Ezam the Chameleon - Special Branch’s biggest success story

Ezam - the lizard that changes color - suffered a syndrome called Alcibiades, according to Khalid Jaafar a Parti Keadilan Rakyat supreme council member and a close confidante of Anwar. In his blog's post al-Telawi exposed Ezam’s personality and why he failed the test as Reformasi hero. Let me share a little bit (excerpted from his blog) here…

Ezam, I suppose, must be the Special Branch’s biggest success story in turning over. If he wasn’t turned over how he could have written a letter to Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi while serving his prison term in Kajang. He was the most celebrated of the ISA detainees but upon his release he refused to be present with them at a press conference. He also avoided being on the same platform at any rally.
When Anwar was released and regained his health, leaders fought tooth and nail to have him speak at their constituency. But Ezam evaded offers by Anwar to speak in Shah Alam, his division, and asked Shamsul Iskandar to sit in for him as Anwar toured of the country.
Why Ezam failed the test while the rest continue to walk tall as Reformasi heroes? I think he suffered from a disease I call Alcibiades syndrome. Alcibiades was the most controversial Athenian politician during the Peloponnesian War and one of the disciples of Socrates. He was immortalized in Plato’s dialogue called “The Symposium”. Instead of trying to understand Socrates’ philosophy he was enthralled with the personality of the philosopher.
His speech in the symposium was all encomia to his teacher. In his politics he betrayed Athens by joining the city’s mortal enemy, Sparta, then rejoined Athens to fight against Sparta and later betrayed Athens to join the Persians.
I saw Ezam giving a similar speech in Jakarta, when we were in a short exile, at the launching of the Indonesian version of Anwar’s Asian Renaissance. He didn’t say a sentence on the book, or about Tagore, or Iqbal, or Rizal and Okakura. He was saying “Anwar this, Anwar that” and I at the time was praying that lightning and thunder would strike so that he could end his dumb speech.
I saw him in Ipoh where I heard him say: “I joined Umno because of Anwar Ibrahim, and left Umno because of Anwar Ibrahim.” Of which he received a standing ovation among the youth delegates.
I saw his character in the Romance of Three Kingdoms, in the personality of Lu Bu whose politics is marked with a series of betrayals. But both Lu Bu and Alcibiades ended in ignominious
deaths.

Question: Who’s Next?

Malaysia unveils new plan to fix fuel prices: Petrol price floats from Sept 1 to reflect world crude price

Malaysia unveils new plan to fix fuel prices
Agence France-Presse - 8/1/2008 12:11 PM GMT
Malaysia will next month introduce a new system linking domestic fuel prices to the global market, but will cap prices at their current levels, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Friday.
Crude oil costs have fallen around 23 dollars since Malaysia introduced a 41-percent fuel price hike in June to ease the burden of spiralling energy subsidies, sparking angry street protests.
"The government would like to announce that effective September 1, 2008 the retail fuel price will be adjusted according to the monthly average, and the subsidy of 0.30 ringgit (per litre) will be maintained," Abdullah said in a statement Friday.
"The retail price of fuel will be fixed on the first day of every month."
An aide to the prime minister said that if global crude oil prices continued to ease, "then pump prices could be adjusted lower in September."
"The pump price of fuel at the beginning of each month, from September onwards, will reflect the average crude oil prices for the month before," he told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Oil was trading at around 123 dollars on Friday after being pushed lower on fears of easing energy demand. But prices are still much higher than in recent history, having traded at under 10 dollars in the late 1990s.
In June the government fixed pump prices at 2.70 ringgit per litre (0.83 dollars) based on crude oil prices of 125 dollars per barrel, and Abdullah said there would be no further hikes in 2008.
The government increased petrol prices to ease the burden of spiralling energy subsidies, but crude oil costs have fallen by about 23 dollars from record highs above 147 dollars per barrel, which hit earlier in July.
Malaysia's annual inflation rate soared to a 26-year high of nearly eight percent in June due to the rise in fuel costs, echoing a surge in inflation across Asia that has stoked fears of slower regional economic growth.

