Attacks against Guan Eng intensify ahead of GE13

— All eyes are now on the DAP’s Lim Guan Eng as the Penang chief minister struggles to fend off concerted attacks against him ahead of general elections due within a year.

The pro-Barisan Nasional (BN) mainstream media today published lopsided reports of the federal opposition leader’s run-in with members of Perkasa, a right-wing Malay organisation, at the Teluk Bahang market in Penang yesterday.

The reports, which related the incident from the viewpoint of the Perkasa members, appear to indicate a concerted effort by the ruling federal coalition to reclaim Penang, a key economic state under BN control until four years ago.

“The failure by police to immediately arrest Perkasa members involved in violence not just against members of the public and reporters but also make direct threats against my personal safety has only confirmed fears that Perkasa can do no wrong because they are supported by Umno and BN,” Lim said in a media statement today.

“[The] Police should review their hands-off approach towards Perkasa to avoid public perception that they condone the violent tactics by Perkasa to intimidate PR leaders,” he added, referring to the opposition Pakatan Rakyat pact formed in 2008 after their landmark win in the polls.

The DAP-PKR-PAS pact swept nearly 29 out of the total 40 state seats there in Election 2008, wiping out Penang BN’s controlling party, Gerakan, in the process.

The first-term Penang CM had told a news conference in George Town yesterday that Perkasa members had threatened his safety during the walkabout.

But the country’s major newspapers including Umno-owned Mingguan Malaysia and New Sunday Times (NST) headlined reports that blamed Lim’s entourage for “roughing” up a Perkasa man.

“I was brushed so suddenly from behind and the situation is like (he) wanted to threaten my safety. Somebody brushed me and my bodyguard pushed me to the car.

“This is not the first time they acted violently. You are not supposed to rush in the close confines of Chief Minister in a threatening manner,” Lim (picture) told reporters yesterday.

An audio recording of Lim’s news conference in George Town was made available to The Malaysian Insider.

Today, Miggguan Malaysia, the weekend edition of Malay daily Utusan Malaysia, appeared to give a very different account of the marketplace clash, faulting Lim’s administration for oppressing the minority Malay residents in the island state.

Lim’s account of the ruckus was conspicuously missing from the newspaper’s reports.

Reports of the ruckus, headlined “Penduduk bantah kehadiran Guan Eng” (Residents oppose Guan Eng’s presence)”, the Malay-language paper highlighted allegations that a PR supporter who was part of Lim’s entourage had attacked a Perkasa demonstrator in the market.

In similar reports carried on the English-language NST, Mohd Rizuad was quoted saying that Lim’s entourage had purposely “created” the incident to paint picture of the Malay movement.

Lim’s relations with the mainstream media has been tumultuous at best in the past fours since helming Penang.

It worsened after he banned all Umno-linked papers, notably Utusan Malaysia and NST from covering official state functions, saying they gave him unfair coverage and did not give him the right of reply in allegations against him.

The DAP secretary-general had won a couple of defamation suits against Utusan and had recently filed another RM15 million suit against two mainstream newspapers and Perkasa leaders over unsubstantiated reports that he had leaked national secrets to Singapore’s ruling People’s Action Party. In his statement of claim, Lim suggested that the allegation was part of an agenda to help BN recapture power in Penang.

He pointed out that Umno, the leading component party in BN, has a substantial shareholding in both papers through Media Prima Sdn Bhd and was therefore able to “politically manipulate news items for its benefit”.

The Penang High Court had on June 22 found Utusan Malaysia guilty of defaming Lim, he second such ruling in six months, and ordered the Umno daily to pay him RM200,000 in damages and RM20,000 in costs. The Penang chief minister had claimed a March 12, 2008 article headlined “Tiada Lagi DEB (No More NEP)” in the Malay-language newspaper which said he would abolish the New Economic Policy was inaccurate.

The DAP secretary-general said he had merely said his administration would be free from the “cronyism, corruption and systematic inefficiency” stemming from the policy.

Chai Hing Seru Masyarakat Melayu, Cina dan India Pilih ‘Imam’ Yang Bertanggungjawab

KUALA TERENGGANU – Pakatan Rakyat khususnya PAS wajib menang khususnya di negeri Terengganu dalam pilihanraya umum yang ke-13 akan datang dan memilih ‘Imam’ yang bertanggungjawab bagi mentadbir negeri ini.

Menurut Pengerusi DAP Terengganu, Ng Chai Hing berkata, masyarakat Melayu yang beragama Islam begitu teliti memilih Imam untuk bersembahyang, yang bertugas selama 5 minit pada setiap waktu solat.

Oleh itu, katanya, memilih Imam yang menjadi ketua dan pemimpin negeri dan negara selama 5 tahun adalah lebih utama.

“didalam Islam seperti mana yang saya difahamkan seseorang pemimpin itu juga adalah ‘Imam’ untuk rakyatnya, justeru memilih ‘Imam’ itu adalah jauh lebih penting dari memilih Imam dalam solat,

“memilih Imam 5 minit (Imam solat) mereka (memilih) dengan begitu teliti sekali dengan mengambil kira sikap dan kejujuran seseorang itu, jangan kita memilih Imam 5 tahun yang dikaitkan dengan gejala rasuah, pembunuhan dan pelbagai skandal,”ujarnya yang pernah menjadi Pembantu Khas kepada Menteri Besar Terengganu.

Beliau berkata demikian ketika menyampaikan ucapan dalam Majlis Penerangan di Kampung Gong Pak Damat, Bukit Tunggal pada Jumaat  22 Jun.

