‘Sabah Umno reps only servicing Muslims’

Disgruntled Sabah Upko members are fed up with Umno YBs
and want a special programme to re-educate them on
their responsibilities to the electorate.

LAHAD DATU: The strained relationship between two Barisan Nasional components here has emerged into the open over the preferential treatment given to Muslim Bumiputera at the expense of the non-Muslims.

The United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) which is embarrassed that it has not been able to provide the same level of social assistance that Umno provides its supporters, this week accused the dominant BN party of granting assistance based on religious beliefs rather than on needs and creating a split where none existed before.

Is APS eating away into STAR turf?

Wilfred Bumburing's APS which Anwar Ibrahim tasked
to garner support for the opposition from the
natives is confident that the tide is turning.

KOTA KINABALU: Anwar Ibrahim may be a happier man these days with the positive sounds coming out of Sabah.

Going by what Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS) speakers are saying at each of its roadshows held around the state since its formation on July 29, Pakatan Rakyat is on a solid footing and the Barisan Nasional’s fixed deposit state is very much in play in the coming general election.

APS headed by Tuaran MP Wilfred Bumburing which has been tasked by Anwar to garner support for the opposition, especially from the natives is confident that it has begun swinging support for the opposition coalition in Kadazandusun and Murut majority constituencies in the state.

Talks going on well with SAPP, says Anwar

Anwar Ibrahim today played down talks of tension
between the 'original' Sabah PKR members and
allies of Wilfred Bumburing and Lajim Ukin.

PETALING JAYA: Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim today dismissed reports that talks were not going well with former Sabah chief minister Yong Teck Lee’s Sabah Progressive People’s (SAPP) party.

He said Pakatan Rakyat, which he leads, has been “more successful with SAPP” as there has been a more active process of negotiations and “they have been attending our joint meetings”.

Anwar’s comments contradict a report on Tuesday quoting a SAPP insider who claimed that Yong had implied that SAPP could well be on a collision course with its “allies” PKR and DAP (Pakatan members) in many seats.

A Citizen Initiative for the Promotion of Free and Fair Elections

During an interview with NTV7 on 9^th Apr 2012, Prime Minister Dato Seri Najib Razak assured us that elections will be free and clean. We have followed up with his assurances and a coalition of NGOs is putting forward a package of electoral reforms aimed at restoring the spirit and intention of the original Federation of Malaysia Constitution. To achieve this, we are proposing more than 204 amendments to the Enactments and Regulations related to the election systems and processes as well as to the relevant Articles of the Federal Constitution.

SAPP-Pakatan: It just ain’t working out

By Calvin Kabaron

SAPP president Yong Teck Lee is adamant that
the party must stick to its principle that
a Sabah-based party must take the
majority of the state seats.

KOTA KINABALU: Mistrust and uncertainty within Sabah’s opposition politics could well indeed translate into a free-for-all fight at the coming general election.

Yesterday, Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) supreme council met in Likas near here and snippets leaked out indicated that things may not be going too well with its alliance with PKR-led Pakatan Rakyat.

Insider information noted that party president Yong Teck Lee implied that if things don’t work out as it should, then SAPP could well be on a collision course with its newly-found allies PKR and DAP in many seats.

Will SAPP-STAR finally deal?

Sabah State Reform Party (STAR) wants a public
commitment from Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP)
and is no longer prepared to be left hanging.

KOTA KINABALU: Will today be the day that local Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) decides who it will bed with and openly declare so?

The party’s supreme council is scheduled to meet today and high on the agenda is its relationship with Sabah State Reform Party (STAR). Up until now, their ties have been “hanging”, with SAPP being seen as “non-committal”.

Currently, SAPP has a foot in Pakatan Rakyat and another in United Borneo Alliance (UBA), an umbrella body initiated by Jefftrey Kitingan as the political front for parties that subscribe to his United Borneo Front’s (UBF) Borneo Agenda.

Jeffrey, who is Sabah STAR chief, has kept the doors open to SAPP and its president Yong Teck Lee despite advice to the contrary from within and outside his party and circle.

Bumburing and Jeffrey in face-off

STAR is being accused of splitting the Kadazan, Dusun, Murut (KDM)
communities' votes in Sabah and handing BN a measure of
confidence that it can prolong its hold.

KOTA KINABALU: Two Kadazandusun opposition leaders here are going toe-to-toe over who has the more credible solution to what they claim is the great rip-off of Sabah and its people.

Maverick Sabah politician Jeffrey Kitingan has taken a hard line on ‘Malayan’ parties and has accused opposition leaders of being turncoats no better than the all-dominating Barisan Nasional ruling coalition they are castigating for rejecting his Borneo agenda that focuses exclusively on the rights of Sabah and Sarawak.

On the other side is Wilfred Bumburing, a MP who has turned independent and is leading Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS), a opposition-friendly grouping that sees Jeffrey’s brand of Borneo-centric politics as out of touch with reality.

M'sia is world's No 2 in illegal capital flight

Steven Gan 8:01AM Dec 18, 2012

Close to RM200 billion of dirty money was siphoned out of Malaysia in 2010, putting the country second only to Asian economic powerhouse China in global capital flight.

Washington-based financial watchdog Global Financial Integrity (GFI), in its latest report which tracks capital flight, says the level of illicit flows from Malaysia in 2010 was the highest in 10 years.

GFI has introduced a new and more conservative methodology in its estimates of illicit financial outflows, which help to zero in exclusively on dirty money. As such, estimates from its previous reports have been revised.

Last year, GFI put the figure of illicit outflows for Malaysia in 2009 at US$46.86 billion(RM143.3). This has been altered to US$30.41 billion (RM93 billion).

DUMB DOWN for Islam - Is that what Pak Lah's IKIM is suggesting?

Written by  Joe Fernandez, Malaysia Chronicle 

The Institute of Islamic Understanding (Ikim), chaired by former premier Abdullah Badawi, recently came out with a strong statement warning Muslims against pluralism and liberalism on the grounds that such trends would "confuse them and undermine their faith". (scroll below for the Bernama report)

In short, the truth or otherwise  if there's any such thing isn't the crux of the debate, but to invoke "God" and keep society on a tight leash to ensure some sort of mindless social order for self-serving political reasons.

Banks robbing the poor….disgusting!!!

On 6 Dec 2012, PSM Kajang Branch received a complaint from Muniammah a/p Thambiram. She is 54 years old, illiterate, a widow and she is supporting her son who has been quite sick since last 4 years due to heart problem and an industrial accident. The son bought an apartment for the family in Oct 2001. Housing loan for RM78,318 was approved by AmBank and they started paying installment since Sept 2003.

It was not easy for them to pay the monthly installment which comes to about RM500-RM600 a month especially since the son, Thanasegaran is disable and surviving on SOCSO. They used up almost all their EPF money paying the installment. No doubt they were struggling as they was no stable income.