ASEAN: Time to act on Myanmar

Din Merican’s blog

THE AUNG SAN SUU KYI VERDICT: ASEAN MUST

ACT

Parti Keadilan Rakyat (KEADILAN) condemns the guilty verdict and harsh prison sentence handed down by the Burmese court yesterday in the case against Aung San Suu Kyi and her colleagues, Khin Khin Win and Win Ma Ma.

While the guilty verdict was fully expected, it is nevertheless deeply disappointing, especially as the case had offered a precious opportunity for the military junta to gracefully make some significant steps towards change.

Instead, the junta continues to violate human rights and poses as a threat to regional peace and security (the military regime is suspected of secretly exploring nuclear capabilities).

The court decision came as the grand finale of a carefully orchestrated charade, with political manipulation being unconvincingly dressed up as a judicial process. The junta leaders evidently felt the heat of international outrage to the point that they immediately announced that her 3-year hard labour prison sentence was commuted to 18 months under house arrest.

Despite their reduction of the sentence, we believe the Burmese military regime acted with malicious intent.Their main aim has always been to ensure that Aung San Suu Kyi would not be able to play a role in next year’s general election, and they have not budged an inch on this.

The connection of this case to the elections was further underlined by the government’s justification of her continued detention, saying that true supporters of democracy do not want them to be marred by riots and unrest. It should be remembered that there are still thousands of political opponents languishing in prison, and it is safe to assume that they will remain there for the same purpose.

The world is again outraged, but it is ASEAN which stands to lose in real terms, being guilty by association. Thus, ASEAN must take firm and prompt action to bring their recalcitrant member into line, especially with the human rights principles stated in the ASEAN Charter – a major step which could improve the current poor standing of ASEAN nations in the world.

If ASEAN still wants to save the face of the junta’s leaders, they could do this by initiating a renewed communal effort towards enhancing standards of democracy and human rights in Burma.

WAN AZIZAH WAN ISMAIL
President
Parti Keadilan Rakyat
Malaysia

HOW THEY PROSTITUTE ISLAM FOR POLITICAL GAINS

MALAYSIA TODAY

So, what is the issue here? Is the issue Islam? Is the issue about eradicating sin? Is the issue about not allowing vice in Malay neighbourhoods? Is Umno outraged that beer is being sold in ‘Malay’ Shah Alam? What is really the issue? NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin There is a controversy sweeping Selangor state. Well, actually there are many controversies sweeping the state. But this particular controversy I am talking about involves the matter of the confiscation of beer. As explained by the EXCO Member in charge of local government, Ronnie Liu, the confiscation was a mistake, an error of judgment of sorts, and the beer was ultimately returned to the owner the same day with an apology attached. Furthermore, explained Ronnie, you need a licence to sell liquor. But beer does not come under the classification of liquor. So you do not need a licence to sell beer and therefore the government can’t confiscate beer even if the premises that is selling it does not have a liquor licence. This is not the law that Pakatan Rakyat made. This is the law that the Barisan Nasional government made. But Umno is not about to allow the matter to end there. They want to organise a protest demonstration and they demand that PAS join them in this demonstration as proof that the Islamic party is committed to its Islamic agenda. Basically, Umno wants to pressure the Pakatan Rakyat state government into reversing its policy on ‘allowing’ beer to be sold in Selangor and it wants PAS to unite with Umno in propagating this stand. The impression being created is that Umno is opposed to beer being sold in Selangor. But only today is it opposed to the sale of beer. For 51 years, when Selangor was under Umno, it was not opposed to the sale of beer. It is only opposed to the sale of beer now that it no longer rules the state. Hasan Ali, the man behind the secret talks with Umno soon after the 8 March 2008 general election, has of course jumped onto the bandwagon in ‘defence’ of Islam. He wants Selangor to ban the sale of liquor and beer in the state, or at least in Malay-majority neighbourhoods or townships like Shah Alam. That is all well and fine. I am certainly in support of eradicating immoral activities. And I will support not only Muslims but also Jews, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists and whatnot to see this happen. But this is not what is behind the brouhaha. The issue is not about eradicating vice. It is about trying to embarrass the Pakatan Rakyat state government and in the same process create a rift between PAS and its other partners, DAP and PKR. First of all, how would we define Malay-majority townships? What percentage of the population would have to be Malay before it is classified as Malay-majority neighbourhoods or townships? Malays make up about 51% of the population of Selangor. So would that particular neighbourhood or township have to have at least a 90% population to be classified as Malay-majority? Or is 70% a more realistic percentage since it would be almost impossible to find a township with a 90% Malay-majority population? TO READ MORE : http://mt.m2day.org/2008/content/view/25592/84/

NAZRI ABDUL AZIZ – DECLARED JOKER OF THE YEAR!

