Tidak, Zahid, kami tidak mahu posmen...

Menteri Dalam Negeri, Zahid Hamidi telah menyerang portal internet yang kononya telah cuba mengcungkil dan memburuk-burukkannya atas dakwaan hubungannya dengan raja judi, Phua Wei Seng,bak kata pepatah Inggeris,digging for "the postmen who bite dogs".

Kepada Zahid, saya ingin mengatakan: "Bukan posmen yang kita mahu, tetapi surat yang hantar itu. Tidak kisah jika posmen menggigit anjing atau tidak, media tidak berminat semua ini. Sekarang,kami mempunyai surat itu,dan kami hendak tahu mengapa anda menulis dan mengeposkan surat tersebut?"

Surat yang Zahid tandatangani itu untuk membersihkan nama Phua, yang ditahan oleh Biro Penyiasatan Persekutuan,Amerika Syarikat(FBI),atas tuduhan perjudian haram di Amerika Syarikat, telah jelas dipulangkan kepada pengirimnya kerana penghantaran lewat.

Kerajaan Amerika Syarikat, menurut peguam daerah Amerika Syarikat, telah membantah penyerahan surat itu kerana tarikh akhir untuk penyerahan sudah berakhir.

Malangnya,entah posmen mana menghantar surat itu kepada alamat yang 'salah' dan FBI mendeklasifikasikan surat tersebut lalu didedah kepada orang ramai.

Kami juga ingin tahu mengapa penghantar, yang kini anda sendiri telah mengaku, menghantar surat tersebut dan apa urusan perniagaan anda dengan seorang lelaki yang terkenal dengan tabiat perjudian haram itu.

Dari maklumat yang kami perolehi, Phua bukan sahaja teman poker anda, dia juga seorang penjudi berkelas tinggi diiktiraf oleh Caesars Palace, dan disyaki sering menjalankan kerja2 pertaruhan haram di Vegas.

Phua juga seorang pemain poker utama dan seseorang boleh ketagih dengan cara hanya menonton bagaimana dia bermain dalam rancangan permainan yang ditunjukkan di YouTube sahaja,di mana dia mewakili Malaysia.

PDRM yang serah kalah dengan Phua

Dosa Phua, hanyalah kerana dia terdedah dengan bandar2 judi itu dan tidak terlalu berhati-hati hinggakan pihak FBI nampaknya mempunyai kes yang kuat, berdasarkan nota2 FBI yang kini dipamerkan dalam kes Phua ketika Phua memfailkan balasan terhadap kerajaan AS.

Phua tuduh dia diperangkap dan tiada apa yang boleh menjadi lebih memberatkan apabila pemerangkapan adalah seperti tali yang berbelit2 di lehernya.

Mereka yang ditangkap bersama-samanya dalam operasi di Caesars Palace, kecuali anaknya Darren, telah mengaku bersalah dan dilepaskan. FBI tidak mahu melepaskan Phua setelah semua kerja keras dilakukan bersama2 dengan bukti2 yang menggunung tingg. Phua disasarkan kerana dia dipercayai menjadi sebahagian daripada kumpulan kongsi gelap 14K, yang terkenal dengan pelbagai jenis jenayah utama, termasuk perjudian haram.

Itulah sebabnya mengapa FBI telah meminta pengesahan daripada Polis Diraja Malaysia (PRDM), dan PDRM bersetuju.

Menurut nota FBI, mereka tidak bertanya secara khusus mengenai Phua sebagai ahli kongsi gelap 14K tetapi telah bertanya mengenai seorang lelaki lain, juga seorang rakyat Malaysia, yang namanya telah padamkan dan kemudian dirujuk sebagai "buruan".

Nama Phua,menurut FBI, telah diberikan oleh PRDM sendiri sebagai rakan sejenayah kepada si"buruan".

Oleh itu, persoalan yang timbul kini ialah mengenai siapakah Phua ini sebenarnya, yang telah menerima bantuan Zahid dalam  kes Las Vegas itu, dan mengapa Zahid tidak membantu "buruan" yang lain.

Wahai Pak Menteri, ini adalah era Google dan segala-galanya adalah terbuka kepada semua dan siapa saja yang bijak untuk mencari kata kunci yang tepat akan dapat.

