Tedwin Ngumbang Resigns From PRS to Challenge Jabu Numpang In Layar?

Kuching
Sunday, 30th January 2011

Last night a friend to Bukittunggal called informing that PRS strongman Tedwin Ngumbang or Ted as he is popularly call by his closest friends had resigned from PRS.

Tedwin, who is ‘special adviser’ to party president James Masing, said :

Taib ‘consistenty ignored’ Masing’s requests and demands which were in the interest of the Dayak community has compelled me to resign. I am uncomfortable to see PRS being bullied and ignored by Taib.

What the PRS president asks in the name and interest of Dayaks in letters to Taib, the chief minister does not reply. He just ignores them.

Tedwin is not the first leader from PRS that quits the party due to Taib bullying tactic. In year 2008, another leader Beginda resigned from PRS and joined PKR as he could not cope to see his party being bullied by Taib.

Tedwin's  Resignation Will Affect PRS Strength

But will Tedwin resignation affect the PRS strength? A friend to Bukittunggal also informed that Ted has joined SNAP. He made the official announcement to SNAP President Edwin Dundang after a SNAP symposium in Sibu recently.
In expressed his intention to SNAP President, Ted said said:

I cannot stand it anymore. I cannot stand to see how Taib treats PRS and Masing.

With Ted joining SNAP many people believe that he will brings his supporters with him. This for sure will affect PRS strength in the coming state election.

Who is Tedwin Ngumbang (or Ted)

Ted was one of those responsible for the formation of PRS during the leadership crisis of Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) which led to its deregistration on Oct 21, 2004.

At the same time PRS was registered, claiming to replace PBDS.

And in the crisis of the newly formed PRS, Tedewin also played a leading role which led to the expulsion of Larry Sng from the party in April in 2009.

Commenting on Ted’s resignation, PRS secretary general Wilfred Nissom said that he expected to receive the former’s resignation letter this Monday.

Tedewin (Ngumbang) has a cause for which he has a strong feeling. We respect his decision to want to leave PRS in order to pursue his cause,”  Nissom said.

Jabu Beware Ted Will be Challenging You ?

With his resignation from PRS (A BN Component party) it is clear to me that he will be challenging Jabu in the coming state election, and if this happen Jabu political career is about to end.

Ted is going to be the strongest opponent that Jabu is ever going to face in the election. With so many issues surrounding  him such as the NCR Land Robbery , Cronyism   etc, this time round Jabu political career is going to BeeNd......

Hopefully with people like Tedwin Ngumbang joining SNAP will rejuvenate the  party strength to its level  as it was in the 80s...

Tenang By-Election Result : BN Defeated Pakatan Rakyat By 3,735 Votes

Kuching
Sunday, 30th January 2011

PR Beware You Have Lost First Election in 2011

Barisan Nasional has won the Tenang by-election by more than 3,000 votes, but the result fell far short of Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's 5,000-majority target, spelling doom for non-Malay component MCA and its president Chua Soi Lek.

Umno's Azahar Ibrahim snatched 6,698 votes against PAS' Normala Sudirman who obtained 2,963 for a majority of 3,735 votes.

Pakatan Rakyat leaders, while disappointed, were at the same time elated at the obvious inroads made in the Chinese-majority areas, saying that it showed their coalition stood a good chance of breaking the BN's stranglehold on Johore in the next general election.

"The rain killed us. The BN has all the machinery and they used police trucks to ferry out voters from their own strongholds in the Felda settlements," PKR vice president Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.

"But it is telling that the Chinese who braved the rain voted Pakatan despite Soi Lek's anti-Islam campaign. He has to take responsibility for this and it serves him right. We hope the BN will learn a lesson and stop using racial and religious politicking. If not for the high commodity prices plus the election goodies from the government, Felda settlers may have voted for PAS while it is clear the Chinese have already accepted PAS no matter what MCA or Soi Lek says."

Disappointing win for the BN

Tenang voters were the center of attention on Sunday, but heavy rain and floods spoiled what could have been a blockbuster event. Amid allegations of serious vote-buying by the BN, the total turnout at the 5pm closing bell was 71.71 percent. This means that only 10,579 out of a total 14,753 voters came out to votes, far short of the 80 expected by the Election Commission.

