Saturday, June 30, 2012

Najib, the only PM in Malaysia that has yet to get the mandate from poll

Yes the people had given the mandate to Barisan Nasional, but they had not given it to Najib Razak as the   Prime Minister. The past 5 PMs had led in polls and won their respective mandates to prove their support from people. How about Najib? It has been longed overdue for holding the rein for more than 3 years.
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PM says not avoiding polls

June 30, 2012
Najib said an early election would waste the BN government’s mandate. — File pic
KUALA LUMPUR, June 30 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak said there was no lack of confidence in the Barisan Nasional (BN) and denied he was deliberately delaying the date of the general election as claimed by the opposition.
The prime minister said the BN was given the mandate by the people for five years to show its ability to lead and govern the country, bring progress and champion the people.
“If we call for a snap elections, it means that we have shortened the period given to us by the people.
“So the question of ‘not confident’ does not arise. For us, what is important is to show our ability to continue to champion the people,” he told reporters after chairing the BN supreme council meeting at the Putra World Trade Centre here, last night.
Najib, who is also Umno president and BN chairman, pointed out that the people had shown good response to transformation programmes implemented by the government.
This can be seen from his and his deputy, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s visits to the states, he said, adding that the support of the people was overwhelming and reflected growing confidence in the BN.
“We cannot be haughty, but our confidence level is based on the people’s reception to our visits and the 1 Malaysia-themed programmes,” he said.
Citing the Government Transformation Programme and the Economic Transformation Programme, he said: “We had delivered them which means (our confidence) is not without any particular assessment.”
Najib also said the programme hinged on engagement with various community groups such as the People’s 1 Malaysia Taxi programme (TR1MA).
In the meantime, he reminded the BN not to raise issues that might hurt the feelings of any race or pose a problem among BN component parties.
Commenting the opposition’s allegation that he had interfered in the Light Rail Transit’s Ampang Line, he said, “Everything is done properly. There’s no such thing.” — Bernama

Wife of City Harvest Founder in the Spotlight


Associated Press
Singaporean pop music singer Ho Yeow Sun, center, arrives at the Subordinate Courts in Singapore.
SINGAPORE – The arrest of five leaders from Singapore’s biggest church this week has thrust the founder’s wife – a singer whose musical career is at the center of the case – into the spotlight after years of moderate local success as a recording artist.
Ho Yeow Sun sold several hundred thousand records in recent years before her husband, who founded the City Harvest Church in Singapore, was arrested for allegedly using church funds to help advance her career. But she never achieved the kind of mainstream success at home that’s been enjoyed by other local artists such as Stefanie Sun and JJ Lin, who sold more albums in Singapore and were celebrated by local officials, including invitations to perform at National Day ceremonies and the Youth Olympic Games there.
Now Ms. Ho is getting lots of new attention in Singapore – albeit not under ideal circumstances. Online traffic to view YouTube clips featuring the artist is surging,
with videos receiving tens of thousands of hits and hundreds of comments over the past two days. Social media sites, meanwhile, are abuzz with debates over the merits of Ms. Ho’s work. Although many viewers, including City Harvest members, have defended her work as a singer, other Singaporeans have blasted her tunes while questioning whether her racy dancing style and dress are appropriate given her stated desire to spread Christianity.
Getty Images
Sun Ho at the Victoria’s Secret fashion show in New York, back in November 2009.
The arrests of Ms. Ho’s husband, Kong Hee, and four other executive members of the City Harvest megachurch were the result of a two-year investigation by Singapore’s Commissioner of Charities and the Commercial Affairs Department of the Singapore police. Prosecutors believe that charitable money from the church was used to help launch Ms. Ho’s career, including after she moved to Los Angeles, where she has been trying to build a career recently, without the knowledge of the church’s executive committee. Ms. Ho was not accused of wrongdoing.
The five who were arrested were charged with committing criminal breach of trust. Legal representatives for the accused have not commented on the matter and efforts to reach Ms. Ho and her manager and Mr. Kong have been unsuccessful.
Ms. Ho – better known as Sun Ho or simply “Sun” in the music world – got her start at the church itself, where she served as music pastor. She left the church in 2003 to pursue a musical career, and Mr. Kong and Ms. Ho started the “Crossover Project,” an initiative aimed at using Ms. Ho’s secular music – featuring Mandarin-language songs and dance beats – to reach out to non-Christians. Although her songs didn’t typically include explicitly Christian messages, she continued to sing at the church and tweeted about Christianity to her fans.
Ms. Ho’s initial albums enjoyed some success, selling several hundred thousands of copies. But even then Ms. Ho was accused by some Singapore residents of using church money to boost album sales – something church officials vigorously denied.
With songs distributed by Universal Music and Warner Music, each of which has a large regional presence Asia, Ms. Ho looked to expand her fan base by touring in places like Taiwan and Hong Kong. According to the official website for her Chinese music, some of her songs rose to #1 on the Taiwan MTV charts back in 2007. Efforts to contact the two record companies were unsuccessful, and neither of them currently lists Ms. Ho as a singer they represent on their websites.
Ms. Ho also began spending more time in Los Angeles to launch an English-language musical career, moving there in 2007. She collaborated with Fugees co-founder Wyclef Jean on a popularly-available track, “China Wine,” and released another English song, “Where Did Love Go,” produced by David Foster, who has worked with the likes of Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. One of only a few Asian singers to be invited to the Grammy Awards, she featured in a number of videos and interviews in Los Angeles.
Ms. Ho continued making headlines back home, though, with some residents arguing her short skirts and revealing outfits were inappropriate considering her religious mission.
In one song titled “Mr. Bill,” Ms. Ho dances in tight, revealing outfits and talks about killing her fictional husband, Bill, and “sending him to the cemetery” for making her “cook and clean.” In the opening sequence of the music video, she speaks Chinese to the fictional husband while wearing a cropped, oriental-styled top – inviting criticism that she is playing up to Asian stereotypes in a Western market.
Her video for “China Wine” has also been widely shared, featuring Ms. Ho and her dancers gyrating to the music of Wyclef Jean and Elephant Man. The song makes reference to a dance move called “dutty wine” that’s popular in the Caribbean and involves moving one’s hair and hips simultaneously.
Following the high-profile arrest of her husband, YouTube videos of her performances and interviews have received many more “dislikes” on the video-sharing site, though she also has received some support.
“I don’t understand how this song is supposed to send a message to the non-Christians to follow God,” said one YouTube commenter, shadowedmemoire, after viewing “Mr. Bill.” “Do I have to play the song backward or something?” Another blogger named Michelle said Ms. Ho’s lyrics were “insipid” and didn’t have “any discernable lyrical connections with Christian beliefs or morality beyond pedestrian references to love.”
A member of City Harvest Church, though, wrote “I have absolute trust in the fact that none of the money was embezzled for personal gain,” while one of Ms. Ho’s dancers, also a City Harvest member, wrote “I was saved when I was in LA dancing in Sun Ho’s China Wine Music Video.”
Whether the fresh attention will imperil Ms. Ho’s career – or just make her more famous – is still unknown. But even without the charges against her husband, she faces challenges. The bulk of Ms. Ho’s concerts, including those in Singapore, Taiwan and China, were organized by Xtron Productions Pte Ltd., a production house co-owned by two members of City Harvest Church. According to local media reports, prosecutors believe it was one of the conduits through which church funds were misappropriated.
Efforts to reach representatives of Xtron Productions were unsuccessful, as the company ceased operations earlier this month.

