Saturday, April 21, 2007
Malaysiakini Will Never Walk Alone!
It should be crystal clear that the allegations lodged
against CM Taib Mahmud by Malaysiakini and Party Keadilan Rakyat Sarawak
are not based on rumor or hearsay, but on information
reported in a consistent manner by several leading Japanese newspapers. As
organizations working in the Malaysian public interest, Malaysiakini and Party Keadilan have merely been exercising their freedom of expression and fulfilling their duty to raise concerns to the public and competent authorities regarding highly disturbing information meriting further investigation. In fact, it would have been dereliction of
their public duty not to have done so.
If whistleblowers immediately face threats of litigation for
defamation, how can citizens play an active role in eliminating
corruption? Should not CM Taib Mahmud present a clear explanation rather than
resort to such intimidation? And if he disagrees with the allegations
in the reports, should he not question their sources in
the Japanese tax authorities, rather than Malaysian citizens who are
merely bringing them to the public attention?
The whole world knows about our little NAPOLEON in
He staying power is because of the seats he delivers without fail to BN in every elections ( BN thus remaining in power)
I rate him as on one of the most smartest politician and richest person in the country.
Sadly the genes did not get passed on
Asian Genre got diluted along the way
JOINT LETTER FROM JAP NGO ON CM TAIB MAHMUD]
*Subject:* JOINT LETTER FROM JAP NGO ON CM TAIB MAHMUD
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Corruption allegations against Sarawak CM Taib Mahmud and
freedom of speech in Malaysia
April 27th 2007
Dato' Seri Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi Prime Minister of
Malaysia
CC: Director, Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA)
Subject: Corruption allegations against Sarawak CM Taib
Mahmud and
freedom of speech in Malaysia
Your Excellency,
We, the undersigned Japanese non-governmental organizations and
citizen's groups, wish to express our profound concern
regarding threats by the Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Pehin Taib Mahmud to
lodge a defamation suit against the Malaysiakini news service and
leaders of Party Keadilan Rakyat Sarawak for raising allegations of his
involvement in a RM 32 million kickback scheme reported by the Japan
Times and other Japanese newspapers.
We understand that the corruption allegations raised against
CM Taib Mahmud originated from a report in the Japan Times on Mar
29,, 2007 that nine Japanese shipping companies which transport lumber from
Sarawak failed to report some 1.1 billion yen (approximately RM 32
million) in income paid as remuneration to Regent Star, a Hong
Kong-based agent with connections to CM Taib Mahmud and his family, during a
period of seven years through last March. According to the report, the
Regional Taxation Bureau determined that these payments were rebates,
not legitimate expenses, and is likely to impose well over 400
million in back taxes and penalties against the shipping companies.
The Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese) also reported the above
facts in an article on March 28th. Furthermore, the Asahi Shimbun
English edition reported on March 28th that the Tokyo Regional Taxation
Bureau had ordered Kansai Line Co. to pay 50 million yen in back taxes and
penalties for falsely including so-called intermediation
fees totaling 130 million yen paid to Regent Star over a seven year period
until December 2005, in its cost of loading logs in ports in
Sarawak, in an effort to hide the payments.
The Asahi Shimbun Japanese edition further reported on March
27th that shipping companies affiliated with the Nanyozai Freight
Agreement (NFA) cartel are suspected to have paid more than US $25 million
(approx. 2.5 billion yen) in intermediation fees to Regent Star in the
ten years up to 2005. An anonymous industry source is quoted as admitting
that "there was an understanding that these were payments to the Chief
Minister's family" and in essence, kickbacks.
According to the article, the NFA admitted that it had in
1981 entered into an agreement with Dewaniaga Sarawak (DNS) on log
exports to
Regent Star in
for 26 years since 1981, are said to have started at a rate of
approximately US $1.50 per cubic meter of logs shipped, and to have increased
over the years to the current rate of US $3.28, while the log
shipments declined from a peak of 3.8 million m3 in 1990 to about 410,000 m3 in
2005. The report estimates that an average of one to four million
dollars per year, totaling US $25,250,000 was paid to Regent Star
between 1996 and 2005 alone. The article also mentions that an industry
source alleged that DNS director Dato' Onn Bin Mahmud, brother of CM Taib
Mahmud, sometimes participated in person in negotiations of the
intermediation fees between Regent Star and the NFA.
From the above, it should be crystal clear that the
allegations lodged against CM Taib Mahmud by Malaysiakini and Party Keadilan
Rakyat
reported in a consistent manner by several leading Japanese newspapers. As
organizations working in the Malaysian public interest,
Malaysiakini and Party Keadilan have merely been exercising their freedom of
expression and fulfilling their duty to raise concerns to the public
and competent authorities regarding highly disturbing information meriting
further investigation. In fact, it would have been dereliction of
their public duty not to have done so.
