PAS leaders scoffed at Prime Minister Najib Razak, who lambasted the Islamist party and Bersih chief Ambiga Sreenevasan, for the July 9 Bersih rally for free and fair elections, saying that only those who were "dirty" would reject reforms meant to cleanse out years of corruption and abuse.

“Who doesn’t know Ambiga. She’s the one who threatened Islam. And below her is Mat Sabu,” Najib told a crowd during a one-visit to Kelantan.

"Ambiga should not think herself so strong. We will not budge at all in fighting for the truth. We will keep our claws."

Najib was referring to Mohamad Sabu, the PAS deputy president whose election early last month had stunned UMNO strategists because of his well-known dislike for Najib's nationalist party.

The PM is going on a make-or-break campaign against the Bersih 2.0 rally, which aims to gather citizens on a march to the Palace to deliver a memorandum of 8 electoral reforms.

The unusual vehemence against the free-and-fair elections rally has shocked Malaysians, turning many fence-sitters against the ruling BN coalition. More than 100 arrests have been made so far.

But not only did Najib get an outpouring of anger, scorn, accusations of racism and bullying the mostly ethnic Indian PSM members, he is also believed to be using the Bersih rally as an excuse to cling to power in his UMNO party by launching Emergency rule.

"Amongst the Bersih 2.0 electoral reforms, one is the cleaning up of the voters registration rolls, two is the cleaning of the elections from bribes and corruption and three is to clean up the postal votes system. Only those who are dirty would reject that which is BERSIH (Bersih means clean)," PAS MP for Kuala Selangor Dzulkefly Ahmad toldMalaysia Chronicle.

Meanwhile DAP MP for Petaling Jaya Utara Tony Pua slammed Najib for defaming Ambiga, a former Bar Council president and receipient of the International Women of Courage Award.

"Najib is despicable for using religion to character assasinate Ambiga, claiming she threatened Islam. Desperado," Tony said on Twitter.

MELBOURNE - A Malaysian neurosurgeon told a Sydney court this week that he realised his drug and sex addiction was "spiralling out of control" when a 22-year-old prostitute, Victoria McIntyre, died from a cocaine overdose in his Sydney apartment.

"There was a part of me that recognised things were out of control...but there was another part of me that chose to ignore that rational part of my mind."

A second prostitute, Suellen Domingues-Zaupa, 23, died in the same circumstances nine months later, in November 2009.

Nair told his sentencing judge, Robert Toner, "If I had handled things differently and been honest with myself, I feel very strongly that nothing would have happened with Suellen."

In its report, The Sydney Daily Telegraph said former colleague and prominent neurosurgeon Charlie Teo defended Nair's previous good character.

Dr Teo told the court he held Nair in extremely high regard despite the charges against him.

"I have a public profile...but I felt very strongly that Suresh was a good person and people needed to know that," Dr Teo said.

Having visited him twice in jail, Dr Teo said Nair was "very remorseful."

Dr Teo described Nair as "awkward socially" but said his patient care and skills as a brain surgeon were exemplary.

Nair has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Domingues-Zaupa, and one count of drug supply relating to the death of McIntyre.

Nair has been suspended by the New South Wales Medical Board and is awaiting deregistration after pleading guilty to the manslaughter of Domingues-Zaupa and two drug-supply charges, one related to McIntyre's death.

Since being remanded in jail 18 months ago, Nair has been the victim of a vicious assault, which resulted in the loss of some vision.

He also faces deportation to Malaysia because he does not hold Australian citizenship despite migrating here in 1980 at the age of 11.

Nair's barrister, Peter Hamill SC, said his client's "dreadful, debilitating addiction" had resulted in a "tragic waste; the waste of the lives of the victims...there's also the awful waste of Nair's incredible talents, 20 years of work down the drain."

But Judge Toner disagreed, saying Nair was not an addict, but a "binge cocaine user" and there was "one dead body too many."

