Muhyiddin: Makeshift classrooms only temporary

Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the makeshift school without walls in Tuaran was only a temporary shelter for students.

The Deputy Prime Minister said SK Penimbawan was undergoing upgrading works and the students had been placed in temporary classrooms.

He said the ministry’s secretary-general had been sent to Sabah to monitor the situation.

One off the classrooms with plywood walls and zinc tops

Muhyiddin said an allocation of about RM5mil to RM10mil had been approved a few months ago.

“It is a matter of management and implementation which takes time,” he told a press conference after attending the Pagoh youth music fiesta carnival here Saturday.

He said he directed for the upgrading works to be completed by this year.

SK Penimbawan is among 10 schools with a total enrolment of more than 2,000 students that were destroyed by either fires or landslips in Sabah since last year.

Classrooms at the SK Penimbawan are wall-less structures resembling garages with concrete floors. SK Penimbawan was destroyed by a fire in May.

The classrooms equipped with dirty chairs and table at the school

The school was without electricity when it was built and several months ago when power was supplied to the building, a short circuit cause the fire.

Two other schools facing similar predicaments are SK Tampasak in Papar district and SK Pekan primary school in Kiulu.

The two schools' classrooms comprise canopy tents with the bare ground as a floor.

The plight of pupils in SK Peninbawan was highlighted in a viral tweet with the hashtag #SchoolWithNoWall on Friday.

In a tweet directed at Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa on Friday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said, “Please investigate and take action to help if this is true. This should not have happened.”

Najib acts on Twitter pictures of makeshift Tuaran classrooms

A Twitter campaign to highlight the sad state of affairs at a school in Sabah, which had to operate in makeshift classrooms, caught the attention of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on Friday.

Pictures posted on Twitter, showing classrooms at SK Penimbawan in Tuaran using canopies, zinc roofs and plywood a year after a fire broke out there, led Najib to issue instructions to Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Ali Hamsa.

"TS KSN @alihamsa55 siasat & ambil tindakan utk bantu jika benar. Ini tdk patut berlaku (To Chief Secretary of Government @alihamsa55. Investigate and take action to help if true. This should not happen," Najib tweeted on Friday afternoon along with images of the school.

 The classrooms equipped with dirty chairs and table at the school

Ali later responded, tweeting that he would take immediate action on the matter.

"Salam YAB Dato Sri @NajibRazak. Perkara ini sedang disiasat dan tindakan serta merta akan diambil. Terima kasih. Dr Ali. (Salam Datuk Seri @NajibRazak. The matter is being investigated and immediate action will be taken. Thank you. Dr Ali," he said via @AliHamsa55.

Earlier Friday, the tweet handle #SchoolWithNoWall went viral and received many retweets, alerting Najib's attention.

The pictures attached to the tweets showed classrooms without walls and sparsely equipped with dirty, mismatched chairs and worn-out tables.

Although the floors are concrete there is nothing to stop the wind from blowing red earth into the classrooms.

In one of the pictures, a small wall fan is visible close to a white board. There are no ceiling fans.

The plight of the school also received a response from Kinabatangan MP Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin who called for swift action to help SK Penimbawan.

Muhyiddin: We cannot take threats against IGP lightly

The government views seriously the death threat made by a group of youths on Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar on social media.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said such threats could lead to bigger dangers to the nation in future.

He said three steps must be taken to contain the threat of extremism, including through education, to provide an understanding about security to the younger generation.

"Secondly, the existing laws need to be implemented effectively, and thirdly, cooperation among the public to help the authorities take the appropriate steps.

"We cannot take this lightly because today, extremism is a global issue....some of our people are involved with the IS (Islamic State), which is clear proof that it has already happened in Malaysia," he told reporters.

He was commenting on a 1:27 minute video showing three masked men who called themselves Anak Malaysia Anti Demokrasi (Amad) which went viral on the social media, threatening to blow up the IGP's car.

Another video earlier showed four men saying they planned to burn fireworks at all the courthouses throughout the country on Feb 18.