P44 Permatang Pauh: WAWI steps down as MP; DSAI to contest election for wife's seat

Malaysia's Anwar to contest election for wife's seat
Agence France-Presse - 7/31/2008 11:10 AM GMT
Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said Thursday he would contest a by-election for a parliamentary seat vacated by his wife in a bid to expedite his return to political office.
But party officials said his plans could come to a crashing halt next week, if police arrest him on sodomy charges that the former deputy prime minister says are politically motivated and aimed at derailing his comeback.
"I thank Wan Azizah (Wan Ismail) for stepping down as the member of parliament for Permatang Pauh. The decision was not easy," Anwar told reporters at his Keadilan party's headquarters.
Wan Azizah said she handed her letter of resignation to the parliamentary speaker on Thursday. Party officials said the by-election must be held within 60 days.
Anwar said he decided to contest his hometown seat in northern Penang state to speed up his return to parliament after a 10-year absence, adding that leaders of the other two parties in the opposition alliance supported him.
"I will defend anyone who has been victimised, including Anwar," the president of the Islamic PAS party, Abdul Hadi Awang, told reporters.
The alliance made huge gains in March general elections, seizing control of five states and a third of parliamentary seats.
Anwar has said he will form a new government with the help of defecting lawmakers from the powerful ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.
His by-election announcement came after his party said he could face imminent arrest on charges that he sodomised a 23-year-old male aide, charges similar to those that saw him jailed 10 years ago before they were overturned.
"They may arrest him in the next 48 hours. It is aimed to prevent him from contesting a by-election," Tian Chua, the party's information chief, told AFP.
The government responded by saying it did not fear Anwar's possible return to office.
"We are not worried ... we will face it .. he is not a threat. It is a democratic process, good luck to him," Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar told reporters.
Syed Hamid, who is in charge of internal security, also said police had completed their investigation into the charges against Anwar and forwarded the case file to government lawyers to decide whether to charge him.
But a defiant Anwar said the investigations should be dropped.
"Why should I be charged? For what? They have gone for one month on a fishing expedition and they have not caught anything," he said.
A survey conducted by the independent Merdeka Centre research firm revealed that two-thirds of the 1,030 respondents polled viewed the charges against Anwar as politically motivated, while only 11 percent believed the accusations.
Anwar has rejected the claims by Mohamad Saiful Bukhari Azlan, calling him an "outright liar" who was working with others in power to frame him and block his plans to topple the government.

UNDI INFO: PENANG: P44 - Permatang Pauh

Malaysia's Anwar says medical report makes lie of sodomy charges

Agence France-Presse - 7/29/2008 6:10 AM GMT
Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim demanded Tuesday that police drop a sodomy investigation against him, producing a medical report he said showed no assault had taken place.
Anwar reiterated that the allegations by a young male aide, a repeat of charges that saw him jailed a decade ago, have been fabricated to disrupt his plans to seize power from the coalition that has ruled here for half a century.
"The hospital report leaked yesterday confirms our contention that the allegations levelled against me are baseless and politically motivated," he told a press conference.
"The complainant is an outright liar working hand in glove with those in power to assassinate my character and attempt to derail the people's aspirations for transformational change in Malaysia."
Anwar did not say how he had obtained the June 28 report, which has also been circulating on political websites, but said it showed there was no evidence that his accuser, Mohamad Saiful Bukhari Azlan, had been sodomised.
"Police should stop this investigation. With this evidence, this is an end to it."
The police were not immediately able to comment on the claims, but they have denied reports that the doctor who prepared the report had been arrested.
Mohamad Saiful, 23, who was a volunteer at Anwar's office, said he was sexually assaulted at a luxury condo and is now under police protection.
The opposition leader was arrested earlier this month and spent a night in custody before being released on police bail.
Anwar called on the police to drop the investigation which he said was harming Malaysia's reputation and economic prospects.
"I condemn in the strongest terms their negligence, dishonesty and recklessness in humiliating the nation by dragging us all through this vile and filthy charade."
"At a time when the world economy is spiralling into recession and Malaysia has struggled to remain competitive, this scandal was raised at the worst possible moment," he said.
"The international community has expressed its disdain for what is happening and that will translate to less foreign investment, less tourism and an even weaker economy."
Anwar, a former deputy premier who was sacked in 1998 before being jailed on sodomy and corruption charges, has said he plans to return to parliament later this year if a court orders a by-election near his home town.
The original sodomy conviction was overturned by the nation's highest court in 2004, but the corruption count still stands and prevented him from taking public office until a few months ago.

