"The police are not here to create disorder; they're here to preserve disorder." - Richard J Daley COMMENT  Bukit Aman police secretariat (public relations) assistant head Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf could be right when he claims that the writer of the  anonymous letter   alleging the possible doctoring of crime statistics is probably not a police officer. However you don't need to be a police officer to be familiar with the operating procedures of the PDRM (Royal Malaysian Police). Massaging statistics and reclassifying crimes is hardly new when it comes to law enforcement agencies worldwide in justifying their performance, not to mention the continued use of their methods. All that is needed is someone with insider knowledge motivated to impart this knowledge which lends an air of authenticity to the expose and then if you have something to hide (which the PDRM most certainly has) you are in a whole world of hurt. The  PDRM's response  has been profes...

A section of the Himpunan Janji Bersih crowd celebrating the countdown at Merdeka Square on August 30, 2012. — Picture by Saw Siow Feng KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 31 — The countdown to the 55th National Day was held in a joyous atmosphere with fireworks and the flying of the "Jalur Gemilang" Malaysian flag throughout the country.   Various programmes were held to mark the occasion, including poetry recitals, "tahlil" and "doa selamat" prayers, as well as discussions on independence warriors such as Mat Kilau.  Several companies, such as KLCC Property Holdings Sdn Bhd (KLCCH) and Resorts World, held their own programmes with fireworks displays at the KLCC Park and Genting Highlands, respectively.  Although the official "Merdeka Eve" countdown was not held at Merdeka Square as in previous years, an estimated 6,000 people were present at the square in the heart of the city, including participants of the "Himpunan Janji Bersih...

Leaders who betray the trust of the people and the country are the 'enemies' that the opposition wants purged. KUCHING: Sarawak PKR has sent out a plea urging Malaysians to purge "the enemy within". It claimed that "rampant corruption, cover-ups, betrayals" and power abuse were enough reasons for right-thinking citizens to review their loyalties to the current government. Said state PKR chief Baru Bian: "To my mind, our enemies are those from within this country who betray the trust given to them to govern the country. "Our enemies are the people who enrich themselves at the expense of the ordinary people and then refuse to acknowledge their wrongdoings when caught out. "Our enemies are the leaders who betray the country by giving identity cards and citizenship to illegal immigrants in exchange for votes. "Our enemies are those people within the circle who are aware of the abuse of authority, rampant corr...

The 'Janji Ditepati' theme has left the people confused, wondering why Merdeka Day is being misused to achieve objectives that go against the grain of 'independence'. COMMENT There is nothing more precious than "independence", be it that of a nation or of self. In this respect, Malaysia has yet to savour both, as evident from events of not too long ago. The 55 years of Merdeka or freedom from British rule have yet to teach the leaders of this country a thing or two about not taking independence for granted. The theme for this year's independence day celebration is "Janji Ditepati", one which has been condemned by the opposition and even the public as it gives no hint of the significance of Aug 31, the date when seven chants of "Merdeka" reverberated at the city's Royal Selangor Club field in 1957. As far as the thinking person is concerned, this year's theme smacks of a political agenda, a harbinger o...

There is no free lunch, and this is also true in the case of Felda Global Venture Holding's listing. The 800 units of shares of FGVH allocated to each Felda settler are not free, but are loans from the bank. The revelation came after prime minister Najib Razak told settlers that Felda would take over the loans to purchase the 800 shares to save the settlers from paying interest to the banks. RM360 million has been allocated for this purpose. "So, instead of paying to the bank at five percent annual interest, settlers will repay Felda without interest for next five years at RM50 a month," said deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Department Ahmad Maslan. Maslan said the transfer would be transparent to settlers, and they could opt to repay Felda with monthly salary deduction. Najib said yesterday the move was to lessen the burden of settlers, who now seemed 'forced' to buy the 800 shares under loan without their kn...

YOURSAY ' Kudos to all the courageous and right-minded people who showed up for 'Janji Demokrasi' last night in Dataran Merdeka.' Despite ban, yellow shirts swamp Dataran Changeagent:  Dang Wangi district police chief Zainuddin Ahmad told reporters that no untoward incidents were reported. "We'll investigate later (for any violations)," he said when asked about the yellow shirts. No untoward incidents, but he will investigate later anyway. Malaysian police have too much time on their hands. Quigonbond:  The last part of  Malaysiakini's  LIVE reports where the police grudgingly said they will be investigating any "violations" reminds me of this story. An immigrant found herself without a job and was scrounging for food. An elitist who accidentally left his credit card in a store happened to cross paths with her, and proceeded to accuse her to a police officer for stealing his card. A samaritan, passing by and overheard the commotion,...

Despite being declared illegal and the Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein predicting a low turnout, a large yellow-clad crowd descended upon Dataran Merdeka last night for the 'Janji Demokrasi' (Promise of Democracy) rally. Although Dataran Merdeka itself was cordoned off to facilitate preparations for this morning's National Day parades, the 280-metre stretch from the cordon to a square outside the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) headquarters were packed with people, many of whom were wearing Bersih's signature yellow. Even the star of the show, national laureate A Samad Said, confessed that he could not estimate the size of the crowd and hailed the event as a success. Malaysiakini  estimates that some 10,000 yellow shirts were present, with an addition of some 5,000 of the regular Merdeka eve revellers, mostly on the opposite end of the police cordon. Meanwhile,  Bernama  estimates the combined crowd at 6,000 and that there was no official Merd...