Clare Rewcastle Brown after Gaddafi's billions to be seized by Britain next will beSarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud

Clare Rewcastle Brown after Gaddafi's billions to be seized by Britain next will beSarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud

The common theme which remains constant among the uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain, Libya and the demonstrations in other Arab countries is neither ideology, religion, foreign policy, nor simple economic deprivation. Instead, that unifying thread is poor governance and its attendant oppression and corruption flagrantly practiced by the leaders and their families and cohorts. For decades average citizens have been deprived of dignity and access to the rule of law while the kleptocratic dictators and their inner circle remained above the law. The scope of their corruption ranges from huge commissions on contracts to the more damaging naked form in which the regular citizen is dispossessed, humiliated and abused to such a degree that self-immolation becomes a viable option as a means of expression.

These leaders, their wives, and their sons established a claim on the present and future ownership of their countries and resources. What we have witnessed is not a Facebook revolution or a Twitter revolt. These have been uprisings against unjust governments which have oppressed their people with impunity. Television and social media have indeed facilitated the organization and the spread of information, but they did not ignite the human will to revolt. Injustice and indignity did that.

In pursuit of stability, the United States and the West, have tolerated, if not actively supported, tyrants and crooks. Young people of the Middle East have spoken, with dignity and in peace, as they shed their blood to earn freedom for themselves and their countries. They are seeking a future of stability and democracy and are prepared to pay for it. They want accountability and expect transparency; we should listen and must help.

The promise for help and expressions of support from the Administration are insufficient. The time has come for words backed by deeds. Because the people of these incipient democracies have rushed into their streets to demand freedom, now is the time to secure it by providing real accountability and transparency. The system of American, Western and international laws which has been mobilized to fight terrorism globally must be directed against officials who kill, or order the murder of, civilians. These laws must be invoked against corrupt individuals who steal their people's resources, rather than used to create safe havens for the loot in Western financial institutions and investments. The complicity must stop. Western global resources are now threatened by the corruption western governments have ignored. This corruption has driven societies, and not just individuals, to radicalization. The mullahs and radical ideologues have a convenient argument at their disposal to incite people whose rights and dignity have been trampled.

U.S. and international legal, economic and financial institutions, must mobilize to combat corruption if we are to gain the trust and support of the people who suffer at the hands of their thieving tyrants. The resulting economic benefit and enhanced security for us and also for the whole world will be immeasurable. Yes, it is absolutely our business to demand accountability. Radicalized and disenfranchised people and societies pose a threat to our national security interest. The legal systems, here and abroad, have to support the rights of individuals under the watch of serious, probing and sustained media attention in order to widen the circle of rights for other citizens. The recklessness and impunity which allow tyrants not just to murder and scare their own people but to threaten the countries of Europe with economic punishment or a flood of refugees if any Western nation demands accountability must be faced with the gravity they deserve. Standing by the Arab people in their quest for freedom will help dispel the prevailing narrative that we partner with the regimes of oppression. The departure of Mubarak and Ben Ali are steps in the right direction. A genuine commitment to upholding accountability would open the doors to democracy and stability.

Corruption is a threat to national security and not just a financial crime. We should not be the world's policeman, nor should we be the dictator's patron.

MINISTERS HAVE IDENTIFIED BILLIONS OF POUNDS THAT COL MUAMMAR GADDAFI AND THE LIBYAN REGIME HAVE DEPOSITED IN LONDON, THE DAILY TELEGRAPH CAN DISCLOSE.

Col Gaddafi was yesterday accused of ordering the deaths of thousands of protesters, but he refused to surrender as Libya descended into civil war Photo: EPA

The funds are expected to be seized within days. The Treasury is understood to have set up a unit to trace Col Gaddafi's assets in Britain, which are thought to include billions of dollars in bank accounts, commercial property and a £10 million mansion in London.

In total, the Libyan regime is said to have around £20 billion in liquid assets, mostly in London. These are expected to be frozen as part of an international effort to force the dictator from power.

