Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- How BN has Debased Commissions of Inquiry
- It’s About Time
- Malaysians studying overseas can register as postal voters, says EC chairman
- Dissent no longer allowed in Umno, says Abdul Kadir
- Estrada slams Malaysian envoy’s wife over anti-Rizal, Ibrahim tweet
- Government double-billed RM720m in PKFZ land buy
- Is the PR serious about becoming the next government of Malaysia?
- Wireless City Selangor
- Ramadan Blessings for PDRM’s DSP Baharin and 5 Others
- 'Najib is now on shaky ground as Muhyiddin plots again'
- Third Force must support PSM leaders for Parliament
- 13th GE expected after the October budget
- Nik Aziz: Rumour over Razaleigh a 'joke'
- Pahang govt to continue to explain advantages of Lynas rare earth project
- Government bought PKFZ land above market value, says witness
- Clock ticking for the Najib regime
- Making offence in Twitterjaya
- DAP: Najib afraid to defend 1 Malaysia
- Amanah to address long list of issues
- Electoral reforms soon
- Palanivel’s ministership no guarantee of votes, say analysts
- Polls dry run shows BN can lose Perak, Negri Sembilan
- Malaysia in the Era of Globalization #76
- Food stamps not the right way, dear Mr. DPM
- Dulu PATI.. Kini dah jadi Pengundi?
- Ku Li not an alternative to Anwar, says Karpal
- Former soldiers express regret communism getting support
- WIKILEAKS: COURT ACQUITS NAJIB'S EX-ADVISOR IN MURDER TRIAL
- Wahhabism and Shia main threats, says Jakim official
- Former judge calls RCI judges ‘three blind mice’
- Nedunchelian still PKR member, says Kapar MP
- New Malay Bible shows up in Sabah interior
- A ‘political frog’ gift for Perkasa’s Ibrahim
- Let me tell you more about Tan Kay Hock
- UMNO, Najib and the 24 million ring
- DAP says RCI report findings warrant new probe
- Melayu bodoh!
- A taste of your own medicine
- Still no magic after the Vatican-Malaysia alliance
- The rise of the Tongkat Ali society
- Now do you know what I mean? (UPDATED with Chinese Translation)
- If you had to argue your case
- WIKILEAKS: OPPOSITION JOURNALIST DETAINED UNDER THE INTERNAL SECURITY ACT
- Tan Kay Hock under the spotlight, again
- Have you got your halal certificate yet?
- The man who would be PM
- WIKILEAKS: PM ABDULLAH'S POSITION ERODED AFTER TUMULTUOUS WEEK
- Back to the Middle Ages
- Is Jho Low a Trojan horse?
- WIKILEAKS: Anwar becomes opposition leader in Parliament
| How BN has Debased Commissions of Inquiry Posted: 01 Aug 2011 01:17 PM PDT
By Dr Kua Kia Soong, Director of SUARAM The presumptuous conclusion by the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) that Teoh Beng Hock (TBH) committed suicide even though the experts had not concluded so should be an occasion for Malaysians to ponder the debasement of Commissions of Inquiries set up by the BN / Alliance government all these years.
1. No Public Consultation over Composition of the RCI During the recent phone hacking scandal by the News of the World in Britain, the Prime Minister David Cameron was forced to immediately set up a commission of inquiry. He did this first of all by consulting the leader of the opposition, Ed Miliband and they then discussed the composition of the commission. The moment the scandal had been exposed by The Guardian, the expectations of the people regarding the composition of the commission were widely discussed in the British media. David Cameron could not ignore this or the commission of inquiry would have been denounced at the outset. Thus, the first condition for the composition of any RCI must be BROAD PUBLIC CONSULTATION. The BN has time and again ignored this requirement whenever it appoints commissions in this country and this includes SUHAKAM commissioners as well as other commissions. To ensure the composition of RCIs is credible, certain procedures must be in place to ensure the commissioners' INDEPENDENCE, IMPARTIALITY and COMPETENCE. These conditions can only hold if the government consults the Parliamentary Opposition and respected members of civil society. Membership of the RCI must include representation by appropriate groups to ensure plurality and fairness. The RCI could be headed by a judge but the members do not necessarily have to be entirely made up of judges. The Teoh Beng Hock RCI was a rushed job by the BN government due to public pressure and only after dragging its feet for so long after Beng Hock's death. Competence would include expertise in human rights and humanitarian law. On this point, former High Court and Court of Appeal judge Datuk N. H. Chan has commented that the Teoh Beng Hock commission had no business forming such an opinion as none of the experts it called upon gave the opinion that Teoh committed suicide. He pointed out that this went against Section 45 of the Evidence Act 1950, which states that when a court has formed an opinion on a point of science, the opinions of experts are relevant facts. "Without any relevant fact, that is to say, without an opinion from an expert, a court is unable to form an opinion upon... the scientific point that Teoh Beng Hock took his own life. In this case, none of the experts gave the opinion that Teoh took his own life," (The Malaysian Insider, 1 Aug 2011)
2. Ignoring Recommendations by RCIs The BN (including its predecessor Alliance) government has also debased RCIs by ignoring their salient recommendations. This is an affront to the people and a total waste of public funds. The Athi Nayappan RCI on Local Government had recommended the reintroduction of elected local government during the sixties but the BN government has chosen to ignore this important recommendation to restore Malaysian democracy to what it was at Independence. What sort of transformation is the Najib talking about when we have regressed compared to our democratic institutions at Independence? The RCI on the Police in 2005 had a most important recommendation which has direct bearing on Teoh Beng Hock's death, namely, the setting up of an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Committee (IPCMC). Up until today, the BN government has been dragging its feet on this. Independent Police Complaints Committee Now, if the IPCMC had existed prior to TBH's death, it could have stepped in and investigated his death from the moment his body was found. The MACC and the police would have been obliged to step aside for the IPCMC to complete its full investigation and bring the culprits to justice. The longer the BN government puts off the establishment of the IPCMC, the more it must be responsible for other deaths and torture under the police or enforcement agencies' custody. The British IPCMC covers not only the police but also enforcement agencies including the customs and Inland Revenue. And as we know too well, torture under detention without trial continues under BN rule and that is all the more reason for an IPCMC. The government must also ratify the Convention against Torture. This will ensure international scrutiny to stop torture in Malaysia.
3. Justice for Teoh Beng Hock While we dispute the conclusion by the RCI that TBH committed suicide, it is very clear from the report that the MACC officers had harassed him to a point that was unacceptable. Therefore, the government must bear responsibility for allowing such a culture to pertain in its enforcement agency, the MACC. Consequently, the government must compensate adequately the family of Teoh Beng Hock for the loss of someone so dear to them. This does not detract from the fact that the culprits responsible for TBH's death have still to be brought to justice. |
| Posted: 01 Aug 2011 01:11 PM PDT By Chee Chook Ying I can't believe we are turning 54 this year. With what has been happening recently, it does seem we are rolling back to "ancient" times, since some still want to hang on stubbornly to former social structures that are no longer suitable. Admittedly, we do need institutions put in place to prevent anarchy. However, humankind is constantly changing, led by the evolution in every sphere of life, be it technology, education, social, political, etc. Clearly, what were creatures of their time cannot be relevant today. If it were the case, what have we achieved to account for, these last 54 years? Nothing? Do skyscrappers mean anything if our mentalities have not changed? No wonder a part of our society appear to be in crisis! Are some of us still hanging on to ancient structures that are ill-adapted to present situations? I think it's quite dangerous to entertain the thought that by returning to the past, we can reestablish order. Definitely, some institutions today have to make way for a better tomorrow, for Malaysia. The reality today is, there's no room for absolute power. An enlightened conscience will tell you that. We are no longer a people afraid to make our own decisions. We are no longer a people afraid to take initiatives. We are not some medieval nation where theoretically, the leader will be God's representative and his people's servant but in reality, he will serve his own ambitions and oppress his people! We are a democracy, no leader is indispensable. Don't let some far-fetched propaganda We are going to face our 13th General Election soon. How should we vote? Who do we vote for? Bulging tummies are not a sight for sore eyes! They do say something about the owners. Lean and mean? Like the lean but not the mean. Saul, the first king of the chosen people, was courageous, yet obstinate, not wanting to take risks and was rather attached to the ideas of his time. He failed as a king as he was considered not humble enough to undertake new and great things without being afraid of possible failures. Granted that there is no political life without parties but one cannot confuse responsibility with abuse of authority, by not listening to the voice of reason, especially when one is so entrenched in a party that is so used to having its own way and this voice of reason is not from within. A leader cannot act according to his own judgement, especially when one is isolated from others (usually true when one is in the highest authority), becoming arrogant or worst still, pessimistic. As a leader, his destiny goes beyond the ordinary. He is the sacrificial lamb, not the other way around. Though he is not required to do an-Abraham, he cannot very well direct the destiny of a nation or measure up to such a responsibility if he does not listen to the voice of reason or that of his people, for We should not choose a leader who pretends to be more than the man (or woman) that he or she is. It is necessary to discover the values of this person and not be deceived by appearances, "to look into his or her heart". If we do this, perhaps we will be able to find the right people needed to animate our community instead of the purely ambitious ones who are full of rhetoric. If we care to take a leaf from out of the story of David and Goliath, we will realize that victory does not come to the ones who are physically stronger or heavily armed. Just ask anyone from the just concluded "Bersih Walk for Free and Fair Elections". Anyone dispirited from the experience? The resounding answer would be that all those who took part would work even harder now for change, for a better Malaysia, for all. It's about time. It's about time leaders get it into their thick skulls that we, the majority of Malaysians are rather united in wanting to build a better Malaysia for all. It's about time some of you numbskulls realize that the majority of Malaysians are very aware of the fact that they have been robbed of their birthright and that those of you purportedly looking out for the welfare of your kin are actually the culprits. It's about time, we deny those who seek to advance their own progress or that of their family another opportunity. It's about time those who wish to be elected realize that once elected, they are servants and not masters. They are to persevere in bringing about a Malaysia worthy of humankind, one where food, shelter and dignity are given to all. Why should anyone go hungry when those we put in office, spend billions on gadgets that don't work. It's a sin. Such elected representatives should be anathema, come GE 13th. It's about time we, Malaysians, all of us, practise what we preach. It really is about time we coexist as one, all of us. We can do this, we really can. |
| Malaysians studying overseas can register as postal voters, says EC chairman Posted: 01 Aug 2011 10:38 AM PDT By Rashvinjeet S Bedi, The Star PETALING JAYA: Malaysian students overseas need only to inform the Election Commission (EC) that they are out of the country so that they can vote. EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Yusof said the students could register themselves as postal voters. "As long as they are above 21 and are studying overseas full-time, they can vote. However, they need to inform us that they are going overseas," he said yesterday. Abdul Aziz said students who turned 21 while overseas could register as voters with the embassies in the respective countries they are in. The embassies would send the ballot papers to the addresses provided by the students. The students could then return their postal votes to the embassies, who would subsequently submit them to the EC, he added. Besides students, under the Elections (Registration of Electors) Regulations 2002, those who could vote while residing abroad included members of the armed forces and public servants. Spouses of the three aforementioned categories are also eligible to vote. To a question, Abdul Aziz said he did not have details about the number of overseas postal voters but said they were "negligible". He also said many postal ballots arrived at the EC headquarters several days after a general election. "Currently, postal votes can only be counted if they reached the polling centres by 5pm on polling day," he added. He said that in Singapore, postal votes were valid for up to two weeks after the polling date. "However, they announce the results on polling day as the number of postal votes are insignificant," he added. Abdul Aziz said the EC was looking into the possibility of allowing other Malaysians overseas to vote as well, but admitted that logistical problems affecting postal voting needed to be looked into. |
| Dissent no longer allowed in Umno, says Abdul Kadir Posted: 01 Aug 2011 10:21 AM PDT By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider Tan Sri Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir laments Umno's present disdain for dissent and open debate, charging it as a "regression" from the eras of Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj and Tun Abdul Razak.
The former Umno minister and supreme council member told The Malaysian Insider he was "worried" about the Malay party's current political culture, saying it starkly contrasted with the Najib administration's push for transparency and openness. "Unfortunately things have changed a lot within Umno since the times of the late Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak and Tun Hussein Onn. Back then there was a lot of freedom to voice out our opinions, a lot of room for dissent and open debate.. "But now you don't have that kind of environment," Abdul Kadir told The Malaysian Insider, citing the current circumstances has pushed him to join Angkatan Amanah Merdeka (Amanah) where he can voice out issues that could not within his own party. The former tourism minister cited the backlash to Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah's stand on the Bersih 2.0 rally, where the deputy higher education minister disagreed with the way the government had handled the July 9 event. "It was just a comment, it did not mean he was going against his party or the government, but now there are calls within Umno for him (Saifuddin) to be sacked. "This never happened in the past," added Abdul Kadir. He also compared the present Umno leadership to the past ones, and used the case of former Umno Youth Chief and Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Harun Idris to illustrate his point. "Most of us in Umno Youth did not agree when Datuk Harun was charged with corruption. We became witnesses against the government back then. We went against our own government to campaign for Datuk Harun around the country...but no action was taken against us, even though there was a difference of opinion. "It did not mean we were going against BN or the government, it was just a difference of opinion," said Abduk Kadir. Between 1975 to 1977, the late Harun was found guilty on various charges of corruption and was sentenced to six years' jail. In 1981, Harun was pardoned by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on advice of the then Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed, after serving three years of his sentence.
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| Estrada slams Malaysian envoy’s wife over anti-Rizal, Ibrahim tweet Posted: 01 Aug 2011 01:34 AM PDT
Dato' Seri Dr Ibrahim Saad and Datin Seri Zainab (Inquirer) - MANILA, Philippines—Former president Joseph Ejercito Estrada on Monday chided a Malaysian diplomat's wife over her message on microblogging site Twitter calling Philippine national hero Dr. Jose Rizal an "infidel Malay."
Former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada Estrada said that Dato Zainab, wife of Malaysian ambassador to Manila Dr. Ibrahim Saad, insulted Rizal and sowed religious hatred as she lashed out at Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, an ally of the ousted Philippine leader. "It appears that in her desire to insult Anwar, she also effectively insulted our national hero Jose Rizal and the Filipino people who regard him with reverence," Estrada said in a statement posted on his website. Dato Zainab, in her tweet originally written in Bahasa on July 16, said: "Anwar Ibrahim is clearly pro-Christian, an admirer of Jose Rizal the infidel Malay! Oh yes, don't forget…" Ibrahim, who was jailed on charges of corruption and sodomy but was acquitted in 2004, is visiting Manila to hold a lecture on Friday at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City on the influences of Rizal and Benigno Aquino Jr. on the Southeast Asian leadership. While in prison, Ibrahim was said to have been inspired by Rizal's novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, two of the hero's searing social commentary against the oppressive Spanish colonial rule. Estrada likened the former Malaysian deputy prime minister to former president Corazon Aquino, calling him "a fighter for real democracy." "Let us do what we can do to join him in this cause of bringing genuine democracy to the Malaysian people," he said. At the same time, Estrada reminded Dato Zainab to be respectful of other cultures and religions. "We must remember that regardless of religion, we are all Asian brothers. Our attitude must be towards strengthening our Malay ties and building our Asian community instead of using religious diversities to sow hatred among nations or ostracize political adversaries," Estrada said.