Katanya, pemilihan pemimpin yang amanah adalah penting bagi menguruskan wang negara yang begitu banyak khususnya wang royalti minyak di negeri Terengganu.

Menurutnya, pemimpin Umno-BN telah terbukti menyalahgunakan wang rakyat untuk kepentingan politik dan peribadi mereka.

“kalau kita serahkan kepada pemimpin Umno-BN apa penghujungnya, duit ini akan disalah gunakan untuk kepentingan politik mereka,

“jangan sekali-kali kita (hanya) membiarkan mreka menyalahgunakan hasil (royalti minyak) negeri Terengganu ini,”tegasnya.

Justeru, beliau menyeru supaya semua kaum termasuk Melayu, Cina dan India bekerjasama dan bersepakat memberi sokongan padu kepada PR supaya Umno-BN dapat dikalahkan.

Beliau mendakwa, lapan puluh peratus masyarakat Cina telah membuat keputusan bulat menyokong Pakatan Rakyat dalam pilihanraya umum akan datang.

“70 hingga 80 peratus masyarakat Tionghua (Cina) sudah menyuarakan sokongan mereka kepada Pakatan Rakyat, saya bimbang (ada dikalangan) masyarakat Melayu yang masih was-was untuk memberi sokongan,

“(Pilihanraya) kali ini kita mesti bekerjasama masyarakat Tionghua, Melau dan India kena sepakat memberi sokongan padu kepada Pakatan Rakyat supaya dapat mengalahkan Umno-BN,”jelasnya.

Guan Eng menang saman Utusan sekali lagi, kali ini fitnah tentang DEB

GEORGE TOWN, 22 JUN: Kerana menipu kononnya Lim Guan Eng mahu menghapuskan Dasar Ekonomi Baru (DEB), Mahkamah Tinggi di sini hari ini mendapati lidah rasmi UMNO, Utusan Malaysia, telah melakukan fitnah.

Justeru, mahkamah mengarahkan Utusan membayar pampasan RM200,000 kepada Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang itu serta RM20,000 kos mahkamah.

Guan Eng menyaman Utusan terhadap satu tulisan bertajuk “DEB: Guan Eng Tetap Berdegil” bertarikh 15 Mac 2008 yang mendakwa kononnya Setiausaha Agung DAP tersebut mahu menghapuskan DEB.

Tulisan itu mengandungi perkataan berunsur fitnah dan berniat jahat kerana Guan Eng tidak pernah mengatakan beliau mahu menghapuskan DEB.

Beliau telah menjelaskan bahawa apa yang dikatakannya adalah pentadbirannya di Pulau Pinang akan bebas daripada kronisme, korupsi dan sistem yang tidak berkesan.

Ini adalah kemenangan kedua Guan Eng menyaman Utusan. Pada Disember tahun lalu, mahkamah mendapati sengaja memfitnah Guan Eng dengan niat jahat.

Artikel Utusan bertajuk “Kebiadaban Guan Eng” yang disiarkan pada 20 Disember 2010 cuba menggambarkan Guan Eng dan DAP seolah-olah  anti-Melayu dan anti-Islam, dan terbukti dakwaan Utusan itu palsu. – Roketkini.com

Hanif admits Bersih panel has no legal powers

PUTRAJAYA, June 18 — Tun Hanif Omar admitted today that the Bersih 3.0 investigative panel he heads has no power to offer legal immunity to its witnesses but gave his assurance that they would not be hauled to court for their testimonies.

The former Inspector-General of Police (picture) also admitted that the panel does not have any power to compel witnesses to come forward, confirming criticisms raised by Bersih 2.0 and the Bar Council over the panel’s legal standing.

“The panel is absolutely administrative. We have no powers to compel people.

“So in that sense, we are very much dependent on voluntary (testimonies),” Hanif told a press conference here after the panel kicked off its inquiry today.

The Bar Council has said that the “Hanif panel” would be of limited utility due to its lack of legal powers to summon witnesses or to requisition necessary documents for its probe, as well as its inability to offer legal immunity to protect its witnesses from defamation or self-incrimination.
This is apart from the council’s claim that the panel’s findings would likely be biased due to the involvement of Hanif, who had previously declared his anti-Bersih stand.

“We cannot give protection as well (to witnesses), but of course we don’t put you into any frame of trouble — we have got our legal adviser as well... we won’t put witnesses at risk,” Hanif said.
The Bar Council has also said it was unnecessary for the Hanif panel to probe Bersih 3.0 as the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) is already conducting its own inquiry.

As such, council president Lim Chee Wee had said council members would not attend the Hanif panel inquiry but later conceded they were willing to meet the panel out of its policy of engagement.
Hanif maintained today that Suhakam’s inquiry would be limited to the issue of human rights, unlike the panel he heads.

He said the government-formed panel was an “additional alternative” for those who do not want to use the other available avenues.

“What are the other avenues available? One is the normal process of police investigation, and then the court, the next one is Suhakam.

“So is there anything beyond that? Suhakam of course has to go by its Act, limiting its role to human rights issues [but] other issues outside human rights, other issues that do not go to court, that people want to bring up, that is an alternative avenue and that is ourselves,” he said.

Hanif said his panel has not been given any timeframe to complete its probe and could even include in its final report findings from the police and Suhakam’s investigations as well as court decisions.
“So this morning we were interested in the parameters of sub-judice, and so we will call for the actual charge sheets of those charged in court so that we can know how close we can move (in the inquiry),” he said.

The Hanif panel was formed on May 2 by the Home Ministry following numerous allegations of police brutality against Bersih 3.0 participants and members of the media.