KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 10 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) released former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on bail shortly after arresting him over the alleged tampering of the federal audit report on 1MDB this morning.
Najib was allowed bail at an undisclosed sum at around 1.30pm today, according to Berita Harian.
After he was arrested earlier, it had been thought that Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor would have to mark her 67th birthday today without him.
Their daughter, Nooryana Najwa Najib, had urged her earlier to be strong.
“I know today is not the easiest day for us but let’s take a moment to thank Allah that we are all healthy, alive and still able to help others in need,” she wrote on her Instagram account.
“Happy birthday to my one and only mummy. Love will get us through it all.”
Now Rosmah has been arrested I just wanted to resurface this birthday cake, delivered to her table in Istanbul recently. She denies wrongdoing. #BillionDollarWhalepic.twitter.com/P5qbYeQzJb
Public Servant | MP for Bakri | Minister of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment & Climate Change (MESTECC) | Rebuilding Malaysia
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9 December 2018
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It's so wonderful to see Malaysia getting a positive review. Well done Minister Yeo Bee Yin for her courage and wisdom to lead Malaysia forward in a sustainable development pathway…. https://t.co/S3qFXtQLcS
As the 2018 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report warned, it now takes a colossal and collective effort to save the world from climate doom and prevent countries from drowning in their own (and imported) plastic waste.
This year, countries made major moves that had a significant impact on the world’s progress in keeping global warming below 1.5 °C and tackling the most critical sustainability issues of our time, such as plastic pollution, disaster mitigation and food security.
Here are seven countries that took on the world’s biggest sustainability challenges in 2018.
1. Malaysia
In September, Malaysia announced that it aims to eliminate single-use plastic by 2030, making it the first country in Southeast Asia to take bold action against plastic pollution. Its weapons in the plastic battle include a nationwide charge on plastic bags and a market for environmentally-friendly alternatives. A month later, the country moved to restrict imports of plastic that had led to the rise of illegal recycling plants across the region after China’s waste ban in January.
The new government also has the region cheering for its appointment of Yeo Bee Yin, Malaysia’s newly minted Minister of Energy, Green Technology, Science, Climate Change and Environment. A few months into office, she exercised her power to bust the country’s long dependency on fossil fuels, cancelling four independent energy contracts this year that would have otherwise gone to coal companies. The country’s youngest female minister in cabinet is also ready to take legal arms against Australian company Lynas for their accumulation of radioactive waste within their Malaysian operations.
Yeo Bee Yin is now Energy, Green Technology, Science, Climate Change and Environment Minister but she was a key player in the opposition to the Lynas plant in 2012. It’s politics. https://t.co/N2SjSz7ae9
I think la, I think, if you cannot see the obvious difference between how the BN government handled peaceful assemblies and how the current government does it, I think you are either biased, OR before this you have no sense of peaceful assemblies in Malaysia. https://t.co/jNPTlewuT9
My first direct involvement in peaceful assemblies is in 2009 with the anti-ISA rally. I was one of the urgent arrest lawyers who represented rally goers who were arrested. It was a peaceful rally, but 526 people were arrested.
Then came the Bersih 2.0 rally in 2011. 150 people were arrested even before the rally. Days before the rally, police placed a lockdown of KL, causing massive traffic jams. 30 PSM members arrested, and SIX were placed under the Emergency Ordinance.
This was before any rally. So your bullshit claim about 'different set of people' – the Government tried to STOP the rally even before it happened, including arresting people. Btw, PAS was also part of the rally.
On the day, I was part of the Bar Council monitoring team. We saw teargas and watercannon being used, as a way to STOP the rally from happening. Compare that with how the Government today allowed and facilitated the rally. 1,667 arrests were made of rally goers.
Bersih 2.0, there were no overturned cars. No damage. The rally goers were peaceful. But even before the rally, the BN government actively tried to stop people from attending it. You tell me that's the same as PH's response to ICERD?
SUHAKAM, after inquiry, found that cops had violated rights of the protesters. "Shooting of tear gas by the police at opposite directions at KL Sentral could possibly have caused injury or death to the participants of the rally who were in the vicinity." https://t.co/JwVxBU6tCs
Then came Bersih 3.0 in 2012. I was one of the lawyers on duty: Leading up to Bersih 3.0, again Government sought to STOP the rally: 1. Barricades surrounding Dataran Merdeka area 2. Court order obtained to stop entry of any persons into DM area. 3. Roadblocks all over KL.
