Saturday, February 27, 2010

Of lies and half-truths: what BERNAMA did not report


When asked what Johari would say, Malaysia Today was told that he will confirm that his office received a visit from several Chinese underworld figures to seek protection against the threats and intimidation they received from the MACC. The MACC wanted them to retract their statements about Musa Hassan’s complicity with the Along.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

I have said this before and I will say it again: there is currently a ‘war’ going on between the Malaysian government-owned and government-controlled mainstream media and what they call ‘the alternative media’. And who is winning this war? I really don’t know so you will have to be the judge of that. But I would like to believe that the mainstream media is being utterly overwhelmed by the alternative media.

In fact, you could even say that the alternative media has taken over the role of the mainstream media. Of course, there are those who would say you must not believe everything you read on the Internet. Well, again, you will have to be the judge of that -- but I would dare venture that thus far the government has not been able to rebut a lot of what Blogs such as Malaysia Today have revealed.

The government modus operandi is to deny (that is also what the American presidents are told to do). Deny what the alternative media says without giving the government’s side of the story. Just deny. They also distort the news and print half-truths. For example, like in my son’s case, they sent Suhakam to the prison and then the mainstream media announced that my son’s wound was self-inflicted.

Did I say it was not self-inflicted? Did I say that the guards held him down and shoved the razor blade down his throat? Did I not say that my son slashed his wrist and then swallowed the razor blade, meaning self-inflicted? So why the need to ‘confirm’ what I had already said, and then spin it as if they are ‘correcting’ what I said? The way they spun it was as if I said the opposite to what Suhakam found out whereas what Suhakam said was exactly what I said.

Can you see how it works now?

Now, to understand the mainstream media you need to read not what they say but what they DO NOT say. But then how do you read what they DO NOT say if they do not say it? Ah, that is what Malaysia Today is for. Malaysia Today will then reveal what they did not say -- the missing pieces, the gaps in the story -- so that you can see the bigger picture.

And this is why Malaysia Today is very dangerous to those who walk in the corridors of power. And that is why they are offering me a deal. I can come home and everything will be peachy-rosy and honky-dory like it used to be. But the deal is I must stop writing. I will be put on what they call ‘police supervision’. I need to report to the police headquarters in Bukit Aman from time to time. And I must surrender my passport over to the government and not stray more than 10 kilometres from my home.

In short, I shall be put under a sort of house arrest, like what happened to Ustaz Badrul Amin back in 2001. I may not write, meet a ‘crowd’ of more than four people, or give public talks (ceramah). I must stay indoors (in my own home) from 8.00pm to 6.00pm, and all that – just like the terms and conditions they imposed on Ustaz Badul Amin back in 2001.

Okay, enough digressing. Let us cut to the chase and get to the issue I want to talk about today. But before that first read the Bernama report below.

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Former commercial crime director’s case decision on March 12

The Sessions Court here today set March 12 to rule on former Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department director Datuk Ramli Yusuff who is facing two charges of failing to declare ownership of shares and interests in two properties worth more than RM1 million.

Judge M. Gunalan fixed the date after hearing submissions from deputy public prosecutor Datuk Abdul Razak Musa and Ramli’s counsel Datuk Seri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah.

A total of 35 prosecution witnesses had testified during the trial, including Ramli’s two younger sisters Roslina and Rohmah.

Ramli’s friend, Datuk Ling Keak Ming, who assisted the former senior police officer sisters in acquiring the two shop-lots at Jalan Yap Kwan Seng here, also testified.

Ramli, 57, was charged with failing to declare the ownership of 20,000 Telekom Malaysia Berhad shares, 154,000 Permaju Industries Berhad shares and interests in two office properties worth RM1,032,840.

The offences were allegedly committed at the office of the ACA deputy public prosecutor in Putrajaya on Sept 17, 2007. — Bernama, 25 February 2010

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Read it? Okay, now let’s have some fun. Let’s tear to pieces this Bernama report and fill in the gaps in their story. Then you will be able to see the bigger picture, which is not contained in the Bernama report.

