The Malaysian Insider :: Malaysia

Scorpene probe: Nurul Izzah wants Parliament to debate defence secrets leak

Thu, 31 May 2012 10:25:54 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 — PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar will next month demand Parliament discuss developments in the ongoing Scorpene submarine case, including yesterday's discovery that national defence secrets have been sold to the French. The Lembah Pantai MP said in a statement today that she will move an emergency motion in the House on ...

Anti-Taib radio anchor ‘abducted’ by unknown men

Thu, 31 May 2012 10:20:06 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 — A radio presenter for Radio Free Sarawak, which has been heavily critical of Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud's administration, was taken by three unidentified men after landing in Miri this morning. According to a statement from the radio station, Peter John Jaban was flying in to Sarawak from Kota Kinabalu to celebrate the Gawai ...

Petronas to pay RM28b dividend to Putrajaya

Thu, 31 May 2012 09:35:14 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 — Petronas will pay the government RM28 billion in dividends or slightly more than half of its total net profit from the 2011 financial year. Petronas reported RM55.6 billion in net profit for the nine months ended 31 December 2011. The national oil company is changing its financial year to end in December starting this ...

EPF denies bidding for Battersea plant

Thu, 31 May 2012 09:19:50 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 — The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) has denied news reports in Britain that it has submitted a RM1.8 billion bid for the iconic Battersea power station in London. Bloomberg and the Financial Times had quoted a report by property researchers CoStar that the state pension fund had beat out top-flight football club Chelsea FC to ...

MACC blamed for alleged whitewash in Shahrizat-NFC probe

Thu, 31 May 2012 08:17:24 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 — The Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) was accused today of whitewashing Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil's National Feedlot Centre (NFC) graft investigation , with PKR's Rafiz Ramli pointing out that he had not even been questioned by investigators despite being responsible for most of the allegations against the ...

Graft: High Court upholds ex-Immigration D-G’s acquittal

Thu, 31 May 2012 07:54:50 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 — The High Court here today upheld the Sessions Court’s decision to acquit and discharge former Immigration Department director-general Datuk Wahid Md Don of accepting a bribe of RM60,000 to expedite visa approvals for Bangladeshi workers. Judge Datuk Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah made the decision after rejecting an appeal by the ...

FELDA denies fleecing settlers, points to 20pc stake held in trust

Thu, 31 May 2012 07:43:54 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 — FELDA today denied claims of sidelining its 112,000 settlers despite allotting them just a 2.5 per cent holding in FELDA Global Ventures Berhad (FGVH), saying a trust fund will ensure a 20 per cent dividend is channelled directly to them. The federal land development scheme’s chairman Tan Sri Isa Samad (picture) told a press ...

MACC directed to probe Azmin over graft allegations

Thu, 31 May 2012 07:36:15 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) was today asked to investigate Azmin Ali over claims he owns RM30 million in assets, following a complaint lodged by the PKR leader’s estranged sister Ummi Hafilda Ali. The MACC’s operations evaluation panel (PPO) chairman Tan Sri Hadenan Abdul Jalil told reporters it had ...

Southern tsunami for Pakatan at GE13, says PAS

Thu, 31 May 2012 07:24:21 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 — Pakatan Rakyat (PR) will win big in Umno bastions in Johor, Negri Sembilan and Malacca at the next national polls, PAS predicts, saying the next political “tsunami” will be in the southern states. “In the next GE, I see a tsunami coming from the south where support, especially in Johor, is growing, not like previously where ...

PNB to announce first company to be disposed of

Thu, 31 May 2012 07:19:24 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 — Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) will announce the first of its five non-core companies that will be disposed of any time now, says president and group chief executive Tan Sri Hamad Kama Piah Che Othman. He said PNB, on its part, had identified the five companies involved and the disposal of these companies will also ...

RM10b IPO will turn FELDA into global player, says Najib

Thu, 31 May 2012 06:27:03 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 — The planned June 28 listing of FELDA Global Ventures Holdings (FGVH) will turn the “domestic organisation into a global player” as the world’s third largest palm oil operator in the world with a market capitalisation of RM16.6 billion, Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today. The prime minister said the listing has attracted the ...

Government ‘fleecing’ settlers RM8.8b with FGVH listing, claims Pua

Thu, 31 May 2012 05:47:37 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 — DAP MP Tony Pua today claimed that Putrajaya would be “fleecing” FELDA settlers of a whopping RM8.8 billion through the leasing of their land under the highly-anticipated public listing of FELDA Global Ventures Berhad (FGVH). The DAP publicity secretary said the exercise would also see FELDA losing some RM394 million ...

