Cops complete probe into Mat Sabu’s alleged remarks

GEORGE TOWN: Police have completed their probe into PAS deputypresident Mohamad Sabu’s alleged remarks that the men who attacked the Bukit Kepong police station in 1950 were the country’s true heroes.

Penang police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Wira Ayub Yaakob said the investigation papers were sent to Bukit Aman before they were forwarded to the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

“We have made some recommendations but it is up to the Deputy Public Prosecutor to decide on the next course of action,” he said at the state police headquarters here yesterday.

DCP Ayub said Mohamad gave his statement on Sunday.

Meanwhile, former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad yesterday chided the PAS leader for his views on the Bukit Kepong incident.

However, Dr Mahathir felt it would be wise for the authorities not to arrest Mohamad but instead to let him continue with what he wants to say about the events at Bukit Kepong.

He said this after delivering a keynote address at a function in Malacca.

Taken From The Star Online

Umno demands PAS deputy president to return medical claims

GEORGE TOWN: Penang Umno has called on Mohamad Sabu to refund the Penang Water Supply Corpo­ration the RM8,434.05 he received in medical claims.

Penang Umno chairman Datuk Zainal Abidin Osman said the PAS deputy president should instead claim reimbursement of the hospital bill from PAS since he was, by most accounts, representing his party when he suffered the injuries.

Mohamad, who was injured in a motorcycle accident on the same day as the Bersih 2.0 rally, was admitted to a hospital for three days from July 15 where he underwent surgery on his right knee.

He subsequently submitted a claim for the RM8,434.05 hospital bill from the corporation.

Mohamad, popularly known as Mat Sabu, is a director of Bursa Malaysia-listed PBA Holdings Bhd, the parent company of the corporation.

Zainal Abidin said it was unethical for a company director to claim medical expenses from his company if the ailment or injuries incurred are not related to his scope of duties as a director.

“Mat Sabu and Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng should understand that PBA Holdings is a listed company, meaning that the public can make enquiries on their accounts.

“Both of them in the past have questioned other company directors for alleged questionable dealings.

“Now, they must also subscribe to the same principles,” he added.

Lim had on Monday denied that Mat Sabu was caught during the Bersih 2.0 rally.

“He was caught at noon but the rally started at 2pm.

“When he was caught, he was on his way to a mosque,” Lim had said.

Taken From The Star Online

Daughter of cop killed in Bukit Kepong denounces Mat Sabu

KUALA TERENGGANU: The daughter of policeman Kons Jaafar Hassan, who was killed during the Bukit Kepong tragedy, says she will never forgive PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu for questioning the heroism of her father and the others involved.

Azlas Jaafar, 62, said Mohamad dishonoured her father's sacrifice.

“I am very sad that he (allegedly) hailed the communists' as heroes.

Among those at her side was her aunt Minah Mohamad, 85.

“My family and I do not want to have anything to do with him,” she said at her home in Cendering here yesterday. 

Azlas said her mother Seri Ahmad told her that her father died during a gunfire battle following an attack by a group of communists.

“I was only a year old when the incident occurred.

“My father was shot but other policemen had to endure torture by the communists before being burnt alive,” she said, adding that both she and her mother had been living in Muar, Johor, when the attack occurred.

Terengganu Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Said, who visited Azlas, said PAS members should admit they made a mistake in electing Mohamad as their deputy president.

“He was willing to insult the nation's policemen to win support from non-Malays.”

“We cannot simply rewrite history based on our whims and fancy, and this latest controversy will show people PAS' true nature,” he said.

In KUALA LUMPUR, the family of Mohammad Indera, better known as Mat Indera, who was alleged to be one of those instrumental in the attack on Bukit Kepong, has refuted reports that he was a communist.

Mat Indera's brother Baharom Shah, 65, said the family wanted his name cleared so that he could be recognised as a patriot and not a traitor.

“My brother was committed to his religion and would never have accepted communist teachings,” said Baharom.

He claimed that Mat Indera had not collaborated with communists and instead worked with nationalist groups Angkatan Pemuda Insaf (API) and Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya (PKMM).

“My brother had not come to Bukit Kepong to fight, but to help the victims. Among those he saved were police officer Yusof Rono and Jamilah Abu Bakar, the daughter of one of the marines at Bukit Kepong,” he claimed.

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Appointment of judges by JAC transparent, says Zaki

KUALA LUMPUR: The appointment of judges and judicial commissioners (JCs) through the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) is “very transparent” since it has been carried out by secret balloting, outgoing Chief Justice Tun Zaki Azmi said.

He said it was very hard to predict the final decision on the selection of judges and JCs by the JAC panel.

“The JAC is more fussy, as all this is done by secret balloting and there are no serial numbers, and you do not know who the panel selects,” he told a news conference after opening a three-day judges conference here yesterday.