DAP leaders had accused MCA Tenang chieftains of vote-buying at a Chinese school, showing the press pre-signed cheques by MCA branch chairman of Kampung Sawah Padi, Kok Yun Keong, who is also the village headman. The amount had been written out but there were no names stated.

In 2008, the Umno candidate retained the seat with a majority of 2,492 votes. But despite Sunday's bigger win, the result could not meet the DPM's target. Umno watchers say this will reflect poorly on him.

Other political pundits including Bridget Welsh, a political science professor at the Singapore Management University, have said the final outcome could have serious implications for the future.

"The results will point to new water levels and currents that are constantly evolving. One thing is certain, the political fortunes of both BN and Pakatan will be shaped by this quiet constituency," Welsh had said after visiting the constituency.

Meanwhile, traditional arch rivals - PAS and Umno - were pitted against each other in a straight and bitterly-fought fight.

Normala is a 38-year former school teacher, while the 39-year old Azahar is a former land administrator in Rengit.

Tenang is a state seat. It fell vacant after Umno's Sulaiman Taha died from illness last month. The electorate has 14,753 registered voters including 18 postal votes. Malay voters form 47.5 per cent of the electorate, Chinese 39.08 per cent, Indians 12 per cent and the rest are other races.

The Election Commission had forecast an 80 per cent turnout given that many of the town's residents who worked outstation were back for the Chinese New Year holidays. But the rain and the floods stopped many from leaving their homes.

There were 32 polling streams and 12 polling centres. Voting began at 8am and ended at 5 pm.

Tenang by-election fact-box

Constituency: N5 Tenang

Candidates: BN - Mohd Azahar Ibrahim, 39, former Rengit assistant land administrator; PAS - Normala Sudirman, 39, Labis Muslimat chief and former teacher

Incumbent: Datuk Sulaiman Taha (BN) (Sulaiman died on Dec 17 due to blood infection and complications from diabetes. He defeated PAS' Mohd Saim Siran with a majority of 2,492 votes in the 2008 general election)

District: Segamat

Total electorates: 14,753 (18 postal voters)

Voter composition: Malays 47.5 per cent, Chinese 39.08 per cent, Indians 12 per cent, Orang Asli and others the balance

Economic activities: Agriculture and business

Returning Officer: Md Asri Amir

Polling: Jan 30

Polling streams: 32

Polling centres: 12

Vote tallying centre: Labis District Council Multipurpose Hall

Postal vote tallying centre: Labis District Council.

With this result, I am doubt whether PR will be able to wrest Putra Jaya from BN in the coming general election.

Mupok Aku

Can Malaysia graduate?

Kuching
Monday, 24th January 2011

Malaysia is one of the developing world’s great success stories. Few countries outside of East Asia can match its development record. Since its independence over 53 years ago per capita incomes have risen more than eight-fold, and absolute poverty has been all but eliminated.

But it currently faces three key, interrelated challenges, some generic to upper middle income developing countries, others specific to Malaysia itself.

The first, how to graduate to the rich-country club, has been clearly articulated by the country’s Prime Minister, Tun Najib: ‘We are now at a critical juncture, either to remain trapped in a middle-income group or advance to a high-income economy … We now have to shift to a new economic model based on innovation, creativity and high value added activities.’

The second, shared by some of its Southeast Asian neighbours, is the country’s slower development trajectory since the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s. Even before the current global financial crisis, which it has navigated quite successfully, economic growth in the 2000’s was about two percentage points below that of the decade 1986-96.

Particularly worrisome is the slump in investment, which has been stuck at little more than 20 per cent of GDP since the late 1990s. This is 10-15 percentage points of GDP lower than the country’s historic ratio. With savings remaining buoyant, the country’s external position has been transformed dramatically. In 2002, the country had net liabilities equivalent to 35 per cent of GDP. By 2008, this had been transformed to net assets of 20 per cent of GDP. Put simply, Malaysians have been finding overseas investment increasingly attractive, while foreigners have been less attracted to Malaysia.