A Whitehall source said: "The first priority is to get British nationals out of Libya. But then we are ready to move in on Gaddafi's assets, the work is under way. This is definitely on the radar at the highest levels."

Col Gaddafi was on Thursday accused of ordering the deaths of thousands of protesters, but he refused to surrender as Libya descended into civil war.

Meanwhile, the British Government struggled to assert its authority following a chaotic few days.

It faced further embarrassment, when Nick Clegg said he "forgot" he was supposed to be running the country in David Cameron's absence.

The Deputy Prime Minister was also forced to cut short a holiday at his family villa in the Swiss ski resort of Davos to return to Britain for security meetings on Friday.

Mr Cameron was also due to return to Britain from the Gulf after being forced to apologise for the chaotic evacuation effort.

Hundreds of Britons were finally able to leave Libya in military planes and on a Royal Navy warship after several days stranded in the country. More than 350 British nationals had been rescued by last night.

Those returning to this country spoke of Libya "descending into hell". United Nations experts estimated that more than 3,000 people may have died, while militias were reported to have executed wounded protesters.

Special forces soldiers were understood to be assisting the evacuation of dozens more British oil workers.

They were thought to be preparing to travel in convoys across land to Tunisia or Egypt, but they will have to pass through dozens of checkpoints set up by rebel forces or troops loyal to Col Gaddafi.

Officials are confident that all Britons who wish to leave Libya should be able to do so by tomorrow.

Mr Cameron said he was “extremely sorry” over delays in the evacuation as the Government ordered a review. In a television interview from Muscat, Oman, he admitted that the Government must improve its performance.

The Daily Telegraph has learnt that Mr Cameron told William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, and Liam Fox, the Defence Secretary, that their handling of the crisis was not good enough.

During a conference call from Qatar on Wednesday, he gave the ministers a detailed list of goals to improve the operation, and asked for updates in a second, late-night call.

A “furious” Mr Hague is understood to have ordered in the officials responsible for the evacuation for a “serious dressing down”. Several officials are expected to be moved to other positions once the Libyan crisis is over.

Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, said ministers had “taken their eye off the ball” and lessons must be learnt.

International attention is now expected to turn to efforts to force Col Gaddafi from power. Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, is expected to attend UN talks in Switzerland on sanctions and plans for a no-fly zone over Libya.

On Thursday night the Swiss announced they were freezing Col Gaddafi’s assets in the country.

A diplomatic cable passed to The Daily Telegraph by WikiLeaks earlier this month, disclosed the scale of the Libyan regime’s deposits in foreign bank accounts, primarily in London.

Mohamed Layas from the Libyan Investment Authority, which has offices in London, told the US ambassador last year: “We have $32 billion (£19.8billion) in liquidity.”

There is also growing concern over the impact of the turmoil on oil prices, which yesterday hit their highest level since the crisis began. The price of a litre of fuel in British petrol stations has risen by 3p over the past few days.

The US on Thursday night dismissed rumours begun by oil traders that Col Gaddafi had been shot and killed.

Earlier, the defiant Libyan leader gave a rambling address to state television via telephone.

“Our youths have been drugged and they have been misled to wage war against our country,” he said.

EXCLUSIVE When Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud first heard of an anonymous blog that attacked him and his family for alleged corruption, he laughed and brushed it aside like he would a pesky fly.

But the blog didn't go away, and soon it sprouted a radio unit to reach more people in interior of the state where broadband is still a dream invention of the West.

And on Monday, Taib's headache is bound to grow worse. Defenders of Sarawak’s indigenous communities and the Borneo rainforest have announced street protests in the United Kingdom and Canada against what they call his blatant corruption and deprivation of his people's humanity.

Yes, the Sarawak Report blog and Radio Free Sarawak have turned out to be much more successful than its editor Clare Rewcastle Brown - the sister-in-law of former Bristish prime minister Gordon Brown - had hoped for.

