Snap polls in Malacca...
A snap election will be held in Malacca after the state assembly was dissolved today Malacca governor Mohd Ali Rustam's decision to dissolve the assembly was announced by state speaker Ab Rauf Yusoh at a press conference today.
According to Rauf, outgoing chief minister Sulaiman Md Ali had advised Ali to dissolve the state assembly yesterday - and the decision was made on the same day.
The dissolution was gazetted today. Rauf said the state government will be a caretaker one until the election. Also present at the press conference today was a representative of the Election Commission (EC), who received the official notice on the state assembly's dissolution.
Malacca had been thrown into turmoil after four state lawmakers led by Sungai Udang assemblyperson Idris Haron withdrew support from the BN-PN government.The other three were Nor Azman Hassan (Umno-Pantai Kundor), Noor Effandi Ahmad (Bersatu-Telok Mas) and Norhizam Hassan Baktee (Independent-Pengkalan Batu).
The Malacca assembly has 28 seats. The BN-led Malacca government was represented by 17 assemblypersons, comprising 14 from Umno, two from Bersatu and one BN-friendly Independent, while the opposition has 11 seats - seven from DAP, and two each from PKR and Amanah.
Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has assured that in the event of a snap election, strict Covid-19 SOPs will be in place. This is to avoid a repeat of the Covid-19 resurgence following last year's Sabah state election. As of last night, 88.2 percent of Malacca's adult population have been fully vaccinated.
When asked about holding elections during a pandemic, Rauf passed the buck to the EC, saying the latter could suggest the necessary SOPs to the National Security Council and the Health Ministry.
Dah sampai masa utk nyahkan babi2 ni ke hutan...
Speaker Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Melaka, Ab.Rauf Yusoh, mengumumkan cadangan agar diadakan pilihan raya di peringkat negeri diterima Yang di-Pertua Negeri Mohd Ali Rustam. Ab.Rauf juga mengumumkan DUN Melaka dibubarkan hari ini.
Melaka dilanda kemelut politik selepas empat Adun kerajaan diketuai bekas ketua Menteri, Idris Haron, mengumumkan pendirian mereka untuk menarik balik sokongan mereka kepada kerajaan BN-PN.
Bekas KM,Idris Haron berkata dia tidak ada masalah dengan Ketua Menteri tetapi dia mempunyai masalah dengan kepimpinan Ketua Menteri itu yang menjadi boneka kepada orang tertentu.
Dengan pembubaran DUN Melaka hari ini, negeri itu ditadbir oleh kerajaan sementara sehinggalah pilihan raya negeri selesai dijalankan. Mengikut perlembagaan, selepas DUN dibubarkan satu pilihan raya umum mesti diadakan dalam tempoh 60 hari. - mk
Kalu dah senyap tu, ertinya Kah Siong dah kecut teloq...
UMNO's Bollywood act... - dr.ts
After bringing down Malacca govt,
UMNO man shedding crocodile tears...
Pantai Kundor assemblyperson Nor Azman Hassan today offered a teary apology to the people of Malacca for his part in the dissolution of the state assembly.
“Forgive us. I say this to you sincerely. I’m not merely pretending to cry,” said Nor Azman in a press conference in Malacca City today. “I apologise to the people of Malacca. We did this for you. There is no self-interest involved.”
Nor Azman was among four lawmakers who withdrew support for outgoing chief minister Sulaiman Md Ali on Monday. The other three are Idris Haron (Umno-Sungai Udang), Noor Effandi Ahmad (Bersatu-Telok Mas) and Norhizam Hassan Baktee (Independent-Pengkalan Batu).
Their action triggered the chief minister to advise Malacca governor Ali Rustam to dissolve the state legislative assembly. The incident has received criticism as the dissolution of the state assembly has paved way for a fresh election, which has to be held within 60 days amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
Among those who have raised concern on the impact of a statewide poll on the outbreak was Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, while Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi yesterday suggested that the government may have to declare a state of emergency for Malacca.
Alleged impropriety
Earlier, Nor Azman claimed that there was impropriety in the Malacca Waterfront Economic Zone (M-Wez) - a massive land reclamation project - as part of his reason for withdrawing support for Sulaiman. However, he said that he could only provide evidence if he becomes chief minister.
“If I govern Malacca, I will expose everything. Do not worry. We have evidence. God willing, the MACC will do their jobs,” he said. “Come on lah. Public funds are being used for such big projects. We must remedy this. Do not reclaim the sea.” Nor Azman also express unhappiness that when he was hospitalised for Covid-19 recently, the state government did not offer moral support.
Meanwhile, Idris, who accompanied Nor Azman at the press conference, said if the party wants to take action against the duo, they must be given the right to defend themselves. Idris said the Umno leadership never reached out to him and Nor Azman to find out why they were disgruntled.
He also defended his decision to appear with Pakatan Harapan lawmakers at a press conference two days ago where he mooted the establishment of a unity government.
“For heaven’s sake, you have to take up the DAP to gain the majority in the future if you want to be in the government. MCA and MIC are of no use. “To a certain extent, MCA is more chauvinist than the DAP,” said Idris. - mk
RM1 trilion lesap kena sapu dan Speaker tolak usul skandal
Pandora ini utk selamatkan penyamun2. Memang tak boleh pakai...
Jangan bincang dalam Dewan, kita sembang kat kedai kopi.
Pasai apa? Tak nak kasi rakyat tau!!!...