The third challenge relates to the development of high-quality institutions to underpin a modern market economy in a country that has experienced continuous one-party rule for over half a century. Malaysia’s ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) is in fact the world’s longest-serving governing party currently in power among all ‘quasi democracies’. Not surprisingly, elements of UMNO exhibit the problems of complacence and arrogance that one expects from entrenched one-party dominance.

Malaysia’s strengths are not to be underestimated. It has always been one of the most open economies in the developing world, to both trade and foreign investment. It has rarely had a severe macroeconomic crisis, in large part because of this openness. It derived a major early mover advantage from its adoption in the early 1970s of export oriented industrialisation through foreign direct investment, before it was fashionable to do so. Among emerging economy manufactured goods exporters, it has progressed from 15th ranked and 1.2 per cent of the total in 1969-70 to 5th ranked and 5.2 per cent of the total in 2006-07. It is a major player in the global electronics industry. In 2006-07, it accounted for 3.8 per cent of global parts and components exports, in East Asia behind only the highly industrialised economies of China, Japan and Korea.

But Malaysia is struggling to shift out of low-skill activities, where it is no longer competitive with lower wage neighbours. These problems have been exacerbated by its vigourous promulgation of one of the longest running affirmative action programs in the developing world. Designed to redistribute employment and wealth to the dominant Bumiputera – principally ethnic Malay – community after the nasty communal conflict of May 1969, the so-called New Economic Policy (NEP) and its successors played an important role in promoting racial harmony in the country where there are large differences in living standards across racial groups.

But these programs have created a culture of entitlement, and they have resulted in institutionalised leakages that permeate practically every aspect of Malaysian commercial, social, political and educational life. The programs to advance Bumiputera development have benefited spectacularly the politically well-connected within this community, through preferential contracts, share allocations, and general commercial advancement, while all too little has trickled down to the general community. The programs can hardly be justified as anti-poverty programs when the principal beneficiaries are already egregiously wealthy.

As a result, some of the country’s industry policies have backfired. Malaysia might have been expected to be the leading Southeast Asian automotive producer, but Thailand has become the ‘Detroit of Asia’ owing to Malaysia’s disastrous national car program. In addition, the ‘spillover’ benefits from the large multinational presence in manufacturing have been limited by the fact that Malaysia’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs), that are predominantly owned by the ethnic Chinese community, prefer to stay small, below the threshold above which Bumiputera employment quotas become mandatory. The country’s public universities, once among the region’s best, have also slipped in East Asian rankings owing to these ethnic quotas as well as heavy bureaucratic control. The civil service is bloated and in need of reform, while there is a very large state enterprise sector that functions in a non-transparent manner and subject to little public accountability. Moreover, Malaysia has missed out on emerging service sector opportunities owing to the slow pace of liberalisation in that sector, itself a product of the very large presence of state-dominated firms and the NEP-preference schemes. And the country continues to experience a substantial brain drain as a result of the exodus of skilled professionals from the Chinese and Indian communities.

It is fashionable in Malaysia to attribute its current malaise to China, a country that is able to out-compete Malaysia in low-end and increasingly a sophisticated range of manufactures. While the ‘export similarity index’ (that is the composition of their exports) for the two countries is quite high, and thus there has some been some loss of market share to China from Malaysia in third-country export markets, the notion that the rise of China explains Malaysia’s current difficulties is untenable. That view overlooks the positive sum game for Malaysia from China’s rise. As a resource-rich economy, Malaysia has benefited from the general China-fuelled rise in commodity prices, for example its exports of palm oil and oil and gas. Similarly, commercial opportunities in tourism and education have been rising rapidly, with two-way investments rising very quickly. And Malaysia is a central player in the increasingly China-centred East Asian production networks that export to the world.

This article was first appeared in Asia Forum

Dayak Must Go back To basic By Joining SNAP

Kuching
Thursday, 20th January 2011

"The New SNAP in the making...Starting Point in SIBU"

Is PKR The Right Party For Dayak/Iban?

