Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Harussani: "Malays are Special Because They are Related to Islam"
- DPM sees ‘big problem’ if infighting continues
- Gerakan shows support for DAP
- Low turnout dampens anti-apostasy rally
- PAS eyeing five Negri state seats
- OWC stirs controversy again
- Aziz Bari maintains UIA suspended, barred him from campus
- Sabah’s right: Jeffrey disputes historian’s view
- Najib bullish on China FDI despite deal flip-flops
- UIA justifies Aziz Bari’s suspension
- Cinema censorship in Bangi continues to draw criticism
- Groups: Don’t interfere with a person’s freedom to choose their attire
- PKR touts newer, younger faces for GE
| Harussani: "Malays are Special Because They are Related to Islam" Posted: 22 Oct 2011 06:01 AM PDT
(Malaysian Digest) - Perak Mufti Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria said the Malays are special because they are related to Islam, unlike the Arabs even though Prophet Muhammad was descended among them, but they are not necessarily Muslims.
"The Malay race is special from other races because they are related to Islam, where the Malays are Islam," he said during a speech at the Himpunan Sejuta Umat (Himpun) gathering at Shah Alam stadium today.
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| DPM sees ‘big problem’ if infighting continues Posted: 22 Oct 2011 12:42 AM PDT By Melissa Chi, The Malaysian Insider SERDANG, Oct 22 — Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin stressed today that Barisan National (BN) component parties must cease their infightings immediately. "Yes I'm worried, to be frank, but of course the only consolation is that not every area has problems," he told reporters after the Premier Briefing Session of Selangor Barisan Nasional at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). The Umno deputy president emphasised the importance of unity at every level. He said that he had met with division leaders to immediately fix problems at their levels as well as work on improving their relationships among themselves. "My worry is that if they take too long or they don't realise the urgency, to me that is a big problem for us. "But whatever it is we can manage. As long as we take action now, I have already intervened," he said. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has also repeatedly stressed during several BN functions for its members and division leaders to focus on winning the next general elections as a coalition and put aside personal ambitions. "As I've said, I have already begun the process of meeting component parties recently. "I have met with the six main parties and we had discuss about the infighting in their respective parties," Muhyiddin (picture) said. Although OSK Research has said that BN is likely to improve on its performance in the 2008 general election due to indications of a swing of support to the ruling coalition, he said BN leaders shouldn't be too comfortable with the positive news. The report said that the incumbent government was likely to increase its share of parliamentary seats and that most investors were expecting the general election to be held by March 2012.
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| Posted: 21 Oct 2011 06:49 PM PDT
Technology misused by certain quarters to launch personal attacks on Lim Guan Eng's son, says Gerakan vice-president Mah Siew Keong. (Free Malaysia Today) - Gerakan has leapt to the defence of its political rival DAP over the issue of Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's 16-year-old son been allegedly implicated in molesting a student. The alleged incident which was reported online is turning out to be a fake accusation. In a statement, Gerakan vice-president Mah Siew Keong urged netizens and bloggers to refrain from attacking Lim's underage son in the blogsphere, saying that such a move should not be tolerated. The online story has been the talking point of the public, causing an uproar among politicians from both sides of the divide. "Gerakan sympathises with… this young man," Mah said. He said that technology was misused by certain quarters to launch personal attacks and to undermine reputation, which is "irresponsible and unacceptable". This is also unfair and regretful, he said. "Gerakan appeals to the leaders of Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat to close ranks to stop the irresponsible and immoral act of launching personal attacks and smear campaign through the Internet. We should stop gutter politics." Mah also urged the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to step in and investigate the case. The incident went viral on the Internet last Sunday when a few bloggers posted an allegation that Lim's third eldest child had allegedly molested or groped a fellow female student at a school. As a result, it was speculated that the young boy was transferred to a missionary school and that the victim's family was allegedly paid off to keep quiet. Unethical beyond words
Lim initially waited to see if the mainstream media would print such allegations, indicating that he would file libel suits against media organisations linked to Umno. Then 24 hours later, Lim issued a statement hitting out at those who have allegedly victimised his son, urging his political deractors to attack him, but spare his son from such spurious attacks. Eventually, the school principal denied the allegations. Shortly, the "victim", a 21-year-old former world chess champion identified as Anya Corke, who was tracked down, also said she had never met Lim's son.
