Mahathir renews attacks against Najib

Mahathir renews attacks against Najib








Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak (above) went on national television to answer his critics last week, but former prime minister Mahathir 

Mohamad has accused him of failing to offer substantial answers. -- PHOTO: REUTERS 

JUST days after Datuk Seri Najib Razak took to national television to answer his critics, Malaysia's influential former leader Mahathir Mohamad resumed his attacks, accusing the embattled Prime Minister of failing to offer substantial answers and breaking a promise to build a so-called "crooked bridge" to Singapore.

Tun Dr Mahathir also claimed that the ruling party Umno "is about money", and its leaders supported Mr Najib only "because they get contracts".

Mr Najib, in an hour-long programme on Umno-controlled TV3 on Thursday night, denied any involvement in a 2006 murder case believed to be linked to the purchase of two French submarines, justified amendments to the Sedition Act that critics say are meant to stifle free speech, and defended taxes and cash handouts as part of his economic policy.

He also insisted that debt-laden state investment company 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) has more assets than liabilities.

Referring to recent allegations that parties close to him had used 1MDB as a front to divert public funds, Mr Najib, who heads its advisory board, also said he "will not condone any abuse of power in 1MDB, such as the siphoning of money".

"That is not an answer. Which other answers did he give? Tell me," Dr Mahathir said in a video which surfaced at the weekend. He had given an interview to several bloggers.

"The Umno now is about money. Umno leaders are loyal because they get contracts. The ones who have positions get money," he added.

Mr Najib is the second prime minister Dr Mahathir has called on to resign. Dr Mahathir, who was prime minister for 22 years until 2003, was furious when his successor Abdullah Badawi cancelled several of his mega projects, among them the crooked bridge and the double-tracking railway to Singapore.

The crooked bridge, a six-lane S-shaped link to replace the Malaysian half of the Causeway, was Dr Mahathir's solution when Singapore refused to replace the highway, which would have allowed ships to sail through the Johor Strait instead of around the island.

Mr Najib said on Thursday night that Dr Mahathir wanted him to revive the project. However, the Prime Minister already agreed to a proposal with Singapore to construct a third link instead.

Dr Mahathir said in the interview that "we should not kowtow to Singapore", and that "Najib at one time had said if Singapore agrees or does not agree, we will do it... But when he became Prime Minister, he did not do it".

Dr Mahathir's renewed attack comes even as Umno leaders and its media have called on him to cease fire instead of further hurting Umno, which has been in rule since independence in 1957.

After Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin pleaded for Dr Mahathir and Mr Najib to meet and iron out differences, Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, who was trade minister in Dr Mahathir's Cabinet, said on Friday that it was time to stop the blame game as "we do not want to see the Barisan Nasional government threatened".

Umno mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia said in an editorial that the opposition would exploit the situation and that the Chinese- dominated Democratic Action Party, the largest opposition party in Parliament, is "smiling away" after Dr Mahathir's attacks.

• DR MAHATHIR GOES FOR BROKE, OPINION

BACKGROUND STORY

DEMAND FOR ANSWERS

That is not an answer. Which other answers did he give? Tell me... The Umno now is about money. Umno leaders are loyal because they get contracts. The ones who have positions get money.

- Tun Dr Mahathir, in a video which surfaced at the weekend. He had given an interview to several bloggers

The Straits Times / Top of The News                  Published on Monday, 13 April 2015

By Shannon Teoh, Malaysia Correspondent, In Kuala Lumpur 

shannont@sph.com.sg

Mahathir renews attacks against Najib

More opt to give up thousands in deposits - HDB New Sales

More opt to give up thousands in deposits

HDB says rise in line with more flats completed, but analysts attribute it to cooling resale market

Yeo Sam Jo

Published on 12/05/2015

The Sunday Times

More Housing Board second-timers, worried about getting a poorer deal when selling their current homes, are choosing to forfeit thousands of dollars in deposits instead of collecting keys to their new flats.

Nearly one in 10 who successfully applied for a new flat last year pulled out of collecting their keys - up from 6.6 per cent in 2012, HDB said.

Second-timers are flat buyers who bought a subsidised flat earlier, and have applied for another.

While an HDB spokesman said this jump is "in line" with more new flats being completed in recent years, property analysts said this is chiefly a reaction to the cooling resale market.

As resale prices started falling in 2013 because of measures such as greater loan curbs, going through with a second flat purchase has become less worthwhile for some, they said.

"When they redo their sums, they realise that the sale proceeds from their existing flat will be less, and this would affect their financing and renovation of their next flat," said Mr Chris Koh, director of estate agency Chris International.

