(Malay Mail Online) – National laureate Datuk A Samad Said described today the art of silat as an impractical and archaic combat form that represents the race's fear, just a day after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak officiated the national silat meet in the federal capital and praised the traditional Malay martial art form.

Popularly known by the moniker Pak Samad, the poet said that silat was a legitimate form of self-defence in the old days, but was now treasured for its heritage value.

“Silat is a symbolism of the Malay fear and no longer represents combat or self defence anymore,” he said today after launching a book titled "Young & Malay" at Gerakbudaya here.

“It is now a national treasure, that can only be used for demonstration purposes,” the DAP member added.

He pointed out that the duelling style of silat was outdated because "nowadays we seldom fight one on one".

"Even if we do, I think there won’t be enough time to take out a keris," he said, referring to the curved blade used in silat.

“For me, symbolically, it just expresses the Malay fear,” he added.

Thousands of red shirted people were bussed into the federal capital on Malaysia Day for the pro-Malay rally organised by the national silat federation Pesaka, which was officially called "Himpunan Rakyat Bersatu" or the United People's Assembly, but stirred unease among ethnic minorities.

The protest was marred by sporadic outbreaks of racism, with one demonstrator recorded calling a reporter "Crazy Chinese pig", among other insults.

Last night, Najib was the guest of honour at Pesaka’s function at Dataran Merdeka. In his speech, he agreed with the motive of the "red shirt" rally which was to preserve the Malay dignity.

Datuk Jamal Md Yunos, an Umno leader and spokesman for the #Merah169 rally, downplayed the insult on Thursday, saying the Chinese should feel no slight in the remark since they consume pork.

The rally, said to be in support of Najib's leadership, was to counter last month's mammoth two-day Bersih 4 gathering calling for the prime minister's resignation.

The ruling Malay party has insisted that it does not endorse the event, which has also been alternately called "Himpunan Maruah Melayu", but did not prohibit its members from participating in the demonstration organised by martial arts group Pesaka.

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(Malay Mail Online) – Former Umno MP Datuk Ruhanie Ahmad insisted today that Malay rights group Perkasa is "not racialist", and must not be judged solely by its firebrand president Datuk Ibrahim Ali.

The Perkasa supreme council member also said that he has problems with liberalism only if the ideology espouses total and absolute freedom, warning that it will then erode Malaysia's national identity.

"Perkasa is not just Ibrahim Ali. Perkasa is really about former civil servants, citizens who are professionals and the rest. We are not [just] Ibrahim Ali as you perceive," Ruhanie told a Liberalism Conference held by by think-tank Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS).

To prove his point, Ruhanie said Perkasa has even held dialogue sessions with Christian groups, and was invited by the Singapore High Commission to brief about the country's situation.

"If liberalism is about personal liberty, primacy of individual rights, about freedom of choice, I'm not against it," said the former Parit Sulong MP

"But if liberalism is translated to being synonymous to total unrestricted, absolute freedom irrespective of any limitation, in order to maintain national survival and security, then such misconceived idea could be fatal to our collective identity."

Such interpretation, Ruhanie said, will then lead to the public questioning the rights of the Malays.

Ruhanie however was refuted by activist Khalid Jaafar, who said that the no liberal thinker has proposed that liberalism means total freedom as it must still submit to the rule of law.

"What you're talking about is anarchy… All the anti-liberal Malaysian leaders, they're talking about anarchy or state of nature," said Khalid, who heads the Institut Kajian Dasar think-tank.

In January this year, Ibrahim had hit back at accusations of extremism today, labelling Muslim moderates and liberals as the racist and extremist groups instead of Perkasa.

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(Bernama) – PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang today insisted that its elected representatives must quit their seats if they joined other parties, including the soon-to-be formed Parti Amanah Rakyat (Amanah).

According to him, this was clearly stated in the Bai’ah (oath) they took when contesting on PAS tickets in the elections, failing which they would be cursed by Allah.

“PAS champions Islam, If I were to break the Bai’ah, I will be cursed by Allah. As Allah is my witness, the same applies to the others,” he said at a party function here.

Also present were PAS’ elections director Datuk Mustafa Ali, former Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim and Terengganu PAS commissioner, Satiful Bahri Mamat.