If whistleblowers immediately face threats of litigation for
defamation, how can citizens play an active role in eliminating
corruption? Should not CM Taib Mahmud present a clear explanation rather than
resort to such intimidation? And if he disagrees with the allegations
in the reports, should he not question their sources in
the Japanese tax authorities, rather than Malaysian citizens who are
merely bringing them to the public attention?
In light of your pledge to make anti-corruption a top policy
priority with "zero tolerance for corruption," we urge you to live up
to your reputation by instructing the Malaysian Anti-Corruption
Agency (ACA) directly under your supervision to immediately commence a
formal investigation into the allegations raised in these media
reports, and to keep the public informed of developments thereof. Party
Keadilan Rakyat Sarawak has already lodged two reports on this matter as of
April 13th 2007, one with the Kuching Central Police Station and
another with the Anti-Corruption Agency in Kuching, following your public
statement advising that reports be lodged so that the ACA could take
action. Japanese civil society will do its most to urge the Japanese
tax authorities to cooperate with
so that the truth can be revealed and justice served.
Furthermore, we ask you to ensure that Malaysian citizens do
not face undue pressure or malicious litigation in an attempt to
suppress their freedom of speech when raising issues in the public
interest. Certainly such transparency is crucial in upholding the honor and
untarnished reputation of
Sincerely,
Sarawak Campaign Committee (SCC)
Friends of the Earth Japan (FOEJ)
Japan Tropical Forest Action Network (JATAN) The
Citizens'
Coalition for the UN International Decade of theWorld's
Indigenous
Peoples (INDEC) Japan Network on Human Rights in
Forest
Protection Group in JapanY.
Sakamoto, Global Environment Forum
4 comments:
The only thing missing from Mahathir's Hardtalk interview was an afroand darker skin. Otherwise, he was the quintessential Africandictator. To think that he still believes he can appear on BBC World,spew anti-Western and anti-Semitic insults and come home the championof downtrodden Malaysians is complete lunacy. Surely Mahathir must know that the world has moved on. His West andJew bashing may still get some old-school UMNO types to get anerection, but for many others he is simply laughable. He lambasts theJews and yet he paid a Jewish Washington lobbyist, Jack Abramoff, toarrange for a meeting with President Bush just before he retired.Imagine that. He was so pariah before he retired that he had to payto get into the White House. So much for being a champion of theThird World. Kalau nak betul-betul jadi champion be like FidelCastro, tak payah nak maki US then pay to go see the President.Nampak sangat hipokrit gila. Oh well, that's Mahathir for you. Generally, Mahathir performed badly in the interview. His attacks onPak Lah were regurgitations of the same old stuff. His attacks onAnwar were also recycled arguments laced with his selective memory.He couldn't really defend his legacy well and that's when he decidedto revert to African dictator mode by blaming all the world's ill onthe West, Jews and, of course, gays. Well, well. Mahathir, cukup lah. You are old and past your sell bydate. Those who still come and hear you speak either do so out ofcuriosity or are those who don't remember (Melayu mudah lupa,remember?) all your sins as PM. Tapi you syok sendiri. Your familytell you ramai yang masih sayang you. Betul lah ada yang sayang.Malaysians are polite and respectful to their elders. But make nomistake, you are the worst PM ever. You may have built buildings butyou destroyed lives. That's why when Stephen Sackur drilled you during Hardtalk, you weresquirming beneath that forced smile. You were squirming because youknow that is how you will be remembered. Big Dog and Rocky will keep on polishing your balls as Mukhriz Botak keeps paying them. But even they can't spin your complete and utterlydisastrous performance in front of the entire world.
Is this true Zorro about Rocky? I am shocked
Was that a CC that was sent to the ACA?? Deputy Director maybe? Ha...what a fucking joke. That fucked up organisation is so impotent that it could never achieve a hard on despite all the viagaras or Tongkat Alis. These Japanese NGO surely cannot be serious about their allegations and accusations as certainly any thing of this nature sent to the ACA can but only constitute a joke.
Can I say for the umpteenth time. ACA has conceded that they cannot count beyond RM9.90. They exist purely for the purpose of putting right the records of accused UMNOPutras and their cronies and their supporters and partners. In that they have done such an excellent job. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency has taken on the role of exonerators of any kind of allegations against UMNOPutras and their friends. They have done more of this than the charging of anyone in court. They are certainl more experienced in exonerating these priviledged people. Indeed it is a celebration when ACA announces its investigating someone as this someone will soon have a certificate that I will never have. That certificate will certify that this investigated person has been certified HAlal, Kosher, Sinless and a Saint!
Steven Gan is extremley confident they have no case. Ask him.
Moderate gently with the "walk-with-us' call and save it for cases that truly and desparately need it. There is in reality, such a thing as compassion or synpathy fatigue. We don't want to wear malaysians out and find the support depleted when we truly, desparately need it.
this is not shocking but syoking!
Welcome to the real world..
TAIB!
TAIbbb
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