Baram Dam: Lying govt and big companies

Joseph Tawie

 | Corrupt Barisan Nasional

KUCHING: The deceitful and insidious manner by which the state government is going about with the construction of the Baram Dam has angered the Orang Ulu communities in the dam project vicinity.

Orang Ulu National Association Miri (OUNA) chairman Pete Kallang said: “As one of those affected I just can’t understand this injustice and this outrageous and abusive exploitation.

“Why, it could be seen as an act in complete disregard for our well-being and opinion.

“This could be proven by the priority given to the preparatory construction activities done even before the proper Social Impact Assessment (SIA) and the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) are completed or perhaps not even started and made accessible to affected and interested parties.

MACC must show independence, not impotence

From Robert Phang, via e-mail

AG Gani Patail is again courting controversy by the revelation in Malaysia Today, which appeared on the Aug 24, 2011. If the allegation is not thoroughly investigated, it will be perceived badly by the Rakyat.

Malaysia Today produced documentary evidence of what appears to be AG Gani Patail receiving gratification to take sides in a corporate boardroom tussle in Ho Hup Construction Berhad.

Previously, photographs had already surfaced in various blogs of AG Gani Patail with that company’s previous managing director, Vincent Lye.

Sarawak govt ‘constantly’ ignoring court rulings

KUCHING: State opposition PKR has accused the Sarawak government of “abusing and misusing” the office of the state Attorney-General’s Chambers (A-G) to defend the wrong-doings of a few who continue grabbing native customary rights (NCR) land.

According to PKR vice-chairman See Chee How, the state government is “constantly” denying court rulings favouring natives on NCR land.

“The High Courts, the Court of Appeal and even the Federal Court have spoken and ruled on the recognition of NCR according to the customary practice of the natives concerned, but the state government chose to have its own restrictive interpretation.

“The state government is in its denial mode and likely to continue doing so, no matter how many cases are decided in favour of the native communities that have chosen to stand up against the state Barisan Nasional regime.

What is this country coming to?

ALIRAN

Will the rakyat be able to survive the power of the police – and that of the State, wonders Kee Thuan Chye. 

What is this country coming to? Many Malaysians are asking this question in view of the numerous actions taken by the police over the past week. 

WE RELEASE THE DOCUMENTS – EXCLUSIVE PROOF!

FBC Media's PR Chief/ Executive 

Programme Editor Alan Friedman

Sarawak Report has received a copy of the actual letter and contract sent by FBC Media Chairman, Alan Friedman, to Chief Minister Taib Mahmud, outlining their illegal PR campaign.

The total cost for FBC’s ‘Global Strategic Communications Proposal’ came to $5 million in the first year alone in a campaign designed to last at least 3 years. 

Sources close to BN have told us that the project was first outlined verbally in meetings between Alan Friedman and the Chief Minister, after the FBC Media Chairman was invited to Kuching at the start of the year.

Separate divisions?

‘MCMC officers behaved like thugs’

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) today questioned a journalist over a picture she had taken during the Bersih 2.0 rally.

But according to Lawyers For Liberty (LFL) coordinator, Fadiah Nadwa Fikri, the officials had behaved like thugs in their intimidation and harassment of both her and her client.

Fadiah had accompanied her client, Yusriah Yusof, a photographer with opposition mouthpiece Suara Keadilan, to the MCMC headquarters earlier this afternoon.

Yusriah was being questioned over her picture of Anwar Ibrahim’s bodyguard, Fayyadh Afiq Albakqry, taken after he was hit in the face with a tear gas canister while shielding Anwar.

The picture of his bloodied face were among the many circulated online in the aftermath of the rally as evidence of police brutality.

Post-Bersih 2.0 Rally, Here Are The Winners - Part 1 (Photo) 
Post-Bersih 2.0 Rally, Here Are The Winners - Part 2 (Videos) 
Post-Bersih 2.0 Rally, Here Are The Winners - Part 3

Armed Forces chief warns staff: It is treachery to expose votes cheating

In a bid to head off more revelations of votes cheating, Armed Forces chief General Zulkifeli Mohd Zin put on his fiercest face and warned that it was "treachery" for staff to blow the whistle on their bosses.

