N3 Kota Seputih - Sepatutnya UMNO harus gembira ganti YBnya kaki ponteng.....

Mahkamah Tinggi di sini hari ini menolak permohonan penangguhan oleh Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) terhadap keputusan mahkamah 16 November lalu yang mengisytiharkan kerusi Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Kota Siputeh kosong. Oleh itu, pilihan raya kecil kawasan itu perlu diadakan dalam masa 60 hari selepas writ pilihan raya dikeluarkan selewat-lewatnya, Rabu ini.

Hakim Alizatul Khair Osman Khairuddin berkata beliau bersetuju dengan Sulaiman Abdullah, peguam utama bagi Speaker DUN Kedah, Datuk Dr Abdul Isa Ismail, bahawa SPR gagal meyakinkan mahkamah berhubung isu keadaan luar biasa bagi mewajarkan permohonan itu dibenarkan.

Katanya, alasan mengenai implikasi kewangan yang dinyatakan oleh peguam kanan persekutuan Datuk Kamaruddin Md Said, yang mewakili SPR, tidak boleh ditakrif sebagai satu keadaan luar biasa.

"Mengikut undang-undang, menguruskan pilihan raya merupakan tanggungjawab biasa SPR dan suruhanjaya ini tidak merujuk mana-mana undang-undang kes untuk menyokong hujahnya," kata Alizatul.

source:Bernama

Namun,UMNO akan mengemukakan rayuan di Mahkamah Rayuan berhubung keputusan Mahkamah Tinggi Kuala Lumpur (Rayuan dan Kuasa-kuasa Khas)yang menolak permohonan Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) untuk mendapat perintah menangguhkan keputusan mengisytiharkan kerusi Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Kota Siputeh sebagai kosong.

Persoalannya siapakah yang lebih berkuasa SPR atau UMNO. Sepatutnya SPR perlu akur dengan keputusan tersebut dan jangan jadi hamba UMNO.

Bukankah UMNO/BN berkata depa sudah bersiap sedia untuk menghadapi pilihanraya kecil DUN Kota Seputeh. Jika benar mereka sudah bersedia, maka kenapa perlu merayu untuk mempertahankan seorang wakil rakyat"kaki ponteng" itu?

Masalahnya di Kota Seputeh tak banyak undi pos seperti di Bagan Pinang. Ini yang merisaukan UMNO.

Seharusnya UMNO/BN sepatutnya rasa gembira kerana dapat menggantikan seorang wakil rakyat yang malas dengan yang baru................

cheers.

Will Anwar be ambushed by trial..........

Will Anwar be ambushed by trial? by Deborah Loh

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has failed in his bid, at the Court of Appeal, to obtain evidence from the public prosecutor about his alleged act of sodomy with a young former aide. Layperson reactions have naturally been cynical, dismissing the judgment as political in nature.

Indeed, the Court of Appeal's interpretation of Section 51A of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC), by which it made its judgment, is worrisome from a justice perspective. The judgment nullifies the efforts of the parliamentary select committee which proposed the CPC amendments in 2006 requiring pre-trial disclosure by the prosecution to the defence. The legislature's intention was to "prevent trial by ambush" but the Court of Appeal's judgment in Anwar's sodomy case seems to overturn that principle.

But is Section 51A as clear cut as it is meant to be? And is splitting hairs over its meaning scuppering Anwar's chances for a fair trial?

Meaning of words

Section 51A was introduced to widen the scope of evidence that the defence could obtain from the prosecution. At first reading, it comes across as a clear obligation for the prosecution to make available to the defence evidence that it intends to use during trial.

Section 51A . Delivery of certain documents

1. The prosecution shall before the commencement of the trial deliver to the accused the following documents:

1. A copy of the information made under section 107 relating to the commission of the offence to which the accused is charged, if any;
2. A copy of any document which would be tendered as part of the evidence for the prosecution; and
3. A written statement of facts favourable to the defence of the accused signed under the hand of the Public Prosecutor or any person conducting the prosecution.

The meaning of the words "shall" and "any document" is clear, says member of the Bar Council's criminal law committee, Datuk Baljit Singh Sidhu, who is also the author of Criminal Litigation Process.

"The intention of 51A is to put both parties in a trial on equal footing in the interest of justice. That was parliament's intent. The word 'shall' should be taken to mean 'must'.

