ART FOR GRABS & KL ALTERNATIVE BOOKFEST

AT THE ANNEXE GALLERY: 7 TO 24 MAY 2009

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ART FOR GRABS

+ KL ALTERNATIVE BOOKFEST

Arts, Crafts & Books Fair

Sat 9 & Sun 10 May, 12pm to 8pm

Presented by The Annexe Gallery & Central Market

Admission Free, except where indicated

Art For Grabs, our arts and crafts bazaar, returns for yet another triumphant round of affordable artsy consumerism in a collision of coolness. That’s over 20 stalls selling art, photography, knick knacks, accessories, etc, all for under RM100 (per item, that is!).

This time we also have KL Alternative Bookfest, featuring over 20 stalls by local indie publishers (not always available at a bookstore near you).

Everytime we host Art For Grabs, we present a fringe program of exciting events. This time around, we have Bilik Panas. Our “hot room” is not literally sauna-like, it’s actually air-conditioned. The “panas” here refers to the artistic, intellectual and emotional heat that will be generated by the performances, lectures and book launches we’ve got planned. See you there!

BILIK PANAS

Admission Free except for Gostan Forward

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

SATURDAY 9 MAY

12pm

THE CLOTH THAT CUTS: Re-Appraising Batik as a Trans-Cultural Signifier

Public Lecture by Dr Farish Noor

2.15pm

GOSTAN FORWARD – Solo Performance Lecture by Marion D’Cruz (Admission by RM10 donation)

3pm

BEYOND FEMINISM – The Woman as Metaphor for the Colonised

Talk by Chuah Guat Eng

4pm

KLAB Book Launch

TAXI TALES ON A CROOKED BRIDGE by Charlene Rajendran

5pm

KLAB BOOK Launch

NAJIB’S CHALLENGE: Glory or Oblivion? by Barry Wain & UNMASKING NAJIB by Lim Kit Siang

6pm

KLAB BOOK Launch

DEWANGGA SAKTI TERTINGGAL KAPAL ANGKASA DI HARI PELANCARAN BUKU 'KACIP' PIPIYAPONG

6.40pm

KLAB BOOK Launch

BERSERONOK DENGAN PEREMPUAN DALAM POKET

Pelancaran buku Puisi Poket 1: Akulah Perempuan Muda itu oleh Shaira Amira

8.30pm

GOSTAN FORWARD

SUNDAY 10 MAY

11am

MEDIA UNDER NAJIB: Hope or Disappointment?

Forum by Centre For Independent Journalism (CIJ)

12.30pm

PENCERAHAN DAN KOSMOPOLITANISME

Talk by Khalid Jaafar, Director of Institut Kajian Dasar (IKD)

2.15pm

GOSTAN FORWARD

4.30pm

READING LOLITA IN KL

Reading by Sisters In Islam (SIS)

Please refer to events details & synopses at the end of this mailer

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GOSTAN FORWARD

Solo Performance Lecture by Marion D’Cruz

Fri 8 May, 8.30pm

Sat 9 May, 2.15pm & 8.30pm

Sun 10 May, 2.15pm

Presented by Five Arts Centre

Admission by RM10 donation

Gostan Forward will showcase Malaysia’s beloved “dance terrorist” Marion D’Cruz in her overlapping roles as a student, dancer, choreographer and educator. Celebrating her 35-year growth in this retrospective of sorts, she evolves from ground-breaking young dancer to boundary-blurring meta-choreographer. In a rare glance behind the artist, Marion will tell stories and perform excerpts of her favourite and most significant dances, including “Terinai”, “Swan Song”, “Urn Piece”, “Chilayu”, and more.

http://www.fiveartscentre.org

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KL PHOTO AWARDS 2009

Photography Exhibition & Workshops

Thu 7 to Sun 24 May, 11am to 7pm

Presented by Explorenation.net, Time Out Kuala Lumpur, Amarin Sdn Bhd & The Annexe Gallery

Admission Free

From family snaps to fashion spreads, and photojournalism to studio photography, the face remains the most photographed subject in the history of photography. Taking a portrait that retains its subject’s humanity while conveying a powerful commentary at the same time is truly the Holy Grail of photography.