Abdul Hadi was referring to several PAS lawmakers who have openly announced that they were “abandoning ship” to join Amanah, which will be led by former PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu.

Meanwhile, Mustafa told a press conference later that PAS would continue to cooperate with its Pakatan Rakyat partner PKR but not with its other partner the DAP or the new party Amanah.

However, he said PAS could not stop PKR with collaborating with the other two parties (DAP and Amanah).

Pakatan Rakyat is in power in the states of Selangor, Penang and Kelantan.

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(Malay Mail Online) – 1MDB refers to a statement issued this morning by YB Tony Pua, requesting 1MDB to "deny" allegations made by the Wall Street Journal. True to form, YB Tony Pua has conveniently forgotten to mention the clear denials by 1MDB issued on September 9, 2015 and September 18, 2015 respectively.

It is clear from the detailed explanations provided by 1MDB that:

(a) despite the spurious and unproven allegations raised by the Wall Street Journal in its first article dated 9 September 2015, further to the US$1.4 billion (RM5.9 billion) deposit from 1MDB in 2012, IPIC was and remains, the guarantor of  two 1MDB bonds totalling US$3.5 billion; and

(b) despite the malicious and wrong second Wall Street Journal article on September 18, 2015, upon payment of the "nearly US$1 billion" deposit by 1MDB, the options over the energy assets have indeed been terminated.

YB Tony Pua, the facts above speak for themselves.  Do not take our word for it ― this information is publicly available.

We further wonder why YB Tony Pua is not at all bothered by the second arrogant admission, in as many weeks, by the Wall Street Journal, that it has reviewed documents that are part of the ongoing Public Accounts Committee (PAC) investigation. This is a clear scandal and a breach of Malaysian law. Accordingly, YB Tony Pua should focus his energies on properly answering the ongoing police investigations and answering the rakyat on this scandal which has now disgraced the PAC process.

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PM says the pain of being "slapped" repeatedly drove the Malays to take to the streets in a desperate bid to restore their dignity.

(Free Malaysia Today) – Those who have continued to wear down the dignity of the Malays have gone overboard, ultimately resulting in the Malays taking to the streets in a desperate bid to restore their dignity, said Prime Minister Najib Razak.

While warning the public against continuing to rip apart the dignity of the Malays, he said it was time everyone starting respecting each other.

He said this at the Himpunan Silat Merdeka (Merdeka Silat Gathering) held at Dataran Merdeka last night and explained that the Malays could no longer bear the pain of being "slapped" over and over again, hence the reason why many took to the streets on Wednesday for Himpuan Kebangkitan Maruah Melayu (Rise of Malay Dignity Rally).

"They slapped us once, twice, three times, that's fine. But when they slap us for the fourth time, they have gone overboard," he said referring to the Bersih rallies that have been held four times already.

"Malays too have the right, Malays too can show that we can stand up when our dignity is being ripped apart and our leaders mocked," said Najib during the event which was also attended by Socio-Cultural Adviser to the Government Rais Yatim, Dewan Negara Speaker Abu Zahar Ujang and Pesaka President Ali Rustam.

During his speech, Najib also announced that Silat be recognised as the country's official form of Martial Arts.

He said, despite being ridiculed, Malays continued to reign in their anger and rallied peacefully on September 16 to show their respect for the constitution and other races.

"I congratulate everyone who attended the rally (Red Shirts). The Malays rallied peacefully and obeyed the law.

"Were there any banners promoting hatred about other races? Were there any pictures of opposition leaders that were stomped on? We are not like the Opposition when they hold street rallies. Malays abide by the country's laws."

READ MORE HERE

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So, if you really want the west and the US to help you oust Najib, then you need to convince them that Najib is anti-west and that what he is doing is detrimental to the safety and security of the west and the US. If not, even if Najib did do what you say he did, that, as far as the west and the US are concerned, is an internal matter that does not involve any foreign governments.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Khairuddin Abu Hassan, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's proxy, has gone to a few countries to lodge corruption reports against Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak. Yesterday, he was supposed to have flown to London via New York where he was scheduled to have a meeting with the FBI on Monday. The purpose of this exercise is to get the western countries to take action against Najib regarding the alleged abuse of power or corruption involving 1MDB.