Malaysia tells US to stop interfering in Anwar's case

Stop making statements on Anwar
By MAZWIN NIK ANIS
SINGAPORE: Kuala Lumpur wants Washington to abstain from making further statements pertaining to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the country's rule of law set-up.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Rais Yatim said he had informed United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice of this during their bilateral talks Thursday.
Rais said he had informed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi that he would meet Rice while attending the Asean Ministerial Meeting and would take the opportunity to talk to her on this issue.

"I had explained to Rice that investigations against Anwar over sodomy allegations were not politically motivated whatsoever.
"I had also specifically itemised the Criminal Procedure Code which is an age-old instrument of administration of criminal law in the Commonwealth.
"I spoke to her on this to point out the fact that we have an entrenched and recognised system of criminal law," he told Malaysian reporters here.
Rice had earlier Thursday called on Malaysia to be transparent and abide strictly by the law when handling Anwar's investigations.

Malaysian court rejects bid to stay proceedings for Najib to be called

SHAH ALAM (July 23, 2008): The Shah Alam High Court today rejected an application to stay all proceedings of the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder trial to recall prosecution witness P. Balasubramaniam and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak following a statutory declaration filed by the former on July 1.
The application filed by Karpal Singh, who is holding a watching brief for Altantuya's family and the Mongolian government, was rejected on the grounds that those represented by Karpal were not a party to the trial.
"In my mind, they are excluded as they have no locus standi on the matter," said Judge Datuk Mohd Zaki Md Yasin.
In making the decision, he said: "Section 425 of Criminal Procedure Code is divided into two limbs.
"The first limb is discretionary and can be made upon application, while the second is imperative when the court feels it is essential to the justice of the case."
In rejecting the application, he said under the first limb, it must be made by the parties of the trial; the victim, he added, is excluded. – MORE

Malaysia deputy PM must testify in Mongolian murder trial: lawyer

Agence France-Presse - 7/22/2008 9:22 AM GMT
A top Malaysian lawyer Tuesday demanded the country's deputy premier be summoned as a witness in the gruesome murder of a Mongolian woman with whom he has been linked.
Karpal Singh, who is holding a watching brief for the family of the slain 28-year old Altantuya Shaariibuu filed a court notice to compel Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak and two other policemen to testify.
"It is necessary because Najib's evidence is needed for the just decision of this case because of the role that he is said to have played," Karpal told AFP.
"It has taken a different turn altogether and all this while he has been denying everything but all these matters have to be cleared," he said.
Karpal also asked the court to summon private investigator P. Balasubramaniam to give evidence in the murder case after his sworn statement last month, linking Najib to Altantuya, which he swiftly retracted.
Balasubramaniam, who went missing after his explosive statements is in hiding in a neighbouring Southeast Asian country, police have said.
"He is a key prosecution witness. He says he was not asked about these details by the prosecutors and that is why they were not revealed in court," Karpal said.
"The court should now order that he be recalled as a witness to explain these claims," he said.
"Otherwise the court will be in a position where they would have to ascertain his credibility, but more importantly whether the evidence he gave earlier was correct."
Altantuya was murdered in 2006 and her body blown up with explosives in a remote forest and Najib's close friend, Abdul Razak Baginda, who had hired the investigator in the lead up to her death, is on trial for abetting the murder.
Najib has denied the allegations, saying never met the model.
The prosecution wrapped up their case last month and the judge will hear submissions from the defence on Wednesday at the Shah Alam High Court in central Selangor state.