"If the court does not interpret 'shall' as being mandatory, then there is no point to the amendment," Baljit, who is also Gerakan Federal Territory legal adviser, tells The Nut Graph.

"Any document" should also be taken to mean any type of evidence, Baljit adds. It is all the more important when it involves evidence like DNA, for which scientific expertise and time are required if defence lawyers are to analyse it.

However, the Court of Appeal in Anwar's sodomy case decided there were "limits" as to the kind of evidence the prosecution could be asked to produce before a trial. Hence, it overturned the High Court's decision ordering the prosecution to hand over evidence, which included video footage, medical reports, doctors' notes, and witness statements of alleged victim Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, and others. The bench, in rejecting Anwar's cross-appeal for DNA specimens held by the prosecution, also said that the evidence requested did not fall under the category of evidence in 51A.

"The amendment [to the CPC] is as good as non-existent," SN Nair, one of Anwar's lawyers, tells The Nut Graph.

Merely procedure?

The Court of Appeal's written judgment is not out yet, so Anwar's lawyers are still unclear about the basis of the ruling although they have filed two notices of appeal at the Federal Court Registry.

But it does appear that the court reverted to the law prior to the introduction of 51A on the basis of the prosecution's arguments. "The prosecution went back to pre-amendment law arguing that they had the discretion as to what evidence to give and to decide which facts were favourable to the accused," Nair says in a phone interview.

Clause (c) of 51A(1) requires the prosecution to provide a written statement of facts that are favourable to the defence. According to Nair, evidence that is favourable to the accused can only be found in witnesses' statements.

"In witnesses' statements, there could be evidence that potentially saves the accused. Sharing of these facts means the defence gets to decide what is favourable in the interest of fair trial," Nair says.

The High Court granted access to these statements to Anwar's defence team but it was revoked by the appellate court. Some prosecutors also argue that 51A is a "procedural" amendment and not a matter of law, says criminal lawyer Richard Wee.

"While by and large the courts mostly do tell off the prosecution, there are some who buy that argument. They take the view that if a prosecutor fails to adhere to 51A, it's merely a procedural error," Wee says in a phone interview.

Such an interpretation means the prosecution's case can avoid an inconclusive end. If the court were to view 51A as a law rather than procedure, cases could end up much like how blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin was discharged but not acquitted for sedition, simply because police could not find him.

"Similarly," says Wee, "if evidence is not provided by the prosecution under 51A, the defence should be accorded the right to seek for a discharge not amounting to acquittal."

Wiggle room

The repercussions of procedural rather than legalistic interpretation of the law are alarming. Besides placing prosecution and defence on unequal footing, does it also mean law enforcement need not keep to high standards to ensure thorough and fair investigative work?

Shoddy police work is unfortunately a reality, but that's where the law could have been drafted more precisely to plug the gaps. Wee feels that 51A was not drafted specifically enough to take into account the "practical realities of what happens in court".

Some realities include: The prosecution denies before trial to having found any facts favourable to the accused. Or they may produce other evidence in mid-trial instead of evidence disclosed pre-trial. They may argue that new evidence is required in response to the defence's arguments.

Wee feels the wording about making available documents "which would be tendered as part of evidence" limits the kind of evidence that can be requested for and gives room to the prosecution to wiggle out of it.

"It would have been better to say 'any documents related' to the trial, which would be specific but in a wider sense, covers all other evidence that could be raised during trial," he says.

The obvious conclusion?

Yet, the fact is, there are judges who uphold 51A and ensure it is adhered to, notes Baljit.

"Having case management before trial for evidence to be given to the defence is normal practice and courts will set a date for mention to ensure that all this is complied with," he says.

So if other courts are upholding the law, what else are people to make of how Anwar's appeal was handled other than to think that the judiciary is not free from political interference?

source:The Nut Graph

What can we expect when the Polis,AG's dept. and the apex courts works in tandem with the power crazy UMNO/BN leaders.

Will UMNO/BN ever learn their lesson?



cheers.

High court ruled MACC cannot question witnesses overnight.........

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) can no longer question witnesses overnight. The High Court ruled today that this can be done only during office hours from 8.30am to 5pm.

Justice Mohd Ariff Md Yusof in his landmark decision held that section 30(3)(a) of the MACC Act does not give power to the MACC to conduct investigations on a witness "around-the-clock".