Then, this is what happened: 1) Rally went on, by 2.40pm it ended, organizers asked to disperse. 2) Then some people broke thru the barrier, and the police reacted by firing teargas and watercannons. Nearly 1000 teargas canisters/grenandes fired INTO the crowd.
512 people were arrested, and they were all brought to Pulapol. At Pulapol, lawyers converged (including me), and we sought access to detainees. We were denied.
SUHAKAM, after inquiry, found that: "Police used disproportionate force and there were incidents of misconduct against participants of the Bersih 3.0 rally":https://t.co/lWx0EmxWSL
Then, the Government used the newly enacted Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 to sue the organisers of Bersih 3.0 for 'damage' caused to government property. But, despite bringing it all the way to Federal Court, the Government failed.
But, the Government did ban yellow tshirts with 'Bersih 4'. Which the Court later found to be 'unseasonable'. Again, government actively tried to place restrictions on the rights of rally goers. https://t.co/zbujFotTo2
Then we go to Bersih 5. Again, authorities let the rally go on. No arrests of participants were made, BUT the government targetted several 'key' individuals including @mariachin@mandeepkarpall@kuasasiswa and others, BEFORE and DURING the assembly. pic.twitter.com/OBEbqkfb3z
Bersih 5 was in 2016, and unless you have short term memory loss, you would recall how @mariachin was placed under SOSMA for being a 'security threat'. She was placed in solitary confinement for around 10 days. https://t.co/xQhEAxmmZq
Which is this – Malaysia Baharu must be a Malaysia in which not only the victors can rally peacefully without restrictions, but a Malaysia in which dissenters and opposition members, too, be allowed to exercise their constitutionally guaranteed rights.
Malaysia Baharu cannot be a Malaysia like it was under your UMNO, @WanAgyl, in which peaceful rallies are seen as security threats, inconvenience, and where the law is used to scupper legitimate rights of rally goers, as can be seen in the past decade, and even longer!
DAP says the Home Minister should release all 73 hours of video available to him if he truly wants the people to judge for themselves what actually happened on April 28.
KUALA LUMPUR: DAP today challenged Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein to release, unedited, all 73 hours of video footage of the April 28 Bersih rally that the police have in their possession.
Party strongman Lim Kit Siang issued the challenge in reaction to reports that the Home Ministry would release an edited clip on its website. Initial reports said the clip would be posted today, but ministry sources subsequently said the upload has been postponed to a date to be announced this afternoon.
Bersih 3.0: Three times more tear-gas than Bersih 2.0
S Pathmawathy
3:09PM Jun 11, 2012
Three times more tear-gas munitions were used against Bersih 3.0 rally-goers on April 28 than in the previous demonstration for clean and fair elections.
Replying to Fong Po Kuan (DAP-Batu Gajah), the Home Ministry said 909 tear-smoke shells (TS shells) – which are fired with tear-gas launchers – and 58 tear-smoke grenades (TS grenades) – which are hand thrown – were used against the protesters.
The government also incurred a loss of RM1.8 million from the “illegal rally”, added minister Hishammuddin Hussein.
During the Bersih 2.0 rally on July 9 last year, 262 tear gas canisters had been used to disperse more than 10,000 protesters.
In another written reply, the minister said only two police personnel were identified to have acted outside the standard operating procedures (SOP).
Read ‘Bersih 3.0: Three times more tear-gas than Bersih 2.0‘ on Yahoo! News Malaysia. Threetimesmoretear-gas munitions were used against Bersih3.0 rally-goers on …
The Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein has announced that a compilation of videos on the Bersih 3.0 rally would be uploaded on the Home Ministry website today for public viewing to enable people to see the events that occurred during the rally.
He said: “With the video recording, the people can make their own judgement based on facts and not other consideration.”
