KUALA LUMPUR - Catholic church officials were told to remove crucifixes and to avoid singing hymns during Prime Minister Najib Razak's attendance of a Christmas tea party hosted by the Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur last Saturday.
The overzealous bid to protect the Prime Minister's credentials was described by sources familiar with what happened as "paranoid" and done without Mr Najib's knowledge.
The Malaysian Insider understands that Mr Najib's men may have been spooked by the National Fatwa Council's recent repeated announcements over Muslims at non-Muslim celebrations and had tripped over themselves to ensure his attendance at the tea party passed without a hitch.
It was the first time Mr Najib was attending a Christian function in his official capacity since taking over power in April last year.
Mr Najib has been instrumental in bringing the leaders of different faiths to the same table earlier this year to try and peacefully resolve long-standing interfaith disputes after a series of attacks against houses of worship nationwide.
The violence erupted following a controversial court ruling allowing Christians to also use the word "Allah" to refer to God beyond the Muslim context.
Sources noted that Mr Najib's aides had little to be anxious about as the party was held outdoors in several marquees where religious paraphernalia were the least likely to be fixed.
"They were overly fearful but there was nothing for them to be fearful about," a source pointed out, dismissing Mr Najib's aides as being too "paranoid".
Dr M defends Najib over FDI
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 1 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today defended the Najib Administration over the plunging foreign direct investment (FDI) in the country last year.
Dr Mahathir echoed the explanation made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak that the slowdown in investments was due to external factors.
The former prime minister said that foreign investors currently do not have the funds to pour in the country.
“Today, most countries and foreign business people do not have the money to invest in their own country because their country has a lot of unemployment so we cannot expect much foreign direct investment today,” he told reporters after attending The Loaf Malaysian Premier Bakery 4th anniversary here.
Najib has come under fire from opposition parties for Malaysia’s lacklustre FDI rates, which have fallen faster than regional counterparts such as Singapore and China even while capital outflows dampened private domestic investment.
The WIR 2010 released by the United Nations showed that FDI in Malaysia plunged 81 per cent last year, trailing behind countries like the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore.
The report revealed that Malaysia suffered a large 81.1 per cent drop in FDIs compared to far healthier figures in Thailand (30.4 per cent), Vietnam (44.1 per cent) and Indonesia (44.7 per cent).
In May, Minister of International Trade and Industry Mustapa Mohamed announced that investments in the country for Q1 2010 amounted to RM5.2 billion.
FDIs made up RM3.2 billion of this total, with Singapore, Taiwan and Japan being the biggest contributors.
Mustapa said the investment amount was still relatively low against the total amount of RM32.6 billion in investments received last year.
Najib has been trying to lift Malaysia’s profile as a destination for foreign investment to help the country achieve an average GDP growth of at least 6 per cent per annum over the next five years.
Najib’s administration has insisted that the GDP growth target is still achievable despite warning that the economy may slow down in the second half of the year due to external factors.
However Najib’s brother, Datuk Seri Nazir Razak, said that wrangling over affirmative action in the proposed New Economic Model (NEM) is causing uncertainty among investors.
The CIMB Bank chief executive officer said that there was a lot of debate over what sort of affirmative action should be in the NEM, notably involving vocal Malay rights group Perkasa, and the government needed to decide quickly for the sake of giving investors a sense of direction.
Dr Mahathir refused to comment when asked whether such issues had an effect and said it was for the government to decide.
“So the government must study,” said Mahathir.
Dr Mahathir has been a staunch supporter of a race-based affirmative action and distribution policy.
The former premier had said that the country owes its racial harmony to the New Economic Policy’s (NEP) because it has helped to reduced economic disparity between the different communities, especially between the Chinese and the Malays.
Dr Mahathir echoed the explanation made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak that the slowdown in investments was due to external factors.
The former prime minister said that foreign investors currently do not have the funds to pour in the country.
“Today, most countries and foreign business people do not have the money to invest in their own country because their country has a lot of unemployment so we cannot expect much foreign direct investment today,” he told reporters after attending The Loaf Malaysian Premier Bakery 4th anniversary here.
Najib has come under fire from opposition parties for Malaysia’s lacklustre FDI rates, which have fallen faster than regional counterparts such as Singapore and China even while capital outflows dampened private domestic investment.