On Thursday, 25 February 2010, Bernama reported that the decision in the case of Dato' Ramli Yusuff, the former Director of the Commercial Crimes Investigations Department (CCID) of the Malaysian police force (PDRM), will be delivered on 12 March 2010. Bernama also highlighted that a total of 35 prosecution witnesses had testified during Ramli’s trial -- which included his two younger sisters as well as his old friend of 30 years, Datuk Ling Keak Ming.

By reporting all this, Bernama made it appear like the MACC had lined up so much evidence and that so many witnesses had testified against Ramli. They are painting the scenario that the evidence against Ramli was so overwhelming that even his own family and friends testified AGAINST him.

That couldn’t be further from the truth. That is what is called ‘journalistic slant’ or ‘spin-doctoring’, the magician’s tool used by journalists and newspapers to paint a certain ‘picture’ when the facts are not enough to support the story they are carrying.

The truth is Bernama was simply lying and telling half-truths. Utusan Malaysia did the same to lawyer Rosli Dahlan and then later had to profusely apologise for their “untruthful article and regret their conduct and the damage they caused him” (to quote what they printed later). Utusan Malaysia then acknowledged that their “article was written and published in a sensational manner to generate publicity which exceeded the parameters of ethical journalism surrounding the investigation of YDH Dato’ Pahlawan Ramli Hj Yusuff” (again to quote them).

Now flashback to 2007: what did the mainstream media sensationalise then?

Malaysians will probably still remember that the mainstream media carried on its front page the story of the ‘RM27 million cop’. This story was featured for weeks on end.

This story was calculated to overshadow what Ramli’s CCID was about to expose regarding IGP Musa Hassan’s complicity with the Chinese underworld Along (loan shark) syndicate. The ‘RM27 million cop’ story was to camouflage the plot by A-G Gani Patail and IGP Musa Hassan in pressuring the Deputy Home Minister, Dato’ Johari Baharom, to release the Along boss, Goh Cheng Poh @ Tengku Goh.

In the end, the criminal was released while six policemen plus the Director of the CCID and lawyer Rosli Dahlan were arrested.

A very chilling story was narrated by Musa Hassan’s ADC in his Statutory Declaration that Malaysia Today published at that time. Yet, there was total silence. In military terms – it was 'mission accomplished'. Ramli has been eliminated, and even if he gets acquitted he can never return to the PDRM as he has already reached retirement age.

Back to the charges against Ramli and I quote Bernama: “Ramli, 57, was charged with failing to declare the ownership of 20,000 Telekom Malaysia Berhad shares, 154,000 Permaju Industries Berhad shares and interests in two office properties worth RM1,032,840”.

So it was never RM27 million then! Why the newspaper headlines calling him the ‘RM27 million cop’?

Now, one very crucial element, which is missing from the Bernama report, is why wasn’t the verdict delivered on 25 February 2010? Why did Dato’ Razak Musa insist on further ‘oral submissions’ despite having already filed full written submissions? In short, why delay the verdict until 12 March 2010?

The answer is very simple. If the verdict to acquit Ramli were delivered on 25 February 2010, he would be a few days short of his 58th birthday, and therefore, technically, can still return to the PDRM.

You see, Ramli’s 58th birthday is on the 29th of February 2010. Yes, a leap year. And Ramli had signed on to serve until his 58th birthday. Therefore, if the PDRM is really short of successors to take over as IGP, as they claim, then Ramli can return to the police force and be offered a contract to serve two or three years whereby he can then clean up the entire force (which is bad news for the syndicate).

This is not impossible. After all, Christopher Wan was given an extended service by contract and then made the CID Director, regardless that he had never served as a crime officer. IGP Musa Hassan is a very good example of a man who has overstayed his welcome (three-year contract and due to be extended yet again to four years), resulting in all the ills in the police force that we are witnessing today.

Remember Judge Supang Lian's comment that IGP Musa Hassan is an untruthful witness when he acquitted Ramli of another charge in Sabah? Even the judge thinks that IGP Musa Hassan is a scumbag not fit to be the IGP and that Ramli was being fixed up.