About three years ago I decided to join Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) because I could not find any party that fit to my struggle at that time. 
But lately I saw the party has diverted from its original struggle. Greed and power has become the norm among leaders in the party. The resignation of Zaid Ibrahim and Jefferrey Kitingan has weaken the party further. Thing became worst with both leaders forming-up their own party and NGO; Zaid formed Parti Kesejahteraan Insan Tanah Air (KITA) whareas Jeffrey Kitingan formed  United Borneo Front (UBF).


Just like UMNO, Internal bickering, politicking, back-stabbing, treason, sabotage have begun to rear its ugly head within the party. I don't have to go far to provide an example. During the party election in P202, one can see how the three candidates Jimmy, Ibi and Cubbold could not see face  to face with each others. 




Why Iban/Dayak Should Join SNAP


In December 2010, the same friend that influenced me to join PKR had talked to me about the plan by SNAP leadership to rejuvenate (as I preferred to call it, even thought the party leaderships called it rebranding) the party


At first I was not interested to join the party because  the party crisis in 1983 which resulted in the formation of the PBDS still very clear in my mind. Just like the majority of the dayak/Iban ( eventhought I was still studying in Form 3 at the time of the  crisis ) my family was the strong supporter of SNAP and its young aspiring politician Datuk Daniel Tajem. 

But with the new development especially with Datuk Daniel Tajem returned to the party by becoming its advisor, has changed my feeling towards the party. 


Other than that I have been looking at PKR as not very serious with Sarawak. The party is
more focused on the general election in the peninsula. It is not interested in Sarawak. If the party is not intetrested with us, why we should stay cling to the party?


I Urge the Iban/Dayak to Join SNAP


Most if not all the Dayak/Iban that are  in the PKR nowasaday are from the supporter of  the unregistered Malaysia Dayak Congress. Since SNAP has rebranding itself  similar to the MDC or PBDS. Romours have been flying around that SNAP is a BN tool to sebotage People Alliance (Pakatan Rakyat) cooperation in Sarawak. I guarantee that SNAP presence will fill-up the vacuum left by PBDS. 


I hope that all partyless ex-PBDS members, all dayak leaders and supporters in PKR, DAP and PCM, and also to all the dayak in BN component parties to come together and join this new SNAP.

I am extending this invitation especially to Sdra Baru Bian (who himself was the strong supporter of the unregistered MDS) to join SNAP so as not to split the dayak strength. Let vacant  PKR  because the party is  more suitable for the Malay/Melanau.

Hopefully with this new SNAP, the interests of the dayaks will be assured off... 

Mupok Aku 

Lets Chase Dayak Away (LCDA) By Cobbold John

Kuching
Wednesday, 19th Jan 2010

Lets Chase Dayak Away (LCDA)

At first glance I thought the book which is authored by one of the Iban philanthropist cum politician from Balai Ringin Saudara Cubbold John is an anti-dayak book.

But after finishing reading the book I discovered that it was about the systematic robbery of  the NCR lands by  by The Sarawak Land Custody and Development Authority (LCDA), and how a group of Iban from Sg. Tenggang fought their way out to defend their NCR lands from being robbed by the government agency that was created by Taib Mahmud and Jabu Numpang.

The book is divided into 31 chapters namely :

Chapter 1. Let's Chase Dayak Away (LCDA)

Chapter 2. What happen to the Dayak leaders

Chapter 3. Deadly Battle over NCR Lands in Pantu

Chapter 4. Ancient Graves of Forefathers completely Destroyed

Chapter 5. Harvesting Oil Palm Fruits From their Own NCR Land

Chapter 6. NCR Land owners in Ubah Pantu Getting Ready to go to Court Battle

Chapter 7. United We Dayak Stand

Chapter 8. Malaysia Day Robbery (September 16th, 2009)

Chapter 9. The Dayaks are Not Criminals

Chapter 10. Police Impersonator Strikes  Again

Chapter 11. Illegal Possession Of Native Customary Land

Chapter 12. Erecting of Illegal Structure On Public Road

Chapter 13. Gawai "Thanks Giving"  2009

Chapter 14. Dayak Against Dayak

Chapter 15. Finally Blood Is  Shed on NCR Land

Chapter 16. Dis-empowerment of the Natives

Chapter 17. Intrusion Into NCR Land Getting Serious

Chapter 18 Pelita will use the Penghulus and Tuai Rumahs.

