DPM tells cops to show proof, let public judge Bersih

KUALA LUMPUR July 17 — Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said today that the police should show all the evidence they have collected over the controversial Bersih 2 0 rally last week and leave it to the public to judge the truth He expressed confidence that the citizens would understand and appreciate the police had acted as they did to secure public peace and order which was what the majority wished for He was responding to Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein who said a few days ago that the police have recordings of everything that happened on July 9 including videos that counter the opposition Pakatan Rakyat PR pact’s allegations of police brutality on the massive crowds who had taken to the streets to rally for electoral reform “The police have nothing to hide Whatever we have in our possession as proof will be used to answer the allegations The evidence will also be handed over to the Attorney-General for action ” Hishamuddin told a news conference last Monday “So to break the opposition’s lies and twisting of facts… if the police are ready with the evidence in whatever form be it video… then show it so the public can judge who is on the truthful side ” Muhyiddin told reporters today after a morning walkabout in the city’s Sunday wet market “Don’t just view from one side ” he urged the public referring to allegations that have been repeatedly raised by the opposition PR and other NGOs this past week that the authorities had acted “out of the norm” on July 9 Muhyiddin said the opposition have used social media such as Youtube to present the views from their side that supports their case of police brutality “They did not show what happened before that Perhaps there was provocation stones being thrown yelling… the police are human too ” he said in defending the police The DPM also said that Malaysian citizens should also understand that the authorities had acted as they did to control the situation from spiralling out of control “Rakyat has to understand and be thankful that this place has returned to normal The ruling Barisan Nasional BN coalition has been put on the defensive over the Bersih rally for the past one week as the global community from Singapore to the UK criticised the Najib administration’s handling of public dissent following its outlawing of the July 9 march demanding free and fair elections The New York Times reported that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak told a small group of international reporters on Wednesday that “if we allow for street demonstrations there’s no end to it there will be another group that wants to demonstrate ” Police fired tear gas and water cannons at tens of thousands of demonstrators who poured into the city last weekend and arrested nearly 1 700 as scores were injured and the husband of a PKR division leader died in the ensuing chaos The Najib administration has embarked on a damage control exercise sending Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor to Indonesia to explain its actions to the regional giant and also sent a letter in response to the Wall Street Journal’s stinging tone against Putrajaya’s reaction to Bersih The electoral reform group had gone ahead with Saturday’s march despite the government ban and the lack of a police permit insisting it had a constitutional right to voice its demands Bersih had initially accepted Najib’s offer to move its street rally to a stadium but negotiations broke down when the coalition of 62 NGOs insisted on the historic Stadium Merdeka despite being told by authorities to move its gathering outside of the capital.

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Let’s expose the ministers — Spyman

JULY 17 — Enough is enough lah Even after seeing the rakyat shout for change the ministers continue to insult us and treat us like kids Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak tries to sound brave in London and challenges Pakatan Rakyat to a fight in the next elections Hello the polls will be rigged and election fraud will be widespread That is why there was Bersih 2 0 to have clean and fair elections And now we have Ahmad Shabery Chik saying that Opposition will use Bersih as an excuse for poor performance in the coming polls Here is where his reasoning shows him up if BN is so confident of winning the polls why are they so resistant to clean and fair elections Because they know they can only win when there is election fraud But judging by the statements of all the ministers it is clear that the government will not push for any change They don’t want to move out of their comfort zone Therefore it must be the rakyat who make them move out of the comfort zone This can be done by exposing the corruption and abuse of power in ministeries or by the ministers themselves or their family members Everyone knows that all the ministers are living beyond their means So how about exposing it For a start can someone tell me why there is no official probe on the RM24 million ring which was imported into Malaysia for the wife of a cabinet minister Or about the son-in-law of a senior minister whose company has the biometric contract for the Causeway and to check illegals during this amnesty period I am sure the list will make every minister squirm Who owns what and where.

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MALAYSIA: ARREST SUDANESE PRESIDENT WANTED FOR WAR CRIMES

The Malaysian government should immediately withdraw its invitation to Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir, and arrest him if he travels to Malaysia, Amnesty International said today.

The Malaysian authorities announced yesterday that President Al-Bashir will participate in the Langkawi International Dialogue, an economic forum being held in Malaysia from 19 to 21 June 2011.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Al-Bashir for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur.

“Malaysia should not turn itself into a port of call for fugitives from international justice” said Donna Guest, Deputy Asia Pacific Director at Amnesty International. “The Malaysian government should bar Al-Bashir from its territory, and arrest him if he turns up.”

Amnesty International welcomed Malaysia’s announcement on 21 March of its intention to become a state party to the Rome Statute and to recognise the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. In his announcement, Malaysian Law Minister Nazri Aziz said, "This is a declaration that Malaysia rejects war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.”

When the UN Security Council referred the situation in Darfur to the ICC in 2005, it urged all states to cooperate fully with the Court. Although Malaysia is not yet party to the Rome Statute of the ICC, it should arrest Omar Al-Bashir should he arrive in Malaysia, Amnesty International said.

“Malaysia’s invitation to Omar Al-Bashir flies in the face of its decision to join the ICC,” said Guest. “Instead of hosting people wanted by the ICC, Malaysia should reaffirm its commitment to justice.”

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Najib defends invite to Mugabe, Al-Bashir for economic forum

PUTRAJAYA June 19 — Faced with flak Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak defended today his government’s controversial decision to invite presidents Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and Omar Al-Bashir of Sudan to the ongoing Langkawi International Dialogue LID saying Malaysia was not bound by a global treaty governing crimes against humanity The two African leaders are infamous globally for purportedly violating the human rights of their respective nation’s citizens Al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court ICC for war crimes in his home country Mugabe the 87-year-old Zimbabwean president who had been strongly condemned by the global community as a tinpot dictator arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport yesterday morning His 67-year-old Sudanese counterpart however skipped the three-day LID citing “unforeseen circumstances” Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman said “We are not yet a member of the Statute of Rome Therefore we are not obliged to comply with the decision Therefore it is not illegal for us to invite President Bashir to dialogue ” Najib told a news conference today referring to the international treaty that led to the set up of the ICC to try individuals for crimes against humanity such as genocide and other acts of violence A total of 114 countries have signed up to date “Malaysia can be an interlocutor ” the PM said adding he was acutely aware of the restive situation in the southern hemisphere and strong local opposition to the invitation but stressed Malaysia could help influence certain policies that may result in positive action in the two troubled African nations “We are not constrained by political ideologies We think it is still useful for us to invite Mr Mugabe although we are acutely aware of his position in the Commonwealth ” he added explaining that the whole purpose to the LID was for Malaysia to network and understand and share experiences with its African partners Najib told reporters he had met the leaders of Zimbabwe Uganda and Swaziland on the sidelines of the economic forum today and talked about how to bolster bilateral trade and investment human capacity building and encourage more students from their countries to study in Malaysia He said he had tried to encourage Malaysian businesses to open shop there but said the latter group expressed concern with the business and political climate in the southern continent especially in Zimbabwe “This point I raised with Mr Mugabe He said it was a matter of perception Zimbabwe will have to do a lot more to assuage the impression of Malaysian businessmen ” Najib said Zimbabwe’s economy which grew 5 9 per cent last year presents ample opportunities in various sectors ranging from agriculture mining and manufacturing to logistics and telecommunications Malaysia’s state news agency Bernama reported today in an interview with Mugabe who said he was in town to woo investors.

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