Friday, June 29, 2012

康希牧师带给基督教的震撼


新加坡教会创办人被控失信案‧控方文件爆更多內幕‧康希等5人滥用1.2亿

  • 康希。
1 of 5
(新加坡28日讯)城市丰收教会创办人康希和另4人昨天被控失信教会基金,以资助妻子何耀珊的歌唱事业,呈堂文件爆出5人涉及串谋滥用的数额竟达5千零60万元(约1.2亿令吉)!
控方昨早在庭上公佈的声明文件,让更多与案件有关的细节浮上台面。
“牧师歌手”何耀珊(42岁)的丈夫康希牧师(47岁),和另4人包括管理委员会副总裁陈一平(39岁),管理委员会主席蓝林丰(译音,44岁)、未被提控的教会採购主任黄玉盈(译音,36岁)及教会执委兼代理周英汉(译音,52岁),涉及共谋挪用教会建堂基金。
他们被指在2007年8月到2009年6月间,3次挪用教会1千万元、300万元和1千100万元的建堂基金,把总计2千400万元的建堂基金,转到Xtron Productions和PT The First National Glassware这两家公司,製造投资债券的假象,抵触失信条文。

挪用公款“补洞”
通过交易製造假象
Xtron Productions是何耀珊的艺人管理公司,据《海峡时报》报导,这家公司是由周英汉在2003年创立,为教会提供音响录像器材,也代表教会进行租赁协议事宜。
PT The First National Glassware是一家玻璃装饰公司,由印尼富商教友哈纳菲所开设,哈纳菲的名字也出现在昨天呈堂控状中。
涉案人士后来为了“掩盖”行径,被指挪用另外一笔为数2千660万元的教会公款来“补洞”。
这些钱通过一系列复杂的交易製造假象,让人误以为假债券投资已被赎回。其实,用来赎回债券的钱,是被挪用的公款。
如此推算,教会疑被滥用的公款数额高达5千零60万元。
交代5被告各控状性质
控方罕有念出解释声明
康希和另4人被指以3大手法滥用公款,主控官之一的王守仁副检察司,昨早在庭上罕见地念出解释控状的两页长声明,交代5名被告所面对的不同控状性质,指出他们使用复杂的手法犯罪。
不过被告陈一平的代表律师指內容涉及案情,不应提呈为法庭文件。经一番交涉,控方向法官取回文件。
用公款资助何耀珊歌唱事业
在控状解释声明中,康希等人涉嫌以投资两家公司的债券为幌子,动用教会公款资助何耀珊的歌唱事业。
2003年4月,教会在会员大会发文告,指何耀珊的歌唱事业没用到教会一分钱后,出现上述虚假交易。
2007年至2009年,康希等人涉嫌假借投资两家公司的债券为名,掩饰他们把2400万元的教会建堂基金,用来资助何耀珊的歌唱事业。
製造债券投资赎回假象
教会审计师对债券投资起疑,陈一平、周英汉和陈少云及未被控的黄玉盈等人,疑为回避审查,涉嫌以拆西墙补东墙的手法,滥用另一笔2千660万元公款来掩盖罪行。
他们被指利用2千660万元,通过连串精心操纵的复杂交易进行周转,製造虚假债券投资已赎回的假象。
控方称此手法为“转手套利”,利用2660万元,让教会用自己的资金,偿还因债券投资欠下教会的钱,或赎回教会之前购买的债券。
涉及“转手套利”的被告,为了製造假象,涉嫌做假账,让债券投资看似已经被赎回或以预付租金抵消。
9年前指康希以公款支持何耀珊
一教友曾登报导歉
当年指责康希利用公款支持何耀珊歌唱事业的教友,最后得登报导歉,没想到9年后,康希面对控告。