Chapter 19. Tajem Urges Government of the day to Review Native Law

Chapter 20. Ubah Pantu NCR Land Owners At Risk of Losing Their Lands

Chapter 21. MACC Please Help Us

Chapter 22. The Brooke Government Has Surveyed Our NCR Land In Ubah Pantu

Chapter 23. The NCR Landowners of Pantu Going to High Court

Chapter 24. Three Dayak Farmers  Arrested By The Police For the Fourth Time

Chapter 25. Why Does Kim Loong Berhad Continue to Harass the Dayak Farmers

Chapter 26. Public Harassment and Illegal Arrest and Police Reports

Chapter 27. Abok Farmers Harvesting Oil Palm Fruits at their NCR Lands Arrested

Chapter 28. At the High Court Kuching June 7th 2010

Chapter 29. High Court Hearing Continues, August 9th now back to Sri Aman again

Chapter 30. The cries of the Interverners

Chapter 31. Trip to Kuching Again

Who Should Read This Book

This book is a compilation of the articles from dayak nation, broken shield and Bukittunggal to name a few , about the Iban struggle in defending their NCR lands out and inside the court and the explanation on the gaya baru JV of oil palm between land owners, LCDA and government appointed company.

This book thus must be read by all the Dayaks who own most of the NCR lands in Sarawak which have been affected by Taib Mahmud Politic of  Development.

Where and How  to Get the Book

As saudara Cubbold put it, at this moment the book is not for sale. But for those who would like to own the book can call saudara cubbold at Dayak Nation.

Mupok Aku

The Arrest Of SADIA Secretary : Malaysian Government Practices Double Standard

Kuching
Wednesday, 12th Jan 2011

Nicholas Mujah has been arrested for 'possession of seditious materials'.

When PERKASA committed criminal Action by Instigating Racial Unrest the Government of Malaysia under Barisan Nasional did not take any Action, but when the Dayak NGO Leader doing something to defend their rights, the were arrested.

The BN government power crazy and unfairly treatment of the dayak/Iban is getting  out of control. Since our politicians cannot defend us, we are urging the international community to help us.

Recently the Police have arrested two indigenous leaders for possession of ‘seditious materials’.

The offices of the Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (SADIA) were raided and its secretary, Nicholas Mujah, arrested along with two others, while indigenous lawyer Abun Sui Anyit was arrested at a Sarawak airport last Thursday. The two men were held separately and questioned, then released on bail. Abun Sui Anyit was called for further questioning by police yesterday.

A SADIA staff member and an election observer, who were also arrested at the SADIA office, were not questioned.

Mujah and Anyit both had CDs containing recordings of independent radio and television broadcasts.

Sarawak’s indigenous peoples, including the Iban and the hunter-gatherer Penan tribe, have seen much of their rainforest destroyed by logging companies licensed by the state government. Palm oil companies, also with government backing, are now establishing plantations on indigenous land.

Nicholas Mujah said today, ‘I am asking the international community to focus your hearts on the suffering of indigenous peoples in Sarawak, Malaysia. The government has renewed its aggressive activities among indigenous activists and rights defenders because of the upcoming election. We are struggling for survival and fighting legal battles against the government over our ancestral land, to stop it being taken from us.’

The Sarawak government has repeatedly curtailed the civil rights of those who oppose its policies. More than a hundred members of the Penan tribe were arrested in 1987 when they mounted road blockades to try to keep logging companies out of their forests.

Sarawak’s state elections are due to take place by July this year. The state’s Chief Minister Taib Mahmud has been in power since 1981.

Survival’s director Stephen Corry said today, ‘Taib Mahmud is facing increasing criticism of his government’s total disregard for indigenous peoples’ rights. Arresting their leaders is unlikely to boost his popularity.’

To all the Iban/Dayak out there, please wake up. Let's fight this Barisan Nasional government together. This can be done by Vote Them Out in the coming state election.

Mupok Aku

Najib Afraid of debate with Anwar

Kuching
Wednesday, 12th Jan 2010

As expected, Prime Minister Najib Razak has chickened out of a national debate on the economy with Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim on the basis that voters did not need such exercises to decide whom they wanted to lead the country.

