Najib delays trip to Middle East amid uncertainty

Malaysia No. 2 leader delays trip amid uncertainty – Taiwan News Online

Malaysia’s deputy leader abruptly scrapped a trip to the Middle East on Friday amid deepening political uncertainty sparked by opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s attempt to seize power.

Also Friday, police released an opposition lawmaker who was detained last week along with two other people under a law allowing indefinite detention. The arrests had intensified the climate of political restlessness in the country.

An aide to Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak denied he was postponing his overseas tour because of politics, saying Najib wants to remain in Malaysia over the next week to tackle his new job as finance minister.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi relinquished his finance ministry portfolio to Najib on Wednesday as part of a protracted power hand-over. Abdullah has promised to step down before 2010 amid escalating demands from his ruling party for his swift retirement.

Najib had been slated to leave Malaysia on Friday to visit Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and New York, but he canceled the Middle East leg and will only head for New York on Sept. 24 for the U.N. General Assembly meeting, said an aide who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to make public statements.

Teresa Kok’s statement after her release from ISA detention

theedgedaily.com

My ISA Detention Is Without Any Legal or Moral Basis. It Is A Clear Abuse of Detention Without Trial
I HAVE been released after being detained in solitary confinement in a 6′-by-8′ holding cell for seven days under the Internal Security Act (ISA). I was informed by the police that they detained me under Sec 73(1) of Internal Security Act 1960, which means I have incited racial and religious tension and conflict.

After being detained for seven days under the guise of so-called investigations, the police failed to produce any evidence or proof of me being involved in the activities of causing racial and religious tension.

They were only able to ask me few questions based entirely on the false and malicious article written by Zaini Hassan under the topic “Azan, jawi, JAIS, Uitm dan ba-alif-ba-ya” that was published in Utusan Malaysia on Sept 10, 2008.

The three main questions that the investigation officers asked me were:

1. whether I have mobilised a group of residents at Bandar Kinrara to present a petition to oppose the azan at the Bandar Kinrara mosque on Sept 13;
2. whether I have made a statement that 30% of the Selangor Islamic Department (JAIS) allocation is to be given to other non-Islamic religious bodies; and
3. whether I have opposed to the Jawi wording road signages in Kuala Lumpur.

I denied the first two accusations as I did not do any such things as accused. I also told them that the issue of opposing road signages in Jawi in Kuala Lumpur were done in January/February 2008 at the request and following the pressure of resident associations.

The resident associations, particularly in Taman Seputeh, were most unhappy because many of the road signages were changed arbitrarily by DBKL a few months before, and changed again soon after this time with Jawi wordings. They were strongly opposed to this kind of wastage of public funds by DBKL.

I was quite surprised that there were no other questions posed to me besides these few main questions.

The Internal Security Act (ISA) is meant to detain people who threaten national security. The three issues stated above have nothing to do with national security.

If the police wanted to carry out investigation on me, they can always ask me to give statements in any of the police stations. There was absolutely no need to detain me under the ISA for seven days. This is a phenomenal abuse of the power of police under the ISA.

Besides, it is nonsensical for the police to detain me under the ISA merely based on the unsubstantiated article written by an irresponsible columnist in Utusan Malaysia .

How can they regard that article as the gospel truth without investigating the writer in the first place? How can Utusan Malaysia publish it without verifying the facts?

I wish to ask the police whether they have called Zaini Hassan and Utusan Malaysia ’s editors for questioning before and after my detention.

I know that the imam of the Bandar Kinrara mosque has publicly denied that I had gotten involved in the Puchong residents’ petition against the azan of his mosque on Sept 13.

I am also quite surprised to read in the New Straits Times dated Sept 19 that the official of the Bandar Kinrara mosque was called by the Dang Wangi police to record his statement only yesterday (Sept 18) afternoon.

Why did the police do it so late, one week after I was arrested? Why didn’t they check their facts first before they arrested me and put me behind bars?

I have been made a scapegoat due to the internal squabbles of Umno.

I see my detention as a ploy by Umno to try to cover up the embarrassment and the outrage of the racist statements made by Ahmad Ismail in Penang. I wonder: why did they choose an innocent person like me, as I have never made any racist statements or racist speeches in the past?

