Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Najib’s UK visit met with indignant protests at Downing Street, the Lord Mayor’s Office and ...
- Malaysian state drops Ramadan bar closure plan
- Khalid: Yellow attire without Bersih logo allowed
- Political parties bring in the most but 40% are ineligible
- MoCS rally: Taib’s outburst telling
- EC chief dubs Bersih leaders dishonest
- Bersih threat shows authorities clueless on public anger, says Ambiga
| Najib’s UK visit met with indignant protests at Downing Street, the Lord Mayor’s Office and ... Posted: 16 Jul 2011 10:51 PM PDT By Sydney Sassoon As Prime Minister Najib set out on a 3-day official visit of London, concerned Malaysian citizens in the UK turned out in full force to show their disapproval at the Malaysian government's shameful crackdown on civil liberties in Kuala Lumpur last weekend, staging a series of protests at Downing Street, the Lord Mayor's Office and Park Lane. On Friday, over 50 concerned Malaysians living in the UK set up a solidarity watch calling for the release of the six activists detained under the Emergency Ordinance Act over two weeks ago, outside the Intercontinental Hotel where Prime Minister Najib was due to host a dinner. Foreign Minister Anifah Aman came over to engage in a short discussion. However when asked when the EO6 would be released or when detention without trial would be abolished in Malaysia he declined to comment and said, 'Why don't you ask Hisham', referring to Home Minister Hishammudin Hussein Onn. Najib and Hishammudin however refused to come over and meet with the protestors, preferring instead to duck into the hotel as soon as they alighted from their MPVs. On Thursday over 50 citizen activists lined the pavement at the Lord Mayor's office at Mansion House, where Najib was due to address London business leaders. Although chanting was kept to a minimum so as not to disrupt the proceedings of the court next door, the message sent to Mr Najib, his government and the London business community was clear. Pictures of the 6 activists detained under the Emergency Ordinance Act greeted Najib as he hastily alighted from his official car and gave the protestors a quick wave. He did not however go as far as to come over and engage with the protestors. One business leader declined to be named said, ' I've been following the recent events in Malaysia quite closely and of course it is worrying and affects investor confidence, but then this situation is not new. We'll have to wait and see if things improve. ' On Wednesday Najib's luncheon meeting with Mr Cameron was met with angry protest at Downing Street instead. Whilst Mr Cameron was delayed with the media hacking scandal at Prime Minister's question time, indignant demonstrators had questions of their own for Mr Najib. Over a dozen citizen activists were seen outside Downing Street holding colourful yellow banners and placards calling on Najib and his administration to stop abusing human rights, end detention without trial and release all detainees held under the Emergency Ordinance and Internal Security Act with immediate effect. One protestor playfully chanted 'Yellow t-shirts are NOT illegal' and another rapped 'Malaysian Government stop abusing human rights!' whilst another chanted 'Mr Cameron hear our plea, tell Najib to set them free!' In a symbolic depiction of the way the Malaysian government has stripped citizens of their right to free speech and peaceful assembly through the use of arbitrary detention without trial, one protestor tied himself to the pavement railings blindfolded and gagged, drawing curious onlookers. Protestors distributed hundreds of leaflets highlighting the spiralling human rights violations in Malaysia to passing politicians and the British public on their lunch break, many of whom were shocked at the behaviour of a country that tries hard to project itself as a modern cultural melting pot and paradise holiday destination. One passerby Brian Smith, 32 said, 'What has happened in Malaysia in the last week- the clampdown on peaceful demonstration, the gagging of free speech and the mass arrests for simple acts such as wearing yellow t-shirts make Malaysia look ridiculous. This is the sort of behaviour you expect of a dictatorial regime, and is totally at odds with the image we are often sold of Malaysia's beautiful rainforests and idyllic beaches.' Clare Robertson, 35 said, 'I've got some Malaysian friends who have been keeping me updated on the situation and it's absolutely horrific. I've seen pictures of how the peaceful demonstrators were