The WIR 2010 released by the United Nations showed that FDI in Malaysia plunged 81 per cent last year, trailing behind countries like the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore.
The report revealed that Malaysia suffered a large 81.1 per cent drop in FDIs compared to far healthier figures in Thailand (30.4 per cent), Vietnam (44.1 per cent) and Indonesia (44.7 per cent).
In May, Minister of International Trade and Industry Mustapa Mohamed announced that investments in the country for Q1 2010 amounted to RM5.2 billion.
FDIs made up RM3.2 billion of this total, with Singapore, Taiwan and Japan being the biggest contributors.
Mustapa said the investment amount was still relatively low against the total amount of RM32.6 billion in investments received last year.
Najib has been trying to lift Malaysia’s profile as a destination for foreign investment to help the country achieve an average GDP growth of at least 6 per cent per annum over the next five years.
Najib’s administration has insisted that the GDP growth target is still achievable despite warning that the economy may slow down in the second half of the year due to external factors.
However Najib’s brother, Datuk Seri Nazir Razak, said that wrangling over affirmative action in the proposed New Economic Model (NEM) is causing uncertainty among investors.
The CIMB Bank chief executive officer said that there was a lot of debate over what sort of affirmative action should be in the NEM, notably involving vocal Malay rights group Perkasa, and the government needed to decide quickly for the sake of giving investors a sense of direction.
Dr Mahathir refused to comment when asked whether such issues had an effect and said it was for the government to decide.
“So the government must study,” said Mahathir.
Dr Mahathir has been a staunch supporter of a race-based affirmative action and distribution policy.
The former premier had said that the country owes its racial harmony to the New Economic Policy’s (NEP) because it has helped to reduced economic disparity between the different communities, especially between the Chinese and the Malays.
Scholarships Are For All Races : Najib
Students who do well in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination are eligible to receive Public Service Department (JPA) scholarships, said Prime Minisetr Datuk Seri Najib Razak.He said the scholarships are for students of all races who want to pursue higher studies in local or foreign institutions.
“Each student irrespective whether Malay, Chinese, Indian, Kadazan or others who obtain 9A+ (in their SPM results) qualify for the JPA scholarships, be it for studies locally or overseas,” he said when addressing MIC’s 64th general assembly at the Putra World Trade Centre here today.
Najib (picture) said this scholarship opportunity showed that the government was serious about bringing forth a transformation in line with the 1Malaysia concept.
“This shows that 1Malaysia is not only a slogan but is being practiced in Malaysia,” he said
Meanwhile, Najib said a total of 2,304 of Indian students enrolled for their respective programmes in the public universities.
According to him, 4,541 Indian students applied for places in public universities and 2,499 students qualified.
“About 92.9 per cent of qualified Indian students have been given places in our public universities.
“This is a clear manifesto that we are there to help you, together with you to help the community to move forward. This is the BN’s promise to transform Malaysia to be a fully developed and high income nation,” he added.
Mahathir renews pressure on Najib to revive crooked bridge
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad pressed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today to revive the crooked bridge he had proposed to replace the Johor Causeway connecting Malaysia and Singapore.
The former prime minister questioned Najib’s reluctance in continuing the project despite a request by the Sultan of Johor for Putrajaya for its revival.
“The question that many have asked me, and I am convinced that this is also being asked by a majority of people, is why Datuk Seri Najib as the powerful prime minister is not willing to continue building this bridge?” asked Dr Mahathir in a posting on his popular blog today.
“Is Najib tied in a deal with the fifth prime minister? What is the status of this deal?” he added, referring to former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Badawi who had cancelled the crooked bridge project.
The proposal to build a “crooked” bridge to replace the ageing Causeway, linking peninsular Malaysia to the island republic, was mooted by Dr Mahathir when he was the prime minister.
However, relations between the two countries were often chilly during his administration, causing Singapore to shoot down his idea which was eventually cancelled by his successor Abdullah.
Besides easing traffic congestion between Johor Baru and Singapore, the proposed bridge would also facilitate the free flow of water in the Tebrau Straits in addition to allowing ships heading to East Asia to bypass Singapore.
