Isnin, 31 Oktober 2011

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Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News


The solution

Posted: 29 Oct 2011 08:20 PM PDT

Malaysians lament about the racism, religious intolerance, persecution and discrimination that prevail in Malaysia. Thus far, over the last few months, all we are hearing are grumbling, lamenting, bitching, whining, complaining, and whatnot. Everyone has ideas on what is wrong. No one has suggested how to put it right. Well, in that case, I am forced to take matters into my own hands and propose the solution.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

1. Encourage inter-race marriages

a) The government should give a one-off marriage grant and interest free loan to all those who marry outside their race. (Later, say after 20 years or so, ban same-race marriages altogether by passing a law in Parliament to make it illegal to marry someone of your own race).

b) Places in schools, colleges and universities should be reserved for children from mixed marriages. Introduce, say, a 30% quota. (This quota can be increased every five years).

c) If all being equal, those of mixed marriages should be given first priority for jobs. (Later, say after 20 years or so, pass a law where at least 30% of employees must be from mixed marriages).

d) Currently, Malaysia has two classes of citizens -- Bumiputeras (first class) and non-Bumiputeras (second class). Create another first class, say mixed or campuran class, and let Bumiputeras be second-class and non-Bumiputeras third-class. (Basically, the mixed class will replace the Umnoputera class, who are higher than the Bumiputera class, and which will now be abolished).

e) Abolish the need for non-Muslims to convert to Islam before they can get married to a Muslim partner. Also, children of mixed marriages must not be forced to follow the religion of their father. Allow them to grow up as freethinkers until they reach the age of 21 (the age when they are allowed to vote) and let them choose what religion they want to follow -- or become an atheist if they wish. Religious education for children must be banned and anyone below 21 must not be made to go to the mosque, church or temple.

2. Introduce a single language, identity and culture

a) Vernacular schools and mother-tongue education should be banned. Have only one type of school -- national schools that teach in the National Language.

b) All signboards, books and whatnot that are not in the National Language should be banned. Allow only those in the National Language.

c) Allow only Malaysian names on birth certificates. Names that reflect a Malay, Chinese, Indian or native identity must be banned. (The government will come out with a list of approved Malaysian names).

d) Ban all cultural activities. No dances, costumes, festivals, celebrations, holidays, etc., that reflect a Malay, Chinese, Indian or native identity must be allowed. Only Malaysian festivals and culture should be allowed and the Cabinet will decide what this new Malaysian culture/identity will look like. Probably the American culture can be adopted as the new Malaysian culture since it does not reflect Malay, Chinese, Indian or native culture.

Once the above is implemented, by the next generation, say in 20 years time or so, racism, religious intolerance, persecution and discrimination will end and by the third generation there will no longer be any Malays, Chinese, Indians or natives in Malaysia.

The bottom line is, we shall all sacrifice to ensure that after some time we shall become a Malaysia of Malaysians and no longer a Malaysia of Malays, Chinese, Indians and natives. And this plan of action is better than just grumbling, lamenting, bitching, whining, complaining, and whatnot, but doing nothing about it other than blaming 'the other side' for all our troubles.

 

Isn’t it puzzling?

Posted: 28 Oct 2011 06:59 PM PDT

I have many close friends who are Mamaks. Some of them even speak Tamil very fluently. They are certainly Indians but Muslims. I wonder how they feel when they read the comments in Malaysia Today and they see Mamaks being run down as if being a Mamak is akin to being a leper or a pariah.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Chin said Koh should face the reality and not try to bring his beleaguered party back to the mainstream of politics via the back door. "Gerakan lost in their own soil in Penang, so it must stand up again from there in order to earn the trust and respect of the people." 

"Perhaps Koh thinks that Gerakan now has three 'imported' assemblymen two of whom are full state ministers and therefore is hoping to be given the chance to contest the three seats," he said. "We want to tell Koh that his three assemblymen are 'frogs' who have not been tested yet, so one wonders what will happen if they are using Gerakan's symbol."

(READ MORE HERE)

I always find it puzzling that those who change parties are called 'frogs'. Zulkifli Noordin, Ibrahim Ali, Zahrain Mohd Hashim, Hee Yit Fong, Keshvinder Singh, V Arumugam, Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi, Osman Mohd Jailu, etc., are all frogs.

Actually, Ibrahim Ali used to be in Umno and a Member of Parliament for Barisan Nasional. He was not chosen to contest a pre-2008 election so he contested as an independent candidate and lost badly (he lost his deposit as well).

He knew he could not win as an independent candidate in the 2008 general election, and Umno does not want him back, so he contested on a PAS ticket (and won of course).

I do not remember anyone calling him a frog back in 2008 although he flirted with the opposition and contested on an opposition ticket. In fact, the opposition supporters voted for him and gave him a win. He was not a frog then although, if those who jump parties are considered frogs, he was most certainly a frog.

So you see, you are a frog only when you leave the opposition to join the ruling party. But when you leave the ruling party to join the opposition you are not a frog -- you are a patriot, true son of Malaysia, hero, etc.

And that is what happened when one Perak State Assemblyman from Umno joined the opposition. He was greeted as a hero, not called a frog. However, when he went back to Umno bringing three others with him (Hee Yit Fong, Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi and Osman Mohd Jailu) he became a frog together with the three other frogs.

Remember when Anwar Ibrahim said that 30 Members of Parliament from Barisan Nasional are going to jump over to the opposition and Pakatan Rakyat will be able to form the new federal government? There were cheers all around. Only Karpal Singh was against it.

How many of you condemned this and called the 30 prospective Barisan Nasional turncoats frogs? You did not consider them frogs. They are only frogs if they leave the opposition to join the ruling party. But if it is the other way around then they are not frogs.

I suppose the opposition supporters only like happy endings. When the beautiful princess kisses the frog, the frog must change into a charming prince and they get married and live happily ever after. They don't like stories that end: when the beautiful princess kissed the frog, she changed into a frog and they lived happily ever after in the pond croaking whenever it was about to rain.

I find this the same when it comes to religion, at least as far as Islam is concerned. When a non-Muslim converts to Islam, they call him saudara baru (new comrade; or saudari baru if female). If Muslims leave Islam they would be called murtads (apostates).

Aren't Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, etc., who leave their religion to become Muslims also apostates? Are they not also frogs? To their religion they certainly are.

Basically, Malaysians love name-calling. It makes them happy that they can curse other people. Maybe they are sexually deprived and running down others gives them the orgasm they can't get in bed.

Look at what happens whenever a news item or article about Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is posted in Malaysia Today. We will get hundreds of comments cursing Dr Mahathir and calling him Mamak (or Mamakkutty).

It appears like Mamak is a dirty word. It is like the word pariah or nigger or chink or whatever. Mamak is supposed to mean Indian Muslim. But now it means something dirty. It is like pariah, nigger, chink, etc. 

I have many close friends who are Mamaks. Some of them even speak Tamil very fluently. They are certainly Indians but Muslims. I wonder how they feel when they read the comments in Malaysia Today and they see Mamaks being run down as if being a Mamak is akin to being a leper or a pariah.

 

Attack!

Posted: 28 Oct 2011 05:12 PM PDT

Hey! MCA has insulted Islam. MCA has said that Islamic laws are outdated. Insult! Where are Zul Noordin and Ibrahim Ali? Where are PERKASA and ABIM? Attack! We can't let these Kafirs get away with it. Malays, boycott Barisan Nasional. Umno is allowing their Chinese partners to attack Islam.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Hudud turns back the clock

(The Star) -- PAS' intention to carry out hudud law will cause the nation to backslide and scare away investors, said MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek.

The impact would be great on foreign direct investments and also tourists who would shy away, he said, adding that several countries practising hudud law were backward except for their rich natural resources.

Speaking to reporters after attending a function at the Hock Lin Gong Chinese temple here yesterday, Dr Chua stressed that even non-Muslims in the country would be affected, especially in terms of economy and education.

Medical aid: Dr Chua checking on Ng Dee Eng, 47, after presenting a 1MCA Medical Foundation cheque to her in Batu Pahat on Thursday.

"It is misleading and a lie to say that the implementation of hudud will not affect non-Muslims," he said.

He criticised the DAP for its inconsistency as the party did not support hudud law but was willing to help PAS leaders win the election by asking the Chinese to support them.

At the event, Dr Chua promised an allocation of RM30,000 for the temple which was celebrating its 20th anniversary.

In Batu Pahat, Dr Chua said the financial management of Pakatan Rakyat-controlled states was still lacking.

Referring to the Auditor-General's Report 2010, he noted that a Selangor state-run agency lost RM200mil while the Penang government had yet to build affordable houses for the rakyat.

The populist policy being practised by the Pakatan Rakyat had not solved anything, he added.

"They give RM100 to the elderly once a year and another RM100 for people to go shopping. This does not solve anything at all but merely a feel-good factor to the rakyat and is quite misleading," he said during a 1MCA Medical Foundation dinner on Thursday.

He also said that the people wanted to see changes and the Government had listened to their feedback.

"The only thing that has yet to be transformed is the Pakatan Rakyat," he said.

Under the transformation programmes introduced by the Prime Minister, he said the rakyat could see the changes.

"The economic, social and political landscape in Malaysia is being transformed. We have attracted many foreign direct investments for the country to achieve high-income status while creating a more democratic society," he said.

 

 

You want it, you got it

Posted: 27 Oct 2011 11:51 PM PDT

Malaysians actually have split personalities. If they think you know who they are they can be very nice people. But if they think you do not know who they are they are downright rude and inconsiderate people. That is why they drive the way they do and comment in Malaysia Today the way they do when they think they are doing so anonymously. But if I reveal who these people are they will feel ashamed and will not want to make any more uncouth comments.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

There are some who have asked me to close the comments section because most of the comments do not add value to what we are discussing. I realise that many just want to use Malaysia Today to lepas geram (let off steam) or as a punching bag.

(There is one Japanese company (can't remember which one now) that has a punching ball with the boss's face painted on it in their gym so that employees can go there to punch the 'boss' whenever they feel frustrated).

I know the Ministry of Health has reported that about 50% of public transport drivers suffer some form of mental problem and a very high number of Malaysians are in the category of needing professional help. (Is this why there have been two reported cases recently of husbands burning their wives?)

However, as much as you may be frustrated with your job, your boss, your wife, the government, Umno, Barisan Nasional, PERKASA, racist Malays, or whatever, Malaysia Today is not where you release your tension but where we seek solutions to the problems plaguing the nation.

Then there are some who resent censorship and want to be allowed to comment without any moderation. Comments should not be blocked or deleted, they argue. If not then Malaysia Today is not practicing free speech and democracy.

I have decided to accommodate both groups. We shall allow uncensored comments but you will first have to register to be allowed to comment.

You see, with freedom comes accountability. You are free to murder your neighbour but you will have to suffer the punishment for murder. You are also free to be as racist and as anti-Islam as you want (no holds barred) but you must also take the risk of the government tracking you down and taking action against you.

As Anwar Ibrahim said back in 1998, ''If you fear the risks then don't talk about struggles."

So we shall struggle to make Malaysia a better country. But we shall have to suffer the risks. You may be hounded by the government or forced into exile. But that is the price we shall have to pay for the ideals of our struggle.

My main concern is that many Malays no longer visit Malaysia Today. They have classified Malaysia Today as an anti-Malay and anti-Islam website. But I don't mind that too much. What I do mind is that Malaysia Today is becoming the catalyst for driving the Malays back to Umno.

The opposition Chinese are only in power in Penang and are sharing power in Selangor. Yet they are already demonstrating arrogance, say many Malays (even my Chinese friends have told me that they have heard Malays saying this). Imagine what will happen if they control the federal government. Malaysia will be like Singapore.

That set me thinking. Are maybe all those who embark on Malay and Islam bashing really opposition supporters? In the first place, are they even non-Malays or non-Muslims? They could be Umno Malay cyber-troopers who want to make the Malays angry by posting anti-Malay/anti-Islam comments in Malaysia Today. We certainly cannot rule out that possibility.

Then again, they could just be arrogant Malaysians who think that they are better than others. We will never know for sure but if you observe the way the majority of Malaysians of all races drive on Malaysian roads, it certainly reflects their arrogance. In the mosque, church or temple they will be very humble. But as soon as they get behind the steering wheel they start acting like Satan. Even Muslims who wear tudung and white skullcaps act no better behind the steering wheel.

Malaysians actually have split personalities. If they think you know who they are they can be very nice people. But if they think you do not know who they are they are downright rude and inconsiderate people. That is why they drive the way they do and comment in Malaysia Today the way they do when they think they are doing so anonymously. But if I reveal who these people are they will feel ashamed and will not want to make any more uncouth comments.

So, feel free to comment whatever you want. However, first register yourself so that we know who you are. And note that you cannot throw stones and hide your hands like cowards. Throw stones by all means but we will be able to see which hand threw that stone.

 

The history of Kuala Lumpur

Posted: 27 Oct 2011 06:34 PM PDT

I suppose to say that Yap Ah Loy was the biggest pimp in Malaysia would not be wrong -- historically speaking, that is. But do I need to say that? And why would I want to say that if not merely to insult the Chinese? And I am not that type of person who would want to insult the Chinese in that manner, unlike many Malaysia Today readers.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

I have deleted quite a number of comments in my article 'I am Malay, and you better not forget it'. The reason I deleted them is because I am of the opinion that they are stupid comments and if I were to allow the comments then it would make Malaysia Today look stupid.

And I hate to look stupid. It upsets me.

Furthermore, some comments were posted with mala fide intentions. It was not what they said but the way they said it. You do not need to be an Oxford graduate to detect the intentions behind the comment.

Anyway, I will expand a bit more on this later.

Of course, that is my opinion and I am entitled to my opinion. So if you are one of those who posted a comment but can't see it published, then you will know what I think of you. And if you feel insulted then rest assured that that is my intention.

What about freedom of expression? What about the democratic right to say what you want? Well, you have every freedom and democratic to start your own blog and post whatever you want in that blog. But I own Malaysia Today so I too have the freedom and democratic right to block or delete comments I don't like.

That is how freedom and democracy works. You have the right to comment and I have to right to disallow the comment. We are both within our rights. If you have the right to comment but I, as the owner of Malaysia Today, have no right to block or delete the comment, then that is not democracy.

But that is not what I want to talk about. What I want to talk about is the history of Kuala Lumpur. I want to correct some misconceptions about how Kuala Lumpur was founded.

Raja Abdullah, the brother of Sultan Abdul Samad, had the rights to mine tin in Selangor. But he did not have the expertise. So he teamed up with a Chinese named Yap Ah Loy. Maybe this can be called the first Ali Baba enterprise in Malaysia. So my ancestors started the concept of Ali Baba.

