Angkasa Taken to Court !

http://www.mmail.com.my/content/63558-angkasa-taken-court#comment-47945

(11 FEB 2011)

Angkasa taken to court

Submitted by Najiah on Friday, February 11th, 2011
Angkatan Koperasi Kebangsaan Malaysia Berhad (Angkasa)
Five co-ops take apex body to court with simmering allegations
Frankie D'Cruz
NADIRAH H. RODZI
Friday, February 11th, 2011 13:25:00

KUALA LUMPUR: Crisis-ridden apex cooperative movement Angkatan Koperasi Malaysia (Angkasa) — with a membership of close to eight million — has been slammed with a suit by five cooperatives alleging criminal breach of trust, mismanagement, misappropriation and abuse of power by eight key officials.

The five cooperatives have alleged the officials of Angkasa had cost the national cooperative organisation of Malaysia, that has 7,688 cooperatives under its wings, to suffer losses running into millions of ringgit. The suit was filed amid a claim this morning by the Adviser to the Cooperative Union of Malaysia, Thuraisingham Shun, that 75 per cent of civil servants were in debt with financial institutions over various loans.

He said the figure, suggested by a Universiti Malaya economist, was a further indicator that Angkasa was in shambles and that today’s suit was a move to revamp the body. Shun said Angkasa’s operations should be suspended and the accounts frozen until the court has made a decision. The officials implicated are Angkasa president Prof Datuk Mohd Ali Bahrum, Datuk Fatah Abdullah (deputy president), Armi Zainuddin Mutadho Bahri, Jamal Abdullah (all vice-presidents), chief executive officer Nasir Khan Yahya, executive secretary Mohd Zamri Yaakob and chief accountant Suresh Kumar.

The plaintiffs are Koperasi Rangkaian Sahabat Dungun Bhd, Koperasi Insan Bantu Insan Kuala Lumpur Bhd, Koperasi Konsortium Kontraktor Bumiputera Bhd, Koperasi Pembangunan Melayu Raub Berhad and Koperasi Pengurusan Tanah Malaysia Bhd.

The cooperatives filed an originating summons with the Kuala Lumpur High Court (Appellate and Special Powers) this morning seeking a declaration to suspend the officials for allegedly:

● taking more than a million ringgit in allowances for attending board meetings from 2007-2009. The president was accused of taking RM155,118 in 2008.
● failing in their fiduciary responsibilities in the purchase of a land in Kelana Jaya and causing a loss of RM6.5 million in the deal with Malaysian Association of Productivity.
● approving and spending RM500,000 for a delegates’ conference, including allowances, in 2009 in violation of by-laws.
● spending RM1.27 million to buy seven Toyota Camry for their personal use just before Hari Raya last year while only RM400,000 was authorised for that purpose.
● approving and spending RM500,000 over and above the sanctioned budget of RM1.5 million in 2009 without permission.
● abusing their powers in suspending three members of the State liaison committee for three years.
● paying unauthorised allowances to officials of the Malaysian Cooperative Societies Commission, and other government officials who attended several board meetings. These payments were viewed as corruption.
● making false media statements that Angkasa had made a profit of RM2 billion for the financial year ending 30th June 2010.
Fatah and Muhtadho were also said to have failed to relinquish their positions at the ensuing annual general meeting after they were appointed to fill the vacant position of vice-president temporarily following the demise of the former president Datuk Rahim Bakar in 2009.

In the supporting affidavit, a director of Koperasi Rangkaian Sahabat Dungun, Datuk Seri Noor Zainan Zainul, said despite reports to the police, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and the Malaysian Cooperative Societies Commission, no action had been taken by the defendants to resolve the issues.

The cooperatives, through their lawyers, applied to the court to suspend the entire board and requested for a court administrator to manage the affairs of Angkasa. They also sought a forensic audit to ascertain the true financial situation in Angkasa and refer the findings to a special general meeting.

Noor Zainan led four representatives of the other cooperatives to file the affidavit through their lawyer Moghan Muthiah at 10.30am. Shun later told reporters the five cooperatives would file a certificate of urgency for speedy hearing of the matter.

He said the affected co-operatives had sent a letter to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on Jan 31 and were hoping to meet him to address the state of cooperatives in the country. Angkasa, registered in May 1971, is recognised by the government as the national apex body of cooperative organisations.



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Kerajaan Cetus Keganasan: White House

http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2011&dt=0204&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Luar_Negara&pg=lu_02.htm

(4 Feb 2011)

Kerajaan cetus keganasan - White House

WASHINGTON 3 Feb. - White House semalam membangkitkan kemungkinan kerajaan Mesir mencetuskan keganasan yang sedang memuncak di Kaherah semalam apabila puak yang menyokong Presiden Hosni Mubarak melakukan pertempuran.