I have lodged the police report on Sept 17, 2008, against Utusan Malaysia , Zaini Hassan and Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo for criminal defamation. I would therefore urge the police to investigate Utusan Malaysia ’s editors, those racist bloggers and Dr Khir Toyo under the Penal Code.

As I have mentioned in my previous lawyer’s visit, I will sue Utusan Malaysia , Zaini Hassan and Dr Khir Toyo. I have also instructed my lawyers to sue the Malaysian government for my unlawful arrest and detention.

Raja Petra Kamaruddin should be released.

As I am freed from ISA detention today, I also call for the release of Raja Petra, the Hindraf Five and all the other 60-plus detainees under the draconian ISA.

I would also like to thank all politicians in the ruling parties as well as in the Pakatan Rakyat, NGOs, churches and all social organisations who have campaigned and prayed for my release.

Teresa Kok
Member of Parliament for Seputeh, Senior Exco for Selangor State Government and ADUN for Kinrara

Teresa Kok released

AFP: Police free Malaysian opposition lawmaker: lawyer

An opposition politician held for a week under controversial security laws spoke of her relief as she was freed on Friday.

Teresa Kok, of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), was detained along with Malaysia’s top blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

“I am happy I was freed. I am fine,” she told reporters as she left a local police station.

“I do not know why I was freed today and I do not know why I was detained in the first place.”

Her arrest drew public outrage and the Malaysian minister responsible for legal affairs resigned Monday over a series of arrests under the security law.

The ISA, which human rights groups have pushed to have abolished, allows for renewable two-year periods of detention without trial and is normally used against terror suspects.

Police said they arrested Kok last Friday because she was involved in a petition to silence the call to prayer in mosques in non-Muslim areas.

Kok has denied making such complaints.

Yap Swee Seng, director of the rights group Voice of the Malaysian People (Suaram) welcomed her release but called for those responsible for her arrest to be held accountable for abusing their power.

“We call for the immediate release of Raja Petra and all other ISA detainees. We demand the draconian security law to be abolished,” he told AFP.

A journalist for a Chinese-language newspaper was arrested after reporting on racist comments made by a ruling party member but was quickly released after an uproar including from within the government.

Raja Petra, founder of the controversial Malaysia Today website, was previously charged with sedition and defamation after linking Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak and his wife to a sensational murder.

Kok’s release came after Washington Thursday expressed “grave concern” over Malaysia’s use of the ISA as a possible way to stifle dissent.

“The United States firmly believes that national security laws, such as the ISA, must not be used to curtail or inhibit the exercise of universal democratic liberties or the peaceful expression of political views,” State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.

“The detention of opposition leaders under the ISA would be viewed by the United States and the international community as a fundamental infringement of democratic rights and values,” he added.

Najib confident BN government will remain in power

The New Straits Times Online…….

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is confident that the Barisan Nasional (BN) government will remain in power despite the opposition’s plan to take over the government today.
“We are always confident. We have been confident that the same government will be in office.

Read:
Najib was confident of victory in Permatang Pauh with ‘hard work’

Dr Mahathir: NO JUSTIFICATION FOR ARREST OF BLOGGERS, TERESA

Dr M: No justification for arrest of bloggers, Teresa

There is no justification for the arrest of bloggers Raja Petra Kamarudin and Syed Azidi Syed Abdul Aziz, better known as Kickdefella, and Seputeh MP Teresa Kok, said Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The former prime minister condemned the use of the Internal Security Act (ISA) against Raja Petra, who is the editor of controversial online news portal Malaysia Today, and Kok, a Selangor executive councillor and Seputeh MP.

Syed Azidi was detained for sedition on Wednesday for posting allegedly seditious statements in his blog.

Dr Mahathir said Kok’s arrest was not justified as there was no security reason at the moment but the Government could arrest her later for such a purpose if necessary.

He said if Kok was involved in trying to stop the azan (call for prayers), there should be an explanation that the subject was not something she should talk about.

Asked if he would agree for the ISA to be amended, he said there was no amendment during his time as the people who were enforcing it refused to amend it.