The first KL Photoawards 2009 competition which called for submission between November 2008 and March 2009 attracted some 500 entries from overseas and Malaysia. Of the entries, 23 portraits in each category (Professional & have been shortlisted for considerations for the top prizes. These 46 portraits in total will be showcased in an exhibition of shortlisted works at The Annexe Gallery in conjunction with the awards presentation.

You are cordially invited to

Exhibition Opening

Winners Announcement & Prize Presentation Ceremony

Thu 7 May, 7.30pm

Admission Free

Find out which portraits win the coveted top prizes!

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ART FOR GRABS

+ KL ALTERNATIVE BOOK FEST

EVENTS DETAILS & SYNOPSES

Sat 12pm

THE CLOTH THAT CUTS: Re-Appraising Batik as a Trans-Cultural Signifier

Public Lecture by Dr Farish Noor

Presented by The Other Malaysia

Today Batik is seen and cast as something essentially linked to the (fixed and homogeneous) identity of nations like Malaysia and Indonesia. This lecture tries to explore the multifarious cultural, ethnic and historical origins of Batik as a form of art, and argues that in the designs of classical Batik we can see the overlapping of various cultural, ethnic and religious influences that cut across all of Southeast Asia and beyond. Batik is living proof of the cultural and ethnic hybridity of Southeast Asia.

Sat 2.15pm

GOSTAN FORWARD

Solo Performance Lecture by Marion D’Cruz

Directed by Mark Teh, Visual designs by Grey Yeoh

Presented by Five Arts Centre

*Admission by RM10 donation

Malaysia’s best known “dance terrorist” Marion D’Cruz celebrates her 35-year growth in this retrospective of sorts, from ground-breaking young dancer to boundary-blurring meta-choreographer. In a rare glance behind the artist, Marion will tell stories and perform excerpts of her favourite and most significant dances, including “Terinai”, “Swan Song”, “Urn Piece”, “Chilayu”, and more.

Sat 4pm

KLAB Book Launch

TAXI TALES ON A CROOKED BRIDGE

Book Launch and Reading by Charlene Rajendran & Friends

Presented by Matahari Books

Charlene Rajendran is a Malaysian teacher and theatre practitioner who has been living in Singapore for eight years, and she refuses to own a car. Taxi Tales On A Crooked Bridge chronicles her conversations with taxi drivers all over the island republic. Quirky and jaunty, this book shows that there's no telling what bridges can be built -- whether the journey is crooked or straight!

Sat 5pm

KLAB BOOK Launch

NAJIB’S CHALLENGE: Glory or Oblivion? by Barry Wain

& UNMASKING NAJIB by Lim Kit Siang

Presented by REFSA (Research For Social Advancement)

“Najib’s Challenge: Glory or Oblivion” is written by Barry Wain, a former editor of The Wall Street Journal Asia, is author of the forthcoming “Malaysian Maverick: Mahathir Mohamad in Turbulent Times”. “Unmasking Najib” is a collection of articles written by Lim Kit Siang, who actively blogs since 2005 and has published 30 books since 1978. Both books are published by Research for Social Advancement (REFSA), an independent non-profit organization aimed at encouraging open discussion and input into public policy issues. Chairman of REFSA, Tunku Abdul Aziz (former president, Transparency International) will give his opinion on our Prime Minister and have a dialogue with the audience.

Sat 6pm

KLAB BOOK Launch

DEWANGGA SAKTI TERTINGGAL KAPAL ANGKASA DI HARI PELANCARAN BUKU 'KACIP' PIPIYAPONG

Presented by Sindiket Soljah

Dewangga Sakti terdiri daripada 6 orang pemuzik tradisional Melayu zaman sekarang yang melagukan karya-karya mistik dengan bunyian instrumen akustik. Manakala blogger hip Pipiyapong akan melancarkan karya beliau bertajuk Kacip yang lucu dan mencuit hati pembaca.