For Anwar, a First Step Is Not a Misstep

IGP sues Anwar for defamation
By : Sushma Veera
pix: Kamarul Hisham Kamaruddin, lawyer for Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan, leaving the High Court Registry after filing the suit against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yesterday
KUALA LUMPUR: Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan is fighting the allegations that he fabricated evidence against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim more than a decade ago.
Three weeks after a police report was lodged against him by the Parti Keadilan Rakyat de facto leader, Musa yesterday broke his silence and countered with a suit.
Earlier, the IGP had given Anwar 48 hours to apologise over the police report, which Musa described as "malicious, slanderous and libellous".
The apology did not come and Musa yesterday filed suit through his counsel, Kamarul Hisham Kamaruddin, at the High Court Registry.
The suit was filed on a day when Anwar went public with more allegations of Musa fabricating evidence against him in 1998 (See Page 6 (print version –ed.) ).
At almost the same time that Musa's suit was filed, Anwar was at the Anti-Corruption Agency giving his statement on the report he had lodged on July 1.
In that report, he accused Musa and Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail of fabricating evidence during investigations into the "black eye" incident in 1998.
Anwar was assaulted by the then inspector-general of police, Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Noor, while being detained at the federal police headquarters in Bukit Aman.
In the investigations that followed the assault, Musa was the investigating officer while Abdul Gani was the head of prosecution at the Attorney-General's Chambers.
Musa, in his statement of claim, said Anwar's police report, in its natural and ordinary meaning, alleged that the IGP had misused his power to fabricate evidence.
"It also indicated that I was dishonest and an irresponsible person," Musa said. He contended that by lodging the report, Anwar had committed defamation repeatedly when he allowed the report to be reproduced on several websites, including his own blog, which is accessible by the public.
Musa argued that Anwar had acted as such to:
- divert public attention and focus away from the sodomy accusation by Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan;
- influence the public into thinking that the sodomy accusation was a political conspiracy against him; and
- to destroy any credible evidence and statements gathered by the police and witnesses in the likelihood that he is charged.
"As such, Anwar lodged the police report not to report facts but to support and justify his accusations."
The IGP claimed an unspecified amount in damages for slander and sought an injunction restraining Anwar, his servants or his agents from further publishing the defamatory words, costs and other relief deemed fit by the court.
In an immediate response, Anwar said: "I will deal with it (the suit) in court. I will be happy to face him in court."

Top cop sues Anwar for defamation
KUALA LUMPUR, July 21 — Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan (picture) filed a defamation suit against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at the Kuala Lumpur Civil High Court at 11am today for alleging that he fabricated evidence in the former deputy prime minister's black eye assault 10 years ago.
The suit was filed through his lawyers Kamarul Hisham and Hasnal Rezua and it is for an unspecified sum, although Kamarul confirmed that in the earlier letter to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim demanding a retraction of his alleged defamatory statements, the amount specified then was RM5 million.
In a move designed to put pressure on Anwar, the lawsuit is a follow up to Musa's letter to Anwar dated July 11 asking the Parti Keadilan Rakyat de facto leader to apologise to him within 48 hours or face a legal suit.
Anwar lodged a police report on July 1 accusing Musa and Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail of fabricating evidence for his black eye assault by former police chief Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Noor the night of his arrest in September 1998.
Musa was then the investigating officer while Abdul Gani was the senior deputy public prosecutor for his sodomy case.
Musa told Bernama last week that he would be filing the suit against Anwar. The Anti-Corruption Agency has taken statements from Musa and Abdul Gani as well as Anwar over the allegations which both government servants claim are false.
Police arrested Anwar after the ACA interview last week for a fresh sodomy complaint against him, which he denies and claims is politically motivated.
After being freed on police bail, he has restarted a nationwide political roadshow to defend against the sodomy accusation and to reiterate his claims that both fabricated evidence.

Anwar is at the ACA this morning for further statements.

Anwar welcomes IGP lawsuit

By Shannon Teoh

pix: Anwar gives the thumb’s up after giving his statement to the ACA this morning. — Picture by Choo Choy May