Jurucakap White House, Robert Gibbs juga mengulangi gesaan Presiden Barack Obama supaya peralihan kuasa yang teratur dimulakan 'sekarang'.

"Sudah tentulah jika keganasan itu dicetuskan oleh kerajaan, ia perlu dihentikan segera," kata Gibbs. Pentadbiran Obama turut menghubungi ketua tentera Mesir, untuk menekankan keperluan ketenteraman dipulihkan di Kaherah sambil memuji peranan utama yang boleh dimainkan oleh tentera dalam menyelesaikan krisis itu.

Gibbs tidak menggesa Mubarak meletakkan jawatan dengan segera tetapi katanya, peralihan kuasa mesti bermula serta-merta. Ketika ditanya sama ada White House boleh menerima Mubarak meneruskan perkhidmatannya sehingga September ini, Gibbs berkata, beliau enggan membincangkan butir perbualan Obama dengan Presiden Mesir itu.

Namun, Senator John McCain yang menemui Obama di White House berkata, 'Sudah tiba masanya untuk Mubarak berundur.'

"Situasi yang semakin buruk di Mesir mendorong saya membuat kesimpulan Presiden Mubarak perlu berundur dan melepaskan kuasa," kata McCain, anggota kanan Parti Republikan dalam Jawatankuasa Perkhidmatan Bersenjata di Senat, dalam satu kenyataan. - Reuters



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Floods in Malaysia: 40,000 Evacuated !

Comment:

So much for the big floods in Queensland, Australia a few weeks back... Now Johore, Negeri Sembilan, Malacca, Pahang and Sabah has its own floods to worry. The question now is, how quick is the government in landing a helping hand to ease the floods' victims, with their temporary shelters, or accommodations, foods, medicines, and others.

[Queensland Floods: Significant flooding occurred in many areas of Queensland during late December 2010 and early January 2011, with three quarters of the state declared a disaster zone.

http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/ ; Also see,

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/breaking-news/floodrelief ]


http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/2/1/nation/7914433&sec=nation
(1 February 2011)


40,000 evacuated to relief centres as floods hit five states

JOHOR BARU: Floodwaters have cut off communications in several towns in Johor, Negri Sembilan, Malacca, Pahang and Sabah while nearly 40,000 people were evacuated to relief centres.

So far three people were killed – two were swept away by strong currents while one fell into a pool. Another person is missing. Thousands of commuters going back to their hometowns for the Chinese New Year holidays were disrupted by floods on trunk roads and a section of the North-South Expressway.

KTM Berhad was forced to cancel several intercity train services in Negri Sembilan and Johor. Rohani Ismail, 51, was killed when the car she was driving was swept away by floodwaters from an oil palm plantation in Cha’ah, Johor at about 7pm. Aw Yoke Lin, 53, from Taman Pelangi was killed when her four-wheel drive vehicle was swept into a river at Kampung Rahmat, Kulaijaya.

Some 1,426 people from 342 families have been evacuated from their homes in Kulai and have taken refuge at 11 relief centres. “For the time being, there are sufficient supplies of food, medical aid and shelter for affected residents,” said Kulai MP Tan Sri Ong Ka Ting, adding the situation there was under control.

In Malacca, rescuers recovered the body of security guard Yusry Mohd Yusof, 40, after he fell into a water treatment plant pool at 10am in Kampung Chinchin, Jasin.

In Sabah, farmer Meriting Andi, 52, went missing as he waded a swollen Sungai Samparita in Kota Marudu to rescue his stranded children on the other side of the river bank.

The Prime Minister is expected to visit the flood-prone areas in Johor today. A total of 29,294 people were evacuated in Johor and were housed in 200 relief centres as at 4pm yesterday, in a repeat of major floods which occurred in 2006.

Segamat has become an “island” after it was cut off by floodwaters. Police said no one can get in or out of Segamat as the roads to Muar, Johor Baru and Kuala Lumpur are under water.

A Ledang flood operations centre spokesman said four roads – Jalan Sialang-Tangkak, Jalan Gementah-Segamat, Jalan Simpang Bekoh and a stretch of the North-South Ex­­pressway near Km173 are only accessible to heavy vehicles.

Flash floods were also reported in Lahad Datu, Beluran and certain areas of Pitas, while many rural roads including those in plantations have been cut off by floods, making it difficult for vegetable farmers to send their produce to the main towns.



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