Najib: I'm suing Harakah to defend my family

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak says it is his right to take legal action against PAS organ Harakahdaily in order to defend his family.

"Because they have defamed (my family), I have to sue them or demand they retract what they said in Harakah," Najib told reporters here Friday.

"What was reported in Harakah was defamatory and completely untrue. They did not show evidence. So it is my right to defend myself and my family," he added.

He refused to comment further on the matter.

Harakahdaily recently carried an article on 1MDB and Riza Aziz, who is Najib's stepson.

It was reported on Thursday that Najib had instructed law firm Hafarizam Wan & Aisha Mubarak to hand over a letter of demand to Harakahdaily managing director Dr Rosli Yaakop to retract the article and publish an unconditional apology in writing.

The article was a commentary piece based on a New York Times article earlier this month.
Najib was speaking reporters here after launching the start of Sri Aman Minor Specialist Hospital's construction.

The RM150mil 108-bed hospital, first announced in 2011, is targeted for completion in 2018.

Najib demands Harakah retract 1MDB article

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has given PAS’ organ Harakahdaily 48 hours to retract an article on 1MDB deemed defamatory.

Law firm Hafarizam Wan & Aisha Mubarak handed over a letter of demand to Harakahdaily managing director Dr Rosli Yaakop at 3pm Thursday demanding an unconditional apology in writing.

They also demand the retraction of its article Dana 1MDB Biaya Syarikat Filem Riza Aziz (Bhg 2) (1MDB Funding Riza Aziz’s Film Production Company) published on Feb 19.

Riza is Najib’s stepson.

The article was a commentary piece by Rosli based on a New York Times article on businessman Low Taek Jho’s role as a property investor published on Feb 12.

Harakahdaily is also required to give a written undertaking that it would stop repeating the defamatory statements.

Among the sentences deemed defamatory are that (businessman) Jho Lo was an intimate friend, regarded as part of the first family of Malaysia, and a trusted proxy.

Harakah had questioned where the funds were sourced, as the Prime Minister’s annual salary was only USD100,000 (RM358,00).

Harakahdaily had in the article implied elements of “money laundering”.

Other statements deemed defamatory include implying the Prime Minister had low moral, abuse power for personal interest, gaining wealth from dirty sources, and abusing 1MDB fund.

Najib is also demanding compensation for serious damage of reputation and for cost and expenses incurred in handling the matter.

Najib had given strict order to his lawyers to proceed with court action if Harakahdaily failed to response to the demand within the stipulated time frame.

Rahman Dahlan takes a dig at Nurul Izzah's "Anwar offered DPM post" claim

An Umno minister took a jab at PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar for her remark that her father, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, was offered the deputy prime minister's post after the 2013 general election.

"BN offering DPM post to Anwar who lost all four GEs in a row? Nurul, get a grip on yourself! #Drama," Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan tweeted.

Rahman was responding to Nuru Izzah's claim that Anwar was offered the number two post in the Barisan Nasional government after Pakatan Rakyat won 52 percent of popular votes in GE13.

Speaking at a ceramah at Seberang Jaya, Penang on Saturday night, Nurul Izzah reportedly said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak offered her father the post, on condition that Anwar agreed to "ignore" his friends in Pakatan Rakyat.

She said Anwar rejected the offer.

Rahman added that Nurul Izzah should know that Anwar didn't fight for democracy.

"He tried to topple the govt on the 16th Sept 2008, remember?" he tweeted.

Soon after the GE13 which was held in May, Anwar had claimed to have enough Barisan lawmakers to jump ship and form a government. The plan did not materialise.

Anwar was jailed five years for sodomy last Tuesday.

Ismail Sabri: Unite, let’s move on

Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has urged all parties to move on from his controversial Facebook post on boycotting Chinese traders, as he considered that the matter has come to a close.

This comes after Transport Minister and MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said he accepted Ismail Sabri's statement of regret that his posting had stirred racial sentiments.

Ismail Sabri, who is Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister, said no good would come out by prolonging the issue.

"We should be addressing the root of the problem, which is irresponsible traders raising prices of goods, despite the drop in oil prices and electricity tariffs.

