PERWI

PREPARATIONS for this year's 85th birthday bash for President Robert Mugabe have reportedly hit a snag amid reports that the fund raising committee is struggling to raise enough resources for the event.

This year's 21st February Movement celebrations have been slated for February 28 in Chinhoyi.

However, less than a week before the celebrations are held, the fundraising committee is still running around for donors who can bankroll the event which has attracted thousands of people in the past years.

Reports say there is little enthusiasm from traditional party donors who have been alarmed by the establishment of the inclusive government. Some of these donors are politicians that have been left out of the new government. [read more] [Related story]

A senior United Nations official has welcomed the announcement of the new Somali cabinet, and the fact that the new Government will return to Mogadishu this weekend to begin the vital work of restoring peace, stability and development to the strife-torn nation.

The Secretary-General's Special Representative, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, said the cabinet announced by Prime Minister Omar Sharmarke is "a healthy combination of experience and youth."

He welcomed the fact that the Prime Minister chose a Government of National Unity as outlined in the 2008 UN-facilitated Djibouti Agreement by the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS), in which they agreed to end their conflict.

"It is encouraging to see members of the original Transitional Federal Government alongside some fresh faces from what was the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia," Mr. Ould-Abdallah said in a news release. [read more]

DJIBOUTI - Somalia's new Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmake has appointed a Council of Ministers, with key posts given to former opposition politicians, Radio Garowe reports.

The Prime Minister's new Cabinet consists of 36 ministers, which was distributed among Somali clans used the 4.5 power-sharing formula.

Somalia's new President

Somali President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed was present alongside a host of Somali MPs and international observers as Prime Minister Sharmake named members of his bloated Cabinet.[read more]

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 19 — A photograph of three bullets, “kidnappings” and CCTV videotapes. These were among the evidence presented or alluded to by Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in parliament today to support his claims that the BN government is using bribery and other unethical tactics to entice defections.

Anwar also alleged that despite police reports, top government officials were deliberately taking no action.

He claimed that the bribery scheme could be traced to the deputy prime minister and while he did not present the CCTV recordings in parliament, when pressed by reporters afterwards if he had the tapes, he said: “you will know at the right time.”[read more]

Defence Minister, Dr. Shettima Mustapha disclosed yesterday that the Nigerian government would only send troops to help quell the crisis in Somalia when the time and situation on ground in the war-torn country allowed it, saying going there now will mean fighting to enforce peace.

The minister who paid a maiden visit to the Defence headquarters and the Services headquarters, made the disclosure just as the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Paul Dike noted that a housing project to cater for 120 families of Non-Commissioned officers and another for 38 families of officers, is being undertaken through direct labour by defence headquarters as part of plans to improve the welfare of officers and men.[read more]

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 18 — The Perak Speaker acted within his powers when he barred Menteri Besar Datuk Zambry Abdul Kadir and six executive councillors from the next sitting of the state legislature, in the latest move arising from the constitutional crisis in Perak, said a law expert today.

Abdul Aziz Bari, a law professor at the International Islamic University here, told The Malaysian Insider that the Speaker’s authority covers a very wide area in matters involving the assembly’s regulations.

“That includes the finality on the interpretation of provisions in the Standing Orders, the rules which govern the House,” he said. [read more]

Menurut Peguam Syarie, Muhamad Burok yang mewakili Mohd Suffian Abd Aziz yang ditemui selepas sidang Mahkamah 16 Februari lalu berkata, kes ini tertunggak selama tiga tahun yang bermula sejak September 2006 lagi.

"Hakim telah menetapkan 23 April ini, sebagai tarikh untuk mendengar keputusan semula. Tetapi beliau tidak datang pada itu, maka Mahkamah berhak untuk mengeluarkan waran tangkap kepada Senator tersebut.[read more]

By Leslie Lau | Malaysia

IPOH, Feb 18 — Perak state assembly speaker V Sivakumar has suspended Menteri Besar Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir and his six state executive councillors from the state assembly for 18 and 12 months respectively for contempt of the assembly.