“I have never heard objections from Malaysians towards the bridge project in replacing the Johor Causeway,” said Dr Mahathir.
“There is also a letter from the previous prime minister of Singapore, Goh Chok Tong, that was published by the Singaporean government in the book ‘Water Talks – If Only It Could’ that he never objected the building of the bridge in Malaysian waters if it was so desired by the Malaysian government,” he added.
In response to the Sultan of Johor's call for the bridge project to be revived, Najib had said that his administration would look into the matter but did not elaborate further.
At Najib's recent meeting with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong a month ago, both leaders had decided to reduce toll charges at the Second Link, one of two bridges linking Malaysia and Singapore, by 30 per cent starting August 1 this year.
Aside from the toll rate announcement, the two prime ministers had also agreed to move the Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) station from Tanjong Pagar to the Woodlands Train Checkpoint (WTCP) by July 1, 2011, as well as setting up a joint venture company called M-S Pte Ltd, to jointly develop the land that is left behind.
However, the issue of the crooked bridge or a third bridge was not discussed in their meeting.
Najib had mooted the idea of a third bridge linking the republic to Malaysia in June last year, which he said could enable the development of the eastern side of Johor and districts like Mersing and Desaru.
The former prime minister questioned Najib’s reluctance in continuing the project despite a request by the Sultan of Johor for Putrajaya for its revival.
“The question that many have asked me, and I am convinced that this is also being asked by a majority of people, is why Datuk Seri Najib as the powerful prime minister is not willing to continue building this bridge?” asked Dr Mahathir in a posting on his popular blog today.
“Is Najib tied in a deal with the fifth prime minister? What is the status of this deal?” he added, referring to former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Badawi who had cancelled the crooked bridge project.
The proposal to build a “crooked” bridge to replace the ageing Causeway, linking peninsular Malaysia to the island republic, was mooted by Dr Mahathir when he was the prime minister.
However, relations between the two countries were often chilly during his administration, causing Singapore to shoot down his idea which was eventually cancelled by his successor Abdullah.
Besides easing traffic congestion between Johor Baru and Singapore, the proposed bridge would also facilitate the free flow of water in the Tebrau Straits in addition to allowing ships heading to East Asia to bypass Singapore.
“I have never heard objections from Malaysians towards the bridge project in replacing the Johor Causeway,” said Dr Mahathir.
“There is also a letter from the previous prime minister of Singapore, Goh Chok Tong, that was published by the Singaporean government in the book ‘Water Talks – If Only It Could’ that he never objected the building of the bridge in Malaysian waters if it was so desired by the Malaysian government,” he added.
In response to the Sultan of Johor's call for the bridge project to be revived, Najib had said that his administration would look into the matter but did not elaborate further.
At Najib's recent meeting with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong a month ago, both leaders had decided to reduce toll charges at the Second Link, one of two bridges linking Malaysia and Singapore, by 30 per cent starting August 1 this year.
Aside from the toll rate announcement, the two prime ministers had also agreed to move the Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) station from Tanjong Pagar to the Woodlands Train Checkpoint (WTCP) by July 1, 2011, as well as setting up a joint venture company called M-S Pte Ltd, to jointly develop the land that is left behind.
However, the issue of the crooked bridge or a third bridge was not discussed in their meeting.
Najib had mooted the idea of a third bridge linking the republic to Malaysia in June last year, which he said could enable the development of the eastern side of Johor and districts like Mersing and Desaru.
Najib Rejects Legalising of Football Betting
By Adib Zalkapli
Datuk Seri Najib Razak capitulated to popular public opinion tonight when he announced the government will not issue a football betting licence, weeks after tycoon Tan Sri Vincent Tan said his Ascot Sports Sdn Bhd had received approval for an old licence.
"After taking into account various views, we are of the opinion that the majority did not agree the decision to issue the license to Ascot Sports," he said after chairing the Umno supreme council meeting here.
"The government therefore decided that the license will not be issued," said the finance minister adding that Ascot Sports has been informed of the decision.
He said the withdrawal was supported by members of the Umno supreme council.
Najib said the government had earlier agreed to issue the sports betting licence but with strict condition such as banning Muslim involvement in the activity.