这与当年两名男子指杜莱乘坐头等舱机位,结果被告誹谤,过后杜莱却真被控防止贪污法令罪名的情况,如出一辙。
强迫教友买音乐专辑
2003年1月17日,城市丰收教友方瑞家在亚洲新闻频道播出的“今夜新加坡”中指责教会利用教友参与MTV亚洲音乐奖票选活动,拉票支持何耀珊,並以强迫销售手法,逼迫教友购买何耀珊的音乐专辑。
他也指责康希挪用建堂基金以促销何耀珊的出版物及宣传活动,並经常公开赞美何耀珊,製造对何耀珊的个人崇拜。
电视节目播出后,各大报章进行了跟进式报导,方瑞家於同年1月24日在《联合早报》以及《海峡时报》上刊登各半版道歉启事,收回言论,向康希夫妇以及城市丰收教会道歉。
2男指杜莱坐头等舱登报导歉
和城市丰收康希案一样,也曾有两名男子指肾臟基金会前执行理事长杜莱乘坐头等舱机位,结果被告誹谤,必须赔偿刊登道歉启事。
几年后,杜莱却真的在防止贪污法令罪名下被控,法庭上揭露他出国公干乘搭头等舱、年薪60万元、在办公室厕所里安装镀金水喉等,让先前被告的两人觉得沉冤得血。
慈善团体及教会
灵魂人物先后入狱
过去8年內,前后有3名名代表慈善团体或教会的灵魂人物,因涉及失信或贪污罪名,先后入狱。
江福才神父1275万炒股炒楼
江福才是在1994至2002年间,失信他任职的圣德肋撒教堂510万元(约1275万令吉),拿来炒股和炒楼,东窗事发后於2004年坐牢。江福才在受审时声称,他拿公款炒股炒楼,只是为了帮教堂赚外快。
刑事案了结不到一年,他又面对民事诉讼,被七旬女教徒陈艾美丽起诉,追討150万元款项和股票,女教徒胜诉。
杜莱管理NKF弊端被追討3000万
全国肾臟基金会前执行理事长杜莱不满《海峡时报》一篇有关他办公室厕所里装置镀金水喉的报导,起诉新加坡报业控股和该记者誹谤。
诉讼在2005年开审,杜莱的薪水和乘搭头等舱等事被揭露,两天后,杜莱撤销诉讼。他管理下的旧NKF的弊端隨之浮出台面,面对民事和刑事诉讼,被追討的数额高达1200万元(约3千万令吉)。
杜莱涉及以內容不確实的公司发票误导NKF,触犯防止贪污法令控状,2008年被判坐牢3个月。
明义法师批准借12万给不符资格者
仁慈医院前院监明义法师在2008年间,连同前助理杨志恆等人被控上法庭。
明义法师除了被指在2004年5月17日,担任仁慈院监时,批准把5万元(约12万5千令吉)借给不符贷款资格的杨志恆,也面对偽造付款单及向慈善总监提供假资料等四项罪名,在2010年被判入狱10个月,上诉后刑罚减到6个月。
指责康希和杜莱
男一身蚁
城市丰收教友方瑞家
《联合早报》以及《海峡时报》上刊登各半版道歉启事,收回言论,向康希夫妇及城市丰收教会道歉。
NKF前义工王良艺
现年63岁的王良艺,於1997年4月11日,被指在马可波罗酒店举行的一项活动中,向另一名NKF义工提起,NKF挥霍公眾捐款、执行理事长杜莱出国公干时乘搭头等舱机位,隔天就收到杜莱的律师信,遭起诉誹谤。王良艺最终得向对方公开道歉並作出赔偿,虽没透露数目,但表示“从个人储蓄中拿出了一大部份”。
商人辛加拉维鲁
现年52岁的辛加拉维鲁於1998年3月在答復一封全国肾臟基金会呼吁公眾捐款信时,声称他曾亲眼看到杜莱乘坐新加坡航空公司的头等机位,结果遭杜莱起诉。
他为此须掏出2万2000元供赔偿与堂费,以及1万元在报章上刊登道歉启事。
自1999年就定居澳洲柏斯他曾说,不后悔当年的事情,並为“內幕终於曝光”了而感到高兴。