This is the same strategy that Suaram adopted when they lodged a complaint with the French court alleging that Najib was involved in the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu. The French replied that this was an internal matter for Malaysia, which the French authorities would not get involved in.

What the French will investigate, however, is whether there was any element of corruption in the Scorpene submarine contract and whether, if there was corruption, it involves French companies. Even if there was corruption involved, and if it does not involve French companies but is an entirely Malaysian affair, then France would also not get involved.

This reminds me of the Manuel Noriega case back in the 1980s. Noriega, the military dictator of Panama, was said to be involved in drug trafficking. Panama was being used by Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria as the transit point to smuggle drugs from Colombia into the US.

Escobar, 'The King of Cocaine', was the wealthiest criminal in history with an estimated known net-worth of US$50 billion. But Escobar was anti-Communist, and so was Noriega, so the US did not do anything. It was only when Noriega began to do deals with the Communists that the US invaded Panama and arrested him.

So the US did deals with even the biggest drug lords as long as they were enemies of the enemies of the US. Only when they made deals with the enemies of the US did the US whack them good and proper.

Such is the attitude of the US and the western countries. They make deals with Iraq and the Taliban as long as these terrorists are friends of the west. They will even finance these terrorist groups and supply them with weapons as long as the weapons are used against the enemies of the west.

The west does not give a damn whether you are a dictator or corrupt to the core. What you do in your own country is your business. Only when what you do threatens or compromises western interest does the west begin to get concerned. That is the reality of the western attitude, the US included.

Fidel Castro removed the corrupt government of Cuba, which the US was propping up. But Castro was Communist. So Castro, and not the corrupt Cuban government he ousted, became the enemy of the US.

So, even if Najib did abuse his power as alleged, and even if there was corruption regarding 1MDB as alleged, do you think the west and the US really care as long as Najib does not declare that he is pro-China or pro-ISIS and is anti-US?

This is part of the speech that Najib made in the US back in 2002 when he was the Defence Minister and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was Prime Minister:

Historically, Malaysia has been a steady, reliable friend of the United States. Our multitude of common interests include trade and investment on a sizeable scale and security cooperation across a range of fronts. An equally important point is the common values our two countries share, including a commitment to democracy, religious tolerance, and equality for all our diverse citizens. In times like these — in a time of war — it is these values that bind nations together.

Malaysian forces regularly conduct joint training with United States counterparts, and the United States routinely enjoys access to Malaysian airfields and ports. Also, Malaysia provides one of the few bases outside the United States for U.S. military jungle-warfare training. U.S. troops are warmly welcomed in Malaysia and enjoy training there.

As you can see, cooperation between our two nations started long before September 11, 2001. But the horrific events of that day galvanized our relationship as never before. Prime Minster Mahathir has been vocal in condemning the attacks, and we have been happy to provide an elevated level of cooperation with the United States on the range of fronts.

Beyond our bilateral cooperation with the United States, Malaysia has been at the forefront of prosecuting terrorists within our region. The capture in December of Philippine terrorists in Malaysia and the subsequent arrests of al-Qaeda-linked terrorists cells in Malaysia and Singapore have underscored the need for regional coordination, which we are actively advocating. Some 62 terrorists and militias with global and regional links have been arrested under our Internal Security Act, and more are currently being hunted down.

So you see, that is what matters to the US. They can tolerate Marcos and Suharto and will help them stay in power as long as they are friends and not enemies of the US. And even if it were true that Najib did do what they allege he did regarding 1MDB, that is extremely small potatoes compared to what the other friends of the US did over the last 30 years or so. If not, the US would have helped Anwar Ibrahim oust Dr Mahathir way back in the 1990s.

So, if you really want the west and the US to help you oust Najib, then you need to convince them that Najib is anti-west and that what he is doing is detrimental to the safety and security of the west and the US. If not, even if Najib did do what you say he did, that, as far as the west and the US are concerned, is an internal matter that does not involve any foreign governments.

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(The Malaysian Insider) – Former Batu Kawan Umno vice-chief Datuk Khairuddin Abu Hassan was scheduled to meet agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Monday, his lawyer Matthias Chang told The New York Times.

He said the appointment was made with assistance from the US Embassy in Malaysia.

