Zaid Ibrahim confirms contesting in Kajang

My SinChew.com, 16 February 2014

KAJANG, Feb 16 (Bernama) -- Former minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Zaid Ibrahim today officially announced that he would be contesting as an independent candidate in the Kajang state seat by-election on March 23.

He said the decision was made to "protect healthy politics and to uphold and respect the mandate of the people of Selangor given to the leadership of Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim as menteri besar."

He said the plan by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who would also be a candidate in the by-election, to replace Khalid with himself was an outrageous political move which must be prevented and disapproved by the voters in Kajang.

"The mandate and trust given to Khalid cannot simply be removed to serve Anwar's personal interest, and if Khalid needs to be removed, it should be through a democratic process like a vote of no-confidence passed at the state assembly sitting.

"So, on the consideration of protecting the principle of healthy politics, I have decided to contest (in the by-election), the most important thing of which is to foil Anwar's plan to become menteri besar," he said at a news conference, here.

Zaid, the former president of Parti Kesejahteraan Insan (KITA), is also out to use the campaign period to explain to the people on the importance of protecting a responsible leadership.

He claimed that if he won the by-election, he would be able to stabilise the political situation in Selangor and bring development to Kajang.

"I have good relations with leaders in the opposition pact and Barisan Nasional which I can use as a platform to plan development for the constituency.

"So, I hope the voters in Kajang will make a wise choice in resolving the Khalid-Azmin and Anwar crisis which could impact the state's development," he said.

Asked on his chances of winning, Zaid said, "I do have, provided BN's three prime leaders, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad do not come down here to campaign against me in the by-election."

The Election Commission has set March 11 for nomination of candidates and March 23 for polling.

The Kajang seat fell vacant after its incumbent assemblyman, lawyer Lee Chin Cheh from PKR, quit the post on Jan 27 to make way for Anwar to contest the seat.

Anwar impresses congregation during visit to Holy Family church in Kajang

The Malaysian Insider, February 16, 2014

BY JENNIFER GOMEZ

 

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim speaking at the hall of the Holy Family church in Kajang. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Najjua Zulkefli, February 16, 2014. 

Rebuffed by keepers of his own faith when he tried to preach at a mosque last month, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was welcomed with open arms at the church of the Holy Family in Kajang after the English and Mandarin masses today.

Parish priest Father George Harrison welcomed the opposition leader as "our brother" before he gave the floor to Anwar, who vowed the 1,200-strong crowd with his 25-minute speech on various issues.

But it was Anwar's bold and direct approach to answering the questions from the congregation that impressed the crowd.

When he was asked about his stand on the religious issues currently affecting the country and the rights of Bahasa Malaysia-speaking Christians to use the word Allah, Anwar said that even international Muslim scholars thought it was a subject unworthy of debate.

"When I asked an international scholar about it, he asked me what kind of question that was.

"I told him it was Umno's question, so he explained that Muslims recite five times a day: "Praise be to Allah, Lord of Heaven and Earth.

"So, if Allah is Lord for the entire universe, how can there be limitations?" Anwar pointed out.

He also stressed that for Umno, the Allah issue  was clearly not about faith.

"If it was, then their stand must be binding on all. But in this case they are saying Sabah and Sarawak can use the word but not in the peninsula," Anwar said to loud cheers.

He then joked that this meant that a person who boarded a flight from Kuching to Kuala Lumpur will say "Insyallah I'm going to KL" when he gets on the flight but when he lands, he will have to say "Alhamdu Lord".

Anwar’s meeting of the Catholics at the Holy Family church hall comes amidst religious tension between Muslims and Christians which was reignited last year when the Court of Appeal had ruled in October that the Catholic weekly Herald could not use the word Allah in its publication.

The church is appealing the decision.

Herald had won a High Court decision in January 2009 that had overturned the Home Ministry's ban on the use of the word Allah in its publication.

The Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) further stoked the tension when it raided The Bible Society of Malaysia's premises in early January and seized more than 300 Bibles, including the Bup Kudus, because they contained the word "Allah".