The move appears designed to force either the downfall of the Barisan Nasional (BN) state government, or a dissolution of the state assembly to pave the way for fresh elections.

Sivakumar is a member of DAP, which is part of the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) state government that was dismissed by Sultan Azlan Shah following a number of defections.

The suspensions throwns up a number of constitutional conundrums, not the least of which will be who is in charge of Perak now. [read more]

Sparks flew from the get-go at the High Court this morning in the Menteri Besar vs Menteri Besar case pitting Pakatan Rakyat's Datuk Seri Mohammed Nizar Jamaluddin against Barisan Nasional's Datuk Zambry Abdul Kadir.

Nizar, represented by an eight-member legal team led by Sulaiman Abdullah, immediately moved to disqualify Perak State Legal Advisor Datuk Ahmad Kamal Md Shahid from acting as the lawyer for Zambry.

As expected, Sulaiman objected on the grounds that Zambry was sued in his personal capacity and not officially as the MB of Perak and had no right to use the state's resources, including its state legal advisor.

He added that Ahmad Kamal had no "locus" or standing to be the Zambry's counsel in the case. [read more]

Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today asked embattled Selangor state executive councillor Elizabeth Wong to rethink her decision to quit following the circulation of her naked photographs.

“Elizabeth Wong has spoken at length to Azizah and me. We have discussed the issues and we understand her reasons and the decision she has taken,” said Anwar, referring to his wife Datin Seri Wan Azizah Ismail.

“We have asked Eli to go on leave, we will meet her again to discuss,” Anwar told reporters at a press conference here. [read more]

President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmad's chances of success in holding together Somalia's Transitional Federal Institutions took a hit on February 13 when he appointed Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke as his prime minister.

The weak protagonist in a fragmented conflict, Sh. Sharif is most immediately hobbled by a tug of war for his political will between the "international community," upon which he depends for diplomatic and financial support, and his base of clerical support represented in his Djibouti faction of the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (A.R.S.-D), which controls 200 seats in the expanded 550 seat transitional parliament. The donors want Sh. Sharif to be "inclusive;" his clerical base wants him to implement Shari'a law. By selecting Sharmarke, Sh. Sharif caved in to the donors and chose their replacement for Nur Adde Hassan Hussein - a humanitarian bureaucrat without a political base, who mentioned nothing about implementing Shari'a when he addressed the press after his nomination. Simultaneously, Sh. Sharif announced that he would implement Shari'a law, attempting to mollify his clerical base.

The armed opposition to the T.F.G.- al-Shabaab and the newly formed Islamic Party (Hisbul Islam) - kept up their rejection of Sh. Sharif's administration, despite reports that they had met with him. Ethiopia's prime minister, Meles Zenawi, expressed satisfaction, saying that Addis Ababa had succeeded, through its intervention in Somalia, in splitting the Courts Movement and isolating al-Shabaab so that Islamist irredentism was no longer a threat.

A closed source in the Gulf states reports that the Somali business community there has been hit hard by the global financial crisis and attendant recession, and is wary of financing Sh. Sharif because of his perceived inexperience and lack of political skills. The money they have will be primarily directed to their sub-clans and the political forces that they believe best represent them.

Expect Sheikh Sharif to attempt to gain control of the T.F.G., which will be a full-time job with a diminished probability of success. Torn between the donors and his base, with groups on the outside or on the margins holding his feet to the fire, Sh. Sharif will find it very difficult to advance. A misguided policy of "inclusion" forced on Sh. Sharif by the donors points in the direction of his failure. [read more]

The Federal Court has postponed to next Monday a decision on whether to overturn last year’s High Court ruling that freed Raja Petra Kamaruddin from detention under the Internal Security Act.