Seven foreign GROs nabbed in police raid

Thu, 31 May 2012 05:23:47 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 — Five Thai and two Vietnamese women, believed to be working as guest relations officers (GROs), were detained in a raid on a karaoke centre in Puchong, near here, last night. Inspector Joycelyn Liza Edmund from the Selangor police Gambling, Secret Society and Vice branch, who led the operation, said the foreigners, aged 19 to ...

Malaysian ref charged with match-fixing in Singapore

Thu, 31 May 2012 05:13:30 GMT

SINGAPORE, May 31 — Two Malaysians were charged in a court here today with allegedly being involved in fixing a football match between Lions XII and Sarawak on May 22 at the Jalan Besar Stadium here. Alternatively, former Kedah footballer S. Thanasegar, 38, is alleged to have aided referee Shokri Nor, 47, to meet a man named L. Selvarajan so that ...

MACC clears Shahrizat in NFC probe

Thu, 31 May 2012 04:59:23 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has cleared Wanita Umno chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil of any involvement in the RM250 million National Feedlot Centre (NFC) scandal. MACC operations evaluation panel (PPO) chairman Tan Sri Dr Hadenan Abdul Jalil said today that investigations into Sharizat’s ...

Taib: Sarawak’s Dayaks to enjoy benefits of transformation plans

Thu, 31 May 2012 04:55:27 GMT

KUCHING, May 31 — The Dayak commmunity will benefit through their involvement in the government’s transformation programmes towards achieving a high-income economy by 2020, said Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, here, today. He said all the transformation programmes mooted by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak could be implemented ...

Aid available but try for independence, Shafie tells students

Thu, 31 May 2012 04:00:30 GMT

BANGI, May 31 — The government is always prepared to assist students from institutions of higher learning look after their wellbeing, said Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal. But the minister also said the students, through their associations, should try to be self-reliant by generating income rather than being ...

EPF closes in on RM1.8b deal for iconic London power station

Thu, 31 May 2012 03:05:01 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 — The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) is poised to snatch the Battersea power station in London from neighbouring top-flight football club Chelsea FC with an offer worth £375 million (RM1.8 billion), according to a report by property researchers CoStar. This brings the spending spree by government investment funds into the ...

Razak Baginda’s firm sold Malaysian naval secrets to French, says lawyer

Thu, 31 May 2012 02:14:57 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 — A highly-confidential government document on the Malaysian Navy’s evaluation of the Scorpene submarines it planned to buy was sold by Terasasi (Hong Kong) Ltd to French defence giant DCNS for €36 million (RM142 million), a lawyer involved in an ongoing inquiry has revealed. Abdul Razak Baginda, a former think-tank head who ...

PEMANDU hiding ETP failure, say critics

Wed, 30 May 2012 22:58:08 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 — Putrajaya’s efficiency unit is “shifting the goalposts” to hide its failure to transform the economy since launching its ambitious Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) in October 2010, says the Research for Social Advancement (REFSA) think-tank. The opposition-linked think-tank, which has published a series of critiques ...

ERL extension to KLIA2 on track for completion by end 2012

Wed, 30 May 2012 15:57:17 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 — The RM100 million Express Rail Link (ERL) extension from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2), the low-cost carrier terminal in Sepang, is on track to be completed by year’s end, said Noormah Mohd Noor, Express Rail Link Sdn Bhd Chief Executive Officer. She said ...

Daim ally, Razak Baginda named as ‘political network agents’ in Scorpene probe

Wed, 30 May 2012 14:59:28 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 — Secret documents obtained during the on-going Scorpene submarine probe have revealed the roles of an alleged ally of former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin as well as Abdul Razak Baginda in procuring major defence contracts between France and Malaysia, Suaram has said. The human rights group said that police have seized ...

Sosilawati murders: Pathmanabhan denies land deal a scam

Wed, 30 May 2012 14:43:56 GMT

SHAH ALAM, May 30 — Former lawyer N. Pathmanabhan, who is the first accused in the murder trial of Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and three others, today denied that a land transaction in Penang involving the cosmetics millionaire was a scam. Pathmanabhan made the denial when questioned by deputy public prosecutor Saiful Edris Zainuddin about the parcel ...

EC to hold electoral roll checking campaign from June 1

Wed, 30 May 2012 13:27:34 GMT

PUTRAJAYA, May 30 — The Election Commission (EC) will hold the Electoral Roll Checking Month Campaign 2012 to enable the 12,658,803 voters who registered up to December 31 last year to verify their status. EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof said the campaign, which will be held from June 1-30, was aimed at increasing voter awareness on the ...

Prasarana to introduce electric buses in 2014

Wed, 30 May 2012 12:45:44 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 — Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd plans to introduce electric buses for public transportation in two years’ time to support the government’s green environment initiatives. Prasarana Group Director for the Bus Division, Zohari Sulaiman said they would acquire between 10 and 15 buses initially before making it a blanket ...