Yap Ah Loy and Raja Abdullah sailed up the Kelang River to the confluence of the Kelang and Gombak Rivers. They disembarked at where the Masjid Jamek now stands and trekked overland to Ampang. That was where they decided the first tin mine would be opened.

Yap Ah Loy then brought in boatloads of Chinese labourers from China to work the tin mines. Most died of diseases. Sometime entire kongsis were wiped out. But China was never short of people so Yap Ah Loy just brought in new boatloads to replace those that had died. Life was cheap in those days.

Eventually, Ampang grew and the area around the confluence of the Kelang and Gombak Rivers prospered. That was where Ampang Road started, which was not only the first road but also probably the longest road in Kuala Lumpur that stretched all the way to the Ampang Village where the tin mines were located.

Yap Ah Loy saw a great opportunity in servicing his Chinese community. So he opened up gambling dens, opium dens and brothels. He then brought in boatloads of young Chinese girls to work as prostitutes in his brothels. So it can be said that the first Chinese women to come to Malaya were prostitutes. Even the British officers patronised Yap Ah Loy's brothels for a taste of the best Chinese girls. 

Invariably, the British got first tasting of newly arrived Chinese girls and only after the British were done with them were they placed on the open market for the Chinese labourers to enjoy.

The history of Kuala Lumpur is not as glamorous as some historians try to portray it. Of course, Yap Ah Loy did found Kuala Lumpur; that was no lie. But Kuala Lumpur was founded against the backdrop of the vice trade -- gambling, opium and prostitution -- and mainly to serve the Chinese market plus some British officers whose job was to keep the peace in Selangor and administer the state.

Now, that is the true history of the founding of Kuala Lumpur. You can look it up in the history books. Royal History Professor Khoo Kay Kim can confirm this.

The question is though: why am I telling you this history? If it is with intention to educate you and to correct some errors and misconceptions in what is being written by Utusan Malaysia that is well and fine. After all, history is history and the truth is the truth. But if my intention is to insult the Chinese and to remind the Chinese that the first women to be brought in to Kuala Lumpur were prostitutes and therefore many Chinese in Malaysia are actually descendants of prostitutes, then this is being done with mala fide intentions.

So, sometimes, the truth is not just the truth. The truth can also be provocation and insults. The manner you say it and the reason behind why you are saying it can change the truth to an insult or provocation.

This appears to be a concept lost to many Malaysia Today readers. Maybe we should blame the education system. Maybe these people were not taught proper manners by their parents. Maybe it is because of a superiority complex they are having  -- so they feel they can run down others because they are better than others. Maybe these people know they are not that great so by running down others they can feel great. Or maybe they just don't have a well-developed brain and are slightly better than country bumpkins. Or maybe it is a combination of all the above.

Nevertheless, many have still not grasped the concept of freedom of expression and constructive criticism. They still think that freedom of expression and constructive criticism means the freedom to say that the Malaysian Chinese are descendents of prostitutes brought in from China to work the brothels owned by Yap Ah Loy.

I suppose to say that Yap Ah Loy was the biggest pimp in Malaysia would not be wrong -- historically speaking, that is. But do I need to say that? And why would I want to say that if not merely to insult the Chinese? And I am not that type of person who would want to insult the Chinese in that manner, unlike many Malaysia Today readers.

 

I am Malay, and you better not forget it

Posted: 27 Oct 2011 07:22 AM PDT

So I whack the Malays. I whack them because foreigners think that the Malays are a joke. I am angry with these foreigners. I feel insulted that they say these things about the Malays. I am also Malay. So when they run down the Malays they are also running me down.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

My Malay friends ask me why is it I am very harsh towards the Malays. I am Malay. So why am I cruel towards the Malays? Well, it is because I am Malay that I am cruel. If I am not Malay then I would not be bothered about the Malays.

Do I criticise the Arabs? I have been to Mekah ten times in my life so I know the Arabs very well even if I don't live in their country. I know what the Arabs are like. They too are Muslims like me. In fact, Mekah is the centre of Islam. So why don't I also whack the Arabs?

That's because I don't care about the Arabs. I do not have nice things to say about the Arabs. So better that I don't say anything because anything that I would say would be far from complementary. I am not Arab so the Arabs can make fools of themselves for all I care. And they do make fools of themselves.

But when the Malays make fools of themselves I do care. And that is why I am very uncompromising towards the Malays. I care that the Malays make fools of themselves.

I regard it as my right to whack the Malays. Malays have every right to whack the Malays. But I don't take kindly to the Chinese and Indians whacking the Malays. Malays can whack Malays. But when the Chinese and Indians whack the Malays I will whack them back. I will not let them get away with it.

Okay, I am not a thoroughbred Malay. I am only part-Malay. Only my father is Malay. My mother is Welsh. But then who is a thoroughbred Malay? Most Malays are of mixed blood. The only thing is that my blood is mixed with Welsh blood, not with Javanese, Sumatran, Siamese, Minangkabau, Acheh, Indian, Chinese, etc., blood.

So what if my blood is mixed with Caucasian blood and not with Javanese, Sumatran, Siamese, Minangkabau, Acheh, Indian, Chinese, etc., blood? Mixed blood is mixed blood. Whether it is Asian-European or Asian-Asian, it is still mixed blood.

In fact, my great grandmother was Orang Asli. Her name was Hasnah Binti Pelong. She was the second wife of Sultan Ala'Eddin Suleiman Shah, the Fifth Sultan of Selangor.

Sultan Suleiman was Bugis. So that, in fact, makes me more Malay than many Malays in Malaysia in spite of my Welsh blood. I have Orang Asli blood in me. I have more right to Malaysia than millions of other pendatang Malays who invaded my country and now claim it as their own.

Bumiputera konon! Hello brader. We Orang Asli were here first. So don't try to play that who is more Malay game with me. You will lose.

I interact with Japanese, Koreans, Americans, British, French, Germans, Indonesians, Thais, Singaporeans, Filipinos, and people from many other countries. Somehow they don't see me as Malay. Maybe it is because of how I look. So they talk to me. They tell me a lot. They tell me what they think. And they think very poorly of the Malays.

These foreigners tell me that the only reason they employ Malays is because of the requirements of the New Economic Policy. If not for that they would not employ Malays. They said they could employ one Chinese for three Malays they employ. One Chinese can do the job of three Malays.

They think Malays are lazy. They think Malays are very slow. They think Malays lack initiative. They think Malays lack grey matter.

There I sit listening to foreign investors and managers running down the Malays while forgetting that I am also Malay. If it were one or two who say this I would say these people are bigots who are prejudiced against the Malays. But when everyone tells me this then the problem must be real. The problem must be the Malays.

So I whack the Malays. I whack them because foreigners think that the Malays are a joke. I am angry with these foreigners. I feel insulted that they say these things about the Malays. I am also Malay. So when they run down the Malays they are also running me down.

I cannot whack the foreigners. I cannot whack them not because I am scared they will not come to Malaysia. I cannot whack them because I know they are telling the truth.

Of course the truth hurts. The truth always hurts. And because it is the truth I cannot whack the foreigners for running down the Malays. The anger builds up in me. I need to whack somebody. But I can't whack those who are telling the truth. So I whack the Malays instead. I whack the Malays because I am ashamed that the foreigners say bad things about the Malays and also because what they are saying is the truth and there is no way I can argue with them or prove them wrong.

But that does not mean I like others whacking the Malays. If you whack the Malay I will whack you back. If you are another Malay then that is okay. But if you are not Malay and you whack the Malays then I will whack you back. I have my pride and dignity and if you insult the Malays then you are insulting me as well. And I don't take kindly to insults. So you whack the Malays at your own peril.
 

Let the burnings begin!

Posted: 26 Oct 2011 07:23 PM PDT

In fact, fatwa (decrees) are also opinions. This is how the Mufti or Imam interprets the rulings. I am not saying they are wrong. They could be right. Nevertheless, they are still merely opinions and, therefore, should be rejected and the Muftis and Imams charged under criminal defamation.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Dec 19 trial for Mat Sabu's Bukit kepong remark

(Bernama) - The Sessions Court here set Dec 19-23 to hear the case against PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu who was charged with defaming Bukit Kepong policemen and their families during a ceramah in Tasek Gelugor here in August.

Judge Ikmal Hishan Mohd Tajuddin set the date after an application by Deputy Public Prosecutor Lailawati Ali for the court to fix other trial dates because the prosecution had to attend a conference during the Dec 5-9 trial dates set by the court earlier.

On Sept 21, Mohamad, 57, also known as Mat Sabu, pleaded not guilty to a charge under Section 500 of the Penal Code for criminal defamation against policemen and their families who had been attacked by communists in the Bukit Kepong tragedy in Johor in 1950.

He was alleged to have committed the offence in front of a kindergarten at the PAS education centre at Padang Menora in Tasek Gelugor last Aug 21.

Mat Sabu faces a jail sentence of up to two years and a fine or both upon conviction.

Mat Sabu was alternatively charged with defaming Constables Marin Abu Bakar Daud, Jaafar Hassan and Yusoff Rono and their families at the same time and place.

The charge followed a report by three family members of the constables, Jamilah Abu Bakar, Azlas Jaafar and Nazir Yusoff.

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The Mālikī (Arabic: مالكي‎) madhhab is one of the schools of Fiqh or religious law within Sunni Islam. It is the second largest of the four schools, followed by approximately 25% of Muslims, mostly in North Africa, West Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and in some parts of Saudi Arabia. In the past, it was also followed in parts of Europe under Islamic rule, particularly Islamic Spain and the Emirate of Sicily.

Despite his reluctance to render religious verdicts, Malik (founder of the Mālikī school of Sunni Islam) was outspoken. He issued fatwas against being forced to pledge allegiance to the Caliph Al-Mansur, and received a flogging for his stance. Al-Mansur apologized to Malik, and offered him money and residence in Baghdad, but Malik refused to leave the city of Prophet Muhammad. Later, Harun al-Rashid asked Malik to visit him while Harun was performing the hajj. The Imam refused, and instead he invited the new caliph to his class. -- Wikipedia

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Almost two years ago, the UK repealed the criminal defamation and sedition laws. In fact, it was more than 30 years since Britain ever charged anyone for criminal defamation. It made sense, therefore, that these laws be repealed. Anyway, Britain believes in freedom of opinion -- as long as you do not make a racist statement like most Malaysia Today readers do (in Britain, quite a number of Malaysia Today readers would be in jail by now).

Rulers/leaders have never tolerated freedom of opinion (even the opposition). That is why laws such as criminal defamation and sedition were introduced. Even in so-called Islamic States ruled by so-called Caliphs of Allah, they were equally intolerant, as that short piece by Wikipedia on Imam Malik will demonstrate (by the way, it is accurate -- I checked). So please don't think that Islamic States have always been better.

Anyway, before all of you start arguing about religion and Islam and Hudud (as many of you would because you prefer to talk about the colour of the dog collar rather than how the dog was butchered), today I want to focus on freedom of opinion.

Mat Sabu is going to face trial because he expressed his opinion, which was opposite to Umno's opinion. Is having an opinion now a crime? Why do we need, therefore, to send Malaysians to school? When you go to school you will learn how to think and when you can think you will have an opinion.

Malaysia has done many very stupid things but this one is probably the most stupid act so far. A man who expresses his opinion is going to be sent to jail.

What next? Are we going to burn all our history books like what the Mongols did when they invaded Baghdad in 1258? They too burned all the books at a great loss to the world.

History books are the opinion of the writer. It is how the historian has interpreted events. The historian may be right or he/she may be wrong. But that is his/her opinion of what happened.

What about kitabs? Kitabs are not from God. Kitabs are opinions of scholars. It is their interpretation and view of what God said and what the Prophet said and did.

Hadith should also be banned. The Hadith did not come from God through Gabriel. They were written by third parties and not by the Prophet Muhammad. Prophet Muhammad did not write anything. He is supposed to have been illiterate. Other unknown people wrote all the Hadith. And that, too, is their opinion. This is what they said. This is not what we heard from the Prophet ourselves.

In fact, fatwa (decrees) are also opinions. This is how the Mufti or Imam interprets the rulings. I am not saying they are wrong. They could be right. Nevertheless, they are still merely opinions and, therefore, should be rejected and the Muftis and Imams charged under criminal defamation.

Yes, if we want to start making opinions a crime, then all so-called 'holy' books and history books would need to be banned and burned. And anyone expressing his opinion or interpretation will have to be sent to jail. Other than the Quran (which Muslims regard as the word of God) all other publications need to be placed onto the bonfire.

Let the burnings begin!

 

Relativism and priorities

Posted: 24 Oct 2011 08:32 PM PDT

Is sex the only thing we should be concerned with? Is this all that there is to Islam? What about corruption, abuse of power, robbing the rakyat, election rigging, persecution, discrimination, murder, ethnic cleansing, and a host of other crimes against the citizens and crimes against humanity? Why is PAS not also foaming at the mouth and up in arms about this?

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

My article today is in response to today's news item in Harakah Daily, Batal konsert Elton John atau biar remaja hancur, which you can READ HERE.

Basically, what Nik Nasri Nik Malek, the Ketua Lajnah Penerbitan dan Penyelidikan Dewan Ulama PAS Terengganu is saying is that Elton John is a bad influence on Malaysian youth, which will bring about a decline in morals. And the bone of contention is, of course, regarding his gay marriage.

First of all, morals are relative. In some societies, it is immoral to abort a baby you are carrying (in fact, it is regarded as murder by some) while in other societies it is mandatory to abort the baby if you already have one child.

So, is abortion a must or is it a crime?

In most societies, suicide is a crime and anyone who assists a person to commit suicide could be charged for murder. In some societies, they have special clinics where you can check in to get assistance if you wish to commit suicide. Normally, the circumstances would be when you are suffering from terminal cancer and the pain is so unbearable you would rather go now than in a month or two (since you are definitely dying anyway).

Gay marriages are not a crime in England. You can even get married in church now. And when Elton John got married he received a congratulatory message from the British Prime Minister.

Polygamy is not allowed in England. A man with more than one wife would be frowned upon. Should Britain now ban Malaysians who have more than one wife from entering England?

Malays would argue that polygamy is what the Prophet practiced so it is allowed in Islam. Would Malays keep quiet when non-Muslims call the Prophet a sex maniac and consider those with more than one wife as sex perverts and demand they not be allowed to enter the UK?

Those who condemn the Prophet and look down on Muslims who have more than one wife are looking at things from their perception of values. And is it also not so that those who are foaming at the mouth asking that Elton John be banned from Malaysia are looking at things from their perception of values?

