Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Zahid Urges Malays To Unite And Support BN In Next Election
- Dr Mahathir: History Subject in Schools Not Accurate
- Hasan stays out of Khalid’s case
- Malaysia’s Mahathir: 9/11 not work of Muslims
- Religious tensions simmer in Malaysia
- Student denies praising PM's speech in Australia
- Umno attacks fuelled by fear of true history, says Mat Sabu
| Zahid Urges Malays To Unite And Support BN In Next Election Posted: 11 Sep 2011 05:26 AM PDT
(Bernama) -- Umno vice- president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has called on the Malays to unite to support Barisan Nasional (BN) candidates in the next general election, particularly those from Umno, to ensure their interests are taken care of. He added that although the position of the Malays and the Malay rulers were enshrined in the constitution, this could change if the opposition won the election.
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| Dr Mahathir: History Subject in Schools Not Accurate Posted: 10 Sep 2011 07:55 PM PDT (Bernama) - The History subject taught in schools is not very accurate as it lacks background on the struggle for the country's independence. This is the view of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who said the subject was not so accurate because the role of the nation's first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, fighting for independence was not stated in depth in the subject syllabus. "Many from the younger generation do not understand history and the origin of the nation, as there were attempts to alter historical facts into fantasy. "As a result, the government needs to focus on what really transpired so that writings on the country's history would not be influenced by current political interests. "It is not to review history but to return to what actually happened. History is all about what had happened, and we cannot change that...whatever happened in the past, had happened," he said when commenting on last Friday's statement by Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Khaled Nordin that the current history syllabus in schools needed to be reviewed. Mohd Khaled had said the review was imperative, following the discovery of several incomplete and conflicting facts, in lieu of the findings of national philosopher and theologist Tan Sri Prof Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas in his latest book, 'Historical Facts and Fiction.' Dr Mahathir was speaking to reporters after the ground-breaking ceremony of the Centennial Hall of the Sultan Abdul Hamid College here today. The former prime minister said the younger generation considered the fight for independence as a common matter as they were born in a country that was already independent and prosperous. "As such, the younger generation considered it as just a process experienced by many nations. "However, if we were to visit other countries which achieved independence at the same time with us, we would find that they were not as developed as Malaysia," he said.
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| Hasan stays out of Khalid’s case Posted: 10 Sep 2011 05:59 PM PDT (The Star) - Selangor state exco member Datuk Dr Hasan Ali will not interfere in the Selangor Islamic Council's action against his fellow party member over the issue of preaching in mosques and surau without valid credentials. Hasan, who is a member of the council, said action was taken against Selangor PAS deputy commissioner Khalid Samad after getting enough evidence that the Shah Alam MP had violated the law. Khalid was charged with giving religious talk at a surau in Taman Seri Sementa in Kapar, Klang on Aug 16 without valid credentials from the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais). His case under Section 119 of the Selangor Religious Administration Enactment will be heard in the Klang Syariah Court on Nov 24. However, Hasan pointed out that Khalid did not actually give a sermon as reported but instead gave a ceramah with religious undertones. On the issue of state PAS commissioner Dr Abdul Rani Osman's credentials being revoked, Hasan said he was not directly involved in the matter and only learnt about it from the news. "I was told by Jais that his credentials expired on Aug 28. It was not renewed because there were complaints about his previous ceramah," he said.
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| Malaysia’s Mahathir: 9/11 not work of Muslims Posted: 10 Sep 2011 01:46 PM PDT By Inquirer.Net KUALA LUMPUR – The long-serving former Malaysian premier Mahathir Mohamad says Arab Muslims are incapable of carrying out the 9/11 attacks on the United States that killed nearly 3,000 people. The ageing firebrand, who was in power in Malaysia at the time of the attacks and stepped down in 2003 after 22 years in power, slammed former US president George W. Bush ahead of the 10-year anniversary Sunday of 9/11. Washington blames the attacks on Al-Qaeda. "Bush lied about Saddam's weapons of mass destruction… If they can lie so as to kill Iraqis, Afghans and American soldiers, it is not unthinkable for Bush & Co. to lie about who was responsible for 9/11," the 86-year-old wrote in his blog Friday. Listing out reasons in line with a conspiracy theory that the US government was behind the attacks, he wrote the Twin Towers in New York "came down nicely upon themselves". "I believe Arab Muslims are angry enough to sacrifice their lives and become suicide bombers. But they or their handlers do not strike me as capable of planning and strategizing such attacks so as to maximize the damage to the enemy," he said. Mahathir, a fierce critic of the West, is known for his anti-Jewish and anti-American statements in Muslim-majority Malaysia. Last year, he said if the US could make the 3D science fiction film Avatar, "they can make anything", adding there was strong evidence that the 9/11 attacks were staged. He has also condemned Bush and then-British prime minister Tony Blair as "child killers" and "war criminals", saying they should be put on trial for the military invasion of Iraq. |