GAVIN KHOO

JULY 17 — Each year this blog nominates a few individuals to be crowned the Joker of the Year. It is a bit unique this year. This is only the month of July and nomination is already closed and a winner declared.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz is the grand winner of 2009. He cautioned against pointing the finger at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for Teoh Beng Hock’s death.

I would like to inform Nazri of what I think of the MACC in this incident. The commission is wrong for abusing its investigation and interrogation procedure. Was Teoh a criminal? Would he abscond?

Why must the commission conduct its interrogation after office hours until wee hours in the morning? Why can’t officers of the commission conduct the session during office hours the next day?

I am not suggesting a murder here but clearly the commission has a lot to explain for neglecting the safety of a person under their custody. Worse, this person was not even a suspect.

The commission should be sued for negligence.

Nazri’s insensitivity should be severely criticised. For once I agree with Mahathir that this man is not fit to be in the current cabinet. Recently, he verbally attacked several commissioners of Suhakam who called for a new state election in Perak and called them “crooks”.

It takes one to know one.

Nazri should make real his threats. He is welcome to come after this blogger. I am going to repeat it again; yes, the MACC was responsible for the death of Teoh Beng Hock. It could also be a breach of the commission’s ethics and procedure. — khookaypeng.blogspot.com

NAJIB’S 100TH DAY IN OFFICE AND HIS PROMISE

THE MALAYSIAN INSIDER

By Lee Wei Lian

KUALA LUMPUR, July 11 — To mark his 100th day in office, the prime minister pledged that his government would be accountable to voters.

He also announced a slew of measures, including a cut in road tolls and an increase in the number of individual taxi permits, in a bid to build on his high approval rating so far to win back support for the Barisan Nasional (BN).

In a televised address to the nation, Datuk Seri Najib Razak also outlined the focus of his administration would be in six key areas:

• The prevention of crime;

• The fight against corruption;

• Access to quality education;

• The improvement of the living standards for the lower income group;

• Improvement of rural infrastructure;;

• Improvement of public transportation.

“We must be responsible to the rakyat. It is all about performance now, performance driven government,” he told a special gathering at the KLCC Convention Centre here to mark his 100 days in office.

Despite scoring an approval rating of 65 per cent in a recent poll by the independent Merdeka Center, Najib has come under fire from his allies and rivals alike in recent days, especially over his reversal of the English policy and also the economic liberalisation programme.

He appears to be ignoring the criticism and is now staking his administration on winning over ordinary Malaysians.

Besides offering motorists a 20 per cent discount for those who use toll roads more than 80 times a month and increasing the number of individual taxi permits by 3,000, he also announced:

• The allocation of 44,000 units in public housing projects to be offered for sale to tenants;

• A 50 per cent reduction in license fees for petty traders in the Federal Territories;

• Drastic steps to be taken to combat crime and graft of which details would be announced later;

• A pledge to settle birth registration issues in east Malaysia;

• A pledge to settle citizenship applications in East Malaysia;

• A pledge to build up to 1,500 kilometres of rural roads;

• Efforts to be made to improve water and electricity supply to east Malaysia;

• A reduction in the cost of motorcycle riding courses from RM500 to RM211;

• A new Amanah Saham 1 Malaysia with 10 billion units offered for sale to all Malaysians above 18.

The prime minister stayed on his signature 1 Malaysia message throughout the event and the festivities reflected that.

There was no talk of the supremacy or privileges of any ethnic group.

Instead, the increasingly familiar refrain of unity among all races and putting the public first was repeated several times.

Formalities were noticeably low key, save for the red carpet, and the seating arrangements were deliberately left open to encourage cabinet ministers to mingle with the public.

“Whether Malay, Chinese, Indian, Sikh, Iban, Kadazan, Bidayuh, Orang Asli, Siamese, we are all Malaysian citizens. If we can move together as one team, one people, one nation, we will be greatly successful,” said Najib.

Perhaps to drive home his commitment towards fostering racial unity and acceptance, the printed text of his speech was delivered to him by a symbolic retinue of 11 children consisting of different ethnicities from east and west Malaysia.