净选盟促纳吉道歉‧ “对付四加亭玲瓏议员”


(吉隆坡28日讯)净选盟2.0促首相拿督斯里纳吉对两名发表及支持“吊死安美嘉”言论的巫统国会议员,採取纪律行动及道歉。
净选盟今晚发表文告说,安美嘉是在宪法赋予的言论自由与和平集会的权利下,促进选举改革。
如果她有犯上判国罪,那么净选盟2.0委员及参与集会者都一样有罪。
文告指出,由巫统四加亭国会议员莫哈末阿兹在国会发表的“吊死安美嘉”言论,获得玲瓏国会议员三苏支持;他们两人的言行举止,是自之前发生在安美嘉住家外的“卖汉堡与屁股操”后,另一种对净选盟领袖作出憎恨及政治迫害的低手法。
文告指出,儘管莫哈末阿兹收回有关言论,不过,后者並没有向安美嘉、净选盟2.0及出席428集会的民眾道歉,而三苏也没有表示要收回其支持“吊死安美嘉”的言论。
净选盟促请纳吉或国阵党鞭立即指示上述两人收回言论,並向安美嘉、国会及全体人民道歉,同时也对上述两人採取纪律行动。

Najib should apologise for MP's call to hang Ambiga and take disciplinary action


Image: Shamsul Anuar Nasarah https://www.facebook.com/shamsulanuarnasarah

Press Statement, 28. June 2012
The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections 2.0 (BERSIH 2.0) calls on Prime Minister Najib Razak to apologise over the call by two UMNO parliamentarians to have Dato Ambiga Sreenevasan, co-chairperson of BERSIH 2.0, tried and hanged for treason.
The call to have Ambiga hung came from Sri Gading MP Mohamad Aziz at about 9.45pm on June 26 and was enthusiastically supported by Lenggong MP Shamsul Anuar Nasarah.
This was the lowest point of the hate and witchhunt campaign against BERSIH 2.0 leaders which started with burger-and-butt protests in front of Ambiga’s residence.
Mohamad Aziz’s offer today to conditionally withdraw such statement if it “hurt his friends, the Indians, MIC, PPP, and affect the spirit of understanding in Barisan Nasional (BN)” shows his thinly-veiled arrogance despite the outcry nationwide.
Aziz did not even bother to apologise to Ambiga, BERSIH 2.0 and 250,000 Malaysians who went to the street on April 28 for electoral reform. And Shamsul Anuar Nasarah did not even withdraw his support for the statement.
BERSIH 2.0 holds that what Ambiga has done is but demanding electoral reform by exercising her constitutional right to free speech and peaceful assembly. If she is guilty of treason, then the entire Steering Committee of BERSIH 2.0 and 250,000 other Malaysians are also guilty.
Unless the BN is a habitually violent party, one would expect PM Najib Razak or BN’s party whip to immediately order the two parliamentarians to withdraw the statement and to apologise to Dato Ambiga Sreenevasan, the House of Parliament and the entire nation, and to take immediate disciplinary action against the MPs concerned.
No self-respecting Prime Minister  would take such expression of hatred – which may trigger hate crime – lightly and expect to disown his coalition’s responsibility with an excuse of “personal opinion” from the BN secretary general Tengku Adnan Mansor.
PM Najib Razak can choose to do nothing and watch the hate and witchhunt campaign against BERSIH 2.0 leaders taking yet another lowest point. History will however record his irresponsible silence on this episode as another footnote to the claim that Najib is but a ‘false democrat’ by Canadian journalist Mark Mackinnon. And the Malaysian public too will make their judgement come the polling day.
Keluar Mengundi, Lawan Penipuan!
Salam Bersih!
BERSIH 2.0 Steering Committee
Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH 2.0)
The Steering Committee of BERSIH 2.0 comprises:
Dato’ Ambiga Sreenevasan (Co-Chairperson), Datuk A. Samad Said (Co-Chairperson), Ahmad Shukri Abdul Razab, Andrew Khoo, Arul Prakkash, Arumugam K., Awang Abdillah (Kuching), Dominic Hii (Sibu), Dr Farouk Musa, Hishamuddin Rias, Liau Kok Fah, Mark Bujang (Miri), Maria Chin Abdullah, Niloh Ason (Kuching), Richard Y W Yeoh, Dr Subramaniam Pillay, Dato’ Dr Toh Kin Woon, Dr Wong Chin Huat, Dato’ Yeo Yang Poh and Zaid Kamaruddin.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

City Harvest founder Kong Hee charged in court for alleged misuse of church funds


(UPDATED 27 June 1.50pm to add details of Kong's court appearance)

City Harvest Church founder Kong Hee and four other senior CHC members were charged in court early Wednesday morning for alleged misuse of church funds.