This is a most deplorable development post-Bersih 3.0, as it is continuation of the vilification and demonization campaign launched by the Barisan Nasional government against Bersih 3.0 and Pakatan Rakyat after April 28, like the 30-minute documentary “Bersih 3.0 itu Kotor” telecast on TV1 on Sunday, 13th May which only antagonised and turned off the hundreds of thousands of Malaysians who had gathered peacefully in Kuala Lumpur in support of the Bersih 3.0 call for a clean election.
The priority duty of Hishammuddin as Home Minister is not to be accused, judge, jury and executioner all in one but to give full support for an independent, impartial and credible investigation into what actually happened at the Bersih 3.0 rally and establish what went wrong which marred a great historic event of peaceful people empowerment uniting Malaysians transcending race, religion, region, class, age or gender for a common national cause with incidents of violence and brutality, regardless of whether the victims were police personnel, media representatives or peaceful protestors.
The ongoing Suhakam public inquiry into the allegations of human rights violations before, during and after the Bersih 3.0 peaceful assembly on 28 April was initiated on 5 July. A total of 17 witnesses have testified so far and last week (23 to 26 July), the panel heard the testimonies of 9 witnesses.
BERSIH 2.0 wishes to present a summary of the key testimonies of the brave citizens who stepped forward as witnesses. The following are some of the main violations recorded so far:
POLICE BRUTALITY
Seven out of the nine witnesses testified that they were assaulted by police officers and all nine saw other people being assaulted. One witness said that police even demanded entry into the A&W restaurant, which had been locked, and proceeded to assault and arrest those who were inside.
POLICE MISCONDUCT
Aside from assaults, police were also seen behaving in highly irregular and unprofessional ways. One witness told the panel that racial slurs were hurled at him by police officers while assaulting him. His gold chain was also “taken” by the police and has still not been returned or acknowledged even though he lodged a police report. Another witness saw a police car speeding through a crowded area with no consideration of the crowd, some of whom were sitting down. Yet another witness reported that the policemen who hit him were in uniform with names but no ID numbers.
INDISCRIMINATE USE OF TEAR GAS
Instead of firing from a safe distance, some police and FRU fired tear gas directly at the crowd in a way that boxed in participants rather than allowing them to disperse. One witness is now left clinically blind due to being hit at close range by a tear gas canister. He is a fresh graduate who has lost his first job due to his condition. Other witnesses testified to the widespread use of teargas in narrow, congested areas from which the crowd had no escape. Earlier in the inquiry, a witness told the panel she was hit by a tear gas canister on her neck, causing her to lose consciousness.
INSUFFICIENT TIME TO DISPERSE
Two witnesses spoke of how they wanted to return home at 4pm but could not as the LRT station was closed. This caused confusion and forced them to sit around amidst the heavy use of tear gas and water cannons, which is when they were assaulted by policemen.
ASSAULTS ON MEDIA PERSONNEL
Three reporters testified that their press tags were ignored by the police who either snatched their cameras, ordered them to stop documenting or even assaulted them. One reporter was also made to pass through the gauntlet (two parallel rows of police lines) where he was punched in his midsection. Police also refused to return his memory card.
Another media personnel was warned by police to not take any pictures and said that a policeman tried to get her camera and kicked her press tag to the side in order to arrest her without her tag. She was further warned by a policeman, “If I see you again, I will arrest you,” when she asked him for directions.
The third reporter told the panel that he was sitting on a sidewalk where he could see the OCPD of Dang Wangi talking to a group of police using a hailer, but he could not hear what they said. However, the group then dispersed and began attacking random protestors.Suddenly, seven or eight police came over and assaulted him even after he shouted “Press! Press!”
INCONSISTENT POLICE BEHAVIOR
Despite the thousands who were allowed to wear yellow shirts, one witness said he was asked to take off his yellow t-shirt and had to go home without a T-shirt.
The inquiry has so far depicted numerous accounts of human rights violations inflicted upon the participants of the Bersih 3.0 “duduk bantah”. The inquiry continues this week, with hearings on 1 and 2 August. With more witnesses to be called, including from among the police, BERSIH 2.0 hopes that the truth will be revealed of what happened on 28 April when 250,000 Malaysians came forward to peacefully demand for clean and fair elections.
Thank you.
Salam BERSIH!
