Archive - 3 September 2002

The Election Commission absolves itself of blame for the existence of phantom voters, says Umno slacked in not thoroughly checking the electoral roll prior to the Anak Bukit by-election in July.

The Federal Court dismissed with costs former Sabah chief minister Yong Teck Lee's application for leave to appeal against an Election Court judgment that found him guilty of breaching the Election Offences Act. However, an unperturbed Yong believes that his positions will not be affected, saying that the worst case scenario would be a 'red card' or suspension.

MCA Youth chief Ong Tee Keat concedes that he and a few other party leaders had helped to arrange the meeting between two Chinese groups and Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad yesterday. But he insists it was necessary as the party was too slow in responding to the controversial language issue.

What did Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad really try to say after meeting two Chinese groups on the controversial language issue yesterday? The answer is definitely not in today's newspapers. The dailies, for whatever reasons, offered different and contradictory versions of the meeting.

Serangan demi serangan terhadap filem Embun arahan Erma Fatima menimbulkan tandatanya umum. Bekas exco Puteri Umno itu berpendapat, serangan terancang itu merupakan satu amaran kepada kumpulan 'Enam Jahanam' agar tidak mencuba mencabar kepimpinan Azalina Othman Said dalam pergerakan itu.

The landmark Likas election petition exposed the presence of phantom voters in the electoral roll. Inexplicably, the Election Commission then went about to make all certified electoral rolls unchallengeable. SALBIAH AHMAD recounts the Likas case and another unreported one to remind us the role that election judges play in safeguarding the system of representation.

In conjunction with the Johannesburg Summit 2002 from Aug 26 to Sept 4, malaysiakini is publishing a series of articles on sustainable development issues that are the focus of the conference. This second article argues that the human rights approach can point the way to sustainable development.

As the Sarawak National Party (Snap) continues to exist with two presidents and two central executive committees, the Registrar of Societies — viewed as the man with the remedy for the party's ailment — has yet to make a decision. The big question being asked now is: Will the ROS de-register the party if the crisis is not resolved soon?

In the latest effort by Jakarta to resolve migrant labour problems with Malaysia, the Indonesian envoy to Kuala Lumpur was summoned to Jakarta for meetings with ministers. Meanwhile, the Indon deputy speaker of Parliament says that it was not the Malaysian government's fault but Jakarta's for failing to manage the issue effectively.

Sebagai langkah untuk membela Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat yang kini menjadi sasaran kempen Umno kerana menyatakan Allah itu samseng, PAS akan mengadakan ceramah serentak di seluruh Kelantan Sabtu ini bagi menjelaskan perkara itu kepada rakyat negeri berkenaan.

The former admiral of the Royal Malaysian Navy has alleged that reformasi supporters called on the military to oust the government during the height of the Anwar Ibrahim saga. The defence minister says he is confident of the military's allegiance to the government but the voting pattern in the last general election suggest another possibility.

The good news is, Penang is finally getting a monorail. But the bad news is, it's going to take another five to 10 years before Penangites can hop onto a train to commute around the island. For a project that shows much promise to resolving the island's traffic woes, the state government should be stepping on it full steam ahead, says a local NGO.