They were offered bail of $500,000 each and their passports were impounded.

Kong, 47, faced three charges for committing criminal breach of trust as an agent of CHC and for allegedly misappropriating about $24 million from CHC's building funds for unauthorise
d use.

Each charge carries the maximum punishment of life imprisonment and a fine.

His deputy, Tan Ye Peng, 39, faced 10 charges, with three for criminal breach of trust and another seven for allegedly falsifying church accounts to cover up discrepancies in numbers.

Another church board member, John Lam Leng Hung, 44, faced three charges similar to Kong, while church finance manager Sharon Tan Shao Yuen, 37, and investment manager Chew Eng Han, in his 50s, faced seven and 10 charges respectively.

The five were said to have diverted $24 million of the church's building fund to finance the music career of Kong's wife, pop singer Ho Yeow Sun.

This was allegedly done through a series of sham transactions, which were made under the pretense of being bond investments in two companies, Xtron Productions and PT The First National Glassware.

The prosecution believes that $13 million was diverted to Xtron, with the remaining $11 million of church funds going to the other company.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Christopher Ong told the court that not only had they allegedly diverted $24 million through false transactions, some of them had conspired to misappropriate another $26.6 million of church funds to cover it up.

Kong, Tan, and the three other senior ministry members looked solemn as the charges were read against them.

Dressed in a white shirt and black pants, Kong appeared strained as he walked into the Subordinate Courts holding hands with his wife, Ho, who kept her eyes downcast. The pair was accompanied by a group of at least 100 supporters.

Scuffles, shouting

CHC supporters were out in full force as early as 8 am and formed an orderly queue outside the packed courtroom, where the five were charged.

Some were heard in the queue cheering and said they were positive that Kong had been wrongly accused.

"He will come out of this white as snow. That's what we are praying for, that's what we're sure of." said one supporter, who declined to be named.

However, things got rowdy once Kong and Sun made their exit from the courts, with scuffles and shouting matches starting between some photographers and supporters.

Some supporters deliberately stood in the way of journalists following the couple and got aggressive when asked to move.

At one point, supporters around the couple used their hands to block the photographers' photo lenses, and one was heard shouting "Why don't you go and get another job?".

The five are due to return to court in four weeks' time, on 25 July.
They were arrested from their homes in a pre-dawn raid by police on Tuesday.
Kong, Tan Ye Peng and Lam sat on the church's management board. Chew was a co-shareholder and director of AMAC Capital Partners Pte Ltd, the church's investment arm, while Sharon Tan was City Harvest's finance manager.

Focus on pop-star wife

According to a statement from the Commissioner of Charities (COC), the funds were believed to have been used to finance the music career of Kong's pop-star wife, Ho Yeow Sun.

The Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) began its two-year investigation in May 2010 after receiving information of alleged misuse of funds.

The COC, which launched its own investigation at the same time, found there was a “concerted effort to conceal this movement of funds from the charity’s stakeholders.”

The COC has also suspended eight people, included the five that have been charged. The other three are Ho herself, Kelvin Teo Meng How and Jacqueline Tan Su Pheng.

Kong, a prolific Twitter user who goes by @konghee, posted a tweet at 9am on Tuesday with a Bible Psalm in Chinese, translated to "The sun will not smite you by day, nor the moon by night. Jesus will protect you from all harm."

He had spent the previous weekend before his arrest delivering his usual sermons, including one at the Heart of God Church in Paya Lebar.

Members of City Harvest church reacted with a mix of shock and denial.

"I still believe he will come out spotless from all this -- he's a man of God and we believe in him," said teacher Alicia Goh, 29, who attends the church regularly with her husband and two young children.

"I hope that the rest of the church and their good work will not be brought down with him. He is the founder of the church, but he can also make mistakes -- if he has indeed misused our funds, he needs to own up," said retiree Steven Wong, 67, who added that he was "very disappointed" by the news.

Many of Kong's supporters also took to Twitter to ask for "prayers" for Kong and the senior church ministry members, with one user "Erictan" saying that he was "praying and fasting" for Kong's "protection".

Other tweets were more sarcastic, with one tweeter saying that Kong had been having too great a "harvest" and that his arrest was an indication that "there is a God".