Sat 6.40pm

KLAB BOOK Launch

BERSERONOK DENGAN PEREMPUAN DALAM POKET

Pelancaran buku Puisi Poket 1: Akulah Perempuan Muda itu oleh Shaira Amira

Presented by Sang Freud Press

Puisi Poket adalah satu usaha untuk mengambalikan puisi kepada yang hak, yakni kau dan aku. Cukup kacip dan comel untuk disumbat di dalam kocek, ia sesuai dibawa dan dibaca di mana-mana; sewaktu menunggu teman di elarti, sewaktu naik elarti bersama teman dan selepas menyalakan rokok di belukar bawah landasan elarti setelah habis berbincang bahasa tubuh dengan teman.

Sat 8.30pm

GOSTAN FORWARD

Dance Lecture Performance by Marion D’Cruz

*Admission by RM10 donation

Sun 11am

MEDIA UNDER NAJIB: Hope or Disappointment?

Forum by Centre For Independent Journalism (CIJ)

Panel speakers include: Wong Chin Huat (political analyst and chairman of Writers Alliance for Media Independence), Tricia Yeoh (special assistant to Selangor state Chief Minister), Zaharom Nain (Associate Prof of Communication Studies, USM)

The forum will touch on:
i. Exploring the prime minister's options viz-a-viz clamours for reform on one side and calls for entrenchment of the status quo on another
ii. Current and future trends that may affect or involve the media and free expression.
iii. What Malaysia needs badly in terms of reform on press freedom and expression and whether Najib can deliver them

Sun 12.30pm

PENCERAHAN DAN KOSMOPOLITANISME

Talk by Khalid Jaafar, Director of Institut Kajian Dasar (Policy Research Institute)

Khalid Jaafar will be talking about IKD’s publications and the concept behind its publications. He will also be touching on the controversial issue raised by IKD’s publications that have been alleged as misleading for Muslims.

Sun 2.15pm

GOSTAN FORWARD

Dance Lecture Performance by Marion D’Cruz

*Admission by RM10 donation

Sun 4.30pm

READING LOLITA IN KL

Reading presented by Sisters In Islam (SIS)

Celebrate the freedom to read! Join Marina Mahathir, Cecil Rajendra, Kee Thuan Chye, Rahmat Haron, Shanon Shah, Aishah Hassan, Chi Too, and Priya K as they read poetry and excerpts from books, plays, scripts, etc that have been banned in other countries throughout history.

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The Annexe Gallery

1st & 2nd Floor, Central Market Annexe

Jalan Hang Kasturi

Kuala Lumpur

Tel: +603-2070 1137

It's election time...

7th April by-elections has opened my eyes to many things. Pakatan Rakyat has control over Bukit Gantang and aslo Bukit Selambau once again but Batang Ai in Sarawak still belongs to Barisan Nasional.


I find it rather amusing that, Pakatan Rakyat could afford to win those two seats with a larger majority than the general elections. In Bukit Gantang,Mohd Jamaluddin Nizar (PAS) obtained 21,860 votes and won with a majority of 2,789 votes. In 2008, the majority was 1,566. In Bukit Selambau, there were 15 candidates. It is so silly to see 15 candidates competing. I think all of us are seen as a bunch of stupid and ignorant people. Some might think, 15 candidates mean finally there are people who have decided to take action. It is so obvious that those other 13 candidates had hidden agendas of their own. S. Manikumar (PKR) got 12,632 votes and won with a majority of 2,403 votes.


As for Batang Ai, I do not wish to say anything.


For the by-elections, Barisan Nasional used so many different techniques to topple the opposition. They even went to the extreme of using a video of Anwar Ibrahim talking bad about PAS and DAP 14 years ago. Personally I felt that Pakatan Rakyat was going to loose this battle after being bombard by Barisan. But it didn’t happen. Pakatan managed to win. If some were to say there were phantom voters or Pakatan members bribed votes, I would ask, Pakatan does not have that much money to do so.  

