[Kabar-indonesia] Malaysia PM Threatens Arrest Over Text, Internet "Rumours" [+BT; ST]

[JoyoNews at aol.com]

also: BT: Unseating Abdullah: history not on Dr M's side;
and ST: An attempt to silence Mahathir: Ex-minister

Agence France-Presse
August 2, 2006

Malaysia PM warns over text, Internet "rumours"

Malaysia's Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has threatened the arrest 
of people who stir unrest by spreading "rumours" via SMS and the Internet.

Abdullah said the government would monitor websites and blogs for seditious 
or slanderous material, which he said could undermine the country.

"We cannot allow the Internet or Short Messaging Service (SMS) to become a 
platform for people to spread rumours or threaten others," Abdullah was quoted 
as saying in the New Straits Times.

"If blogs and SMS are used to spread false reports which can cause disharmony 
and destabilise the economy, those responsible should be detained and 
questioned to find out why," he said in comments carried by the state Bernama news 
agency.

Abdullah's warning comes amid concern over growing racial and religious 
tensions 
in the mainly Muslim nation after a series of religion-related court cases, 
including 
a high-profile case of a woman who renounced Islam.

A coalition of activists is arguing that Malaysians have the constitutional 
right to freedom of religious practice, but conservative Muslims are angry over 
what they 
see as a threat to Islam.

Abdullah last week asked the coalition to stop holding public forums on the 
constitution and called for a halt to the discussion of religious issues.

The Malaysian media tends to practise strict self-censorship, and Malaysian 
news websites and blogs are well-known for providing alternate views to 
mainstream news coverage.

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Business Times (Singapore)
Tuesday, August 1, 2006

Unseating Abdullah: history not on Dr M's side

S Jayasankaran In Kuala Lumpur

NEITHER a pepper spray attack, nor age nor a heart condition is
deterring former premier Mahathir Mohamad from continuing with his
outbursts against his chosen successor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

An unknown assailant sprayed him in the capital of north-eastern
Kelantan state, as he traverses the country campaigning against the
prime minister.

Dr Mahathir, 81, has been diagnosed with a heart condition that is
being kept at bay through aggressive medication. That he continues
with his escalating attacks on the premier whom he personally picked
to replace Anwar Ibrahim - whom Dr Mahathir sacked in 1998 - speaks
volumes about his determination to unseat Mr Abdullah.

'I will continue,' Dr Mahathir told reporters in Kota Baru after the
attack. 'I don't give up easily.

That alone should send a chill down anyone's spine but analysts note
that history is against Dr Mahathir. No incumbent has ever been
unseated in the history of the ruling United Malays National
Organisation unless one includes the first prime minister, Tunku Abdul
Rahman, who it must be noted wanted to leave in any case.

The former prime minister's tactic seems clear enough - increasingly
vitriolic attacks on Mr Abdullah across the length and breadth of the
country to an audience of rank-and-file Umno members. By this,
analysts said that he hopes to address the party's grassroots and
thereby convince them to change its president Mr Abdullah.

The ex-premier has certainly ratcheted up his rhetoric. In Kota Baru,
he accused Mr Abdullah of breaking his promises. He alleged that the
premier's family was favoured in business deals from the government,
and even accused Mr Abdullah of weak leadership of the Organisation of
Islamic Countries. Malaysia is the current chair of the OIC.

It isn't clear how effective his attacks have been; Kelantan is his
first state visit, with Perlis and Johor next on his itinerary. He has
received invites from at least two Umno divisions to address them
despite disapproval from Kuala Lumpur.

Even so, and for all Dr Mahathir's fulminations, there is no channel
for Mr Abdullah's removal. A vote of no-confidence in either the
Parliament or Umno's Supreme Council, the party's highest policy
making body, is possible but highly unlikely, analysts said.

Still, Dr Mahathir's road show appears timed to culminate in Umno's
annual general assembly slated for November.

While these meetings are generally tightly controlled - with both
speakers and resolutions cleared beforehand by Kuala Lumpur - some
analysts are expecting Dr Mahathir to spring a surprise.