The government had appealed against the ruling and the Federal Court was expected to deliver its verdict this morning.

In a posting on his blog last night, Raja Petra Kamaruddin or RPK said it was Deputy Premier Najib Abdul Razak who ordered his detention under ISA last year and that he was also offered money to shut up but he refused.

live report from Putrajaya [read more]

12.29pm : Imtiaz refers to an authority in the bundle of the Senior Federal Counsel where a judge chose to not hear because he had previously formed a view adverse of a litigant.

Whether what RPK has written of Augustine is contemptous of court is a separate issue. The question is whether those writings may occasion a bias on the part of Augustine?

Would the public think that the Augustine suffered the taint of bias arising from those writings? How would the public, thinking Augustine to be biased, view his continuing to hear this appeal. How would this impact on public confidence in the administration of justice.

KeADILan assemblywoman for Bukit Lanjan has offered to resign her seat and also to quit her post in the Selangor state executive council, following the illegal distribution of photos taken of her while asleep and in the nude.

The circulation of the photos, denounced as a ploy to kill the 37-year old’s political career, has shocked the nation and outraged womens’ groups, regardless of political camps and ethic background.

Said Chew Mei Fun, MCA Wanita chief: “We are outraged by such shameful acts of using women as sexual objects. It is an outright invasion of the privacy of women as well as an exploitation of women for political use.” [read more]

Already Umno Youth aspirant Mohd Khir Toyo is calling on her to resign. However, others said there was no such need as it was clear she had done no wrong.

“Why should she resign, why is it unmoral?” said Ramon Navaratnam, president of Transparency International Malaysia.

“It’s the peeping toms with disgusting principles of their own who should quit. They should not be allowed to waste our time over such frivolous issues, when the whole economy is sinking like a stone.”

I am a victim in this incident.

I have yesterday lodged a police report in relation to this matter and I will fully cooperate with the police in their investigation. I will therefore not speculate publicly about those responsible for this gross invasion of my privacy. [in full] [in bahasa melayu]

Lokasi : Dewan Rakyat, Kuala Lumpur

Tarikh : 18-01-1993

26. Justeru itu pindaan yang dicadangkan ini bertujuan mengelak atau menghalang daripada meningkatnya perasaan benci kepada Raja yang boleh membawa kepada tuntutan untuk menghapuskan Sistem Beraja. Pindaan ini adalah untuk menyelamatkan Raja-Raja sendiri dan sistem Raja Berperlembagaan. Untuk memperkuatkan lagi peruntukan Perlembagaan bagi mengekalkan Sistem Beraja, peruntukan dibuat supaya sebarang syor atau cadangan untuk menghapuskan Sistem Beraja akan ditakrif sebagai hasutan dan tertakluk kepada Undang-Undang Hasutan.

27. Pindaan ini tidak menyentuh keistimewaan-keistimewaan yang diberi kepada Raja-Raja. Raja-Raja akan terus bertaraf Raja, dan kemudahan-kemudahan yang disediakan kepada Raja dan keluarga di-Raja mengikut Perlembagaan dan undang-undang akan diteruskan.

28. Untuk menentukan sistem Raja Berperlembagaan benar- benar berkesan, maka tiga pindaan perlu dibuat kepada Perlembagaan Persekutuan. Yang pertama ialah peruntukan Perlembagaan berkenaan dengan kekebalan Raja-Raja daripada sebarang tindakan undang-undang seperti dalam Fasal (1) Perkara 32 yang mana selepas perkataan “mahkamah” ditambah perkataan “tetapi hanya berkenaan dengan apa-apa jua yang dilakukan atau ditinggalkan daripada dilakukan olehnya dalam perjalanan atau yang berupa sebagai perjalanan fungsi- fungsinya di bawah mana-mana undang-undang bertulis”. Ini bermakna tidak ada tindakan mahkamah yang boleh diambil terhadap Raja dalam menjalankan tugas rasminya. [read more]