The term Allah is used by Christians who worship in Bahasa Malaysia and Iban, such as those in Sabah and Sarawak.

Two-thirds of Malaysia's 2.9 million Christians are from Sabah and Sarawak.

Mindful of the possible consequences of his visit to the Holy Family Church, Anwar said if Umno-controlled media would use his church visit against him, they should take note that he had been speaking at churches since his activist days in the Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement (Abim) in the 1970s.

He added that he continued giving his views at church events even as a government minister.

"So to the Umno-controlled media here, note that I have been going to church, I'm here now, and Insyallah,I will continue to do so."

In an obvious response to critics who had chided him for standing as an assemblyman, after he was once acting prime minister, Anwar admitted that he had gone from one extreme to the other and his experiences would help him.

"I was right up there as acting PM and then went to prison, so I'm wiser and have benefited from all my life's experiences," he said.

Anwar’s visit to the Holy Family church is part of his meet-the-people programme ahead of the Kajang by-election, which he is contesting as a PKR candidate.

His "rock star" appeal was obvious with parishioners excitedly waiting for nearly three hours to catch him in action.

When Anwar appeared just before noon, there was thunderous applause and everybody tried to capture the moment with the cameras on their handphones.

The multi-purpose hall was packed, with many having to stand.

Dressed smartly in a light pink striped shirt and brown pants, the crowd cheered when Anwar spoke about how he had brought international fame to Kajang.

"The international media mentioned me in their news, saying that my decision to stand here in 'Kay Jang' shocked my friends and foes," he said to rapturous applause.

Beaming from ear to ear, a 72-year old parishioner, who wants to be known only as Alex, said: "I have heard him speak many times, and I wouldn't want to miss this.

"We totally support him and want to hear what he has to say, especially on the Allah issue," he added.

Alex said that during the 8.30am mass, their priest had told the congregation to welcome the opposition leader as "he is our brother".

Alex said that to address the concern among a small group of parishioners who  had questioned the wisdom of allowing Anwar to speak at their parish for fear of a backlash from Muslim extremists,  Harrison had told his congregation "not to be afraid".

"I believe the church's stand is to accept everybody, so even if it was an Umno politician who wanted to speak in our church, we are not going to say no," Alex said.

Debbie, a housewife, agreed, saying that she and her friends were eager to hear Anwar's plans.

"As Christians we are taught never to resort to violence, and we stick to that.

"But the country needs a change of political power because what we want is unity not just in talk, but in action."

Another parishioner Andrew Loh agreed, saying that Christians were concerned over the Allah issue and wanted to hear what Anwar had to say about it.

"The Allah case is in court because that is the only avenue for us. As Debbie said, we will not resort to violence, but it is our right to go to court," he said.

Bernard, 45, agreed, saying that the case was about principles and the "rights of Christians".

Marcel, 50, said he fully backed Anwar as Selangor menteri besar as it was necessary for the latter to get back into mainstream politics. 

Also present were Centre for Reform, Democracy and Social Initiatives director Datuk Seri Dr Edmund Santhara and PKR deputy president Azmin Ali.

Others include his party colleagues comprising Subang MP R.Sivarasa, Batu MP Tian Chua, Serdang MP Ong Kian Ming,Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar, PKR vice president Datuk Chua Jui Meng.

The Election Commission has set March 23 as the polling date for the Kajang by-election, the country’s third since the general election last May, while nomination is on March 11.

Early voting has been fixed for March 19.

PKR”s Lee Chin Cheh won the Kajang state seat in Election 2013 with a 6,824-vote majority in the constituency that is 48% Malay, 41% Chinese and 10% Indian.

Lee had garnered 19,571 votes followed by Lee Ban Seng of the BN with 12,747 votes. Mohamad Ismail of Berjasa obtained 1,014 votes.

The three independent candidates who contested the seat were Mohd Iwan Jefrey Abdul Majib (249 votes), Ong Yan Foo (85 votes) and Mohd Khalid Kassim (83 votes).