Anyway, Elton John has been on the scene for more than 40 years now. Two or three generations of Malaysians have been listening to Elton John since the 1960s. Nik Nasri Nik Malek is almost 50 years too late in trying to save the souls of Malaysian youths.

Would banning Elton John from entering Malaysia do any good now? Are you also going to ban Elton John songs from the airwaves? Are you going to get MCMC to block all websites that feature Elton John songs? You will have to close down the entire Internet to do that.

What stupidity!

What about all those other singers, actors and actresses who are also gay? What about those other singers, actors and actresses who are living with their partners as husband-and-wife but are not legally married (and have children as well)?

You will need to ban every song, movie and whatnot to be able to block 'immorality' and 'bad examples'?

Is sex the only thing we should be concerned with? Is this all that there is to Islam? What about corruption, abuse of power, robbing the rakyat, election rigging, persecution, discrimination, murder, ethnic cleansing, and a host of other crimes against the citizens and crimes against humanity? Why is PAS not also foaming at the mouth and up in arms about this?

Muslims are being persecuted in China. Why don't the Malays ask the government to end diplomatic relations with China and stop all trade with China?

The Americans are invading Muslim countries and are toppling and murdering Muslim leaders. Why don't the Malays ask the government to end diplomatic relations with the US and stop all trade with the US?

Okay, if we end diplomatic relations with China, the US, Britain, Italy, France, etc., because of how they treat Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, etc., this would mean Malaysia will go bankrupt and Malaysians would become poor and everyone would be out of work and many would die of starvation and all forms of horror you can imagine.

So what? So we suffer. So we die. But is not God's work more important? Isn't, as what Nik Nasri Nik Malek said, menghadapi murka Allah (suffer God's wrath) worse than going broke or dying of starvation? At least we will die and go to heaven. Now, we die and go to hell because we are friends of China, the US, Britain, Italy, France, etc.

Sometimes I just can't see where these people put their priorities. The country is going down the drain. Corruption and abuse of power is the order of the day. Persecution and racism is government-sponsored. And we worry about Elton John singing in Malaysia?

 

Driving a wedge

Posted: 23 Oct 2011 11:17 PM PDT

The focus should have been as clear as daylight by now. We need change and the focus should be on how to see this change. However, once our thinking become clouded by non-issues such as race, religion and the Rulers, we would become distracted and start arguing about issues that are not going to bring about this change.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Bernama and Utusan Malaysia are still trying to drive a wedge between DAP and PAS by, again, raising the hudud issue today. You can read the news item below.

I suppose, after Saturday's 1,000,000-man assembly failure, they realise that the apostasy issue is not being received in the way they had hoped, so they need to revisit the hudud issue and try one more shot at pitting DAP against PAS.

The fact that Bernama and Utusan Malaysia call the Penang government 'Kerajaan DAP Pulau Pinang' is proof of the sly slant of the report. They want the Malays to think that Penang has been 'lost' to the Chinese or that DAP (meaning Chinese) are the real power in Penang, etc.

In short, DAP, and not Pakatan Rakyat, is ruling Penang and it is a Chinese government rather than a multi-racial government.

Race and religion is a very potent weapon. And throw the 'not respecting the Rulers' or 'insulting the Rulers' issue into the ring, and we get a wonderful explosive ingredient called the 3R Program.

Yes, 3R can work if played properly. Race, religion and the Rulers (Raja-raja Melayu) can make the Malays foam at the mouth if they can be made to believe that these three 'sacred cows' are under attack or are being insulted by the non-Malays. And that is what the government-owned and government-controlled media is attempting.

Why Malaysians do not use logic rather than emotion is beyond me. It is that easy to get Malaysians so worked up -- Malays, Chinese, Indians and 'lain-lain' not exempted. Just raise the issue of race, religion or the Rulers and watch Malaysians fight.

The focus should have been as clear as daylight by now. We need change and the focus should be on how to see this change. However, once our thinking become clouded by non-issues such as race, religion and the Rulers, we would become distracted and start arguing about issues that are not going to bring about this change.

You have one last shot at change. And if you miss this shot don't ever dream that there is still the next time. As Elvis Presley said: it's now or never. And you better believe it.

*******************************************************

Hudud: Kerajaan DAP Pulau Pinang dibidas gagal jelaskan pendirian

Anggota pembangkang hari ini membidas kerajaan pimpinan DAP Pulau Pinang kerana tidak berani menjelaskan pendirian mengenai beberapa isu termasuk pelaksanaan hukum hudud.

Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) Permatang Berangan, Shabudin Yahaya daripada Barisan Nasional (BN) berkata, setiap soalan lisan yang dikemukakan oleh wakil rakyat BN berhubung beberapa isu termasuk hukum hudud ditolak oleh Speaker Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN), Datuk Abdul Halim Hussain.

Bercakap kepada pemberita selepas persidangan DUN hari ini, beliau berkata, rakyat Pulau Pinang inginkan satu penjelasan daripada kerajaan negeri mengenai pelaksanaan hukum hudud.

"Mereka (rakyat) ingin tahu pendirian kerajaan negeri tetapi, kerajaan negeri tidak berani untuk menjawab soalan dan mencari jalan mudah dengan mengelak daripada menjawab," katanya.

Beliau berkata, sebelum ini banyak pemimpin pakatan DAP-Parti Keadilan Rakyat-Pas, termasuk Lim Guan Eng yang juga Setiausaha Agung DAP, mengeluarkan pelbagai kenyataan.

"Kini kami menggunakan platform yang betul untuk mendapatkan jawapan daripada kerajaan negeri bukannya bagi pihak pemimpin parti," kata Shabudin.

 

“Who Needs An Islamic State?” By Dr Abdelwahab El-Affendi

Posted: 22 Oct 2011 07:53 AM PDT

There are many misconceptions about Islam merely because the minority voice (which is shouting the loudest) is heard, while the other voices remain silent. Without sounding as if I am an 'Islam Apologist', maybe I should share with you the views of other Muslim scholars -- which is a far departure from the voices of those 4,000 people who participated in the 'assembly of 1,000,000' yesterday.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

If the foregoing discussion has any validity, then one has to infer that the concept of an Islamic state must be completely abandoned if sanity is to return to Muslim political discourse.

One should rather speak about a state for the Muslims, or an Islamic political community. One must also abandon the illusions about the millennium promised by the revival of a utopian polity in which a righteous and saintly ruler will miraculously emerge to restore the long lost golden age of Islam. Nor is it wise to shift our millennial hopes to the newly emerged Islamic movements, and expect that their accession to power will automatically bring an era of divine justice and saintly rule. There is simply no alternative to attaining these objectives the hard way, by doing what is needed to achieve them.

Wisdom dictates that we should be pessimistic about the qualities of our rulers, something which should not be too difficult, given our experiences. The institutions of a Muslim polity, and the rules devised to govern it, should therefore be based on expecting the worst.

Human experience shows that democracy, broadly defined, offers the best possible method of avoiding such disappointment in rulers, and affords a way of remedying the causes for such disappointments once they occur.

The value of this approach is that it does not make the attainment of dignity and freedom of Muslim individuals contingent on the setting-up of a utopian Islamic state which we may never live to see. It also removes the grounds on which the current tyrannies ruling the Muslim world are justified.

The tyrants lording it over the Muslims today, aided and abetted by their foreign allies, justify their existence by fear of Muslim `fanatics' who want to coerce others into adopting an unacceptable lifestyle. This lame excuse for tyranny must be removed by affirming our commitment to democracy as the governing principle of the Muslim polity in all its stages.

The state for Muslims must be a principle of liberation based on pluralism, with no coercion involved other than the minimum inherent in the principle of community itself. The raison d'etre of a political community is to assure the peaceful coexistence among its members.

A Muslim political community is therefore an institution required to ensure that Muslims live in peace and harmony with one another, with other communities within the territory ruled by their polity and with other nations and communities on our planet. This peaceful co-existence has to be based on the rules of equity and fairness, and must not force Muslims to live contrary to their principles.

The central misunderstanding of current Muslim political thought is the confused belief that a state based on Islamic principles is one which forces people to live according to Islam. In truth, the purpose of an Islamic political community is to enable individual Muslims to live according to Islam, and to protect them from coercion which tends to subvert their commitment to Islam.

All the current references to the `imposition of sharia' or the Islamic state, whether by Islamic thinkers or opponents of Islam, actually misunderstand the issue completely. Sharia can rule truly only when the community observing it perceives this as a liberating act, as the true fulfilment of the self and moral worth of the community and each individual within it, for sharia can never be imposed. When it is imposed, it is not sharia. When only coercion underpins sharia, it becomes hypocrisy.

A Muslim polity must also defend the right of Muslims to live freely according to the dictates of their consciences, by force if necessary, for a Muslim state must use all its resources to fight injustice and tyranny inside and around it. We cannot expect the commitment to peace to be a licence for the toleration of all evils in the name of avoiding conflict.

This was the central mistake of classical Muslim political theory, which has neither succeeded in avoiding conflict nor in achieving justice. Therefore, it is essential to strive for justice as the only firm basis for permanent peace and harmony.

To attain these goals, the Muslim state must rely primarily on the responsibility and active role of the individual within the community. It reasserts the value of the individual without preaching individualism. Classical Muslim political thought relegated the individual to the status of a non-entity by the postulation of vacuous and imprecise concepts such as that of ahl al-Hal wal Aqd and fard kifaya.

These confused notions provided the basis for the endorsement of practical secularism, or for making the legality of all Muslim social activity dependent on the will of a despot.

It must be reaffirmed that the individual does not need the state to be a Muslim. He creates the state as a Muslim, and he creates it voluntarily to further enhance his Islamic life. The opinion given by al-Ghazali and others about the necessity of the state - any state - as the precondition of the legality of Muslim social life is the opposite of the truth. A despotic and illegal regime does not bestow legitimacy on subsidiary actions. On the contrary, it marks everything it touches with the stamp of illegality. For Muslims, to have no state at all is better than to have an illegal one.

"Who Needs An Islamic State?" By Dr Abdelwahab El-Affendi

 

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

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Trouble brewing in Johor DAP with talk of EGM

Posted: 31 Oct 2011 08:42 AM PDT

(The Star) - TROUBLE is brewing in Johor DAP with talk that an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) may be called to oust state chairman Dr Boo Cheng Hau over candidate selection for the coming general election.

Sin Chew Daily reported that the speculation started when former Johor DAP Youth chief Teo Eng Ching and her husband, former state DAP Youth deputy chief Chang Teck Chee, were dropped from the list.

In the 2008 election, Teo and Chang contested and lost the Labis parliamentary seat and Bekok state seat respectively.

Teo and Chang were not picked as some quarters had complained that the couple owed the state Youth's foundation. Dr Boo had requested the couple settle the financial issue before considering them for selection.

However, Dr Boo's request angered Teo's father Teo Chin Liang, a party veteran who was said to have canvassed members to call for an EGM to oust Dr Boo.

However, sources said they failed to meet the quorum, which needed the support of at least 60% of the branches or branch delegates. Sources said another group was emerging to fight the group calling for the EGM.

Chang said he and Teo had announced that they would not contest in the election and that he had not heard anything about an EGM.

On his financial issue, Chang merely said it had been passed on to the party headquarters and he had submitted related documents.

Dr Boo declined to comment but said the state DAP was "stable and united".

 

WIKILEAKS: IMMIGRATION DETAINEES RIOT AFTER RELA BEATS PRISONERS

Posted: 31 Oct 2011 01:00 AM PDT

On April 20, after more cigarettes were found, Immigration officers beat an Indonesian and a Pakistani detainee. One refugee described how the officers struck the men on the soles of their feet and along their shins, and administered electric shocks. The Pakistani detainee reportedly cried out for help during his beating and, unable to walk, tried to crawl away until another detainee was ordered to drag the injured man back to the detention block. 

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Classified By: POLITICAL SECTION CHIEF MARK D. CLARK, REASON 1.4 (B AND D).

Summary

1.  (C) Some 60 to 70 detained suspected illegal immigrants rioted at Lenggeng Immigration Detention Center (IDC) on April 21, setting fire to the temporary administration building according to press and firsthand accounts. Malaysia's Head of Immigration Enforcement claimed the riot started after the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) refused the refugees' applications for resettlement, an allegation denied by UNHCR. 

Based on multiple witnesses' accounts, the riot's catalyst was the severe beatings of detainees by Immigration Officers and People's Volunteer Corps (RELA) members assigned as guards to Lenggeng.  The Malaysian Human Rights Commission (SUHAKAM) told us deplorable conditions, overcrowding and alleged abuses by RELA all contributed to the riot.  We continue to express concern to the GOM regarding RELA's increased authority over immigration enforcement.  End Summary.

RELA Guards Overcrowded Facilities

2.  (SBU) Lenggeng IDC is one of 17 IDCs in Malaysia. Formerly operated by the Prisons Department, the IDCs are now responsibility of the Immigration Department, which lacks sufficient personnel and therefore uses RELA, a government-sponsored public security auxiliary force, to guard the facilities (ref A and B).  Besides providing security, RELA members also arrest suspected illegal immigrants for a bounty. 

The Lenggeng facility is severely overcrowded.  Siva Subramaniam, a commissioner for SUHAKAM, informed poloffs the camp currently holds 1,090 prisoners, including seven children and about 280 women.  Building tensions between the detainees and their guards came to a head on April 21 when some 60 - 70 detainees rioted and set fire to a temporary administration building.

Witnesses Tell Their Stories

3.  (SBU) Poloffs met with two Burmese refugees formerly detained at Lenggeng on May 6.  They related that on or about March 31, Immigration and RELA guards accused a group of Burmese and Indonesians of smoking in camp and allegedly punished the group with a beating. 

On April 20, after more cigarettes were found, Immigration officers beat an Indonesian and a Pakistani detainee.  One refugee described how the officers struck the men on the soles of their feet and along their shins, and administered electric shocks.  The Pakistani detainee reportedly cried out for help during his beating and, unable to walk, tried to crawl away until another detainee was ordered to drag the injured man back to the detention block. 

Other detainees became agitated and demanded to speak with the senior Immigration Officer.

(Note:  A local NGO informed poloffs that officials took the man to Seremban Hospital for treatment.  End note.

A RELA officer told detainees they could express their concerns the following morning.

4.  (C) According to the two Burmese refugees, the riot broke out the following morning after detainees realized they would not get to speak with the senior officer.  The initial disruption involved detainees from two blocks destroying the interiors of those facilities. 