Government needs to handle demands ‘deftly’, says Dr M

Wed, 30 May 2012 12:16:56 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 — The government needs to be wise when entertaining various demands as it needs to do so without forsaking certain principles, said former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. “Before, when we were strong, there were not that many challenges. But when people perceive us to be weak, they will make all sorts of demands. This ...

Court: Provision in Syariah criminal enactment constitutional

Wed, 30 May 2012 11:11:22 GMT

PUTRAJAYA, May 30 — The Federal Court here has ruled as valid and constitutional, Section 53 (1) of the Negeri Sembilan Syariah Criminal Enactment 1992, which makes it an offence for a Muslim without accreditation to teach Islam. Chief Justice Tan Sri Arifin Zakaria (picture), chairing a five-member panel, said today that the Negeri Sembilan State ...

Karpal files application to strike out sedition charge

Wed, 30 May 2012 11:02:53 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 — Lawyer Karpal Singh today filed an application to strike out a sedition charge against him for allegedly uttering seditious words against the Sultan of Perak three years ago. The application, together with supporting affidavits, was filed at the Criminal High Court registry here. He also submitted copies of the application ...

FELDA council slams opposition, ANAK over windfall demand

Wed, 30 May 2012 10:49:52 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 — The Malaysia FELDA Youth Council (MBFM) has slammed the opposition for demanding the government give settlers a windfall of up to RM50,000 each and not RM15,000 only. Its president Anuar Abd Manaf said their demand showed that the opposition was shallow and ignorant of FELDA’s real strength, its expenditure and strategic ...

The ‘Big Bird’ has landed

Wed, 30 May 2012 10:10:35 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 — The arrival of the new Airbus A380 is envisaged as the beginning of a new and successful chapter for Malaysia Airlines (MAS). The MAS team comprising their top executives to dedicated crew staff have been working round-the-clock to see to the delivery of the world’s largest passenger airline. At 3.55pm, the aircraft finally ...

UM improves varsity ranking, 35th in Asia

Wed, 30 May 2012 09:49:25 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 — Universiti Malaya (UM) retained its top spot among the country’s higher learning institutes on the QS Asian University Rankings this year, cinching 35th position out of 500 surveyed. The country’s premier university went up three spots last year from 42nd place in 2010. However, more than half of the 15 Malaysian ...

Chua, Lim to address key policies in debate, says organiser

Wed, 30 May 2012 09:41:26 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 — Seven policy areas are expected to be covered during the second debate between MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng on July 8. Debate organiser Asian Strategy & Leadership Institute (Asli) told a press conference today that they were education, healthcare, economic prosperity, ...

Ambiga should be protected, says MIC minister

Wed, 30 May 2012 09:32:25 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 — Bersih chief Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan should be protected and her rights respected despite having contrary views to the government on electoral reforms, Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said today. “As a citizen, she should be given all the protection necessary and her rights respected. All fair thinking ...

Ministry orders temporary suspension of milk distribution in Sabah schools

Wed, 30 May 2012 09:22:10 GMT

PENAMPANG, May 30 — The Health Ministry has issued a temporary stop order to the distribution of milk in all schools in Sabah following the recent food poisoning incidents involving schoolchildren in the state. Deputy Health Minister Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin said all schools in the state should adhere to the instruction until all ...

EC: Caricatures prohibited on campaign material

Wed, 30 May 2012 08:39:59 GMT

JOHOR BARU, May 30 — Political parties contesting in the 13th general election are not to put up posters or buntings bearing caricatures of any individual or personality. Election Commission (EC) deputy chairman Datuk Wira Wan Ahmad Wan Omar said that during the 2011 Sarawak election, there were too many examples of campaign material that ...

2 suspected drug mules nabbed, 11kg syabu seized

Wed, 30 May 2012 08:26:53 GMT

BUKIT KAYU HITAM, May 30 — Two Malaysian women, suspected of being drug mules deployed by an international trafficking syndicate, were detained in connection with the seizure of 11.146kg of syabu here yesterday. The drug was worth about RM3 million at street value. The suspects, from Kuching, Sarawak, were nabbed by a team of customs enforcement ...

Publisher to challenge arrest, seizure and ban of lesbian author’s book

Wed, 30 May 2012 08:12:30 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 — ZI Publications will file a series of judicial reviews over the arrest of its owner Ezra Zaid and the ban and seizure of a book written by a lesbian author who professes to be a Muslim. The Selangor Islamic Religious Affairs Department (Jais) yesterday raided the publisher, which has courted controversy by publishing ...

Anwar says slowdown warrants fiscal debate, retabling of Budget

Wed, 30 May 2012 07:38:07 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 — Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim renewed today calls for a debate on economic policy with archrival Datuk Seri Najib Razak after Malaysia posted a 4.7 per cent growth for the first quarter, short of the five to six per cent projected in the latter’s Budget 2012. The opposition leader said in a statement the “serious repercussion” to ...