"The phrase 'day-to-day' in the section cannot mean 24 hours but normal working hours," Mohd Ariff said.

"Therefore, I agree that the applicant in this case had been unlawfully detained by the MACC," he said in allowing a judicial review filed by Kajang municipal councillor Tan Boon Wah.

Tan, 39, sued MACC chief commissioner Datuk Seri Ahmad Said Hamdan, MACC assistant superintendent Mohammad Hassan Zulkifli and the MACC, claiming that his detention and questioning for 16 hours overnight by the MACC was unlawful, and had resulted in him suffering losses and damage.

In his application filed on July 22, Tan asked the court to declare that the defendants, who were carrying out investigations under section 30(3)(a) of the MACC Act, could record his statements as a witness only during office hours from 8.30am to 5.30pm.

Tan was one of several people who were called up by the MACC to give statements concerning investigations on alleged misappropriation of Selangor government allocations.

The court also granted Tan damages for the unlawful detention by the MACC from 9.45pm on July 15 to 2.53am the next day and ordered the defendants to pay him costs.

In the court's decision, Mohd Ariff said the phrase "day-to-day" in the section raised ambiguity as it is not defined properly in the act.

However, he said, a proper interpretation must be given to avoid absurd results as it affected a person's fundamental liberties as guaranteed under Article 5 of the Federal Constitution.

"The phrase 'day-to-day' cannot mean 'around the clock'. Section 30 cannot be interpreted that way, to do so will offend the intention of the legislature and will curtail the ambit of personal liberty," said the judge.

He stressed that any statutory provision affecting fundamental liberties must be read properly and be given the widest room.

source:bernama

Obviously MACC is practising its own law..........

cheers.

Musa Hassan in the dark over Bala’s statement.......

Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan appears to be unware of a statement recorded from private investigator P. Balasubramaniam by his Special Branch team in Bangkok on July 8 last year. Bala has stated in his latest revelations that the statement was recorded by the SB team led by ACP Muniandy who traced him to Bangkok through arrangements made by a Malaysian Embassy liaison officer

The private investigator had also said that Muniandy’s team was only interested in his first July 3 statutory declaration and was not bothered about his July 4 declaration retracting his allegations that the Prime Minist rrelationship with mudered Mongolian model Altantuya Shaaribuu.

Yesterday, the IGP stated that Bala who reportedly had been in and out of the country at least at eight times since his disappearance last year, was still being sought by police to record a statement over his two contradictory statutory declarations.

Musa said as Bala was not a wanted fugitive but only a witness in a case, the police had not given any instructions to the Immigration Department to stop Bala’s movement in and out of the country.

“He should know that he is wanted in assisting us in a case and take the initiative to come in personally and have his statement recorded,” Musa was quoted as telling the mainstream media questioning the IGP on Bala’s entry into the county.

“As far as the police is concerned, we are not aware of him having entered the country. You should ask the reporter who made that claim,” Musa added.

The private investigator, his wife and three children – aged between six and 11 – were reported missing the past 15 months although Bala’s latest revelations indicated he was blackmailed into withdrawing his first statutory declation.

source:freemalaysiatoday

Heran bin ajaib macam mana seorang IGP tak tahu apa anak-anak buah buat,atau IGP ini cuba buat tak tau kerana mau lindung sesuatu daripada pengetahuan umum......

cheers.

Indek rasuah Malaysia menjunam teruk...........

Presiden Transparency International Malaysia(TI-M), Datuk Paul Low memuji negeri Pakatan Rakyat itu bahkan wajar dijadikan contoh. Datul Paul Low berkata sikap kepimpinan Menteri Besar Selangor, Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim dalam memacu Selangor jelas menunjukkan kerajaan negeri ini merupakan kerajaan yang adil dan telus mencakupi semua aspek.

Katanya, peranan Khalid dalam menangani rasuah di Selangor merupakan satu perkembangan positif dalam arena politik negara.

“Saya yakin MB Selangor mempunyai kehendak politik yang kuat untuk memerangi rasuah sebagaimana yang ditunjukkannya di Selangor," kata Paul dalam satu sidang media selepas mengumumkan Indeks Persepsi Rasuah 2009,di Kelab Golf Di Raja Selangor.