Zaki said the panel also took into consideration the judges’ judgments and the backlog of cases before selecting the judges and JCs.

The JAC, which was set up in 2009, comprises former CJs, former senior judges and former attorneys-general as commissioners.

Zaki said that during his three-year tenure as the top judge, six or seven practising lawyers had been appointed judges and JCs.

Asked about allegations that the amendment to the Judges Remuneration Act 1971 in July was to benefit him, Zaki said the allegations were an insult to him.

Zaki said the report that he would get RM2mil as a full pension upon retirement despite having served only a few years in the judiciary was “very annoying”.

He said the pension amendment was not for him but to benefit previous senior judges like former chief justice Tun Salleh Abas, former Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Tan Sri Steve Shim and former Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Tan Sri Mohamad Jemuri Serjan.

At the judges conference, Zaki, in his last speech as the chief justice, said all levels of the judiciary had worked hard to achieve a dramatic reduction in the backlog of cases.

He said he was confident that his successor, Tan Sri Arifin Zakaria, would continue to take the judiciary to greater heights. — Bernama

Taken from The Star Online

Abuse video angers Netizens

PETALING JAYA: A year-old video, which resurfaced in the past 48 hours, has irked Netizens over its disturbing images of a man who slapped, punched and kicked two female student nurses.

The YouTube clip also showed the man, believed to be in his 20s, repeatedly intimidating his victims using vulgarities in Tamil at a public parking lot.

Ironically titled “Malaysian Heroes”, the video has also been circulated onFacebook.

The assault appeared to be primarily aimed at one of the women, but her friend also received several slaps as she shielded her from the man throughout the six-minute-long video.

The cause of the incident was not clearly understood.

At one point, the targeted girl offered an apology to the man. In a shivering voice, she indicated a regret over “(my) mistake”.

However, the bespectacled man demanded: “Fall to my feet and say you are sorry.”

Looking helpless, the girl fell into a squatting position before the man slapped and kicked her again.

In an earlier part of the video, the man had threatened to run over the women with his car.

A voice was heard faintly in the background, believed to be from a passer-by, urging the man to leave the women alone but the plea went unheeded.

The man was believed to be accompanied by at least two accomplices. One of them apparently recorded the encounter while the other person was captured on the video, teasing the woman by putting his face near her neck.

One of them was heard saying: “Get inside the car and I will check if she is a virgin.”

The video was posted under the username “youhavebeenhacked88”, who listed Malaysia as his country of origin. It did not have a history of posting other files on the video-sharing site.

As of last night, the YouTube clip recorded 42,546 viewings.

Officials from a nursing and health science college have identified the girls as its students.

“The college has lodged a police report on the incident and has advised the students to do the same, but they have indicated that it was a personal matter,” the official said.

Parti Sosialis Malaysia Youth member S. Nagentran said four of its members had also lodged a report at the Sungai Siput district police station upon viewing the video on Facebook last year.

“Since then, we have not heard any update about the case,” he said, adding that he believed the drama took place in Sabak Bernam.

Sungai Siput OCPD Supt Azman Salim and Sabak Bernam OCPD Mushar Mohamad Noor could not confirm the report at press time.

Taken from The Star Online

All for independent judiciary

PUTRAJAYA: The Government is committed to ensuring the independence of the country's judiciary, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said.

“An independent judiciary is an essential ingredient in any successful nation-building effort,” he said in his speech during a visit to the Palace of Justice here yesterday.

He noted that the Government was fully aware and respected the need for an independent judiciary.

With greater access to information via ICT and social media, he said Malaysians had become more aware and emboldened in the preservation of their rights.

“As such, every segment of the government must adapt to meet these new challenges,” Najib said.

He also commended the judiciary for its transformation efforts over the last two years, including reducing the backlog in cases.

“The backlog has been reduced by almost 90% nationwide,” he said, adding that three-quarters of cases currently being heard were those registered last year and this year.

He also said the computerisation of the courts and the setting up of specialised courts had resulted in a dramatic increase in efficiency of between 300% and 400%.

“We are proud of the changes made by the judiciary as their efforts have gained recognition from the World Bank via its recent report Malaysia Court Backlog and Delay Reduction Programme',” he said.

Najib added that the report praised the judiciary for successfully reducing the backlog in cases over a short span of time, adding that it could be a model for other countries to emulate.

He also revealed that the Govern-ment was considering a proposal submitted by the judiciary to elevate the service grade held by Sessions Court judges and magistrates.

Later, when asked if Najib's visit to the Palace of Justice was inappropriate and could jeopardise the independence of the judiciary, outgoing Chief Justice Tun Zaki Azmi replied: “It should not as it was merely a visit by the head of government.”

He said it was an opportunity for the Prime Minister to look at the upgrading of the judiciary.

Taken from The Star Online