The report also stated that the arrest, which came hours after a planned departure on Friday, prevented Khairuddin from meeting the American law enforcement officials to push them to investigate 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

He was picked up at his house in Mont Kiara yesterday evening over an attempt to topple the government. His wife, Datin Umie Aida, posted on Instagram that Khairuddin was being detained under Section 124C, for offences related to activities detrimental to parliamentary democracy.

Prior to his arrest yesterday, Khairuddin had also posted on his Facebook claiming that he had been blacklisted from traveling overseas. He claimed he was supposed to fly to New York and London at 10.30am, but was barred from leaving and had been blacklisted by the Immigration Department under orders of Bukit Aman police.

Khairuddin, one of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s critics, had been reported to have travelled to countries in Europe and Asia to push for investigations over alleged discrepancies of debt-ridden 1MDB.

READ MORE HERE

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(The Star) – PAS has reiterated that it will contest seats its former MPs have "run away" with, in the next general election.

"Those who have run away with our seats, those seats still belong to PAS.

"PAS will contest. If they want to contest it will be a three-cornered fight," PAS election director Datuk Mustafa Ali was reported by party organ Harakahdaily to have said during a speech in Dungun, Terengganu Friday night.

Mustafa was referring to former PAS MPs who have quit the party to join the newly-launched Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah).

Among those who have defected are Kuala Krai MP Hatta Ramli, Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad, Parit Buntar MP Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa and Kota Raja MP Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud.

Mustafa also said that PAS might contest in more seats compared with the 2013 general election, adding that its election department would decide where.

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(The Malaysian Insider) – PAS has no plans to be part of the soon-to-be-formed opposition pact, Pakatan Rakyat 2.0, but will continue to cooperate with PKR, a senior leader said today.

“We will continue working with PKR but will not be involved in Pakatan Rakyat 2.0,” the leader said, on the condition of anonymity.

This comes as talks are still ongoing of a new opposition coalition to replace the defunct Pakatan Rakyat.

PAS earlier said it would remain as the opposition when Parliament reconvenes next month, but had yet to make a decision whether to join the new pact.

The PAS leader said the agreement of not joining the new pact was made after meetings between PAS and PKR leaders last week.

This was in line with PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s remark who said that the party would not work with “traitors” like Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) which consists of former PAS members.

READ MORE HERE

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(Malay Mail Online) – Islamist group Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) said today that liberalism can only co-exist with Islam if it is willing to submit to an Islamic system, as the ideology is a malleable man-made system compared to a religion that is bestowed by God.

Speaking in a forum on liberalism and faith, Isma president Abdullah Zaik Abd Rahman said Islam cannot be reformed or amended by any parties, chiding so-called "liberal Muslim" for using Western philosophies born of "dark ages" in doing so.

"Liberalism can live hand-in-hand with faith, only if it's willing to live under an Islamic system," Abdullah said in the Liberalism Conference held by think-tank Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS).

"If liberalism tries to redefine or reform Islam following the demands of liberal basis, that maybe can never be accepted by Islam."

READ MORE HERE

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(Malay Mail Online) – Police won a remand order today to detain Datuk Seri Khairuddin Abu Hassan another six days in connection with his reports on 1 Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) to government agencies of other countries, his lawyer confirmed.

His lead counsel Stanley Augustin said the police are investigating the former Penang Umno division chief under Section 124 (C) of the Penal Code, for offences related to activities detrimental to parliamentary democracy.

"Khairuddin has been remanded for six days till Thursday. The magistrate approved the remand after saying that is a need to investigate further as there is a connection," he told reporters outside the Dang Wangi district police headquarters where the 1MDB critic is being held.

Stanley also said the police claimed Khairuddin had handed false documents on 1MDB to international authorities for investigation.

"They said that the documents he gave to Swiss and French authorities are false," the lawyer said.

He added that he had argued that the police could not know if the documents were genuine or false as they had yet to see the papers filed.

Khairuddin was arrested last night at his home in upscale Mont Kiara.

He was to have flown to New York yesterday morning where he reportedly was to meet the US government officials to seek their aid for investigations into the troubled state-owned strategic development fund.

However, he was denied permission to leave the country by immigration officials just as he was to board his flight.

