Malaysia facing policy 'blowback'

The former head of a Philippine separatist group, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), has told Al Jazeera that despite support from Malaysia in the 1960s, some of his fighters have now turned against the Malaysian government.

According to Nur Misuari, the MNLF fighters have joined the Royal Army of Sulu, which has been fighting for control of Malaysia's eastern Sabah state.

Al Jazeera's Jamela Alindogan reports from the Philippine capital, Manila, on whether Malaysia's foreign policy in the 1960s has backfired.

Watch video here.

Former PBS leader to take on his old party

KOTA KINABALU: Three-term assemblyman Joseph Sitin Saang is attempting to make a comeback in the coming general election, this time contesting on a PKR ticket.

The respected local leader from the interior town of Telupid is returning from the political wilderness by standing for election in the state constituency of Labuk.

He will face incumbent Michael Metah Asang, the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) vice-president whose candidacy was confirmed by party president and Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan last year.

Saang represented Kuamut during the PBS government until he quit to join Parti Demokratik Sabah (now renamed United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation) after the 1994 state election.

Ini Kali Lah, if toothless MACC acts -- Taib Memang Kena!

Taib survived the 1987 elections and at least seven million hectares of timber concessions allegedly came to be controlled subsequently by Taib's family, henchmen and cronies (of which no less than five million hectares came under the domination of the top five robber baron timber lords who had reimbursed the state government money used for the elections). 

Joe Fernandez

The Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) has been uncharacteristically quick to say that they will look into video reports apparently implicating long-serving Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud in allegedly shady land deals which, from all accounts, have resulted in considerable lost revenues to the state and Federal coffers while virtually robbing the affected kampung folks of their Native land. http://bit.ly/16ESEVU

Unusual voter increase in KK

Sabah DAP is "quite sure that someone is making
special arrangements" to increase voter
numbers to ensure a BN win.

KOTA KINABALU: MP Hiew King Cheu is crying foul over the huge increase in the number of voters in the Api-Api state constituency which comes under the Kota Kinabalu parliamentary constituency.

He said he was shocked to see this in the newly released electoral roll where it showed that the number of voters had increased by 4,369 voters between 2011 and 2012.

The polling centres with big voters increase are Kg Air, Jalan Perpaduan, Jalan Masjid Lama, Taman Elok, Jalan Muhibah and Jalan Bandaran. The number of postal votes have also increased from 332 to 844 in the constituency.

‘Najib must act against Taib’

Is he too scared to take action against Taib?

KUALA LUMPUR: Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim has called on Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to act against the Sarawak chief minister.

He said action must be taken against Taib Mahmud based on the recent video expose made by an international NGO, Global Witness.

The video showed Taib’s family and his cronies abusing logging licences to enrich themselves, at the expense of ordinary Sarawakians.

An undercover investigator, posing as an investor, went to Sarawak in the pretext of buying land to set up palm oil plantations and was directed to buy licences from those linked to Taib.

‘Sulu army chief – a Malaysian’

Datu Agbimudin Kiram, a former civil servant in
the state who turn into terrorist.

PETALING JAYA: Agbimudin Kiram, leader of the armed intruders in Lahad Datu, used to work as a civil servant in the state, alleged PKR strategy director Rafizi Ramli.

Speaking during a press conference held at the party headquarters here, Rafizi said this proved that Agbimudin holds a Malaysian citizenship.

“He used to work as an administrative assistant at the Kudat district office, proving that he is a Malaysian citizen,” said Rafizi.

He later produced the list of Sabah civil servants in 1975, taken from the state archives. [See below]

The list shows Agbimuddin, known as Datu Agbimudin Kiram, employed as state administrative assistant in Kudat, starting Sept 9, 1974 with a salary of RM610.

‘Over 60,000 dubious voters in Sabah’

KUALA LUMPUR: The Sabah electoral roll has 60,673 or 6.3% potentially dubious voters, the DAP said today.

Ong Kian Ming, director of the party’s Malaysian Electoral Roll Analysis Project (Merap), said they arrived at this figure from the proceedings of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) probing the issuance of identity cards (IC) to illegal immigrants in Sabah.

“Ruslan Alias, an assistant head in the IC division of Sabah/Sarawak in the National Registration Department [NRD], revealed a list containing 130,459 ‘problematic’ old IC numbers where their records with the NRD were either incomplete or where these cards had been cancelled,” Ong told a press conference at the party’s headquarters here.

Dogs in US Navy SEAL teams

The Dog That Cornered Osama Bin Laden... not your standard K9

Of the commando team that killed Osama bin Laden, only one of the 81 members of the super-secret SEAL DevGru unit was identified by name: Cairo, the war dog. Cairo, like most canine members of the elite U.S. Navy SEALs, is a Belgian Malinois. The Malinois breed is similar to German shepherds but smaller and more compact, with an adult male weighing in the 30-kilo range.

How to stake claim over territory

By William M. Esposo

MANILA : Many of the charlatans and overnight Sabah claim experts thought they were patriots fighting for Philippine national interest. They didn’t even realize that the arguments they were mouthing were supporting China’s very claims to our territory in the South China Sea.

Dr. Renato de Castro heads the De La Salle University International Studies Department. Rene was kind enough to share with me an article written by him in 2000 where he probed weaknesses of China’s claims to our Spratly islands.

Sarawak cop, gangsters assault youth

Sarawak DAP wants the IGP to act on 21-year-old
Andrewson Ngalai’s report against a police inspector.

By Joseph Tawie

KUCHING: A police inspector attached to the General Operations Force (GOF) not only aided and abetted a group of gangsters in assaulting a 21-year-old coffeeshop worker, but also took part by slapping the youth in the early hours of March 14.

The inspector’s act was caught on a CCTV camera in a coffeeshop at MJC Batu Kawah where Andrewson Ngalai anak Tandang works.

After Andrewson lodged a report at the MJC Batu Kawah police station on the same day, the man seen in the CCTV was identified as the police inspector attached to the GOF at Batu Kawah by other officers.