The most humorous moments came when Najib reminisced about his walkabouts during the first few days of office, when he visited derelict flats, ate “tosai” in Brickfields, bought fake Louise Vuitton bags at Petaling street and inhaled the stinking pollution at the infamous Pudu bus station so much so that “the smell still sticks till today.”

He noted that his directives to improve conditions at the locales he visited are being carried out quickly, including a makeover of the Pudu bus station and plans for a Little India in Brickfields.

He left unanswered, however, the question of what happens if the prime minister is too busy or unable to do walkabouts?

Najib also extended an olive branch to critics of the government’s human rights record.

“The era of government knows best is over,” he said.  “We will consult the public including on the review of the Internal Security Act and this includes consulting the Bar Council and other NGOs.”

100 Days Hence: A Destroyer Has Emerged, Not A Builder

SUARA KEADILAN

By Wong Choon Mei

As his supporters busied themselves showering and shielding him with praises, Prime Minister Najib Razak is actually sitting neither pretty nor securely at all despite the massive outpourings of sycophancy.

Sycophants may be voters but not all voters are sycophants. No amount of contrivance can hide the under-performance nor the fact that he will go down in history as the PM who caused the greatest disunity amongst the people in his first 100 days in office.

Not only did he alienate the non-Malays with a power grab in Perak, he fractured his own community with his proposals of “unity” with PAS, the second biggest Malay party after Umno.

Najib also shattered the integrity of the country’s judiciary with pressure on the courts to dish out extraordinary rulings that have been condemned by the legal fraternity.

While this helped him cling to power in Perak, the seriousness of the loss of confidence in the country and its system has dealt a death-blow that has yet to be fully felt by Malaysians. The repercussion cannot be under-estimated and will reverberate on the economy for years to come.

As for his 1Malaysia slogan, it is better known as 1BlackMalaysia and wearing black has becomede rigeur amongst the young and the professional despite a nationwide scare campaign he launched with the help of his cousin, Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein.

We know what he has destroyed, but what has he built?

So in the past 100 days, what has Najib done? The pattern that has emerged is one of destruction, not construction. Ask yourselves, what has Najib built?

On the economic front, he has tried to create an image of change by liberalizing the economy but whether the headline announcements will do anything to bring back investments to the country is doubtful. Again TRUST is the all important word and once broken, it may be forever lost.

Confidence in the rule of law is vital, not just to foreigners but also to Malaysians. And this must be as per international standards, not according to his warped views nor those of his Chief Justice Zaki Azmi!

But sadly, what people see when they look at the country these days is the corruption, which has not changed, the police brutality, which has also not changed, the sham trials in the Perak crisis, which are new, and the overt manipulation in the sodomy case against Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, which has recurred.

Is it surprising then that they see in Malaysia a country that can no longer be TRUSTED? For this deterioration, Najib will have to take the blame .

Even in the dismantling of the PPSMI, the policy of teaching Math and Science in English, his government looks insincere by setting a far-off 2012 implementation deadline instead of 2010. After wasting six years and at least RM4 billion of taxpayers’ money, will Najib really make the switch or will he find a new excuse later on?

A preference for form rather than substance

It has also become obvious in the past 100 days that ‘face’ is important to Najib. A vain personality, he has shown ruthlessness in standing his ground even when he is in the wrong.

Flashy overseas trips, including to China and South Korea, plus incessant talk of his “late father” were his reality. All these while ordinary Malaysians were struggling with a fast-sinking economy, job losses, gross abuse of power by the police, tensions in Perak and merciless crackdowns on democracy.

In his first 100 days, Najib also arrested more people than even ex-PM Mahathir Mohamad during the infamous Operasi Lalang in 1980s.

Ask yourselves, which other Malaysian PM has ever resorted to banning people from wearing black shirts? Indeed, this triviality is the real revelation of his calibre, not the obligatory round of cheers ringing through the Umno-BN media. That is merely sham praise for a sham PM.

For a true PM would listen to the people and try to correct the wrongs and reinforce the rights. He would build, not destroy.

The Pakatan Rakyat did not have to do anything to whittle down his 1Malaysia concept, he did it all himself with his doublespeak. It is on record for Malaysians to assess for themselves if he is indeed a leader whom they can trust.