In a rare public statement issued on Thursday, Zulkifeli also rebuked "irresponsible parties" for implicating the armed forces and its personnel in corrupt voting procedures.

“The actions can be interpreted as treachery and it should stop immediately. The ATM (armed forces) is the nation's wall of defence that should be supported by all levels of the people, regardless of ethnicity, religion and political position," Zulkifeli, who heads the Armed Forces, said in a statement out on Thursday.

What happened to the RM29 million health clinic probe?

From Lee Kee, via e-mail

No amount of money spent on public relations will regain the public’s confidence in the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) until it displays true justice and independence from the powers that be.

The MACC’s selective persecution and prosecution is so glaring to the public that only a daft person will believe it is a truly anti-graft agency.

And, please don’t rate its administration with Hong Kong’s ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption). It’s insulting.

The Teoh Beng Hock tragedy continues to hog the limelight and public anguish has yet to die down after more than two years and only shows it is futile to defend the MACC.

Teoh’s death was caused by the MACC. Whether its officers were directly or indirectly responsible, it is still unclear because of the cover ups.

Battle starts for natives suing Taib’s sister

KUCHING: The hearing of a lawsuit against Chief Minister Taib Mahmud’s sister, Raziah Mahmud, has begun.

The lawsuit was filed by natives Numpang Anak Suntai and 14 others on behalf of 276 Iban landowners of Sebangan/Sebuyau.

The suit, which is against Quality Concrete Sdn Bhd and Loyal Billion Sdn Bhd, is being heard at the Kuching High Court.

Quality Concrete, which is owned by Raziah, is alleged to have encroached into 3,305 hectares of forest which the Ibans have claimed as their native customary rights (NCR) land.

Taib’s ‘rogue’ PR campaign, thanks to Najib

CORRUPT BARISAN NASIONAL : KUCHING: When Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud hired FBC Media, it was to counter widespread negative reports of him.

Nothing wrong with hiring a PR company, is there?

Taib needed it, more so after revelations surfaced of his immense personal wealth and billions of dollars in global business links allegedly derived from timber concessions dating back to the 1980s.

The Swiss-based Bruno Manser Fund had linked and blacklisted 49-companies in eight countries to Taib and his family.

To top this opposition, environmentalists and conservationist here and abroad have claimed that under his rule 70% of Sarawak’s rainforest have been deforested and indigenous communities marginalised, abused and ignored.

FBC MEDIA SCANDAL – GROWING QUESTIONS FOR CNN’S JOHN DEFTERIOS

Defterios gives Facetime to FBC client,
Malaysia's PM Najib Razak, on CNN

Corrupt Barisan Nasiional - If CNN had acknowledged concerns about FBC Media’s spin operations and agreed to investigate the possible contamination of its programmes, because of its connections with that company’s President, John Defterios, criticism might have died down.

However, unlike the BBC and CNBC, who have both launched investigations and suspended FBC Media programmes, CNN has leapt to a fairly arrogant and unquestioning defence of its Business Presenter, who for years has combined that role with a senior position and substantial shareholding in the crooked PR/ Production company. 

Videos and You Tube: Catching the police and BN in a web of lies

Corrupt Barisan Nasional l Written by  Iskandar Dzulkarnain

What started out as just a simple march for democracy and for free and fair elections has turned out to be Malaysia’s biggest news of the year. In the weeks leading up to the July 9 Bersih march, the media industry was already witnessing a gigantic surge in the news material for Bersih 2.0.

Low-profile lawyer Ambiga Sreenevasan, who is also the Bersih chief, was thrown rudely into the limelight. Public attention was further aggravated by Perkasa Chief Ibrahim Ali and his hostility towards the Rally. Sad to say, death and gang-rape threats against Ambiga also riveted many Malaysians to their Internet.

MALAYSIAN MONEY – £3 BILLION YACHT !

According to the UK’s Mail newspaper an ‘anonymous Malaysian businessman’ has purchased a yacht priced at £3 BILLION pounds.  This amounts to nearly $5 BILLION dollars and indeed RM14.5 BILLION !

The purchaser of this record-busting toy is clearly reluctant to answer questions such as: How much tax have you paid? How much have you contributed to helping alleviate poverty? Or, indeed, how did you earn so much money in the first place?  So, they have remained anonymous.