On whether Ascot Sports would be compensated Najib said there is no such requirement in the law.
"Under the act, the minister of finance can withdraw anytime," said Najib, declining to say when the decision was made.
He also hoped that Barisan Nasional (BN) component party members such as MCA and MIC who have supported legalised sports betting to accept the government's decision.
Several Barisan Nasional (BN) parties had supported the move but Umno Johor, Perak and Youth wing opposed the licence saying the social cost outweighed the possible tax revenue.
Tan's listed Berjaya Corporation Berhad had announced the approval in a filing to Bursa Malaysia last May 12 but Najib denied it in Parliament on June 7.
Pakatan Rakyat governments in Penang, Selangor and Kedah said they will not approve business licences for football betting although Tan said he will try to persuade them.
He had promised to donate the RM525 million for his share of Ascot Sports sold to Berjaya Corp to his own charity, Better Malaysia Foundation.
Apart from saying that football bets will be offered through the telephone and available at 220 out of the 680 Sports Toto outlets which are not Muslim majority areas, Tan said operations would begin after the current FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa.
PAS Youth chief Nasrudin Hassan Tantawi claimed two weeks ago that Ascot Sports will offer betting services for four major leagues — the English Premier League, the Italian league, as well as the Spanish and German leagues.
Nasrudin said that the sports betting company could not prepare itself to serve the World Cup because it was “too soon”.
PAS had also vowed to mobilise Malaysians to join its “100,000 march” to the Istana Negara this July 3 in protest over the Najib administration’s legalisation of sports-betting.
DAP’s Tony Pua claimed earlier this week to have documents to show companies controlled by Tan were proceeding with plans to start offering football betting by August and were raising RM800 million to finance operations.
The Petaling Jaya Utara MP told reporters in Parliament that on June 11, four days after the Finance Ministry had denied issuing any licence for football betting, Berjaya Sports Toto had issued an “information memorandum” detailing financing arrangements to raise RM800 million in loans for a period of ten years to finance its new business.
Berjaya Sports Toto is a subsidiary of Berjaya Corporation, and currently operates numbers forecast betting shops in peninsular Malaysia.
According to documents obtained by Pua, the principal adviser for the financing arrangements was Maybank Investment Bank Sdn Bhd, and lead manager AmInvestment Bank Berhad.
“They repeated the statement that Ascot Sports had been given approval for the reissuance of licence to carry out sports betting operations upon certain terms and conditions.
“They reiterated they have received approval. They stated that initially 220 of the Sports Toto outlets will be used as distribution points with expansion plans to accommodate more Sports Toto outlets in the future. The implementation was to be carried out in August or early September, in time for the EPL (English Premier League),” said Pua.
Another document produced by Pua was a credit analysis by MARC (Malaysian Rating Corporation Berhad) on Berjaya Sports Toto.
A rating agency is usually needed to determine the “quality” of a loan.
The MARC report states that “the timeframe for the rollout of the sports betting games are yet to be finalised.”
“MARC has assigned AA- rating to this exercise to raise money by Berjaya Sports Toto and among the contributory factors to the AA-rating is stated on page 4, under recent development following a recent announcement (that it is) yet to be finalised.
“Basically, what we see is that the approval has been given, but the actual licence has not been given.
“As Finance Minister, Najib needs to rectify this... It has now become a stupid play of words,” said Pua.
Najib is Going for "Surprise" Election Strategy
The prime minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said that parliament will not be dissolved just because he recorded good points at a recent popularity survey. He also said that the date of the election would however be a surprise and that many factors need to be considered before it could be decided.
He said “I cannot say one way or the other. If it (general election) happens, it will be a surprise. What is important is to work hard in the spirit of 1Malaysia. Barisan must first concentrate on strengthening itself before calling for a general election and could not depend on one survey to decide when to call for the next general election.” This came in the wake of the comment by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the former prime minister who called on Najib to call for an early general election since he is currently enjoying the highest ratings in the popularity survey organized by Merdeka Centre.
Buy-Malaysian Campaign is Not Protectionism
KUALA LUMPUR, June 17 — The “Buy Malaysian” campaign should be seen not as a protectionist policy of the government but as an effort to spur the private sector to be globally competitive, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today.