"What is the end result if we continue to bicker? It will do no good for the country.

"Now that the Cabinet has decided and Liow has agreed to accept my statement, we should stop this issue," Ismail Sabri told reporters after launching the jihad campaign against middlemen in businesses at Pasaraya Syed in Sungai Buloh near here on Friday.

However, Ismail Sabri declined to comment when a reporter asked if his statement of regret was an apology.

He said while he considered this issue to be over, he hoped the same would be true for Liow.

"MCA is a fellow comrade in the Barisan Nasional coalition. The important thing is for us to unite as the enemy is not among us, but out of our coalition," he added.

On the "joint statement" with Liow on the issue, Ismail Sabri said there was some miscommunication, and both of them decided to issue separate statements.

Liow: Accept Ismail Sabri's statement of regret and move on

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said he accepted the statement of regret from Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob over the latter's remarks on boycotting Chinese businesses.

"As my colleague, Datuk Seri Ismail has officially issued a statement of regret, and as a member of Cabinet, I take note of his statement of regret and hope that this matter is put to rest and we shall move on," Liow, who is MCA president, said in a statement.

Here is the full statement:

"On the issue of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri’s call to boycott Chinese traders,  I have made clear MCA’s stand at Cabinet this week and the Cabinet had instructed Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri to issue a press statement to take responsibility for his controversial Facebook post in order to end this issue.

"I respect the collective decision of YAB Prime Minister, Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Razak and the Cabinet that we need to provide closure on this issue. As my colleague, Dato’ Sri Ismail has officially issued a statement of regret, and as a member of Cabinet, I take note of his statement of regret and hope that this matter is put to rest and we shall move on."

Zahid: Anwar will not get special treatment in prison

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is not being given any special treatment in Sungai Buloh prison while serving his sentence for the offence of sodomising his former aide.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi stressed that all prisoners were treated equally as provided by law and the prison regulations.

"I wish to confirm this (no special treatment for Anwar) here," he said, when asked by reporters about concerns expressed by some quarters that Anwar could be given special treatment by the Prisons Department while incarcerated.

Ahmad Zahid earlier attended the ministry's monthly assembly here on Thursday.

Also present were Prisons Department director-general Datuk Seri Zulkifli Omar and Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Noor Rashid Ibrahim.

The Federal Court had on Feb 10, rejected Anwar's final appeal against his conviction and five-year jail sentence for sodomising his former aide, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, on June 26, 2008.

Power tariffs reduced from March 1

The Cabinet has agreed to reduce the electricity tariff with the imbalance cost pass-through (ICPT) of 2.25sen/ kWh beginning March 1.

The reduced tariff are for users consuming 300kW/h and more monthly.

Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili consumers can expect a saving of between RM13.50 and RM45 on their monthly bills.

The reduced tariffs are valid till June 30.

Guan Eng: Anwar still MP until Feb 23

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will remain Permatang Pauh MP until Feb 23, said DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng.

He said according to the Federal Constitution, a Member of Parliament's disqualification will only take effect upon the expiry of 14 days from the day of conviction.

"Unless Anwar apologises and seeks a pardon from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the disqualification will be suspended until the pardon is disposed.

"I have discussed this matter with him yesterday before he entered the Sungai Buloh prison but I'm not going to divulge details," he told reporters.

Lim refused to comment when asked about Pakatan Rakyat's plans should there be a by-election for the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat.

The Federal Court on Tuesday upheld the Court of Appeal's conviction and five-year jail term on Anwar for sodomising his former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

Arrest warrant issued for SSKM’s ‘Doris Jones

A warrant of arrest has been issued for a woman named "Doris Jones’’ who operates a social media-based secession movement called Sabah Sarawak Keluar Malaysia (SSKM).

Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman said that the woman "Doris Jones’’ is wanted for seditious activities as she was promoting secession through a Facebook page SSKM and other social media networks.

Jalaluddin said that they have put up an alert for her at all entry points in the country.

However, he did not say for sure if she was operating the page from United Kingdom or other countries.