“If we want to debate, there must be an outcome from the debate. I do not see one and what is important is public opinion,” Najib told reporters on Wednesday.

The PM’s excuse is regarded not only as weak but also odd, given that just the day before, he had gone on Twitter and Facebook to improve his rapport with the public and many Malaysians had not hesitated to ask if he would accept the debate challenge.

Contrary to Najib's claim, there is widespread interest especially amongst the urban population because many are concerned about the direction of the economy. Most believe Najib is not doing enough, while many even think that he has not done anything at all except announce huge trillion-ringgit ‘transformation’ projects that even those with the scantiest financial knowledge know the country does not have enough money to undertake.

Mid and low-income groups squeezed by multiple price hikes across consumer essentials including petrol, sugar and gas are also demanding answers from his administration.

“Of what use is a government that cuts subsidies to help the poor so that they can maintain the subsidies they give to the wealthy crony companies. Look at the Independent Power Producers, the government is subsidising them to the tune of RM19 billion, the toll road concessionaires RM4 billion,” Anwar had said when proposing the debate on Tuesday.

“The Auditor General himself has estimated the loss due to leakage and corruption is RM28 billion. That is the real shame to use the term subsidy for what is really 'assistance' to the billionaire crony companies.”

The fear of accounting to the people

But although the challenge came from the Pakatan de-facto head, it was actually Najib, whose careless comments opened the door for Anwar to seize the initiatrive and demand clarity for the Malaysian public.

In a bid to score political points off his arch rival, Najib had suddenly lambasted the Pakatan’s 10-point 100-days reform plan unveiled last month. Not only was he late in his criticism of the plan, he also insisted that the Pakatan would lead Malaysia to financial ruin.

Meanwhile, to help him out of the hole he dug for himself, Umno leaders including Minister in his own department Nazri Aziz, Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and even scandal-tainted Information minister Rais Yatim have rushed to ‘beg’ him to ignore Anwar.

They also offered to debate Anwar on his behalf. Perhaps, they did not realize it but their swiftness in offering to bite the bullet for their boss was actually an insult to him. It signalled their lack of confidence in him to take on Anwar who is famed for his oratorical skills and political savvy.

Najib too appeared to have little faith in himself. “I will not stop him,” said Najib, when asked if he would accept Khairy’s offer to stand in for him.

His lame-duck approach is unlikely to go down well with the Malaysian public.

“It is unbecoming of a prime minister to shy away from a national debate against his counterpart in the opposition. Yes, to some people, it is a contest of debate skills, body language, facts and so forth but above all, the debate is supposed to help put to rest a lot of the people’s concerns about the economy and the country's future," Taiping MP Nga Kor Ming told Malaysia Chronicle.

"Furthermore, such a debate is bound to be televised. Both men will surely behave civilly to each other, so there is no reason for Najib to fear a public discourse with Anwar. What is there to be scared of? It is just a debate between two Malaysian leaders for the Malaysian people. What is so difficult about that?"

Mupok Aku

Facebook Is Shutting Down On 15 March 2011

Kuching
Monday, 10th jan 2010

If the news is true, it will definitely change the landscape of the IT world.....

There is a romour that Facebook is shutting down on 15 March 2011.

“Facebook has gotten out of control,” said Zuckerberg in a press conference outside his Palo Alto office, “and the stress of managing this company has ruined my life. I need to put an end to all the madness.”

“After March 15th the whole website shuts down,” said Avrat Humarthi, Vice President of Technical Affairs at Facebook. “So if you ever want to see your pictures again, I recommend you take them off the internet. You won’t be able to get them back once Facebook goes out of business.”

To all the facebook account holders it up to you whether to believe or not with the news

Mupok Aku

Malay contractors association apologises to Guan Eng

Kuching
Sunday, 9th Jan 2010

The Malay Contractors Association of Malaysia, which has in the past accused Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s administration of marginalising Malay businesses, apologised to him today through a delegation to his office here.

The association’s deputy president Datuk Mohammed Fadzill Hassan, who headed the delegation of about a dozen members, personally tendered his apology to the state government.

