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Liew insists he is still LDP chief, threatens to sue ROS BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » Sabah - New 2 Borneo

Liew insists he is still LDP chief, threatens to sue ROS

Posted: 04 Jan 2014 10:12 AM PST

KOTA KINABALU: Datuk Liew Vui Keong has continued to insist that he is still the rightful president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

"I have not been deposed and as I said, I will abide by the decision of the delegates in the forthcoming party election in March," Liew said in a statement yesterday.

He said his removal by the group led by former LDP secretary-general Datuk Teo Chee Kang was illegal and against the party's constitution.

"They also excluded me from their 'election' and unilaterally declared Teo as the winner without contest, which in itself was not right. (So) what decision has ROS made that requires me to accept?" Liew asked in response to Teo's statement, claiming that the Registrar of Societies (ROS) has determined his presidency in the LDP.

"At the moment, I have not received anything from ROS concerning this issue. All I heard and read were from the newspapers allegedly claiming that ROS has declared Teo a winner of an illegal party election.

"I need to see the contents of the letter, if any. I think it is only right and fair that I be given a copy of the letter, if any. At least I will know under what provision of the law in the Societies Act 1966 that the ROS had invoked to recognise an illegal party election.

"We must not forget that the election committee set up by Teo was not validly constituted and any pronouncement made by Teo's purported election committee is null and void.

"Therefore, I demand to see the letter and know the reasons for the ROS' decision," he stressed.

Liew disclosed that since September last year, the LDP has notified the ROS on Teo's removal as the party's Secretary-General and his subsequent suspension by the Disciplinary Committee in October last year.

Teo's removal and suspension under the Party's Constitution was valid, he said, adding, "We have also complained to the ROS about Teo's illegally constituted Extraordinary General Meeting and their subsequent election on October 19 and 20, 2013.

"We have also notified the ROS of many other issues in writing on many occasions throughout the last few months, but up until today, it has not responded at all to any of our letters.

"On December 30, 2013, I directed the LDP Secretary-General to hold a special party conference on March 29 and 30 so that, among others, all party members can exercise their lawful right to elect the office bearers of their choice.

"The lawful right of the party members to elect the LDP's office bearers cannot be frustrated in any manner by Teo or any other party.

"On January 2, when the report surfaced in local newspapers concerning the impugned news, I have instructed my lawyer to write to the ROS demanding it verify the truth or otherwise the contents of the reports, in particular to the allegation that they issued a letter to Teo dated January 2, 2014.

"At the same time, I have also demanded that the ROS reply to all the letters that we had written to them since September last year and I hereby strongly urge the ROS to immediately issue a written directive to clarify all of these issues within the next few days, failing which I will have no alternative but to refer this matter to my legal team to pursue action against the ROS in court," Liew said.

Meanwhile, he urged LDP members to remain calm and not believe the speculations made, which were calculated to confuse not only them but also other political leaders in the country.

"I wish to assure all my party members that I am fully committed to their democratic right to vote for the party's office bearers of their choice at the party conference and I will abide by whatever decision they wish to make.

"Such a democratic process must be upheld and I will resist any unlawful attempt by any person to derail this democratic process," Liew said.

The ROS was reported to have issued an official letter to Teo on Thursday informing him that it found the LDP congress and election held on October 19 and 20 last year by Teo and his supporters to be legal, thus cementing the Special Tasks Minister's claim to the party presidency.

On the following day, Teo released a statement urging Liew and his supporters to respect the ROS' decision and to return to the party fold, saying that the LDP's main priority under his leadership was for all its leaders and members to close ranks.

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Sabah student back early from holidays beaten to death

Posted: 04 Jan 2014 09:58 AM PST

by Margaret Ringgit reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on January 5, 2014, Sunday

MIRI: A business student at a private university here was found dead in a pool of blood in a rented double-storey house at Jalan Jati 1, Senadin, in an apparent robbery-cum-murder incident.

It is believed that the deceased, who has been identified as Mu Tshun Vui, 19, from Sandakan, Sabah, might have fought with his assailants.

A gas cylinder had gone missing while three rooms (two upstairs and one downstairs) of the house were ransacked by intruders.

The discovery was made by the deceased's housemate around 2pm Saturday, known as Eden Boo, 18, upon his arrival from their semester break yesterday.

There were three Sabahans (including the deceased), one from Johor and another housemate from Bintangor renting the house.

Boo, who had just touched down in Miri from Johor Bahru, after holidaying in his home town, said: "My university mate fetched me up from Miri Airport and sent me back to the house where I'm renting together with four other friends (including the deceased)."

Meanwhile, Boo's other housemates have yet to return from their holiday break as classes will only begin next week (Jan 6).

"He (Mu) had come back early from the semester break two days ahead all of us, that's why he was alone during the incident," added Boo.

According to him, both of them were shocked upon seeing the gate and the main door of the house ajar.

"I went inside the house, and was stunned when I saw Mu's body lying face up in the pool of blood at the end of the staircase leading to the first floor of the room(s)," he added.