Steering Committee
Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections 2.0 (BERSIH 2.0)
The Steering Committee of BERSIH 2.0 comprises:
Dato’ Ambiga Sreenevasan (Co-Chairperson), Datuk A. Samad Said (Co-Chairperson), Ahmad Shukri Abdul Razab, Andrew Ambrose, Andrew Khoo, Anne Lasimbang, Arul Prakkash, Arumugam K., Awang Abdillah, Dr Farouk Musa, Hishamuddin Rais, Liau Kok Fah, Maria Chin Abdullah, Matthew Vincent, Niloh Ason, Richard Y W Yeoh, Dr Subramaniam Pillay, Dato’ Dr Toh Kin Woon, Dr Wong Chin Huat, Dato’ Yeo Yang Poh and Zaid Kamaruddin.
FRU personnel aim tear gas rounds at crowds of Bersih supporters near Dataran Merdeka, in Kuala Lumpur April 28, 2012. — Reuters pic
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Malaysian Insider
Police, KL City Hall fueled Bersih 3.0 chaos, panel finds
By Trinna Leong July 12, 2013
The panel was set up by the government to investigate police on allegations of brutality against demonstrators and reporters in the rally on April 28, 2012. It handed over a 500-page report of its deliberations to Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on Wednesday.
SOME OF THE FINDINGS OF THE PANEL
1 Police used excessive force on Bersih 3.0 supporters.
2 DBKL used flimsy excuses in disallowing rally organisers to use Dataran Merdeka for the gathering.
3 Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad (SPN) also used flimsy excuses for stopping government-owned buses and trains from getting into the city.
A boisterous group clad in red T-shirts that appeared at Dataran Merdeka close to midnight were from Federal Territories Umno Youth, said its leader Mohd Razlan Rafii.
In a statement on his Facebook page, Mohd Razlan said that his group had nothing to do with Sungai Besar Umno division chief Jamal Yunos.
Jamal had initially vowed to rally 30,000 people to face off against Bersih 4, which took place over the weekend.
However, Jamal backed down after he was ordered to do so by the police.
Mohd Razlan said the purpose of his group was to mark Merdeka Day at Dataran Merdeka, but they were denied entry by the police.
“At the stroke of midnight every Merdeka Day eve, our national anthem had always been sung at Dataran Merdeka.
“Last night was a black day for the country because Dataran Merdeka was no longer free, as the national anthem was not played,” he said.
High Court: Duty of police to prevent clash between Bersih 5, Red Shirts
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KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 17 — The High Court today pointed out that the police are legally-bound to ensure the Red Shirts movement holds its counter-rally at a different location to prevent clashes with Bersih 2.0 supporters this Saturday.
Justice Nanthan Balan in reading out his ruling rejecting an application for an injunction to prevent Bersih 5 and a counter-rally from taking place in the capital city said Section 18 of the Peaceful Assembly Act stated that the police must redirect any counter-rallies if they knew that clashes were imminent.
“Section 18 of the PAA acts as a safety valve to diffuse any potential conflict therefore it is the duty of the police to prevent a clash or conflict should there is a possibility that it would eventuate,” he told the High Court here.
KUALA LUMPUR: Bersih 2.0 has no right to request police intervention for this weekend’s rally given that it has already been declared an illegal assembly, says Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar.
“Those people seeking police protection should first obey the laws,” Khalid told reporters at a press conference in Bukit Aman today.
Khalid dismissed former Bersih co-chairman Ambiga Sreenevasan’s call for the police to prevent the Red Shirts from holding simultaneous demonstrations with Bersih 5.0 rally participants this Saturday.
Ambiga had said the authorities can use Section 18 of the Peaceful Assembly Act (PAA) 2012 to separate the Bersih rally from the Red Shirts counter rally by providing the latter with an alternative date and venue.
“These people do know the laws,” he said sarcastically when quizzed on the matter by reporters.
Khalid repeated his mantra throughout the press conference that the two gatherings scheduled concurrently for this weekend are illegal and that police will take appropriate action.
PKR’s efforts to whip up support for next Saturday’s Bersih rally today was dogged by Sungai Besar Umno chief Jamal Md Yunos and his red-shirt posse.
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At two stops – Tasek Permai and the Tasek Tambahan PKNS flats – Zuraida was seen giving out goodies, including bags of rice, to residents while encouraging them to join the Nov 19 rally.