Saifuddin: Najib spent 100 days copying our ideas

THE MALAYSIAN INSIDER

By Lee Wei Lian

KUALA LUMPUR, July 11 – PKR leader Saifuddin Nasution has criticised the prime minister’s key policy achievements in his first hundred days in office as lacking in originality and a copy of Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) ideas.

Since taking office on April, Datuk Seri Najib Razak has spoken frequently about his 1 Malaysia philosophy which is aimed at fostering national unity among the different ethnic groups in Malaysia.

He has also risked the wrath of his pro-Malay party and made several key policy decisions widely perceived as an attempt to win back lost non-Malay support to the Barisan Nasional (BN).

These include announcing a new category of merit-based scholarships and a recent declaration that ethnic-based quotas are outdated policies that hamper the nation’s competitiveness, which appear to be similar to PR’s official stand made before the general election last year that there should be no racial discrimination.

“Najib has successfully hijacked the ideas of Pakatan to win back the support of the non-Malays,” the PKR election director and Machang member of parliament told The Malaysian Insider.

“The liberalisation of the 27 sub-sectors of the services industry, the national scholarships based on merit and the lifting of the 30 per cent Bumiputera quotas (for companies going for listing), I see it as Najib ripping off the ideas originally from Pakatan. But he cannot go on copying our original ideas.”

He complained of the irony in the way the mainstream media had treated Najib’s policy announcements.

“If it had been from us, the BN-controlled media would have said we are betraying the Malays. But when it is from Najib, he is hailed as a great leader.”

He added, however, that if the policies are for the public good, he has no objections to them.

Najib’s approval ratings have surged since he took office according to independent pollster the Merdeka Centre, jumping by nearly 20 points from 46 per cent in May to 65 per cent by the end of June.

The rise was most dramatic amongst the Chinese. The percentage of Chinese who approve of Najib doubled from 24 per cent in May to 48 per cent in June.

His support amongst both the Indians and Malays was 74 per cent, up from 64 and 53 per cent respectively.

WHERE GOT RM24 MILLION ONE? ONLY RM3 MILLION MAH! RM21 MILLION DISCOUNT LAH!

MALAYSIA TODAY

SHAH ALAM: Former Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo is again embroiled in controversy, this time over his sprawling bungalow in Section 7 near here. The still empty bungalow which was estimated to cost RM24mil, was said to have been built on two bungalow lots. It was claimed that Dr Mohd Khir had bought the lots for RM2.9mil and RM900,000 respectively before building his bungalow. He was also alleged to have spent about RM20mil on fixtures as well as furniture imported from Bali. The issue on Dr Mohd Khir’s bungalow first surfaced in a blog during the run-up to the Umno election early this year. The blog also carried aerial photographs of the bungalow. Yesterday, Sekinchan assemblyman Ng Suee Lim accompanied members of the media to view the bungalow from up close. He also raised questions on how Dr Mohd Khir had financed its construction. From a small hill behind the bungalow, several other smaller buildings could be seen around the bungalow which was surrounded by a beautifully manicured lawn. The whole area is protected by a very high wall, part of which seems to made of broken marble. The front gate is massive, and of ornately carved steel while the side entrance of the gate is a carved wooden door. Ng claimed the bungalow has a swimming pool and a playground, although they could not be seen from the hill. Ng questioned how Dr Mohd Khir could afford to build such a huge bungalow on his Mentri Besar’s salary. Urging the Malaysian Anti-Corrup-tion Commission to investigate the matter, Ng also questioned how Dr Mohd Khir could have purchased the second bungalow plot for only RM900,000 when its market price was much higher. “He was only a dentist and had even lived in a rented house in Sekinchan before becoming an assemblyman. How could he have amassed so much money to buy this property?” he asked. Ng also passed to reporters copies of land search documentation, which he claimed confirmed that Dr Mohd Khir and his wife Datin Seri Zaharah Kechik were the owners of the land where the bungalow was built. This is the latest controversy that Dr Mohd Khir had to contend with since the last general election when Barisan Nasional lost Selangor to Pakatan Rakyat. In March he was summoned before the Select Committee on Competence, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat) regarding the disbursement of state agency funds to Balkis – the Wives of Selangor Assemblymen and MPs Welfare and Charity Organisation – when he was the Mentri Besar. In May, he was suspended for a year from the state assembly without privileges for his refusal to appear before the committee. – (THE STAR)

It’s PAS Versus Umno At Manek Urai, No Independents

SUARA KEADILAN

Wong Choon Mei

An intense and emotional campaign is expected to kick off now that the Election Commission has confirmed that the Manek Urai by-election will be a straight fight between Umno and PAS.