HDB flat owners have to dispose of their existing flat within six months of collecting the keys to their new unit.

"Some flat owners may want to sell their existing flat when resale prices are increasing again... at prices with a larger cash over valuation (COV)," said SLP International Property Consultants research head Nicholas Mak. He said many resale flats were sold last year for near-to-zero COVs, or cash premiums.

Although applicants forfeit 5 per cent of the purchase price if they give up the flat after signing the Agreement for Lease, analysts said this might be the lesser of two evils for some given the market now.

"They feel that it is better to forgo the deposit than to eventually be stuck in a situation where they cannot easily sell their existing flat... or end up making a loss," said R'ST Research director Ong Kah Seng.

Analysts added that the recent rise in quota for second-timers might have partly led to the spike in cancellations, since more of them were allocated flats.

The second-timer quota for Build-To-Order (BTO) flats in non-mature estates was raised from 5 per cent to 15 per cent in 2012. The next year, their quota for two- and three-room flats in non-mature estates went up to a third.

More second-timers have also been asking for more time to sell their existing flat, and postponing the collection of keys to their new units, said HDB.

There were 49 requests for an extension of the six-month grace period last year, up from just six in 2012 and 15 in 2013. There were also 125 requests to postpone the key collection last year, up from 46 in 2012 and 60 in 2013.

Pointing again to the cooling resale market, Mr Ku Swee Yong, chief executive of real estate agency Century21, said: "Many have to rework their finances or take a longer time to sell their existing flats at a better price." He added that such requests will likely be more common as weak resale prices persist.

Such a bleak outlook is worrisome for second- timers like administrative officer Linda Lim. The 56-year-old and her husband, who has retired, successfully applied for a five-room Jurong BTO flat last year, but are considering giving it up because of the dipping resale prices.

"Don't forget there's also the resale levy. It makes me want to be more careful," said Mrs Lim.

Depending on the owners' first subsidised flat type, they have to pay a resale levy of $15,000 to $50,000 when buying their second flat.

"I'm not sure if it's still worth getting a new flat with the levy and renovation fees," Mrs Lim said, adding she might give up her deposit of about $20,000 if her existing five-roomer's value plunges drastically.

Some second-timers have given up their new flats for other reasons.

Optician Freddy Go, 46, successfully applied for a Yishun BTO flat last November with his wife. But the couple cancelled their application after deciding to get a divorce.

Noting that his existing five-room flat in Woodlands is worth about $100,000 less compared to two years ago, Mr Go said he would probably think twice before selling it now. "If I sell, but there's not enough money to renovate my second flat, then how?"

But Mr Mak warned against such a wait-and-see approach: "Time is actually not on the owners' side in the short term. In the current market, the longer they wait, the lower the overall market prices."

yeosamjo@sph.com.sg

KL tweaks amendments to Sedition Act after backlash

KL tweaks amendments to Sedition Act after backlash

THE Malaysian government was forced to back down after its proposed amendments to the controversial Sedition Act drew criticism from both the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) and opposition MPs for being harsh and draconian.

One of the changes will now allow bail for those charged under the colonial-era law.

Another change pertaining to seditious acts that lead to bodily harm or property damage will reduce the minimum jail term from five to three years. 

"This amendment will preserve the discretion of the court over whether to grant bail for sedition offences," said an explanatory statement on yesterday's changes, which followed a rare call from BN backbenchers for Putrajaya to withdraw amendments proposed on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Najib Razak has been fighting fires on several fronts, especially criticism from former premier Mahathir Mohamad, who wants him to step down.

Last year, Datuk Seri Najib reneged on a 2012 pledge to repeal the Sedition Act. Instead, he promised his party, Umno, to strengthen the law, a move now opposed by BN backbenchers.

In particular, a section allowing the public prosecutor to deny bail to a person accused of sedition without giving the judiciary any say came under fire from across the political spectrum.

With the changes, the amendments were expected to be passed at the end of yesterday's debate in Parliament, which was still ongoing at press time.

From February to last month, about 160 people, mostly activists and opposition figures, were arrested and investigated for seditious acts, such as questioning the Federal Court's decision to jail opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim for sodomy and taking part in rallies calling for his release.

RELATED LINKS

'I'm answerable only to the people - not to any one individual', says Malaysian PM Najib

Plans for fugitive and Mahathir to talk on phone

Mahathir asked PM Najib to build 'crooked bridge'

The Straits Times / Asia                          Published on Friday, 10 April. 2015

By Shannon Teoh

KL tweaks amendments to Sedition Act after backlash 

Mongolian's murder: Malaysia police refute Mahathir's statement, say fugitive's claims investigated

Mongolian's murder: Malaysia police refute Mahathir's statement, say fugitive's claims investigated




In a strongly worded statement posted on his blog on Thursday, Dr Mahathir (above) said many members and leaders from Umno supported Prime Minister Najib Razak blindly. 