Both Immigration and RELA guards, totaling about 30-40 officers, fled and took up positions at the camp's perimeter.  After detainees broke through the blocks' doors, a group set fire to the temporary administration building. 

Several detainees attempted to flee the compound, but guards at the outer gate stopped them. Police, fire, and other security teams regained control and quelled the fire.  A number of detainees (including six Indonesians, five Burmese, a Vietnamese, and a Cambodian) were taken to the Seremban police station for questioning.

(Note:  This account tracks closely with accounts provided to the UNHCR and another local NGO from sources within the camp. End note.)

Immigration Blames UNHCR

5.  (SBU) Ishak Mohamed, Head of Immigration Enforcement, quickly blamed the UNHCR for the riot.  He told international press that rioters "were disappointed" after hearing that UNHCR could not place them in a third country.  However, the UNHCR quickly denied this, issuing a statement that "no news was delivered to the refugees that their resettlement requests had been denied." 

(Note:  UNHCR counted 75 refugees and asylum seekers detained at Lenggeng during the riot.  All but seven refugees are Chin-Burmese.  End note.

Despite UNHCR's clarification, the government-influenced mainstream media continued to maintain that UNHCR's denial of resettlement provoked the riot.  (Note: On some other immigration matters, Ishak continues to be accessible and helpful to the U.S. Mission.  End Note.)

SUHAKAM Commissioner Describes Lenggeng

6.  (C) Poloffs met with SUHAKAM Commissioner Siva Subramaniam on April 25, the day after he personally visited Lenggeng.  He described prisoners living in severely overcrowded and unsanitary conditions.  About 280 women are detained in an isolated section of the camp and do not receive adequate medical care, including provision of sanitary napkins.  He approached NGOs, such as Tenaganita, to obtain basic essentials for the women. 

He told us conditions in other IDCs are similar to Lenggeng.  He believes overcrowding and harsh treatment by RELA contributed to the riot.  Siva also noted severe understaffing at the IDCs, adding that only about 40 of the authorized 208 officer slots at Lenggeng are manned.  Prior to the riot, Siva claims he warned Immigration officials that the IDCs were "powder kegs" needing urgent reforms to deal with the growing burden. 

Siva wants to hold a roundtable with RELA, Home Ministry, Immigration, and the Prison Department to discuss possible solutions to the underlying problems, such as overcrowding, poor sanitation, and detained children.  Our May 6 interview with two former detainees at Lenggeng reinforced Siva's description of the IDC's harsh conditions.

Comment

7.  (C) The riot occurred during the same week the Home Ministry proposed elevating RELA to a formal government agency.  Immigration and RELA detain suspected illegal immigrants at a rate that outstrips Malaysia's current willingness and ability to expeditiously process deportations.  Siva noted that some of the detainees have languished at Lenggeng for almost 1 1/2 years.  Post continues to express our concerns about RELA in contacts with government officials, including Immigration.

KEITH (May 2008)

 

Old Enough To Hang but NOT to Vote

Posted: 30 Oct 2011 11:16 PM PDT

By Masterwordsmith

Last Tuesday, an Egyptian court ruled that Egyptians living abroad should be allowed to vote at embassies in upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections, a judicial source said. A little closer to home, six brave Malaysian citizens overseas filed a lawsuit against the Election Commission (EC) asking the High Court to compel the EC to register them as absent voters. As they work in the UK, they had applied to be registered as absent voters to be eligible voters in the coming general election but were instead registered by the EC as ordinary voters, who must return to Malaysia to vote in person. And why?

Bernama reported that there are about one million Malaysian expatriates working overseas as of April this year, the Dewan Rakyat was told Monday. The figure was based on a joint study by the World Bank and the Economic Planning Unit of the Prime Minister's Department.

Thus, it is timely that all Malaysians should pressure the government to allow those Malaysians residing abroad to vote in the country of their residence. Not many can afford the $$$ or time to come back to Malaysia to cast their vote.

According to MyOverseasVote:

Although the EC Chairman, Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Yusof, announced on 25 August 2011 that all Malaysians overseas would be allowed to vote by post, the EC has recently clarified to MyOverseasVote that the EC Chairman had never promised that the EC would do so before the next general election. Two months after the announcement was made, the EC has still taken no action to enable Malaysians overseas even to begin the process of registering as absent voters, which usually takes 3-6 months. Overseas Malaysians are increasingly worried that the 13th General Election will come and go while they continue to be deprived of their constitutional right to vote.


According to the Constitution of Malaysia:

Article 16a

16A. Subject to Article 18, any person of or over the age of eighteen years who is on Malaysia Day ordinarily resident in the State of Sabah or Sarawak is entitled, upon making application to the Federal Government before September 1971, to be registered as a citizen if he satisfies the Federal Government -

(a) that he has resided before Malaysia Day in the territories comprised in those States and after Malaysia Day in the Federation for periods which amount in the aggregate to not less than seven years in the ten years immediately preceding the date of the application, and which include the twelve months immediately preceding that date;

(b) that he intends to reside permanently in the Federation;

(c) that he is of good character; and

(d) except where the application is made before September 1965, and the applicant has attained the age of forty-five years at the date of the application, that he has a sufficient knowledge of the Malay language or the English language or, in the case of an applicant ordinarily resident in Sarawak, the Malay language, the English language or any native language in current use in Sarawak.

Article number: 119

119.

(1) Every citizen whom

(a) has attained the age of twenty- one years on the qualifying date; and

(b) is resident in a constituency on such qualifying date or, if not so resident, is an absent voter, is entitled to vote in that constituency in any election to the House of Representatives or the Legislative Assembly unless he is disqualified under Clause (3) or under any law relating to offences committed in connection with elections; but no person shall in the same election vote in more than one constituency.

(2) If a person is in a constituency by reason only of being a patient in an establishment maintained wholly or mainly for the reception and treatment of persons suffering from mental illness or mental defectiveness or of being detained in custody he shall for the purpose of Clause (1) be deemed not to be resident in that constituency.

(3) A person is disqualified for being a elector in any election to the House of Representatives or the Legislative Assembly if:

 

READ MORE HERE.

Rosmah Mansor beli mutiara $150,000 di Perth, Australia

Posted: 30 Oct 2011 08:38 PM PDT

MiloSuam

ISTERI Perdana Menteri, Rosmah Mansor yang diketahui umum sebagai seorang yang boros dan gemar bermewah-mewahan dengan pelbagai barangan mahal, kali ini kantoi lagi.

Sewaktu mengikuti suaminya Najib Razak ke persidangan negara-negara komenwel, CHOGM di Perth Australia, menurut Akhbar The West Australia, Rosmah Mansor dilaporkan telah membeli sejumlah mutiara bernilai $150,000 (RM387,888).

Malah anak perempuannya juga turut berbelanja sakan di David Jones sehingga $60,000 (RM193,944).
 
 
 
 

DAPSY mengalu-alukan keputusan Mahkamah Rayuan terhadap AUKU dan menempelak hipokrasi Pemuda MCA

Posted: 30 Oct 2011 07:41 PM PDT

Oleh Loke Siew Fook, DAPSY

DAPSY mengalu-alukan keputusan Mahkamah Rayuan hari ini yang memutuskan bahawa Seksyen 15(5) Akta Universiti dan Kolej Universiti yang membenarkan universiti mengambil tindakan disiplin terhadap pelajarnya adalah tidak sah dan mencabul kebebasan bersuara.

Keputusan ini adalah satu kemenangan moral kepada kebangkitan gerakan mahasiswa di Malaysia yang telah lama memperjuangkan pemansuhan AUKU. 4 pelajar UKM yang membawa kes mereka ke mahkamah sehingga terhasilnya keputusan ini perlu dipuji di atas keberanian dan semangat perjuangan mereka yang cukup tinggi.
 
DAPSY juga bersetuju dan menyokong saranan pertubuhan pelajar GAMIS yang menuntut supaya AUKU dimansuhkan serta merta. Sememangnya AUKU perlu dimansuhkan seperti ISA dan mengembalikan autonomi dan kebebasan akademik kepada pihak universiti. AUKU telah lama mengonkong pemikiran mahasiswa tempatan dan melenyapkan budaya pemikiran kritis di kampus-kampus universiti awam.
 
Namun, hipokrasi politik Pemuda MCA cukup terserlah dalam kenyataan Ketua Pemudanya Datuk Wee Ka Siong yang mengalu-alukan keputusan mahkamah hari ini. Ka Siong mengatakan Pemuda MCA konsisten dalam pendirian mereka selama ini yang menuntut supaya Seksyen 15 AUKU dibatalkan. Saya ingin mengingatkan Ka Siong semasa Rang Undang-undang untuk meminda AUKU dibahaskan di Parlimen pada tahun 2008, tidak ada seorang pun Ahli Parlimen MCA yang memperjuangkan supaya Seksyen 15 AUKU dibatalkan. Malah, cadangan-cadangan untuk meminda Seksyen 15 oleh Ahli Parlimen Pakatan Rakyat di peringkat Jawatankuasa juga ditentang oleh Ahli Parlimen BN termasuk MCA.
 
DAPSY akan terus memperjuangkan pemansuhan AUKU dan kami akan menyokong segala usaha yang dibawa oleh gerakan mahasiswa untuk menghapuskan AUKU. Malah, pemansuhan AUKU merupakan salah satu agenda utama Pakatan Rakyat sekiranya kita mendapat mandat rakyat untuk membentuk Kerajaan Persekutuan selepas PRU yang ke-13 nanti.
 
 

Court of Appeal Landmark Ruling on UUCA Breaks Free Another Chain of Repression of Freedom Movement

Posted: 30 Oct 2011 07:37 PM PDT

By Fadiah Nadwa Fikri, Lawyers For Liberty
 
The Court of Appeal today ruled that section 15(5) of the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (UUCA) is in breach of Article 10 of the Federal Constitution which guarantees freedom of speech and expression.

Section 15(5) of UUCA prohibits students from expressing their support, sympathy or opposition to any political party and in breach of this section, universities have the power to take disciplinary action against the students.

Lawyers For Liberty applauds the decisiveness of the Court of Appeal ruling in upholding the constitutional guarantee of freedom of speech and expression against the prohibition under Section 15(5)(a) of UUCA which impedes students' participation in political activities.

This ruling reaffirms the right to political participation which is crystalized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which have been the cornerstone of the constitutional provisions in many countries.

The right to political participation is central to the practice of democracy. It is pivotal to note that the right to political participation is to be enjoyed without discrimination.

The Court of Appeal ruling is timely following the recent suspension of Law Professor Abdul Aziz Bari which is clearly in violation of academic freedom, free speech and expression.

UUCA was deliberately amended in 1975 to restrict the student movement in political activities following the infamous Baling Demonstration which witnessed 30,000 people including students standing up for the poor farmers in Kedah, demanding for fair rubber prices and better living conditions.

This unprecedented decision by the Court of Appeal underscores the most significant aspect of the duty of the court as the final bastion of justice to warn the government against continuing repressive action which is an affront to constitutional guarantee of free speech and expression.
 

 

MCA Youth: Student politics a must for democracy to grow

Posted: 30 Oct 2011 07:36 PM PDT

(The Malaysian Insider) - Lauding today's Court of Appeal ruling that the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA) was unconstitutional, MCA Youth has called the ban on student politics as "unhealthy for any democracy to mature".

MCA Youth national chairman Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong said student idealism through activism should be acknowledged, and that a continued ban on student politics was akin to looking down on students as "children incapable of making independent decisions".

"So long as students are not unruly during their political activities where responsible freedom of expression is practised and do not touch on seditious or criminal content, MCA Youth fails to see why Section 15(5)(A) was even inserted in the first place. "Meanwhile, it should also be pointed out that the Appeal Court ruling is not a carte blanche for students to start rampaging the streets similar to the London riots under the guise of freedom of expression and association," he said in a statement today.

The deputy education minister also pointed out that one of the resolutions passed during this year's MCA Youth annual general meeting called for the abolition of Section 15 of UUCA to return the freedoms of assembly and association to university students.

"It does not make sense to allow student elections on campus yet deny undergraduate and post graduate students to take part in political activities," he said, noting that the same ban did not apply to students in private or foreign universities.

READ MORE HERE

 

Yellow shirt bikers protest outside Penang assembly

Posted: 30 Oct 2011 07:30 PM PDT

(The Star) - GEORGE TOWN: Some 300 motorcyclists in yellow t-shirts rode to the Penang state legislative assembly during lunch break, causing traffic to slow down to a crawl.

The riders, their t-shirts with the words "selamatkan Pulau Pinang LGE rasis" (Safe Penang LGE racist), stopped beside Light Street to demonstrate against the state government at about 12.45pm.

Police cars and a Black Maria arrived at the scene shortly and detained five riders for unruly behaviour. Order was restored at about 1.15pm.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's political secretary Ng Wei Aik condemned the protesters for disrupting public order.

"This is very serious. The police must investigate this group," he said.

The state assembly reconvened at 2pm.

 

Malaysia has one million expatriates abroad

Posted: 30 Oct 2011 07:22 PM PDT

(Bernama) - There are about one million Malaysian expatriates working overseas as of April this year, the Dewan Rakyat was told Monday.

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk S.K. Devamany said the figure was based on a joint study by the World Bank and the Economic Planning Unit of the Prime Minister's Department.

He said the setting up of Talent Corporation Malaysia Berhad (TalentCorp) was a good move to attract them to come home.

"Among the initiatives taken by TalentCorp to reach out to them is through the Returning Expert Programme (REP)," he said in reply to a question from Salahuddin Ayub (PAS-Kubang Kerian).

He said TalentCorp would create a professional network with those who wanted to remain abroad to inform them of the job opportunities available in Malaysia and to leverage their expertise and network for the country's economic development.

"TalentCorp will reach out to them, including those in Australia, United States and United Kingdom," he said, adding that these expatriates contributed to the country's gross domestic product through remittance.

 

Assunta Hospital Dilemma ( 3 )

Posted: 30 Oct 2011 07:19 PM PDT

By a concerned Malaysian

It was with trepidation that I read the uncharitable comments that followed the letter that I had originally written asking questions about the original setup of the Assunta Catholic Charity Hospital.
I apologise to Archbishop Murphy Pakiam and Sister Enda of the FMM sisters , as I did not anticipate the backlash of what followed from my good intentions.

Having said that there still remains serious questions which truly need to be answered.

1) It has been established by "A Specalist" whose letter appeared on the 29th Oct on MT, that The Assunta Hospital was indeed set up as a charity hospital, received tax free status , and grew exclusively from public donations, how did a charity foundation that solicited public donations now turn and become a private enterprise ?