About 15,000 supporters thronged the quiet town, creating a festive atmosphere with their kompang beats, loud cheers and also jeers as they accompanied the two main protagonists for the state seat to the nomination centre at SMK Sultan Yahya Petra 1.

Man-of-hour was PAS spiritual adviser and Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Aziz Nik Mat as he led his party’s candidate Mohd Fauzi Abdullah to file in nomination papers.

PAS president Hadi Awang was also present to lend a hand, along with other Pakatan Rakyat leaders including Azmin Ali, Zaid Ibrahim and Tan Seng Giaw.

Umno candidate Tuan Aziz Tuan Mat was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, Rural Development Minister Shafie Apdal, Women Affairs Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil and party Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin.

But despite the presence of top brass from the federal cabinet, Umno supporters were easily outnumbered by at least three to one.

Although seven sets of nominations forms had been sold, only PAS and Umno filed their papers on Monday. But even if Independent candidates had emerged, the by-election would still have been waged primarily between arch foes PAS and Umno.

A PAS stronghold coveted by Najib

For Manek Urai is a core Malay heartland, part of Kelantan’s green belt, and a long-held PAS enclave. The seat fell vacant after its assmblyman Ismail Yaacob died from illness in May.

Both pretenders to his crown – Mohd Fauzi and Tuan Aziz – are local men and well known to the Manek Urai folk.

But despite being a PAS bastion, a heated contest is expected.

Thanks to recent ‘unity’ offers and jibing from Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is also Umno president, all eyes are now on the outcome of the contest.

Najib has been trying to knock together a power pact with PAS, claiming Malay and Muslim unity, although PAS members are disinclined to believe him.

They have counter-accused the PM of trying to weaken their party and thereby their Pakatan Rakyat coalition with PKR and DAP.

As PAS has already publicly and emotionally rejected the high-profile offer, the result will be closely watched as a referendum on Najib and his waning appeal to the Malay community.

Having lost in five of the past six by-elections, the heat will now be even greater on him as he approaches his 100 days in office with little to show that he can snap the Umno-BN’s losing streak.

Not only has he antagonised the non-Malays, his relentless efforts to ‘woo’ PAS which at times appear more like attempts to belittle and ridicule the Islamist party may well have further solidified existing tensions within the Malay community itself.

Emotional and intense campaign expected

According to latest data from the EC, there are 12,293 voters, including 25 postal voters. Of these, 99 percent are Malays, 0.5 percent Chinese and 0.3 percent Indians.

The constituency is also one of the four state seats that make up the Kuala Krai parliamentary constituency. The other three are Mengkebang, Guchil and Dabong,

PAS’ Mohd Fauzi is the Kuala Krai party treasurer. He is an affluent and self-made trader with a thriving wholesale fish business, and already very active in local politics.

At 39 years of age, Tuan Aziz is 11 years younger than his main rival Mohd Fauzi. Tuan Aziz also has a completely different profile although he too is a local boy. A Universiti Teknologi Malaysia graduate, he is the former Kesedar project monitoring division manager.

While voters in rural Malaysia tend to pick Wakil Rakyat or state representatives based on their familiarity with the candidate and his ability to service them, this time, it is likely that they will also vote to make a statement on the recent spate of politicking at national-level.

Chief among these would of course be Najib’s unity talks that sparked an internal quarrel in PAS and the consequent attacks against Nik Aziz, who is revered within his party and throughout the state.

“We don’t think all the voters here fully support PAS and Nik Aziz,” DPM Muhyiddin, who is also Umno deputy president, told reporters after nominations closed.

Still, a main question that Umno will have to contend with will be why the 55-year old Najib has persistently shied away from public debate with the 78-year old religious scholar, despite his showy offers of unity talks with PAS.

As Nik Aziz put it: “I just want to ask two things – why reject Islam and embrace nationalism, and what is wrong with the policy implemented by PAS, especially in Kelantan.”

Liberalisasi Ekonomi: Najib Cuma Nak Jadi Popular, Kata Mahathir

SUARA KEADILAN

Tun Mahathir Mohamad membidas Perdana Menteri Najib Razak atas langkahnya membuka ruang semakin luas untuk pelabur asing mengambil kepentingan dalam ekonomi negara.

