just talk to (the Pakatan Rakyat state governments). I will appeal over and over again,” he said, adding that they will be studying the matter for further recourse.

When pressed for details, he said, “we will cross the bridge when we get to it.”

According to Tan, the legalised sports betting will be ready for launch this September.

The Pakatan state governments have come up with several ways to ban sports betting, including ordering its local councils to stop issuing premise licences to the Sports Toto outlets which will be offering sports betting products.

But when asked about the worst case scenario if the state governments refuse to compromise, Tan said that they will have to look at other alternatives.

“We will just have to do better marketing with our telephone betting services,” he said, adding that the over-the-phone service should contribute three quarters of total sales expected.

He also revealed that out of the 680 Sports Toto outlets around the country, roughly 150 of them are in the three Pakatan states of Penang, Selangor and Kedah.

“It’s no fun to watch sports and not bet,” said Tan. Mkini

Rakaman video Ucapan pimpinan PR dalam Demo anti zionis di Kedutaan US bah 2

Rakaman video Ucapan pimpinan PR dalam Demo anti zionis di Kedutaan US – Dengan adanya pemimpin hipocrit seperti jibby Altantuya, Gaza tidak akan bebas dari cengkaman zionis

Thousands rally against Israel (Video inside)

Thousands of protestors marched from Kampung Baru in the heart of the capital to the US embassy, condemning Israel over its deadly attack on a Gaza-bound humanitarian aid flotilla.

Led by opposition Pakatan Rakyat top brass, protestors are demanding that the United States put pressure on its ally Israel to allow humanitarian aid into war-torn Gaza.

Despite warnings to rally organisers yesterday, the police offered to control traffic to allow the march to proceed.

Meanwhile, there are another two rallies at the same time – one led by Umno Youth in Masjid Negara and the other lead by NGO Lifeline4Gaza.

2.15pm: Thousands have gathered at Kampung Baru mosque and begins their march towards the US embassy after Friday prayers.

This group is led by PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim.

2.20pm: Though riot police and mobile water cannons were in the vicinity, protestors were allowed to continue their march and police offered to control traffic.

2.30pm: Protestors stream into the busy Jalan Sultan Ismail, part of the central business district, heading towards KLCC.

The march was punctuated with chants of “Allahu akhbar“, “Destroy Israel” and “Khaibar ya Yahud (war against the Jews)”.

2.40pm: Over at the National Mosque, Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin held a small rally involving some 200 people to protest against Israel.

Khairy told reporters later that his group will not join the rally at the US embassy because it is billed as an opposition event.

He adds that it is better to have multiple protests.

2.45pm: About 200 demonstrators lead by NGO Lifeline4Gaza arrived at the US embassy after marching 100m from the Tabung Haji headquarters. They handed a memorandum to a representative at the US embassy.

2.55pm: Anwar and other Pakatan Rakyat top leaders arrive at the Tabung Haji headquarters on a pickup truck, about a stone throw away from the US embassy.

The weather is cloudy and two police helicopters are circling overhead.

3.00pm: A smaller crowd, estimated at 500, which arrived at the US Embassy earlier are dispersing.

This group is led by an NGO known as LifeLine4Gaza.

3.10pm: Police have formed a cordon about 100m away from the US embassy.

Crowd tries to barge through but the Pakatan leaders calm them down, reminding them that their rally was peaceful.

After some negotiations with the police, several top Pakatan leaders were allowed pass the cordon to hand a protest memorandum to the US embassy.

Among the top Pakatan leaders are Anwar, DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang and PAS deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa.

3.35pm: All the top Pakatan leaders have handed the document to embassy representatives and the protest is still on-going.

Some protestors are burning the Israeli flag and pictures of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

3.40pm: Anwar addresses the crowd.

“The United States is now weak, resulting in more Israeli aggression. We urge the United States to put an end to (Israel’s) cruelty and listen to the world,” he said.

Anwar said that the US ambassador promised to forward their document to Washington DC next week and urge their leaders to stand up against Israel.

3.50pm: The crowd disperses peacefully. Many are seen folding banners and collecting their own rubbish.



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