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| Government double-billed RM720m in PKFZ land buy Posted: 31 Jul 2011 08:03 PM PDT By Boo Su-Lyn, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 1 — Putrajaya allegedly forked out RM720 million in additional interest to buy land for the troubled Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) project although a six per cent interest rate was already included in the valuation, Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik's corruption trial heard today. Retired Valuation and Property Services Department (JPPH) director Datuk Sahari Mahadi told the High Court here today that JPPH had valued the land in Pulau Indah in 2000 at RM25 psf considering the government would pay for it in deferred payments over 10 years. The prosecution said Port Klang Authority (PKA) had purchased the 999.5-acre plot from Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd (KDSB) at RM25 psf — totaling RM1.08 billion — and paid an interest rate of 7.5 per cent per annum that resulted in an overall payment of RM1.8 billion. "Did the RM25 figure include the interest?" asked lead prosecutor Datuk Tun Abdul Majid Tun Hamzah at the High Court here today. "Yes... (the total amount paid at the end of the 10th year should be) the size of the land multiplied by RM25," replied Sahari. Dr Ling, a former transport minister, is charged with deceiving the government by concealing the fact that the interest rate of 7.5 per cent per annum was surplus to the purchase of Lot 67894 at RM25 psf — amounting to a total of RM1,088,456,000 — despite knowing that JPPH had already taken that interest into account when it valued the land at RM25 psf. The former MCA president also faces two alternative charges of deceiving the Cabinet into believing that the purchase of Lot 67894 at RM25 psf and the 7.5 per cent interest rate were acknowledged and agreed to by the JPPH, despite knowing that there was no such agreement. Sahari, 63, said today that JPPH had valued the land for the trans-shipment hub at RM21 psf if the government made a lump sum payment. "The landowner decided to do works on the land. The works are [worth an additional] RM3 psf, so the value became RM21 psf," he said. Sahari, who has worked in the JPPH for three decades, added that the department's original RM18 valuation was based on market value. The retired civil servant, who was dressed in a black suit, also said JPPH considered making a RM25 psf valuation — despite having earlier priced the land at RM21 psf — so that PKA could sell bonds to fund the purchase in the project, which may potentially balloon into a RM12.5 billion scandal. |
| Is the PR serious about becoming the next government of Malaysia? Posted: 31 Jul 2011 08:02 PM PDT By batsman With talk of the 13th GE being just around the corner, all political parties should be desperately gearing up for the upcoming electoral battle that is going to decide whether Malaysia finally gets to have an equally matched 2 party political system. Unfortunately the component parties of the PR still appear to be frozen in limbo unable to take the leap to eternal glory. 3 years after the 2008 tsunami, component parties of the PR are still unable to come up with a shadow cabinet. Instead they are jealously guarding their own turf in the old ways and with the tenacity of old habits. With this, the Buku Jingga looks like just another excuse to engage in self-denial, to avoid coming up with a shadow cabinet and fail in their bid to become the next government of Malaysia. I wonder if in 3 - 4 short months when they do get elected into government, will they screw up the whole works with petty quarrels and old jealousies? Will they be able to form an effective working government or will they allow UMNO to play another successful dirty trick to re-capture the government without even going through the trouble of another GE while they quarrel furiously over who is to be Prime Minister or who gets the choice ministerial posts? All this is entirely possible unless the PR start to think of themselves as the next government of Malaysia and not just permanent opposition parties, fit only to govern a few states, but never the whole country. I admit I have never read C.H. Cooley, but this is what Martindale has to say.. "From Cooley's point of view, social organization is inseparable from collective psychology. Public consciousness comprises the conscious and unconscious process of forming mutual ideas and attitudes to which names "fashion", "tradition", "institution", and "tendency" are attached. At the bottom, social organization is a differentiated structure of thought and symbols. Social structure is a pattern of institutions. But institutions are, in turn, nothing other than definite and established phases of the public mind, ultimately akin to public opinion." (Don Martindale – Institutions, Organizations and Mass Society) This means that what constitutes a particular society is nothing more than shared ideas, psychology, values and belief systems. For political parties whose platform is reform, this is critical. If the political parties themselves are unable to create a common set of ideas, values and belief systems, what reforms are they talking about for the whole of Malaysian society in general and the Malaysian political system in particular? When they continually avoid reformist public opinion that they coalesce, strengthen and firm up their organization and structures to get ready to be the next government of Malaysia? As an example of permanent opposition thinking, let me quote the example of DAP's Tony Pua challenging NTR to defend 1Malaysia. NTR is the fisherman and 1Malaysia is the bait. Tony Pua is thinking like a leader of the fish in appealing to his shoal whether to decide to swallow the bait or not. If Tony Pua were to think like a member of the next government of Malaysia, he would be trying to be a fisherman in competition with NTR, not the leader of some fish species and the bait he would be using will be the policies of the PR if they were to be the next government of Malaysia. Unfortunately all these seem to be missing or lacking in substance. Instead, the opposition continues to challenge the fisherman over his 1Malaysia bait instead of competing with the fisherman himself. It is no wonder that UMNO has seldom used the lack of a shadow cabinet to attack the PR. This is because once there is a shadow cabinet, the PR will be starting to think of itself as the next government of Malaysia instead of being a permanent opposition. Besides, if there is a shadow cabinet, the transition to a full-fledged government will be fast and automatic, not delayed and giving time for UMNO to play dirty tricks. On the contrary, UMNO has always empathized those features and characteristics that split the PR and freeze it into the role of a permanent opposition including cultivating and manipulating the image of DSAI as a misfit to be the opposition leader and the next Prime Minister of Malaysia - throwing the PR into uncertainty and indecision. I think it is time for the PR to think of itself as the next government of Malaysia – with or without DSAI as the Prime Minister. The time for decisiveness and action is at hand. PR, please stand up to the plate. Translate reforms into reality through determination, belief in self and decisive action. The really hard question however is…. "Will the SUPPORTERS of the component parties of the PR allow these parties to forge ahead and become the next government of Malaysia or will they just cling on and hold back their parties in a clingy, insecure, small-hearted, small-minded fashion?" |
| Posted: 31 Jul 2011 05:48 PM PDT
Wireless City Selangor ialah kemudahan akses internet percuma kepada rakyat. Kemudahan dimulakan di pusat bandar Shah Alam dan diperluaskan ke lokasi awam lain secara berperingkat. Wireless City Selangor telah dilancarkan pada 10 April 2010 bertempat di Medan Selera Prima 2, Seksyen 2, Shah Alam.
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| Ramadan Blessings for PDRM’s DSP Baharin and 5 Others Posted: 31 Jul 2011 05:17 PM PDT
The mainstream media led by Dato' Charles Lourdes of The Star then conspired with A-G Gani Patail, Musa Hassan and Ahmad Said of the MACC to malign these ordinary policemen by branding them as traitorous officers when they were hauled to court. Din Merican Last night (July 31) marks the beginning of 1st Ramadan 1432 Hijrah which means today August 1, Muslims in Malaysia and most parts of the world will start fasting for one month. At the end of one Ramadan, Muslims generally make a special prayer to seek God's Grace for the opportunity to meet with another Ramadan because only God knows of life, death and the hereafter- Wallahu a'lam. And so it is with the wife and children of Ahmad Sarbaini who will not get to fast with him this year. RPK MT revelations on the Death of Ahmad Sarbani
Raja Petra Kamarudin's Malaysia Today (RPK MT) had run an 9 Part series on the Lies and Deceptions by the MACC in the death of Ahmad Sarbaini when it became obvious that the MACC would not be telling the truth in the Inquest. This became clear when Police Forensic Officer ASP Fauziah Che Mat testified that an expert had tampered and erased over 22 hours of CCTV recording at the KL MACC Office. Instead of comforting and offering condolences to Ahmad Sarbaini's widow and family, the MACC compounded their grief by trying to justify that he was a crooked Customs officer who had tried to escape via a pantry window but instead fell to his death. The MACC did not care that there was not an iota of evidence to arrest the man. The MACC did not care that their sole evidence was a so-called voluntary "confession" which had been debunked by its own Investigating Officer (IO) Abd Ghani Bin Ali who had admitted to the Coroner that this was the first time in his 20 over years as an IO that anyone had ever given a "confession". To continue to defame a man after his death is very cruel and unIslamic. In the spirit of Ramadan, I ask these Malay/Muslim MACC officers and the other witnesses not to perpetuate any more lies when the Inquest resumes on Tuesday August 2, regardless that RPK had already exposed to the Malaysian public who the real killers were.
It appeared that RPK had exposed all that in order to pre-empt a recurrence of the findings in the death of Teoh Beng Hock (TBH). Although the Malaysian Bar had issued a statement to express dismay with the TBH RCI Report, yet, several key points are very damning to the MACC as follows: 1) That TBH was subjected to "aggressive, relentless, oppressive and unscrupulous interrogation" and that the recording of his statement was unlawful; 2) That most of the MACC officers who were involved in the operations and who gave evidence as witnesses were neither truthful nor credible, as they "had the inevitable habit of lying"; 3) That massive operations launched by the MACC were grounded on mere belief of information purportedly received over the telephone, and without proper groundwork or investigation. That sums it all – that MACC officers act unlawfully; have the habit of lying; and mount operations without proper groundwork or investigation. That is what will happen to you if you suffer the misfortune of being an MACC target! That was what happened in 2007 to five ordinary Policemen whose only crime was to truthfully report that former IGP Musa Hassan was in cahoots with the Along illegal loan shark syndicate. To cover himself, Musa Hassan accused these junior policemen of trying to bring him down. Instead of protecting these lowly ranked policemen or investigating the truth of their intelligence reports, then MACC Chief Ahmad Said Hamdan and A-G Gani Patail worked to destroy them. Instead of giving these five policemen commendation medals for bravery or for whistle blowing, the MACC intimidated several Chinese informants to frame these junior policemen. A-G Gani Patail then charged them for fabrication of evidence against IGP Musa Hassan while the syndicate man, Goh Cheng Poh aka Tengku Goh went scot free. The mainstream media led by Dato' Charles Lourdes of The Star then conspired with A-G Gani Patail, Musa Hassan and Ahmad Said of the MACC to malign these ordinary policemen by branding them as traitorous officers when they were hauled to court. I have highlighted parts of the news clips below for readers to see the journalistic slant given to that story in calling known criminals and Restricted Resident (RR) detainees as businessmen. It is also evident that former IGP Musa Hassan had sided with known criminals and RR detainees to forsake his own men in blue:
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| 'Najib is now on shaky ground as Muhyiddin plots again' Posted: 31 Jul 2011 04:39 PM PDT
(Harakah Daily) - Following the Bersih fiasco, Najib Razak's position as prime minister and UMNO president is on shaky ground, according to two PAS leaders.
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| Third Force must support PSM leaders for Parliament Posted: 31 Jul 2011 04:04 PM PDT
Their party has more stringent standards than the Third Force has elicited so far - a platform set on a socialist road to development and based on direct action and peoples' empowerment. Kua Kia Soong, Malaysiakini While the Third Force in Malaysian politics is trying to garner its candidates for the next general elections, the most obvious choices have been provided by the proven leaders of the Parti Sosialis Malaysia. Stringent standards Their party has more stringent standards than the Third Force has elicited so far - a platform set on a socialist road to development and based on direct action and peoples' empowerment. After the downfall of BN, the struggle against neo-liberal capitalism will certainly go on under a Pakatan government as we fight for the rights and interests of the people and strive for a socialist path of development. |
| 13th GE expected after the October budget Posted: 31 Jul 2011 03:35 PM PDT
13th General Elections may be held as early as October/November and all Malaysians must grasp the possibility for the first time in nation's history for change of government in Putrajaya Lim Kit Siang The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak had said that UMNO must reform or it would be reformed. From recent events, it is crystal clear that Umno and Barisan Nasional are incapable of reform and must be reformed by the people effecting a change of federal government from Barisan Nasional to Pakatan Rakyat in the next general elections. Yesterday, the Prime Minister announced the MIC President G. Palanivel as his second Indian Cabinet Minister implementing his notorious philosophy spelt out in the Sibu by-election of "Gua tolong lu, lu tolong gua" - when the duty of any responsible government must be to serve all needy Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region or political beliefs. It is this cynical philosophy where essential public services are treated as a barter trade between the government and the people which is the root cause of the host of abuses of power and corruption afflicting the country destroying our national unity and international competitiveness. This is one big difference between the Pakatan Rakyat government in Putrajaya from the Najib government – no Cabinet appointments or government decisions or projects based on "Gua tolong lu, lu tolong gua" but strictly on the basis of merit or need. This evening, the Prime Minister was put in a spot over his signature "1Malaysia" policy and slogan by a student at the 5th Annual Malaysian Student Leaders Summit who asked Najib whether he was prepared to state he was Malaysian first and what he thought of Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's infamous remark of being "Malay first and Malaysian next". I remember very vividly Muhyiddin's reply as it was in response to my challenge to all Cabinet Ministers in Parliament in March last year to declare their stand whether they are Malaysians first and their religion, region and socio-economic status second to demonstrate their full allegiance to Najib's 1Malaysia policy. Najib dodged the student's question on the ground that he did not want to give grounds for people to create divisions between him and his deputy. This is a real cop-out, an evasion of the question which is even more significant than any direct answer as it revealed the total hollowness of Najib's 1Malaysia policy – which has so far not gone beyond circus fanfare of 1Malaysia Tupperware, 1Malaysia T-shirt, 1Malaysia Burger, 1Malaysia Mineral Water and other gimmicry. The real 1Malaysia was achieved on July 9 in the Bersih 2.0 rally for free and fair elections as the weeks of mainstream media demonisation and police threats as well as the unjustified lockdown of Kuala Lumpur did not prevent the phenomenon of Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region, gender or sex coming together as one Malaysian people in the common cause of a Bersih Malaysia! Najib should be celebrating the Berish 1Malaysia coming of age on July 9, but instead he and his Cabinet Ministers have not let up in their groundless and irresponsible attacks on Bersih 2.0 and Malaysians who support the cause of a Clean Malaysia. The next general elections could be very near and may be held as early as October/November and all Malaysians must grasp the possibility for the first time in nation's history for change of power in Putrajaya. Before the Sarawak state general elections, many have forecast that Najib may hold the 13th general elections before the Puasa month and could be in June or July. However, after the poor Barisan Nasional performance in the April 16 Sarawak state polls, despite Barisan Nasional retaining its two-thirds majority in the state, talk of general elections veered to end of the year. After the series of self-inflicted wounds following the gross mishandling of the 709 Bersih 2.0 rally, including the mala fide detention of the PSM6 under Emergency Ordinance, UMNO and Barisan Nasional self-confidence suffered grievous blows pushing forecasts of the possible polls date for the next general elections to next year. However, when Najib cut short his overseas trip after his most embarrassing visits to London, the Vatican, Rome and Paris – hounded by adverse international reactions to the high-handed government response to Bersih 2.0 rally - the possibility of polls being held in October or November has again returned to the fore. Be that as it may, regardless of when the next polls are held, whether in October/November this year or next year, Malaysians must be aware that the next general elections is going to be the most important one in the nation's history as it is within the power of the voters to decide whether there should be a change of the national government in Putrajaya from Barisan Nasional to Pakatan Rakyat. UMNO and Barisan Nasional are incapable of reform as they could only be reformed by the people voting for a new Pakatan Rakyat government in Putrajaya. It is only with a new government in Putrajaya that there can be major policy changes in the country, as for instance in resolving the long-standing grievances of taxi drivers in the country by implementing a "Permits for Taxi Drivers" policy.
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| Nik Aziz: Rumour over Razaleigh a 'joke' Posted: 31 Jul 2011 03:27 PM PDT
(Harakah Daily) - PAS Murshidul Am Tuan Guru Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat (pic) laughed off suggestions that he should explain a 'confidential plan' to appoint UMNO veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah as Opposition Leader replacing Anwar Ibrahim. "It's a joke. That's my only description to the rumour which attempts to link me to the so-called secret discussion to appoint Tengku Razaleigh as Pakatan Rakyat leader to replace Anwar Ibrahim. Who has more support - Anwar or Razaleigh?