However, the situation became tense at Tasek Tambahan when Jamal and his red-shirts arrived.
The two groups were separated by the police and a verbal sparring match ensued.
Jamal demanded to see Zuraida, accusing her of having paid about 40 over “volunteers” to be on her entourage.
“Why give them only RM20? Give them RM200, or RM300 then it would be worth it,” Jamal said.
The red-shirts also chanted “Zuraida penipu (liar)” among other insults.
Zuraida, however, ignored them, proceeding to hand out goodies before leaving Tasek Tambahan for Dewan Orang Ramai Sri Tanjung.
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Among other insults, Jamal and his men accused Zuraida’s followers of not being heterosexuals.
“There are many pretty boys among them,” he noted, before leading the red-shirts to chant “LGBT”.
The PKR crowd retaliated with selawat (Muslim hymns), to which Jamal retorted that he prayed they would return to the right path.
The 2018 parade was organised by The Association of Churches of Sarawak and Kuching Ministers’ Fellowship, while Methodist Church SCAC was the hosting church.
So while everyone else is busy with that big rally over there, people in Kuching are having their own rally. Not just any rally, but a very merry Christmas parade! ❤️🎄
As many as 16 lavishly-decorated Christmas floats lighted up the festivity and adding colour to the procession, which was also joined by numerous performers entertaining both participants… https://t.co/XrAPXxQ8kW
KUCHING, Dec 8 — About 10,00 Christians from various denominations participated today in a colourful annual Kuching Christmas Parade in the city of Kuching.
They came in all sorts of bright shirts; some were wearing traditional costumes of Sarawak natives.
The participants, who included children and elderly persons, were accompanied by uniformed voluntary organisations, such as the Scouts and school bands.
Floats decorated like church buildings and Christmas trees were also part of the parade.
“The parade is a joy and peaceful as you see, not just this evening but also in the previous years,” explained Pastor Nicholas Ningkau of the Sarawak Grace Assembly Church of Kuching when met by Malay Mail.
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The 4km parade started from Kuching City South Council’s Jubilee ground before proceeding to Jalan Padungan, then Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, Temple Street-Wayang Street-Jalan Tabuan -Jalan Ban Hock and back to the Jubilee ground.
The participating churches were the Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Church, Methodist Church SCAC, Methodist Church SIAC, BEM (SIB) Church, Seventh Day Adventist Church, Salvation Army, Sarawak Baptist Church, Blessed Church, Sarawak Grace Assembly Kuching, Hope Church Kuching, Calvary Family Church, Good News Fellowship, City Harvest Church, and Fellowship of Evangelical Students (FES).
The 1993 amendments to the Constitution of Malaysia[1][2] was passed by the Malaysian parliament with the aim of removing legal immunity of the royalty. The changes, which saw the amendments of Articles 32, 38, 42, 63, 72 and 181 in the Constitution of Malaysia,[3] was implemented in March 1993. Before the amendments were made, the Constitution granted rulers who have violated the law not to be prosecuted by the criminal court unless he voluntarily wishes to surrender his legal immunity.[4]
The amendments were made at a time when the Malaysian monarchy witnessed a deteriorating relationship with the Malaysian government. During the late-1980s and the early-1990s, a series of controversial incidents involving the rulers cropped up, many of which came into a conflict of interest with several politicians.[5] After two separate assault incidents by the Sultan of Johor and his younger son which occurred in 1992, the government was prompted to take up the initiative to call for the removal of legal immunity. The rulers were extremely unhappy with the government’s calls for the removal of legal immunity, and initially dissented with the government. The government used a two-pronged approach of persuasion and coercion to obtain the assent of the rulers for their rulers. The rulers gave their assent for the government’s proposals to remove the legal immunity, which was later implemented in March 1993.