She is now looking to achieve even greater impact and the quicker the better because state elections are due to be called anytime now. A window of opportunity has finally appeared for the downtrodden in the state. A massive journey still lies ahead but the first step must be paved by political transformation.

"BN have tried to give the impression that Taib, although he is old and highly discredited, will last forever. People need to discuss amongst themselves the fact that this is not true and that change is inevitable, so when and how do they want that to happen?" Clare said in the interview with Malaysia Chronicle.

Call her ambitious but she is fighting for the country of her birth. A British citizen, Clare has not forgotten she was born in Sarawak 51 years ago.

She is now fronting a crusade that many Sarawakians had wanted to begin but could never quite pull together. They and millions of other Malaysians and even people from other countries are now joining the battle for justice she began with her blog.

They have one common goal - to Save Sarawak. To stop the plunder of its natural resources, the pillage of its awesome rain forests, the rape of its unique tribes by loggers emboldened by decades of lax and greedy governanance by Taib and his team.

Far away in the federal capital in Putrajaya, Prime Minister Najib Razak looks on. Maybe he even clucks sympathetically with the Sarawakian people, but for sure, he lifts no finger to try and stop their hurt or heed their screams for help.

Malaysia Chronicle appends below Part One of the exclusive interview with Clare. Part Two will be published on Monday.

Chronicle: How many people in Sarawak, do you think listen to you? Are they mostly in the interior or towns? How effective is RFS in getting the message to the people?

Clare: It is always hard to judge the level of listeners, especially in this situation where we are broadcasting to remote communities, but we think we have many listeners and they are growing in numbers by the day.

Just as importantly we are listening to them.

Our aim is to provide an outlet where their concerns and what they say is treated as being interesting and important.

This isn’t just about what the Government wants to tell them it’s about what they want to tell the Government and others as well. Radio Free Sarawak is one platform where their voices can be heard.

Every day we make big efforts to get in touch with people from longhouses all over Sarawak and the stories they tell us about their land grab issues, their deprivation, their poverty and their lack of medical and other facilities, provide the real picture of what is happening to these previously silenced and suffering communities.

Through our radio show villagers can learn that their problems are not isolated and they share the same concerns and issues with other tribes in areas all over Sarawak.

These problems are largely caused by the corrupt way in which their country has been governed over the past decades.

Chronicle: With your main whistleblower, Boyert dead, is this a massive setback for Sarawak Report? How will you carry on? (Ross Boyert was Taib's disaffected US aide who died in mysterious circumstances. The inquest into his death is still pending.)

Clare: If you mean in terms of information, no.

Ross gave us some information about some Taib family businesses in America, but the rest of our exposes were begun before we tracked down Ross and we have plenty of other sources of information.

On the other hand Ross was a decent and lovely man, who we came to see as a friend. He left a wife and daughter and on that level it has been a massive shock and a setback for everyone who knew and cared about the Boyerts.

Chronicle: Has anyone refused to be interviewed by Papa Orang Utan and why?

Clare: Of course! Most BN politicians run a mile from Papa Orang Utan, because they are not used to being interviewed by a free press or asked anything but flattering and obedient questions.

When politicians get away with such an easy ride for years and years they start to get slack and corrupt and they do things that they wouldn't dare to do if they had thought there was a change of it being made public.

This means that a lot of BN politicians are afraid of being asked embarrassing questions about things they shouldn't have done!4.How seriously have you damaged Taib? How well do you think Baru Bian will do?

All I have set out to do is to give people in Sarawak the information upon which they can make their own decisions. That is their democratic right and BN have attempted to deny them that right by controlling all the media. So if I have presented facts which have damaged Taib, then it is Taib who has damaged himself.

I think that Baru Bian and Wong Ho Leng are both excellent leaders of the opposition coalition and have strong track records as honest and capable men. If there was a free and fair election I think they would do extremely well.

Chronicle: Have you had any trouble with the British authorities because of RFS? Now that you have revealed yourselves, do you envisage any trouble from the authorities? OR will they be pushed to act by Taib?