Everyday, I see Pakatan members fighting among themselves, or is that what the media wants us to see? Barisan came up with the idea of have three girls dancing is a seductive way to get voters and yet claim it’s the Chinese culture. "What Malay knows about the Chinese culture? He is not a Chinese therefore how can he say that? Who is he?" I ask this question because Islamic leaders claim its wrong for a non-Muslim to talk about the Al-Quran. This came out in the news on the 6th of April. A DAP speaker quoted something from the Quran and it was seen as a humiliation to the Islam. Therefore, I assume, by saying Chinese likes to see half naked girls dancing and it’s their culture is humiliation as well. So what do they have to say for themselves? 


It is clear that people are very unhappy with the current political scenario. Even when the leadership has changed, people still disagree with the politics happening around us. Everyone should be aware that, the people as in the citizens are not satisfied with and by reforming a new cabinet will not solve this mess. Day by day, it gets worst. Its seems to me that, our politicians don’t seem to bother what the voters think. In the last general elections, we have expressed our dissatisfaction with the leadership and now again the same outcome even after a change in the leadership. 


What does this mean?Are the people saying they don’t want Barisan to lead them or they are just not satisfied with the leaders?


It’s a pity but I have to say this, “Corruption is the foundation of this country" Lets be practical. Who wants a prime minister who sleeps during meetings? I know I don’t. What about having a leader who had uttered racist remarks which led to the 1969 racial riots? What about a leader who has been accused twice of homosexual activities? A leader who lies? Who wants all this kind of leaders?


I believe that a leader is supposed to be a good example for others not acting good infront and having a dark side. To gain peoples trust one should either clear their allegations or be truthful to the people. It is better to tell the truth and seek forgiveness than to lie. 


Malaysians are just unhappy with politics. Just look at the media, even an uneducated can see that the media is one sided. Look at the news on television during the 6th April. Everything was against the opposition, all I could hear is PKR this, that. Anwar this, that, support Barisan, we are Barisan. How can we say its a democratic country, when we only hear from one side. How about the opposition? Dont they have anything to say. Even if they want to say, Barisan Stupid! Dont vote them! Let them say it out. That is what we call as freedom of speech and democracy. Each party has equal rights to get the voters attention.


Let us all not be as if the citizens are stupid and ignorant about what happens around them. There needs to be change, major changes or else we the citizens and leaders of the nation about the witness a great riot the destruction of our nation. Bear in mind that, the rich ones might just walk away from the country. It is us the middle class and the lower class who will suffer the most. What does it take to make changes?


 Parties can make changes little by little. For starters, UMNO should stop taking old people. I get the fact that past leaders have experience but they are still in their own world where they still follow their old mentality. Now I am not saying the old mentality is wrong but in this fast pace nation where we talk and deal with technology, how can we follow the old thinking and beliefs! 

 
Besides, they are old, why do you need to join a political party and work, at your age you are supposed to sit back and relax and enjoy life. As for Pakatan Rakyat, there is a need to reform the party and members. There needs to be a stop of hopping parties. What kind of childish game is this, hopping parties? If a member is not satisfied with his or her party talk between them and solve it not by hopping to the opposition and then hop back to the previous one. What games are they trying to play here? We are dealing with a nation where there are millions of people who want their voice to be heard and promises to be done. 


What do we want? We want safe roads. We want our children to have good education. We want police to be nicer and better. We want politicians to stop playing race cards. Most important, we want a nation where government staffs and the government itself do not use the citizens for their personal interest.

Cara mudah dapatkan undian

Kehadiran Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi dan Ismail Saffian di majlis makan malam di Kampung Baru Kuala Sepetang - sebuah perkampungan nelayan di DUN Kuala Sepetang di parlimen Bukit Gantang - kini menjadi bahan perbualan.

Apa yang dikatakan sedih ialah cara BN mandapat sambutan penundi Cina.Majlis tersebut diserikan dengan konsert tiga gadis manis berimej seksi selepas Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri itu dan calon BN selesai menyampai ucapan meminta hadirin menyokong BN dalam pilihanraya kecil parlimen itu. Tiga artis Cina berseluar pendek dan singlet biru itu menari dan menyanyi lagu rancak sewaktu Zahid sedang mengadakan sidang media di depan pentas. Saya rasa ini adalah cara bodoh untuk mendapat undian. Bodoh, macam orang cina suka perempuan yang seksi. Apa hal nie! Taraka teknik lain ke. Pi balik lah.