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That was the secret of the English success. But in Malaysia we have so many different religions. So we are still going to be divided even 2,000 years to come. So, if we want to achieve what England achieved, we need to all follow just one religion. Then, 1,000 or 2,000 years from now, there will be just one Malaysian race, just like there is only one English race today.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Life is so much easier for you Malaysians. You know who you are. You are either Malays, Chinese, Indians or 'lain-lain'. In England it is a bit more difficult. We do not know who we are — unless you are of African, Chinese or Indian continent origin (Pakistanis included) and came to England since after WWII.

So we cannot tell an Englishman to go back to wherever it is he came from. I mean, in Malaysia we can tell a Chinese to go back to China, an Indian to go back to India, a Malay to go back to Indonesia, an Orang Asli to go back to Polynesia, and so on.

But to where do you tell an Englishman to go back to, to Germany? And to whom do you return England to, to the Celts?

England actually belongs to the Celts. And the Celts were everywhere, all over Europe since the Iron Age. The three main Celt groups were the Gauls, the Britons and the Gaels.

Evidence shows that the Celts first came to England in 750 BC. That was about 2,765 or so years ago.

Then, in 55 BC, Julius Caesar and the Roman came to England and the country became part of the Roman Empire until 409-410. But the Romans did not call the people they found in England Celts. The Romans called them Britons, who were actually one branch of the Celts.

Over more than 400 years of Roman occupation, England saw mass migration by a mixture of people from north Germany, Denmark and northern Holland. Most were Saxons, Angles and Jutes. There were some Franks and Frisians too. If we use the modern names for the countries they came from, the Saxons, Franks and Frisians were German-Dutch, the Angles were southern Danish, and the Jutes were northern Danish.

In 793, the Vikings invaded England. Over hundreds of years, the people from Norway, Sweden and Finland migrated to England in large numbers and occupied various parts of England.

Then, in 1066, the Normans invaded England. The Normans were actually from France, from a region called Normandy. And they were originally pirates from Denmark, Norway and Iceland who had settled in that part of France 200 years earlier.

Today, there are no longer any Celt Britons. The English that you see today are a product of 2,000 years of conquest and intermarriage. No doubt, for more than 1,000 years since 55 BC, the people in England had been fighting one another.

And the Scots and Irish are still 'fighting' the 'pendatang' English until today while the Welsh refuse to speak English in Parliament and still insist that all road signs must be in Welsh plus English, which is actually French. In fact, the anti-United Kingdom SNP controls the Scottish Parliament and is still determined to pull Scotland out of Britain and declare independence.

So you see, what is happening in Malaysia today also happened in England since 2,000 years ago. Only that now the original Celt Britons have been totally 'wiped out' though intermarriage that they no longer exist. So the English no longer fight because there is no longer any original English to fight with.

It took 2,000 years for the original Celt Briton Englishman to disappear and to be replaced with the 'modern' Englishman. But that was only possible because they were all of the same religion and that made intermarriage possible.

This may never happen in Malaysia, not even in 2,000 years, because intermarriage in Malaysia is almost impossible due to religious reasons. If the Malays, Chinese, Indians and 'lain-lain' were all of the same religion, like in England over 2,000 years since 55 BC, then in time Malaysia could become like England — no more Celt Britons and everyone is an Englishman.

The bottom line to my 'thesis' is that race is not the problem in Malaysia, as many believe. The problem is religion. In England, everyone discarded their old (and many different) pagan religions and became Christians. (And those who refused to become Christians were exterminated by the church — ethnic cleansing in the name of Jesus).

That was the secret of the English success. But in Malaysia we have so many different religions. So we are still going to be divided even 2,000 years to come. So, if we want to achieve what England achieved, we need to all follow just one religion. Then, 1,000 or 2,000 years from now, there will be just one Malaysian race, just like there is only one English race today.

But then, after all that, the English once again divided themselves. And the division is, in fact, very serious. But it is not race or religion that divides the Englishman. It is football, the new religion of the English. Today, more English watch football than those who go to church.

Ironical is it not? But then that is what happens when most, if not all, English have Viking blood flowing through their veins. They just love fighting.

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The PM’s political acumen has proven to be keener than many may have thought.

Scott Ng, Free Malaysia Today

Malaysia has been getting a lot of international attention lately. Ever since the Wall Street Journal published an explosive expose revealing that Prime Minister Najib Razak received a mysterious RM2.6 billion deposit in his personal bank accounts, international media have pounced on every scoop and development they can find on the case, and the findings have been astonishing to say the least.