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| Pahang govt to continue to explain advantages of Lynas rare earth project Posted: 31 Jul 2011 03:16 PM PDT By Ong Han Sean, The Star KUANTAN: Anti-Lynas groups are free to express their displeasure over the rare earth refinery project but the state government also has the responsibility to explain the truth to the public, said Pahang Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob. He said while the state government appreciated the feelings of the groups and respected their freedom of expression, it would continue with its own public explanation exercise to let the people know the project's advantages. "They can go around campaigning against the Lynas project and at the same time, we also have the same right to explain to the people that it is not detrimental to their safety and the environment," Adnan told a press conference at the Halal Transformation Programme here Monday. Responding to the announcement by the Save Malaysia, Stop Lynas movement that it would set up an international panel to investigate the plant further, Adnan said the state government could do the same and there would be no end to the matter. "The International Atomic Energy Agency has already given its recommendations. If they still choose not believe the authoritative body, who are they going to trust?" he asked. |
| Government bought PKFZ land above market value, says witness Posted: 31 Jul 2011 03:11 PM PDT By Boo Su-Lyn, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 1 — A government valuer estimated the land purchased for the troubled Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) project at RM17 psf although Putrajaya allegedly bought it for RM25 psf, Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik's corruption trial heard today. On the first day of the former transport minister's high-profile trial today, a retired valuer from the Valuation and Property Services Department (JPPH) said she valued 400 acres of land in Pulau Indah — with an access road and basic infrastructure — based on market prices in 1998. Teo Lee Lee, 63, told the High Court here that the JPPH headquarters later revised her valuation to RM18 psf in 2000. |
| Clock ticking for the Najib regime Posted: 31 Jul 2011 02:46 PM PDT
By Jeswant Kaur, FMT Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's move to punish supporters of a rally supporting the call for clean and fair elections has brought him tremendous shame. Still, the premier continues to remain oblivious to the July 9 misdeeds committed and goes on pleading for the rakyat's support. International human rights agencies did not mince their words in condemning Najib for abusing the tenets of human rights and using the police to pulverise Bersih 2.0 "Walk for Democracy" rally supporters. More recently, stinging criticism against the heavy-handed approach used by Najib to quell the rally supporters has come from LawAsia, a global organisation of lawyers, judges and legal experts. LawAsia president Lester Huang hit the nail on the head when he said "the government of the day appeared to make political survival a priority instead of adhering to the country's democratic principles". Malaysia, said Huang, did not comply with the "United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials" which it adopted in 1990. In the July 9 rally, police allegedly fired tear gas canisters directly into the crowds of protesters. Premises like the Tung Shin Hospital also bore the brunt of the unbridled police action when water cannons and tear gas were fired inside its compound. Huang is not the least convinced that the approach used by the police to disperse the rally supporters was a standard operating procedure. The LawAsia head warned Malaysia's leadership that it had to be more mindful of the rights of its citizens and take its regional role seriously. He said Malaysia's membership on the United Nations Human Rights Council was called into question. Malaysia was last year re-elected by the UN General Assembly for a three-year term on the 47-nation Human Rights Council based in Geneva. "It is of profound regret to the regional legal community that the reaction to the Bersih movement sees these principles cast aside. Actions of this sort in any country will always deserve the strongest criticism from the legal community on both legal and humanitarian grounds," Huang said. But then the Najib regime has scant respect for citizens' right to peaceful assembly or their right to know the truth, the latter referring to the purchase of the Scorpene submarines. Be it the May 1 Labour Day rally or the Bersih 2.0 "Walk for Democracy", the status quo remains in Malaysia, where a "gag" order is placed on the rakyat, preventing them from taking a stand and supporting any cause. Likewise, all attempts are made by Najib to hide the truth from the people. The appearance of French human rights lawyer William Bourdon to speak about the procurement of the submarines left Najib, under whom the deal was inked, gasping for ways to get rid of Bourdon. Bourdon was hired by Malaysian human rights body Suaram in 2009 to file a case against French naval giant DCNS over irregularities in the Scorpene submarines purchase that allegedly involved millions of ringgit in kickbacks. The French authorities are currently probing the deal, which was also linked to Najib and the murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu. Using the excuse that Bourdon had violated his social visa, the "powers that be" made it difficult for the lawyer, which prompted Bourdon to take a flight back to Paris two days ahead of his scheduled departure.
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| Posted: 31 Jul 2011 02:41 PM PDT By Art Harun There is an obvious lack of misunderstanding about the so called freedom of speech in cyberspace. Too many people think that they are free to say anything about everything in any way they like in cyberspace. This misconception is further compounded by some of our Ministers' statements that "special laws or rules" will be made to govern publications in cyberspace. Those kind of statements give the impression that the cyberspace is not governed by our "normal" laws and that whatever is published in cyberspace is not subject to such laws. Hence the necessity for "special laws or rules" to govern publications in cyberspace. That is one of the most biggest misconceptions in this new millennium. In so far as Malaysia is concerned, the only laws which do not govern the cyberspace is the necessity for licenses or permits before a publication is made. Apart from that, I can't think of any laws which do not apply to the cyberspace, especially when it comes to publications of materials, be it in audio, video or written form. If somebody publishes an article in cyberspace about another person's character which is not true and that publication adversely affects the person's character or credibility, the law of defamation applies just as it does if such publication was made in a magazine or newspaper. It is as simple as that. For those who would like further reference on this, just go and read Dow Jones & Co Inc v Gutnick [2002] HCA 56 (Australian High Court). The mere fact that our government has issued the Bill of Guarantee does not in any way mean that we can do whatever we like in cyberspace. All publications in cyberspace are still subject to the laws. Pure and simple. The only thing about the cyberspace is anonymity. That makes it a bit more difficult for the prosecution to prove that the maker of the offending publication is the accused person. How does the prosecution prove that the accused person was the actual person who published the offending publication? The second thing which poses a difficult issue in any prosecution for offending publications in cyberspace is jurisdiction. The Gutnick's case above demonstrates that. In short, I am writing this in Kuala Lumpur. This article is stored in digital form in a server somewhere in the world. I must confess I do not know where the server is. It could be in Timbuktu for all I know. As and when you hit on this blog from your computer in say Ipoh, this blog will appear on your monitor. You will then read what I have written in Ipoh. Let's just say I am sued in Kuala Lumpur for defamation for my article. The question is whether the Courts in Kuala Lumpur would have the jurisdiction to try my case. That would depend where the publication was made. Questions regarding jurisdiction is imperative because a Court can only try a case which is within it's territorial jurisdiction.
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| DAP: Najib afraid to defend 1 Malaysia Posted: 31 Jul 2011 12:52 PM PDT
By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysia Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 1 — The DAP has flayed Datuk Seri Najib Razak for what it says is the prime minister's lack of political will and courage in bowing to his deputy and failing to defend his own 1 Malaysia policy. Publicity chief Tony Pua pointed out that Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had twice reiterated in 2009 that he is "Malay first" for "he would be shunned by all the Malays if he were to say that he is a Malaysian first." But the government's own definition of 1 Malaysia on the Pemandu website is a "nation where every Malaysian perceives himself or herself as Malaysian first, and by race, religion, geographical region or socio-economic background second." "Najib is proving to be the lamest prime minister in Malaysia's history... a weak leader with no political conviction and neither political will nor political courage when he refused to defend his 1 Malaysia policy as defined in the Government Transformation Plan (GTP) policy document," said Pua (picture). The Petaling Jaya Utara MP said Najib refused to openly declare himself a "Malaysian first" or commit to its definition when asked by a student at yesterday's Malaysian Student Leaders Summit (MSLS). "Instead, he dodged the question by giving an answer that would have left the students in no doubt that the man before them is no leader. Najib said that he does not 'want to respond in a way that will divide me from my deputy. In Malaysia, that can be very dangerous'," he added. The DAP leader said the Barisan Nasional chief was "doing his utmost to avoid displeasing his deputy, even at the expense of his most important policy lynchpin." "It raises the question as whether Najib's position as the Umno president is so 'very dangerous' that he has to march to Muhyiddin's beat, with the latter firmly in the driver's seat," he said. Najib had refused to answer directly the question posed yesterday, insisting that "1 Malaysia is our guiding philosophy. It does not matter what you say, just as long as you follow." The prime minister's 1 Malaysia concept has been heavily attacked by Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lawmakers who have labelled it as meaningless after Muhyiddin repudiated it in 2009. Of the Umno members in Najib's Cabinet, only Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz has publicly stated his acceptance of the 1 Malaysia idea.
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| Amanah to address long list of issues Posted: 31 Jul 2011 12:48 PM PDT
By Hawkeye, FMT KOTA BARU: The newly formed NGO led by political icon Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah will be meeting tommorrow to address various emerging issues including the proposal for the Kelantan prince to become opposition leader. Angkatan Amanah Merdeka (Amanah) central committee member Wan Saiful Wan Jan said various allegations, suggestions and issues have emerged, particularly through online chatter since the NGO was formed about two weeks back. It is imperative that the organisation members sit down together and discuss the matter including the allegations that Ku Li (Tengku Razaleigh) was offered to become the opposition leader, he said. Some of the allegations are outright displeasing and unfair to Amanah and Ku Li is expected to effectively address it, Wan Saiful said. He claimed that some political quarters are unhappy that the veteran Umno personality has branched out on his own to form an NGO. Both sides, Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat are waiting intently to see Ku Li's next move but they may be sadly mistaken. "Ku Li was always seen as a political leader so some cannot stomach to see him as an NGO activist. However, Amanah is strictly an NGO set-up, whose core issue is championing issues and reducing the level of the apparent polarisation pace in the country," said Wan Saiful. The formula applied here, he added, is reviving the country's original struggles for nationhood as espoused by the founding father, Tunku Abdul Rahman. Opposition leader's post Recently, Bayan Baru MP Zahrain Mohd Hashim raised alarm bells in both BN and Pakatan when he blogged an entry that Ku Li was already offered the opposition leader's post. There were also allegations that the offer was made by PAS spiritual adviser Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat. Insiders within Ku Li's camp said the Kelantan royalty member has for now refused to be dragged into any Pakatan or BN issues, preferring to focus more on Amanah's struggles.
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| Posted: 31 Jul 2011 12:35 PM PDT
By Florence A Samy, The Star KUALA LUMPUR: The Government is committed to electoral reforms and ensuring that parliamentary democracy is forever maintained, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. "I am committed to electoral reform. We will undertake it. "For example, there are concerns about phantom voters. We will ensure there is no chance for phantom voters," he said at the fifth annual Malaysian Student Leaders Summit here yesterday. He also responded to the students' queries during the question-and-answer session. He said measures being taken to improve the electoral system included the introduction of the biometric verification system and early voting among uniformed personnel. "Do not doubt our commitment to improving the system. "There is no such thing as postal votes. Those are early votes from people on duty. They vote on their own and not on other people's behalf," he said. Najib also reiterated that there was parliamentary democracy and fair elections in the country. "We have shortcomings but no one can dispute there is democracy. "We have lost elections before. We have lost five states and PAS, which rules Kelantan, hung on to the state by a mere one seat in 2004," he noted in his speech. Najib said people should not have doubts about fair elections, especially given past results where the opposition had won several states. Questions asked by students ranged from nuclear matters, race and socio-economic; communication gap; electoral reform; and his stand on his deputy Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's past statement that he was Malay first and Malaysian second. On Muhyiddin's remark, Najib said he did not want to respond in a manner that would divide him and his deputy. "1Malaysia is our guiding policy. It does not matter what others say. At the end of the day, we have to stay united and be fair to all Malaysians." He said it was a fallacy to state that dissent was not allowed, adding that those who took part in the July 9 rally were offered a stadium but took to the streets instead, which could have resulted in bystanders getting hurt. "In a street demonstration, there is no guarantee of who is in a crowd. "It is my duty to ensure that every single Malaysian's life and property is protected from harm," Najib added.
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| Palanivel’s ministership no guarantee of votes, say analysts Posted: 31 Jul 2011 11:45 AM PDT
By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider MIC president Datuk G. Palanivel's appointment as full minister gives the party more power to help the Indian community but would not translate automatically into more votes, analysts said. Merdeka Centre director Ibrahim Suffian said Palanivel's elevation to a Minister in the Prime Minister's Department would add to the promise of MIC but stressed that much depended on how the first-term party president used his new position. "It doesn't take anything away but I think it all really depends how well the issues of the Indian community . . . can be addressed by Palanivel," he told The Malaysian Insider. "It's a double-edged sword. If he's given a post that takes time for him to deliver, it may end up backfiring," he added. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced Palanivel's appointment over the weekend, bringing the Cabinet to 30 ministers despite an earlier promise to cut the bloat in the Abdullah administration, which had 32 ministers. MIC will now have two full ministers, including MIC deputy president Datuk S. Subramaniam, who is Human Resources Minister. The prime minister has gone on a charm offensive to win over Indians after the usually staunch BN supporters forsook the ruling coalition in Election 2008 following a government crackdown on the November 2007 Hindraf rally, where some 30,000 Indians marched for better opportunities. Political scientist Dr James Chin also said the appointment would not secure Indian votes as Palanivel would likely be unable to resolve the community's long-standing grievances. While the "patronage" that comes with the full ministership would prove useful in helping Indians apply for ICs and get more places in training schemes, it would do little for the hardcore urban poverty, housing shortages and low employment faced by the community, Chin said. "I personally don't think it'll make a difference," he said. "But at least in terms of (public relations) it'll look like he's (Najib) doing something for the community." Chin added that Najib's move would likely go down well with older Indians but would not make much difference to the younger Indians. |
| Polls dry run shows BN can lose Perak, Negri Sembilan Posted: 31 Jul 2011 11:39 AM PDT
By Jahabar Siddiq, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 1 — The ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) could lose Perak and Negri Sembilan in the next general elections, according to results of a recent dry run. Unless component parties put popular faces and ensure the grassroots machinery garner support from voters. The Malaysian Insider understands that the Umno election dry run also showed that the BN fortress of Johor could see up to 15 out of the 56 state seats go to their political opponents Pakatan Rakyat (PR), something unheard before Election 2008 when the ruling coalition lost six seats. It is also learnt that Perlis, where BN holds 14 out of the 15 state seats, could see several state and one of the three federal seats going to PR due to anger over Putrajaya putting Wahhabi preachers including state mufti Dr Juanda Jaya on a terror watch list. "The dry run has shown a lot of weaknesses. And the Wahhabi issue is not helping," an Umno source told The Malaysian Insider. An upcoming Umno leader expressed similar sentiments, saying BN must put new faces to renew the coalition while getting respective party machineries to go all out for support. "The problem is while the Umno machinery can work if given the motivation, members of the other component parties do not appear to be that motivated," said the Umno leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity. He revealed that the dry run showed Umno could only win 27 seats in the 59-seat Perak state assembly despite BN ruling the state since February 2009 after a series of defections toppled the state Pakatan Rakyat (PR) government. In June, the state Umno was confident of getting 33 seats, with Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir dismissing The Malaysian Insider's report that victory is only assured if right candidates are picked. It was learnt that several Perak Umno divisional leaders were loath to campaign or register new voters unless they were certain about the likely candidates for the next general elections.