2) Where is the compliance of the present board members to their fiduiciary duties when they receive free medical treatment amounting to millions of ringgit , this is clearly a gross abuse of their position which remains unaccounted for.

3) Why Did a "Charity" hospital create multi millionaires by paying exorbitant salaries and permit their specialists to grossly overcharge their patients, clearly in voilation of the original charter of a "charity" hospital status

40 How did the board allow one of these specialist on the board in clear conflict of intrest situation when he could control the outcome of board meetings because the board members were beholden to the hospital for "free treatment"

5) Why are doctors allowed to work beyond 70 and continue being paid exorbitant salaries, making it impossible for the poor to seek treatment at this hospital even though it is a "charity" hospital.

6) Why has a "charity" hospital originally given tax free status and build on public donations now become a money making machine for doctors, members of the board and the manager.

7) How did the FMM sisters and the catholic church who were the pioneer promoters of this charity hospital built on donations which amounting to millions of ringgit just look the other way when this hospital was taken over by greedy individuals who clearly capitalised on the good name of the FMM sisters and the catholic church to enrich themselves at the expense of the poor.

The catholic church and the FMM sisters are "morally responsible" for this debacle and should be held accountable, and take steps to restore the hospital back to its original status.

If clear answers are not forthcoming this will be forwarded to the relevent authorities for investigation accordingly.

A Deeply concerned Malaysian

PKR attacks Jeffrey Gapari Kitingan

Posted: 30 Oct 2011 07:10 PM PDT

After months of trying to work out a reconciliation with the top PKR leadership, Kota Kinabalu division chief Christina Liew who had 'hero-worshiped' Jeffrey in politics, was forced to throw in the towel. In the end, Jeffrey's own emperor-sized ambition was his undoing.

Written by  K Suresh, Malaysia Chronicle 

Jeffrey Gapari Kitingan is a complex character with many sides. His critics say for sure at the very least, he is two-headed and can be counted to back-stab, desert and betray his benefactors at the very last moment.

Indeed, his supporters in Sabah have been trying to spread the mirage that Parti Keadilan Rakyat is eagerly awaiting its former vice-president's return, but sad to say, no one in the party's central leadership has any inkling of it. Jeffrey, the former PKR veep and Sabah chief, had quit in a huff in 2010 along with his close associate Zaid Ibrahim, who has since formed KITA - the newest political party in the country and linked to Umno.

Therefore, it must have rankled when PKR President Wan Azizah Wan Ismail last week stepped down as Sabah chief, only to allow the Libaran PKR Division Chief Ahmad Thamrin Jaini to resume his former position. Having jumped parties once too often, PKR had been Jeffrey's biggest hope to keep one leg in the opposition boat. The other leg will always find safe refuge in PBS, the party he co-founded with big brother Joseph Pairin.

Fading star

After months of trying to work out a reconciliation with the top PKR leadership, Kota Kinabalu division chief Christina Liew who had 'hero-worshiped' Jeffrey in politics, was forced to throw in the towel. In the end, Jeffrey's own emperor-sized ambition was his undoing.

The Harvard-educated Sabah leader has been in too many parties, heard too many promises, witnessed too many "unsavoury" happenings, and been involved in too many activities to be confined to just one party like PKR or any other party, or so he says.

But it is not for no reason that he has referred to, by friends and foes alike, as the "King of Frogs".

Even so, Jeffrey did meet with PKR leaders – Anwar Ibrahim and his wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail - to try to hammer out a framework for co-operation amongst opposition parties in Sabah and Sarawak, but to no avail.

Apart from Jeffrey's nonsensical demands, perhaps the memory of Zaid Ibrahim was another obstacle for Anwar and the PKR central leadership council. Whatever it was, when someone demands control over both Sabah and Sarawak while holding only miniscule grass-roots support, that is when Anwar and PKR would need to be really careful.

Jeffrey is well-known to be hugely wealthy but is regarded as a political pauper, having lost the respect of many Sabahans and unable to win a seat despite his abundant resources.

Hopping again

The latest development is that two political parties, one in Sarawak (Star) and another in Sabah – Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS) – both 'want' Jeffrey to be their Ketua Umum or Supreme Leader. Both are BN-linked parties.

So far, the details remain sketchy but there should be something in the news soon unless the Home Ministry tells the Registrar of Societies to hold back the certificate of registration on PCS. Jeffrey was supposed to accompany a PCS delegation last week to Putrajaya to collect PCS's certificate of registration.

If the Putrajaya green light comes, it confirms that Jeffrey - like Zaid - would have returned to the BN fold. Meanwhile, Jeffrey's camp is trying to spin his move to be both Ketua Umum at Sabah and Sarawak, as enabling him to 'satisfy' the many sides of his character.

Jeffrey also heads the Common Interest Group Malaysia (CigMA), an ad hoc NGO, which works in the international theatre in association with Hindraf Makkal Sakthi, and, among others, the Borneo Heritage Foundation (BHF), and the All-Borneo Forum.

Secession and Corruption

Jeffrey's supporters also say they fear the Special Branch may block his bid for a political party since he stands accused of plotting to pull Sabah out of Malaysia just hours before he was nabbed on May 13, 1991 under the ISA.

But though Jeffrey likes to give the impression that he was nabbed for trying to pull Sabah out from Malaysia, there is just as much speculation of alleged massive corruption. Apparently, former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad blew his top after he found out that Jeffrey had allegedly creamed billions away from timber contracts while heading the Sabah Foundation.

So far, Jeffrey's accounts on his ISA detention have raised more questions than provided answers. He has skirted around the issue. The latest was earlier this month before United Borneo Front (UBF) gatherings – tea parties – in the interior. UBF is an NGO headed by Jeffrey since late last year.

Ultimately, what does Jeffrey want that PKR or other parties cannot provide? Or how much does Jeffrey want that no one can provide?

According to Jeffrey, he is all about Sabah and Sarawak rights which he accuses is not the main focus of the Peninsular Malaysia-based political parties. He has also insisted that the local-based parties are too much under the thumb of their peninsular-based central leadership to strike out on their own.

Strange though, despite Jeffrey's eye on Sarawak, it would be hard to find a Sarawakian who would be willing to say Jeffrey has any right to be Ketua Umum  in their state. While he resists what he perceives to be 'expansionary' moves by peninsula parties into Sabah, he himself does not appear to have any qualms to wish to 'colonize' Sarawak.

In his latest statements and speeches, Jeffrey has said his aim now is to translate the across-the-political-divide gains made by UBF into seats in the Sabah and Sarawak state assemblies and the Malaysian Parliament. Again, this is most strange for someone who keeps insisting he has lost interest in politics.

Perhaps, there are grounds for the current swathe of suspicion against this King of Frogs. Once the licenses for the Sarawak-based party and for Parti Cinta Sabah kick in from Prime Minister Najib Razak's Putrajaya, he can be expected to spout the BN line even louder than brother Joseph Pairin Kitingan. As they say, blood is thicker than water!

 

PAS to Umno: Why sign deals with Communist China?

Posted: 30 Oct 2011 06:46 PM PDT

The Islamist party refuses to let the issue rest, and asks Umno why several MoUs were inked with China, a country which once supported the Malayan Communist Party.

(Free Malaysia Today) - The communist issue was bought up again today but this time, instead of the Mat Indera fiasco, Umno's ties with Communist China was questioned in parliament today.

Pokok Sena MP Mahfuz Omar asked deputy minister of foreign affairs, Richard Riot, how Malaysia could have diplomatic ties with a country that aided the Malaysian Communist Party (MCP).

"How could Umno have ties with a country which at one point was behind the MCP?" he asked when it was revealed that both countries have signed several Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on trade and other matters.

Mahfuz zeroed in on Umno, saying that the party had signed a separate MoU with Communist China. He was referring to the MoU which Umno and the Communist Party of China (CPC) signed in 2010 for their youth wings to have leadership exchanges.

The deputy minister, who is also Serian MP, however said that the MoU was a Barisan National (BN) affair and not an Umno deal, and struggled to draw the difference between an established communist country and one that is perceived as one.

"Initially they (China) practised a closed door policy but now even Communist countries have an open door policy, so we (Malaysia) do not have a problem with that," said Riot.

Later at a press conference, Mahfuz said that the whole matter revealed Umno's hypocrisy.

READ MORE HERE

 

Three MPs thrown out

Posted: 30 Oct 2011 06:41 PM PDT

Er Teck Hwa, Lim Lip Eng and N Gobalakrishnan defied the Speaker's order to sit down.

(Free Malaysia Today) - Three MPs were kicked out of parliament house for disobeying the Speaker's order to sit down.

Bakri MP Er Teck Hwa was told to get out when he remained standing and continued to demand an answer to a question he posed to the Minister of International Trade and Industry, Mustapa Mohamed, who finished his winding up speech without responding to the former.

Er wanted clarification on a piece of information alleging that Malaysia was interested in trading with Israel. Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia repeatedly asked him to sit down, but he was defiant.

"Why didn't the minister answer?" he said. "It's just a yes or no. I just want to know if Malaysia has economic ties with Israel"

Pandikar Amin eventually ordered Er out after several failed attempts to get him to sit down.

Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng told Er not to leave. A clearly livid Pandikar then showed the door to him as well.

The Speaker said there was no room for questions after a minister had finished his speech. However, he allowed both the DAP reps back into the house 25 minutes later.

Er told reporters that he was not satisfied with the Speaker's decision as he was merely trying to seek clarification.

READ MORE HERE

 

Lim to lodge police report against Umno Online today

Posted: 30 Oct 2011 06:36 PM PDT

(The Malay Mail) - Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's political secretary, Zairil Khir Johari, will lodge a police report on his behalf at the State police contingent headquarters today.

Lim had given Umno Online a 48-hour ultimatum on Thursday to withdraw articles attacking his son, or a police report would be made.

Lim, who is also the DAP secretary-general, said both he and his wife were outraged by the continued accusation by bloggers against his 15-year-old son despite having issued a denial that none of the alleged incidents took place.

His son had been accused of outraging the modesty of a female classmate, causing him to be transferred to another school and that Lim paid RM200,000 to the girl's family to keep things under wraps.

Lim said his son was the victim of "morally despicable and barbaric lies" and he had not wanted to involve the police in the matter initially.

Umno Online, in its reports, had called on Lim to address the allegations, claiming he was inconsistent in his statements regarding the issue.

Lim's Press secretary, Cheong Yin Fan, said Lim could not personally lodge the police report because he had to attend the State assembly sitting.

"Lim's political secretary will be making the police report because we have not received any apology from Umno Online and the articles attacking his son have not been removed from the site," she told The Malay Mail.

Zairil also confirmed Lim was considering taking legal action against the portal.

"I have been asked to lodge the police report by the Chief Minister. We are considering legal action but we will tell you when the time comes," he said.

DAP chairman Karpal Singh had made a separate police report last week against Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin for his comments on the allegations against Lim's son in the microblogging service Twitter.

Khairy had twitted on Oct 17: "Mungkin dia roboh Kampung Buah Pala sebab nak ganti dengan Kampung Buah Dada" (Maybe he destroyed Kampung Buah Pala because he wants to replace it with Kampung Buah Dada).

Karpal also said he would initiate legal action against a tweet Khairy made on Oct 17 for criminal defamation.

 

DAP: Pakatan can retain Penang

Posted: 30 Oct 2011 06:35 PM PDT

(The Star) - DAP is optimistic that Pakatan Rakyat can retain control over Penang if its members continue to work hard by building on the momentum it had gained after the 2008 general election.

Penang DAP chairman Chow Kon Yeow said the next general election would be different for the alliance as it would be the first time that DAP, PAS and PKR would be defending instead of winning over electoral seats.

"We will go all out to ensure that our mission in defending Penang can be accomplished," Chow said.

Chow, who is the Tanjong MP and Padang Kota assemblyman, claimed that the people here know that Pakatan was working hard for them and that they had addressed all issues raised by the electorate here.

Chow said this after a ceremony to launch the mobilisation of the Tanjong DAP election machinery.

"It will be a challenge for us to repeat or better our performance (in the 2008 election)."

In 2008, DAP won 19 state seats, PKR nine and PAS one, while Barisan Nasional won 11 seats.

 

 

Egyptians abroad can vote in embassies, court rules

Posted: 30 Oct 2011 06:27 PM PDT

CAIRO (Reuters) - An Egyptian court ruled on Tuesday that Egyptians living abroad should be allowed to vote at embassies in upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections, a judicial source said.

Egypt's parliamentary elections, the first elections after mass protests ended President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule in February, will start on November 28. Egyptians will then vote for a new president although no date has been set.

The ruling army council has sent mixed messages about whether expatriates would be allowed to vote, although many protesters had made it one of their demands.

Egyptian media suggests about 8 million citizens study and work abroad, many of them driven away to find jobs because of high unemployment at home. Most work in other Arab states, including the Gulf, though there is a sizeable community in the West.

Egypt, the Arab world's most populous state with about 80 million people, relies heavily on remittances from its expatriates for foreign currency income.

 

Overseas Malaysians file suit against Election Commission

Posted: 30 Oct 2011 06:25 PM PDT

MyOverseasVote

A group of Malaysian citizens overseas has filed a lawsuit against the Election Commission (EC) asking the High Court to compel the EC to register them as absent voters. The group of six Malaysians, who all work in the UK, applied to be registered as absent voters in order to be able to vote in the coming general election, but were instead registered by the EC as ordinary voters, who must return to Malaysia to vote in person.

At present, the EC only allows government servants, members of any armed forces and full-time students to register as absent voters, so as to be entitled to vote by post at the next election. The bulk of Malaysian citizens living overseas, who are working in the private sector, and those who are retired or unemployed, are required to return to Malaysia to vote in person.

In addition, although the existing regulations allow all Malaysian students over the age of 21 to register as absent voters, Malaysian students overseas who have attempted to register have had to overcome many obstacles put in their way, with some embassies and consulates refusing to register students who were not sponsored by the government, and others refusing to register students who had previously registered as ordinary voters at home. Although the EC has clarified that all students are eligible to register as absent voters, as recently as this month, the Malaysian consulate in New York was still telling students that only government scholars could register as absent voters.

Dr Teo Hoon Seong, one of the litigants, said:

"I believe that the right to vote is the fundamental cornerstone of democracy. It is the absolute duty of government to ensure that each and every citizen is treated equally within the law in a manner which allows them to exercise this right.

The lawsuit, which was filed at the KL High Court on Tuesday and served on the Attorney-General and the EC on Friday afternoon, is based on Articles 8, 10 and 119 of the Federal Constitution, and is supported by the MyOverseasVote campaign for voting rights for an estimated 700,000 to 1 million Malaysian citizens who live and work overseas, and follows in the wake of the Global Bersih 2.0 movement, where Malaysians around the world turned out on 9 July 2011 to support clean and fair elections in Malaysia and to demand voting rights for Malaysians overseas.