Factor in a rogue Umno leader running around the world to lodge police reports against Najib and 1MDB, and you get the kind of publicity even money cannot buy. None of it is good for Najib, of course. Khairuddin Abu Hassan's efforts are perhaps the best bet for any form of legal recourse against the PM, given the recent defanging of our public institutions.

However, it is not a given that any of Khairuddin's police reports will bear fruit. If no smoking gun is discovered in the course of the investigations, all the police reports and media coverage will have been for naught. Suaram learned that the hard way when French authorities turned up records showing Najib, Abdul Razak Baginda and the late Altantuya Shaariibuu were never in France together to broker the infamous Scorpene deal.

Khairuddin's efforts may go down the same road.

Najib was extremely careless in allowing the RM2.6 billion to be transferred to his personal accounts, but corporations have made an art out of hiding their dirty deeds – if there is indeed any dirty deed to be attributed to 1MDB.

But of more interest is the recent development that has seen Khairuddin arrested on suspicion of trying to topple the government. It is Najib's latest move to put Mahathir and his forces in checkmate. Having thwarted the earlier plot to unseat him through the country's public institutions, Najib rested on his laurels only to hear of Khairuddin's travels and exploits and, realizing the compromising position an international investigation would put him in, now looks to cut the head off the snake before it bites.

Of course, Khairuddin has already lodged reports in several countries, many of them with highly reputable anti-corruption task forces. As yet, there's no telling what fruits their investigations will bear. Nonetheless, removing his ability to traverse the world freely puts a damper on continued efforts to discredit Najib internationally, and that could be the killing blow.

READ MORE HERE

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(Reuters) – The daughter of detained Malaysian opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim called on the Obama administration yesterday to put pressure on her country’s prime minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, to release her father and abandon authoritarian policies.

In an interview in Washington during a visit to lobby US officials and politicians, Nurul Izzah Anwar said it was important that Najib was not able to use a visit to Malaysia in November by President Barack Obama to bolster his position.

Nurul Izzah also said there was no basis for a Malaysian police investigation against her over charges contained in reports in pro-government newspapers that she attempted to buy stolen data on state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), which is at the centre of a scandal involving Najib.

She called the allegations an "attempt to vilify and to tarnish me and to deflect from the fact that US$700 million (RM2.9 billion) went to Najib’s pocket and US$650 million went out and nobody knows where the money is."

She said she was sticking to her plan to leave Washington today to return to Malaysia, even though there was the risk of arrest.

"I think I have no choice ― I mean, I will face it, fight back, as we have done before," she said.

A Wall Street Journal report in July claimed government investigators looking into 1MDB have found that nearly US$700 million was transferred into the prime minister’s personal bank account.

Najib has denied taking any money from the debt-laden state fund or any other entity for personal gain. The country’s anti-corruption unit later said the funds moved to Najib’s accounts were a donation from an unidentified Middle East donor, and did not come from 1MDB.

Nurul said she was asking the US administration to issue a "clear-cut demand for Anwar’s release as a political prisoner."

"At the very least, he should be given access to surgery ― a medical intervention is needed as soon as possible," she said.

'Authoritarian streak'

Anwar, a former finance minister and deputy prime minister, was jailed in February for five years for sodomising a former male aide. He denies the charge, calling the case a conspiracy by Najib’s government to cripple the opposition and end his political career.

Nurul said her father had a shoulder injury which had worsened due to a delay in treatment and it was now affecting his vertebrae, meaning that he required micro-surgery, or a shoulder replacement.

Nurul said she understood the US desire to maintain good relations with Malaysia, which has an influential position as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and is also a partner in the multi-national Trans-Pacific Partnership trade negotiations ― the key economic plank of Obama’s "rebalance" of US focus to Asia in the face of a rising China.

However, she charged that Najib’s treatment of the political opposition and promotion of Malay supremacy was encouraging radicalisation and extremism and the United States should examine the effectiveness of the assistance it was providing the country to counter militancy.

"For me, if America understands its place in the world, it’s very important for them to leverage and ensure that Najib reduces his authoritarian streak," she said.