The most talked about possibility: that the former premier will appear
as a delegate, will receive a standing ovation and thereby send a
clear message to the leadership that he is still a formidable force to
be reckoned with. That could set the stage for a leadership tussle
next year when party polls are scheduled for every position from the
president down.

However, Mr Abdullah has remained passive and not directly attacked
his former boss which has won him some kudos among the party's rank
and file, for Dr Mahathir is generally revered by the party faithful.
But given the scale of Dr Mahathir's attacks, the gloves could come
off sooner rather than later.

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The Straits Times (SIngapore)
Tuesday, August 1, 2006

An attempt to silence Mahathir: Ex-minister

Reme Ahmad, Malaysia Bureau Chief

A third party other than two rival datuks was involved, he claims

KUALA LUMPUR - THE controversy over Friday's dramatic pepper spray
attack on Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was heightened yesterday when a
minister in his Cabinet took up the charge that it was a deliberate
attempt to silence the former prime minister.

The incident has gripped Malaysians here for the past few days, with
many versions about what happened, and why, flying about, some wilder
than the others.

Some are calling it the 'black pepper' incident, likening it to the
black eye that was delivered to former deputy prime minister Anwar
Ibrahim after he was ousted from the government.

Yesterday, Datuk Ibrahim Ali, a deputy minister in Tun Dr Mahathir's
Cabinet, dismissed earlier suggestions by Malaysian police that it was
a 'Datuk versus Datuk' showdown that led to the incident, when rival
camps of supporters jostled for the honour of ferrying Tun Dr Mahathir
around Kelantan.

This prompted a scuffle between the two groups which led to the pepper
spray being used, hitting the former PM in the process.

Rejecting this explanation, Datuk Ibrahim said that the incident
happened because a 'third party' wanted to stop the former premier
from speaking in Kelantan.

'I maintain that there is a third party involved. I don't know who
this is but they must be punished,' he told a news conference
specially called to give his side of the incident.

He declined to elaborate, but dropped enough hints to suggest the
attack was part of a political move to stop Tun Dr Mahathir from
continuing his verbal assault against the Abdullah administration.

Tun Dr Mahathir has become the fiercest critic of Prime Minister
Abdullah Badawi in recent months, causing confusion among Umno's three
million members and ruffling its top leaders.

Police say that the chief suspect was a 53-year-old Datuk who fired
the pepper canister at Datuk Ibrahim over a dispute on who should
drive Tun Dr Mahathir around Kelantan.

The government-friendly mainstream media has picked up on the theme:
the Datuk carried out the deed alone, because Datuk Ibrahim's group
was intent on being the one driving Dr Tun Mahathir.

The Datuk who is under suspicion is said to be an Umno Kelantan
leader. He has been held by police for questioning and is in a
Kelantan hospital after complaining of suffering from piles.

He is not recovering in peace, though.

The section of the government hospital where he is warded was
evacuated on Sunday after a bomb threat.

It was learnt that he has admitted to the police that he was behind
the attack, but did not give a motive.

As for Datuk Ibrahim, he said that the feud over transport could not
be the reason for the attack as he had agreed to let the other Datuk
drive Tun Dr Mahathir away.

However, this would be done only after the former prime minister had
addressed the welcoming crowd of 1,000 people at Kota Baru airport.

But as soon as Tun Dr Mahathir took hold of a loudhailer, the choking
spray hit him and he was bundled away to safety without saying a word.

Just minutes after the incident, SMSes were flying that police special
forces were involved in the incident.

This was quickly denied by the police, which warned that it would take
stern action against anyone spreading rumours of police complicity.

The police say that seven soldiers were 'hired' by the suspect Datuk
to provide security for Tun Dr Mahathir.

Another wild theory was that the group was trying to abduct the
81-year-old ex-premier so that he could not make his speaking
engagements during his day-trip to Kelantan.

Stories began to circulate that Tun Dr Mahathir had been kidnapped or
had even been involved in an an 'assassination' attempt.

Some cynics even speculated that his own supporters might have staged
the event to gain public sympathy.

It is understood that security for the former premier will be
tightened for future functions, as the government knows that should
anything untoward happen to Tun Dr Mahathir, public sentiment could
quickly turn against it.

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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