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| Malaysia in the Era of Globalization #76 Posted: 31 Jul 2011 11:23 AM PDT
Only the Koran is perfect. Contrary to accepted wisdom, the sunnah is not the practices and sayings of the prophet, rather what some scholars interpret to be so. M. Bakri Musa Chapter 9: Islam in Malay Life Reform in Islam The Quest For Answers Muslim leaders are no better. They smugly and gleefully gloat over the ills of the West without once pausing to look over the inadequacies of their own society. Meanwhile the West progresses while Islamic societies stagnate. Envy and jealousy are common human faults. As a result today there is considerable rage against the West among Muslims. The 9-11 Al Qaeda's attacks on America are only the latest and most vicious manifestation of this ugly emotion. I suggest that Muslims emulate, not hate the West. The energies of Muslim leaders and scholars should instead be directed to picking the best out of the West for emulation. Condemning (or destroying) does not take any talent. Bernard Lewis's critique of Islamic societies in What Went Wrong, suggests that contemporary Muslims in pondering their fate should stop asking the question, "Who did this to us?" and more usefully substitute, "What did we do wrong?" and, "How do we right it?" That Lewis is not a Muslim does not in any way diminish the wisdom of his observation. Muslims can begin to answer the "What we did wrong?" by first critically reexamining the sunnah and Shari'a. Foremost we must remember that both are the creations of man and have qualities inherent in all such endeavors, including the possibility of errors and imperfections. Only the Koran is perfect. Contrary to accepted wisdom, the sunnah is not the practices and sayings of the prophet, rather what some scholars interpret to be so. It is instructive that the collection of ahadith (plural for hadith) considered most authoritative is that of Imam Bukhari. But he was not even born until nearly two hundred years after the prophet's death. It is equally instructive that he rejected thousands of purported sayings of the prophet (pbuh). The essential criterion he used was the lineage of the oral propagation (isnah), relying heavily on the piety and reputation of the transmitters. The assumption is that the pious would not willingly fabricate or embellish. May be not willingly or consciously, but our memory does play fools on us, regardless of our piety or wisdom. Being a mere mortal, we can expect errors on Bukhari's part both in including the less-than-truthful ahadith as well as excluding some legitimate ones. Remember, only Allah is perfect. Had Imam Bukhari and the early scholars not put as much effort on evaluating the theological pedigree of the transmitters and instead concentrated their intellectual energies on reconciling the purported sayings and practices of the prophet (pbuh) with the message of the Koran, their ensuing treatises might have been considerably different. Or perhaps Bukhari, knowing full well how entrenched some of the beliefs in the purported sayings and ways of the prophet (pbuh) were in the minds and culture of the Muslims then, dared not personally challenge the perceived wisdom. He knew only too well the fate that befell "deviationists." Thus he ingeniously devised the "science" of hadith by using his considerable intellect and prodigious memory to tracing the lineage and transmission of each hadith. With this "science" he found a neutral or objective way of dispensing with the more outrageous and embellished sunnah and ahadith. Were he to simply dismiss them through his own independent research and critical thinking, he would have been lynched. As it was, he had his share of denigration and banishment for daring to dispense with some of the more popularly accepted but obviously preposterous ahadith. Today over a millennium later, there is no possible way of independently ascertaining the veracity of the lineage and pedigree of the sunnah. In the interpretation of the Koran, modern scholars pay as much attention to the "occasion of the revelation" as to the text, thus giving us a much richer and more perceptive reading. We should likewise do the same in interpreting the various ahadith, that is, examine the occasion of the purported sayings as well as analyzing their historical and sociological contexts. Many scholars, past and present, have cautioned Muslims on attributing infallibility to the sunnah and Shari'a. We should reserve that only for the Koran. Kassim Ahmad has suggested doing away completely with hadith. For that audacious position, his book was banned in Malaysia and he was branded an apostasy. So much for Muslim tolerance in Malaysia! I disagree with Kassim, but I find his views refreshing even though his analyses and reasoning are less than rigorous. We must have an open mind and treat the hadith and sunnah as historical and sociological vignettes in order to understand the Koran better. To me the current debate on whether Malaysia should adopt the Shari'a and whether it is an Islamic state is futile, nonproductive, and highly divisive. Such controversies are nothing more than wayang kulit (shadow play) or sandiwara (staged theater) between UMNO and PAS out to display their religious aroma. At least wayang kulit and sandiwara are entertaining and help bring people together. The bigger question that has yet to be addressed and is being shunted aside in the preoccupation with trivia, is how to make the present laws and institutions conform to the ideals of the Koran. Next: Islamization of Education
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| Food stamps not the right way, dear Mr. DPM Posted: 31 Jul 2011 11:12 AM PDT
In Malaysia, it is probably well known that Kroni Diutamakan and they ain't farmers. Look at the IPPs, the toll concessionaires, AP kings, the subcontracting contractors etc. What we are seeing here is that the farmers and producers are doing all the donkey work while unseen hands of middlemen, be it institutionalized or not, are making a killing. By Lee Wee Tak Sometimes I do wonder if our nation's top leadership ever provides the right solution to our livelihood problems. Malaysia's once formidable English standard has declined as a result of excessive application of nationalism but the solution to teach mathematics and science in English, without first strengthening, improving and reinforcing primary level English syllabus and teaching resource before making the leap, actually resulted in messing up the learning of all 3 subjects for many young Malaysians.  I am sorry, DPM. It does not address the rising food prices and the majority of Malaysians who hold a decent job but struggling to cope with over priced cars, houses and daily living expenses would not benefit from this solution. Read more at: http://wangsamajuformalaysia.blogspot.com/2011/07/food-stamp-is-not-right-way-dear-mr-dpm.html#more
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| Dulu PATI.. Kini dah jadi Pengundi? Posted: 31 Jul 2011 11:08 AM PDT
By Anak Sungai Derhaka Antara tuntutan BERSIH 2.0 yang terkandung dalam memorandum kepada Yang Di Pertuan Agong adalah penggunaan dakwat kekal sebagai tanda bahawa seseorang pegundi itu telah mengundi dan juga pembersihan Daftar Pemilih. Bagaimanapun Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) kelihatan tidak berminat langsung dengan penggunaan dakwat kekal seperti yang dicadangkan oleh BERSIH 2.0 itu tetapi mereka lebih berminat dengan penggunaan Sistem Biometrik yang bagi mereka ianya lebih praktikal. |
| Ku Li not an alternative to Anwar, says Karpal Posted: 31 Jul 2011 08:42 AM PDT
(The Star) - Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah is no alternative for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, said DAP chairman Karpal Singh. "Razaleigh had the opportunity (to serve) in the Opposition via Semangat 46. "But he returned to Umno, and after that only his Umno division nominated him to go for the party presidency's post against (Prime Minister) Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak," he said in an interview yesterday. He said that even when several PKR Members of Parliament (MP) deserted Anwar and left Pakatan Rakyat, DAP and PAS did not ask for the Opposition leader's post and wanted it to remain with Anwar. "Without Anwar, the Opposition and the nation would not have witnessed the political tsunami during the March 2008 general election. Earlier, when speaking at the naming of a new road in Raja Uda after DAP stalwart, the late P. Patto, Karpal Singh said, in his view, Razaleigh should not attempt to take over Anwar's place as Opposition Leader. Bayan Baru MP Datuk Seri Zahrain Mohd Hashim created the stir when he posted in his blog that Pakatan was wooing Tengku Razaleigh to be the next Opposition Leader. On Patto, the former Bagan MP who died in 1995 of a heart attack at the age of 48 shortly after winning the seat, Karpal said he was a man who could mesmerise crowds. Patto was a teacher who went on to become Perak state assemblyman for Gopeng, MP for Menglembu before winning the Bagan seat. He said Patto was proficient in English and a Chinese dialect, adding that former deputy prime minister Tun Ghafar Baba had once remarked in Parliament that Patto's Malay was par excellent. Patto's wife, S. Amalapovamary, a founding secretary of Wanita DAP, was present with her two daughters, Kasthuri Raani, 31, and Shaalini Anne, 29. Shaalini said the family was thankful for the honour.
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| Former soldiers express regret communism getting support Posted: 31 Jul 2011 08:08 AM PDT
(Bernama) - Former soldiers who were involved in the fight against the communists today expressed regret that there are young Malaysians who support communism. One of them, Sgt (Rtd) Rosli Mohd Amin, attributed the situation to a lack of knowledge among the younger generation on the country's history. "The younger generation does not know how difficult it was for the country to achieve its independence. And then, in the struggle to form Malaysia, we were faced with the Confrontation," he told Bernama after the launching of the state-level Fly the Jalur Gemilang (National flag) campaign and Warriors Day Appeal Fund by Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan here today. He said despite the signing of the Bangkok Treaty which ended the communist insurgency in Malaysia, there were still attempts by certain quarters to threaten peace and stability in the country. A former member of the Third Rangers Regiment, L/Cpl (Rtd) Alwi Ibrahim, who left the service in 1987, said youths should learn more about Malaysia's history so that they could understand the situation in the country better. He believed this could avoid outside quarters from "poisoning" their minds easily. Abdul Rahim Md Nawi, 52, a former Warrant Officer 2, said parents should encourage their children to join the army, as he did to his son. "I encouraged my son to join the army, not in pursuit of comfort or for a better life, but for a direction in life," he added. Recently police uncovered a plot to revive communism in the country. The Confrontation was a conflict between Malaysia and Indonesia after Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore joined Malaya to form the federation of Malaysia in 1963. Indonesia under President Sukarno then was opposed to the formation of Malaysia.
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| WIKILEAKS: COURT ACQUITS NAJIB'S EX-ADVISOR IN MURDER TRIAL Posted: 31 Jul 2011 01:00 AM PDT
Many observers anticipated Razak's acquittal given the prosecution's poor performance, Razak's connections to DPM Najib, and the alleged and widely-perceived political manipulation in the case. The Razak verdict momentarily attracts more attention to the allegations of Najib's linkages to the case; so too would the testimony of either Balasubramaniam or Raja Petra, though it is not clear either man will be able to take the stand. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUALA LUMPUR 000959
SIPDIS
FOR EAP/MTS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/31/2028 TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, KJUS, KDEM, MY SUBJECT: COURT ACQUITS NAJIB'S EX-ADVISOR IN MURDER TRIAL
Classified By: Political Counselor Mark D. Clark for reasons 1.4 (b and d).
Summary and Comment 1. (SBU) High Court Justice Mohamad Zaki on October 31 acquitted Political Analyst Abdul Razak Baginda, former advisor to Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, of the charge of abetting the murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu in October 2006, but ordered the continuation of the murder trial for two policemen. Defense lawyers announced they sought to call to the stand two men who have linked DPM Najib to the case: Razak's former private investigator Balasubramaniam, who has disappeared from public, and controversial blogger Raja Petra who is detained under the Internal Security Act. The trial of the two police defendants is set to continue November 10. In immediate commentary, political opposition leaders, including Anwar Ibrahim, did not focus on Razak's guilt or innocence, but called into question the conduct of the proceedings and suggested a cover-up to protect DPM Najib. 2. (C) Comment: Many observers anticipated Razak's acquittal given the prosecution's poor performance, Razak's connections to DPM Najib, and the alleged and widely-perceived political manipulation in the case. The Razak verdict momentarily attracts more attention to the allegations of Najib's linkages to the case; so too would the testimony of either Balasubramaniam or Raja Petra, though it is not clear either man will be able to take the stand. Allegations stemming from the Altantuya case, however, have not prevented Najib from securing all the nominations so far for the UMNO party elections. Absent dramatic and compelling new evidence prejudicial to the DPM, the Altantuya case will not slow down Najib's drive to become Malaysia's next Prime Minister. End Summary and Comment. Razak Acquitted, Trial for Policemen Continues 3. (U) High Court Justice Mohamad Zaki on October 31 acquitted Political Analyst Abdul Razak Baginda, former advisor to Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, of charges of abetting the murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu in October 2006, but ordered the continuation of the murder trial for two policemen. Embassy FSN Political Assistant attended the judgment hearing. The ruling came roughly two years after Razak's arrest, and followed a lengthy 17-month trial involving the presentation of 84 witnesses. The prosecution had argued that Razak had asked the policemen to murder Altantuya, Razak's former lover who had harassed Razak for money. The judge ruled that the prosecution team failed to prove a prima facie case against Razak, and ordered his release. The judge found a sufficiently strong prosecution case against the two police defendants, Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Corporal Sirul Azha Umar, charged with carrying out Altantuya's murder. At the time of the crime, Azilah and Azha were members of the protection detail for DPM Najib. Defense to Call Controversial Witnesses 4. (U) The Justice requested the defense to begin their arguments later on the afternoon of October 31, but the defense requested and was granted a continuance as their witnesses were not available. In the day's most surprising turn, Kamarul Hisham, lead defense counsel for one of the accused police officers, stated he wished to place on the witness chair Razak's private investigator P. Balasubramaniam and Malaysia Today editor Raja Petra Kamarudin. Both witnesses have previously made sworn statements linking DPM Najib to the murdered Altantuya, and in the case of Raja Petra, implicating Najib's wife in the murder. Balasubramaniam, who was an early witness for the prosecution, has not been seen publicly since he issued a sworn statement in July on DPM Najib's links to the Altantuya case, and then retracted the statement the next day, allegedly under duress according to some accounts. Raja Petra is currently detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA). (Note: Although the court may order Raja Petra's presence as a witness, Section 18 of the ISA gives the Home Minister discretion to ignore the court order. End note.) The Judge set November 10 for the defense to begin its presentation. 5. (SBU) For the October 31 judgment hearing, a crowd of approximately 200 waited outside the courthouse while some 100 (primarily family members of the defendants and journalists) filled the packed courtroom. Razak's family appeared confident and remained calm throughout the whole hearing and showed no sign of surprise in Razak's acquittal. The verdict also appeared to come as no surprise to the attending crowd. The victim's father, Setev Shaariibuu, attended the judgment and afterward through an interpreter expressed his disappointment to reporters: "I am not satisfied. My daughter (knew) only one Malaysian and that is Razak Baginda. Now my daughter is dead and Baginda is freed. The country (Malaysia) has lost credibility..." Opposition Suggests Cover-Up 6. (U) In immediate comments, political opposition figures, who have suggested repeatedly that the government had engaged in a cover-up to protect DPM Najib, did not focus on Razak's guilt or innocence, but called into question the conduct of the proceedings. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim noted, "On a personal level, I wish Razak Baginda well, but the issue here resolves around the court procedure and investigations. There is a general and growing perception that the investigation was not done professionally, that there is a clear motive to cover up." Anwar also drew attention to recent Internet revelations of an SMS exchange between Najib and Razak Baginda's former lawyer in which Najib reportedly wrote that Razak "will face a tentative charge but all is not lost." KEITH
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| Wahhabism and Shia main threats, says Jakim official Posted: 30 Jul 2011 05:24 PM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) - Wahhabism and Shia Islam are key threats to Malaysia's security and should be kept under close watch to ensure they do not lead to extremism, a Department of Islamic Development (Jakim) official has said. The National Security Council (NSC) put a group of clerics on its terror watch-list last week for preaching Wahhabism, a puritanical strain of Islam practised in Saudi Arabia. Several Shia Muslims have also been detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for their beliefs. "The biggest threat to the country at the moment is Wahhabism and Shia (Islam) ... extreme teachings," Islamic Training Institute of Malaysia's assistant director Zamihan Mat Zin told The Malaysian Insider before last week's NSC meeting. He said if the group was not watched, their teachings could potentially to threaten the ethics of Islamic affairs management in Malaysia. "(The government) needs to curtail them to harmonise Sunni teachings in Malaysia." Zamihan stressed that, if left alone, Wahhabism and Shia Islam could "sow the seeds of extremism as seen in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Indonesia and Chechnya". He said certain parties were now actively promoting both teachings with financial assistance from foreign missions here. "There are preachers who receive huge allowances every month... They will deny it if anyone asks them but we have proof," said the cleric who is in the Quran and core knowledge division in the institute. Zamihan added that, according to his research, Wahhabism and Shia Islam have about one million followers each in Malaysia. He previously claimed that Wahhabism receives protection from politicians and has made inroads into religious agencies at national and state levels. Zamihan also told The Malaysian Insider that the question of stopping the spread of Wahhabism should not be seen as a diplomatic issue but one of national security and mutual interest.
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| Former judge calls RCI judges ‘three blind mice’ Posted: 30 Jul 2011 05:10 PM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) - A respected former senior judge has branded the three judges on the Teoh Beng Hock royal commission of inquiry (RCI) "three blind mice" for concluding that the political aide committed suicide despite lacking expert opinion. Former High Court and Court of Appeal judge Datuk N. H. Chan said the commission had "no business" forming such an opinion as none of the experts it called upon gave the opinion that Teoh committed suicide. He pointed out that this went against Section 45 of the Evidence Act 1950, which states that when a court has form an opinion on a point of science, the opinions of experts are relevant facts. "Without any relevant fact, that is to say, without an opinion from an expert, a court is unable to form an opinion upon... the scientific point that Teoh Beng Hock took his own life. In this case, none of the experts gave the opinion that Teoh took his own life," Chan said in an essay sent to The Malaysian Insider. "The commissioners must not substitute their own opinion for that of the experts! Yet this was precisely what the RCI did! By assuming the mantle of a forensic psychiatric expert it came to the conclusion that Teoh took his own life." He added that the finding that Teoh was driven to suicide after relentless questioning from Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers was also unfounded, and lamented the fact that the public still did not know how the political aide died. The RCI unanimously ruled that Teoh, aide to Selangor executive councillor and Seri Kembangan assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah, committed suicide as a result of pressure from aggressive and continuous questioning by anti-graft officers.