Nurul said she was concerned that if the US administration did not take a firmer line, Najib would be able to use Obama’s presence at the Asian summit Malaysia will host in November "to deflect from his excesses, his troubles".

The US State Department said this year is was "deeply disappointed" with Anwar’s conviction and that it raised questions about the fairness of the Malaysian judicial system.

However, in June, Obama stopped short of calling for his release, saying he did not generally comment on legal processes in other countries.

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(Bernama) – Former Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, who has been sacked from PKR, has received offers to join PAS.

However, he said, he had yet to consider the offers because he had some matters to resolve with the Registrar of Societies.

He said he felt that there had been injustice in his expulsion from PKR.

Abdul Khalid was expelled from PKR after he refused to vacate the post of Selangor mentri besar as per a party decision.

He spoke to reporters after attending a political event that was also attended by PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang in Pulau Serai near here last night

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Rowan Callick, The Australian

The subtext was to proclaim unconditional support for Najib himself, the leader of the marchers' ruling UMNO party.

James Chin, director of the Asia Institute at Tasmania University, told The Weekend Australian from Kuala Lumpur yesterday Najib would survive as long as he retained the backing of two of the three power blocs within UMNO.

The first is the party "blue-bloods", including former leaders such as Mahathir Mohamad, who is now determined to unseat Najib, although he himself has very blue UMNO blood, as the son of the second prime minister and the nephew of the third.

The second bloc comprises senior organisational leaders, the divisional chiefs and the supreme council members — about 200 in all. "Like ALP factional bosses," said Chin.

The third is the group of ­tycoons on the receiving end of government contracts, who are in some trouble because they ship large sums overseas whose value has slumped with the fall of the ringgit, down 20 per cent this year.

Chin says the first group is split over Najib but "mostly prefers him to any potential successor, who might become a loose cannon upsetting their own arrangements", while the second continues to back him, but the third holds the most threat.

"These businessmen can be very dangerous for him," said Chin, because of their financial ­capacity to influence UMNO members, "to rally them against Najib".

The lack of an obvious ­successor is a strong card in Najib's hand, Chin said.

Several weeks ago he sacked Muhyiddin Yassin as his deputy after he criticised the handling of allegations of abuse of public funds — warning the government would lose an election over the money missing from government investment bank 1MDB, which is $15 billion in debt.

In a defensive reshuffle, Najib brought in seven new ministers, with Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, considered a loyalist who offered little threat, as his new deputy.

But another analyst in Kuala Lumpur said this could prove "a risky appointment", as Zahid grows in confidence, increasingly using the "I" in his speeches.

Najib said this week that people sometimes accused him of paying people to support him, which he vigorously denied. But, he said, he does sometimes help people when they are in trouble.

Such "help", said the KL analyst, "can be a very big ingredient in support".

This analyst said he had recently met Mahathir, who despite turning 90 remains alert and incisive, thus a key threat to Najib.

Mahathir earlier this month participated in a massive rally by the Bersih anti-corruption campaign — which Culture Minister Seri Nazri Aziz dismissed, charging the former prime minister of 22 years with defamation with the patronising comment: "What is left of his life, we should let him have some fun."

Chin said one of the factors enabling Najib to cling to power while his predecessor Abdullah Badawi had been forced out by critics led by Mahathir, was the single-mindedness of his wife Rosmah Mansor, who had ­ "acquired considerable influence" as a gatekeeper and briefer.

He said the inherited British legal system required the public prosecutor to initiate charges. And Najib's new Attorney-General, Mohamed Apandi Ali, appeared reluctant to press any investigation that could embarrass the Prime Minister.

Najib has disrupted the official opposition, especially through taking a more robustly Muslim stance that threatens to pull votes from the Islamic PAS — to compensate for his loss of most middle-class support. He is unlikely to be ousted by a no-confidence vote in parliament, which next meets in the middle of next month, ­because, said Chin, the Speaker — a Najib supporter — would have to accept it in advance.

Ultimately, said Chin, "it is more likely that Najib will be ­undone by one of the internat­ional investigations" in Switzerland, Hong Kong and Britain into 1MDB and into $800 million that found its way into Najib's bank ­account.

"The Malaysian establishment wouldn't cope with charges being laid overseas, if this is the result," he said.

