Perak Imbroglio: Zambry Granted Stay Of Execution

“The momentous High Court decision, declaring that Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin is the rightful Menteri Besar of Perak, is a victory for the people of Perak, democracy and justice.” -- DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng.

It is also in a way a partial victory for the judiciary where there seem to be still at least a few men of conviction willing to place their honor and oath of office above the selfish expectation of great reward.

That personal view was somewhat marred by the latest news that the Appeals Court has just granted a stay of execution of the KL High Court ruling that Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin is the righful mentri besar of Perak. Thus the musical chairs charade continues with Dr Zambry as mentri besar until his appeal is heard.

Looks like Umno has much more influence than anyone else in the higher courts and not to forget in the palace too. However try as they will, in the end in the court of public opinion, all of them, the fawning members of the judiciary and the increasingly out of touch royal family must all answer for the mess this has turned out to be. Time will come for that. Of that we can be sure.
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Nizar Is Rightful MB Of Perak, Rules KL High Court

The High Court here ruled rule on Monday that Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin is the rightful Perak Mentri Besar, and NOT Barisan Nasional’s Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir.

In his ruling, Justice Abdul Aziz Abd Rahim said that a mentri besar can only be dismissed by a vote of no confidence, and he upheld the Stephen Kalong Ningkan ruling.

He noted that the Perak State Legislative did not hold a vote of no confidence.

Nizar had filed for a judicial review on Feb 13, seeking a declaration that he is the rightful mentri besar of Perak and an injunction to bar Dr Zambry from discharging his duties as the mentri besar.

On March 6, Justice Lau Bee Lan had ruled that there were constitutional issues involving the interpretation of Article 16 (6) of the Perak Constitution and later referred four consitutional questions to the Federal Court for determination.

However, on March 23, the Federal Court ruled that the case of who the rightful mentri besar is should be heard by the High Court.

Meanwhile Zambry has applied for a stay of execution on the High Court's decision.

The rollercoaster ride goes on!

Now let us see what the Perak palace has to say. Is it going to play politics and come out bruising itself further or will it accept the court's decision and act accordingly? We'll know pretty soon.

Tone Deaf Prime Minister Touts 'Spirit Of 1Malaysia' In Vesak Day Message! In what must be one of the most egregious examples of hypocrisy and disconnect, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, today called on Malaysians not to focus on differences between one another, but instead to actively look for similarities and common ground. "In the spirit of human progress, in the spirit of developing this great country, in the spirit of 1Malaysia," sermonized our dear leader!Has the PM been cocooned in some store room at Putrajaya for the past two days? In the aforementioned period, his so-called '1Malaysia' concept (if we can call it that) has been ripped to shreds, along with the complete ruin of his political credibility and near bankrupt reputation.Apart from the BN controlled mainstream media, there has been almost universal condemnation of the Umno-police-gangster nexus unleashed by on high in Putrajaya, resulting in the shameful invasion of the Perak State Assembly with the active connivance of the state civil service while the Regent of Perak cooled his heels in a nearby facility for five hours! Was His Royal Highness clueless to what was transpiring nearby? Oblivious to the fact that Umno was indulging in constitutional rape of his state's legislature? One wonders.But at least one person was all tuned in to the flagrant abuses taking place in Ipoh. The same pemimpin who now sends this Vesak Day message! What cockiness. What thick skin! Having inflicted maximum damage to the country's political institutions in the past forty-eight-hours, one would have thought that he would at least have the decency to shut up while continuing to pretend that he is above the fray and not involved in the disgrace that took place in Perak. But no! He had to demonstrate how tone deaf he really is and at the same time assert his determination to lurch from scandal to bloody scandal virtually unscathed and blissfully unconcerned about repercussions while piously preaching unity and consensus building. And oh yes, touting the 'spirit' of 1Malaysia!!

In what must be one of the most egregious examples of hypocrisy and disconnect, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, today called on Malaysians not to focus on differences between one another, but instead to actively look for similarities and common ground. "In the spirit of human progress, in the spirit of developing this great country, in the spirit of 1Malaysia," sermonized our dear leader!

Has the PM been cocooned in some store room at Putrajaya for the past two days? In the aforementioned period, his so-called '1Malaysia' concept (if we can call it that) has been ripped to shreds, along with the complete ruin of his political credibility and near bankrupt reputation.

Apart from the BN controlled mainstream media, there has been almost universal condemnation of the Umno-police-gangster nexus unleashed by on high in Putrajaya, resulting in the shameful invasion of the Perak State Assembly with the active connivance of the state civil service while the Regent of Perak cooled his heels in a nearby facility for five hours! Was His Royal Highness clueless to what was transpiring nearby? Oblivious to the fact that Umno was indulging in constitutional rape of his state's legislature? One wonders.