Beliau menambah, pentadbiran terbuka yang diamalkan Selangor dan perkembangan yang berlaku di negeri ini harus menjadi contoh kepada semua tanpa mengira fahaman politik supaya negara bebas dari rasuah. Katanya, pentadbiran telus yang diamalkan Selangor bukan sahaja penting bagi aspek intergriti tetapi dalam menjaga kestabilan ekonomi negara.

TI-M memaklumkan, indeks persepsi rasuah Malaysia yang dipimpin Datuk Seri Najib razak terus menjunam. Malaysia menduduki tangga ke 56 daripada 180 negara dalam Indeks Persepsi Rasuah (CPI) dunia 2009. Malaysia mencatatkan penurunan dalam indeks persepsi rasuah pada tahun ini dengan hanya memperoleh 4.5 mata berbanding 5.1 mata pada 2008. Kemerosotan berkenaan jelas menunjukkan kegagalan negara memerangi rasuah walapun pelbagai janji dibuat pihak berkuasa untuk menanganinya.

Menurut Presiden TIM,Paul Low, banyak faktor yang menyumbang kepada berlakunya kemerosotan negara memerangi rasuah. Namun, beliau menekankan pencegahan amalan rasuah haruslah bermula dari pemimpin dengan nilai intergriti yang tinggi untuk membanterasnya. “Jika anda mempunyai pemimpin yang tidak memberikan tauladan yang baik unjtuk diikuti, anda tidak boleh harap golongan muda kita mengikut apa yang baik kerana mereka hanya mengikut apa yang pemimpin buat.

"Di Malaysia, ia bukan isu mempunyai negara yang demokratik atau pilihan raya. Kita ada tetapi dalam masa yang sama kita dengan banyak tentang lompat parti dan isu berkaitan dengannya, ada yang dibayar. Jadi ia bukan soal demokrasi tetapi soal kehendak politik," katanya.

Dalam laporan berkenaan, New Zealand berada di kedudukan pertama negara yang kurang kegiatan rasuah dengan catatan tertinggi 9.4 mata, manakala Somalia berada di kedudukan terakhir kerana mencatatkan amalan rasuah tertinggi dengan catatan CPI 1.1 mata.

Perbandingan antara negara Asean menunjukkan Malaysia berada di tempat ketiga selepas Singapura dengan catatan 9.4 mata dan Brunei dengan CPI 5.5 mata, manakala Indonesia di tempat keempat. Walaubagaimanapun, Indonesia mencatatkan kenaikan,apabila mencatatkan CPI 2.8 berbanding 2.6 tahun lalu.

Baca CPI 2009 table di sini.

source:harakahdaily.net


Apakah tidak, SPRM(MACC) kita dok asyik siasat kes rasuah ikan bilis, sedangkan kes si jerung dilepaskan begitu saja. SPRM(MACC) asyik dok fokus kepada rasuah di kalangan parti pembangkang, sedangkan di kalangan UMNO/BN semuanya tutup sebelah mata.

Lihat saja contoh SPRM beria-ia nak siasat kes tajaan haji Tuan Guru, sedangkan kes PKFZ yang hilang berbilion-bilion dan kes Khir Toyo berjoli sambil balajar menggunakan duit rakyat tak berani disentuhnya.

Kalau beginilah keadaannya dengan dasar SPRM(MACC) maka taklah kalau hairan tahun depan Malaysia akan berada bersama-sama dengan Somalia...........

cheers.

Bekas ADUN Kota Siputeh Fail Rayuan..........

Bekas Anggota Dewan Undangan Negeri kawasan Kota Siputeh Datuk Abu Hassan Sarif hari ini memfailkan rayuan terhadap keputusan Mahkamah Tinggi yang mengisytiharkan kerusi itu kosong dan beliau tidak lagi wakil rakyat kawasan itu. Abu Hassan memfailkan notis rayuan di Pejabat Pendaftar Mahkamah Tinggi di sini pada 1.35 tengah hari melalui peguam yang mewakilinya Datuk Mohd Hafarizam Harun.

Salinan notis rayuan itu akan diserahkan kepada peguam yang mewakili Speaker Kedah Datuk Dr Abdul Isa Ismail dan Pejabat Peguam Negara, kata Mohd Hafarizam semasa dihubungi di sini hari ini.