So, to make sure that Ramli can never return to the PDRM whereby he will ‘haunt’ his persecutors, Prosecutor Razak Musa, IGP Musa Hassan and A-G Gani Patail plotted to delay the verdict. That is how much they fear Ramli. They know that Ramli will for sure expose them for what they are. They also know that Ramli would not play ball with these scumbags. Even during the Royal Commission of Inquiry on Anwar’s beating, Ramli would not play ball to cover up the black eye incident. And because of that IGP Rahim Noor was forced to resign and was sent to jail.

Ramli also eradicated the illegal immigrant problem in Sabah -- only to get into trouble with the Biro Tata Negara, which had issued Malaysian NRICs to these Indonesians and Filipinos. Do you now get the picture why Sabah and Sarawak are Barisan Nasional’s new power-base?

That is why Ramli can never be forgiven nor allowed to return to power.

Malaysia Today had previously related the story of how the MACC charged Ramli purely on the statement of one underworld operator, Moo Sai Chin, a known criminal and a self-confessed briber, murderer, pimp and everything else that an underworld kingpin is. Moo was under IGP Musa Hassan’s custody when he was purported to have been overcome by "a sudden wake of conscience" and revealed that he had bribed several police officers to cover up a murder case in Perak.

Moo never named Ramli in any of those reports. Instead, it was the MACC that lodged several cover reports against Ramli. Malaysia Today had tracked the suspicious reports from No. 098/07, which was based on No. 075/2007, which in turn was based on No. 072/2006, which, again, was based on No. 065/2006.

All these point to a conspiracy to eliminate Ramli.

Under cross-examination, DPP Kevin Anthony Morais, the Deputy Director of Prosecutions, MACC, already admitted that 28 out of the 35 witnesses were interviewed AFTER Ramli was charged, thereby confirming that the charges against Ramli were made hastily. The fact that Ramli was arrested and his only statement was recorded on that very morning, just before he was charged, is significant to show that he was fixed up by the MACC. In Dato’ Seri Shafee Abdullah’s words, that shows the recording of statement process was just a "melepaskan batuk ditangga". It showed that the MACC and A-G Gani Patail have decided to charge Ramli even before they took his statement.

In short, there was no proper or bona fide investigation.

Now, at the closing of the prosecution’s case, all that Malaysia Today has been saying since 2007 about the plot to get rid of Ramli Yusuff has been proven true. The same thing will be proven of the things that Malaysia Today said about lawyer Rosli Dahlan. It is already clear that there was no predicated offence to invoke the issuance of the section 32 Notices against either of them. The brutality suffered by Rosli Dahlan is already the subject of the RM50 million legal suit that he has filed.

That is another story altogether, however, and a very interesting story indeed.

With all these happening, Dato’ Johari Baharom also “suddenly had a wake of conscience”. One of his aides, Nazree, contacted Malaysia Today to say that Johari is very concerned about the six policemen’s fate. He added that Johari wants it made known that he is willing to be subpoenaed as a witness in these six police officers’ trial.

This is certainly going to be dynamite. Johari was the Deputy Home Minister at the centre of the entire controversy. What he would be saying would surpass a C4 explosion.

When asked what Johari would say, Malaysia Today was told that he will confirm that his office received a visit from several Chinese underworld figures to seek protection against the threats and intimidation they received from the MACC. The MACC wanted them to retract their statements about Musa Hassan’s complicity with the Along.

The pieces of the jigsaw puzzle are all now falling into place. Malaysia Today had previously posted the Statutory Declarations of these underworld figures and we were accused of publishing ‘lies’.

The question you may be asking is: why is Johari so brave now? Well, the answer is apparently connected to the rumour about the recent raid on Musa Hassan’s house that led to the discovery of RM1.5 million in cash! Do they still wish to deny this?

The Malays have a saying: takkan pokok bergoyang jika tiada angin, takkan ada asap jika tiada api….The English too have saying: There is no smoke without fire, London bridge is falling down……

news courtesy of Malaysia-today.net

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