By some interpretations, these events leading up to the constitutional amendments was considered to be a constitutional crisis,[6] given that the federal government, who needed the endorsement of the Sultans to implement the law, refused and subsequently led to a brief standoff between both sides.[7] However, in most cases, the events leading up to the constitutional amendment was generally closely identified as a monarchy crisis rather than a constitutional crisis.[8]
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Background incidents
Gomez Incident
In later part of the year, two separate assault incidents involving members of the Johor royal family allegedly occurred–[9] was aptly dubbed as the “Gomez Incident” by the media.[10] The first one occurred on 10 July 1992, when the second son of the Sultan Iskandar, the Sultan of Johor, Tunku Abdul Majid, flayed a Perak hockey goalkeeper, Mohamed Jaafar shortly after a hockey championship match between Perak and Johor, supposedly having lost his temper when the Perak team won the match by a penalty stroke.[11] The goalkeeper made a police report soon afterward which received attention from Parliament who pressured the Malaysian Hockey Confederation to issue Tunku Majid in October 1992, a ban of five years participation in any national hockey tournaments.[12] The Sultan, enraged by the decision issued to his son, exerted pressure on the state education department to issue orders to school hockey teams in Johor to boycott participation in national tournaments.[13] The decision upset Douglas Gomez, a hockey coach, who criticised the education department for destroying the leadership and called for the resignation of all key office bearers of the Johor Hockey Association.[14]
The criticisms by Gomez made the Sultan angry, so he summoned Gomez to the palace on 30 November where he was reprimanded and beaten by the Sultan, in front of his dumbstruck bodyguards,[15] members of the Royal Johor Military Force. Gomez, who suffered injuries to his face and stomach, sought treatment at a private clinic the following day and subsequently filed a police report on 6 December,[16] after receiving tacit support from Parliament. The government-backed media, on its part, was swift to report on the incident.[15]
Parliamentary debates and resolutions
The press reports on Gomez plight widespread moral outrage within the Malaysian public.[17] A special parliamentary session was held on 10 December 1992 which saw all 96 members of the Dewan Rakyat present to pass a unanimous resolution to curb the powers of the rulers if necessary. The subsequent parliamentary session on 27 December saw discussions to remove legal immunity which agitated Sultan Iskandar to hold a rally to oppose the government’s actions, but was forced to cancel after intense government pressure.[18] Members of the opposition party had a passive stance towards the government’s proposals, particularly from Semangat 46.[19][20]
A ruler’s session was held on 16 January 1993, the following year, which requested the government for additional time for consideration of the government’s decision. After extensive negotiation, some rulers chose to refuse to endorse the proposed changes to the Federal Constitution, even after the offer for a special court to prosecute the rulers was proposed,[21] claiming that the implementation of a special court would bring about difficulties in legal technicalities.[22][23]
The proposed amendments also came with the rule to allow commoners to criticise the Sultans, even the Yang di-Pertuan Agong without fear of the Sedition Act, with the exception of questioning the legitimacy of the monarchy of Malaysia.[21][24] In addition, the proposed amendments also sought to limit the power of the rulers to pardon offences of family members.[25] Public criticisms of the rulers was also allowed by amendments to the Sedition Act, which makes it no longer an offence to criticise the royalty except to areas pertaining to their legitimate existence.[26]
Nevertheless, parliamentary sessions on subsequent days saw the Dewan Rakyat table the proposed amendments in spite of the Sultans’ objections, citing as far to say that there was no need to obtain royal assent to implement laws.[27] Back in 1983, the constitution had been amended so that a veto by the Agong can be over-ridden by a parliamentary vote.[25][28] Shortly before the Dewan Rakyat concluded its session, 133 out of 180 MPs passed the proposed changes although members of the opposition parties abstained from voting, citing indifferences.[29] The following day, Dewan Negara passed a unanimous resolution to approve of the proposed amendments.[30]
The three rulers, on the other hand, continued to withhold their consent to the amendments which saw the government threatening to withdraw the privileges and continued attacks via the national media[31] on instances of royal excesses of their extravagant lifestyles and even hinting a possibility of ending constitutional monarchy in Malaysia, such as the publication of an article of monarchs who abdicated or were disposed since World War II.[32] A compromise was reached with the Agong when the government offered a compromise which allowed the rulers to delay any legislation within sixty days, provided that the delays were given reasons. The previous proposals offered only a delay of fifteen days for any legislation that were to be raised in parliament.[33]