But at least one person was all tuned in to the flagrant abuses taking place in Ipoh. The same pemimpin who now sends this Vesak Day message! What cockiness. What thick skin! Having inflicted maximum damage to the country's political institutions in the past forty-eight-hours, one would have thought that he would at least have the decency to shut up while continuing to pretend that he is above the fray and not involved in the disgrace that took place in Perak. But no! He had to demonstrate how tone deaf he really is and at the same time assert his determination to lurch from scandal to bloody scandal virtually unscathed and blissfully unconcerned about repercussions while piously preaching unity and consensus building. And oh yes, touting the 'spirit' of 1Malaysia!!

Perak State Assembly Chaos: Najib's Reputation, Credibility & 1Malaysia Flushed Down The Toilet

It didn't take long for the vicious beast to reveal its true colours. A leopard, they say, does not change his spots. Neither will a dictator very easily change his evil ways. What better illustration of that theory than the disgraceful goings on over the past few days, culminating in the numerous arrests and disproportionate show of force by the totally discredited Umno-owned 'Loyal' Malaysia Police, in the run up to the controversial Perak State Assembly proceedings.

This whole episode leading to the fall of the legally elected state government was masterminded from day one by the present PM. A few days prior to the palace assisted coup, Najib took over the position of Perak Umno state chairman from Tajol Rosli. The only reason for such a maneuver was that Tajol was too small a guy to discuss and clinch a quid pro quo deal with the Perak palace. Najib on the other hand had the requisite political stature to negotiate a 'mutually satisfying and rewarding' arrangement with the sultan. The consequence of that royal kau tim was a succession of unconstitutional and blatantly illegal steps taken by Najib and his minions in government, judiciary, police and others.

A majority of the nation is still shell-shocked over all that has occurred. The ease with which the state and federal Constitutions have been defiled, national institutions laid waste by the wayside and lofty principles, plain morality and decency trampled upon by ruling party savages, has left the populace stunned and distressed. And history will blame one man for all that has happened and is happening - Umno president Najib Razak. All the other characters in this sordid drama - the palace, Zambry, the defecting assemblymen, the genuflecting senior and junior judges, the servile police and kowtowing civil servants are but minor players in a political chess game set up by the PM.

Najib is the puppet master who behind the scenes is actively directing the continued assault on the democratic fabric of the nation or what little is left of it after fifty years of wear and tear. He should certainly make Dr Mahathir proud. But alas the end of this story may not be to Najib's liking. Yes he could get away with grabbing Perak with a veneer of legality by way of the current state assembly proceedings and resolutions. However the people are watching with understandable awe, fear and more importantly, anger. And most of them are not fools or blind to the Machiavellian machinations being inspired from Putrajaya and its head honcho.

Among the biggest losers in the current debacle is the reputation, credibility and the nonsensically opportunistic 1Malaysia policy of Najib. The above are rapidly heading their way to Indah Water's sewers where they rightfully belong.

Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Hopes To Form 'Islamic Space Agency'

National astronaut Datuk Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor said today his main mission this year is to gather all the nine Muslim astronauts worldwide to form an Islamic Space Agency.

He said he had already met Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, to discuss how to form the agency when he performed the haj in Mecca last year.

Prince Sultan is a retired officer in the Royal Saudi Air Force and a former astronaut. He is a grandson of King Ibn Saud and is the only Saudi citizen to travel in space and the first Muslim to do so.

"I hope more Muslim astronauts will travel in space and more Muslim aerospace experts can meet and contribute in the fields of science and technology," he told Bernama after a Batek Modelling exhibition in conjunction with Chinese New year 2009 at the Galeri Seri Endon.

On another related matter, Dr Sheikh Muszaphar said he had also met the Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovations, Fadillah Yusof to clarify on the allegation that he had amassed wealth from giving talks on his space experience and was waiting for a response whether his contract with the ministry would be continued.

Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor was alleged to have charged a fee of RM8,000 per hour for his talks and had amassed RM1.2 million from 150 companies upon his return from the International Space Station (ISS) in October last year. (Bernama)

***** How much of islamising everything in sight will suffice? Lawyers have the Muslim Lawyers Association and doctors have to contend with the Islamic Medical Association of Malaysia (IMAM). Now Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor wants to take this religious fervour to space!

Of course this lofty talk of forming an Islamic Space Agency could be just an attempt to divert attention from the accusations that he had capitalised on his space trip to make huge sums of money. Stranger things have happened.

Police Lockups - Malaysia's Mini Guantanamos Where Cops Beat, Abuse & Splash Hot Water On Suspects

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) or individuals should not politicise the issue of police personnel allegedly abusing and pouring hot water on carpark attendant B. Prabakar.

Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Director Datuk Mohd Bakri Mohd Zinin made this appeal after 35 people from certain NGOs and political parties came to the Brickfields police headquarters with Prabakar to lodge another report this morning.

He said the man complained that police had not taken action on his earlier report and did not inform him of the development of the case.

"Today, Prabakar submitted 10 names said to be involved in the incident and we will call them to give statement.

