Foreign Correspondence

[fuagf]

Anwar Ibrahim's Sodomy Conviction Upheld; Court Sentences Opposition Leader To 5 Years In Prison
Reuters | By EILEEN NG
Posted: 02/10/2015 2:31 am EST Updated: 04/11/2015 5:59 am EDT
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/10/anwar-ibrahim-sodomy-conviction_n_6650188.html

Was the trial politically motivated? Years of debate on that continues to rage and likely will never be unequivocally answered to the satisfaction
of all. Meanwhile it seems the populace is virtually united against the current PM Najib Razak. Corruption is seen to be a huge problem.

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MACC transfer amounts to obstruction, says ex-AG
4:58PM Aug 12, 2015 .. bit ..

Last Friday, MACC special operations division director Bahri Mohamad Zin and MACC strategic communication director Rohaizad Yaakob were transferred to the Prime Minister's Department.

New AG should lay charges

Bahri is a key investigator on allegations that RM2.6 billion were deposited into Najib's personal bank accounts while Rohaizad had received an opposition delegation when they visited the MACC headquarters to show support.

The transfer orders were subsequently aborted after a public uproar.
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/308330

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Umno leadership hanging by the skin of its teeth

Scott Ng | August 23, 2015

The great irony of Najib's career is that he has united Malaysians against him despite his efforts to unite us in support of him.



Umno is the only reason Prime Minister Najib Razak is still standing, beaten and bloodied but not defeated by the onslaught of scandals that would have forced a leader to resign in almost any other democracy. The leadership of the party has managed to hold steady by the skin of its teeth, much to the consternation of the public, including even some sections of Umno’s own grassroots.

Umno is beginning to shake from rumblings within. The voices of dissent range from the whispers of a handful of ministers on the verge of breaking ranks to the screams of one Wanita member who could no longer take being “urinated” on. In fact, Anina Saaduddin, the woman who ranted against Najib in a video that went viral, claimed that the Umno President was supported by less than 20% of Umno.

It seems that everywhere you go, nobody, regardless of race, religion, or ideology, wants to see Najib in power a second longer. Coffee shops echo with murmurs of discontent and Internet forums and social media abound with daily insults for the Prime Minister. The great irony of Najib’s career is that he has united Malaysians against him despite his efforts to have us united in support of him.

So why then has Umno not taken steps to remove a man who appears to be leading them down the path to possible extinction in the next GE?

Well, you’ll have to ask Umno’s division heads. You see, contrary to his claims, Najib is not really a “democratically elected” Prime Minister. It is Umno that gives him his mandate to be Prime Minister. The division heads are the ones who choose the party president to be the de facto Prime Minister. That’s how powerful the Umno division heads are as a political force in Malaysia.

But it cannot be that the division heads are so divorced from reality that they do not see what the grassroots are seeing. Our currency has fallen to worrying levels against the dollar, the public has been openly calling for Najib to step down, and in Johor, Umno’s own birthplace, people have hung banners in derision of the Prime Minister. Furthermore, it seems that even party stalwarts can no longer sleep easy because loyalty to the party president is prized over all else.

The warnings that Umno would lose power should Najib remain as Prime Minister ring ever truer with each passing day. Voters may reject Umno not necessarily out of displeasure with the party, but out of distaste for the party president. To a party so accustomed to governing the nation, the prospect must be chilling. The Umno division heads must see this, and they must be hearing it from their own people, which brings up the question of what exactly is it about Najib that they feel so inclined to support?

There has to be a limit to what RM2.6 billion can get you. Indeed, no amount of money will ever be enough to justify exacerbating a bad situation.

But like it or not, unless Umno’s warlords and powerbrokers decide that enough is enough, it is likely that Najib will remain untouched by the firestorm, at least until the next GE. And here’s the question we’re asking: is Umno willing to pay the price for protecting Najib?

.. one of the comments ..

Sukumaran Chandran · The University of Adelaide
See what money can buy? What are they talking about religion and how many are following anyway. It applies to all religions. Corruption
has captured every walks of life. Politics combined with religion is one of a most deadliest weapon used against own people.
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/highlight/2015/08/23/umno-leadership-hanging-by-the-skin-of-its-teeth/

LOL .. well .. yeah, i gotta agree with that one .. an aside follows as i wasn't sure what MACC stood for .. :)

Jho Low, two others wanted by MACC

Joe Fernandez | August 22, 2015

Members of the public urged to contact MACC on the three individuals wanted in connection with SRC International.



KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC), in an open statement to the media, has confirmed
that it needs three individuals to come forward and assist it with investigations into SRC International Sdn Bhd.
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2015/08/22/jho-low-two-others-wanted-by-macc/