PUTRAJAYA, July 21 — Saying he "will be happy to take this in court", Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today welcomed Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan's lawsuit against him for alleging the national police chief and attorney-general had fabricated evidence in his black eye assault 10 years ago.
Musa filed a defamation suit in the Kuala Lumpur High Court earlier today. Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail is said to be considering a similar suit.
The opposition leader also reiterated that "I did, I was, I had to strip naked" despite a denial from the Kuala Lumpur Hospital over his medical examination in relation to a sodomy complaint by his former male aide. This is the second such accusation against Anwar in a decade, both of which he denied and said is politically motivated.
Anwar maintained that he was "saddened that the director (of the hospital) was forced to give such a statement but I never said I was forced to strip. I was asked to give evidence and even though the form that was used was that for a rape victim I had to concede if not some local media will say I was not cooperative."
He gave further reasons why he refused a DNA sample: "The forensic doctor in the first trial made a statement in court under oath that the police took my blood without permission."
He added that since his blood was taken without consent in the 1998 sodomy case, he had given another five samples up to 2004 for purposes of monitoring his health, alluding to the fact that there was enough of his DNA already available.
Anwar also expressed appreciation with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's assurance that Musa and Gani would not be involved in the current sodomy investigations but regretted that "it is a month too late."
"Proceedings have gone, information extracted and all the issues generally quite resolved but at least there is an acceptance that these two cannot be trusted in dealing with my case, but whether they have a lot of influence and say within the police force and A-G's chambers remains to be seen," he added.
He also hit back at claims that he was politicising the ongoing sodomy probe.
"The minister of health said I was politicising it. But who is politicising it? The prime minister, deputy prime minister, home minister — everybody is coming in. I am a vulnerable citizen against the might of the entire government."
Anwar remained confident of his plans to take over the federal government despite what he called "a pattern to demonise and intimidate me."
"Clearly I am seen as a threat because Pakatan wants to pursue an agenda for reform. We are on track to take over the government."Meanwhile, ACA deputy director-general Datuk Abu Kassim Mohamed said the agency is investigating Anwar's complaints against the IGP and A-G without referring to the A-G's Chambers.

ACA to wrap up probe soon into allegations against Musa, Gani PUTRAJAYA: The Anti-Corruption Agency is expected to wrap up this week its investigation into allegations by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim that Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail and Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan had tampered with evidence in 1998.
ACA deputy director-general Datuk Abu Kassim Mohamed yesterday said all witnesses had had their statements recorded.
"We are satisfied with the evidence and statements given so far. If there is a need to call these witnesses, including Anwar, Musa or Abdul Gani, we will do so," he told a press conference minutes after Anwar, the former deputy prime minister and Parti Keadilan Rakyat de facto leader, left the agency's head office after having his statement recorded for the second time over the allegations.
Anwar had his statement recorded for the first time on Wednesday. On the same day, he was detained by the police in connection with a sodomy allegation against him by his former aide. He was released on police bail.
Abu Kassim said the ACA would decide on the case without referring to the attorney-general.
"There are certain cases which we do not have to refer to him and this is one of them. Even the A-G has made it known that this case did not have to be referred to him as he had been implicated.
"We will study the evidence with our legal director, without fear or favour. The investigation papers will also be studied by our legal director and deputy public prosecutors."
He said there were 31 DPPs in the agency.
On July 11, Musa and Abdul Gani were seen entering the ACA head office, without being accompanied by lawyers.
ACA investigations director Datuk Shukri Abdull had said the agency had questioned 15 people in connection with Anwar's report.
Anwar and his camp have maintained that the latest sodomy allegation was an attempt to divert attention from the fact that he had evidence to prove that Abdul Gani and Musa had fabricated evidence against him 10 years ago in connection with his assault after he was arrested.
A Royal Commission of Inquiry into the incident determined that the then inspector-general of police Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Noor had assaulted him. Rahim later pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced to two months' jail.

harakahdaily: Anwar serah 8 dokumen pada BPR babitkan Gani dan Musa

Nah!.. Kerajaan Juboq, Makan Keliling: ‘Instead of managing the economy, they're managing people's private parts’ – the 6th PM

KLH director: We didn’t force Anwar to strip naked

In response to Hospital Besar Kuala Lumpur director Dr Zaininah Mohd Zain's statement today that Anwar was not asked to strip during his medical examination on the night of his arrest, the former deputy prime minister insisted that there were specific instructions that doctors had followed including an "examination of private parts front and back" and that he refused only to have his nude photo and DNA sample taken.
"If ministers want to fitnah (slander), they should not ask their officers to do it for them," he said when addressing the denial of his undressing by the hospital's director.