Economists: Greek euro exit threatens ‘deep recession’ in Malaysia

Wed, 30 May 2012 07:28:38 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 — A Greek departure from the euro zone would cause a second recession in as little as four years in Malaysia as the repercussions may be felt throughout the global economy, Bloomberg reported analysts and economists as saying today. Economists told Bloomberg that investors are now betting on the small Mediterranean country ...

US Senators McCain, Lieberman call on PM

Wed, 30 May 2012 07:11:16 GMT

PUTRAJAYA, May 30 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak received a courtesy call from US Senators John McCain and Joseph Lieberman at his office in Perdana Putra Building, here, today. Both Senators were accompanied by Special Envoy to the United States, Datuk Seri Jamaluddin Jarjis and United States ambassador to Malaysia, Datuk Paul W. ...

Under BNM scrutiny, Rafizi questions inaction over NFCorp

Wed, 30 May 2012 06:52:28 GMT

PETALING JAYA, May 30 — Rafizi Ramli accused Bank Negara Malaysia today of clamping down on whistleblowers while failing to probe alleged money laundering by the National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp), after being summoned by the central bank under the Banking and Financial Institutions Act (BAFIA). The PKR strategic director, who has been at the ...

PTPTN loans will snowball to RM24b by 2020, says Rafizi

Wed, 30 May 2012 06:41:08 GMT

PETALING JAYA, May 30 — A PKR leader warned today that the current tertiary education model will result in spiralling costs and require the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) to approve a whopping RM24 billion in student loans for the year 2020 if the current rate of increase continues. Strategic director Rafizi Ramli told a press ...

Nizar: My tweet was not seditious

Wed, 30 May 2012 05:31:13 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 — Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin has defended his remarks against the Sultan of Johor’s RM520,000 bid for a vehicle registration number, saying it was not seditious in any manner. According to an earlier report today, police are now investigating the former Perak mentri besar for sedition after he suggested the RM520,000 bid ...

Nizar’s remarks on Johor Sultan’s ‘WWW 1’ bid under probe

Wed, 30 May 2012 04:14:58 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 — Police are investigating Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin for sedition after the Perak lawmaker suggested the RM520,000 the Sultan of Johor had bid for a vehicle registration number could be better used to aid the needy, The Star reported on its website today. According to Johor police chief Deputy Commissioner Datuk Mohd Mokhtar ...

Court dismisses man’s defamation suit against PTPTN

Wed, 30 May 2012 04:00:10 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 — The Sessions Court today dismissed former student Mandeep Singh’s defamation suit against the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN), saying there was “insufficient evidence” to support his claims. Mandeep, a former Universiti Selangor (Unisel) student, previously sued PTPTN authorities for allegedly barring him ...

Late MCA leader accused of stealing A$20m from Aussie firm

Wed, 30 May 2012 03:25:27 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 — Datuk Tan Tiong Hong, a former MCA secretary-general and Deputy Finance Minister who died last year, is alleged to have taken more than A$20 million (RM62 million) from a public-listed company in Australia to repay a personal debt, the Sydney Morning Herald reported today. The Australian newspaper report also suggested that ...

Malaysian sues Singapore banker over failed investment

Wed, 30 May 2012 02:55:09 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 — A Malaysian investor is filing a lawsuit in Singapore against a banker from the French bank Credit Agricole over an unsuccessful US$665,000 (RM2 million) share investment, the Singapore Straits Times reported today. According to a court statement, Malaysian Kevin Ong alleged that Ho Yong Chong had breached his duty of care ...

Bersih to snub Hanif-led probe panel

Tue, 29 May 2012 23:02:22 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 — Bersih has joined the Bar Council in refusing to participate in the “Hanif panel” investigating police violence in the April 28 rally for electoral reforms, saying the probe would be “seriously flawed” under Tun Hanif Omar’s chairmanship. Bersih co-chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan repeated the council’s view that Hanif’s ...

MAS’ first A380 to land in KLIA Wednesday

Tue, 29 May 2012 15:58:12 GMT

TOULOUSE (France), May 29 — The world’s largest and most eco-efficient aircraft, the Airbus A380, is now in the hands of Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and will touch down on Malaysian soil tomorrow at around 3pm. MAS took delivery of its first A380 out of the six ordered yesterday and is the eighth operator of the passenger aircraft. Airbus Chief ...

Rais: P. Ramlee Foundation to look after artistes’ welfare

Tue, 29 May 2012 15:43:08 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 29 — The government will be setting up a foundation called Yayasan Seniman P. Ramlee to assist artistes with their activities besides looking after their welfare, said Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim. He when an artiste falls ill, sometimes there is no one to help him or her despite a ...