PETALING JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Police have refuted Dr Mahathir Mohamad's statement that no investigations were carried out on the claims made by former police commando Sirul Azhar Umar over Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu's murder.

Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said he also found Dr Mahathir's comments "not seditious".

He said thorough investigations were already carried out on all the issues raised by Sirul.

"Maybe Tun Dr Mahathir does not know about the actions we have taken, and the investigations that we have carried out.

"We (the police) have already met Sirul in Australia. From that meeting, we find that there are no issues that need to be investigated further," he said at a press conference on Friday.

When asked if the content of the blog post was seditious, Khalid said, "to me, it isn't."

"Tun Dr Mahathir isn't the only person to raise this issue. Many have before him.

"As I've said before, this case happened eight years ago. Sirul had many opportunities during and after the investigation and trial to raise the issue - why bring it up now?"

"There is nothing to be done. What we know now, we've always known all along," he said.

In a strongly worded statement posted on his blog, chedet.cc on Thursday, Dr Mahathir said many members and leaders from Umno supported Prime Minister Najib Razak blindly.

Dr Mahathir claimed that people from all races would no longer trust Mr Najib because he did not answer the accusations hurled at him.

Among the accusations were those involving the murder of the Mongolian model, the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) controversy, and the purchase of a private jet for VVIP use.

On the murder of Altantunya, Dr Mahathir said it was tied to the purchase of submarines and that two police officers were initially freed of the charge, but were later found guilty after the court ordered a re-trial.

The former prime minister asked why was it that only one of the accused was in custody (awaiting the death sentence imposed by the court), while the other accused, Sirul, was now in Australia.

Dr Mahathir said Sirul had made a statement that he was under orders to commit the killing of Altantunya and the public had been asking, "who ordered the killing."

Dr Mahathir said as Sirul was a personal bodyguard of Najib, his claims had to be investigated as to who ordered the murder.

He asked why no investigations were carried out on the claims.

The Straits Times / Asia                                   Published on Friday, 3 April 2015

Please see Related Links:-

Mongolian's murder: Malaysia police refute Mahathir's statement, say fugitive's claims investigated

Mahathir asked PM Najib to build 'crooked bridge'

Mahathir asked PM Najib to build 'crooked bridge'

WHEN Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak met Tun Mahathir Mohamad recently, the latter expressed his concerns over two specific issues.

"He did not approve of the 1Malaysia People's Aid (BR1M) scheme and he asked me to build the crooked bridge to replace the current Johor Causeway," Datuk Seri Najib said in a televised interview yesterday night.

It was the first time that he has revealed what happened at the meeting. He did not say when or where the meeting took place.

The "crooked bridge" that was supposed to replace the Causeway to Singapore was one of Dr Mahathir's pet projects. When he resigned as prime minister in 2003, after 22 years in power, his successor, Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi, stopped several projects, including the crooked bridge. He was later harangued by Dr Mahathir, who accused him of being an ineffectual prime minister. Mr Abdullah resigned after one term and one year in office.

Mr Najib also denied BR1M was a mere handout, calling it a "social safety net" that channelled to poor Malaysians the savings earned from cutting back on government subsidies. Some critics have dismissed the direct cash handout as a vote-buying bid.

In his hour-long interview, he also defended moves to introduce a goods and services tax (GST) on April 1. The introduction of GST - at a rate of 6 per cent - will boost Malaysia's economy in the long term, he said, as it was "important that we broaden our tax base". But the new tax caused confusion last week as consumers and businesses alike were unclear as to how the tax should be applied due to thousands of items being exempted or zero-rated.

Mr Najib also talked about his economic vision for Malaysia, saying he would work to ensure that the poorer citizens became part of an advanced and developed economy. "If our economic growth can be maintained at about 5 per cent per annum, our per capita income can be certified as that of a developed economy, but we must focus on the bottom 40 per cent."

He said that in the 11th Malaysia Plan to be unveiled in June, the government would add technical and entrepreneurial training to help those earning below the national average, aside from the BR1M cash stimulus.