PM: No role for Musa, Abdul Gani in sodomy probe

"It's already been three weeks … they'd have done whatever they wanted to by now. If they are truly not involved, there would be no case to begin with," Anwar said of Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi's assurance that the Inspector-General of Police Musa “Tilam” Hassan and the Attorney-General, Gani 'em'Patail would not be involved in the probe.
Anwar had accused both of fabricating evidence in his black eye assault case in 1998, adding Musa "Tilam" Hassan also brought in a mattress for the first sodomy case in 1999.

m/insider’s full report: Polls soon if Malaysia Day plan fails

Anwar’s Case: Open Letter Concerning Anwar Ibrahim - Islamica Magazine

update 7/20/08: International support for Anwar Ibrahim - The attempt to smear and defame Anwar Ibrahim has been thoroughly rejected by the international community. Statements condemning the arrest of Anwar Ibrahim and stating concerns over the credible dispensation of justice have been made by groups which view the entire conduct of this case as suspiciously, similar to the fraudulent allegations made in 1998.

I am a victim of 'vendetta': Anwar

Malaysia's Anwar says victim of 'vendetta'
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - - Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said Thursday he was the victim of a "vendetta", after being held overnight on sodomy accusations levelled by a young male aide.
Anwar, who was released on bail, said he was treated like a "major criminal" and needed medical treatment after a night in a bare cell at Kuala Lumpur police headquarters which aggravated a back injury.
"Dumped in a cell to sleep on a cold cement floor with nothing... that has exacerbated the pain," said Anwar, who was arrested Wednesday by a team of police commandos.
"I don't deserve this -- no Malaysian deserves this. Why treat me like a major criminal?" he told a press conference, adding that he was subjected to an examination which included the measuring of his genitals.
"They have seen all my private parts. Of course I refused to be photographed, it could be on YouTube very soon! You mean I can trust the system?"
Anwar rejected the allegations levelled by 23-year-old aide Mohamad Saiful Bukhari Azlan as another conspiracy, following the events of 1998 when he was sacked as deputy premier and jailed on sodomy and corruption counts.
"It appears that the events of the last few days, the nature of my unwarranted arrest, my overnight incarceration which was actually absolutely unnecessary, were an act of personal vengeance against me," he said.
"They should not use this as a personal vendetta against me."
Anwar said he was being targeted because of allegations he has made against the attorney-general and chief of police over his treatment during his original trial.
He has lodged a police report accusing them of manipulating evidence in an investigation into the severe beating he received when he was in police custody at the time.
The 60-year-old opposition leader defended his decision not to give a DNA sample during Wednesday's examination, saying he had no faith in the system after fabricated DNA evidence was used against him in his trial a decade ago.
"My decision to refuse a DNA test is taken through advice of my lawyers and DNA experts," he said.
And he criticised the decision to arrest him, when he had agreed to face police interrogation at a meeting scheduled just an hour after he was picked up by police.
"I am disappointed with the way the police have handled this whole situation," he said.

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Lessons not learnt

JULY 16 - Arresting him was the easy part. And yet the police fumbled, reaching for the sledgehammer approach and bringing back memories of 1998 when balaclava-clad police personnel stormed into Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's home and arrested him.
Ten years ago, the police justified the hardball approach, saying that the former deputy prime minister was a threat to national security, having just led a massive demonstration in the heart of the city.
What's the excuse for stopping him at a junction near his home in Segambut, bundling him into an unmarked vehicle by balaclava-clad men and then speeding off to the KL police headquarters. The Opposition leader was on the way home from a session with the Anti-Corruption Agency when he was picked up.
The arrest came an hour before Anwar was scheduled to show up at the police station to be interviewed by officers investigating a sodomy allegation against him. On June 28, his former aide, Saiful Bukhary Azlan, alleged that Anwar sodomised him in an apartment in Damansara.
Anwar is likely to be charged with going against the order of nature today or tomorrow. He will be out on bail after that and will attempt to punch holes in the prosecution's case even before it reaches the court. MORE