City Harvest, which was founded by Kong Hee and his wife Sun Ho in 1989, is among the largest church congregations in Asia. It runs 36 internal ministries and in 2010, had an average of 23,000 worshippers attending its weekly services in English, Mandarin, Hokkien, Cantonese and Indonesian in Singapore.

Reporters and churchgoers alike were denied access to City Harvest's main building in Jurong West on Tuesday evening.

26-year-old Lee Wei Kee, a gardener, who frequented the church on Tuesday evenings for bible classes and meetings, told Yahoo! Singapore he was surprised to find the building closed to everyone.

A member of City Harvest for seven years, Lee also voiced his confidence in Kong's integrity, even though he said he was not aware of the case, and has yet to hear any word from the church.

Case is not against CHC

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Teo Chee Hean also weighed in on the arrests, saying in a statement that the charges filed against Kong and his four fellow leaders, and not against the church itself.

"The CHC is free to continue its church services and activities," he said, calling for people to "let the law take its course" and "avoid speculation or making pre-judgements that may unnecessarily stir up emotions".

In a statement, CHC said on Tuesday that "there is no case that is being brought against the church" although two pastors and three members have been invited to attend court on Wednesday.

CHC also said that the CHC Advisory Committee, comprising of Phil Pringle. founder of Christian City Church in Sydney and A R Bernard, founder and CEO of Christian Cultural Centre in New York, will continue to provide spiritual leadership. Both pastors were appointed advisory senior pastors over CHC.

Church operations and cell group meetings will continue as usual, including all weekend services as Singapore Expo and Jurong West, CHC said.

The CAD, which is investigating Kong Hee and his leaders, had previously led the probe against Ren Ci Hospital and the National Kidney Foundation.

Just after 5:30pm on Tuesday, another tweet was sent from Kong's account that read, "Tough day ... I trust in You, Lord Jesus ... Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done!"

新加坡康希牧师被逮捕


新国教会创办人及4人 今被控滥用5880万公款

  • 康希与何耀珊夫妇曾被批评生活过得极尽奢华。
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(新加坡26日讯)新加坡城市丰收教会创办人康希,因涉嫌滥用2400万元(约5880万令吉)教会公款,今天连同4名教会成员遭商业调查局逮捕,明天被控上法庭。
已卸去城市丰收教会董事会主席职务的教会创办人兼执行牧师康希(47岁),据悉和另外4人今天一大清早被传召到商业调查局接受问话。
款项被指支持何耀珊
新加坡内政部及社青体部今午分别针对这起事件发文告,综合文告的内容,指康希涉嫌滥用2400万元教会公款被捕;另外4个卷入此案者包括教会成员,5人被控刑事失信及做假账。
据悉,这笔2400万巨款,被指用来支持康希的歌手妻子何耀珊的音乐事业。
滥用公款丑闻是在前年5月爆出,康希和另外16名委员,连同何耀珊当时被指涉及滥用公款,陆续遭商业事务局传召问话。经多番调查,案件终于有了眉目,康希等人今早被正式逮捕。
  • 何耀珊

教会8成员解除职务
连同康希夫妇在内,城市丰收教会的8名成员都被解除职务。
慈善总监今午发表文告说,除了被捕的5人,被解除职务的8名成员包括康希的歌手妻子何耀珊,以及张明豪(译音,Kelvin Teo Meng How)和陈淑萍(译音,Jacqueline Tan Su Pheng)。
但目前还不清楚这3人为何也被解除职务。
今早康希被逮捕的消息传出后,教友们都感到震惊;其中数名教友以“震惊”、“难以置信”来形容心情。
康希坦承被查压力大
康希牧师分享涉案被调查后,面对很大的压力。
当时他一度非常沮丧,把自己关在屋里不见人。他的妻子何耀珊马上放掉在美国的事业,赶回狮城支持他。
据了解,康希牧师约半年前,在教会礼拜上与教友们谈及被传召接受调查,对他造成的影响。
他说,他很感谢妻子何耀珊当时放下美国事业,飞回新加坡,在家陪伴和一直鼓励他。
康希牧师也提到,教会的弟兄姐妹给了他很大的支持鼓励,他靠着宗教力量,才慢慢走出这段人生低潮。
在美住豪宅月租7万 与巨星毕彼特夫妇为邻
何耀珊2009年在美发展住豪宅,好莱坞住家月租近3万元(约7万3500令吉),总面积相等于5间五房式组屋。
何耀珊夫妇曾被批评生活过得极尽奢华,何耀珊在美发展时,据悉入住好莱坞月租2万7700新元(约6万7865令吉)的豪宅,与好莱坞巨星毕彼特(Brad Pitt)夫妇为邻。
豪宅占地2万9000平方英尺,相等于三分之一的足球场,共有四栋建筑物,包括一座主楼、三间较小楼房,设施则有游泳池、做日光浴的地方、可容纳两部大型轿车的车房,以及可容纳9部车的超宽车道。
何耀珊在该豪宅至少住上一年,租约2010年11月到期前,她已向房屋经纪开口要求续约;至今是否仍租住该豪宅,则不得而知。
何耀珊经纪公司亏千万
在美国发展分分钟赔钱?何耀珊新加坡经纪公司2007年累积亏损达589万元(1443万令吉)。
何耀珊2003年赴美国发展,前后在美国发行了几张个人英语专辑,但歌手要在美国成为超级巨星,代价不菲,开销包括“养活”台前幕后工作人员,以及大师级的金牌音乐人、编舞老师、经纪人、造型师等。
据曾访问何耀珊的一名美国公关公司人员及杂志编辑表示,何耀珊和美国“大牌”合作,她本人并没有付过半分钱,相信费用是由唱片公司买单。
根据新加坡会计与企业管制局记录,负责推动何耀珊在亚洲歌唱事业的新加坡经纪公司Xtron Productions,从2004年至2006年每年都在亏钱,2007年累积亏损高达589万元。