The Dewan Rakyat passed its implementation on 8 March 1993, while the Dewan Negara approved of its implementation on 30 March. A new chapter, Part XV of the Constitution entitled “Proceedings against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Rulers” was also enshrined.[34]
Media coverage
The government-backed media, on its part, launched a series of reports between 1992 and 1993 detailing alleged misdeeds by members of the royalty not only by the Johor royal family[35] but also on other royal houses from other states, questioning their extravagant lifestyles and misuse of moral authority to gain alleged concessions. The Pahang royal family, in particular, was criticised for the way which they allegedly gained favourable timber forestry concession rates[36] and the unusually high shares which they were accorded in the timber forestry industry.[37]
The views of the Islamic Religious leaders were also well publicised, who criticised the royal excesses and even went as far as placing members of the royalty as equal members with the commoners in the eyes of Allah.[38][39][40]
Aftermath
Another further constitutional amendment in May 1994 allowed any law that has been passed by both the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara to become law within 30 days, irrespective of whether the Agong had given his assent.[41][42] The new legislation further reduced the veto power of the Agong — amended previously in 1983, which also sparked a constitutional crisis. The older bill stated that Rulers could withhold assent of a proposed amendment within 30 days once both houses of parliament pass a proposed amendment.[43]
The new constitutional amendment took some interesting twists following its amendments: In 1996, a Singaporean filed to sue the Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang for defamation in the special court for the rulers, which was turned down by the Special Court, establishing the precedent that the right to sue a ruler only belongs to a Malaysian citizen.
In 1998, then Tengku Idris (later Sultan Sharafuddin) of Selangor sued a company, Dikim Holdings in the High Court. In 1999, when his father, Sultan Salahuddin was elected as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (Paramount Ruler) of Malaysia, Tengku Idris was appointed as Regent of Selangor. The case was referred to the Federal Court on whether the Regent is considered a ruler, which the court replied in the negative. In 2001, Sultan Salahuddin died and Tengku Idris ascended the Selangor throne. The case was referred to the Federal Court again, which the court ruled that the High Court had lost jurisdiction over the case, and the case must be withdrawn and refiled in the Special Court. In both cases, only the Special Court had authority to exercise jurisdiction over the rulers, whether they were to be tried or intended to try another party.[44]
The Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan, Tuanku Ja’afar became the first ruler to have judgement made against him in the Special Court, whereby he was ordered to settle US$1 million in debts he had owed to a bank.[45] The landmark verdict prompted his oldest son, the Regent of Negeri Sembilan, Tunku Naquiyuddin to advocate the restoration of rulers’ immunity during a speech in November 2008. This raised concerns among the public, in view of the history of past royal excesses, but specifically the Gomez incident. Tunku Naquiyuddin, however, added further that immunity to rulers should not be extended to cases when rulers commit acts of criminality, such as assault.[46]
Some 300 malay rights activists led by a Silat group gathering outside national palace . The police have given them till noon to hand over memorandum to the king . Chanting “ Allah, the great “ many in the group are in support of #antiICERD rally pic.twitter.com/C1uqeDt1Vt
LIVE | Some 300 members of a silat group, clad in baju melayu with sampin, gather at the mosque. They will march to Istana Negara to submit a memorandum.
Hundreds of members of various #silat associations from across the country started their march to Istana Negara at 10.30am to submit a memorandum protesting #ICERD to a representative of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
#NSTflash: Anti-ICERD rally – Thousands of silat association members have begun march from Federal Territories Mosque to Istana Negara to deliver memorandum protesting against ratification of ICERD to Yang di-Pertuan Agung. pic.twitter.com/HNoElgNWpi
PETALING JAYA: Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh today challenged Lynas Malaysia over its statements on naturally-occurring radioactive materials (NORM) generated at its plant in Gebeng, accusing the company of pushing its “hazards” to Malaysians instead of dealing with them safely.
In a statement, Fuziah referred to chief executive Amanda Lacaze’s recent interview with FMT in which the latter said both the raw rare earth and processed residue were categorised as NORM.
She added that the low level of radiation remained unchanged throughout the process.
Accusing Lacaze of making “irresponsible statements”, Fuziah said this was as good as asking Malaysians “to commit a slow suicide to save Lynas the cost of cleaning up its own waste”.