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| Nedunchelian still PKR member, says Kapar MP Posted: 30 Jul 2011 05:01 PM PDT
Nedunchelian says he officially resigned from PKR in January but S Manikavsagam says he is still listed as a member. (Free Malaysia Today) - The first Barisan Rakyat Independent Candidate (BRIC) to announce his candidacy ahead of the 13th general election, Dr Nedunchelian Vengu, has discovered that he is still a PKR member despite officially resigning from the party in January. Nedunchelian, 43, a dentist, announced last Friday that he will run in Kapar for the next general election. But incumbent, S Manikavasagam, queried Nedunchelian's standing under an independent ticket while he holds a PKR membership. "I checked the membership database and he is still a life member," Manikavasagam told FMT. "He joined in 2009 and his membership number is B18002745." "Nedunchelian was also appointed by the Selangor government as an Indian community leader in Sungai Pinang and I personally endorsed his application. So I was shocked to hear of his annoucement as an independent when he is still holding a Pakatan Rakyat-appointed post." Manikavasagam added that he had raised the matter with PKR vice-president, N Surendran, and hinted that the party could take disciplinary action against Nedunchelian. He, however, said that he bore no malice towards Nedunchelian's bid for the Kapar seat nor was this a personal attack against him. "Nedunchelian is a good, close friend of mine and I wish him all the best," he said. "Besides, I don't even know if I will be re-contesting the seat. It all depends on the party." "The seat doesn't belong to me and anyone has a right to run for it whether they are from PKR or not. I'm just concerned over the conflict between Nedunchelian's candidacy as an independent and his PKR membership." 'I resigned in January' Meanwhile, Nedunchelian confirmed that he resigned from PKR on Jan 3 but added that he has still not received any official acknowledgement of his resignation from the party. "As far as I am concerned, I resigned months before announcing my candidacy. Perhaps PKR hasn't updated its database yet," he said. Nedunchelian had openly disclosed his post as Indian community leader in Sungai Pinang during a press conference last week, but told FMT that he is considering stepping down from that post, too.
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| New Malay Bible shows up in Sabah interior Posted: 30 Jul 2011 04:52 PM PDT
Instead of 'Allah', the publishers have replaced it with 'Yahweh', the Hebrew word for God. (Free Malaysia Today) - The new Malay-language New Testament Bible sans the word 'Allah' is now in the Sabah market and costs RM100 per copy. The "Wasiat Baru," is published by the Living Stream Ministry, Anahiem, California and has been in the local market for sometime. Local engineer, Michael Samuel, said he bought the Alkitab for RM100 a soft cover copy. The born-again Christian said he secured the copy at the Keningau Tamu. This Malay version of the Bible preserves the Arabic names of the Biblical characters like Daud, Musa, Yusof, Yaakob and others. However the term 'Allah' is nowhere to be found in it. Instead of 'Allah', the publishers have replaced it with 'Yahweh', the Hebrew word for God. "I am happy because 'Yahweh' is the proper or specific name of the Judeo-Christian deity," he said. In January last year, the Catholic church won the right to use the name 'Allah' but the government has appealed the ruling. The government also announced that the term could be used by Christians in Sabah and Sarawak but not in the Peninsular, a decision which has been criticised for creating a double standard for a religious group in the country.
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| A ‘political frog’ gift for Perkasa’s Ibrahim Posted: 30 Jul 2011 04:49 PM PDT
A MIC branch chairman wants MIC to stop Perkasa chief Ibrahim from criticising BN component parties. (Free Malaysia Today) - A MIC division chairman caused a stir when he brought a frog to the MIC annual general meeting (AGM) here today to express his disgust with Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali. Calling Ibrahim a political frog, MIC Bukit Bintang division chairman T Ananthan took Ibrahim to task for questioning the non-Bumiputeras' loyalty to the government when the party criticised the Public Service Department (PSD) for not offering scholarships to deserving Indian students. "We are Malaysians. Why can't PSD offer scholarships to all deserving Malaysian students? Education is a basic need for everyone," said Ananthan, adding that the frog represents Ibrahim's political inclination. He also said that MIC should stop Perkasa, a Malay right-wing group, from criticising Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties. Speaking at the sidelines of the MIC annual general meeting (AGM) today, he said Perkasa should stop its tirade against BN parties and learn to respect non-Bumiputera rights in the country as well. Ananthan also urged BN component parties to swap seats among themselves to increase the ruling coalition's chances to win the next general election. "Maybe voters were fed up of the same party and candidate being fielded in a constituency in the past. For example, we held Sungai Siput and Teluk Kemang for 49 years," he said. He added that whichever seat MIC may contest, it would be the Malay votes that would determine the party's victory.
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| Let me tell you more about Tan Kay Hock Posted: 30 Jul 2011 04:08 PM PDT
Healthy move: Muhyiddin witnessing the handing over of the mock cheque from George Kent chairman Tan Sri Tan Kay Hock to Dr Chua as MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai looks on yesterday. — Bernama Dear YM Raja Petra Kamarudin, In your latest posting dated 28th July, on the now very famous Tan Kay Hock, golfing buddy of current Prime Minister of Malaysia, I see you are very well-informed despite the fact that your feet (like mine) are not on Malaysian soil. I left the country I loved during Mahathir's regime when he was turning "the Malay Dilemma" to Chinese Dilemma. Like you, I still keep contact with my old schoolmates who remain in Bolehland, and update myself through these grapevines with the goings-on in my old homeland. Apparently, Business Times (NST) reported on 7th July, 2011 that George Kent (TKH's company) was confident of winning RM1.5 billion worth of contract for infrastructure works on the Ampang LRT line, and Tan Kay Hock openly boasted about it. Who gave him such confidence, and how was he to know about this even before the Ministry of Transport or PM made any such announcement? By the way, Tan Kay Hock is not working on bringing in CHEC (too messy after the Penang Bridge). He is said to be holding the representation of China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC), and not China Railway Engineering Corporation (CREC), the latter has given him a wide berth after your revelation of the RM500 million demand, proven true. In the Business Times of 7th July, CRCC was mentioned as Tan Kay Hock's horse. Can you imagine how a water meter maker with annual revenue of RM30 million and profit RM3 million take on a job of this magnitude? Where is the experience, let alone the financial requirements? Ah, but you need to go back just a little in time, say my old schoolmates via modern Internet, to see the link ("pun" unavoidable) that TKH has shrewdly built of late. Recently, TKH took George Kent shareholders' RM500,000 and donated to MCA medical fund to promote his own interest. In the cheque presentation photo published in a local daily, there were MCA President Soi Lek, Minister of Tranport Kong (MCA man), Idis Jalal (Minister in PM Dept in charge of SPAD, all mega projects) and DPM Muhyiddin Yassin. TKH is a very smart cookie for he knows MCA man always holds the Transport portfolio, so he sought out MCA to show his "generosity and care" for the poor needing medical assistance, with the money hijacked from shareholders of George Kent. Did you notice something amiss in that photgraph above? MCA Liow, the Minister of HEALTH was conspiciously absent though the stolen money was meant for medical purposes. Reason: TKH was not after a hospital project, he was going for a rail project, so the Transport Minister's favour must be high on his priority, not Health. With this impressive line-up, he is ready to boast to one and all, including the Chinese where his power lies. Also, it is with this line-up, Tan Kay Hock aims to be the super-crony-super-tycoon killer with guns pointing at the likes of Quek Leng Chan, Low Keng Huat, Syed Mokhtar Al Bukhary, Francis Yeoh, Vincent & Brother Danny Tan, as you said, Pete. But I can assure you that TKH can never get near to touch Lim Kok Thay and Robert Kuok, the empires of both these Malaysian billionaires have spread wings beyond the shores of Malaysia, and way beyond the crooked hands of TKH. Recently, TKH was rumoured to be scheming something with Tan Sri Khoo Kay Peng of MUI; do you know about this? The presence of Muhyiddin seems to tell us another story. TKH probably shaken by your first article about him demanding RM500 million (RM200 million for PM's wife, rest his). so he is changing horses (at both ends in China and Malaysia) for a number of reasons: 1. TKH knows Najib is about to fall flat on his face with all those unsavoury bric bracs hurled at the PM, and he also knows that Muhyiddin is knocking very hard at the PM's door impatiently to be seated on Najib's chair. UMNO insiders must have also approached him for fund to be channelled to DPM's aides, don't waste time with Najib. 2. Hishammuddin, besides being a Johorean and deemed an asshole, is also Najib's cousin, so TKH not using the son of Tun Hussein. But Tan Kay Hock needs Johor support to secure his second target, the RM7 billion Gemas-Johor Bahru double track rail, after the Ampang LRT, and probably he thinks he will need the Johore Royal seal which only Muhyiddin could deliver. 3. Unscrupulous TKH may even do a coup de grace to hasten the unseating of Najib and prove to Muhyiddin of his powess. His wife and Desmond's wife Cindy are very close to Lady Rose; they finance all her overseas shopping sprees. TKH may devise a plan to trap uncanny Lady Rose, and let Opposition (with interested UMNO's help) expose her corrupt life style, putting the last coffin nail to Najib's premiership. 4. Talking about Desmond Lim; his mammoth Pavilion Mall is not really as glorious as it looks since most of the shops and outlets are not doing good business. Many daily visitors to the Pavilion yes, but not many are shoppers, mostly there to enjoy the air-conditioning and bird-watching and drinking. Lately, there was a report that Malton (owners of Pavilion) was seeking KLSE's approval to list Pavilion (and suck public money) to pay off loan from Kuwait Finance. They must be close to defaulting now, the way it looks. So these two crafty Chinamen, TKH and Desmond, are prepared to sell (oops, urge) their wives to goreng Lady Rose while TKH ropes in Muhyiddin to do the "big kill". It does not matter what colour (Rosmah or Muhyiddin) the cat is just so long as it catches the rat, so said Deng Xiaopeng. Both Desmond and TKH were reported in The Edge as front runners in the Gemas-JB project. So Pete, there you have it, some unknown and untold tales of the Man who twists and turns in so many ways to achieve his evil goals (note the plural is used here, as his ambitions are boundless). Regards JO Justice For All
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| UMNO, Najib and the 24 million ring Posted: 30 Jul 2011 12:37 PM PDT
Rosmah and her USD120,000 Birkin handbag, one of the many she has in different colours By ViewAct Has it ever crossed your mind how and why dirt keeps being kicked up against PM Najib and his wife recently? Yet there doesn't seem to be much activity from his deputy. Have you also noticed that not many came to Najib's rescue when he screwed up big time against Bersih 2.0? Instead of his "Championed" Malay brothers, we saw MCA sending two representatives trying to shine his dirty shoe but to no avail. We also have a 24 million ring, and a "worth-a-fortune" bracelet allegedly belonging to the wife of the PM, and its photo and custom screenshot of the alleged purchase surfacing all over the internet. Well, this too receives much lesser "backing up" from all PM Najib's assistants. What is wrong with them now? Aren't they very good at jumping at trivial issues to "show" that they are loyal to the President, and display the "Please do notice me and pull me up and give me a ministerial post or something like that" attitude? Well, maybe they have smartened up and are now saving their breaths against making more mindless statements which will not only smear the issue further but make them look stupid. Just like what happened to the two MCA "tukang gosok" mentioned earlier. However, I think this is very unlikely as they wouldn't possibly be that "smart". The other possible explanation would be that, PM Najib has lost the support of his "backupers"; and they have decided to leave him to rot whilst asking around to "guess" who'll be put up next so that they can start "bodeking" him now. I think, very soon we'll see someone coming out to say something "important" and tons of others will start making opened/press statements supporting him. This man would then be the likeliest person to be fielded as the next "PM" candidate. Do observe their attitude and responses to statements made by any of their "high ranked" members and you may soon be able to guess who the man is. One character to look for is the one man who has hoped to get some high post by marrying a PM's daughter, only to find that PM being replaced before he could reach safe grounds. His desperation will have him trying to impress the next potential premier-in-line, to regain what he lost in 2008. It wouldn't be too hard to sniff this out as his "pheromone" level would surely be high then. I sometimes feel pity towards our PM as he is facing threats and challenges everywhere. His rivals, his subordinates, and now EVEN HIS WIFE is threatening his position as a PM. I am amazed at how he managed to hang on amidst all these "stresses". Maybe money's the motivation. But now, his challenge isn't only on threats to his POSITION. The threat is now on his character. He will either be seen as a man with no guts, or a man that would attract curses and spit when his name is mentioned. Why so? GE 13 is just around the corner, and his reputation is already in the gallows. His "gang" is abandoning him as there is no where he can take them to anymore. They need a better "ship" to sail on. While his successor can still win the GE with a simple majority and retain his presidency during UMNO's general assembly, Najib may not be so lucky as to go through all that now. His words are of very much lesser weight now and thus, UMNO is finding someone better to replace him before GE 13, or else, the majority (if there is any) would be even smaller. He cannot command the required support to sail through the election anymore. For that same reason, he wouldn't be able to stage an exit like Pak Lah did, for the pressure from the rakyat as well as the opposition back then wasn't as strong as it is now. Pak Lah was merely "inactive"; this one has too much "shit". However, if he quits now, he would be seen as a coward, who fails in times of turmoil. And if he hangs on, he's going to be ousted in a terrible manner too, and this would be a great shame to his family, especially to his late father. Besides that, his wife would surely get upset too as the jewelry and bags would stop. He is thus stuck, cornered everywhere. Story after story of the wrongs he has done keep surfacing, and I have a feeling they come from within the party itself. Just like how the Altantuya murder case got linked to him, I think many more shall surface, and it is all controlled by someone sitting in a high chair behind them all, the one man who wished to literally OWN Malaysia indefinitely. To me, the possession of the 24 million ring and the bracelet was a very stupid move by Najib and his wife. Someone might have seen her interest in jewelries and bags and cast the bait for her to fall for, and she did. Next time, if you want to assassinate a politician, GET THEM INTERESTED IN THOSE FANCY STUFF and gather evidence when they make purchases. Easier still, give it to them as gifts, and provide evidence of the transaction. Correct me if I am wrong. Gifts given by a corporation or any leaders of any country to a minister and his wife officially are PROPERTY OF THE GOVERNMENT and not for individual possession. They cannot sell or transfer the possession of these items to any individual. Due to the nature of their position they should also not accept expensive gifts personally, especially when it is unofficial and done secretly. Such an act can be classified as a bribe. So whether Rosmah bought the ring and the bracelet or not, they are doomed. If she claims that it is a gift, it would either be a case of bribery, or it would belong to the government and she would need to surrender it one day. On the other hand, if she claims that it was bought by herself, or by her husband, they would need to justify how they got the 24 million to buy that ring. And saying that they won Toto, Magnum or Damacai is totally unacceptable. The next question would be, was she really wearing them, or was the photo doctored? This, I shall leave to the experts and witnesses who have or have not seen her wearing it. Hmmm, by the way, for someone to notice the ring in the first place, that someone must either be really "expert" in high classed jewelry or he/she was leaked the news by some hidden hands. All in all, I have a feeling that UMNO is all out to kick Najib out. And they are not going to let him know until the very last minute. And by then, some devastating news would probably be deliberately leaked to get the public to force him down. At these crucial moments, a wrong move by PR's leader would also land them in Kamunting; and GE 13 would be one shocking General Election in the history of Malaysia. However, I do hope I am wrong on this.
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| DAP says RCI report findings warrant new probe Posted: 30 Jul 2011 11:53 AM PDT By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider The DAP wants a "high-level" special investigation team to find out the real cause of Teoh Beng Hock's death, saying the Royal Commission of Inquiry's (RCI) ruling of suicide was "speculation and not backed up by evidence." DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang charged today that the RCI report provides six reasons for a special probe to "bring to book" Teoh's killers. "These are revelations which would justify police re-opening investigations into TBH's death to find out who gave Hishammuddin the sense of immunity and impunity for breaking laws and committing crimes, going over the head of his superior in Selangor and in national headquarters resulting in TBH's death?" Lim said in a statement today. The RCI had stipulated that Teoh, a DAP political aide, had committed suicide in 2009 as a result of "aggressive, relentless, oppressive and unscrupulous interrogation" by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers, particularly former Selangor MACC deputy director Hishammuddin Hashim and enforcement officers Arman Alies and Mohd Ashraf Mohd Yunus The officers, described in the RCI as "Arman the bully, Ashraf the abuser and HH the arrogant leader", had wanted to pressure Teoh into becoming a witness in their case against his boss, Seri Kembangan assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah, for alleged abuse of public funds. "The TBH RCI report is fertile source for the formulation of multiple perjury charges against Hishamuddin and other MACC officers in giving false testimony at the RCI — a judicial proceeding under the definition of Penal Code Section 193 which provides for the maximum sentence of seven years jail and fine on conviction. "As the police had been lied to in police criminal investigations into TBH's death, this means that all the police statements given by Hishammuddin and the MACC Selangor officers (except for Azeem and Azian) about what happened to TBH in his three interrogations in MACC from 6 pm on 15th July to 3.30 am on 16th July were untrue, worthless and must be rejected — justifying a re-opening of police investigations into TBH's death," he added. The RCI had also found fault with the MACC's techniques, saying that the graft officers assigned to Teoh's case were not only brutal during interrogation but also had poor interview skills and viewed witnesses and suspects as "the enemy". The Ipoh Timur MP also said that RCI had stated that Teoh had been interrogated for a fourth time, between 3.30am and 7 am on July 16. Paragraph 229 of the RCI report said "By the time, the fourth or final stage of the interrogation was over, TBH would have been almost a mental and physical wreck." "Police investigations into TBH's death never knew about this "Fourth Interrogation" between 3.30 am to 7 am on July 16 – a second lead from the TBH RCI report on why police should re-open investigations. "In fact, it should also investigate whether there was a "fifth" interrogation between 7 am to 11 am – depending on the time of TBH's death," added Lim. The veteran leader said the special probe should also investigate into whether Hishammuddin had received specific instructions to carry out the "massive operation which resulted in the DAP aide's death. Lim also charged that based on evidence presented during the RCI hearings, MACC officers had already known about Teoh's death by 1pm on July 16 — when the latter's body was only found at 1.35pm.