Beliau juga menegaskan bahawa "di kawasan saya, saya bukan memenangi hati orang Cina dengan tarian rancak begini. "Tetapi kita mesti hormat, ini adalah satu kebudayaan orang Cina.
"Di kawasan saya ada 20 peratus pengundi Cina, saya juga pergi ke tokong Cina dan menghadiri majlis pengkebumian orang Cina.

"Saya tahu bagaimana hendak menghormati keluarga orang Cina dan orang mudanya," tegas Zahid, yang juga timbalan pengerusi perhubungan Umno Perak.

Pada pendapat saya, undi promosi BN tidak perlu hadir perempuan seksi. Macam bodoh, Di manakah letaknya prinsip-prinsip Barisan Nasional adat baik perlu ditonjolkan.

Untuk berita sepenuhnya, sila rujuk:http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/101495

Perak and Politics

 

This is just a gentle reminder to ALL PERAKIANS. The bushfires in Australia is still raging and so should the fire in the Silver State. Our Prime Minister has stated that all those found guilty of having started these "bush fires" should be left to rot in jail. I just hope your own PM agrees. They are of the same intellect aren't they? I think the ones started the fire in Perak also should rot in jail. 
 
 The title of this article was 5 FROGS but I disagree. It would be perfect with the title: 4 FROGS and 1 BIG FAT TOAD!
 
  According to sources from MCA that the PAY off is financed by some rich Chinese businessmen in Perak. Probably, Najib approached these rich Chinese Business men to do the needful for him.
 
 The First - Two frogs, were  Mohd Osman and  Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi -

 (he is greedier than the rest). These two got RM1 - RM2 million each.  Hee Yit Foong - She got the most RM10 million. Well her days are numbered! Her husband is a business man in Jelapang worth RM1.5million. Nasharuddin Hashim - probably got only a few millions. His political career will be his last term in office, if he ever serves the constituency again.

 The 5th FROG is the ruler of Perak - He also received a few million cash more than the rest of the FROGS except not more than RM4.0 million. (If the ruler of Perak decides to dissolve the
 State Assembly he gets noth€ing from UMNO). Further the ruler of Perak through his private vehicle companies will receive some major contracts from the Federal Government.
 
 With the new incoming state government of Perak, it can pay $ up RM300 million (which is funded by the federal Government) to kick start the WEST COAST highway. KEURO is the concessionaire. The stakeholders are the Selangor state government who has to fork out RM300
 million, the Perak state government also has to come up with RM300 million and the balance RM400 million will be from KEURO. (IJM Berhad is a major shareholder wanting to secure the WEST COAST highway - to make money) the deadline to fulfill this entire financial obligation is MARCH 2009.

Read The Edge magazine that was on sale Saturday 31st January 2009.
 
 If you guys can recall or remember during the SABAH crisis Mustapha (who was then the opposition against BN) went to the SABAH ISTANA to be sworn in as the Chief Minister (at 4 or 5 am) and lay claim of it. Azlan Shah was the Agung; Mahathir was the then Prime Minister paid every ruler of the states 100,000 shares of Tenaga to entice these rulers and Agung to get their support to bring down Mustapaha. Later some of the Sabah state assemblymen defected to form the BN state government in Sabah.
 
 Azlan Shah and his family then controlled GAMUDA. Later when Azlan Shah retired as Agung, Gamuda received many projects and now his daughter is one of the biggest shareholders of the company. 

 WELL the Power Grab is all about MONEY. Najib wants POWER and fame. He has the money, if you can remember US$300 million commission from the Submarine deal. ALTANTUYA. Easily spent RM20 million or as little as US$5 million to settle all the 5 FROGS of PERAK.

by KellyvilleAce.

I got this mail in MSN so I reposted this in hoping that people will know what power our DPM holds. He is the most powerful politician in Malaysia. Since he took over the Finance Ministary, he is immortal. No one is able to go against him. Even the Perak ruler can't go against him.