"I don’t know, some say she in London, or may be Europe. We are on the alert for her if she enters the country,’’ he said, adding that he was not sure if she was still holding Malaysian citizenship or some other nationality as she had been overseas for sometime.

It is understood that the little known Sabahan, who is believed to be from Penampang, with her family settled in Labuan, is believed to be married in United Kingdom and works in a "legal circle”.

She is believed to be keeping in touch with local NGO networks through various social media channels including Skype to communicate with SSKM.

Jalaluddin said that police have set up a special task force and investigating various SSKM-linked postings on Facebook and other social media groups which holds weekly meetings to study the postings under the Seditious Act.

"Each week we meet, a total of 126 investigating papers have been opened over the postings. We have forwarded them to the Deputy Prosecutor,’’ he said, in urging Sabah NGOs not to get to involved in such activities.

He said police also believe that certain opposition figures were behind the NGOs linked to the activities of SSKM.

"These NGOs are going around with petitions asking people to support secession,’’ Jalaluddin said, adding that the five arrested in Lahad Datu on Sunday were released on Tuesday after investigations were completed.

In separate issue, Jalaluddin said the dusk-to-dawn sea curfew in the east coast of Sabah that has been in placed since last July would be extended to another two weeks from Feb 11 to Feb 26.

Sodomy II: Anwar sentenced to five years’ jail

The Federal Court has upheld the Court of Appeal’s five-year prison sentence on Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for sodomising former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

The apex court earlier on Tuesday upheld the Mar 7, 2014 decision against the Opposition leader.

Anwar, 67, was sentenced to five years’ jail for sodomising his former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari, 30, at the Desa Damansara condominium in Bukit Damansara on June 26, 2008.

Anwar had filed 35 grounds in his petition of appeal asking the Federal Court to overturn the Court of Appeal’s ruling.

Sodomy II: Court says Saiful a credible witness, DNA evidence admissible

The trial judge was correct in dismissing impeachment proceedings against Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, the Federal Court has held.

Chief Justice Arifin Zakaria, who leads a five-member panel of the Federal Court, held Tuesday that Mohd Saiful was a credible witness, and that the appellate court should be wary of disturbing the evaluation of the trial judge.

Justice Arifin further held that the DNA evidence taken from Anwar’s cell which was used to compare against samples of his semen were legally obtained.

The Court said that there was no break in the chain of evidence and no tampering.

Anwar, 67, looked downcast as the judge continued delivering the court’s judgment.

Proceedings in Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s appeal against a sodomy conviction began 10.10am Tuesday with Justice Arifin Zakaria reading through a summary of the case.

The judge began by focussing on the issues of consent and whether or not there was evidence of penetration.

The Federal Court delivers its decision Tuesday in Anwar’s appeal.

The Opposition leader is charged with sodomising his former aide Mohd Saiful.

Anwar was sentenced to five years’ jail on Mar 7 last year by the Court of Appeal for sodomising his former aide Mohd Saiful, 30, at the Desa Damansara condominium in Bukit Damansara on June 26, 2008.

In its 85-page written judgment, the Court of Appeal overturned an earlier acquittal by the High Court.
Anwar had filed 35 grounds in his petition of appeal asking the Federal Court to overturn the Court of Appeal’s ruling.

Mat Sabu: Hadi attending Pakatan leadership council meeting

PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang has confirmed his attendance at Sunday’s Pakatan Rakyat leadership council meeting, said his deputy Mohamad Sabu.

Speaking to reporters at the party’s headquarters here on Friday, Mohamad said secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali has assured of Abdul Hadi’s attendance.

“We understand that he (Abdul Hadi) will be attending the PAS central committee meeting in the morning and he will stay on until the Pakatan leadership meeting in the afternoon.

“As Muslims say, ‘insyaAllah' (God willing) because you don’t know what is going to happen that day. If I were sick that day, I would probably not go as well,” said Mohamad, laughing.

The Pakatan leadership council meeting has been put on hold for months following their prolonged fallout in the Selangor Mentri Besar crisis.

On Thursday, DAP said the meeting would not proceed if Abdul Hadi did not turn up.