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| Low turnout dampens anti-apostasy rally Posted: 21 Oct 2011 06:47 PM PDT
Barely 4,000 people have filled the 100,000-capacity stadium to mark the start of the assembly of a million believers. (Free Malaysia Today) - Over an hour into the Himpunan Sejuta Umat (Himpun) and it appears that the hype has exceeded reality. Barely 4,000 people have filled the 100,00-capacity Stadium Shah Alam and the past 90 minutes have been filled with performances by nasyid groups as the organisers wait for more seats to be filled. Two notable names have since graced the event: Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali, and PAS Selangor executive council member Hasan Ali. Himpun (gathering of one million believers) is being held to "defend Islam" and reject apostasy among Muslims and was mooted after the controversial raid on the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) on Aug 3. It claims to have the backing of 200 NGOs representing four million Muslims nationwide. Himpun's co-organiser, Mohd Yusri Mohamed, last week insisted that the rally was not anti-Christians amid rumblings of uneasiness that it could spark further racial tensions. The organisers today kept to their word after learning that a group not associated with Himpun was distributing a booklet entitled "Siapa Bertanggungjawab Kristiankan Melayu Di Selangor" (Who Is Responsible for Christianising Muslims In Selangor?).
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| PAS eyeing five Negri state seats Posted: 21 Oct 2011 02:51 PM PDT By Zehfry Dahalan, FMT SEREMBAN: Negri Sembilan PAS is eyeing at least five state seats for the coming general election. They are Labu, Serting, Klawang, Lenggeng, and Johol. PAS currently only has one state seat in Paroi out of the 15 seats controlled by Pakatan Rakyat. The state seat that the party thinks it has a great chance of winning is Labu, which is held by Umno state assemblymen Hasim Rusdi, who is also a state executive council member. PAS' confidence was boosted by recent developments in Labu where about 150 Umno members led by the Labu Residents Association president Aziz Samsudin, a former Umno member, crossed over to PAS last month. "We are confident of snatching the Labu seat from Umno this time around as Rasah Umno led by Hasim is facing an internal crisis. "Hasim is at loggerheads with Rasah Umno Youth and state Umno Youth chief, Helmi Din. Both Hasim and Helmi are not carrying out any activities in Labu because of the dispute between them. "Furthermore, the 150 Umno members who joined PAS are from Labu Hilir, which is Hasim's 'kampung' or fortress", said Rasah PAS chief, Anuar Azhari. Anuar is expected to contest the Labu seat this time as PKR is set to return it to PAS. In the 2008 general election, Mokhtar Ahmad from PKR lost to Hasim by 1,405 votes. The latest racial composition for Labu is Malay (65.7%), Indian (19.2%), Chinese (13.5%) and Orang Asli (1.08%). PAS is also mounting a serious challenge in Serting where the campaign will be led by Jempol PAS chief, Abdul Rahman Ramli. A recent court case involving 766 Felda Serting settlers who sued the Felda management over the issue of the extraction of low grade oil palm augers well for PAS in Serting. Two more court cases involving Felda Serting and Felda Raja Alias settlers against the Felda management also gave for PAS the chance to make inroads into Serting. "With all these developments we finally broke the ice in Felda settlement areas where in the past Felda is the strongest Umno fortress not only in Negri Sembilan but also in other states where Felda schemes are located. "We (PAS) together with PKR and Anak (National Felda Settlers' Children Association) are organising many awareness programmes in Felda schemes in Serting and Jempol on the rights of the settlers. "The response has been very encouraging where hundreds of the second and third generation of the Felda settlers joined either PAS or PKR in recent months," said Abdul Rahman.