READ MORE HERE

 

Laporan audit dipersoal

Posted: 30 Oct 2011 06:23 PM PDT

(Utusan Malaysia) - Laporan Ketua Audit Negara 2010 sepatutnya lebih bersifat komprehensif dengan menjelaskan secara terperinci bagaimana sesuatu perkara itu diklasifikasikan sebagai perbelanjaan.

Timbalan Menteri Pelajaran, Dr. Mohd. Puad Zarkashi berkata, ia penting bagi mengelakkan tanggapan negatif rakyat bahawa berlaku penyelewengan dan salah laku oleh pegawai atau kakitangan kementerian serta agensi dalam perbelanjaan yang dilaporkan.

"Sebagai contoh, Kementerian Pelajaran dikatakan berbelanja melebihi peruntukan sebenar bagi perbelanjaan pengurusan 2010.

"Hakikatnya, kementerian telah mendapat peruntukan tambahan kerana peruntukan yang diterima untuk perbelanjaan tersebut termasuk elaun perjalanan guru tidak mencukupi," katanya dalam satu kenyataan di sini hari ini.

Beliau mengulas Laporan Ketua Audit Negara 2010 bahawa sembilan kementerian atau jabatan berbelanja RM3.73 bilion melebihi peruntukan keseluruhan yang diluluskan.

Sembilan kementerian itu adalah Kementerian Pelajaran, Kementerian Kesihatan, Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam, Kementerian Dalam Negeri, Kementerian Pertahanan, Kementerian Pertanian dan Industri Asas Tani, Jabatan Peguam Negara, Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) dan Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Awam.

Mohd. Puad turut hairan bagaimana laporan berkenaan projek bekalan air bersih di luar bandar menerusi program Perigi Tiub (Tube Well) hanya menyentuh dua syarikat iaitu Rossington Consolidated Sdn. Bhd. (RCSB) dan Duta Sierra Development Sdn. Bhd.

Katanya, sebuah lagi syarikat iaitu Azair Sdn. Bhd. juga mempunyai kelemahan dan patut ditegur dalam melaksanakan program tersebut di Sabah dan Sarawak.

Berhubung laporan bahawa hanya dua daripada 300 makmal komputer sekolah rendah yang dirancang dibina dalam tempoh Rancangan Malaysia Kesembilan (RMK-9) di Sabah berjaya disiapkan, beliau berpendapat Ketua Audit Negara sepatutnya membuat pendedahan yang lebih telus.

Katanya, ini termasuk mendedahkan bahawa masalah yang berbangkit adalah berpunca daripada pihak kontraktor yang tidak bertanggungjawab dan ingin mengaut keuntungan semata-mata.

"Bagaimanapun, setiap laporan Ketua Audit Negara perlu diambil secara positif walaupun terdapat beberapa kelemahan yang perlu diperbaiki," ujarnya.

Dalam pada itu, Presiden Gerakan, Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon mendesak pihak berkuasa terutama SPRM mengambil tindakan segera menyiasat kes penyelewengan dalam perbelanjaan di jabatan kerajaan seperti yang didedahkan dalam laporan audit itu.

Tsu Koon berkata, langkah itu akan membuktikan komitmen kerajaan untuk menjadi lebih telus.

"Siasatan perlu dilakukan segera terutama bagi kes berkaitan pembelian barang yang dibayar dengan harga jauh lebih tinggi daripada harga pasaran. Perkara ini sudah menjadi buah mulut orang ramai," katanya pada sidang akhbar selepas menghadiri majlis Rumah Terbuka Deepavali Parti Gerakan di sini hari ini.

Tsu Koon memberi contoh, pendedahan laporan audit mengenai harga tiga barang yang dibeli oleh Jabatan Taman Laut Malaysia berjumlah RM56,350 amat mengejutkan ramai pihak sedangkan harga pasarannya tidak semahal itu.

 

EPF loaned RM55bil without gov't guarantee backing

Posted: 30 Oct 2011 06:19 PM PDT

(Yahoo News) - The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) approved loans worth an astounding RM55.1 billion not backed by government guarantees.

However, the Auditor-General's Report 2010 found only one of the 13 debtors was qualified to obtain a loan without such a guarantee. That particular debtor was extended credit worth RM21.3 billion.

Of the remaining 12 debtors, all of whom are not named in the report, two were exempted from producing government guarantees as they had high credit ratings.

The loans to the two parties totalled RM7.3 billion.

The report also revealed that the EPF had also given out 15 loans worth a total of RM35.69 billion as of the Dec 31, 2010.

Of the 15 loans given, two were made to non-government entities despite having government guarantees. The loans are worth RM5 billion and RM1.24 billion respectively.

EPF in its response said one of the debtors is an incorporated body of the Finance Ministry, while a government agency has a 66 percent stake in the second debtor company.

The EPF Act 1991 allows it to extend credit to the federal and state governments, as well as to companies incorporated under the Companies Act 1965, or set up with the Finance Ministry's  written permission.

The report said that as of the end of 2010, EPF had given out a total RM95.79 billion, earning RM2.52 billion in interest payments for the year.

READ MORE HERE

 

DAP, PAS remain at odds on hudud

Posted: 30 Oct 2011 06:16 PM PDT

Karpal Singh criticised for making "unfair" statement when such Islamic laws have not been implemented yet.

(Free Malaysia Today) - The attempt by Pakatan Rakyat to bury the hudud hatchet is proving to be difficult as the Islamist PAS and secularist DAP continue to trade barbs over PAS' plan to implement Islamic law in Kelantan.

PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub, in an immediate reaction to Karpal Singh's stinging statement on hudud, said it was unfair for the DAP chairman to say that there will be a rise in crime if Islamic law was implemented.

"It's not fair for him to say that. It (hudud) has not even been implemented yet," the Kubang Krian MP told FMT.

Yesterday, Karpal, the Batu Gelugor MP, claimed that hudud laws will boost, and not deter, crimes because of the high standard of proof that would impede the prosecution from establishing its case.

He said the rigid requirement to have four witnesses under hudud laws meant that the case must be proven with certainty and this was contrary to the current criminal legal system which only required the prosecution to prove a case beyond reasonable doubt.

Karpal's statement is seen as an open attack against PAS and casts doubts on Pakatan's position on the matter when it agreed that hudud can only be implemented if there was a consensus.

PAS' Islamic agenda again exposes Pakatan to claims that it will never be able to be a solid unified substitute to the ruling Barisan Nasional as the DAP and lynchpin PKR are against any hardcore Islamisation attempts.

READ MORE HERE

 

Don’t toy with Umno, LDP warned

Posted: 30 Oct 2011 06:14 PM PDT

LDP leaders deliberately turning a deaf ear to all the assistance given to them by Umno Sabah, says Sabah Puteri Umno.

(Free Malaysia Today) - Criticising Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman is as good as criticising Umno and the Barisan Nasional (BN) as a whole, Puteri Umno Sabah said yesterday.

Sabah Umno Puteri chief Musliati Moslimin said its BN ally, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), was behaving like an opposition, making its existence in the ruling coalition unjustifiable.

She said LDP was behaving as if the party no longer subscribed to the BN's spirit of camaraderie and did not have the sense of belonging in the coalition.

She said no one had a right to openly demand for the resignation of the chief minister.

"They (LDP leaders) seem to have lost direction in their political struggle and also going against the BN's concept and principle," she said when commenting on statements made by LDP deputy president Senator Chin Su Phin and women's wing chief Nancy Lim at the party's Youth and Wanita joint congress in Sandakan over the weekend.

Musliati said asking Musa to resign showed a lack of respect for Umno and its president Najib Tun Razak who, she claimed, has full trust and confidence in Musa to lead the state.

READ MORE HERE

 

Moral victory for student politics

Posted: 30 Oct 2011 05:05 PM PDT

By G Vinod, FMT

PETALING JAYA: Student activists hailed the Court of Appeal's decison as a victory for student politics and freedom of speech.

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) student activist Muhammad Hilman Idham described it as a historic moment for student politics.

Earlier today, a three-men bench Court of Appeal ruled the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA) as unconstitutional as it violates freedom of expression as enshrined in Article 10 of the Federal Constitution.

Two judges, Hishammuddin Yunus and Linton Albert ruled in favour of the students while Low Hop Bing dissented.

In April 2010, Hilman, Woon King Chai, Ismail Aminuddin and Azlin Shafina Adza were caught campaigning during the Hulu Selangor by-election, which was in breach of the UUCA.

The four then challenged UKM in the High Court for allegedly violating their freedom of expression which is guaranteed under the Federal Constitution.

However, the High Court dismissed their case, prompting them to appeal against the decision.

Hilman said he was happy that their sacrifice was recognised by the Court of Appeal.

"The court's decision is in tandem with our belief that students should be allowed to decide for themselves," said Hilman.

He also said that students, being tomorrow's leaders , must be empowered to make decision for themselves first before they could make decisions for the benefit of the nation.

"And the court agreed to this argument when it called for the UUCA to be amended to allow students the right to express themselves without any unnecessary restrictions," he said.

Hilman said the counsel for UKM, Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, had indicated that he would appeal against the verdict at the Federal Court on behalf of UKM soon.

"No matter what the outcome at the Federal Court is, we will continue to press for freedom of speech and academic freedom," he said.

READ MORE HERE

 

‘Unconstitutional to ban students from politics’

Posted: 30 Oct 2011 05:03 PM PDT

(FMT) - KUALA LUMPUR:  The Court of Appeal today ruled that a law banning college students from political activities was unconstitutional, in a move hailed by the ban's opponents as a landmark decision.

Students have long campaigned for a repeal of the 1971 Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA), which bars them from joining political parties and trade unions, saying the ban violates human rights and free speech.

Court of Appeal ruled that the law contravened constitutionally protected freedom of expression.

"This is a landmark decision… the net effect is that students are free to participate in political activities now," lawyer Ashok Kandiah, who represented four former political science students in challenging the ban, told AFP.

However, a lawyer representing Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia — attended by the students — told the court he would appeal the decision to the Federal Court, Malaysia's highest.

The four students launched the court challenge last year after the university threatened them with disciplinary action after they were accused of campaigning for Malaysia's political opposition in a local by-election.

The Kuala Lumpur High Court had earlier upheld the ban's constitutionality.

The students were eventually cleared of any wrongdoing.

Ahmad Syazwan Muhammad Hasan, of the Islamic student organisation Gamis, welcomed the decision.

"UUCA was implemented to block the student movement. It breaks our social freedom," he told AFP.

READ MORE HERE

 

Phang gives Nazri’s non-Malay PM remark thumbs up

Posted: 30 Oct 2011 04:13 PM PDT

By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 31 — Tan Sri Robert Phang has saluted Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz for saying a non-Malay could be prime minister if he was right for the job.

Phang, a former Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) adviser, said the de facto law minister's statement was "very meaningful" and would help towards building a truly multiracial nation.

Phang said Nazri's statement would help towards building a truly multiracial nation. — File pic
"I must congratulate him for his farsightedness and conviction, which will transmit a very positive message to the people that the 1 Malaysia concept introduced by the PM is alive and well.

"For Datuk Nazri to have given this statement clearly illustrates that his true leadership is governed by the 1 Malaysia spirit... Well said, and well put," the Social Care Foundation chairman told The Malaysian Insider.

In an interview with The Edge Financial Daily published today, Nazri said he had no objection to a non-Malay prime minister so long as the best man got the job.

"If it happens that the best person is a non-Malay, so be it," the minister in the Prime Minister's Department said.

"I cannot say, 'I'm Malaysian first, but the prime minister must be Malay.' You can't have your cake and eat it (too)."

Last year, Nazri became the first Umno minister to declare he was Malaysian first and Malay second, in line with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's 1 Malaysia concept.

His words appeared to be a direct snub to his superior in Umno, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who once famously declared himself to be Malay first and Malaysian second.

But Nazri stressed today it was crucial for a Malay leader to lead the charge for greater inclusivity as non-Malay leaders would have a hard time garnering broad support.

 

READ MORE HERE.

PAS: Ties with communist nations show Umno’s hypocrisy

Posted: 30 Oct 2011 04:08 PM PDT

By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 31 — PAS accused Umno today of hypocrisy for claiming that Mohamad Sabu had glorified communists despite the ruling party fostering close ties with five communist nations.

Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Richard Riot told Parliament that Malaysia has benefited from bilateral relations with China, Cuba, Laos, Vietnam and North Korea.

But PAS vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar (picture) said Umno had gone further by signing a memorandum of understanding with the Communist Party of China (CPC) on August 4 last year to begin a youth leadership exchange programme.

"This shows how close Umno is to the party that masterminded and supplied weapons to the Communist Party of Malaysia (CPM) including the Bukit Kepong incident," the Pokok Sena MP said in Parliament.

Pakatan Rakyat (PR) has previously accused Datuk Seri Najib Razak of contradicting his own promise to improve civil liberties by charging PAS deputy president Mohamad for his Bukit Kepong tragedy remarks.

Mohamad, who is popularly known as Mat Sabu, was alleged to have defamed policemen and soldiers who defended the Bukit Kepong police station in a 1950 attack by communists that saw 25 policemen killed.

Umno's Utusan Malaysia had first accused the maverick politician of glorifying Ahmad Indera in an August 27 report that quoted Mohamad as saying that communist leader was a true hero.

The daily and Malay hardliners in Umno have repeatedly called for Mohamad to be charged over the comment with some even insisting that the PAS leader be stripped of his citizenship.

Mahfuz told reporters today that the Barisan Nasional government's close ties with communist countries "prove the attack on Mat Sabu is just a political plot to win Malay votes."

READ MORE HERE

 

RM6.5m price ‘too high’ for Khir’s house, says valuer

Posted: 30 Oct 2011 04:06 PM PDT

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider

SHAH ALAM, Oct 31 — Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo's palatial home and land do not cost RM6.5 million, the former Selangor Mentri Besar's corruption trial was told today.

Professional valuer Iramy Ahmad, 48, testified that the market price for the mansion valued by his firm Irhamy & Co in 2005 was RM4.3 million.

"As a valuer, I feel that RM6.5 million is too high, it is not a reasonable price. The cost does not equal the value," he told the court today.

He was asked by defence lawyer Datuk Jahabardeen Mohamed Yunoos whether he agreed that RM6.5 million was a "reasonable" price for the home as well as the plots of land.