He said they wished to cooperate and work along with the administration. Lim responded by describing the new outcome as a "positive turn of events".

"I hope we can start a new relationship based on facts and not emotion," he said.

Lim stressed that accusations that Malay contractors were sidelined under the current Pakatan Rakyat government were untrue.

"Malay contractors are able to perform very well, as most of those who have won contracts under the state’s open tender policy are Malays," he said.

He said that previously, companies won contracts with the state government because of political connection, but now under the Pakatan Rakyat administration, contracts were issued on merit, with considerations given to quality and best pricing.

It is understood that the delegation had also spoken to Lim about retracting the names of 49 contractor members listed in a circular by Lim’s office to all department heads in the state government.

Lim said the state had not blacklisted the any company.

"We only want to ensure that all government contractors are competent and qualified, and not cronies of anyone," he said at a press conference before the closed-door meeting with the delegation.

In one of his last attacks on Lim in December last year, Mohammed Fadzill, who is also the association's Penang branch chairman, had alleged that Malay contractors were awarded only state projects of insignificant value.

Lim had responded by showing records that Malay contractors had been given 94% of the state’s Public Works Department (PWD) contracts and all the state’s Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) projects.

Mupok Aku

Teoh Beng Hock Inquest Verdict : Zero Decision By Coroner

Kuching
Wednesday, 5th January 2010

The coroner returned an open verdict today in the inquest into the death of Teoh Beng Hock two years ago, a decision which means it cannot ascertain how the political aide died.

The packed courtroom broke into a collective sigh as coroner Azmil Muntapha Abas delivered his verdict while Teoh’s mother wept uncontrollably.

Azmil also ruled out suicide and homicide even though he raised doubts that Teoh could have exited unaided from the window on the 14th floor of Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam before falling to his death following overnight interrogation by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers.

“After evaluating the evidence of Dr Shahidan, Dr Pornthip and Professor Dr Vanezis, I find that the exists sufficient evidence to confirm this injury as a pre-fall injury,” Azmil said, while reading out his verdict to the attentive courtroom.

He said he had weighed the neck injury together with witnesses who had accused the MACC of previously torturing witnesses and suspects in the course of their interrogation and then covering them up.

“However, I also find that there is no sufficient evidence to confirm beyond all reasonble doubt that this pre-fall injury did in fact, facilitate or resulted or contributed to the demise of the deceased,” the coroner added.

Earlier, he said that the likely time of Teoh’s death was approximately between 7.15am and 11.15am on July 16, 2009. This was based on testimony from pathologists.

The coroner said it was clear that Teoh died at the service corridor of the fifth floor of Plaza Masalam.

The cause of death was a result of multiple injuries sustained in his fall, he said.

The coroner also found questionable the handwriting evidence surrounding a note found by police and purportedly written by Teoh.

Despite today’s verdict, Section 339(2) of the Criminal Procedure Code provides that once an inquiry is closed, the Public Prosecutor can still direct the coroner to re-open the inquiry.

A stricken Teoh Lee Lan wipes away her tears as she emerges from the courtroom after hearing the coroner deliver an open verdict in her brother's death. 

Teoh’s family has demanded a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) be set up to directly probe the circumstances surrounding the 30-year-old’s death to find out the real cause — including if he was pressured to jump.
Teoh was political secretary to Selangor state councillor, Ean Yong Hian Wah, at the time of death.

His body was found on the fifth floor of Plaza Masalam after he had been questioned overnight by the MACC at its then Selangor headquarters on the 14th floor of the same building.

The anti-graft officers were investigating a claim his boss was misusing state funds.

The police initially classified the case as sudden death; they did not rule out foul play.

A Cabinet minister triggered a public outcry when he suggested that Teoh may have committed suicide, a claim which was denounced by the latter’s family.

Teoh was to have registered his marriage with his then two-month pregnant fiancée, Soh Cher Wei, that same week.

Following the outcry, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak met with the Teohs and Soh on July 28.

The PM assured the family “no stone will be left unturned in finding out the real cause of death and, if there is any foul play, action will definitely be taken”.

Najib said the Cabinet has agreed to set up a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) to probe further if the inquest result is not satisfactory.