The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, July 3 — Petronas adviser Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today asked what did the government spend with the RM253.6 billion payment from the national oil company over the past six years when his successor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was prime minister.

The former prime minister, a trenchant critic of Abdullah, wrote in his www.chedet.cc weblog that Petronas has been paying dividends, taxes, royalty and export duties to the government since 1976, after it was set up as the national custodian for fossil fuels.

"Where has the money gone to?" Dr Mahathir asked.

KUALA LUMPUR, July 3 – Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak says Barisan Nasional, including top Umno leaders, as well as the Malays are supportive of the various liberalisation measures he has announced since taking over as Prime Minister on April 3 this year.

He expressed confidence that this would translate into votes for the ruling party in the 13th General Election.

He also said that the spirit of the New Economic Policy (NEP) in its macro form would continue but the instruments used to achieve to restructure society and achieve equality would have to be changed.

“I have engaged with the key players before I announced this and they believe that it is time for us to change, review and move forward. I think people realised that,” he said when asked if his political party was behind him on all the moves he has been doing.

However, with all the measures announced, that does not mean the country has abandoned the need to have more equitable society, as it remains the main goal, he said in an interview with Adam Bakhtiar on CNBC which was aired in its entirety today.

A short version was aired last Wednesday where he touched on the ringgit and the economy.

KUALA LUMPUR, July 3 — Pakatan Rakyat (PR) is set to finally put together the framework for a more structured and permanent political structure in the partnership of PAS, PKR and DAP, which will see Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim put in place as chairman of a leadership council.

A "rapid response unit" comprising key members from the three partners will also be set up to counter political attacks with a uniformed message and mitigate the kind of gamesmanship and petty politicking which has seen the alliance rocked to its core in recent weeks.

KUALA LUMPUR, July 3 – Kedah DAP has applied more pressure on the PAS-led state government in a move that seems to be fueled by the public backing of DAP supremos.

Its sole state assemblyman Lee Guan Aik made clear today that he will no longer support the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition government under Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak after one-and-a-half years of broken promises to non-Muslim Kedahans.

Kedah DAP had pulled out of the state government after the only pig abbatoir in the state was demolished two days ago.

KUALA LUMPUR, July 3 – Suspended Gerakan vice president Huan Cheng Guan believes he can swing supporters in Penang on to his side against Penang chairman Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan in a bid to overturn his three-year ban.

He spent this week organising a dinner in his stronghold of Seberang Prai where 1,200 supporters turned up last night and several division leaders condemned the suspension.

Huan told The Malaysian Insider he would soon send a letter to the top leadership demanding they explain the suspension.