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| Posted: 21 Oct 2011 02:47 PM PDT (The Star) - PETALING JAYA: The Obedient Wives Club (OWC) stirred up fresh controversy when its founder claimed that spiritually, a man can have sex with all his wives simultaneously. Club founder Hatijah Aam, who is also the author of the controversial book Seks Islam Perangi Yahudi Untuk Kembalikan Seks Islam Kepada Dunia (Sex in Islam Wage War Against Jews To Return Islamic Sex To The World), said that when a man reached the highest spiritual level, "he can appear in multiple apparitions and have sex with his wives even though they are in separate locations". "We never said that a man can have an orgy with all his wives on the same bed. "That is not allowed. "What we meant is when a man has reached the highest spiritual level, he will be granted the ability to have sex with his wives spiritually," she said. "This is how men who were at war in the past satisfied their needs," she said at a press conference here yesterday from Mecca, Saudi Arabia, via Skype. The club is going ahead with the global launch of the controversial sex guide despite protests from women's groups. Hatijah said the book would soon be launched globally in countries where OWCs have already been set up, including Singapore, Indonesia, Australia, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Britain and France. However, the club does not intend to launch the book in Malaysia. "The book was meant to be circulated among our members only. "We knew that the public's reaction to the book would be negative because they do not understand the concept," said Hatijah, who is also the wife of late Al-Arqam founder Ashaari Muhammad. Women's groups like Sisters in Islam, All Women's Action Society and the Women's Aid Organisation described the book as a cheap publicity stunt designed to raise the profile of the club. Hatijah defended the importance of the detailed sex guide on grounds that sex is God's gift to married couples and they should be educated on the ways to approach it. "Sex is the main reason people get married. And in a way, the climax is like heaven on earth," said Hatijah. She also explained that like praying, sex between married couples was also a pious act. "So, why can't we teach people how to do that in a pure way?" she asked. |
| Aziz Bari maintains UIA suspended, barred him from campus Posted: 21 Oct 2011 02:40 PM PDT By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 ― Prof Dr Abdul Aziz Bari has insisted that he has been suspended without pay and barred from the International Islamic University of Malaysia (UIAM) campus pending an internal inquiry despite a denial from the university administration. UIAM Rector Prof Datuk Dr Zaleha Kamaruddin told reporters yesterday the constitutional law expert was "free to enter the university and associate with the faculty" during his week-long suspension for his statement on the Selangor Sultan. Abdul Aziz said today in a clarification issued by his lawyer, Dr Zulqarnain Lukman, that the show-cause letter he received from UIAM on October 19 clearly stated he was not to enter the university's premises during the probe without written permission from the dean. "Kindly take note that pending the completion of the University's investigation into the above allegation and the outcome of any inquiry which the University may wish to conduct, you shall be suspended from service on full pay with immediate effect, until further notice," the letter read.
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| Sabah’s right: Jeffrey disputes historian’s view Posted: 21 Oct 2011 01:10 PM PDT By Michael Kaung, FMT KOTA KINABALU: Malaysian history professor DS Ranjit has come under fire in Sabah for declaring that the people of the state no longer have the fundamental right to self-determination as their legislators had surrendered that power a long time ago. The Universiti Malaya historian, whose talk entitled "Sabah prospects and retrospect: The aftermath of colonial rule" here on Thursday, put forward the argument that the British colony which had joined Sarawak, Singapore and Malaya to form Malaysia on Sept 16, 1963, would never be able to legally withdraw from the union. The state's autonomy champion, maverick politician Jeffrey Kitingan, promptly disputed this fact, saying the argument put forward by Ranjit was guesswork and unsound. Jeffrey, the chairman of United Borneo Front (UBF), was imprisoned without trial under the infamous Internal Security Act (ISA) in 1991 for allegedly having secessionist views during the rule of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) from 1986 to 1994. "The major issue, with regard to Sabah's right to secession, is the fact that the Malaysia Agreement is now viewed by the general opinion to be invalid from the moment Singapore left the federation," he said. "This is due to the fact that by normal understanding of law, if a signatory to an agreement withdraws from the agreement, the agreement automatically becomes invalid and no longer in effect." Sabah, Sarawak not consulted Jeffrey reminded Ranjit that when Kuala Lumpur decided on the expulsion of Singapore, it did so unilaterally without consulting Sabah and Sarawak though they were equal partners in the formation of Malaysia. "While this is another case of a condescending attitude of KL towards the Borneo states, it was also a contravention of the mutual agreement and mutual consultation as established during the signing of the Malaysia Agreement," he said. "As to the excuse that Sabah has no right to secede because the State Legislative Assembly passed a resolution that Sabah would not secede, we must remember that the same house could have made the opposite decision. "The resolution can even be reversed today if enough members of the house agree to do it." Replying to Ranjit's question that "…if the original agreement was null and void after Singapore's expulsion, then why did the state assembly pass this law?" Jeffrey said that the assembly must have made a resolution not to secede because of pressure from Kuala Lumpur, and there was fear that the agreement was actually null and void. "If the agreement was still in effect and valid, why the need to pass a law to validate the agreement?" he asked.
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| Najib bullish on China FDI despite deal flip-flops Posted: 21 Oct 2011 12:47 PM PDT By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 — Malaysia expects foreign direct investment from China to grow despite a slate of recent last-minute reversals on deals with Chinese firms. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today FDI from China in the first eight months of 2011 had already grown 62 per cent from last year's total of US$208 million (RM645 million) to US$337 million and that there was still room for expansion.