Oleh itu, apabila semua maklumat ini datang mendarat di paha kami, kami sebagai wartawan akan mencari kebenaran bagi pihak orang ramai, dan tahu siapakah Menteri sebenarnya.

Sebenarnya, kami pasti, bukan lagi di tangan posmen atau anjing itu, tetapi dengan orang yang telah menandatangani surat itu, iaitu anda sendiri Pak Menteri.- Zakiah Koya,mk,terjemahan TS

No, Zahid, we do not want the postman...

Home Minister Zahid Hamidi has attacked Internet portals for digging for "the postmen who bite dogs" in his attempt to discredit them for playing up his links to alleged kingpin Phua Wei Seng.

To Zahid, I have this to say: It is not the postman that we want, but that letter that he had sent. It does not matter if the postman bit the dog or not, the media is not interested. And we now have the letter, but we want to know why you wrote and posted the letter.

This letter that Zahid signed to clear Phua, who was arrested by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on illegal gambling charges in the US, was obviously being  returned to sender because of late delivery.

The US government, according to the US district attorney, had objected to the submission of the letter because the deadline for new submissions was over.

Then, some postman sent it to the 'wrong' address and the FBI declassified the letter and the public stumbled upon it.

We also want to know why the sender, which you have now admitted to be, sent that letter in the first place, and what your business is with a man known for his illegal gambling habits.

From the information we have gathered, Phua is not just your poker buddy, he is a high-roller recognised by Caesars Palace, one who had even been suspected of nonchalantly running betting dens in Vegas.

Phua is also a top poker player and one can get high and rolling by just watching how he plays on the top gaming shows depicted on YouTube alone, where he represents Malaysia.

PDRM gave Phua up

His only sin, which exposed him in the sin city, was he was not too careful and the FBI appears to have a watertight case, judging from the FBI notes which are now exhibits in the case Phua has counter-filed against the US government.

Phua is claiming entrapment and nothing can be more damning when entrapment is a tight rope that has been wound round and round.

Those caught along with him at the Caesars Palace operations, except for his son Darren, have peaded guilty or been dismissed. The FBI is not letting Phua go after all the hard work and from the mountain of evidence, Phua was targeted as he was believed to be part of the 14K triad, which is known for an assortment of major crimes, including illegal wagering.

This is why the FBI had asked for the confirmation from the Royal Malaysian Police (PRDM), which the latter had obliged.

The FBI, according to its notes, had not asked specifically about Phua being a member of the triad 14K but was inquiring about another man, also a Malaysian, whose name was blacked out and was later referred to as "fugitive".

Phua's name, according to the FBI, was furnished by PRDM itself as an accomplice to the 'fugitive'.

Therefore, the question arises as to who is this Phua, who had received Zahid’s help over his Las Vegas case, and why Zahid did not help the other 'fugitive'.

Dear Mr Minister, this is the era of Google and everything is open to all and sundry who are smart enough to searched the right keywords.

Therefore, when all this information comes landing on our laps, we as journalists search for the truth on behalf of the public, whose home minister you are.

And the truth, we are sure, is not in the hands of the postman or the dog, but with the very one who had signed the letter, which happens to be you, Mr Minister.- Zakiah Koya,mk

Zahid, kenapa 'berselindung' di balik OSA...

PAS mempersoalkan tindakan Menteri Dalam Negeri Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi yang enggan mendedahkan berhubung bantuan berkaitan keselamatan yang diberikan 'raja judi' Paul Phua.

Sebaliknya, kata parti Islam itu, Zahid terus “berdalih” dan “berselindung” di sebalik alasan Akta Rahsia Rasmi (OSA) 1972.

“PAS masih konsisten dengan penegasan agar pihak kerajaan khususnya menteri dalam negeri agar bersikap telus dalam isu ini,” kata Mahfuz.

“Usah jadikan alasan ‘rahsia besar’ bawah perlindungan Akta Rahsia Rasmi 1972 untuk membolehkan pihak kerajaan sanggup bersekongkol dengan raja judi dan kongsi gelap dalam hal keselamatan negara.”