Semalam, Hakim Datuk Alizatul Khair Osman Khairuddin, semasa membenarkan semakan kehakiman oleh Abdul Isa, memutuskan kerusi itu kosong berikutan kegagalan Abu Hassan menghadiri dua sidang dewan pada tahun ini. Berikutan keputusan itu, Abu Hassan dari Barisan Nasional, dilarang menghadiri persidangan Dewan Undangan Negeri Kedah hari ini.Mahkamah juga memerintahkan pilihan raya kecil diadakan bagi kawasan Kota Siputeh yang terletak dalam kawasan Parlimen Jerlun di Kedah.

source:bernama

Ini sekoq Adun UMNO yang bodoh. Dah tau peraturan DUN,kalau tak hadir 2 kali berturut-turut tanpa sebab,speaker boleh isytihar kerusinya kosong. Dia berani,mungkin Adun ini rasa kerana dia orang UMNO dia boleh buat ikut suka hatinya.

Inilah akibat UMNO yang selama 50 tahun tak pernah menjadi pembangkang,tiba-tiba bila jadi pembangkang,mereka jadi tak tentu arah macam orang mabuk todi. Mungkin Adun UMNO ini merasakan Mahkamah Rayuan akan memihak kepadanya seperti keputusan yang dibuat di Perak. Bukankah mahkamah rakyat itu lebih bermakna?

Nampaknya Adun ini nak jadi Adun pilihan mahkamah seperti 3 Adun katak dan seorang MB pilihan mahkamah di Perak........

cheers.

Senator Dr.Syed Husin Ali........

The Selangor state assembly today nominated PKR deputy president Syed Husin Ali, 73, to the Senate as a representative from the state. Syed Husin's choice was approved by the elected representatives through block voting, in which 32 agreed, three abstained and 20 absent.

His name was proposed by Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim and seconded by state PAS chief and exco member Hasan Ali.

In 1990, he was asked to resign his post as Professor of Anthropology and Sociology at the University of Malaya because he contravened the law which prohibited him as a university staff member from participating in active politics.

Earlier, he was detained without trial for six years (1974 - 1980) under the ISA. He has written a number of books and articles on the peasantry, ethnic relations and development.

You can read more on Syed Husin Ali's biograhpy here.

Dr Syed Husin Ali, has always been consistent with his stand in politics here is one of those rare interview with Aliran Monthly when he was PRM president.

Tahniah to you Dr.Syed Husin Ali...........

cheers.

By-election for Kota Siputeh.......

The Kota Siputeh state seat, held by Umno assemblyperson Abu Hasan Sarif in Kedah, is declared vacant by the High Court today.

The decision was made by the Kuala Lumpur High Court (Appellate and Special Powers) judge Alizatul Khair Osman Khairuddin following an application by Kedah Speaker Dr Abdul Isa Ismail.

Abdul Isa had filed the suit against the Election Commission after it had overruled his decision to declare the seat vacant following Abu Hasan's two consecutive absence from state assembly sitting.

Kerusi DUN Kota Siputeh diisytiharkan kosong dan satu pilihan raya kecil seharusnya dipanggil untuk mengisi kekosongan tersebut. Keputusan tersebut dibuat oleh Mahkamah Tinggi Kuala Lumpur petang ini setelah mendengar permohonan Speaker DUN Kedah, Datuk Dr Abdul Isa Ismail untuk semakan kehakiman terhadap keputusan Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) yang mengekalkan Datuk Abu Hassan Sarif sebagai wakil rakyat di situ.

Abdul Isa memfailkan saman pada 1 Oktober lalu, menamakan Abu Hassan daripada BN dan SPR sebagai responden. Beliau memohon diisytiharkan Abu Hassan bukan lagi ADUN bagi kerusi tersebut berikutan kegagalannya menghadiri dua persidangan DUN secara berturut-turut dan injunksi menghalang beliau daripada menjalankan tugas sebagai wakil rakyat. Beliau juga memohon mahkamah mengisytiharkan kerusi itu kosong dan memerintahkan SPR mengadakan pilihan raya kecil di samping memohon ganti rugi, kos dan faedah lain.

Pada 1 September lalu, SPR memutuskan tidak berlaku kekosongan di kerusi Kota Siputeh dan Abu Hassan masih menjadi wakil rakyatnya.

source:malaysiakini

cheers.