Pandora papers – from Jordanian King
to Malaysian crooks...
The latest bombshell, leaked to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), was so huge that they spent two years just to go through more than 11.9 million confidential files, connecting the dots and digging court records and public documents. Almost everyone was involved in the US$11.3 trillion of secret treasure held “offshore”.
Besides world leaders and powerful politicians, more than 100 billionaires’ assets were revealed, in addition to financial secrets of celebrities, judges, generals, religious leaders and even drug dealers. The Pandora Papers is a similar project released in 2016 known as the “Panama Papers”, which was leaked by now-defunct law firm called Mossack Fonseca in a 2.6 terabytes data.
The latest investigation involved accounts registered in offshore havens like the British Virgin Islands, Panama, Cyprus, UAE, Seychelles, Hong Kong, Singapore, Switzerland and Belize. However, some of the secret accounts were discovered in more than 100 trusts set up in the U.S., where South Dakota alone had 81, follows by Florida (37), Delaware (35), Texas (24) and Nevada (14).
The ICIJ has identified 956 companies in offshore havens, with more than two-thirds of those companies set up in the British Virgin Islands. Many use shell companies to hold luxury items such as property, yachts, private jets, as well as incognito bank accounts and even artworks by Picasso. Here are some of the key revelations:
King of Jordan’s Real Estate Empire
Between 1995 and 2017, King Abdullah II of Jordan hired an English accountant in Switzerland and lawyers in the British Virgin Islands to create a network of 36 offshore companies and tax havens to amass property empire of 14 luxury homes worth US$106 million, including a US$23 million ocean-view property in California and others in Malibu, Washington and London.
While the Jordanian King’s attorneys said he isn’t required to pay taxes under his country’s law and hasn’t misused public funds, the revelations are an embarrassment to the monarch, whose government was plunged in scandal this year when his own half brother – former Crown Prince Hamzah – accused the country’s leaders of corruption and incompetence.
King Abdullah subsequently placed the crown prince, who is as popular as his father King Hussein, under house arrest. The government has accused the crown prince of working with “foreign entities” to destabilize the state and overthrow the government. When King Hussein died in 1999, Abdullah took the throne as the crown prince was seen as too young and inexperienced to be named successor.
The 1MDB crooks...
The Pandora Papers’ investigation also highlights how Baker McKenzie, the largest law firm in the United States, helped create the modern offshore system and continues to be a mainstay of this illicit economy. McKenzie and its global affiliates have profited from the work done for people or crooks tied to fraud and corruption, like Malaysian Jho Low and Ukrainian oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky.
ICIJ found that Jho Low, the partner-in-crime of former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, relied on Baker McKenzie and its affiliates to help him and his associates build a web of companies in Malaysia and Hong Kong to embezzle more than US$4.5 billion from a Malaysian economic development fund known as 1MDB. The US-DOJ said some of those companies were used to shift money plundered from 1MDB.
His prayer was answered and
PDRM cannot even find him until today...
But Jho Low and Najib Razak were not the only crooks exposed in the Pandora Papers. Former Deputy PM Zahid Hamidi, who is now the UMNO president, was a director in Breedon Ltd, a British Virgin Islands (BVI) offshore company, as far back as 1996. At that time, Zahid was CEO of public listed company Kretam Holdings Bhd, which operates the Husong He Hydropower Station in China’s Yunnan province.
Coincidentally, according to former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who ruled for 22 years (from 1981 to 2003), Mr Zahid had admitted during “asset declaration” in the same year (1996) that he possessed RM230 million. He was elected United Malays National Organization (UMNO) Youth Chief in 1996 – suggesting he could have been involved in money laundering and corruption for decades.
Zahid Hamidi
Zahid was slapped with 87 charges related to money laundering, corruption and criminal breach of trust (CBT) after UMNO lost power for the first time in history in the May 2018 General Election after 61 years of corruption. He is currently facing 47 criminal charges, comprising 12 counts of CBT in relation to funds from charity foundation Yayasan Akalbudi, 8 counts of corruption and 27 counts of money laundering.
The Pandora Papers also leaked how Daim Zainuddin, once extremely rich and powerful finance minister during Mahathir’s era, had set up trusts for his children, wife and business associates. His sons, Muhammed Amir Zainuddin Daim and Muhammed Amin Zainuddin Daim were owners of BVI firm Newton Invest & Finance Limited (BVI) in 2007 when they were just 9 and 12 years old respectively.
Daim Zainuddin
By 2017, when both Daim juniors were in their early 20s, they were the proud owners of several offshore firms set up in tax havens, including Splendid International Ltd (BVI) which held London properties worth £12 million (RM68 million). Daim’s children and wife were worth at least £25 million (RM142 million) based on ownership of companies and trusts alone.
Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, current finance minister of Ismail Sabri administration, has been exposed as one of Malaysian rich Malay elites and politicians who held directorship in offshore companies, included Capital Investment Bank (Labuan) Ltd. Zafrul name first appeared in 2013, when the ICIJ exposed that he was a director of the same Capital Investment Bank (Labuan) since 2009.
Non-politicians linked by the secret documents to offshore assets include India’s cricket superstar Sachin Tendulkar, pop music diva Shakira, supermodel Claudia Schiffer and an Italian mobster – Raffaele Amato – known as “Lell the Fat One”, who has been linked to at least a dozen killings. Raffaele owned a shell company, registered in the United Kingdom, to buy land in Spain. - FT
cheers.
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