treated with water cannons and tear gas and menacing police in riot gear. This is totally at odds with the liberal image that the Malaysian government is always trying to project. I sincerely hope that Mr Cameron and his cabinet remind Mr Najib that Malaysia needs to clean up its act. There can be no engagement on a business and diplomatic level if the Malaysian government continues to flout international human rights norms with such impunity and behave in such a disgraceful manner.' UK campaigners have alerted the UK Prime Minister David Cameron, Home Secretary Theresa May, the UK Parliamentary Working Group on Malaysia and the UK Parliamentary Working Group on Human Rights on the events of recent weeks in the hope that the UK Government will make an urgent representation to the Malaysian government during this visit. They have urged Mr Cameron and the UK government to remind Mr Najib and his delegation that no government can act with impunity against its citizens and still expect to be taken seriously on the international stage. In a speech on 1 July 2011, UK Foreign Secretary William Hague stated that "Our foreign policy should always have consistent support for human rights and poverty reduction at its irreducible core and we should always strive to act with moral authority, recognising that once that is damaged it is hard to restore." |
| Malaysian state drops Ramadan bar closure plan Posted: 16 Jul 2011 04:26 PM PDT
(AFP) - A MALAYSIAN state controlled by an Islamic opposition party has dropped a plan to force bars, discos and karaoke clubs to close during the Muslim fasting month, an official said Sunday. Northern Kedah state, which includes the popular resort island of Langkawi, decided in May to ban all entertainment during Ramadan next month, said an official from the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), which runs the state. However the plan drew criticism from entertainment outlet operators, as well as the party's opposition allies, who feared a blanket ban would alienate their non-Muslim voters. The Kedah official said the controversy had been resolved after the state's chief minister met entertainment representatives on Saturday and agreed to allow them to operate as long as they make sure no Muslims enter their premises. 'For Muslims, we have to make special treatment because nowadays too many youngsters are involved in hedonism... The state doesn't want that,' he told AFP. 'Entertainment in Ramadan is only for non-Muslims.' The official said Islamic officials would enforce the rule across the state, monitoring its more than 300 bars, discos, karaoke lounges and other clubs. PAS draws its main support from Muslim Malays, who account for 60 per cent of the country's 28 million people, but it is allied with the secular ethnic Chinese-based Democratic Action Party (DAP) and Anwar Ibrahim's People's Justice Party. Spats between PAS and DAP over pig rearing and alcohol bans - sensitive issues in Islam - have surfaced in the past, threatening to derail the partnership and its chances to unseat the Barisan Nasional, which has ruled the country for more than 50 years.
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| Khalid: Yellow attire without Bersih logo allowed Posted: 16 Jul 2011 02:22 PM PDT
(Bernama) - NILAI: There is no harm in wearing yellow attire but it should not have the logo of the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) printed on it, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said. He said the Home Ministry had declared Bersih an illegal organisation and that police were obliged to carry out their responsibility in enforcing the law. "In fact you can wear anything yellow, even yellow socks or hat, but without the logo in support of an illegal organisation," he told a media conference after launching the Community Policing Scheme and Crime Awareness Team (CAT) at Nilai Square here last night. Also present were Negeri Sembilan police chief Osman Salleh and his deputy Abd Manan Mohd Hassan. Khalid said if any party was not happy with the restriction they could bring up the matter to the court. "Whatever the court decides police will abide," he said. On the establishment of CAT, he said, it was a programme to enlist the help of young people in the police's crime prevention agenda and to enhance the people's confidence about their safety. The cooperation and involvement of the young people in CAT, which is under the Youth and Sports Department's Rakan Muda programme, would enable various crime prevention activities to be organised from time to time, he added.