'False Democrat' Najib put on International Rogues Gallery: Malaysia on WORLD WATCH as GE looms

Written by  Wong Choon Mei, Malaysia Chronicle




'False Democrat' Najib put on Int'l Rogues Gallery: M'sia on WORLD WATCH as GE looms
If Prime Minister Najib Razak thought he had succeeded in pulling wool over the eyes of the Malaysian people and the international community with a slew of reforms that have been described by critics as "whitewash", "insincere" and "sinister", he is terribly wrong.
And just like the mythical Emperor who wore no clothes, the 58-year old Malaysian leader is now being peeled and exposed for hypocrisy and accused of harboring dark intentions to retain power by force as have many of the world's disgraced despots.
Just months ago, Najib was crowned co-champion of "double-talk" by the influential Washington Post which is read by the likes of President Obama and other top US leaders. The Washington Post lashed out in a stinging editorial after Najib controversially deported Saudi journalist Hamza Kashgari home to face certain torture and perhaps even death. The blunt language used by the US paper raised eyebrows and caused many to cough nervously in the corridors of power in Putrajaya, the Malaysian administrative capital.
But no, Najib and his advisers would not take the hint and clean up their act. Stubbornly, they clung to the belief that because they controlled the local mainstream media, they held the upper hand. If they told a lie often enough, the people and the world would believe them!
However, it did not work. Not only have Najib's attempts to pass glib sleight-of-hand laws that strengthen his own grip on power under the guise of 'reforms' been seen through, he has been slammed locally whilst a reputable Canadian newspaper has now categorized him as being a "false democrat".
"False democracies give the impression of being freer than they really are, which means they rarely face the kind of international pressure that the ally nasty regimes get," said the article published on June 8 by The Globe and Mail.
Like Mubarak & Co, Najib will use all ways to cling on
Entitled 'A 21st-century checklist of the new autocrats', the article also places Najib in the same league as the world's worst autocrats. The author Mark Mackinnon had categorised autocrats into four groups - false democrats, mad egotists, violent populists and callous capitalists.
Najib was put into the first category, along with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. The 'ex-members' of the club are former Yugoslavia president Slobodan Milosevic and former Egypt president Hosni Mubarak.
Mackinnon said such leaders "hold elections but have no intention of giving up power" and their "serious political rivals are jailed and their parties are outlawed on legal technicalities".
According to Opposition stalwart Lim Kit Siang, Najib was clearly very upset by the article. But no denial would hold any traction unless Najib issued a public pledge that he and his Umno party would pass over power peacefully if they lost at the ballot boxes, Lim said in response to news that the Malaysian Foreign Affairs Ministry had challenged the Canadian article.
"A week ago, I had asked Najib to declare publicly whether he is prepared to accept the verdict of the electorate to ensure a peaceful transition of federal government if Pakatan Rakyat wins the next general election," said Kit Siang, who also the MP for Ipoh Timur.
"It is significant that at the post-UMNO Supreme Council press conference last Friday, Najib studiously avoided answering this question when it was posed by the press. Hence, the question Malaysians and the world are asking is whether Najib is a false democrat who holds elections but has no intention of giving up power."
Najib now in int'l rogues gallery: GE-13 promises to be "interesting"
To Mackinnon, there is reason for hope in countries governed by such leaders as the "false democracies" they practiced also created the possibility of change.
"Mr Milosevic and Mr Mubarak were ousted because citizens used the political space allowed them in a false democracy... The next election in Malaysia promises to be interesting," said Mackinnon.
However, in a rebuttal published today, the Malaysian Foreign Affairs Ministry detailed a list of reforms initiated by Najib over the past three years, describing these as "an impressive track record by anyone's standards".
The reforms included the abolition of Internal Security Act, ending of a 60-year state of emergency, measures to increase media freedom, amendment to the Universities and University Colleges Act, the enactment of the Peaceful Assembly Act, announcement to review the Sedition Act, repeal of the Banishment Act and the Restricted Residences Act, as well as the implementation of electoral reforms.
"This view does not tally with the fact that the opposition won an unprecedented number of seats in the last election.Next time round, Malaysians will again be free to choose who they want to lead their country - and while the prime minister takes nothing for granted, he hopes he will be given a mandate to continue Malaysia's transformation," fumed foreign ministry under-secretary Ahmad Rozian in his letter.
Also read:

A 21st-century checklist of the new autocrats


Tuesday, June 26, 2012

宪法是民主权基本结构‧安美嘉:贿赂定义模糊廉政阻力


  • 两天前从洛杉磯返回檳城的沈淑敏(右),赠送洛杉磯的净选盟3.0集会T恤给安美嘉,中:檳州研究所首席执行员再里尔。(图:星洲日报)
(檳城25日讯)净选盟2.0联合主席拿督安美嘉说,马来西亚的政治领袖经常模糊了利益衝突的界线,就算是一句简单的“我帮你,你帮我”,也不被他们认为是贪污和贿赂手段,成了落实廉洁施政的阻力。
“有一个最大的误解,就是政府一旦拨款或动用金钱时,人民都会误解为政府派钱。其实,政府使用的每一分钱都是人民的金钱。”
她也批评一些领袖虽然把自己包装得很民主,更自詡修改了很多法令,却不知道自己已经羞辱人民的智慧。
她提醒,中產阶段向来都活得相当安逸,很多时候只愿意成为旁观者。但是,中產阶级也走上街头,政府就要感到担心。
安美嘉今午在“第一届东盟廉洁施政研討会”发表演说时说,宪法是民主的最基本结构,它赋予人民言论自由、宗教自由、集会自由等权利,理应受到保护与捍卫;遗憾的是,由於存在恶法,我国人民还在挣扎地寻找这些基本权利。
“人民在2008年全国大选后,才真正看到一个能够制衡执政党的反对党。在这之前,执政党过於自大,甚至多次在国会仗著自己的三分之二多数议席修改宪法。”
声声独立却替政府背书
选委会无视净选盟诉求
安美嘉表示,由於选委会成员具备特权,使得他们根本不必理会净选盟的诉求。
“选委会不断重覆自己是独立的机构,却一直在为政府背书。例如,他们只履行政府通过的净选盟诉求,並声称自己没有权力决定接纳所有诉求。”
她强调净选盟会不断坚持下去,不断尝试爭取更好的选举制度。
发现选举滥权可举报
净选盟將推动“公民监督”
为了更有效杜绝选举时的贪污、滥权与贿赂行为,安美嘉透露,净选盟將推出一个公民监督制度,凡是发现有滥权行为的选举手段,都可以向净选盟举报,然后会上载到净选盟网站。
她说,马来西亚有一套很完善的选举罪行法令,以便杜绝各种违反选举道德的手段,但是这项法令完全不受尊重,甚至在选举过程中没有真正的监督单位,令政治人物很容易犯下存在利益衝突的行为。
“譬如在呈报选举开销时,选委会只限制候选人的开销,却没有限制政党的最高开销。”
乡区选票胜败关键
安美嘉指出,乡区选票在来届大选扮演了决定性作用,使得各政党都在积极地爭取选区选民的支持。
“执政集团在乡区选票方面佔上风,因为他们控制了媒体,乡区人民往往只有机会接触到这些传统媒体。但是,他们千万別低估乡区人民接触资讯的管道。”
她说,很多乡区的年轻人到了城市工作,他们回乡时就会向家人灌输一些新资讯,久而久之,乡区选民的投票倾向就会受影响。
吁速委5组织观察员
很多问题须大选前解决
另一方面,安美嘉说,选委会认可5组织成为来届全国大选的观察员,无疑是件好事,但她认为这些组织须马上获委並进行观察工作,因为很多问题须在大选前先解决。
“我认为只在大选期进行观察是不够的,其实从现在开始便观察更为重要,因为目前有很多投诉,很多问题须在大选前先解决。”
她在研討会后受访时说:“我们希望选委会別对这5组织加诸无谓的限制,选委会需清楚例出这些限制。公选盟(MAFREL)之前就被限制。”
她说,虽然这5组织或许在大选观察工作中没经验,但她相信选委会將提供相关的训练和协助。
“选委会也说或许会邀请国际观察员,我们欢迎,但我们要一个肯定的说法。”

Photos show that Altantuya was in France




  • Susan Loone
  • 9:42AM Jun 26, 2012


A Police probe finds the Mongolian translator never entered France from 1999 to 2006, but pictures of her published in 2007 show otherwise, says a report.

While French police investigations have revealed that Altantuya Shaaribuu nevered entered France from 1999 to 2006, there are photographs of her taken in Paris several years ago, that indicate otherwise.

Source: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/201884