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| UIA justifies Aziz Bari’s suspension Posted: 21 Oct 2011 12:38 PM PDT By Melissa Chi, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 21 — The International Islamic University Malaysia (UIA) has said Prof Dr Abdul Aziz Bari's suspension is not a "punishment" as his salary has not been docked and he can still enter the campus. UIAM Rector Prof Datuk Dr Zaleha Kamaruddin told reporters yesterday the week-long suspension was to enable a detailed investigation to be carried out over allegations that the law professor criticised the Selangor Sultan.
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| Cinema censorship in Bangi continues to draw criticism Posted: 21 Oct 2011 11:30 AM PDT By Wani Muttiah, The Star PETALING JAYA: The cinema ban in Bangi by PAS is continuing to draw flak, with many describing the move as arbitrary and ludicrous. Selangor Umno information chief Abdul Shukur Idrus said he failed to see the logic behind the ban. "What is their motive? Do they actually think that having a cinema would corrupt morality?" he asked, challenging the party to impose a state-wide ban. Selangor MCA secretary Wong Koon Mun said that instead of banning cinemas, PAS should look into the increase in immoral activities in the state after Pakatan Rakyat took over Selangor. "There has been an increase in vice dens and also massage parlours, pubs and karaoke outlets since 2008. "Why hasn't PAS said anything about this? "They are shooting at the wrong target by banning cinemas in Bangi," he said. MIC secretary-general S. Murugesan said PAS should "stop shoving its skewered values down people's throats". "Cinemas are a legitimate and wholesome platform for entertainment. "I don't know why PAS is viewing cinemas from a negative aspect," he added. Writer Colin Kuan, 31, said it was annoying that PAS had initiated such a ban. "It is ridiculous in this day and age that PAS is taking us back to the dark ages with its warped sense of morality," added Kuan, who writes for a magazine. Veterinarian Dr Devan Arumugam Lingam said PAS was nit-picking on issues that had little impact on the country's progress. "I also feel that a basic right is being taken away from me," said the 29-year-old. He said the move indicated that the Selangor Government and Pakatan Rakyat had failed to come up with policies that suited the people. |
| Groups: Don’t interfere with a person’s freedom to choose their attire Posted: 21 Oct 2011 11:14 AM PDT (The Star) - PETALING JAYA: Having regulations or snoop squads in Kelantan to check on how Muslim women dress is ridiculous, say women's groups. All Women's Action Society Malaysia (Awam) acting president Ho Yoke Lin said there was no need to snoop on or regulate a person's dressing. "This is absurd. Why interfere with a person's freedom and dictate how they should or should not dress? "What are they going to regulate next? Women know how to dress themselves," she said yesterday. Ho was commenting on the Kelantan state government's move to enact council by-laws dictating how Muslim women should dress as well as the suggestion by a state councillor that a snoop squad be set up to spy on their dressing. The state's local councils have issued 225 compounds for violation of dress code by-laws at business premises to date, it was reported. Women's rights group Empower Malaysia executive director Maria Chin Abdullah said women were entitled to choose their dressing. "The authorities should not be obsessed with how women dress. "We have to respect people regardless of whether they are women, men, Muslims or non-Muslims. Everyone has a right to dress the way they want. "Women do not need this form of intimidation or fear put in them," she said. Women's Aid Organisation president Mok Chuang Lian said the way a woman dresses is a personal choice and her right. "You cannot tell them what to wear. Why must one always dictate or form laws about what women should or should not wear?" She said the focus should not be on women's dressing but tackling issues like corruption, poverty and crime. "Dressing should be the least of their concerns. There are other pressing issues that need to be looked into," Chin said. |
| PKR touts newer, younger faces for GE Posted: 21 Oct 2011 10:54 AM PDT By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 — PKR will field fresher, young candidates for the next general election with a set criterion that aspiring lawmakers must have a solid educational background — they must be either qualified professionals or semi-professionals. PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution told The Malaysian Insider this was PKR's "new niche" or formula for the 13th general election where younger, qualified candidates will eventually replace some of the incumbent parliamentary and state representatives. "We will be putting up younger, skilful candidates with no political baggage," said the Machang MP. The Malaysian Insider understands that the PKR national leadership has begun talks with incumbent lawmakers with regards to allowing "new blood" to take over some seats. It is also learnt that some representatives have expressed "willingness" to allow the process to take place. "Party leaders have started talking to incumbents informally, it won't be that easy but the process will take place," Saifuddin (picture) said. He remained optimistic about PKR's survival and future in Malaysian politics despite the fact that the 12-year old Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition party has seen its fair share of controversies, with as many as five MP defections last year as well as a fractious attempt at direct party elections "Since this year, we have been recruiting, and have been receiving applications from young aspiring candidates, some already members and some new members, with as many as seven to eight interested candidates per constituency.
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