Mahathir berkata langkah-langkah yang diumumkan oleh Najib hanya bertujuan untuk meraih populariti dan tidak akan membantu kaum Melayu, Cina atau pun India.

Antara yang diumumkan oleh Najib ialah pemansuhan beberapa syarat untuk melindungi kepentingan bumiputera dan kaum lain dalam sektor-sektor utama termasuk pelaburan asing.

Syarikat- syarikat yang disenaraikan di Bursa Kuala Lumpur tidak lagi perlu memperuntukan 30 peratus saham kepada Bumiputera sebagaimana yang ditetapkan sebelum Najib mengambil alih kerajaan Barisan Nasional April lalu.

“Saya berpendapat segala langkah itu lebih bertujuan untuk menjadi popular,” kata Mahathir merujuk kepada langkah-langkah Najib meliberalisasikan ekonomi untuk menarik pelaburan asing.”Saya tak tahu sama ada langkah-langkah ini akan membantu eknomi, sebab hakikatnya ekonomi Malaysia telah berkembang sejak kemerdekaan,” tambah mantan Perdana Menteri itu.

“Ekonomi kurang rancak sekarang, tetapi ini adalah kerana faktor persekitaran luaran, bukannya kerana perkara-perkara didalam negara,” Mahathir berkata.

Mahathir berkata Najib harus berwaspada terhadap pelabur asing yang mahukan kawalan sepenuh ke atas syarikat-syarikat pengurusan dana kerana “mereka tidak ada sebarang nilai kesetiaan kepada negara.”

“Mereka berada di negara ini untuk membuat untung. Apabila mereka tidak dapat berbuat demikian, mereka meninggalkan negara ini dan kita menanggung kesannya,” kata Mahathir.

Ketika menangani krisis ekonomi Asia pada tahun 1997-98, Mahathir mengekalkan dasar-dasar ekuti dan peruntukan saham bumiputera dan enggan membuka secara bebas sektor-sektor utama seperti perbankan kepada pelabur asing.

Beliau telah berpaut kepada prinsip bahawa Malaysia memerlukan pelaburan asing untuk merancakan pertumbuhan ekonomi negara, Namun pada masa sama Mahathir lantang menekankan keperluan melindungi peniaga bumiputera dan industri tempatkan daripada menjadi mangsa pengambil alihan syarikat-syarikat antarabangsa.

Mahathir sebelum ini telah mengelar Najib sebagai lemah dan pengecut apabila beliau menjadi Timbalan Perdana Menteri kepada Abdullah Badawi.

Kritikan terbaru secara terbuka Mahathir mencerminkan rasa tidak puas hati di kalangan pelbagai pihak, khususnya akar umbi UMNO terhadap mainan politik  Najib bersabit hak keistimewaan kaum bumiputera, semata-mata untuk meraih sokongan pengundi bukan Melayu.

Khir in a pickle over palatial mansion

THE MALAYSIAN INSIDER

A partial view of the mansion which former Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo is allegedly building. — Picture by Jack Ooi

SHAH ALAM, July 6 — Selangor’s opposition leader is in the spotlight again, this time for allegedly building a palatial mansion which dwarfs the infamous Istana Zakaria built by the late Port Klang assemblyman Datuk Zakaria Md Deros.

DAP’s Ng See Lim today revealed documents which allegedly confirms allegations which first surfaced over the Internet months ago that Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo owns the mansion on Jalan Suasa 7/1L in Shah Alam.

The Sekinchan assemblyman said the resort-like home of the former mentri besar had been built on two plots of land measuring over 50,000 sq ft or 1.17acres.Ng, who produced documents from the State Land Department said, Dr Khir had purchased one lot measuring 31,794 sq feet for RM2.9million while another lot measuring 20,427 sq feet was purchased for RM900,000.

He further alleged that the mansion, which sits behind high walls, was built at a further cost of RM20 million.

“I would like Dr Mohd Khir, who was a dentist before becoming mentri besar for eight years, to explain how he accumulated so much wealth that he could afford to build the house that cost at least RM24 million.”

Pictures of a palatial mansion surfaced on the Internet just before the Umno elections.

Asked about it then, Dr Khir said it was the work of his enemies in Umno.

Photographs of the property which show a swimming pool and several buildings first surfaced on the antikhirtoyo.blogspot website on March 20.

Dr Khir, who had been a frontrunner in the Umno Youth chief’s contest, eventually lost the election to Khairy Jamaluddin.