Its secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said this was the decision made by the party’s central executive committee.

Lawyer Eric Paulsen charged with sedition

Eric Paulsen was charged in a Sessions Court here Thursday over a tweet in which he allegedly accused the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) of promoting extremism.

He was brought before judge Abdul Rashid Daud to have his charge read to him.

Paulsen, who is also Lawyers for Liberty executive director, was charged with publishing seditious words on his Twitter account at twitter.com/ericpaulsen101 stating that, "Jakim is promoting extremism every Friday. Government needs to address that if serious about extremism in Malaysia".

The offence was allegedly committed at the D5 criminal investigation unit, Bukit Aman here at about 8pm on Jan 10, this year.

He later claimed trial to the charge under Section 4(1)(c) of the Sedition Act 1948.

Judge Abdul Rashid later fixed bail at RM2,000 in one surety pending mention on April 27.

Counsel Gobind Singh Deo appeared for Paulsen.

Cheap Smartphone Device Detects HIV, Syphilis In 15 Minutes: Study

The US and Rwandan researchers say they have developed a low-cost smartphone accessory capable of detecting HIV and syphilis from a finger prick of blood in just 15 minutes, Xinhua news agency reported.

This is the first device that replicates all the functions of a lab-based blood test and works by detecting markers of infectious diseases: HIV antibody, treponemal-specific antibody for syphilis and non-treponemal antibody for active syphilis infection.

The manufacturing cost of the device is only US$34, much lower than the US$18,000 that current gold standard of diagnostics, known as the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), needs.

The accessory was recently piloted by health care workers in Rwanda who used it to test blood finger-pricked from 96 patients, many of whom were women at risk for mother-to-child transmission of sexually transmitted diseases.

The researchers said the device delivered test results displayed on the phone screen within 15 minutes and performed almost as well as the ELISA test.

Nearly all patients preferred it to lab-based tests, which could take up to two or more hours.

"Our work shows that a full laboratory-quality immunoassay can be run on a smartphone accessory," said lead author Samuel Sia, associate professor of biomedical engineering at Columbia University.

"This kind of capability can transform how health care services are delivered around the world," Sia said.

The device, or dongle, can easily connect to a smartphone or computer. It is small and light enough to fit into one hand and draws all the power it needs to run by plugging into a smartphone's audio jack.

Researchers believe that this lab-on-a-chip device could help scale up early detection of HIV and syphilis especially in mobile or field clinics.

"Our dongle presents new capabilities for a broad range of users from health care providers to consumers," Sia said.

"By increasing detection of syphilis infections, we might be able to reduce deaths by tenfold. We might be able to scale up HIV testing at the community level with immediate antiretroviral therapy that could nearly stop HIV transmissions and approach elimination of this disease," he added.

The work, also comprising researchers from Rwanda Biomedical Centre, was published in the US journal Science Translational Medicine.

Anwar the most likely loser

The very public battles within Pakatan Rakyat are likely to lead to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim being its major casualty.

ONE man must be very worried over how his brainchild – Pakatan Rakyat – is beginning to unravel before his very eyes.

Pakatan Rakyat leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim needs a united coalition, committed to his ideals now more than ever before because he is facing the biggest game changer of his career.

On Feb 10, the Federal Court will deliver its verdict in his Sodomy 2 appeal but the coalition he heads simply can’t see eye to eye.

Ever since August last year when PAS rebuffed his request to support his wife Datin Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail for the Selangor Mentri Besar post, he has been watching helplessly how PAS has grown steadily in its rebellion.

Not only does PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang refuses to attend Pakatan leadership council meetings, making it largely irrelevant, the clerics in the party have been opposing one issue after another that the DAP is fighting for.

The latest is the rejection by Hadi and his clerics on local government elections, a cherished dream of the DAP which had promised its Chinese supporters it will organise one soon.

Hadi’s view is that local government elections were banned in the early 1960s because of its potential to cause racial riots and that the party was therefore against it.

Anwar desires a united Pakatan, at least on the face of it, and has been pushing for a president’s council meeting before Feb 10 but he has been frustrated by the clerics in PAS.

