Now, who will Ambiga throw under the bus?

Updates
Bersih distances itself from former chairman - The Mole
Ambiga keeps mum - The Malaysian Insight



Original piece

“Ambiga had told the defendant that her sources, whom she said were reliable, had estimated the amount that had been paid was around RM90 million," said Rewcastle-Brown in her court filing dated 11 Oct  - Sarawak Report editor names Ambiga as source: Report

Desperate, Clare throws Ambiga under the bus

Puchong, 31 Oct: Clare Rewcastle-Brown's confession, in a British court, that Ambiga Sreenevasan was the source of her so-called news report on PAS leaders accepting bribes from PM Najib Razak must have made so many Malaysians' day. 

Seasoned journalist Nuraina Samad's Muahahahaaaaaaa ... response to the confession is one fine example.

Malaysians have known all along that Sarawak Report was pure online BS. We just could not prove or did not know how to prove the BS.

Now, Clare's confession is the only proof we'll ever need!

And what poetic justice!  The confession was made - had to be made - in a British court. So much to thank Tuan Guru al-Hadi for having the gumption to take Clare to the court - in her own backyard - to clear his name and expose Sarawak Report as nothing but a fraud.

What shocked me, as a journalist, was the fact that Clare had actually pointed the finger at Ambiga, her Deep Throat. I have always thought that these western journalists would protect their source at all cost.  Maybe Clare is a new breed of western journalists! Or she was extremely desperate. 

As one commenter in Nuraina Samad's posting so aptly puts it, "... they are throwing each other under the bus". 

We now wait for Ambiga to throw her "reliable sources" under the bus.

Muahahahaaaaa!

p.s On a more serious note, Clare's admission brings to mind the police reports recently lodged by our Attorney-General against blogger RPK for his postings in Malaysia Today. Like Clare, RPK is also biased in the UK but the two are NOT on the same side where Malaysian politics is concerned. You can read about AG vs RPK it in my previous post h e r e. Things seem to have quietened down a bit, though, after RPK's climbdown in Part 3 of his Strong Rumours Surrounding the AG series but the police have started their investigation. 

It's official: Malaysia's Attorney-General lodges police report(s) against RPK

Puchong, 26 Oct: So, Apandi Ali did not listen to my advice. I wrote h e r e the AG would be wasting his time if he goes after RPK, "whose views these days are said to represent the views of some people close to Prime Minister Najib Razak". Well, to each his own!

I can't blame Apandi Ali for going to the police. He has got the integrity of the Attorney-General's Chamber to defend. And his own good name to protect. By going after RPK, Apandi is saying that he does not believe that RPK is on Najib Razak's side. If RPK is, he should not be attacking the country's Attorney-General, he should be attacking Najib's enemies, instead.

An old journalist friend called me to find out "what the hell is the problem". And like how old journalists are, he did not wait for my reply. He gave me his 2 sens' worth instead: 

"Here's Najib Razak trying to make things work, overcoming obstacles after obstacles as the BN nears the most crucial general election this century, preparing to table probably the most important Budget of all time ... and all these jokers who call themselves his spin doctors are interested in is flex their muscles to prove who's bigger and stronger by bullying and attacking everyone, including the AG, in the name of defending the PM?

Well, what can I say? Najib's enemies are licking their lips and rubbing their hands, with glee. 

And because of all this, Khairuddin has officially become Khairuddin "Bangang" Hassan in my book.  I was quite fond of him but this Khairuddin has the habit of calling everyone who disagrees with him "bangang" so he might as well have it his middle name lah!

Someone asked me if it was true that the AG had no authority to set up the taskforce. 

Me: "Am sure the AG knows the law better than RPK [and Khairuddin B  Hassan]."

Apandi Ali vs RPK and Khairuddin (there's Azeeez in there somewhere, too!)

No need to sue RPK lah, AG

Bangsar, 24 Oct: Re AG Apandi Ali's task force (Who, or what, does Apandi's task force serve?), I expected one side of the political divide to express reservations. Because that's how things usually work in this country. I did not expect BOTH sides to violently protest the move. 

