Insecurity in eastern Sabah raises questions!

By Joe Fernandez
Hoteliers in Sabah are grumbling increasingly loudly that tourists are canceling too many bookings in the wake of the Lahad Datu Standoff and the on-going mopping up operations by security forces. They worry that things may become a whole lot worse for the hospitality industry in the state before turning for the better, if at all, in the near future.

The state has some 25, 000 hotel rooms to help the hospitality industry rake in some RM 5.2 billion last year from nearly three million visitors. The forecast revenue for 2015, according to Sabah Tourism Board chairman Tengku Zainal Adlin, is RM 15 billion on the high side. That amounts to a quarter of the RM 60 billion per annum that Malaysia presently collects from tourism receipts.

Sulu incursion: Hiding from the truth

By FMT Staff  and Luke Rintod

KOTA KINABALU: As the dust settles on the incursion by a group of armed men from the southern Philippines, the question of who will take responsibility remains hanging. Most politicians in the government have resigned themselves to watching from the sidelines.

Foreign Minister Anifah Aman, the younger brother of Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman, appears to be passively muddling through the crisis.

Cracks appearing in Sabah Umno?

By Luke Rintod of FMT

A Sabah NGO - United Suluk Community Organisation (USCO) -
has, strangely enough, decided to move into ‘active’ politics.

KUDAT: Speculation is high that former deputy chief minister under a PBS-plus government, Amir Kahar Mustapha, is about to quit Umno and join an opposition group.

The former Banggi assemblyman, who is the eldest son of ex- Sabah chief minister, the late Tun Mustapha Harun, is said to have been approached by the members of the Suluk community here to represent them in the opposition in the coming election.

Bekas OCPD: Tukar k'jaan, pulihkan wibawa polis

Sumber

Kerajaan sedia ada perlu ditukar jika rakyat benar-benar serius mahu mengembalikan kewibawaan pasukan polis, kata seorang bekas pegawai kanan polis, malam tadi.

Mantan ketua polis daerah Kota Kinabalu, Sabah Mohd Yousoff Babjee berkata, pasukan polis kini menerima terlalu banyak campur tangan politik sehingga mengganggu tugas-tugas mereka.

"Untuk memulihkannya saya rasa kita tukarlah kerajaan. Saya rasa jangan (ada) masuk campur tangan politik (dalam polis).

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.