Malaysia's Anwar promises cheap fuel in historic debate

Malaysia's Anwar promises cheap fuel in historic debate
Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said Tuesday he would lower petrol prices immediately if he came to power, in an unprecedented debate with a government minister.
Anwar clashed with Information Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek in the country's first ever live television debate between an opposition leader and a minister from the coalition, which has ruled for half a century.
The debate took place even as Anwar's lawyers warned he faced imminent arrest over new accusations of sodomy -- the same charge that saw him jailed a decade ago.
Anwar rapped the government over last month's 41 percent fuel price hike which raised the cost of petrol to 2.70 ringgit (0.84 dollars) per litre, and triggered public outrage and a series of protests.
"If we become the next government, we will reduce the price of petrol by 50 sen the next day, bringing oil prices to 2.20," he told the packed auditorium which had erupted into wild applause when he entered.
"Everyone is affected by this price increase and we can reduce it with a 5.0 billion ringgit fund," said the charismatic 60-year-old who was casually dressed in a beige sports jacket and white shirt.
Anwar said nearly half the money could be raised by cutting overcapacity at state electricity provider Tenaga.
Ahmad Shabery, more formally attired in a black jacket and pink shirt, defended the price hike to the audience, which included parliamentarians from both sides of Malaysia's political divide.
"Anwar is exploiting the people's suffering by exploiting their pain in suggesting short-term solutions, but nothing that can help the people in the long-term," he said. MORE

Debat: Hari Ini Membentuk Kerajaan, Esok Turun Harga Minyak!

Ahmad Shabery/Anwar fuel price debate live telecast
BERNAMA
KUALA LUMPUR, Mon:

A debate on the fuel price increase between Information Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek and Parti Keadilan Rakyat(PKR) advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will be telecast live tomorrow on Bernama TV (Astro channel 502) and TV9.
The one-and-a-half-hour debate, entitled “Hari Ini Membentuk Kerajaan, Esok Turun Harga Minyak” (Today Form the Government, Tomorrow Decrease the Fuel Price) and organised by the news portal, Agenda Daily, will be held at the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) starting at 9pm.
DBP chairman Johan Jaaffar, who is also the moderator, said the debate would be held along the lines of the presidential debate in the United States.
“Both debaters will be on stage and will be given five minutes each to make their opening remarks and I will ask them one question each,” he said.
Johan said Anwar dan Ahmad Shabery would also invite their own reporters to ask the questions.
“The reporter invited by Ahmad Shabery will question Anwar and vice versa. I think this way is fair,” he added.
Asked about his preparation for the debate, Johan said that as far as possible he would not interfere with the questions which will be asked by the reporters.
“I will only concentrate on the topic and I don’t know what questions they will ask," he said. — BERNAMA

PM: Arrests show that even big fish can be caught

PM: Arrests show that even big fish can be caught

By JANE RITIKOS

PETALING JAYA: The detention of two top Immigration Department officers by the Anti-Corruption Agency in investigations into allegation of bribery in the issuance of visas to foreign workers if proof that even big fish will not be let off the hook, the Prime Minister said.
Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said that the public was shocked by the detention of the top officers as if it was unusual.
"So they perceive that big guns cannot be arrested and that is why they are shocked? All this while the authorities act on "big or small" people, whether they hold posts or not.
"As long as there is misconduct, the ACA will investigate. If they obtain information that ties the accused to the crime they will surely charge them, " he said after opening the National Summit on Urban Poor and Low Income Groups.
On whether the alleged offence threatened national security, Abdullah said the probe might involve massive work as the ACA would need to identify those involved and the extent of the problem which included training those who had been issued the documents through the illegal means.
He said the alleged offence had caused an undesirable situation.

No-confidence motion rejected; Opposition MPs walk out

Parti Keadilan Rakyat President Datuk Seri Wan Azizah voices the opposition’s dissatisfaction over the motion of no confidence against the Prime Minister motion rejected by the Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia and the police's reaction to the emergency motion by turning Parliament into a “ war-zone”. >>>
KUALA LUMPUR: Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia rejected an emergency motion of no-confidence against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his Cabinet, which prompted a walkout by Opposition MPs.
The motion was filed by Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail last Thursday. It was filed as a non-voting motion under Standing Orders 18 (1) and (2).
The motion was rejected in the Speaker's chambers under Standing Order 18 (7). Dr Wan Azizah was informed via a letter.
The matter was not brought up in Dewan.
The motion was rejected by the Speaker due to the "wrong choice of words."
The Opposition MPs walked out after their appeal for him to review his decision was rejected.
Pakatan Rakyat leaders said they were disappointed with Pandikar Amin's rejection of their emergency motion. They also condemned the police roadblocks across the city, saying the action was "unjustifiable."