Clare: I have not broken any law in the UK and envisage no problems whatsoever from the authorities here.

Thankfully we are a free and open society, where the press is allowed to flourish and to question and criticise politicians.

We know from experience that this makes our society stronger and it is the best check on political corruption.

It also makes each individual in our society safer and more valued by those politicians who need their votes.

It breaks my heart to see how people in Sarawak suffer from not being allowed these basic rights and freedoms of expression, even though they are written into their constitution and laws.

Chronicle: How long more are SR and RFS going to operate? Only till Taib goes or much longer?

Clare: If Taib goes and Sarawak gets an open government, then I think we will probably cave in the face of competition! There will be so many other newspapers and radio stations opening up to interest, entertain and inform the people.

Chronicle: What happens to Papa Orang Utan? Does this mean he will never see his family again? If Taib loses in the elections all is well, but if he does not?

Clare: Maybe this is a question you should put to Taib?

Of course Taib should not abuse his powers or do anything to threaten or harm people who legitimately question his actions or indeed criticise him.

Politicians should expect criticism, but I suspect that Taib fears that he cannot withstand it.

Chronicle: What next for RFS now that you have ‘revealed’ yourselves ahead of the upcoming Sarawak elections? Expand, or stay the same?

Clare: This is a question we ask ourselves as well. Don’t forget we are all volunteers.... anyone else out there who is willing to give up their time for no money?

Chronicle: You are now probably persona non-grata in Sarawak but the information on Taib and his companies will still reach you, via various sources. How else do you want the Sarawakian to help themselves and each other, and spread the message?

Clare: If I have managed to provoke a debate in Sarawak, then I will be very pleased. In the end people need to realise and accept that things never remain the same and that change will come.

BN have tried to give the impression that Taib, although he is old and highly discredited, will last forever. People need to discuss amongst themselves the fact that this is not true and that change is inevitable, so when and how do they want that to happen?

BN seem to have made no preparations for that change and Taib himself has said that no one in the party is capable to succeed him (maybe he deliberately appointed people who could not succeed him!).

People need to face up to the fact they are going to have to decide who can lead them into the future.

Chronicle: Tuai rumah (head of an Iban longhouse) usually tell the longhouse inhabitants how to vote. How are you going to change this voting culture, so that people vote according to their conscience and their own free will?

Clare: We will certainly be giving a platform on Radio Free Sarawak to experts and opposition figures, who will be explaining to people exactly what their rights are when it comes to voting.

We will be reminding voters that while it is not a crime to accept money that is freely given, it is a crime to sell your vote and it is even more of a crime for BN to try and buy your vote!

So if you do take money from BN then you had better vote for the opposition in order to avoid any such misunderstanding!

PART I of interview with Clare Rewcastle Brown, the founder of Radio Free Sarawak and author of Sarawak Report.

1.How many people in Sarawak, do you think listen to you? Are they mostly in the interior or towns? How effective is RFS in getting the message to the people? It is always hard to judge the level of listeners, especially in this situation where we are broadcasting to remote communities, but we think we have many listeners and they are growing in numbers by the day. Just as importantly we are listening to them. Our aim is to provide an outlet where their concerns and what they say is treated as being interesting and important. This isn’t just about what the Government wants to tell them it’s about what they want to tell the Government and others as well.  Radio Free Sarawak is one platform where their voices can be heard. Every day we make big efforts to get in touch with people from longhouses all over Sarawak and the stories they tell us about their land grab issues, their deprivation, their poverty and their lack of medical and other facilities, provide the real picture of what is happening to these previously silenced and suffering communities. Through our radio show villagers can learn that their problems are not isolated and they share the same concerns and issues with other tribes in areas all over Sarawak. These problems are largely caused by the corrupt way in which their country has been governed over the past decades. 2. With your main whistleblower, Boyert dead, is this a massive setback for Sarawak Report? How will you carry on? (Ross Boyert was Taib's disaffected US aide who died in mysterious circumstances. The inquest into his death is still pending.) If you mean in terms of information, no. Ross gave us some information about some Taib family businesses in America, but the rest of our exposes were begun before we tracked down Ross and we have plenty of other sources of information. On the other hand Ross was a decent and lovely man, who we came to see as a friend.  He left a wife and daughter and on that level it has been a massive shock and a setback for everyone who knew and cared about the Boyerts.