Zahid semalam berkata beliau tidak dapat mendedahkan mengenai bentuk bantuan yang disediakan oleh Phua kepada kerajaan kerana melibatkan “rahsia besar negara” yang dilindungi OSA.

Beliau turut menjelaskan bahawa suratnya kepada Biro Siasatan Persekutuan (FBI), Amerika Syarikat (AS) bukan surat sokongan.

Surat itu dikemukakan kepada Mahkamah Daerah Nevada oleh peguam Phua sebagai sebahagian pembelaannya dalam perbicaraan kes perjudian haram di Las Vegas, AS.

Dalam kenyataannya hari ini, Mahfuz berkata, penjelasan Zahid semalam masih belum jelas berhubung tujuannya mengutus surat itu.

“Isu yang menjadi pertikaian umum sekarang bukanlah sekadar sama ada Paul Phua itu ahli kongsi gelap 14 K Triad di Malaysia atau di luar negara tetapi, rakyat menuntut penjelasan menteri agar berterus-terang dalam penglibatan Paul Phua dalam sistem keselamatan negara,” katanya.- mk         

Zahid,jangan sangka rakyat bodoh

Don't play fiddle as Zahid burns Rome, PM told...

An opposition leader has called on Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to step in and clear the mess created by his home minister over alleged kingpin Paul Phua.

"Malaysia's reputation has been sullied enough by Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's letter to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI)," said DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang in a statement today.

If the prime minister fails to act, the veteran politician said Najib would be no different from "Nero playing the fiddle while Rome burns".

Lim was far from convinced by Zahid's explanation yesterday on the reason for penning the letter regarding Phua, the Malaysian facing illegal gambling charges in Las Vegas, USA.

"Zahid is being brazen and blatant in demanding that everybody act as gullible fools to accept his version that his infamous letter to the FBI was merely intended to clarify that Phua was not a member of the 14K triad 'in Malaysia' and nothing more," he said.

The Gelang Patah MP also cast aspersions on the minister's claim that the cabinet at its meeting on Wednesday was "satisfied with his explanation on the matter".

"I do not believe that our cabinet ministers suffer from comprehension problems or they will not have risen to their present pinnacle of political power in government.

"For reasons best known to themselves, they prefer to appear to be gullible fools, but this is no compliment on their political purpose and integrity that they could be cowed into obediently accepting Zahid's outrageous explanation, knowing in their heart of hearts that Zahid was not speaking the truth," he said.

OSA even to gov't?

Lim doubted that there would be a single minister who would be prepared to state openly and publicly that he or she truly believes the home minister's version.

He said Zahid should not expect Malaysians to react in the same manner as his cabinet colleagues.

"Zahid must not take Malaysia as a nation of fools even if he can achieve a cabinet of fools with ministers obediently accepting his outrageous take," he added.

Lim also questioned if Zahid had informed the cabinet regarding the nature of the "national security projects" that the minister had told the FBI Phua was assisting the government in.

"If not, how could the ministers accept Zahid's explanation?

"If yes, every minister is now not only collectively but personally responsible for Zahid's infamous letter.

"This must also be the first time in the nation's history where the home minister is using the Official Secrets Act (OSA) to keep secret, not only from the public, but the police and inspector-general of police, the nature of the 'national security projects'," he added.

‘Past home ministers must clarify’

Lim also noted that Zahid had made a startling revelation to justify his actions, claiming that previous home ministers before him had also written such clarification letters.

He therefore urged those who have held the post before to speak up and set the record straight.

"Is this true, that previous home ministers also unilaterally wrote to the FBI, without the knowledge of the police or the IGP at the time, contradicting police reports to the FBI, as well as without the knowledge or clearance from the Foreign Ministry?

"If this was the case, then the ministers of the past had been even more indisciplined, wild and arbitrary than the Malaysian public had ever dared to imagine," he added.

Lim said what was most significant about Zahid's press conference yesterday was that the minister ended it abruptly before the media could ask any questions for clarification.

"It is a powerful testimony that Zahid himself knew that he was defending the indefensible, and he did not want to expose himself to the multitude of questions of the waiting reporters," he said.- mk

Seronok jadi 'penyamun'UMNO,ada peluang balun...

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