Dr Mohamad Khir (picture) is alleged to have obtained for himself and his wife two lots of land and a house at No. 8 and 10, Jalan Suasa 7/1L from Ditamas Sdn Bhd through its director Shamsuddin Hayroni.

The property was purchased at RM3.5 million although Ditamas had bought it for RM6.5 million on December 23, 2004.

The transaction was alleged to have been made when Dr Mohamad Khir knew that Shamsuddin had ties with his official duty as the Selangor mentri besar then.

Dr Mohamad Khir, the state assemblyman for Sungai Panjang, is alleged to have committed the offence at the official residence of the Selangor mentri besar at Jalan Permata 7/1, Section 7 here on May 29, 2007.

Defence lawyers have previously pointed out that Shamsuddin had purchased the properties through his company above the market value of RM4.3 million that was estimated by valuer Irhamy & Co back in 2005.

Deputy public prosecutor Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar later said that Iramy's testimony was just a "personal opinion" and that different variables could be used to assess the value of the mansion and land.

The trial resumes later this afternoon.

PPSMI - not the Magic Bullet

Posted: 30 Oct 2011 03:50 PM PDT

By Feizrul Nor Nurbi

Before anything, let me clearly state that I am not pro-Bahasa Melayu or even pro-English. I am pro-Quality.

It is sad to read the labels put on me from my previous 3 articles, from the type that can make a lady blush to those who tried to psycho-analyze me. But somehow I have stirred the people into discussion, so that is one reason to smile.

A few arguments have caught my eyes. Do allow me to put down my 2 cents worth of view here:

(1) - English, or more precisely the usage of English as the medium of instruction replacing Bahasa Melayu, is not a magic bullet that will solve the problem of our rotten education system. Let us be clear on that. I have had comments arguing the state of our teachers, the syllabus, the methodology - all in common agreement of the rotten state but it baffles me that these people would think that upon returning English as medium of instruction, all the problems will vanish and we'll live happily ever after.

Really? Is that even remotely true? Is it somehow our problematic teachers who can't teach in BM will now magically able to articulate their subjects to the students if it is in English? Will our yawn-inducing syllabus turn exciting when we flick the language switch from BM to English?

If that so, my oh my, why have not we think of it earlier. Perhaps it would have saved me from dozing off in History class when I was back in school. Should have told the teacher "Sorry Sir/Ma'am, it's not you, it's the language. Please teach us in English so that we won't doze off in your class".

To me, it does not matter the language you use to deliver knowledge - as long as quality is there, it will shine through.

Now with DAP throwing their support behind the PPSMI movement, it is intriguing to see if the policy is re-instated - then what? Will all those parents baying for blood return to their routine life feeling smug and patting themselves at the back and exclamating 'Problem solved!'?

If yes, and assuming this group is the majority (it is not!) then I pity the country for the future that we are heading to. If not, then my question to these people - why fix something trivial when from the start we could have focused our effort on something more significant, like fixing the broken education system itself?

Since DAP has state their stand in this matter, I would like to call on Pakatan Rakyat to state your common stand and also come out with a masterplan detailing how it intends to fix the education system once they gain power. Education is a sensitive matter that warrants attention from these politicians, thus it is only fair that they produce something similar to the 'Buku Jingga' on these issues.

(2) - Again, I am not pro-BM or pro-English. So please refrain from throwing all those racist assumptions my way.

I am also a concerned parent from a middle class family living in the suburbs. I have been lucky to receive quality English learning experience from exceptional teachers back in school in laid-back Kuala Kangsar. And no, this was no English-medium school. I was Science-inclined, thus resulting in my career in IT with an MNC which values my ability to speak and write good English and the value that I bring to my work as an IT professional.

(3) - The explicit and implicit notion that ridicules Bahasa Melayu as the Bahasa Kebangsaan really astounds me. There were those willing to discard BM altogether, arguing the language has nothing to contribute in this globalized era, while some have shown an alarming outright disgust at the language altogether!.Some were glorifying English like it's the Queen-Mother herself talking, all the while making the argument in substandard, broken English! Also those who in their hatred for UMNO seem ready to discard everything and anything even sparsely related to the party - hence their view that BM has to go.

Does the parents know that by asking their children to choose English over BM it instills in them the notion that the Bahasa Kebangsaan is inadequate, a weak language - something that deserves no respect and appreciation? Thus knowingly or unknowingly these parents have become a barrier to this nation's drive for unity.

Please stop poisoning the young minds.

Again, the gist of their argument is that not speaking in BM does not make them less Malaysian. Well fellow Malaysians - what does make you Malaysian? It is the roti canai and teh tarik you have every morning? That income tax you pay? Please pray tell and share with me what makes you Malaysian, when there so may things that separates us - the religion we pray to, the schools our children attend, the sports that we play, the festivities we celebrate, the communities we stay in.

The list is endless.

Yes there are those who have manage to bridge the gap - we have Malays that play basketball, we have Chinese and Indian students in national schools, we go to open houses to celebrate with the other races, but after the game is finished, the school bell rang and the open houses are closed - we comfortably return back to our safe havens, retreating back to our racial stereotypes in the comfort of our own people.

Having a common language will in some way bridge the chasm of racial polarization that we have today. The role of one common language as a unifier in nation building cannot be denied. It opens more room for interaction, more exchanges of thought, which will in turn leads to better understanding and dispelling the myths, misconceptions and prejudices that we have of one another.

Please note that in the pre-independence Perlembagaan Rakyat drafted by PUTERA-AMCJA which were helmed by likes Ahmad Boestamam, Tan Cheng Lock and leaders from the MIC and other groups, it was stated the agreement for all different races to adopt 'Melayu' as their national entity and Bahasa Melayu as the national language!

Did I shock you? Sound too good to be true, isn't it? Surely it could have saved us the hassle when filling up those government forms at the very least. If you don't believe me then perhaps a simple search on Google about PUTERA-AMCJA and Perlembagaan Rakyat would suffice.

Certainly these leaders from our nation's history were willing to sacrifice for a nation which at that point were not even formed yet. And all of them recognized the importance one national identity of a united people for the sake of the country.

It is disappointing to note how far we have drifted apart since then, after over 50 years of divide and conquer rule by the current ruling party.

(4) - Those parents who said their kids will face a mountain to climb when the teaching of Science and Mathematics returns to Bahasa Melayu from English, a question for you all - how pathetic is your kids' proficiency in BM? Because the way I see it if your language skills are adequate then changing medium would not be a problem. Do you mean to say your kids who learned to do multiplications in English suddenly forgot all of it when it is changed to 'sifir darab'?

Reading my previous 3 articles, one would have noted the common theme in all of them - the call for channeling all our efforts to remedy and fix our broken national education system. It is important for us not to be sidetracked by red-herring issues such as the PPSMI brouhaha, while intensely demanding our rights as parents of our school-going children and as citizen of this great nation.

Surcharge The Errant Public Officers Responsible And Such Financial Misdeeds Will Cease In ...

Posted: 30 Oct 2011 03:46 PM PDT

By Lim Kit Siang

Malaysia must be the only country which aspires to be developed nation status where year in year out, the Auditor-General reports of horror tales of financial hanky-panky, irregularities, abuses of power and financial indiscipline in Federal Government accounts.

Malaysians are entitled to know why such financial hanky-panky and irregularities could not be stamped out when there should be quite easy ways of achieving this objective.

For instance, surcharge the public officers responsible for paying RM5,700 or 11,400% more the market price of a car jack or RM56,350 or 2,900% higher than the market price of binoculars and I am sure, such financial hanky-panky will cease in future.

There will be no more of such reporting in future Auditor-General's Reports once the message is sent out that the government servants who authorize irregular payments will have to personally account for their financial indiscipline from their personal pay checks.

At present, these public officers do not have to pay for their financial misfeances and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission is a standing joke as it has proved to be completely impotent and ineffective in taking action against errant public servants based on the voluminous Auditor-General's annual reports.

However, it will not be possible for the government to surcharge errant public servants for their financial misdeeds if the "big sharks" in high political and government places are allowed immunity and impunity for corruption and abuses of public funds – as for instance improperly approving mega-projects without proper open tender procedures.

It has been estimated that the government loses some RM28 billion a year from corruption, malpractices and "leakages".

How can the authorities have the credibility and authority to introduce a "surcharge" regime to hold public servants to account for improper public expenditures unless there is in place a "no tolerance for corruption" policy where everyone, including the "sharks", are mercilessly brought to justice for any corruption practice or abuse of public funds?

Unless there is the political will to launch an all-out war against corruption including those occupying high political and government positions under a "no tolerance for corruption" campaign, financial abuses and malpractices as those retailed in the Auditor-General Annual reports will continue to be an annual and commonplace occurrence.

Kenyataan Akhbar Zairil Khir Johari di Pulau Pinang

Posted: 30 Oct 2011 03:31 PM PDT

Oleh Zainal Khir Johari, Pegawai Khas kepada Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang

Berikutan kengganan pihak Umno-Online, iaitu laman web rasmi Umno, untuk menghentikan, menarik balik dan meminta maaf atas laporan-laporan palsu dan berunsur fitnah yang terus dimainkan terhadap YAB Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang Lim Guan Eng dan keluarganya, saya selaku Pegawai Khas kepada Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang telah membuat laporan polis agar tindakan akan diambil ke atas pihak yang tidak bertanggungjawab itu.

Sehingga hari ini, sudah terdapat 9 laporan yang membawa tuduhan liar bahawa kononnya anak kepada Ketua Menteri terbabit dalam kejadian mencabul seorang pelajar perempuan. Di samping itu, laporan-laporan tersebut juga mendakwa bahawa Ketua Menteri telah membayar RM200,000 kepada keluarga pelajar perempuan tersebut sebagai sogokan untuk berdiam.

Laporan-laporan tersebut disenaraikan dalam jadual di bawah:

 

a)

Dakwaan Cabul: Tindakan Guan Eng Berdolak Dalih Timbulkan Banyak Persoalan

18 Okt 2011

http://umno-online.com/?p=47540

b)

Isu Cabul: Guan Eng Mesti Jelaskan Perkara Sebenar Atau Ambil Tindakan

18 Okt 2011

http://umno-online.com/?p=47552

c)

Guan Eng Jangan Perbodohkan Pengundi Dengan Cara Putar Alam

19 Okt 2011

http://umno-online.com/?p=47687 

d)

Isu Cabul: Sejak Bila Pembangkang Pandai Bercakap Soal Moral??

19 Okt 2011

http://umno-online.com/?p=47673

e)

Dari Rambut Panjang Ke Gejala Dadah, Guan Eng Makin Berputar Belit

20 Okt 2011

http://umno-online.com/?p=47774

f)

Kalau Fitnah Guan Eng Patut Saman Bukan Beri Kenyataan Berbelit-belit

21 Okt 2011

http://umno-online.com/?p=47821

g)

Isu Cabul: Guan Eng Patut Saman Bukan Terus Politikkan Anak Untuk Cari Simpati

25 Okt 2011

http://umno-online.com/?p=48133

h)

Rasuah RM200 Ribu : Empat Laporan Polis Dibuat Terhadap Lim Guan Eng

25 Okt 2011

http://umno-online.com/?p=48128

i)

Isu Cabu : Guan Eng Umpama Penembak Buta

28 Okt 2011

http://umno-online.com/?p=48318

Jadual 1: Senarai laporan-laporan di Umno-Online

Tambahan pula, laporan-laporan "Guan Eng Jangan Perbodohkan Pengundi Dengan Cara Putar Alam" dan "Isu Cabul: Sejak Bila Pembangkang Pandai Bercakap Soal Moral??" pada 19 Oktober 2011, "Dari Rambut Panjang Ke Gejala Dadah, Guan Eng Makin Berputar Belit" pada 20 Oktober 2011 dan "Kalau Fitnah Guan Eng Patut Saman Bukan Beri Kenyataan Berbelit-belit" pada 21 Oktober  telah memetik daripada sebuah laporan palsu yang kononnya telah disiarkan oleh suratkhabar Guang Ming Daily. Guang Ming Daily telah pun menafikan kewujudan laporan tersebut dalam akhbarnya pada 21 Oktober 2011 (halaman A2).

Tuduhan-tuduhan tersebut merupakan fitnah yang keji dan langsung tidak berasas. Yang paling teruk sekali, laporan-laporan tersebut terus disiarkan dan dimainkan dengan sembereno walaupun bukti sudah pun dikemukakan oleh pelbagai pihak untuk membidas tuduhan-tuduhan yang liar itu.

Sebagai contoh, pada 21 Oktober 2011, "pelajar perempuan" yang terbabit, Anya Corke, telah mengeluarkan kenyataan keras untuk menafikan penglibatannya. Malah beliau menegaskan tidak pernah bertemu dengan Ketua Menteri atau anaknya.

Kenyataan Anya yang merupakan seorang pemain catur antarabangsa dari Hong Kong telah disusuli dengan penafian daripada Pengarah Pelajaran Pulau Pinang En. Ahmad Tarmizi Kamaruddin yang dilaporkan dalam akhbar The Star pada 22 Oktober 2011. Beliau pun telah mengesahkan bahawa tiada sebarang bukti untuk mengaitkan anak Ketua Menteri kepada apa-apa kejadian sedemikian.

Kenyataan-kenyataan Anya dan Encik Ahmad Tarmizi pula adalah tambahan kepada kenyataan En. Goh Boon Poh, pengetua SMJK Heng Ee, iaitu sekolah lama anak Ketua Menteri, yang juga telah menafikan kejadian itu.

Walaupun macam-macam bukti telah ditampilkan, Umno-Online masih lagi meneruskan serangan mereka tanpa melaporkan perkara yang sebenar, seperti yang boleh dilihat dalam laporan-laporan "Isu Cabul: Guan Eng Patut Saman Bukan Terus Politikkan Anak Untuk Cari Simpati" dan "Rasuah RM200 Ribu : Empat Laporan Polis Dibuat Terhadap Lim Guan Eng" yang bertarikh 25 Oktober 2011.

Berikutan laporan-laporan ini, Ketua Menteri telah mengadakan sidang media pada 26 Oktober 2011 disusuli dengan kenyataan akhbar pada 27 Oktober 2011 untuk menuntut supaya Umno-Online menarik balik dan meminta maaf atas laporan-laporan palsu dan berunsur fitnah tersebut.

Namun begitu, laman web Umno-Online bukan sahaja tidak menarik balik atau meminta maaf, malah masih lagi menyiarkan laporan-laporan yang sudah diketahui palsu dan berunsur fitnah. Ini boleh dilihat dalam laporan seterusnya pada 28 Oktober yang bertajuk "Isu Cabul : Guan Eng Umpama Penembak Buta".