"Yesterday alone the police had called him to make six identification sessions involving hundreds of police personnel," he said at the Kuala Lumpur police contingent headquarters.

He said that so far, the police had recorded 22 witness statements regarding the case including from two doctors, one from a government hospital while the other a private hospital.

Bakri said the allegation by some NGOs that police had their own agenda was not true because the police had to fair in their investigation and they must be given space to conduct the probe.

"If Prabakar has new issues, he can see the investigating officer but he does not need to bring along NGOs and politicians," he said.

Prabakar was picked up by police at his work place in Sri Hartamas about 9.30pm on Dec 23 to assist in the investigation into a robbery and taken to the Brickfields police headquarters for questioning.

While in custody, he was allegedly beaten up and splashed with hot water by 10 police personnel including a sergeant.

Two days after his release on Dec 28, he lodged a police report, claiming among others that he was offered RM500 to keep his mouth shut but he did not take the money. (Bernama)

***** How does the government expect the average citizen to have any respect or trust for the police as long as torturers and thugs are part of the force?

Malaysia Muslims Urged To Shun U.S. Goods Over Gaza. Colgate, Starbucks, Coke Targets

A Malaysian Muslim group began a boycott of top U.S. products on Friday as protesters demanded a halt to the Gaza conflict amid growing anger in the Muslim world over Israel's 14-day offensive.

The Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia said Muslims in the Southeast Asian country would not buy goods produced by U.S. toothpaste manufacturer Colgate-Palmolive Co, soft drink maker Coca-Cola and coffee chain Starbucks to protest U.S. inaction against the attacks.

"We urge Muslim consumers internationally to unite so that we can teach a lesson to Israel and its allies," Ma'amor Osman, an official with the association, told reporters in the compound of the national mosque after Friday Muslim prayers.

"This is to object to the arrogance and cruelty of Israel and its allies towards the Palestinians."

He urged the Malaysian government to end all its contracts with U.S.-owned firms.

The United States is among Malaysia's single largest export markets, absorbing more than a tenth of its total shipments.
Read the whole story HERE.

***** What about the employees of the above companies, both Muslims and non-Muslims? Aren't they the ones who would be really affected by the boycott move if it ever succeeds? Why should this consumer group try to flex muscles it does not have? After all our government has already pressed the UN as well as the OIC for action over the Gaza issue. We can however be sure that the Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia's protests would not have even the remotest of response from the Israeli aggressors. So why announce boycotts which won't work and have the end effect of hurting our own people? Perhaps the Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia could not be bothered with such consequences as long as their religio-political agenda gets its fifteen minutes of fame.

As it is many of our workers are being laid off due to the economic downturn in the US. Why stupidly invite more trouble for ourselves?

Hindraf Accuses Malaysia Of Racism At International Conference. MIC Says "Semuanya OK!"

The banned Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), which had distributed pamphlets smearing Malaysia's image at an international conference attended by thousands of overseas Indians here, was flayed by MIC leaders today.

MIC secretary-general and Malaysian Human Resource Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said he would raise the Chennai incident in the Cabinet next week, and added that he had also briefed several top Indian leaders about the status of Malaysian Indians during his visit to New Delhi last week.

"I will bring this to the Cabinet. I have also explained to several Indian leaders about the situation in Malaysia. All of them are committed to the good relations with Malaysia. They are aware of the tremendous progress achieved by Malaysian Indians," Subramaniam told journalists on the sidelines of the 7th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas conference in Chennai.

Subramaniam met Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayal Ravi last week.

Several Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders and Hindraf leader P. Waytha Moorthy are in Chennai to attend the three-day conference which started today in this southern Indian city.

Several Hindraf members distributed their annual report to the local media and conference delegates at the Chennai Trade Centre where the meeting is being held.

A few local television stations also interviewed Waytha Moorthy who had flown in from London. It is believed that he does not hold a Malaysian passport anymore.

MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu described some of Hindraf's claims as "utter lies" and said the group disseminated incorrect information about the welfare of Malaysian Indians.

"That the 150,000 Malaysian Indians of the fourth and fifth generations are stateless is an utter lie. There are only 21,000 without birth certificates, and the Home Ministry has ordered that they be issued the birth certificates.

"Demolition of one temple a day is an old tune which he (Waytha Moorthy) is still singing. If one temple a day (is demolished), it means in the last 25 years there won't be any Hindu temple," Samy Vellu told Malaysian journalists.

On the calls by Hindraf to the Indian government to stop bilateral trade with Malaysia, Samy Vellu said the group failed to understand how two nations do business and that Indian leaders were wiser in dealing with such issues.

"We will reply to the Indian government on these utter lies. Indian leaders are very wise and they will not listen to this rubbish. They will go ahead with their arrangements," he retorted.

About 1,500 Indians from over 50 countries are attending the conference. (Bernama)

***** Who would you believe? MIC bosses who paint such a rosy picture of our country or Hindraf which got banned and had its leaders incarcerated for raising the evil practice of racism in Malaysia?