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| Political parties bring in the most but 40% are ineligible Posted: 16 Jul 2011 02:09 PM PDT By Shahanaaz Habib and Rashvinjeet S Bedi, The Star PUTRAJAYA: Voter registration numbers have gone up significantly, thanks to efforts by political parties. But some 40% of the new voters they have registered turned out to be ineligible. "Some are dead, underage or already registered voters," said Election Commission (EC) chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof. "We verify with the National Registration Department (NRD) those who are genuine and get rid of the names of those who are not. This makes it tiring because we have to keep checking," he told The Star. Despite this, he said, political parties still registered the highest number, bringing in more half of the new eligible voters. "Compared to universities and NGOs, the voters we get from political parties are a lot more," he said. For May alone, 52% of new eligible voters were registered by political parties. Twenty per cent were registered through post offices and 13% by government departments. The EC, meanwhile, roped in 10% of the new voters through its counters and outreach programme. Universities and NGOs helped to register 3% and 2% new voters respectively. Abdul Aziz added that the EC had appointed political parties, NGOs and universities as assistant registrars to help register new voters, paying RM1 for every clean and confirmed new voter these organisations bring in. "If they register 1,000 new voters and only 600 are genuine, we pay them RM600," he said. Between 2008 and 2009, there were 10 million registered voters in the country and another 4.3 million eligible voters who were not registered. This year, the total number of registered voters increased to 12 million and eligible unregistered voters dropped to 3.7 million. "We have made registration easy and simple. You can go to the post office, youth bodies, universities, colleges, government departments, NGOs and political parties to register," he added. Abdul Aziz said the Malaysian EC was the only one in the world that appointed political parties to assist in registering new voters. He pointed out that it made sense to rope in political parties. "We appoint an average of two assistant registrars for each state seat. And because they have an interest, they work very hard to register new voters. "When we do the voter registration ourselves, the response is not very good. We go to events like TV3's Jom Heboh to register new voters but it is difficult for people to come forward. "This has to do with attitude. People ask what benefit they get by registering as voters. Some people do not have the spirit. They ask what happens if they don't register and when they find out no action is taken, they leave it as it is. Only those who really love the country and would like to choose their own leaders would voluntarily go and register as voters." Abdul Aziz also advised the people to vote in their current place of residence as this was stipulated in the law. This would also resolve the issue of phantom voters, where voters allegedly stay in a different place from where they cast their vote. He said people should not feel attachment to their hometown and balik kampung to cast their votes. "If I stay in Shah Alam, I shouldn't go back to Penang or my hometown to vote," he said. He estimated that about 30% to 40% of Malaysians voted in a different place or state than where they lived. "I have no power to force them to vote where they live. I can only explain and persuade them," he added.
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| MoCS rally: Taib’s outburst telling Posted: 16 Jul 2011 01:30 PM PDT
(FMT) - KUCHING: Is 'safely enthroned' Chief Minister Taib Mahmud, whose Barisan Nasional coalition swept 55 seats in the April 16 state elections, ruffled by the possibility of a Bersih-styled march in Kuching? It would appear so going by his sudden outburst here on Friday. The usually unaffected Taib pounced on Movement for Change Sarawak's (MoCS) call for a 'Walk For Democracy and Reform' on Aug 13 when asked to comment by reporters. "MoCS rally!…You find out who MoCS represents, whose voice they are carrying and by what authority is Francis Siah claiming to be the leader. "People can see why I am a leader and who I represent … and you can ask him (Siah) the same question..who does he represent," lashed out Taib. Inspired by the success of Bersih 2.0′s 'Walk For Democracy' march on July 9 and the fact that some 100 Sarawakians had taken part, Siah had on Wednesday anounced that MoCS would hold its own 'rally for democracy and reforms' here on Aug 13. He said the movement's leaders had decided to organise the peaceful walk instead of an anti-Taib Mahmud rally (their original idea) which had also been planned for Aug 13. Siah said the rally would be a citizen's initiative with no political affiliation or involvement and urged Sarawakians to join the walk or hold their own activity wherever they are. He also said that the rally would be a compromised version of the original street protests planned by MoCs to force Taib to step down. Following the April 16 state elections which alleged widespread money politics aiding BN's victory, MoCS had called for Taib to step down by Aug 13, failing which the movement would mobilise a mass protest. On Wednesday Siah was reported to have said: "For too long, the state has been trapped in a quagmire of widespread corruption and the politics of fear and intimidation. "We wish to educate all Sarawakians that politicians whom they elected to public office should be there to serve them and not vice-versa. "The people are the masters, not those who govern." MoCS as legit as Freemasons Following this, Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) vice-president Awang Tengah Ali Hassan hit out at Siah's plans. "MoCS should be conscious of its own position. What mandate do they have? "MoCS is a movement which is not registered with the Registrar of Societies (ROS). As such illegal," he had told reporters in an immediate reaction to Siah's announcement of the 'Walk for Reform' rally. Veteran politician and ex-PBB leader Salleh Jafaruddin then jumped in to slam Awang Tengah, saying that MoCS was as legit as the Freemason secret society which Taib was a member of. "Does Awang Tengah realise that not all unregistered societies are considered illegal?"