Saya percaya bahawa penerbitan dan penyiaran kesemua 9 laporan-laporan palsu dan fitnah tersebut merupakan suatu kesalahan jenayah di bawah, antara lainnya, Seksyen 499 Kanun Keseksaan, Seksyen 8A Akta Mesin Cetak dan Penerbitan 1984 dan Seksyen 211 Akta Komunikasi dan Multimedia 1998, dan berharap agar pihak polis akan mengambil tindakan siasatan yang segera serta tindakan susulan yang sewajarnya ke atas laman web Umno-Online supaya tidak berlaku sebarang kekeliruan dan kerosakan nama bagi Ketua Menteri dan keluarganya.

Zairil Khir Johari

Pegawai Khas kepada Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang

Setiausaha Politik kepada Setiausaha Agung DAP

Lampiran

Berikut adalah petikan daripada beberapa laporan yang melibatkan laporan palsu Guang Ming Daily:

"Terbaru ialah tindakan tidak senonoh anaknya meraba pelajar perempuan di sekolah Cina dan membayar RM200 ribu sebagai tanda untuk tutup mulut pelajar terbabit. Akhbar Guan Ming Daily bertarikh 19 November 2011, pada halaman A10 melontarkan kenyataan Lim Guan Eng ekoran dakwaan anaknya meraba pelajar perempuan Sekolah Cina Heng Ee. Menurut laporan akhbar terbabit... Lim Guan Eng menjelaskan bahawa anaknya dipindahkan ke Sekolah St Xavier's Institution kerana bimbang terjebak dengan gejala dan sindiket dadah di kalangan pelajar."

Dipetik daripada "Guan Eng Jangan Perbodohkan Pengundi Dengan Cara Putar Alam" yang bertarikh 19 Oktober di http://umno-online.com/?p=47687 

"Namun semalam, dalam sebuah akhbar berbahasa Cina, Guan Eng mengatakan anaknya dipindahkan dari Sekolah Cina Heng Ee ke Sekolah St. Xavier's kerana bimbang terjebak dengan gejala negatif dan sendiket dadah di kalangan pelajar."

Dipetik daripada "Dari Rambut Panjang Ke Gejala Dadah, Guan Eng Makin Berputar Belit" yang bertarikh 20 Oktober 2011 di http://umno-online.com/?p=47774

"Sebelum ini, anak lelaki Guan Eng didakwa terlibat dengan masalah moral apabila dikatakan telah mencabul seorang rakan sekolahnya. Akibat daripada kejadian tersebut, Guan Eng telah menukarkan sekolah anaknya dan menyogok keluarga mangsa dengan wang berjumlah RM200 ribu.         ...

Selepas itu, Guan Eng telah menukar kenyataannya yang tersiar di dalam salah sebuah akhbar berbahasa Cina kononnya pertukaran tersebut adalah kerana Guan Eng bimbang anak lelakinya akan terlibat dengan gejala dadah di kalangan pelajar."

Dipetik daripada "Kalau Fitnah Guan Eng Patut Saman Bukan Beri Kenyataan Berbelit-belit" yang bertarikh 21 Oktober 2011 di http://umno-online.com/?p=47821

 

Malaysia in the Era of Globalization # 87

Posted: 30 Oct 2011 02:11 PM PDT

By M Bakri Musa

http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/3554/bakrimusa.jpg

An editor of a Malaysian professional publication invited me to be its regular contributor. I readily agreed, and aware of the local psyche and ambience, purposely submitted a rather bland first piece. He readily published it but chided me for being too cautious as Malaysia "has changed" since I left the country. Encouraged, my next piece was more critical, and sure enough, his earlier encouragement notwithstanding, he sheepishly told me that his board had vetoed my submission!

Chapter 10: Freedom, Justice, and the Law
 
Personal Liberty in Malaysia – Chilling Effects of Repressive Laws like ISA
 
An editor of a Malaysian professional publication invited me to be its regular contributor. I readily agreed, and aware of the local psyche and ambience, purposely submitted a rather bland first piece. He readily published it but chided me for being too cautious as Malaysia "has changed" since I left the country. Encouraged, my next piece was more critical, and sure enough, his earlier encouragement notwithstanding, he sheepishly told me that his board had vetoed my submission! Thus ended my brief career as a columnist for that outfit! I later submitted the same piece to a mainstream paper (owned by the ruling party) and much to my surprise, it was published unchanged. I later sent the editor of the first publication the published copy; he felt rather small. The truth was, the mainstream paper had a new editor and I decided to test his professionalism and independence.
 
In another episode I submitted sample chapters of my first book (choosing carefully the least critical ones) to an establishment Malaysian publisher. He was enthralled and added that he had published a number of books by members of the ruling elite and that he looked forward to publishing mine as it would be a pleasant departure from the usual staple. But when I submitted my entire manuscript which contains chapters much more critical, he demurred. Receiving publishers' rejection letters is not a novel phenomenon with me, but what startled me was his apologia. He complimented me ad nauseam, for being "brave" and "forthright," but he was afraid of the backlash as he did considerable amount of business with the government. I also approached other Malaysian publishers and printers, but the refrain was always the same. They had too much business with the government and its myriad companies to risk publishing my book. It would have been better if they had simply told me that my book was not up to their standard. Or perhaps that was their soft Asian way to "save face" and spare me any embarrassment! My book was finally published in America and again, thanks to the Internet and globalization, my publisher had no difficulty marketing it not only in Malaysia but also worldwide. Had I used a Malaysian publisher, my book would not have had global exposure.
 
I relate these incidents to illustrate the chilling effects of these intrusive rules and restrictive regulations. People exercise self-censorship and excessive caution for fear of official reprisal. Instead of expanding the envelope they stick to the tried-and-true. But progress depends on citizens daring to explore the edges and beyond.
 
These restrictive laws also foster the kind of behavior that is crudely referred to as "sucking up." This is an absolute anathema to progress. Subordinates and citizens would then choose a decision or path of action that they think would please those in power. The results can be disastrous as exemplified by the following recent examples.
 
It is an open secret that Malays are preferentially admitted to local universities while non-Malays with comparable or even far superior grades are routinely rejected. None deny this racist practice and indeed many in the senior levels of the establishment go to great length and contorted logic to justify what is clearly an unacceptable practice. But because there was no public outcry and more significantly, lack of open denunciation by the leaders, the practice persisted and indeed spread.
 
In late 2001 it was revealed that such obnoxious practices are also being done at the primary school level. That is, students are academically streamed based on their race even at such a tender age. When it was first revealed, the education minister denied, but later in the face of more evidence, he admitted it occurred but was an isolated incident and thus not worthy of his attention. But when the teachers' union exposed that it was indeed a rampant practice, the minister went through great hoops to justify it! Taking their cue from the minister, bureaucrats began repeating the same mantra – "in the national interest" – to justify their actions. Only when the prime minister and his deputy condemned the practice did everyone realize how institutionalized racism is in the education ministry specifically, and the government generally. This sordid affair occurred because those underlings thought they were doing what their leaders wanted them to do. "Sucking up to the powerful" wrapped as the "national policy."
 
To be fair, the minister did finally convene a committee of outside educators to examine the allegations. Chaired by a retired academic, the committee refuted the charges, claiming that there was no intent to discriminate. A further controversy ensued following the release of that report, as the committee made public only an executive summary, not its methodology and full findings.
 
That primary school debacle came in the heels of another major scandal, this one at the other polar end of the education spectrum involving the Certificate for Law Practice (CLP) examination. The CLP is required of all law graduates of private colleges; those from public law schools are exempted. To appreciate the unfolding drama, one has to understand the political background. Public law faculties in Malaysia, "in the national interest" are the near exclusive preserve of Bumiputras, while the private ones cater to non-Bumiputras. One does not have to be particularly astute to sense the poisonous race potential of the CLP mess.
 
It started out rather routinely: the tests' questions were leaked. The results of the investigations were also routinely Malaysian: some minor clerks were arrested. But from there things unraveled very quickly. It turned out that such leaks had been going on for years! But the greatest bombshell was that the released scores were not the same as what the candidates had earned from their examiners.
 
The scores had been tampered, and that this too had been standard practice for years. This brought forth an outpouring of outrage from many, including Law Minister Rais Yatim. The upshot was that the director was suspended. No further details were forthcoming; the man chose to keep quiet.
 
In the flurry of letters to Malaysiakini (the mainstream media saw fit not to cover the issue extensively), it was revealed that the director was a former associate dean of MARA law school (a public and exclusively Malay institution) and he was chosen at a time when those MARA law students had to sit for the CLP. And they were not doing too well; thus the insidious practice probably began then. Today those MARA students do not need to sit for the CLP, but old habits die hard. When the truth finally emerges I am sure that the misguided soul thought that what he was doing, tampering with the CLP, was also "in the national interest." To imagine that hundreds of Malay would-be lawyers at MARA were under his tutelage boggles the imagination!
 
Malaysia's many restrictive laws have another more corrosive effect on society. They discourage healthy public debates on important issues. Indeed certain topics are deemed "sensitive" and beyond the pale of discussion. The leaders have decided, in their wisdom, no further new inquiry or insights are needed on such important issues. They are deemed settled. No more discussion!
 This mindset reminds me of the mentality of Muslim scholars and leaders of the 10th Century when they decided that everything were deemed settled in Islam and that no new inquiries were needed. Today, Malaysians too have their own secular or political "closure of the gate of Ijtihad (rational discourse)." The effect on the nation of this stricture will be equally destructive.
 
The issues deemed sensitive include among others, the Malay language, special privileges, and the status of the sultans. With time the list will surely expand. Anyone breaching such prohibitions is subject to the dreaded ISA or the equally feared Sedition Act. Many scholars, politicians, and writers have met this fate. Even more startling, such gross violations of the basic rights of the citizens evoke minimal or no outrage from the general public.
 
Malaysian leaders view public discourses as dangerous. The ghost of the 1969 savage race riot still haunts them. They still view Malaysians a generation later as being dumb and easily swayed by emotional and chauvinistic exhortations of opportunistic politicians. Unfortunately today many Malaysians, especially Malays, still demonstrate this juvenile tendency. The 1998 ugly demonstrations over the firing of former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim merely confirmed the worse suspicion of leaders like Mahathir that Malaysians cannot act rationally or discuss their differences in a civil manner.
 
This leads to a "Catch 22" situation. Unless Malaysians are trained or encouraged to have healthy public discussions, they will never learn to tolerate dissenting opinions and have civil disagreements. Learning to disagree agreeably is an art, and Malaysians must be trained and prepared for this difficult skill.

 

Foreign visitors to America are always impressed with and surprised at how civil American political leaders are toward each other. In the Senate, a flaming left wing liberal like Edward Kennedy could cosponsor legislative bills with an archconservative right wing Orrin Hatch. The two may view the world very differently; nonetheless they can still work together for the good of the nation. Indeed the two actually admire and hold each other in high personal regard. While they may profoundly disagree with each other politically, their private and public exchanges have always been civil and decorous. No resorting to name calling.

The Republican and very conservative President Reagan used to invite Tip O'Neill, the very liberal Democrat Speaker of the House of Representatives, to the White House especially after some particularly contentious congressional debates for an evening of drinks and cigar smoking. Such amiable personal gestures go a long way. More significantly, such very public displays of civility are not lost on the general populace. This of course has not always been the case in America. There was time when there had been actual open brawls and gun duels in Congress.
 
Malaysia during Tunku's time was remarkable for the personal amiability and personal rapport among its various leaders. The Tunku made it a habit after the opening of parliament for example, of having a social get together at his residence for all members of parliament so they could get to know each other socially and outside the usual context of party politics. The aristocratic and worldly Tunku had very warm personal relationships with the socialist Tan Chee Koon as well as the leaders of PAS. It is to be noted that while Tunku was in his personal behaviors less than a pious Muslim (he admitted as much in his personal writings), nonetheless none of PAS leaders ever called him a kafir. Today PAS leaders callously labeled Mahathir as "Mahafiraun" (evil Pharaoh) and other epithets. PAS followers of course take their cue from their leaders. Mahathir too is equal to the task in return, calling PAS leaders and followers simpletons and backward.
 
As the result of this coarsening of public discourse, Malaysians have difficulty tolerating differences of opinions among themselves. This is particularly true among Malays. Malays cannot seem to disagree with each other either in political or religious views without imputing ugly motives. This state of affairs will continue as long as Malaysians are denied the opportunities to express their disagreements in the appropriate channels without fear. This trend, uncorrected, will only lead to further polarization and division.
 
Perversely, the nation's leaders implicitly encourage this. They would prefer that the citizens be docile and passive followers and leave the decision making to the leaders. The assumption is that they and only they have the exclusive wisdom as to what is good for the country. This is definitely not a recipe for progress.
 
It is a tribute to the bravery and ingenuity of Malaysians that despite such intrusive and highly restrictive rules, they still manage to express themselves and circumvent those barriers. The government and the ruling party may control the mainstream media, so committed citizens created their own news outlets. When the government denied Harakah, the daily publication of PAS, from expanding because it was attracting an increasing number of readers, its publishers turned to the Internet.
 
Similarly, Steven Gans together with other committed and independent-minded journalists, fed up with the self-censorship of their editors at the traditional papers, started the Internet daily, Malaysiakini.com to provide an alternative to the government-controlled media. It is a reflection of the hunger Malaysians have for reliable and trustworthy news that within a year, Malaysiakini was getting more daily hits than the established papers. Malaysiakini's success is also an indicator of the citizens' distrust of the mainstream media. Indeed newspapers controlled by the ruling parties saw their circulation substantially reduced. In addition to providing an independent source of news, Malaysiakini is also performing a vital public service by providing an avenue for such refreshing new writers as Amir Muhammad and Hishamuddin Rais. Amir was a regular contributor to the establishment newspapers, until his editors mangled his essays beyond recognition.
 
Another brave soul deserving much praise is the political writer Syed Hussein Alattas, or Pak Habib, as his myriad readers and fans know him. When established publishers would not touch his books, he started his own publishing company. He has, in his words, "written more books than the average Malaysian professor has ever read!" His power and influence is such that former Deputy Prime Minister Musa Hitam blamed (credited?) him for his (Musa's) fall from power. When Pak Habib writes, observes Asiaweek's Roger Mitton, Malaysian politicians tremble.
 
I cannot help imagining how many more writers and talents out there that are being suppressed by Malaysia's many oppressive rules. The flowering of arts and literature in the West is precisely because of the freedom their citizens enjoy. Malaysia will never see a similar renaissance if its citizens are kept on a very tight leash.
 
 
Next:   The Judiciary: Justice in Jeopardy

 

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