They immediately called up the ambulance and police.

Unfortunately, due to serious injuries on his forehead, the deceased was believed to have died at the scene for 24 hours.

The sources added that Mu's mother had made two calls to him – one on Friday around 10pm and another on Saturday around 9am – both calls went unanswered.

According to his friend when met by The Borneo Post at the scene yesterday, Mu was taking a diploma in business.

Meanwhile, Miri police chief ACP Mun Kock Keong, when contacted yesterday, confirmed to have received a report on the incident.

"Police are still investigating the case", he said.

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Jais raid unconstitutional, says Angkatan Perubahan Sabah president

Posted: 04 Jan 2014 09:17 AM PST

TUARAN: Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS) has condemned the action by Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor (JAIS) and described it as unconstitutional.

Its president Datuk Seri Panglima Wilfred Bumburing in a statement yesterday said, "APS in no uncertain terms totally condemns the unconstitutional action of JAIS in raiding the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) premises and confiscating books stored in the premises besides detaining the president of BSM and thus violating his rights as a Malaysian citizen. "

He was of the opinion that JAIS' action marked another dark episode in the history of Malaysia. Its action had also pushed Malaysia back into the group of intolerant countries like Nigeria and Sudan.

This incident has practically destroyed all our efforts, past and present as well as future, in uniting the multi-racial and multi-religious citizen of the country. Such raids are unheard of in countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran, he pointed out.

"Ironically, Najib ( Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak) had addressed the UN on Malaysia's international moderation campaign and yet he does nothing to stop extremism at home. Obviously the people as a whole are dismayed at the BN government for failing to provide the kind of leadership the country required that would have catered to the needs of its citizens.

"The subtle statement by Deputy Prime Minister  Muhyiddin (Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin) saying that the decision by Selangor Umno to demonstrate in front of churches is based on their own decision is tantamount to tacitly support the action by Umno which is a form of discrimination against the Christian religion.

"I agree with Lim Kit Siang when he said in a statement that 'instead of helping to cool down the temperature in the country, Muhyiddin is doing his best to further inflame the situation by the insensitive handling of a delicate issue' (themalaysianinsider.com)," Bumburing said.

The Tamparuli assemblyman said APS is asking the DPM whether he is advocating 'free for all' demonstrations outside all places of worship including mosques.

"In relation to this, I reject Tun Dr Mahathir (Mohamad)'s contention that use of the term Allah by Christians is offensive to Muslims. Christians have been using the term for more than 50 years now without any problem. And even way back before independence. Why only now they feel offended?

"Whatever the decision of the Supreme Court will not solve the problem as this is a matter of faith," Bumburing stressed and suggested that Malaysia seek an international Fatwah ruling in which other Muslim nations in the world can join to settle the issue.

This is because only Muslims in Malaysia, it seemed, are offended, while the Muslims in other countries are not, he opined.

According to him, religious issues are very fundamental to humans and it is futile to support a government which attacks individual basic freedom.

Therefore the Christian leaders in BN must now think seriously about their position in the government. If they are true to their cause to fight for the people then this matter is more than justifiable to leave BN and fight for justice.

"I have said it before, during and after the GE13 and I am saying it again now for the sake of every peace-loving Malaysian, we are definitely at a point where it is no longer conducive for all Christians to continue to give their support to BN.

"I am vindicated in my action to leave the Umno-controlled BN in July last year as all along, I knew BN is totally controlled by Umno without any regards to other BN components. As far as I am concerned, this whole episode, first on the Allah issue and now further aggravated by the Jais raid on the BSM office in Selangor is Umno's desperate attempt at winning back Muslim-Malay support which they have lost to PAS at the expense of the non-Muslim population.

"I therefore challenge all non-Muslim BN leaders, especially from the Christian community, to leave BN and unite with one voice, one struggle, one faith to oppose and halt Umno's authoritarian rule and to defend our Christian religion within the confines of the Federal Constitution which provides and guarantees us the freedom to practise our religion.

"Let us unite to oppose the Umno-controlled BN; let us unite to rekindle the spirit of Merdeka and the Malaysia Agreement 1963 which promised us a Malaysia that should be truly Malaysian," he said.

Bumburing feels that what Umno is doing is a complete breach of the Malaysia Agreement and they are totally bent on imposing their values upon those they think they can control.

"This country is also our land, our country and our nation and Umno has no right to claim this country as their own and asking those who opposed them to leave.

"Let us, together with our Muslim brothers who opposed Umno's dirty politics, unite in opposing Umno. An immediate radical change in the Federal Government set up is needed to stop Umno's authoritarian rule," he said.

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Two NS camps closed — Abdul Rahim

Posted: 04 Jan 2014 09:03 AM PST

KOTA KINABALU: The National Service (NS) Training Department (JLKN) has temporarily closed two NS training camps, one in Pahang and the other in Terengganu, after they failed to comply with required conditions.

Deputy Defence Minister Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri said both the camps would not be allowed to receive trainees until they met the conditions.