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| Posted: 30 Jul 2011 01:50 AM PDT
No…no cheong hei article this time. Very short one, for once. Street demos DO NOT undermine the country's economy. Corruption does. Get it? Corruption! Corruption undermines the country's economy. Not street demos. Street demos kick out the munafiq and fasiq leaders who are destroying the country. NO HOLDS BARRED UITM Lecturer: Street Demos Can Undermine Country's Economy |
| Posted: 29 Jul 2011 06:50 PM PDT
So you see, you decided the rules, not we. And the rule is - you are guilty until proven innocent. We too have alleged that you are guilty of all sorts of things, murder included. Now prove your innocence. And if you fail to prove your innocence then most Malaysians who will be voting in the next general election are going to say you are guilty because you failed to prove your innocence -- as how the system works in Malaysia. NO HOLDS BARRED The Umno Bloggers are bitching, moaning, groaning, grumbling and complaining. They accuse me of lying (fitnah) and spinning (propaganda). They call me 'The King of Spin' and they say that Malaysia Today is the biggest spin-doctor for Pakatan Rakyat. And these Ummo Blogs target not only me but also my wife and children for character assassination. Well, first of all, I am honoured that the Umno Bloggers regard me Enemy Number One. It is not easy to become Enemy Number One. A lot of hard work needs to be put into becoming number one. After all, there are millions of Blogs out there in cyber-world competing for number one. Secondly, Malaysia Today is not 'the biggest spin-doctor for Pakatan Rakyat'. If Malaysia Today serves Pakatan Rakyat then how come there are many within Pakatan Rakyat who are angry with me and hate me? In fact, I know people from Pakatan Rakyat who even allege that I work for Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak. Thirdly, I am pleased that BOTH Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat are pissed with me big time. It is not easy to get both sides of the political divide to hate you. Getting one side to hate you and the other side to love you is easy. Anyone can do that. But to get BOTH sides to hate you is a task not many Malaysians can achieve. Fourthly, and the most important point of all, what you are getting is merely a taste of your own medicine. You see, in Malaysia, you are guilty until and unless proven innocent. That is how the government, Barisan Nasional and Umno play the game. They declare you guilty and then you need to prove your innocence. So what I am applying is merely the rules as laid down by those who walk in the corridors of power. Take the Internal Security Act (or Emergency Ordinance) as an example. You are detained under the ISA or EO based on 'the belief that you are a threat to national security and public order'. In other words, there is no evidence. If there were evidence then you would be arrested and charged in court. However, since it is only a 'belief' and there is no evidence, they detain you without trial under one of these emergency laws -- the ISA or EO. 'Belief' translates to the absence of evidence. That is why religion is a belief -- because of the absence of evidence. If there were evidence then it would be a science and not a belief. And you believe based on faith. When they can't produce the evidence they will tell you that the belief is based on faith. So you believe that I am a threat to national security and public order and then detain me without trial under the ISA or EO. Just because you believe that I am a threat to national security and public order, you regard it as fact. If I were to tell a Muslim that I believe that Jesus Christ died and rose after three days and went to heaven, would a Muslim believe me? Why not? This is my belief so why can't a Muslim accept this as fact and not dispute my belief? If you can believe that I am a threat to national security and public order, and if your belief is regarded as fact, then my belief about Jesus Christ should also be treated as fact and not be disputed. When it suits them, a belief becomes fact, and when it does not, a belief becomes a lie. That is how these people think. During your first 60 days of detention without trial, your interrogators will tell you what they believe you have done -- or plan to do (in the event you have not done it yet but are planning to do so). You then have to convince them that this is wrong and that you never did such a thing or plan to do what they allege you are planning to do. In short, you are guilty until and unless you can convince the government of your innocence. If you fail to convince the government of your innocence then you are further detained for an indefinite period of time. Only if you can convince the government of your innocence are you free to go home. This is how it works. Anwar Ibrahim is guilty of all sorts of sexual misconduct. Now he needs to prove that he is innocent. The six members of PSM (EO6) were also guilty of being Communists. Now they have to prove they are innocent. I was treated as guilty of the 'crime' of slandering Islam, Prophet Muhammad, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Khairy Jamaluddin, Najib Tun Razak, Rosmah Mansor, the IGP, the AG, PDRM, MACC, Barisan Nasional, Umno, and every man and his dog in Malaysia. I then had to prove my innocence in two trials and two detentions without trial. (Plus there are more than 20 new police reports made against me since 2009 -- which the government is waiting to use against me if I ever happen to go back to Malaysia). So you see how it works? You are guilty. Then you need to prove your innocence. You may say I was at least brought to court and was allowed to prove my innocence in court. But that is just the thing. That is not how it is supposed to work. I do not need to prove my innocence. The government needs to prove my guilt. But under what I was charged, 'the truth of the matter is not material to the charge'. This simply means even if I told the truth I would still be pronounced guilty and would be sent to jail. So what are these Umno people screaming about? They ask me to come back to Malaysia and prove my innocence. Has the Malaysian education system deteriorated that badly? Why so bodoh? First, I need not prove anything -- the government needs to prove my guilt. Second, even if I can prove my innocence I still go to jail under those charges I face. Okay, the Ummno Bloggers are upset that we are 'lying' about Rosmah. Are we lying? No! We are merely pronouncing Rosmah guilty and now she must prove her innocence. This is how it works in Malaysia. You mean Rosmah does not have a collection of many colours of Birkin bags that cost USD120,000 each? Her collection of Birkin bags alone costs millions of Ringgit. Now, we got the pictures of her Birkin bags from the mainstream newspapers. These are Umno-owned and/or government-controlled newspapers. We did not doctor those pictures. We just lifted them from newspapers that the government says would never lie. We say that Rosmah swindled the taxpayers' money to splurge on millions of Ringgit worth of handbags. Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! Now prove your innocence. So Rosmah did not buy these Birkin bags? So Rosmah did not swindle the taxpayers' money? So it was Danny Tan of Berjaya who bought all these many handbags as presents for Rosmah? Well, tell us. Prove your innocence. And until you can prove your innocence you are guilty. And the same goes for all those other issues as well -- the RM24 million diamond ring included. You are guilty, guilty, guilty! Now prove your innocence. Denying it is not enough. Prove you did not buy that ring and that Jho Low was the one who bought it for you. This is how it works in Malaysia. Most people believe that Najib and/or Rosmah are directly or indirectly involved in the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu. So Najib and/or Rosmah are guilty. Now they need to prove their innocence. But they refuse to prove their innocence. Why? P.I. Balasubramaniam has made some serious allegations in his Statutory Declaration. He even alleged that he was forced to sign a second SD to contradict his first SD and he has further alleged that Najib's brother and Rosmah's 'toyboy', Deepak Jaikishan, were the ones who forced him to sign the second SD. So Najib and Rosmah are guilty, guilty, guilty! But why does the government refuse to conduct an investigation into this allegation and prove that Bala was lying? Why ignore the allegation and continue to allow people to think that Najib and Rosmah are guilty? So you see, you decided the rules, not we. And the rule is - you are guilty until proven innocent. We too have alleged that you are guilty of all sorts of things, murder included. Now prove your innocence. And if you fail to prove your innocence, then most Malaysians who will be voting in the next general election are going to say you are guilty because you failed to prove your innocence -- as how the system works in Malaysia . Do you remember how Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was brought down? He was brought down on the basis that he and his son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin -- in collaboration with the boys in 'Tingkat 4' and Kalimullah -- were guilty of all sorts of things. On that basis Pak Lah was attacked and kicked out. Did Najib, Rosmah, Umno or any of the Umno Bloggers protest this? Pak Lah was pronounced guilty and when he could not prove his innocence he was punished. Even Dr Mahathir said Pak Lah and Khairy were guilty in his talks all over Malaysia. In fact, the Umno Bloggers were the ones most enthusiastic and overzealous in attacking Pak Lah. The Umno Bloggers were more vicious towards Pak Lah than even the opposition Bloggers. So, when it came to Pak Lah, the Umno Bloggers took the lead in attacking Pak Lah and pronounced him guilty, guilty, guilty. And when Pak Lah could not prove his innocence he was ousted and replaced with Najib. Come on lah! Stop bitching, moaning, groaning, grumbling and complaining! If you can't stand the bruises then don't start a fight. Stand clear. When you fight you have to get hurt. Umno Bloggers are like school kids. When they lose a fight they go crying to the teacher to complain. We have accepted your rules of guilty until proven innocent. That is what you use against us. But when we prove better at this game than you, you start crying like babies. Umno people are losers. They want to blindfold us and tie our hands before they fight us. And when we hit back and hurt them they cry. And they got the gall to say that I don't have balls because I don't dare come back to Malaysia to prove my innocence. Brader. This is not about me having to prove my innocence. This is about ABU ('anything but Umno' or 'asal bukan Umno'). This is about kicking Umno out come the next general election. Anything but Umno! So let the game begin! Prove your innocence, and until and unless you can, then you are guilty. This is our message to the voters and we will make the voters understand that the next GE is about ABU -- anything but Umno or asal bukan Umno. |
| Still no magic after the Vatican-Malaysia alliance Posted: 29 Jul 2011 03:30 PM PDT
Christians need to feel that they are first class citizens again on par with the Muslims, with full and unhindered rights to practice their religion. The "Allah" issue must be solved immediately, and not delayed as the government tactical maneuvering for so long. Indecision is a decision and delayed justice is justice denied. DANIEL JOHN JAMBUN Datuk Seri Najib's recent visit to the Vatican is admittedly something to be glad about for all peoples of Malaysia, regardless of their religious beliefs and practices. However, I tend to agree with Tan Sri Bernard Dompok who said the visit promises no magic. He should know because he also was part of Tun Mahathir's delegation in the first official visit to the Vatican to meet the late Pope John Paul II.
As Malaysians, we have to wonder as to why the visit was made at this time. It is very probable that Najib wanted to catch two birds with one stone with the visit, to appease Malaysian Christians who have been deeply hurt by all the mistreatments and shenanigans thrown at them, and to help rebuild Malaysia's image abroad after all the negative publicity generated in the international media which painted the Malaysian government as having a strong anti-Christian internal policy.
Immediately, the visit which later produced photographs and videos of a humble Najib shaking hands with a slight bow to the Pope, should have served to partly silence some of the anti-Christian rhetoric at home, and to reduce the strong anti-Christian sentiments of many Malays who even went to the extent of antagonizing Christians with deeply hurtful slurs and name-callings. How can we ever forget the torching of churches, and the throwing pig heads into mosques, which clearly wasn't done by Christians. The most unbelievable development was when a group demanded that crucifixes be removed from churches when Muslim government leaders are coming to visit. The concocted story of some Christians and Chinese plotting to install a Christian Prime Minister and the ensuing statement by the notorious Ibrahim Ali that he would be willing to bath in the blood of Christians to defend Malay rights was reaching the edge of insanity, and was testing the patience of even the most prayerful of Christians.
Returning home, Najib had followed up with calls to move from tolerance to acceptance, to close existing interracial gaps, admitting "there are still dividing walls and feelings of our difference". The dividing walls are thick and the gaps between religions have widened due to his own neglect. So surely, despite all these, not enough is being done to integrate Malaysians into a more harmonious co-existence. The Prime Minister needs to be more aggressive in addressing the anti-Christian sentiment among Malays. Instead of just encouraging Malaysians to embrace acceptance, which is very vague, he needs to say unequivocally, daringly, sternly, and explicitly that "It is time to stop antagonising Christians. Let's embrace them as our Malaysian brothers! We need the Christians. They are a part of our national brotherhood to move the nation forward!" But dream on! I believe this kind of wise and conciliatory gesture will never come out from Najib for fear of losing Malay support.
But there are very urgent things to be done. On top of the national unity, national integration, 1Malaysia and tranformasi that have become hollow buzzwords, Najib needs to address urgent Christian-related problems. One of this is religious justice. Christians need to feel that they are first class citizens again on par with the Muslims, with full and unhindered rights to practice their religion. The "Allah" issue must be solved immediately, and not delayed as the government tactical maneuvering for so long. Indecision is a decision and delayed justice is justice denied. Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon had said that the renewed Malaysia-Vatican ties will boost the long-avoided interfaith dialogue, with Vatican playing a role to "promote the values of moderation and inclusiveness." Let's see if that is not just sweet talk.
The national development agenda must include the development for all religions and for all religious groups, and not just the official religion. Christians and Hindus are forced to build their houses of worship with their own funds while mosques are all build with the people's money. But logically, other religions deserve the same treatment because they too pay all sorts of taxes. The national budget must make provisions for Christian activities, including ministry and missionary works (among non-Muslims), welfare, motivation and education. All government officials, especially in the Customs Department must from now on be told never again to confiscate any Bibles of Christian books. And the promise to allow free import of Bibles and printing of Bibles in the country, including in Malay, must be clearly reassured and fulfilled. Only this way Najib can show the world and the people of Malaysia that the Vatican visit wasn't just a showpiece for international public relations but for real change towards not just religious tolerance but inter-religious "acceptance" and openness at home. Najib shouldn't fear losing the Malay votes with such a policy because the BN's survival so far hadn't been because of mainly Malay votes but votes of non-Malays, especially those in Sabah and Sarawak. All these while Najib has been seen as dilly-dallying on reaffirming interreligious harmony, pandering to the bigotry of religious fanatics who think nothing of creating unrest and havoc. He has developed an image of an indecisive leader, controlled by Malay extremists. He failed to show wisdom and diplomacy in his handling of the recent Bersih 2.0 rally, showing his muscle with a brutal crackdown. But after his Vatican visit, after the establishment of what is now called the Malaysia-Vatican alliance (alliance in what?) he can change his image to that of someone with an astute and strong character by doing the right things. But the bet is that he won't, and the magic we expect will not materialize. He had also addressed the United Nation's assembly previous to this, during which he talked about the need for human rights worldwide, and yet came home to deny that very right to many Malaysians. Do we have to wait for a real magic only after a third Vatican visit by the next prime minister? If so, then it may be too late for many of us.