I certainly did not expect Malaysia Today's RPK, whose views these days are said to represent the views of some people close to Prime Minister Najib Razak, to launch such a vicious attack on Apandi. (Read Strong rumours surrounding the AG Part 1 and Strong rumours surrounding the AG Part 2). So offensive were RPK's attacks that Apandi truly offended. The AG reportedly lost his trademark composure and has threatened to sue the Malaysian blogger in England (Apandi threatens to sue Raja Petra "till kingdom comes").

Khairuddin: AG ignorant of
 process of law

Former Umno man Khairuddin Hassan's opposition towards the task force is more palatable even if his reasoning is rather odd. The Mahathir Mohamad loyalist is suspicious of Apandi's motive and speaks of a conflict of interest and suspects that what will happen is that Apandi will declare that the task force, after investigating the claims against the MACC boss, finds that there is no case ...

"Apa motif Apandi Ali?! Dia nak kata 'tiada kes' setelah menyiasat sepertimana kelazimannya!!" - Khairuddin Hassan: Kenapa Peguam Negara pula kalut tubuh panel has siasat Ketua Pesuruhjaya Suruhanjaya SPRM?! Ianya ada unsur "Conflict of interest!!"

If you ask me, I'd say surely Apandli Ali is doing something right for operatives on both sides to be against him on this issue!

Now, I am against the AG resorting to legal action to silence RPK because RPK will not be silenced. Lodging a police report to intimidate RPK will also be useless because RPK will not be intimidated. Trust me, Also, the AG has other more pressing things to worry about. If it's any consolation, look at it this way: if RPK does represent the PM or the PMO in some way, then surely most people can see that this means that the AG is only acting in the interest of justice!

The AG should not be losing sleep over Khairuddin, either. He should not feel hurt or insulted if Din calls him bangang because Din calls everybody who could become his political foe bangang, anyway.

What Apandi should do is to go ahead and get his task force going. The integrity of the MACC is at stake, which cannot be defended by RPK or Khairuddin but by proper investigation. And if the task force finds there to be no case against the MACC boss after it has conducted its investigation thorougly, so be it. And the sooner the AG makes that happen, the better for everyone. 

The worst thing that the AG can do, of course, is to make a U-turn. We have enough of that to last us a lifetime already ...

p.s  The Malaysian Insight sees things differently, in The Battle Within Camp Najib.

"Expect the battle to get nastier unless Najib steps in."

Oh-Oh...

Who, or what, does Apandi's task force serve?

Apandi

"In view of the seriousness of the allegation that can affect the integrity of the chief commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), the Attorney-General Chamber has formed a task force ... to closely monitor the investigations of the alleged offences under section 498 of the Penal Code and other related offences."

Section 498 refers to "enticing or taking away or detaining with a criminal intent a married woman". - Task force set up to monitor probe against MACC chief, The Star 19/10/2017

Jalan Tun Razak, 20 Oct: AG Mohamed Apandi Ali's move to establish this task force came as a surprise, at least to me, but I applaud it all the same. 

This is not the first time someone has tried to scandalise the MACC. In 2011, blogger Din Merican accused the anti-graft chief then of having a good time at a massage parlour using taxpayers' money! No task force was set up and the accusation, as it turned out, was complete bollocks! (Read Why does Din Merican hate Abu Kassim so much?) Looking back, perhaps a task force should have been set up back then. It would have officially cleared the Abu Kassim of the allegation and punish the accuser accordingly for trying to bring shame and disrepute to the MACC. Such would have served a deterrent to anyone out to slander those who head important public institution like the MACC, the police, the AGC, the judiciary, etc. It would've also served as a reminder to those who head these institutions that they are subject to scrutiny just like everyone else.

Apandi's task force is proof that this Government takes the integrity of its institutions very seriously.

To me, it will give MACC chief Dzulkifli Ahmad the opportunity to defend his good name. And it means he does not have to do it all by himself. And if his accusers cannot prove beyond doubt their accusations against him, the full weight of the law must bear upon them.

Most importantly, the task force ensures that the integrity of the MACC - the institution's credibility, the nation's fight against graft and corruption, and our faith in the people who lead that fight - is not tarnished by the allegations.