Nair will be sentenced on Aug 12.

JOHOR BARU - Police have launched a manhunt for a man who killed his best friend after they got into a heated argument over the usage of a toilet.

The deceased, known only as Juli, 37, was believed to have been told off by the suspect for using his (the suspect's) toilet in a rented house in Kampung Bakar Batu, around 6.30am on Friday morning.

The suspect knocked on the toilet's door asking the victim to hurry up and both men had an altercation, during which the suspect took out a knife and stabbed Juli several times.

Johor Baru (South) OCPD Asst Comm Zainuddin Yaacob, who confirmed the incident, said police had launched a manhunt to find the suspect and believed he was still in the state.

ACP Zainuddin also urged those with information to contact the police hotline at 07-2212999 or lodge a report at the nearest police station.

IPOH: Perak Pakatan Rakyat claims that Barisan Nasional (BN) is indirectly promoting the Bersih 2.0 rally with its suppressive moves to stop the peaceful rally on July 9.

“BN is conducting an adverse publicity campaign on the Bersih 2 rally through the mainstream media. But it is adding more fuel to the call for clean and free elections and encouraging more Malaysians to participate in this peaceful march,” Perak Pakatan’s chief Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin said.

“The high-handed police action against the Bersih organisers and supporters who wore yellow T-shirts is driving more angry Malaysians to lend support to this peaceful assembly,” Nizar said .

He said the BN government and police should allow the Bersih rally to proceed without hindrance, but they made the mistake of trying to suppress a people’s movement.

“The right of every Malaysian to participate in a peaceful assembly is enshrined in the Federal Constitution and no one can take this away. There is no need for a police permit,” Nizar, the former Pakatan Perak menteri besar, told FMT today.

He said the aggressive response eventually backfired on the BN when it lost its two-thirds majority in the 2008 historic general election.

PETALING JAYA: Once again cartoons have become the chosen weapon of the anti-Bersih groups as Lembah Pantai residents found out this morning: they awoke to find the bright yellow comic books in their mailboxes.

The contents of the 12-page booklet, entitled “8 Tuntutan Bersih Yang Perlu Anda Tahu (The 8 Bersih Demands That you Should Know), mocked both Bersih’s demands as well as Pakatan Rakyat.

The comics also vilified Bersih chairman, S Ambiga, as well as Pakatan Rakyat leaders including PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim, DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang and newly-minted PAS deputy president, Mat Sabu.

The booklet was published by Gerakan Generasi Prihatin Malaysia (GenPrima). The back-cover listed the many reasons why the “illegal rally” was being held.

Among those reasons were to divert attention from Anwar’s sodomy case and the sex video, to cover up PAS’ shame of dropping the Islamic state and to overthrow the government by force.

Lembah Pantai MP, Nurul Izzah Anwar, didn’t mince her words when condeming this latest attack on both coalitions.

“I’m not ruling out the complicity of the police force and security apparatus,” she told FMT. “In March, lewd comics of the opposition leader was circulated in Lembah Pantai, but the police still don’t have any leads. And now there’s another comic series going around.”

The previous comic booklet, entitled “Kisah Juara Raja Lawak”, was mailed to newly registered voters in her constituency and contained obscene images of Anwar. This booklet, however, was slipped into residents’ mailboxes.

“The comics made wild allegations including painting Ambiga as someone out to topple the government,” she said. “It was filled with hatred and lies. There is no way this could have been done without government support.

“It’s a concerted attempt to create a climate of fear. And people are angry but they are also scared. I’m truly speechless over this incident.”

She also said that a leaflet with similar sentiments was distributed at the Bangsar mosque last night. The leaflet shot racial slurs at Ambiga as well as the Indian and Chinese communities. It also threatened to “kill off” the Pakatan leadership.

“We will definitely be lodging a police report over this later today,” Nurul assured. “We must because even if the police do not take any action at least we have it on record.”

Comic available at official EC event