ROAD BLOCKED: The sign says it all.

ROAD BLOCKED: The sign says it all. The road to Parliament is off-limits to all except those on duty and Members of Parliament from 7am tomorrow. Police today obtained a court order barring any rally from being held within a five-kilometre radius of Parliament House tomorrow. NST PIX BY Mohd Radzi Bujang.
Kelantan : Lanskap baru politik negara bermula Isnin ini - Anwar

Kedah : Jika ditangkap - Anwar mahu PAS, KeADILan dan DAP teruskan perjuangan

Malaysia beefs up security in case of mass protest

Malaysia beefs up security in case of mass protest
Sat Jul 12, 2008 7:59pm IST

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Police began beefing up security in parts of the Malaysian capital on Saturday in case of possible opposition-led street protests next week against the ruling coalition.
The government has been trying to quell growing public and opposition discontent after a series of political scandals and a steep rise in fuel prices, leading to fears about the country's political and economic outlook.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Muhammad Sabtu Osman said several roads leading to parliament would be closed on Monday and security personnel would be deployed in some areas.
"Police have also taken preventive measures and have set up roadblocks from 2 p.m. (0600 GMT) today," he was quoted as saying by the state-run Bernama news agency.
Police are preparing for a mass gathering outside parliament on Monday called by the opposition, which wants a parliamentary debate on a motion of no-confidence in the government.
"We are having a gathering to show our support for the motion of no-confidence to be debated," said Ginie Lim, a spokesman for the opposition People's Justice Party.
The Barisan Nasional coalition, which has led Malaysia since independence from British rule in 1957, is facing its worst crisis in 50 years.
Its popularity has plummeted since a March general election when the opposition alliance made surprisingly strong gains.
The opposition, led by former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim, needs just 30 more seats to win a simple majority and form a government. It won a record 82 seats in the 222-seat lower house in the March election. The remaining seats are held by the ruling coalition.
In Malaysia, a gathering of five or more people requires a police permit. In practice, police deny permits to anti-government protests but often grant permits for protests against foreign governments such as the United States.
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved

Malaysia PM's handover plan fails to silence critics

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's decision to step down in favour of his deputy in mid-2010 has not silenced calls for a prompt change of leadership after a drubbing in March elections.
Abdullah said Thursday he had struck an agreement with his deputy Najib Razak to hand over power, but first wanted the opportunity to implement reforms and projects promised since he came to office five years ago.
The premier has faced repeated calls to resign from within his ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), after unprecedented losses in the elections and a fuel price hike that triggered public outrage.
Although his announcement was aimed at silencing these dissident factions, and averting a challenge in UMNO leadership polls in December, rumblings from within have already begun. MORE

Negeri Sembilan : Formula to lower fuel prices to be revealed in debate with information minister - Anwar

source: text- bernama via nst, pix- agendadaily SEREMBAN, Fri: Parti Keadilan Rakyat advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said he will reveal his formula to reduce fuel prices on Tuesday during his debate with Information Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek.
“(It’s) not that the reduction will make prices at par with those in Venezuela but it will be a reduction so that people can get by. We are not making empty promises, boasting or lying to overcome the problem,” he said at a ceramah here last night.
Anwar said the Barisan Nasional government had mismanaged the economy to the point that the people were burdened with the prices of fuel and goods.
“The country has to be saved to benefit all the people. It’s a question of our future, not Anwar’s,” he said. On the debate, Anwar said till now he did not know whether it would take place or not.
“There is a possibility it will not take place but I hope it will,” he said.
The debate organized by news portal Agenda Daily and themed Form The Government Today, Reduce Fuel Prices Tomorrow is scheduled to take place at Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
Anwar has been reported to have promised to reduce fuel prices if the opposition forms the government. — BERNAMA