3. Has anyone refused to be interviewed by Papa Orang Utan and why? Of course!  Most BN politicians run a mile from Papa Orang Utan, because they are not used to being interviewed by a free press or asked anything but flattering and obedient questions. When politicians get away with such an easy ride for years and years they start to get slack and corrupt and they do things that they wouldn't dare to do if they had thought there was a change of it being made public. This means that a lot of BN politicians are afraid of being asked embarrassing questions about things they shouldn't have done! 4.How seriously have you damaged Taib? How well do you think Baru Bian will do? All I have set out to do is to give people in Sarawak the information upon which they can make their own decisions.  That is their democratic right and BN have attempted to deny them that right by controlling all the media.  So if I have presented facts which have damaged Taib, then it is Taib who has damaged himself. I think that Baru Bian and Wong Ho Leng are both excellent leaders of the opposition coalition and have strong track records as honest and capable men.  If there was a free and fair election I think they would do extremely well. 5. Have you had any trouble with the British authorities because of RFS? Now that you have revealed yourselves, do you envisage any trouble from the authorities? OR will they be pushed to act by Taib?  I have not broken any law in the UK and envisage no problems whatsoever from the authorities here. Thankfully we are a free and open society, where the press is allowed to flourish and to question and criticise politicians. We know from experience that this makes our society stronger and it is the best check on political corruption. It also makes each individual in our society safer and more valued by those politicians who need their votes. It breaks my heart to see how people in Sarawak suffer from not being allowed these basic rights and freedoms of expression, even though they are written into their constitution and laws. 6. How long more are SR and RFS going to operate? Only till Taib goes or much longer? If Taib goes and Sarawak gets an open government, then I think we will probably cave in the face of competition!  There will be so many other newspapers and radio stations opening up to interest, entertain and inform the people. 7. What happens to Papa Orang Utan? Does this mean he will never see his family again? If Taib loses in the elections all is well, but if he does not? Maybe this is a question you should put to Taib? Of course Taib should not abuse his powers or do anything to threaten or harm people who legitimately question his actions or indeed criticise him.   Politicians should expect criticism, but I suspect that Taib fears that he cannot withstand it. 8. What next for RFS now that you have ‘revealed’ yourselves ahead of the upcoming Sarawak elections? Expand, or stay the same? This is a question we ask ourselves as well.  Don’t forget we are all volunteers.... anyone else out there who is willing to give up their time for no money? 9. You are now probably persona non-grata in Sarawak but the information on Taib and his companies will still reach you, via various sources. How else do you want the Sarawakian to help themselves and each other, and spread the message? If I have managed to provoke a debate in Sarawak, then I will be very pleased.  In the end people need to realise and accept that things never remain the same and that change will come. BN have tried to give the impression that Taib, although he is old and highly discredited, will last forever.  People need to discuss amongst themselves the fact that this is not true and that change is inevitable, so when and how do they want that to happen? BN seem to have made no preparations for that change and Taib himself has said that no one in the party is capable to succeed him (maybe he deliberately appointed people who could not succeed him!). People need to face up to the fact they are going to have to decide who can lead them into the future. 10. Tuai rumah (head of an Iban longhouse) usually tell the longhouse inhabitants how to vote. How are you going to change this voting culture, so that people vote according to their conscience and their own free will? We will certainly be giving a platform on Radio Free Sarawak to experts and opposition figures, who will be explaining to people exactly what their rights are when it comes to voting. We will be reminding voters that while it is not a crime to accept money that is freely given, it is a crime to sell your vote and it is even more of a crime for BN to try and buy your vote!   So if you do take money from BN then you had better vote for the opposition in order to avoid any such misunderstanding!