Altantuya's death: A well planned assination

The Altantuya Shaaribuu’s case: how and why she was killed
Published in the Liberation French newspaper on 5th March 2009

This is the English translation of the Liberation French article:

Shaaribuu Setev is a bitter and disappointed man. Yet, behind the saddened face of this Mongolian lies a fierce determination. Seated in a sofa in the lobby of an Ulaan Baataar hotel rattled by gushes of a freezing wind, this sixty years old man is ready to fight. His face features, hardened by the suffering and the stern climate, and his intense gaze tell all. “My daughter has been murdered by Malaysians on Malaysian territory. And they did not have even offer a word of apology,” states this professor of psychology at the National University of Mongolia.

The assassination of his daughter, Altantuya Shaaribuu, took place in October 2006. This was a murder unlike others in a region where business conflicts or petty politics are often settled with a gun. Everything in this case, which started in 2002 when the French Spanish company Armaris concluded the sale of three submarines to the Malaysian government for the amount of one billion Euros, is out of the ordinary.

The impact of the “Altantuya case” in France, Malaysia and Mongolia has yet to reach its climax. The murder of the 28 year old Mongolian was the result of a “commission” at the price of 114 million Euros by Armaris to its Malaysian counterpart. This “commission,” which was acknowledged by the Malaysian government in front of the Parliament in Kuala Lumpur, has triggered a chain of events that has led to the assassination of Altantuya and the disappearance of several key witnesses in the case.

A report from the Malaysian police, written on 19th november 2006 and which has been kept secret until now (can be read below), reveals dry and precise descriptions as to how this young woman, a member of Asian high society, has been killed. In this document, one of the killers, a policeman of the Malaysian Special Branch named Sirul Omar, replied to the questions of an officer at a police station close to the murder scene. “When the Chinese woman saw that I was taking a gun, she begged me to spare her, saying she was pregnant. Azilah (the commanding officer of Sirul) grabbed her and [threw] her on the ground. I immediately shot the left side of her face. Then Azilah took off her clothes and put them in a black plastic bag. Azilah noticed that her hand was still moving. He ordered me to shoot again, which I did”, said Sirul. This is the first confirmation of Altantuya’s assassins’ identity. “Then we carried her body into the woods. Azilah wrapped the explosives around her legs, her abdomen and her head, and we exploded her.”

The revelation of this report in the French newspaper Liberation is the latest chapter in this colourful and dramatic saga featuring French weapon sellers, Mongolian Shaman, and Malaysian politicians. This case is explosive not only for the Malaysian government, since the deputy Prime minister Najib Razak (who is scheduled to become Prime minister at the end of March) is suspected of having links to the case, but also because it could embarrass the DCNS, this French company specialising in military shipbuilding. The French Spanish company Armaris, which sold two Scorpène and one Agosta submarines to Malaysia in June 2002, was bought by DCNS in 2007.

With her magnetic beauty and sophistication, Altantuya is reminiscent of the troubling image of a Far East Mata Hari. She grew up in Saint Petersburg (Russia), then studied at the Institute of Economic Management in Beijing. Besides speaking English, she is fluent in Russian, Chinese and Korean. The fateful cycle for Altantuya came into gear when she met Abdul Razak Baginda in Hong Kong in 2004. Baginda is a security expert and the director of the Malaysian Strategic Research Centre, a pro-government think-tank. The two quickly became romantically involved. Altantuya, nicknamed Tuya by her friends, proved to be a useful assistant, helping Baginda translate from Russian to English.

Whereas Altantuya is young and beautiful, the rich and alluring Baginda is a well known figure of the Kuala Lumpur’s elite, notably because of his proximity to the Malaysian Deputy Prime minister and minister of Defense Najib Razak (he is also his security affairs adviser). Baginda parades in the most exclusive circles of Kuala Lumpur, sometimes accompanied by his legitimate wife.