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| EC chief dubs Bersih leaders dishonest Posted: 16 Jul 2011 01:27 PM PDT
By Boo Su-Lyn, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, July 17 — The Election Commission (EC) accused Bersih 2.0 leaders today of being deceitful over its impartiality as it has the support of the opposition, a week after the electoral reforms group held a rally that drew tens of thousands. EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof pointed out that they had gone to the streets of the capital city on July 9 to protest along with opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, PAS president Datuk Seri Hadi Awang and other Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders. "So (Bersih chief Datuk) Ambiga (Sreenevasan)'s statement to me that Bersih does not side political parties is not true at all," Abdul Aziz wrote in an essay published by the Umno-owned Mingguan Malaysian today. "In addition, PAS president (Datuk Seri) Hadi Awang threatened SPR to take action on the eight demands, or else they will organise another demonstration," he added, using the EC's Malay acronym. Abdul Aziz pointed out that Hadi's remarks revealed Bersih 2.0's association with political parties, saying: "Bersih is no longer the impartial body that first came to see me. It is as if it has become a political party." Bersih 2.0 - a coalition of 62 NGOs - has made eight demands in their call for free and fair elections, which are to clean the electoral roll, reform the postal ballot system, indelible ink, a minimum 21-day campaign period, free and fair access to the media, strengthen public institutions, stop corruption and dirty politics. Abdul Aziz pointed out that only the first four of the eight demands were relevant to the EC. "SPR cleans the electoral roll every day," he stressed. "But what is said to be phantom voters are actually voters who do not live at the place where they vote. On polling day, they go back to vote (but) do not inform the JPN (National Registration Department) or SPR. They are valid voters," added the EC chief. Abdul Aziz noted that the postal ballot system could not be removed because many members of the army, police and Malaysian citizens were overseas, whom he said had a right to vote.
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| Bersih threat shows authorities clueless on public anger, says Ambiga Posted: 16 Jul 2011 01:24 PM PDT By Boo Su-Lyn, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, July 17 — The Najib administration's threat to freeze the assets of those involved with Bersih 2.0 has revealed the government's ignorance of public anger over its handling of last weekend's rally, says Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan. The Bersih 2.0 chief pointed out that despite bad global publicity, Putrajaya was keeping up its harassment after the demonstration by arresting those wearing its signature yellow T-shirts, as well as continuing the detention of six Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) members under the Emergency Ordinance 1969. "It is more than just Bersih 2.0," Ambiga told The Malaysian Insider, referring to the July 9 rally that drew tens of thousands. "They don't realise how unhappy people are at their high-handed actions and also the use of sledgehammer tactics. They've missed that point completely," added the former Bar Council president. Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Awang Adek Hussin said on Friday that central bank, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), can freeze the assets of those believed to be participating in activities deemed risky to the nation's security. The DAP said such remarks will destroy Malaysia's financial reputation, after foreign media excoriated the Najib administration over its crackdown on the electoral reform rally. The authorities had fired teargas and water cannons at Bersih protestors after locking down the city, besides launching over 100 arrests in the weeks leading up to the rally and arresting nearly 1,700 demonstrators at the protest itself. More than 197,000 people to date have also backed a Facebook campaign calling Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to resign, just a week after the Bersih march in the city. "The authorities will be wise to understand that, more so than before, Bersih 2.0 represents an ideal, a feeling, and a yearning by the rakyat for all that is best in a democracy for our beloved country," said Ambiga. The first Bersih rally in 2007 was partly credited for the opposition's historic gains in Election 2008, where the loose pact of PKR, DAP and PAS denied Barisan Nasional (BN) its customary two-thirds majority and swept to power in five states. "The question is, since when has asking for free and fair elections been an unlawful purpose?" asked Ambiga. The Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia reported on July 3 that Ambiga received funds from foreign non-profit organisations through a local bank, saying the bank was chosen to help the prominent lawyer in her plan to "cause chaos in Malaysia".
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