The latest to indicate his intention to contest the seat is former minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Zaid Ibrahim.

Zaid is the third independent candidate with former PKR links to join the Kajang by-election, after Anwar’s former tennis partner Senator Datuk S. Nallakarupan and Anwar's former legal assistant Yuktes Vijay.

The Barisan Nasional has yet to indicate its choice of candidate but MCA vice-president Datuk Paduka Chew Mei Fun is widely tipped to be the party's choice. – February 16, 2014.

DS Anwar Ibrahim's program for MOnday, 17 February 2014

DS Anwar Ibrahim's program today :

Cops bust 13 members of criminal gang

The Star, Thursday February 13, 2014 

by nadirah h. rodzi

PETALING JAYA: Police crippled a robbery gang following the arrests of 13 suspects, including four foreigners, on Wednesday afternoon and Thurday  morning.

The suspects were nabbed in various locations in Puchong, Petaling Jaya and Kajang.

The first arrests were made on Wednesday at 12.45pm after police stumbled upon three of the gang members near Jalan Tenpu, Puchong, while patrolling the area. 

The patrol team tried to stop their vehicle but the suspects, in a grey Honda City, attempted to escape and a high speed chase ensued.

The suspects were then cornered with the help of four Mobile Patrol Vehicles on duty near the Sunway Toll Plaza. 

The suspects – a local, a Bangladeshi man and a Thai woman - were detained on the spot and tools believed to be used in a series of robbery cases were also found in the car.

The arrests led police to six other gang members - four local men and two women from Vietnam and Thailand - who were nabbed on the same day in PJ.

Cops also retrieved stolen items including watches, cameras, iPads, laptops and cars in five different locations in the area.

On Thursday  morning, four men linked to the gang were detained in Jalan Berjaya 1, Taman Berjaya, Sungai Chua, Kajang, following a tip off and surveillance.

Kajang OCPD Astt Comm Ab Rashid Ab Wahab said upon inspecting the lorry one of the suspects was driving, police found a concrete mixer that was reported missing in Cheras.

“A wrench, a screwdriver and ice breaking tools were among the items found in the lorry.

“The suspects are being remanded as we speak and the case is being investigated under Section 467 and 379A of the Penal Code for cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property, and vehicle theft.

“We are ascertaining the number of cases the group is involved with,” he said.

MCA leaders spend special day with Kajang folk

The Star, Friday February 14, 2014 

by foong pek yee

Liow posing with market goers after distributing stalks of roses at the Sg Chua market on Friday. Looking on is Dr Wee.

KAJANG: It is double celebration of love with Valentine's Day and Chap Goh Meh falling on the same day. This is special because it happens once every 19 years.  

MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai and his deputy Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong began the day by distributing red roses, chocolates, mandarin oranges and groundnuts to traders and market goers at the Sg Chua market here on Friday.  

While roses and chocolates are Western symbols of love, mandarin oranges and groundnuts are also symbolic of blossoming love for the Chinese. 

Liow and Dr Wee mingling with market goers at the Sg Chua market on Friday.

The morning market crowd was visibly excited meeting the two MCA leaders and receiving from them the gift of love. 

Some also posed with them for pictures using their smartphones. 

Liow and Dr Wee distributed 1,000 stalks of roses and 1,500 goodie bags during their hour-long visit to the market.

New heights for Kajang

The Star, Friday February 14, 2014

The show units for Tropicana Heights Kajang’s first phase of two- and three- storey terrace homes.

Tropicana Corp Bhd is bringing its brand of high-end development to Kajang with its upcoming launch of Tropicana Heights Kajang.

Tropicana executive director of marketing and sales Pam Loh said the new development in Kajang will pursue a balance between city convenience and welcoming communal warmth.

“We have put in a lot thought into understanding our target market’s lifestyle and the design of this development reflects that lifestyle,” Loh said.