In March 2005, Altantuya and Baginda departed for Europe, touring France, Germany, Italy and Portugal in the red Ferrari of Baginda, staying in posh hotels and dining in the finest restaurants of the old Continent. This trip, however, was not only for tourism: the contract for the sale of the submarines had been signed in 2002, but important details had yet to be settled. “We knew that Baginda was used by Deputy Prime minister Najib Razak as an intermediary for weapons systems deals, especially the high level ones,” says a regional security affairs expert.

At the end of March 2005 the couple was in Paris, where they met with Najib Razak. A picture shows the threesome in a Parisian private club. “Tuya showed me the pix. She said that one of the men was her boyfriend, Abdul Razak Baginda, and the other the “big boss”, Najib Razak. I asked her if they were brothers because of the names, but she said no, and that Najib Razak was the ‘prime minister’”, said Amy, Altantuya’s best friend (Najib Razak has sworn on the Koran that he has never met Altantuya). According to a private detective, now in hiding in India, the beautiful Tuya was also the occasional mistress of the deputy Prime minister, who was introduced to her by Baginda at the end of 2004.

The story became dramatic when, in October 2006, Altantuya was informed that the commission paid by the French-Spanish company Armaris had arrived on a Kuala Lumpur bank account. It had been paid to Perimekar, a company owned by Baginda. Altantuya rushed to Kuala Lumpur, in order to claim her share of the commission from Baginda ; she said she was entitled to 500,000 dollars. Baginda and Altantuya broke up prior to this. A jealous Rosmah Mansor, the feared businesswoman and wife of Najib Razak, objected any payment to Altantuya. Altantuya arrived in Kuala Lumpur with two other Mongolian women, one of them was a Shaman responsible for putting a spell on Baginda if he refused to pay. For several days, Altantuya harassed her ex-lover.

On the 18th of October, Baginda could no longer tolerate the daily scenes made by Altantuya in front of his house. He contacted the Director of the Special Branch, Musa Safrie, who happened to also be Najib Razak’s aide de camp. On October 19th, 2006, a little before 9 pm, two police officers of the Special Branch, Azilah Hadridan and Sirul Omar, were sent in front of Baginda’s house where Altantuya was gesticulating and shouting. They had the order of “neutralising the Chinese woman.” They kidnapped her, and drove her ten kilometers away and shot her several times. Then, they destroyed her body with C4 explosives, a type which can only be obtained from within the Defense Ministry. Her entry into Malaysia was erased from the immigration records. It would appear that Altantuya had never come to Malaysia, because there is no trace left of her.

There is no perfect crime. The taxi driver hired by Altantuya for the day did not appreciate that his passenger was kidnapped under his eyes without payment for the fare. He took note of the registration plate of the kidnapper’s car and filed a complaint at the local police station. In a few days, the police identified the car and realised that it was a government vehicle.

Events unfolded that even the Deputy Prime minister Najib Razak could not impede. He tried to cover the case. A few hours before the arrest of Baginda, he sent him a SMS: “I will see the Inspector General of Police at 11 am today… The problem will be solved. Be cool”. A few hours after, Baginda was arrested as well as the two police officers of the Special Branch, Azilah and Sirul.

After a trial considered dubious by many observers, Baginda was acquitted with the accusation of having ordered the murder and released in November 2008. Accused of having perpetrated the murder, Azilah and Sirul appeared in front of the Court last month. If convicted, their sentence is death. The verdict is scheduled for the 9th of April.

Thousands of miles from there, in the Mongolian capital city Ulaan Baataar, Shaaribuu Setev, Altantuya’s father, is trying to control his anger. To him and his family, the acquittal and release of Baginda is symbolic of the unfairness of the Malaysian judicial process: “The Malaysian government is not even answering to the letters from the Mongolian Foreign Affairs Ministry,” he says.

When Shaaribuu came to the Malaysian Parliament to meet Najib Razak, the Deputy Prime minister had to escape through a back door in order to avoid an embarrassing encounter. The Altantuya case has become a key element of the Malaysian political game between Najib Razak (who is expected to become Prime Minister after the United Malay Nation Organisation (UMNO) Congress in March) and the opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. So far, Najib Razak has navigated around the obstacles, but the murder of the young Mongolian remains a sword suspended over his head.