Until now he has failed to get Abdul Hadi to attend. Without his presence, the DAP has vowed not to attend, thus hamstringing Anwar.

Anwar is understandably apprehensive at PAS’ refusal to talk with DAP to settle their grouses because he has a lot to lose if he is found guilty and sentenced to jail.

Not only will he lose his Permatang Pauh MP seat as well as his position as Opposition Leader in Parliament, his political career will be over.

Pakatan, or what is left of it, has to choose a new leader acceptable to all three partners equally and one strong contender will be Hadi himself. Besides that, Pakatan is Anwar’s baby and he wants to leave behind a united and workable coalition able to compete with the Barisan Nasional and not a truncated coalition minus PAS, its biggest Malay partner.

He also wants Pakatan to campaign for him and his causes as it did during Sodomy One.

Hadi, however, has chosen a brave course in his opposition to DAP and to Anwar because there is strong opposition to him within his own party. He has to contend with the so called liberals or Erdogans who support Anwar, like deputy president Mohamed Sabu, and by extension they also support the DAP and Pakatan itself.

Hadi has to fight these liberals, or as one PAS leader put it, with “enemies within” and not just the DAP.

“It’s a war of attrition in PAS between the clerics and the liberals for control of PAS and to set directions for the party,” noted a leader, who said key allies of Hadi in PAS include secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali and deputy spiritual leader Datuk Haron Din and influential clerics like Datuk Seri Nik Aziz Nik Mat’s son Nik Abduh.

Hadi’s surprising statement linking local elections to the possibility of racial tension came as a big blow to the DAP although PAS had supported local elections, albeit silently before.

“We were caught by surprise when Hadi objected (to local government elections) in such strong terms,” said a DAP MP who declined to be named.

“That’s when I realised that it is over for us and PAS,” he said.

It would appear that the PAS clerics objected to local government elections because the DAP is strongly opposed to the implementation of the hudud law in Kelantan.

“It is a tit for tat kind of situation,” said a political observer adding it makes sense for now but the opposition to Hadi and the clerics is brewing and have to be overcome, sooner or later.

As Lim Kit Siang, the DAP adviser once said, Pakatan might end up as a one-term wonder.

True to his words, Pakatan is being pulled and pushed in different ways. It is a wonder how it can hold together under such stress.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that Pakatan parties are bleeding voter support because of their fundamental disagreement and their fightings.

Voters from across the racial divide see the infighting as a bane to them. They expected the coalition they voted for to get down to working for them, not fighting each other incessantly.

Anwar’s personal issues have been framed as coalition issues but the clerics in PAS are reluctant to shoulder him any longer.

Larger issues are gripping both parties. PAS wants to return to its Islamic roots while the DAP is stuck with its secular objectives, leaving little room for cooperation between the two dissimilar political parties.

The loser in this fallout must surely be Anwar.

Anthony Loke: DAP to stop attending Pakatan Council if Hadi doesn’t show

DAP will not attend the Pakatan Rakyat Leadership Council meeting if PAS representatives are not attending it.

Its National organising secretary Anthony Loke said DAP will attend the Pakatan Rakyat leadership council meeting provided that PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang is present as well.

"I am referring to a media report quoting sources who claimed that our secretary general, Lim Guan Eng should apologise to his PAS counterpart Datuk Mustafa Ali during that meeting.

"I would like to emphasize that the necessity to do so does not arise at all and DAP will never bow to any pressure from any party," he said in a statement released on Tuesday.

He added that the party leadership stood behind Lim on the issue of a local government election in Penang and supported the state government implementing the Local Government Elections Act 2012 which was approved by the Penang State Assembly, under the Federal Constitution.

"We reiterate our position that all efforts by the state government for the election were informed by Lim to both Hadi and Mustafa, and they had not objected it before.

"During this debate for the last two weeks, it has been evident that there are many PAS leaders including MP's and veterans who have expressed support to restore the local government elections around the country," he said adding that the elections were parallel to the Pakatan common policy.