"The Muazzam Shah camp (in Pahang) were told to improve all aspects including  preparedness to avoid a repeat the incident of death of a trainee at the previous session. The Marang Camp (in Terengganu) has been ordered to amend all shortcomings," he told reporters after seeing off 50 NS trainees from Sabah heading to the  Semenyih Camp, Negeri Sembilan, at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) here, yesterday.

On JLKN's move to curb quarrels among trainees, Abdul Rahim said JLKN had introduced Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) on this at all 81 training camps nationwide to prevent such occurences.

In this regard, he said other than stationing a policeman at each camp, all camp commandants had been directed to be firm in implementing the SOPs, failing which, action would be taken against them.

Group 1 from three groups for the 11th series of trainee recruitment this year involved 43,000 people.

The government has allocated between RM550 million and RM650 million a year for the programme which, among others, is aimed at boosting national integration and instilling patriotism.

A total 750,000 school leavers have completed the NS training since 2004.

In Putrajaya, National Service Training Council chairman Datuk Ehsanuddin Mohd Harun Narrashid also reminded the operators of the 81 camps to be mindful of safety and security of NS trainees and warned that action would be taken if they failed to heed this.

He told this to reporters after witnessing the sending of NS trainees for the 11/2014 series in Precinct three here. — Bernama

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Jeffrey: How will Najib tackle runaway inflation in 2014?

Posted: 04 Jan 2014 08:58 AM PST

KOTA KINABALU: STAR Sabah chief Datuk Dr jeffrey Kitingan said while everyone is focused on the recent policies of the government resulting in total price hikes in almost every item, the ringgit has been depreciating alarmingly almost unnoticed by most ordinary men in the street.

Jeffrey noted that the ringgit has fallen by one of the biggest margin in 2013 since the 1997 economic meltdown.

"Based on statistics from Bank Negara Malaysia of the rates from the Interbank Foreign Exchange Market in Kuala Lumpur, in December 2013 alone the ringgit lost almost 2 per cent against the US dollar from 3.2230 to 3.2815."

" From Jan 2 2013 when the exchange rate was RM3.0375, the resultant depreciation of the ringgit is 8.03 per cent for the whole of 2013.

"While the falling ringgit is good for exporters who will be getting more ringgit for their exports, the main concern is for the ordinary citizens who will have to pay more for imports into Malaysia.

"In reality, exporters do not get the full benefit of the falling ringgit as shrewd international importers will be asking for prices in lower US dollar for their exports from Malaysia due to the falling Ringgit.

"For the ordinary consumers, the falling ringgit is going to cause higher prices for consumer goods especially imported ones. On food items alone, Malaysia imports about RM12 billion annually. Without any add-on in other costs, the falling ringgit will cause Malaysians to pay an additional RM1.0 billion for the same food items in 2014.

"Coupled with the price hikes caused by the recent policy changes announced by the federal government, Malaysians could be faced with runaway inflation in 2014.

"One shudders to think what inflation will be like in 2015 when the GST (goods and service tax) is to be implemented?" queried Jeffrey.

Creating a laboratory to study on living costs may not be effective if their members are paid high salaries with plush air-conditioned offices in Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur.

"Their understanding and resultant policy ideas may not be reflective of the persons on the street who are going to bear the brunt of the price increases and rising inflation.

"The worries of ordinary Sabahans and Sarawakians caused by rising prices will even be more serious given the already higher costs and higher cost of living in the Borneo states caused by many other factors which are not present in the peninsula including the crippling cabotage policy.

"How will Prime Minister Najib tackle the runaway inflation that is coming in 2014, especially for Sabahans and Sarawakians?  Please don't forget that Sabah and Sarawak will be contributing RM26.6 billion and RM45 billion in oil and gas revenue to Petronas and the federal government in 2014," Jeffrey said.

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Motorcyclist killed in collision with trailer

Posted: 04 Jan 2014 08:37 AM PST

SANDAKAN: A 47-year-old man died and had his body dragged along by a trailer for five metres when the motorcycle he was riding on collided with the trailer on Friday around 10 pm in Mile 24 Labuk Road here.

The motorcyclist, Azaruddin Daud, was pronounced dead at the scene while the pillion rider who was with the victim was sent to the Duchess of Kent Hospital here.

According to Sandakan police chief ACP Rowell Marong, preliminary investigations revealed that the victim was riding from Sandakan town towards Mile 32 before it overturned and entered the opposite lane of the road.

The motorcycle then collided with the trailer which was moving from the opposite direction, whose driver was identified as Shahril Seman, 50.

The Fire and Rescue team here led by operation supervisor Callixtus Fedilis and assisted by the Kinabatangan Fire and Rescue team arrived at the location of the incident at 10.59pm.

The victim's body was successfully extricated from underneath the trailer by 11.40pm.

Shahril, who was uninjured, later surrendered himself to the traffic office of the district police headquarters office here.

Meanwhile, the body of a three-year-old boy was found in Kampung Bahagia here, believed to had been electrocuted to death.

The boy's remains were found by villagers around 5pm on Wednesday near the electrical cables in the village.

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