One of the most obscure aspects of the Altantuya case is the role of the Armaris company. In October 2007, the Malaysian Deputy Defense minister, Zainal Abdidin Zin, acknowledged in front of the Parliament that Armaris had effectively paid 114 million Euros in commission to Perimekar. He maintained that it was not a bribe, but a payment for “support and coordination services.”

Was there corruption as in the case of the Taiwanese frigates in which the French DCNS was also implicated? DCNS, a private company with public financing, has declined our request for a meeting. “Nobody can comment on this case,” was the sober reply of the DCNS Press relations officer in Paris. A document, which could establish a link between Altantuya and the French company is the guarantee letter written by Abdul Razak Baginda so that his mistress could obtain a visa to enter the Schengen zone (of whom France is a member country). The French embassy could not refuse this service to a man decorated with the Legion d’Honneur. But the role of Altantuya in the submarines negotiations is still not clear. Intelligence agencies find her background intriguing and the Russian FSB (ex-KGB) is following closely the case.

In Ulaan Baataar, Mungunshagai, the eldest son of Altantuya, who is 12 years old, is traumatised by the death of his mother. Altanshagai, the youngest, who is five years old and mentally handicapped, has not understood that he will never see again his mother. “He is asking for her all the time and is staying the whole day prostrated on his chair. Every evening, I bring him sweets and I tell him that his mother gave it to me for him”, says Shaaribuu Setev, the grandfather of the two boys. As for Baginda, he settled down in the United Kingdom with his family. He never uttered a word of regret on the deadly fate of the one who shared his life for two years.

Arnaud Dubus (in Kuala Lumpur, Ulaan Baataar and Paris) 

Busy Body in Politics

I just don't understand why should Elizabeth Wong quit her post and why is BN and UMNO trying to involve? To a certain extend, they are able to give opinions but do not have any rights to ask her to step down. Arguments given was, when Chua Soi Lek's sex video came out, Pakatan Rakyat ask him to quit his post, yes I agree they may have said it, but we can't compare Eli's case to Chua Soi Lek.

Chua Soi Lek cheated on his family and had sex several times with a women and it was in a hotel. Where else Eli was at home, sleeping. She was not aware when the ex-boyfriend took the picture. Everyone came about saying its a nude picture. Please, I disagree. Nude means without clothes. In the picture speared the was with full dress and this happen in her home. Why all of a sudden we cant be naked in our own house? What is such a big deal ! Okay maybe her ex- was so horny and had to have a picture her and all but why spread it out ? Its either he got pissed at her for ditching him or something happened which i don't really want to say. I remember what Chua Soi Lek said, I know how Eli feels.

Yes but you Mr, ex Health Minister was a tangkap basah case. Remember that. My question is, Why should she step down from her posts? Is it because she was involved in a sex scandal. If that's the argument given, our Deputy PM should have stepped down the moment there were accusation about him have connection to the death of the Mongolian model. Its not the best example to some or rather explains the concept. So politians and BN/UMNO, shut up and prepare for the by-election.

There are certain things what upsets me about Pakatan Rakyat. Pas should get the hell out of Pakatan Rakyat. They are there just make things worst, so what if Elizabeth had a Muslim boyfriend. What is such a big deal in that? Before this Pas had made rather ridiculous about the Hudud laws and honestly they just complicate things, they want to have 1 nation but at the same time give importance to the Islam. What the hell is that? So no matter what happens Pas will be defending the Islam rights, I know for a fact that, Parti Keadilan Rakyat and DAP have had alot of quarreling and fights. Don't think we the citizens are ignorant. Just in case you forgot, we placed you all in the Parliament. So now what Pas is going to do against Elizabeth Wong, I have got no idea. I assume that they are going to threaten Anwar and Lim Kit Siang by saying they want to leave the party. This always happens. So I'm not over reacting.

Politics

Why lately there has been more politics news than others? Several weeks ago, politicians were obsessed with Gaza issue but how come now everything is about politics and to be more precise its about MP switching parties. Let me see how it goes before I post a follow up.

I was a bit sad to hear about the fire outbreak in Australia and I hope that people all around the world will help them.