“I dare Lacaze to pack a suitcase of Lynas NORM and try to get through Customs in Australia with it,” she added.
Claiming that Lacaze was just “one step short of telling Malaysians to swallow carcinogens generated as waste by Lynas”, Fuziah, who is a deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, asked what kind of “zero-harm” corporation it was.
“If Lynas is serious about international standards, it would have remained in Australia to abide by the more stringent regulatory requirements there, and not picked Malaysia for its most hazardous operations.”
Fuziah, who has been a staunch critic of Lynas, had earlier this week called on the company to send its radioactive waste back to Australia, purportedly because the government review committee’s report showed that the groundwater in the area contained cancerous materials.
However, Lacaze told FMT that the committee had in fact recognised that Lynas was “intrinsically low-risk” and that it had management practices that further mitigated any risks.
She also rubbished Fuziah’s claim that the committee report found that the nickel concentration reading of the groundwater was very low in 2007 but spiked after Lynas began its operations.
“What the report said – and anyone can check it out – is that the review committee made no findings on the source of this material and it recommends further studies to determine where it came from.”
She added that Lynas was confident it would be vindicated by the outcome of any such study.
MELAKA: Tailgating at speeds of 120km an hour, heavy vehicles are “terrorising” car drivers along the North-South expressway during the wee hours of the morning.
Following numerous complaints, The Star staked out heavy vehicles, especially trailers, plying the expressway.
We found that on three occasions, between 2.40am to 6.15am and covering stretches from the Senawang toll plaza in Negri Sembilan to the Bemban lay-by in Jasin here, heavy vehicles were posing risks to other road users.
Trailers, some laden with goods to the brim, and express buses were speeding above the permitted limit, most up to 120km an hour.
Under traffic laws, the speed limit for trailers and lorries is 80kph and for express buses it is 90kph along the expressway.
The reckless driving were more rampant on the expressway’s south-bound, especially by transporters heading towards Singapore.
The Star could not capture the images of the speeding vehicles.
“They were driving faster than we were. It was a very scary experience,” said stringer Micheal Ching, adding they overtook the cars in a zig-zag patten.
Heavy vehicles were also parked haphazardly along the exit from the Ayer Keroh rest and recreational area (south-bound), the Ayer Keroh toll plaza and the Bemban lay-by.
At least a dozen trailers were spotted parked along the shoulder of the expressway between 4am to 6am, posing a risk to other motorists attempting to exit the rest areas into the toll plaza.
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Cambridge University is hosting a conference next week, at which the organisers claim ex-PM Najib Razak will speak. Some mistake? We think so!https://t.co/eaJD16flPh
On the face of it the authorities in KL ought to race to high alert to counter plans by Malaysia’s previous prime minister to leave the country, despite the removal of his passport pending trial on 38 charges related to the looting of public finances.
According to the website of ‘The Transformers Summit’ sponsored by Saudi Arabia’s Islamic Development Bank (ISDB) one of the ‘world leaders’ due to speak at its inaugural conference in Cambridge on December 10th is none other than Najib Razak.
If this were the case then it would be in breech of an order that the former prime minister should remain in Malaysia whilst facing charges, for which purpose his passport has been removed. However, it is Najib’s familiar face which currently beams out from the list of speakers on the site – and if you click on his name, up comes a biog that says:
“Dato Sri Haj Mohammad Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak is a Malaysian politician who served as the 6th Prime Minister of Malaysia from 2009 to 2018. He is currently the Deputy Major of Kuala Lumpur”
The clue to what is really going on seems to lie in Najib’s mysterious description as ‘Deputy Mayor of Kuala Lumpur’. As any Malaysian would realise the former PM may be facing jail, but he would be unlikely to accept such a form of come down in public life given his present grandiose behaviour – anyway who these days would entrust him with a public position of that kind?
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UPDATE
Without comment the ISDB summit has now altered its speakers’ list.
Cambridge University is hosting a conference next week, at which the organisers claim ex-PM Najib Razak will speak. Some mistake? We think so! https://t.co/39W2DuvHcx …
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Jamal had initially vowed to rally 30,000 people to 
“Last night was a black day for the country because Dataran Merdeka was no longer free, as the national anthem was not played,” he said.
Harian Metro 