| Religious tensions simmer in Malaysia Posted: 10 Sep 2011 01:43 PM PDT By Razak Ahmad KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - A raid on a church by Muslim authorities has raised religious tension in Malaysia and could cost Prime Minister Najib Razak votes in an election set for 2013 but which many expect to come much earlier. The raid has sparked an angry verbal battle between Christians and the majority Muslims, forcing Najib to seek what may be an elusive peace between the ethnic Malays and minorities, both of which believe the government isn't doing enough to safeguard their rights. Conservative Muslims want the government to crack down on what they say is growing boldness by Christians to try to convert Muslims, which is an offence in Malaysia, while ethnic minorities worry their rights are being eroded. Analysts say Najib is caught in a bind and will have to tread extremely carefully to avoid being seen as favouring either side in his efforts to mediate. "Najib is caught between wanting to secure a conservative Malay-Muslim electorate and a political reality where he is losing ground among minorities who are more mobilised and politically aware," said Bridget Welsh, a Malaysia specialist at Singapore Management University. The next general election is not due until 2013 but there is increasing speculation that it could take place by early 2012. Analysts see little chance of the ruling National Front coalition losing the next general election but caution that Najib needs to win a convincing two-thirds majority if he wants to avoid a revolt within his UMNO party, long accustomed to majorities by that margin. Race and religion have always been touchy subjects in a country split between ethnic Malays, Chinese and Indians but analysts say the latest quarrel is coming at a delicate time for Najib, whose popularity has been sliding since May 2010. "The religious discord will cause the ruling coalition to lose some Chinese majority seats while concerns over inflation may allow the opposition to hang on to the rest of their urban and suburban seats," said Ibrahim Suffian, director of the independent opinion polling outfit Merdeka Center. "All this will be on the back of a much strengthened and better-resourced opposition. So in short, it's not going to be easy for Najib." Islamic enforcement officers raided a Methodist church near the capital last month on suspicion that a meeting was being held to evangelise Muslims. The meeting's organisers, a non-governmental organization, denied the allegations and said the gathering was a charity affair. The authorities are still investigating the matter. DAMNED IF I DO, DAMNED IF I DON'T Traditionally, Malaysian leaders have trod a careful line in dealing with religious issues after violent race riots in 1969 redefined the Southeast Asian country's ethnic and economic landscape. Still, race and religion are often the strongest tools for politicians to win support on pledges to distribute economic opportunities along ethnic lines. Ethnic Malays, who are by birth Muslims in Malaysia, make up about 60 percent of the population of 28 million. Ethnic Chinese and Indians, many of whom are Buddhist, Christian and Hindu, account for most of the rest. Last month's church raid is the latest in a series of rows between the Malays and the minority Chinese and Indians. In recent years, a spate of church bombings, the government's seizure of a shipment of bibles, a legal battle by Catholics to use the word "Allah" and complaints of marginalisation by Indians have cast a cloud over the government's attempts to build racial harmony. Racial unity is a cornerstone of Najib's plans but many Malaysians have derided his efforts to create a "1Malaysia" that is not drawn along racial lines. Recently, Najib also extended an olive branch to unhappy Christians by establishing official ties with the Vatican but the gesture has been largely dismissed as no more than a symbolic measure. "In recent times, we have witnessed an increase in incidents where Christians have been singled out and targeted with unjustified accusations and prejudice," the Christian Federation of Malaysia, which represents 90 percent of churches in the country, said in a statement. A survey last month by the Merdeka Center polling outfit found the percentage of respondents agreeing that Malaysians of differing ethnic groups were growing closer to each other had fallen by nearly half to 36 percent compared to 64 percent in 2006.
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| Student denies praising PM's speech in Australia Posted: 10 Sep 2011 12:45 PM PDT A Malaysian student, who was at a dinner held for Najib Abdul Razak in Perth, has denied praising the premier's speech, as reported by national news agency Bernama. Malaysiakini managed to track down the student through a social networking website, and found that he had already posted a complaint that the report had distorted his words. |
| Umno attacks fuelled by fear of true history, says Mat Sabu Posted: 10 Sep 2011 09:43 AM PDT
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 11 — Umno's attacks on PAS for allegedly backing communists are fuelled by fear their version of history will need to be rewritten once the truth surfaces, Mohamad Sabu charged last night. The PAS deputy president said Umno's smear campaign against him through Utusan Malaysia — by accusing him of supporting communists was aimed at preserving Barisan Nasional's (BN) own version of history and how Malaysia achieved its independence. "They (Umno) are worried that history will need to be rewritten if we push matters further," Mohamad told a ceramah in Gombak near here last night. The PAS leader, popularly known as Mat Sabu, lamented how other leaders who fought for independence were not properly recognised for their efforts, and reiterated his support for Mat Indera, a Malay leader who was part of the infamous attack on Bukit Kepong police station in the 1950s. "When I said Merdeka celebrations, it is always an Umno celebration of Merdeka in Malaysia... if it's not Tunku Abdul Rahman, or Tun Hussein Onn, what about other leaders like Ishak Haji Muhammad (Pak Sako) or Dr Burhanuddin Al-Helmi? "When Merdeka comes, it is only Umno leaders who are featured," said the PAS deputy chief. He claimed that Malaysians no longer celebrated Merdeka, and that proof of this was the lack of the display of national flags in homes or vehicles. Mohamad also moved to deny claims of him supporting communism, and stressed that he practiced and embraced Islamic principles and loved his country "very much." "I push for Islamic principles, not support communism. These allegations are not new, our leaders have faced all sorts of allegations before. "I love our country very much," he said. Mohamad reiterated his intention to have a debate on the Bukit Kepong incident with Umno deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, and said that he would not debate the party's youth chief Khairy Jamaludddin because the latter had not attacked him publicly. "Khairy is a good boy, he has the potential to become a future PAS leader...I'm serious. Why should I debate him when the one who has been attacking me is the Umno deputy president," Mohamad said to squeals of laughter from the audience. Utusan had quoted Mohamad on August 27 as saying that the communists who attacked the Bukit Kepong police station during the communist insurgency were heroes. READ MORE HERE. |
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