This escalating political drama, said Singapore-based business ­analysts IMA Asia, is meanwhile "diverting the government from policy making, delaying local business deals, and discouraging foreign investors".

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(The Star) – 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) has refuted allegations in The Wall Street Journal (WST) report that the payment of "nearly US$1bil" (RM4.2bil) made to the International Petroleum Investment Co (IPIC) was unaccounted for.

It condemned the report as “wrong, poorly sourced, sensationalist and malicious”.

"We would have expected at the very least that the WSJ would have the decency and courage to name its source and/or provide proof.

"This inability to substantiate clearly shows the shallow nature of its assertions," 1MDB said in a statement Friday.

The WSJ reported about a second missing money transfer from 1MDB to IPIC, an Abu Dhabi firm.

It reported that the “nearly US$1bil” paid to IPIC in 2014 for terminating certain financial options was undocumented.

The Malaysian fund said it could not speak on behalf of Aabar Investments PJS or IPIC nor can it comment on the accounting arrangements of third parties.

"What we can confirm is that the notes to the 1MDB 31.03.2014 audited financial statements clearly describe the source of funding and purpose of the payments for the option termination, which for the avoidance of doubt, is structured as a deposit pending determination of the final settlement amount (i.e. it is currently a financial asset belonging to, and not yet an expense to, 1MDB)," it said.

1MDB stated that it could confirm that pursuant to the payment made by it, the options were in fact terminated.

"In fact, 1MDB and its relevant subsidiaries were released and discharged from all agreements, options, covenants, conditions and stipulations on their part under the options and that any rights by any other party towards the options were relinquished and terminated," it added.

Earlier this month, WSJ alleged that a payment of US$1.4bil in November 2014 from 1MDB to IPIC in return for a guarantee of a US$3.5bil bond issue was missing.

1MDB had refuted the claims, stating that the amount of US$1.4bil was accounted for in its 2014 accounts and certified by its auditors.

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(Malay Mail Online) – A former Umno leader was today arrested by police, not long after he was barred from leaving the country ostensibly for handing over documents related to state-owned 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) to the Swiss Attorney-General's Chambers.

Datuk Seri Khairuddin Abu Hassan, who was sacked as Batu Kawan Umno division chief for filing a number of reports internationally against 1MDB, was picked up from his home this evening.

"Yes, he was picked up from his house. He is being taken to Dang Wangi," the portal quoted his lawyer, Matthias Chang as saying in reference to the Dang Wangi police headquarters.

Earlier today, Khairuddin found out he has been barred from leaving Malaysia after trying to board a flight to New York.

In a statement posted on his Facebook page, he said he was informed by immigration officers that he had been blacklisted from travelling abroad by the police.

Khairuddin said he was notified by an investigating officer that he is to have his statement recorded next Monday at federal police headquarters in Bukit Aman for handing over 1MDB related documents to the Swiss Attorney General's Chambers (AGC).

"When I asked during my telephone conversation with the investigating officer, he confirmed that I was being investigated by the police because I sent evidence related to the 1MDB scandal to the Swiss AGC Corp," he added.

Khairuddin said Chang, who has been accompanying him to lodge reports with several government agencies abroad, including Hong Kong, was also barred by authorities today from leaving the country.

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Beliau ditahan mengikut Akta 124C keeana dituduh cuba menggulingkan kerajaan

(Free Malaysia Today) – Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM) telah menahan bekas Naib Ketua UMNO Bahagian Batu Kawan Datuk Seri Khairuddin Abu Hassan di kediamannya, lewat petang Jumaat.

Penahanan Khairuddin telah disahkan oleh peguamnya Matthias Chang.

"Khairuddin ditahan di bawah Akta 124C atas tuduhan cuba menggulingkan kerajaan," kata Chang secara ringkas, lapor Astro Awani.

Menurut isterinya, Datin Seri Umie Aida, Khairuddin ditahan di kediaman mereka di Mont Kiara, di sini kira-kira pukul 7.30 petang tadi.

"15 orang anggota polis tiba di kawasan rumah, lima hingga enam orang anggota polis naik ke rumah dan yang lain-lain di bawah.

Menurut Umie, polis turut merampas beberapa barang peribadi milik termasuk komputer riba, telefon bimbit dan kad sim telefon bimbit dari kediaman mereka.

READ MORE HERE

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