Loke said that their Central Executive Committee (CEC) has approved a resolution that DAP leaders will attend the meeting with the presence of the PAS president.

"This is to avoid a situation where any decision reached in PR is not sanctioned by PAS," he said.

Last Wednesday, Mustafa said, contrary to Lim’s allegations, PAS was never consulted on local council elections in Penang before it was tabled in the state assembly in May 2012.

Prior to that Lim had said that he had contacted both Hadi and Awang on the phone before pushing for the implementation of the elections.

Denying this, Mustafa said PAS was only consulted after the enactment was tabled via a phone call from Lim.

Beware of malware on smartphones

The new malware that infects and locks computer data until a ransom is paid can just as ea­sily infect smartphones, warned CyberSecurity Malaysia.

Its chief executive Dr Amirudin Abdul Wahab said smartphone users should be vigilant against the Ransomware malware.

“Four cases of Ransomware on computers have been reported to our Cyber999 Help Centre in January alone,” he said.

Dr Amirudin said the incidents involved two companies and two individual users.

In comparison, there were three cases last year, and just two cases in 2013.

“As yet, CyberSecurity Malaysia has not received any reports on smartphones infected with the Ransomware but prevention is better than cure,” he said in an interview.

He noted that among the ways computers and cellphones could get infected was through email attachments containing the malware, which would install itself.

A pop-up message on the screen would state that the PC was locked and all files encrypted, besides a US$100 (RM363) “penalty” for visiting “an illegal website”.

Following the incidents, Cyber­Security issued an advisory to all Internet users, including organisations, about the threat.

Dr Amirudin said victims should never follow the payment instructions but contact Cyber999 for assistance.

“Other than assisting the victim, the report will also provide us with vital information which will enable us to better tackle or mitigate the problem,” he said.

He said Internet users should have up-to-date anti-virus software and not click on unsolicited web links in an email.

Dr Amirudin also advised users to perform regular backups of all critical information to limit the impact of data or system loss and to help expedite the recovery process.

JDT fans rapped over "dog" banner, 12 detained

Some Johor Darul Takzim (JDT) fans have earned the “royal wrath” for unleashing a giant banner depicting a dog in a suit with Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) emblem on it during the Charity Shield match against Pahang at Larkin Stadium, Johor Baru on Saturday night.

Describing the act as 'biadap' (disrespectful), the Crown Princess of Pahang, Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah said she was "ashamed" of the behaviour of the JDT supporters.

"As someone who was born and bred in Johor but settled in Pahang , and as the wife of the FAM president, this is all I have to say; BIADAP and KURANG AJAR (disrespectful and rude).

"My father never brought me up this way," she said in her personal Instagram account  "tengkupuanpahang".

The banner depicted a dog with a human body holding a puppy with “RM” displayed in a bubble talk. 

Many believed that they were implying that FAM only cared about money rather than managing local football.

The banner, which was unveiled at JDT supporters' section, also courted criticism from the netizens, saying that this was not the way to express their disagreement with the football body.

Some had however defended the move and denied allegations that the dog was made in reference to FAM president, Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah who is also the Crown Prince of Pahang.

"In no way the banner said they were referring to the royalty, they're just mocking FAM in general," said one Facebook commentor.

Although the banner seemed 'shocking' among local football enthusiasts, European football had seen a similar 'message' on a giant banner in August last year.

Polish football team, Legia Warsaw unveiled a giant banner featuring a pig in the logo of Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) after it removed them from the Champions League qualifying round against Celtic for fielding an ineligible player.

Although no one has claimed responsibility for the controversial dog banner, Johor FA, in a statement said 12 individuals have been identified and detained by the police.

"They will be remanded for five days to assist in investigations. If found guilty, those individuals will be banned from any Johor stadiums for life," said Johor FA, in a statement.

"Johor FA will not tolerate any form of provocation. We strongly urge all the supporters of Johor Darul Ta’zim to protect the good name of the club and heed the mandate of HRH Crown Prince of Johor to be professional fans," it added.

JDT edged Pahang 2-0 in the game which also doubled up as a Super League match.