Tropicana Heights Kajang, with an estimated gross development value of RM2.3bil, sits on 199 acres of freehold land, which was previously the Kajang Hill Golf Club.

The project, which is expected to take about 10 years to complete, will feature a market square, landed residential property, condominiums, neighbourhood schools as well as significant green areas.

The area is easily accessible via the SILK and Lekas Highways and flyovers and upgrade of roads have been proposed to service the nearby developments.

The launch of its first phase, Fairfield Residences, is slated for tomorrow. Loh noted that registration and enquiries on Tropicana Heights Kajang are already pouring in as the Tropicana branding is recognised for its quality and innovation.

With the launch of the first phase, Tropicana is also expected to open its show village soon to showcase its Kajang property.

Fairfield Residences will encompass 25 acres of land and will feature two-storey and three-storrey terrace homes.

The terrace houses will be priced from RM736,000 to RM1.4mil per unit with sizes starting from 2,135sq ft.

While this translates to an average price of RM360psf, which is on the high side for a property in Kajang, Loh points out that the pricing is a reflection of the quality of Tropicana Heights.

Fairfield Residences is planned as a low density residential area with only about 11 units of homes per acre. The first phase will be a guarded community with only one entry and exit point.

In line with the developer’s vision for a green development, a sizeable part of Tropicana Heights Kajang has been allocated for green space. This includes a 16 acre central park flanked by mature trees transplanted from the existing golf club. The central park will also feature a children’s playground, fitness garden, futsal court and spice garden among other things.

There will also be a 1.5acre community linear park within Fairfield Residences itself.

Tropicana is well-versed with high-end products. The developer pioneered the concept of resort-themed developments in Malaysia with the introduction of its 625 acre Tropicana Golf & Country Resort in 1992. Tropicana has since moved on to develop a myriad of other projects including Tropicana Indah Resort Homes in Petaling Jaya and mixed developments in Penang and Johor.

For details on Tropicana Heights Kajang, call 03 8741 3088.

BN will pump millions into Kajang by-election, Anwar says in BFM interview

The Malaysian Insider, February 13, 2014

Even if it does not field a candidate in the Kajang by-election, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (pic) believes the Barisan Nasional will pump millions of ringgit by supporting an independent candidate.

The Opposition leader said this in a 35-minute interview with local business radio station BFM that was not allowed to hit the airwaves yesterday.

In the interview, Anwar said BN had done this in the past and gave the Penanti by-election in Penang as an example.

In that 2009 by-election, BN decided not to contest after PKR’s Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin resigned as assemblyman. PKR was involved in a four-cornered fight with three independent candidates, and it retained the seat. He said BN had thrown its support behind one of the candidates.

The BN is said to be mulling the possibility off not contesting the Kajang seat saying, "It is a waste of public funds".

PR has agreed to field Anwar to reclaim the seat vacated after incumbent Lee Chin Cheh resigned last month in what has been labelled as the “Kajang Move”.

BN has yet to name a candidate for the seat, traditionally a MCA seat.

In the interview, Anwar said it was not right to accuse him of campaigning early for the seat and pointed out that both Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Umno information chief Datuk Ahmad Maslan had gone down to the ground and campaigned, but under the pretext of carrying out price checks.

Anwar also touched on the Allah issue where he told listeners that the Pakatan stand on the matter had been clear.

“Our position in Pakatan is that it is the right of all Malaysians, including Christians, to use the word 'Allah'," he said, referring to the stand taken by the Opposition pact in 2010.

"Of course, it isn’t covered by the mainstream media and we and PAS have faced the brunt of it because they use this to hammer us. Did we withdraw? No, we have always been consistent."

Anwar's interview was not allowed to hit the airwaves yesterday, and this was not the first time that BFM has been barred from airing interviews.

It has been called up for some of its programming by its regulator, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) which vets all programming.

BFM is a radio station based in Bandar Utama, Selangor, and broadcasts in a spectrum that is also received in parts of Negeri Sembilan and Malacca. - February 13, 2014.