He said the campaign helped to project competitive Malaysian goods globally and drive local companies to raise productivity and be innovative as well as globally competitive.
Najib was launching the 2010 “Buy Malaysian” campaign at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC), here.
Also present were Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Deputy Minister Datuk Rohani Abdul Karim.
Najib, who is also finance minister, said some people might see the campaign as a government measure to protect domestic industries.
However, he said, the campaign was part of government efforts to promote domestic brands and products among the Malaysians who, at times, were inclined to buy foreign goods.
Najib said the people should understand that local companies must be encouraged to build up a domestic market to spur them onwards to a regional or international market.
Without being able to sell to a domestic market, it would be difficult for these companies to progress to an export market.
“Once they have captured the domestic market, it will be easier for them to move on to the export market because they will have a strong domestic base,” he said.
Jemaah Islamiah’s influence is growing in Malaysia
TUMPAT June 16, — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak wants authorities to tighten security to prevent Jemaah Islamiah (JI) from influencing students and taking root in the country.
He said the spread of JI ideology, if unchecked, would pose a threat to national security.
“We must be wary of JI threat to recruit students. They can be coerced into committing violence by militant and extremism thinking,” he said after a “Pemimpin Bersama Rakyat’ programme at Wat Matchimmaram, Kampung Jubakar near here today.
Grab a Celcom Blue Bear(TM) and stand to walk away with RM10,000!
Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein yesterday said JI had made efforts to recruit local university students as members.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said foreign JI members tried to revive the militant group by trying to recruit youths including university students.
Najib said it was proven that JI spread not only among students but also lecturers.
“A lecturer involved with JI had been known to explode bombs. We have to tighten security via intelligence reports to check the menace,” he added. — Bernama
He said the spread of JI ideology, if unchecked, would pose a threat to national security.
“We must be wary of JI threat to recruit students. They can be coerced into committing violence by militant and extremism thinking,” he said after a “Pemimpin Bersama Rakyat’ programme at Wat Matchimmaram, Kampung Jubakar near here today.
Grab a Celcom Blue Bear(TM) and stand to walk away with RM10,000!
Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein yesterday said JI had made efforts to recruit local university students as members.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said foreign JI members tried to revive the militant group by trying to recruit youths including university students.
Najib said it was proven that JI spread not only among students but also lecturers.
“A lecturer involved with JI had been known to explode bombs. We have to tighten security via intelligence reports to check the menace,” he added. — Bernama
Najib's credibility should not be doubted: Pak Lah
KEPALA BATAS: All quarters should stop questioning Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's credibility as he has undertaken several sound measures and policies for excellent administration and development to benefit the people, said Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
Some of Najib's efforts and policies have already shown good results or impact on the people and country, the former prime minister said at the opening of the Penang-level Unity Week at the Industrial Training Institute here, Sunday.
Also present were Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon and National Unity and Integration Department director-general Datuk Azman Amin Hassan.
Abdullah, who is also Kepala Batas MP, said Najib had introduced a strong 10th Malaysia Plan and six National Key Result Areas, while Malaysia had been placed among the top 10 most competitive countries.
"Except Malaysia, there is no other country in the Organisation of the Islamic Conference and Non-Aligned Movement in the top 10 list. This is a good thing and therefore, there is no need to doubt the prime minister's credibility as a leader," he said.
Abdullah also urged the people to uphold the spirit of unity and solidarity to ensure smooth implementation of the country's development projects and programmes.
Some of Najib's efforts and policies have already shown good results or impact on the people and country, the former prime minister said at the opening of the Penang-level Unity Week at the Industrial Training Institute here, Sunday.
Also present were Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon and National Unity and Integration Department director-general Datuk Azman Amin Hassan.
Abdullah, who is also Kepala Batas MP, said Najib had introduced a strong 10th Malaysia Plan and six National Key Result Areas, while Malaysia had been placed among the top 10 most competitive countries.
"Except Malaysia, there is no other country in the Organisation of the Islamic Conference and Non-Aligned Movement in the top 10 list. This is a good thing and therefore, there is no need to doubt the prime minister's credibility as a leader," he said.
Abdullah also urged the people to uphold the spirit of unity and solidarity to ensure smooth implementation of the country's development projects and programmes.
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