RELATED LINKS
'I'm answerable only to the people - not to any one individual', says Malaysian PM Najib

KL tweaks amendments to Sedition Act after backlashPlans for fugitive and Mahathir to talk on phone

The Straits Times / Asia                                                  Published on Friday, 10 April 2015


By Shannon Teoh, Malaysia Correspondent, In Kuala Lumpur 


Mahathir asked PM Najib to build 'crooked bridge'

Najib goes on TV to answer his critics

He makes it clear he will not give in to Mahathir's call for him to resign

At the end of the day, we are a democracy: I was elected by my party, and by the people of this country, to lead them. As 
such, I am answerable only to the people - not to any one individual. And if, at the next general election, the people want 
change, they will let us know through the ballot box. - PM Najib (above) on Malaysia TV last night, responding to Dr 
Mahathir's charge that he had lost the people's backing 

PRIME Minister Najib Razak, who has come under attack from Dr Mahathir Mohamad of late, went on television last night to confront the entire range of charges that have been hurled at him - from his stance on the controversial 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) to his role in the death of a Mongolian interpreter in 2006.

And to the suggestion from former prime minister Mahathir that the ruling party would lose the elections under him, a feisty Datuk Seri Najib said: "The only way Barisan Nasional can lose the 14th general election is if there is internal sabotage... I am confident that the party will not tolerate any acts of betrayal."

In an hour-long, nationally televised interview, Mr Najib not only made it plain that he would not give in to Dr Mahathir's insistence that he step down, but also addressed every single allegation recently levelled at him.

Addressing rumours swirling around the debt-laden 1MDB, Mr Najib, who is chairman of its advisory board, reminded the people that the company has more assets than liabilities and has enough money to pay off all its debts.

Referring to recent allegations that parties close to him had used the state investment company as a front to divert public funds, he said: "I will not condone any abuse of power in 1MDB such as the siphoning of money."

He accused those who continued to repeat the same old allegations about 1MDB as being "irresponsible and putting politics before the interests of the nation".

Turning to the murder of Mongolian interpreter Altantuya Shaariibuu, who some say was killed to silence her over alleged kickbacks in a 2002 submarine purchase deal, Mr Najib reiterated that there is no evidence linking him to the case. "No evidence exists at all that I ever knew Altantuya... no pictures, writings, witnesses - there is nothing."

Last week, Dr Mahathir, in a blog post, called for a new probe into the case. Two former police commandos who used to be Mr Najib's bodyguards have been convicted of her murder.

Dr Mahathir, who also pressured his immediate successor Abdullah Badawi to resign as PM in 2009, has intensified a campaign to oust Mr Najib whom he called unfit to lead Umno.

On his harshest critic, Mr Najib said: "I will accept all criticisms from Tun Mahathir, but I wish to state that the reality is that I am responsible to the people and the party."

Mr Najib also addressed criticisms about the latest amendments to the Sedition Act, which even BN MPs called draconian. He said the Act was for the protection of all Malaysians.

"We will not and cannot stand for the incitement of racial or inter-ethnic conflict... And that is why the government decided to keep the Sedition Act and amend it to make it a better and more suitable law."

Mr Najib's rebuttal to his critics came after Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, breaking weeks of silence, urged Dr Mahathir to end his attacks and accept that he would not agree with the Prime Minister on every issue.

The Straits Times / Asia                                                               Published on Friday, 10 April 2015

By Shannon Teoh, Malaysia Correspondent, in K.L                    shannont@sph.com.sg

Najib goes on TV to answer his critics

Najib fails to address key issues raised by Mahathir: Report

Najib fails to address key issues raised by Mahathir: Report





Malaysian PM Najib Razak (left), who went on national television on Thursday to confront charges against him by Dr Mahathir Mohamad, did not address key questions relating to issues such as 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) and the murder of Mongolian interpretator Altantuya Shaariibuu, it was reported 

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who went on national television on Thursday to confront charges against him by Dr Mahathir Mohamad, did not address key questions relating to issues such as 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) and the murder of Mongolian interpretator Altantuya Shaariibuu, it was reported.

While Mr Najib said he would not condone any abuse of power in 1MDB and that the state-owned investment company has enough money to pay off all its debts, he made no mention of his ties with hard partying business tycoon Low Taek Jho, Malaysiakini reported on Friday.

The Penang-born tycoon had earlier denied any wrongdoing over 1MDB's investment in a US$2.5 billion (S$3.5 billion) oil venture that failed to take off. The prime minister had also refuted claims that Low was involved in the decision-making of 1MDB.

RELATED LINKS

'I'm answerable only to the people - not to any one individual', says Malaysian PM Najib

Mahathir asked PM Najib to build 'crooked bridge'

Plans for fugitive and Mahathir to talk on phone

KL tweaks amendments to Sedition Act after backlash

The Straits Times / Asia                                 Published on Friday, 10 April 2015

Najib fails to address key issues raised by Mahathir: Report