Ganesh Sahathevan

THE STAR has announced that AirAsia CEO and major shareholder Tony Fernandes has been appointed a director of its publisher, Star Publications (M) Bhd. The Star has been a prominent publicist  for AirAsia, publishing commentaries usually in favour of AirAsia. Given the appointment Fernandes becomes part of the mind that directs the company and the paper. This is THE STAR, a Malaysian paper, owned by the MCA ,a prominent  member of the ruling Barisan Nasional, so arguments of editorial independence can be safely put aside. Consequently, it does appear that  each and every journalist at THE STAR , managing editor Wong Chun Wai downwards, would need, in accordance with the law as stipulated in the Securities Industry Act 1980, tto enter into the "register in the prescribed form ... the securities in which he/she  has an interest" . The  relevant provisions  are reproduced below: PART V RECORDS 29. Application of this Part. (1) This Part applies to a pers...

First , Tony Fernandes aka Choirboy, CEO of AirAsia and  owner Queens Park Rangers (QPR) in his own words: "If worse comes to worse, I'm sure I can persuade Air Asia or Malaysian Airlines to come on board and sponsor us (QPR)." http://www.marketingmagazine. co.uk/news/1085695/Fernandes- use-Air-Asia-fallback-shirt- sponsor/ Now according to Malaysia's Companies Act 1965 Section 131A of the Companies Act 1965- Interested director not to participate or vote S131A(1) provides that:   ‘Subject to Section 131, a director of a company who is in any way, whether directly or indirectly, interested in a contract entered into or proposed to be entered into by the company… shall be counted only to make a quorum at the board meeting but shall not participate in any discussion while the contract or proposed contract is being considered at the board meeting and shall not vote on the contract or proposed contract  ‘Shall not participate’ has been defined in  PP v Dato Haji Mohamed ...

No one paid me to say this, and no one asked me to say it. However, it now all seems so simple. Malaysia is facing a battle of the women, or at least led by the women. UMNO , and the BN , if they are to survive as a force in Malaysian politics, may have to come up with their own champion, a  cross between Corrie Acquino  and  Megawati Sukarnoputri, if they are to remain relevant to Malaysian politics.  In the Pakatan corner we have Nurul Izzah, who is able to draw the crowds and is spoken of by some (or is that many?) as the logical replacement for her scandal tainted father, Anwar Ibrahim.Her age counts against her, but she is Malay and satisfies the convention that the prime minister be bumiputera. Anwar himself must realise that he longer draws the crowds,and in any case carries too much baggage ,not the least from his UMNO antecedents.  Bersih 2, and now 3, has proven that it is no longer Anwar that draws the crowds ; larger each time , and always summoned...