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| The rise of the Tongkat Ali society Posted: 29 Jul 2011 02:58 PM PDT  A REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE Dr Azly Rahman How does a society move from industrial to informational and then to a libidinal economy? And what would the social consequences of such a movement be in Malaysia? If we were to characterise the socio-economic development of this nation from the time of independence through its phases of base-superstructural growth – we could see that Malaysian society has moved from pre-industrial to industrial, then through an informational stage to a libidinal one. We have seen the change from race-harmony to madani (modern) to hadhari (civilised) to a 'tongkat ali' society, based on the national slogans we ascribe to each period. We saw a genuine effort to engineer an evolution of society based on respect and accommodation of the variety of ethnic groups in the 70s and 80s. In the 80s and 90s, we saw the rise of sophisticated racism and the bipolar, yet subtle breakdown of race relations. And as we entered the 21st century, we witnessed the rise of a strange brew of post-industrial tribalistic show of arrogance amongst and between different social, religious, and political groups. We are seeing the rise of the 'tongkat ali' society – a society named after the male libido enhancement formula. The name itself may have derived from the name of Islam's fourth and most famous Caliph, Ali ibn Abi Talib, who was assassinated by the clan of Muawiyyah in the battle of Siffin – a violent episode in the early history of Islam. Driven by pleasure 'Tongkat ali' in the Malaysian context is a phenomena in itself. The root of this 'miracle sexual enhancement herb', common in the northern states of Malaysia, lies in a sectarian, religious historical movement and the marketing of it to Malay Muslims. These days, one can find the extract in virtually all food and beverages – and even in toothpaste – so that society may become "sexier" and able to evolve masochistically. But exactly how this extract works scientifically is not known in the cultural context of Malaysia although its popularity is remarkable. Malaysian men might be going libidinally crazy these days with the mass intoxication of this extract in all spheres of things edible. It is as if tongkat ali is the best discovery for Malays since their fool-mistaken-as-hero, Hang Tuah. This libidinal hero – who lacks both the intelligence and the critical sensibility to revolt against the libidinal sultan – embodies the ethos of this 'tongkat ali society'. The 'tongkat ali society' is here. And for Malaysians it signifies the advent of an economic system that produces leaders and a rakyat that are hyper-ventilating in their pursuit of the meaning of the words peace, harmony and happiness. Rather than seeking cerebral solution to social issues and meaningful living, we are seeing libido at play. Massive gambling, politician-buyouts, the awarding of billion-ringgit projects to political cronies, the birth of hate-groups and the rise and slow demise of racist politicians. All these are manifestations of the rise of the 'tongkat ali society'. The death of reflective thinking It is characterised by the death of a reflective society and the muting of critical sensibility. Because so much libido is embalmed in the minds of the powerful and so much power is given to the robber barons to plunder – society is now becoming an enhanced entity that cares more about the acquisition of wealth and property by any means necessary and less about the fate of generations to come. The game plan in this libido-enhanced economy is to accumulate as much wealth as one can in the shortest period of time by using other people's money to become the best bubble economy in a country where bankruptcy is a guarantee. A 'tongkat ali society' is also characterised by a libidinal economy and dispossessed youths. We put band aids on problems that could have been prevented through a sound education system and a thorough understanding of cultural change. We also see the use of massive public funds to educate a small number of people who we call "gifted and talented" - leaving the intelligence and creativity of a large number of children unattended to. The 'tongkat ali society' is now manifesting itself in the crudeness of ultra-nationalistic Malay political and non-governmental groups whose libido is wrongly channeled. Instead of improving race relations and ensuring a just and equitable economic system, it is channeled towards destructive and divisive ends. The rise of the 'tongkat ali society' in Malaysia is a reality – as real as the proliferation of this libido-enhancing commodity.
DR AZLY RAHMAN, who was born in Singapore and grew up in Johor Bahru, holds a Columbia University (New York) doctoral degree in International Education Development and Masters degrees in the fields of Education, International Affairs, Peace Studies, and Communication. He has taught more than 40 courses in six different departments and have written more than 400 analyses on Malaysia. His teaching experience spans both in Malaysia and in the United States and in a wide range of teaching context; from elementary to graduate education. He currently resides in the United States.
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| Now do you know what I mean? (UPDATED with Chinese Translation) Posted: 28 Jul 2011 05:58 PM PDT
So which is it then? Is the DAP-led government of Penang neglecting the Malays or neglecting the Chinese? Can Umno and MCA please agree on this? Can we also hear whether MIC agrees with HINDRAF that it is actually the Indian Hindus who are the ones being neglected or does MIC want to contradict HINDRAF and declare that the Indian Hindus are being well looked after and are very happy, thank you very much? NO HOLDS BARRED Malaysia's Penang Wanita MCA: Why no DID projects given to Chinese (The Star/ANN) - Malaysia's Penang Wanita MCA wants to know why not a single state Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) project was given to Chinese contractors. Its chairman Tan Cheng Liang said she believed the Chinese contractors had submitted tender applications for the projects. "Has the state deemed their applications incomplete." "I am aghast and unable to comprehend why isn't a single contract awarded to a Chinese contractor," said Tan in response to Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's statement on July 27, that contractors in all five districts for the DID projects were Malays, bumiputras and Indian Muslims of which women accounted for 20%. Tan said since the DAP took over the state, not a single Chinese contractor in the five districts were given projects. "The DAP-led state government should not simply award contracts to bumiputras to make themselves look fair." "They should ensure that the contractors are capable of guaranteeing a successful completion of the projects and there will not be problems later," she said. Tan said there was proof that despite the support from the Chinese for Lim and DAP, the interest of the Chinese had been threatened after DAP came into power. "They realise that they cannot rely on the Chinese forever but I hope the curry favour among other races is not done at the expense of the Chinese," she said. ********************************* MCA is alleging that the DAP-led government of Penang is sidelining the Chinese and is favouring the Malays, Bumiputeras and Indian Muslims. MCA, in case some of you still don't know, is the second largest coalition partner in Barisan Nasional and is the original member of the Alliance Party that negotiated with the British for Merdeka for Malaya. Penang Wanita MCA chairman Tan Cheng Liang was referring to a statement Lim Guan Eng was said to have made two days ago that the DID contractors in all five districts in Penang are Malays, Bumiputeras and Indian Muslims, with women accounting for 20%. Umno, on the other hand, has claimed that since the new government took over in Penang in March 2008, the Malays have been sidelined and the 'racist' DAP-led Penang government just focuses on the Chinese. Now, while the 'husband' alleges that the Penang government neglects the Malays, the 'wife', on the other hand, alleges that the Penang government neglects the Chinese. Clearly this 'couple' no longer sees eye-to-eye on the issue of whether it is the Malays or the Chinese who are being neglected. MIC, the 'second wife', is in the meantime still foggy and blur (as usual) and is trying to figure out what stupid thing to say (as usual). MIC can't jump onto the bandwagon and allege that the Penang government is also neglecting the Indian Hindus. This is exactly what HINDRAF is claiming. So, if MIC claims the same thing, then HINDRAF can turn around and say, "Ah hah! Did we not say so? Even MIC agrees with what we say. That means HINDRAF was right all along. The Indian Hindus are being neglected." Anyway, this is what the people in Barisan Nasional are saying. Now, if someone from Pakatan Rakyat said something like this do you know what the opposition supporters would say? They would say MCA has been bought. MCA is a Trojan horse. MCA is trying to sabotage Barisan Nasional. MCA is secretly and maliciously trying to help the opposition by contradicting Umno. That is the advantage of being in Barisan Nasional. They allow you freedom to speak without calling you a traitor. But whether you still have freedom after you speak is another matter. Maybe not! But you do have freedom to speak in spite of not having freedom after you speak. So which is it then? Is the DAP-led government of Penang neglecting the Malays or neglecting the Chinese? Can Umno and MCA please agree on this? And can we also hear whether MIC agrees with HINDRAF that it is actually the Indian Hindus who are the ones being neglected or does MIC want to contradict HINDRAF and declare that the Indian Hindus are being well looked after and are very happy, thank you very much? Politicians! Now do you know why we need to guard against politicians? They will take pains to make sure that after almost 54 years of Merdeka we still focus on issues concerning Malays, Chinese and Indians and not look at things in the context of Malaysians.
Translated into Chinese at: http://ccliew.blogspot.com/2011/07/blog-post_7022.html
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| Posted: 28 Jul 2011 07:14 AM PDT
Your Honour, I am no prophet. I can't claim to be guided by God, at least not in the way the Prophets of old were. But what have we learned from the examples of the Prophets? Basically, what we have learned is we must not be afraid of challenging the system and not to fear reforms. To do that, we must speak out, debate and enter into discourse. NO HOLDS BARRED Malaysia's Internal Security Act allows the government to detain you without trial indefinitely. The initial detention is not more than 60 days during which time they will decide whether you can be released or should be further detained in the Kamunting Detention Centre. ************************************ Your Honour, first of all I thank you for the opportunity offered me to try to convince you why I should be released and allowed to go home. I realise that, normally, detainees would arrange for a lawyer or a team of lawyers to argue their case and that the proceedings are conducted in the same way as in a court of law. Your Honour, the Honourable Minister has declared me a threat to national security based on his standards and interpretation. Can one man make this sole decision on behalf of 28 million Malaysians? Does his view reflect that of the majority of Malaysians? |
| WIKILEAKS: OPPOSITION JOURNALIST DETAINED UNDER THE INTERNAL SECURITY ACT Posted: 28 Jul 2011 01:00 AM PDT
This is the second time Raja Petra has been detained under the ISA. The government of then Prime Minister Mahathir detained Raja Petra under the ISA in April 2001 for his involvement in former DPM Anwar Ibrahim initiated "reformasi" movement. He was held for 53 days before being unconditionally released, reportedly due to pressure from the King, the late Sultan of Selangor who was Raja Petra's uncle. The current Sultan of Selangor is his cousin. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUALA LUMPUR 000806
SIPDIS
FOR EAP/MTS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/12/2018 TAGS: PGOV, KDEM, MY SUBJECT: OPPOSITION JOURNALIST DETAINED UNDER THE INTERNAL SECURITY ACT
REF: KUALA LUMPUR 787
Classified By: Political Section Chief Mark D. Clark, reason 1.4 (b and d).
1. (C) Summary: Malaysian police on September 12 arrested controversial blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin under the Internal Security Act (ISA), which allows for detention without trial. Raja Petra's arrest came days after Prime Minister Abdullah threatened to use the ISA to clamp down on those allegedly stoking racial and religious tensions. The arrest stands as a warning to the growing Internet media, but also sends a signal to the political Opposition, which has vowed to topple Abdullah's coalition later this month, that the UMNO-led government could take stern measures to defend itself. End Summary. 2. (SBU) Malaysian police detained Raja Petra Kamarudin, prominent blogger and editor of the controversial website "Malaysia Today", under the Internal Security Act (ISA) on September 12. The ISA allows for detention without trial. This is the first time the Act has been implemented for blogging. Raja Petra's detention came days after Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi told reporters that the government would use the ISA on those who stoke racial and religious tensions, following inter-racial feuding in this coalition and mounting challenges to Abdullah's authority and political position (Septel). 3. (U) Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar, who approved Raja Petra's ISA detention order, told reporters that the blogger was detained under Section 73(1) of the ISA because he was deemed a threat to security, peace, and public order. The Minister explained that Raja Petra's detention came in the wake of various statements published by him in his blog "Malaysia Today," the latest being a commentary which allegedly ridiculed Islam and the Prophet Muhammad. Syed Hamid stated, "We have called and advised him many times following the publishing of his statements but he has continued to write, so much so that they (the statements) could pose a threat (to security and public order)." The Minister added that under Section 73(1) of the Act, Raja Petra would be detained for 60 days and the police will do an assessment during the period. Syed Hamid added "if they feel he should be held more than 60 days, the police will then refer to me". Traditionally the minister will accept the recommendations made by the police and sign the order under Section 8(1) of the Act, which allows the person to be detained for renewable two-year periods. 4. (U) This is the second time Raja Petra has been detained under the ISA. The government of then Prime Minister Mahathir detained Raja Petra under the ISA in April 2001 for his involvement in former DPM Anwar Ibrahim initiated "reformasi" movement. He was held for 53 days before being unconditionally released, reportedly due to pressure from the King, the late Sultan of Selangor who was Raja Petra's uncle. The current Sultan of Selangor is his cousin. 5. (U) Raja Petra's arrest came a day after the Cabinet ordered the Multimedia and Communications Commission (MCMC) to re-instate access to all blocked websites, including Raja Petra's "Malaysia Today" website (which was blocked on August 27). Energy, Water and Communications Minister Shaziman Abu Mansor stated on September 12 that the Cabinet ordered the move because there were other "harsher" laws in the country, including the ISA, to "control the irresponsible dissemination of information over the Internet and to bring those irresponsible websites and blogs to book." 6. (C) Comment: Malaysia's on-line news sources and blogs have blossomed over recent years as an alternative to the government dominated mainstream media. This trend has only increased after the March 8 elections, in which Abdullah and his UMNO party suffered a major setback. Raja Petra is considered the most outspoken and controversial Internet journalist, and is often a proponent of opposition views. Aside from his ISA arrest, Raja Petra faces sedition charges for articles implicating Deputy Prime Minister Najib in an ongoing high profile murder case. Raja Petra's arrest is another sign of insecurity on the part of Abdullah and the UMNO party. The government's use of ISA sends a strong warning to other opposition bloggers to curb their activities. This arrest may intimidate some activists, but it also could result in a backlash by the independent media and bloggers, and increase public disaffection with Abdullah's leadership. 7. (C) As PM Abdullah and his UMNO party become increasingly concerned over threats to bring down their government through the crossover of 30 more BN members of Parliament, Raja Petra's arrest also will be interpreted here as a warning to the political opposition and its leader Anwar Ibrahim. Opposition officials consistently have expressed concern that the government could invoke ISA if they advance too far. While not determinate given the fluid political situation and UMNO's disarray, today's arrest of Raja Petra lends support to the view that the UMNO-led government will take stern measures to defend itself. End Comment. 8. (U) The Embassy offers the following draft "if asked" press guidance. Q: WHAT IS THE U.S. REACTION TO THE ARREST TODAY (SEPTEMBER 12) OF BLOGGER RAJA PETRA KAMARDUDIN UNDER MALAYSIA'S INTERNAL SECURITY ACT (ISA)? A: We understand from press accounts that Malaysian police detained Raja Petra, who is associated with the "Malaysia Today" website, under an article of the Internal Security Act covering threats to "security, peace, and public order". We cannot comment further on the specific grounds for the Malaysian government's actions. We are aware that Raja Petra also faces legal complaints and charges of sedition related to information posted on the website. The United States firmly believes that freedom of the press and freedom of speech are fundamental components of a vibrant democracy. Freedom of expression is a basic right embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The peaceful expression of political views is a cornerstone of democratic rights and practice, as is the impartial application of the rule of law. (IF ASKED SPECIFICALLY ON MALAYSIA'S USE OF THE INTERNAL SECURITY ACT) A: As a matter of principle, we hope that countries refrain from using national security laws to curtail the peaceful expression of political views and media freedom. KEITH
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| Tan Kay Hock under the spotlight, again Posted: 27 Jul 2011 08:51 PM PDT
Tan Kay Hock has trained his guns on Quek Leng Chan, Low Keng Huat, Syed Mokhtar al Bukhary, Francis Yeoh, Lim Kok Thay, Chua Ma Yew, Vincent Tan, Danny Tan, Ta Kim Yan, Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, and even the Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. He is determined that all these people get sent to pasture so that he remains the last man standing. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin
Three weeks ago, there was a report concerning Tan Kay Hock's company, George Kent, getting the RM1.5 billion Ampang-Line Light Railway Transit (LRT) project. He did not say he has already got the project but that he is confident of getting it. Two days ago, the Minister of Transport announced the RM7 billion 197-kilometre Gemas-JB electrified double-tracking project (EDTP). This project has not been officially awarded to anyone yet but it appears like 'the market' already knows who may be getting it. You can read both reports below. According to the Minister, the Gemas-JB stretch is already in the final stage of design. He declined to comment whether the project, which is only due to be tendered out towards the end of this year, would be open to 'foreign parties'. Nevertheless, Tan Kay Hock, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's golf buddy, is already telling everyone that his company is going to get the job, most likely in joint venture with China Harbour Engineering Co Ltd (CHEC). CHEC is the company that is building Penang's Second Bridge in joint venture with UEM Builders Bhd, an Umno company. The bridge costs RM3 billion, up RM2 billion from the original budget of RM1 billion. (I wonder whose pocket this additional RM2 billion is going into). Many feathers are being ruffled, not because Tan Kay Hock is getting all the multi-billion projects, but because of his bragging. He is shooting his mouth off to all and sundry about his relationship with the Prime Minister. And he is bragging about how he is sabotaging all his competitors, the other tycoons. Tan Kay Hock has trained his guns on Quek Leng Chan, Low Keng Huat, Syed Mokhtar al Bukhary, Francis Yeoh, Lim Kok Thay, Chua Ma Yew, Vincent Tan, Danny Tan, Ta Kim Yan, Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, and even the Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. He is determined that all these people get sent to pasture so that he remains the last man standing. These people can accept competition. It is, after all, part of business. But what they can't accept is when you 'throw sand into their rice bowl', as what the Chinese would say. And this is what Tan Kay Hock is doing. And because of that he has made many very powerful enemies. And since they know Tan Kay Hock gets away with murder only because of his relationship with Najib, they will have to hurt Najib to get back at Tan Kay Hock. Najib already has many enemies of his own. Those enemies alone are a handful. The last thing that Najib needs are more enemies, which Tan Kay Hock is making and who will now become Najib's enemies as well. But this is good for Muhyiddin. Now, Tan Kay Hock's enemies will become Muhyddin's friends. And with them all backing Muhyiddin, and with billions at their disposal, Muhyiddin would be well poised to challenge Najib for the Umno Presidency. Sometimes this is how fate works. An enemy of my enemy becomes my friend. And a friend of my enemy becomes my enemy. So we have Najib-Tan Kay Hock versus Muhyiddin and all the rest. And Muhyiddin and all the rest make a more formidable force to take on the Prime Minister. Najib has to be careful with the friends he chooses. When your friend has too many enemies these become your enemies as well. And Tan Kay Hock will help us prove this theory. Mere speculation, you might say? Well, remember a couple of years ago Malaysia Today published Statutory Declarations signed by six police officers who alleged that the ex-IGP, Musa Hassan, had links with the Chinese underworld and that he was behind the drugs, prostitution, loan shark and gambling syndicate? The six police officers were subsequently charged for 'lying', just like I was when I signed my Statutory Declaration in April 2008. And, today, the court acquitted these six police officers. This would mean what they signed in their SDs was true and not a lie. So, did Malaysia Today lie when we said that the IGP is a crook? Six police officers said the same thing and the court agreed with them. Yes, what is 'speculation' today is proven true later. And what may be considered 'rumour' becomes fact some time down the road. So let us see whether this 'speculation' and 'rumour' about Tan Kay Hock becomes fact once his company wins the RM7 billion Gemas-JB double-tracking project -- which has not even been tendered out yet but which Tan Kay Hock is already telling everyone is his. ***************************************** Gemas-Johor Baharu double-tracking project to be tendered out by year-end, says Minister (Bernama, 26th July 2011) -- The tender for the 197-kilometre Gemas-Johor Baharu electrified double tracking project (EDTP) will be done before year-end, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha said today. The stretch is already in the final stage of design, he said, but declined to state if the tender would be open to foreign parties. "The Ipoh-Padang Besar and Seremban-Gemas lines are 70 and 90 per cent complete respectively," he added, after officiating a forum on "Powering the Rails in Malaysia," here. The Gemas-Johor Baharu sector is the final package for the EDTP. It was previously stated that the Gemas-Johor Baharu line is worth RM7 billion because it does not only comprise the building of a double-tracking system but also a transport hub with a capacity to rival the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) in Singapore. Kong said the rail sector is poised to emerge as a catalyst in the rapidly changing landscape of Malaysia's public transportation system once all the projects comes to a conclusion. He said the EDTP in the northern section is slated for completion at end-2013 and the line to Johor by 2016. Asked if the Komuter Service would be extended from Batu Caves to Selayang, he said the government is considering the possibility. "There has been a request from the public for the extension. At the moment we are still looking at the possibility. There will be a long term need for it and the extension is seen as the most viable," he added. **************************************** George Kent bullish about LRT job bid (Business Times, 7th July 2011) - George Kent (Malaysia) Bhd, an engineering group, is confident of winning the Ampang-Line Light Railway Transit (LRT)'s extension mega infrastructure project worth RM1.5 billion. The chances of getting the project is very good, its Chairman, Tan Sri Tan Kay Hock told reporters after the company's annual general meeting today. He said the company's bid for the project was strengthened by George Kent's previous experience of handling government contracts and its achievements. "We are about to hand over the RM97.75 million Kuala Lipis Hospital in Pahang to the Ministry of Health, and I guess this is one of the very few hospitals delivered on time. George Kent only tenders for projects that we think we can do, thus, we don't see any negative points for not winning the tender," he said. Prasarana Bhd is expected to announce the winner of the Ampang LRT extension project by September this year. Tan also said the company, which also produces water meters and the casing for the meters, has embarked on a RM50 million plan to upgrade its manufacturing facilities in Puchong, Selangor to accommodate higher sales in the meter and Original Equipment Manufacturing businesses. He said the present plant was already producing at a maximum capacity. With the expansion, George Kent aims to double its production capacity to two million completed meters and two million pieces of non-meter brass parts per annum. George Kent's pre-tax profit for the first quarter ended Apr 30, 2011 jumped to RM4.8 million from RM3.9 million in the same quarter last year. Its revenue, however, slipped to RM30.7 million from RM32.5 million previously. Tan said the demand for meters from Hong Kong, Macau, Middle East, Puerto Rico and Colombia remained strong. "The company has also penetrated Vietnam and Laos, where we expect good returns," he said, adding that the company expects to sustain its growth as the year progresses. |
| Have you got your halal certificate yet? Posted: 27 Jul 2011 05:39 PM PDT
Hotel operators which have yet to obtain halal certificates from the Islamic Development Department of Malaysia (Jakim) have been urged to get their certifications to ensure that the food and drinks they served during Ramadan are halal. NO HOLDS BARRED Jakim director-general Othman Mustapha said the department had simplified the certification process and it can now be obtained within a day. "We have sent out letters to them and about 80 per cent of hotels in the Federal Territories have obtained their certifications." "There are also special officers to process the certifications should an urgent approval is needed," he told reporters after opening the Federal Territories Nasyid Festival 2011 at the Islamic Centre complex, here today. He said hotel operators who failed to display the halal certificate can be fined under the Trade Descriptions Act 1972. "We will carry out operations from time to time. We will also act based on complaints from the public," he said. -- (Bernama) ****************************************** Jakim: Yes, can I help you? Hotel: Is this where I apply for the halal certificate for my hotel? Jakim: It depends. Hotel: Depends? Jakim: Yes, are you a local-owned hotel or foreign-owned hotel? Hotel: Foreign-owned. Jakim: This counter, counter number one, is for local-owned hotels. The next counter, counter number two, is for foreign-owned hotels. Hotel: Okay, thank you. Jakim: Yes, can I help you? Hotel: Hey, hold on! You're the same officer from counter number one. Jakim: Yes, we have only one officer on duty today. Hotel: But you have ten counters. Jakim: Yes, counter number one is for local-owned hotels, counter number two for foreign-owned hotels, then we have counters number three to ten for other applications like restaurants, supermarkets, and so on. Hotel: But why did you ask me to move to counter number two? Why can't you just serve me from counter number one if you are handling all applications? Jakim: Procedure. Hotel: Never mind. I want to apply for a halal certificate for my hotel. Jakim: Foreign-owned? Hotel: Yes, I already told you. Foreign-owned. Why ask again? Jakim: You told the officer at counter number one. This is counter number two. Hotel: But you are the same officer at counter number one. Oh, never mind. Jakim: Have you filled in the form? Hotel: Yes I have. Here it is. Jakim: But this is Borang A. You must fill in Borang B. Hotel: What's the difference? Jakim: Borang A is for hotels registered under the Registrar of Businesses. Yours is registered under the Registrar of Companies. So must fill in Borang B. Hotel: Where do I get Borang B? Jakim: At counter number ten. Hotel: But there is no officer at counter number ten. Jakim: I am also the officer for counter number ten. Hotel: Yes, I know, you already told me there is only one officer on duty today. So why can't you just give me the form here? Jakim: Cannot. You must go to counter number ten. Procedure. Hotel: Okay, okay, I will go to counter number ten. See you over there. Jakim: Yes, can I help you? Hotel: You know what I want. I want Borang B. Jakim: For foreign-owned hotel registered under the Registrar of Companies? Hotel: Yes, yes, yes. Jakim: No need to get angry. I am just doing my duty. Hotel: Okay, okay, I know, procedure. Jakim: Your hotel sells halal food? Hotel: Yes, we sell only halal meat, fish, vegetables…all halal Jakim: Fish and vegetables definitely halal. No need for halal certificate. Only need halal certificate for meat. You buy your meat from halal butcher? Hotel: Yes, from halal butcher. Jakim: You have the halal certificate from the butcher? Hotel: No, I don't. But there is a halal sign on the packing. Jakim: How do you know it is really halal? It could be a fake halal sign. There are many fakes nowadays. Hotel: I don't know whether it is genuine or a forgery? I go by the halal sign on the packing. The packing says the meat is halal so I assume it is halal. Jakim: Cannot. We must be sure. You must ask them to show you the halal certificate from Jakim. They can't simply put a halal sign on the packing unless they first have a Jakim halal certificate. Hotel: But my suppliers are overseas. How would they get a Jakim halal certificate? Jakim: Jakim will visit the overseas factory and check first. Then we will issue them the halal certificate. Hotel: So when can you visit these overseas factories then? Jakim: The factories must first invite us. Hotel: Then you will go there? Jakim: No, we will then schedule a visit. But they must send us the flight tickets and book the hotels for our officers at their own cost. Hotel: The factories have to pay for one of your officers to visit them so that you can certify that their factory is halal? Jakim: No, not one officer. Ten officers. Hotel: You need to send ten officers overseas just to certify that the factory is manufacturing halal meat? Jakim: Yes, if not we cannot confirm that their meat is halal. Hotel: Okay, never mind, we will stop selling imported meat and just serve local meat. Would that be okay? Jakim: Yes, that is okay as long as you can show the halal certificate from the supplier. Hotel: Okay, we also sell beer. Does the certificate cover this as well? Jakim: No, beer is haram. We cannot issue a halal certificate for that. Hotel: But we can sell beer? Jakim: Yes. Hotel: But we can't sell meat unless we can prove it is halal? Jakim: No. Hotel: Can we accept credit cards? Jakim: Yes. Hotel: But credit cards involve interest. Is that not haram? Jakim: Interest is haram. Hotel: So the meat must be halal but you can pay by credit card even though interest is haram? Jakim: That is correct. Hotel: And we can employ Malay staff who are Muslims? Jakim: Yes, you can. In fact, if you have no Malay staff you cannot get a hotel licence under the rules of the New Economic Policy. Hotel: But our hotel has a bar, disco, karaoke lounge, massage centre and everything that is haram to Muslims. We can, or must, employ Muslims? Jakim: Yes. Hotel: But their salaries would come from haram sources. Jakim: No problem. Even government staff get paid from revenue from banks, finance companies, money-lending, liquor, bars, night clubs, massage parlours, gambling, lotteries, casinos, cigarettes, and so on. Hotel: That is allowed? Jakim: Yes, allowed. Hotel: But aren't all those businesses haram? Jakim: Yes, they are haram. Hotel: So banks, finance companies, money-lending, liquor, bars, night clubs, massage parlours, gambling, lotteries, casinos, cigarettes, and so on are allowed but meat that is not halal is not allowed? Jakim: That is correct. The meat must be halal. And Jakim will not issue a halal certificate unless you can prove it is halal. So you must sponsor ten officers to go overseas for two weeks to visit the factory first before we can issue the halal certificate. Hotel: Two weeks? Why so long? Jakim: We need one whole day to visit the factory and the other 13 days for rest after the long journey. Hotel: I think never mind. We will stop selling imported meat, just sell local meat, and we will continue to sell beer and run our bar, disco, karaoke lounge and massage centre where most of our revenue comes from anyway. Jakim: No problem. Then you can get a Jakim halal certificate.
|
| Posted: 26 Jul 2011 05:20 PM PDT
But we failed to take into consideration one very important point. And this one very important point is Dr Mahathir is a more seasoned politician than we gave him credit for. And the script for the final scenario was written by him: his puppet Najib became Prime Minister instead of Ku Li who wanted then to be 'independent', reform the government, and offer the opposition a role in the government under a Unity Government. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin
To sack Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah from Umno is to precipitate the party's own implosion. Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz, Free Malaysia Today Why is Umno quiet about Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and his Amanah? The answer is that they simply can't do anything about it. Even among Umno members there is increasing disquiet about how things are managed. Saifuddin Abdullah's recent 'out-of-line' statements and Khairy Jamaluddin's conscientious objections are only tips of the icebergs. Tengku Razaleigh is merely pointing out the realities. He is still an Umno member – so what can Umno do at the moment? Umno can't sack a person of his stature without precipitating its own implosion. So go ahead- sack him and it will make the days of many. Tengku Razaleigh is of course mindful of the possible repercussions of his actions. He may not be fielded as an Umno candidate in the next elections. He may lose the support of Gua Musang Umno. Current Umno leaders inconsequential The last time I spoke to him, he was telling me of these reservations. I pointed out to him that his victory doesn't just depend on Umno votes. It depends on the rakyat. Given the history of seeing only 60 % of Umno members voting for their own candidates and 60 % of Malays voting for non-Umno candidates in the last general election, I would rate his chances as being above average. The opinion of the present Umno leadership is quite simply inconsequential. So that is why Umno is quiet about the whole thing. At the moment this is what Amanah provides. Amanah provides platform for speaking out against the abuses on the Merdeka heritage. READ MORE HERE: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/07/27/umno-cant-risk-sacking-ku-li/ **************************************** What I am about to say is in response to the article above. It is not something new but what I have said many times in the past. In fact, in my more than one hour interview with TV3 in Perth, I touched on this issue. Unfortunately, TV3 was not 'brave' enough to air that part of my interview. First of all, because of the way Malaysian elections are conducted, even if Barisan Nasional garners just 45% of the popular votes it will still be able to form the federal government. This is the reality of the situation and this is why we need BERSIH -- to reform the electoral system to change this state of affairs. For Pakatan Rakyat to be able to form the federal government it would need to garner at least 60% of the popular votes. And this is almost impossible if we do not reform the system. Maybe 50% of the popular votes would be possible. But 50% would not give Pakatan Rakyat the federal government. It has to be at least 60%. This means, short of a massive revamp of the system, it would be impossible for Pakatan Rakyat to form the federal government. And this means we may need to look at Barisan Nasional for the next Malaysian Prime Minister (unless Pakatan Rakyat can do the 'impossible' and garner 60% of the popular votes). Let's be very clear about one thing. I would love to see the Prime Minister come from Pakatan Rakyat. Whether this 'someone' from Pakatan Rakyat is Anwar Ibrahim or Nizar Jamaluddin or Lim Guan Eng or whoever is secondary at the moment. This is not the issue we need to discuss just yet. The issue is, for the meantime, who from Barisan Nasional should be the Prime Minister. And that was why six years ago back in 2006 we looked at the possibility that this someone from Barisan Nasional, which therefore also meant someone from Umno, has to be someone who is prepared to embark upon a reform agenda. And this someone, due to lack of any other more suitable alternative, would have to be Tengku Tan Sri Razaleigh Hamzah a.k.a. Ku Li. And with that in mind, bloggers, political activists, and civil society members from both sides of the political divide got together to see how Abdullah Ahmad Badawi a.k.a. Pak Lah could be ousted and replaced with Ku Li. Meeting after meeting was held. Ex-Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was also approached and a few meetings were held with him as well. And it was agreed that Pak Lah would be ousted and Ku Li would replace him. But there was one condition that Dr Mahathir stipulated and which Ku Li could not agree to. And that one condition was: once Pak Lah is ousted and Ku Li takes over, a Presidential Council would be formed and the new Prime Minister would be 'guided' by this Council. This is just like how the nine Rulers rule, through state Royal Councils. But this Presidential Council would be slightly different. It would be a de facto Prime Minister Council. Ku Li, of course, did not agree to this and so Dr Mahathir decided to back Najib Tun Razak instead. Najib agreed to become the rubber-stamp Prime Minister with the Presidential Council as the de facto Prime Minister. The question would be: who will head this Presidential Council -- basically the de facto Prime Minister? And the answer is: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. This, in short, meant that Dr Mahathir would become the de facto Prime Minister while Pak Lah's successor would be just a rubber-stamp Prime Minister. Then, along came the number two of the Special Branch of the Military Intelligence, Kol Azmi Zainal Abidin, who claimed he had documentary evidence that Rosmah Mansor and her ADC (and husband) were at the scene of Altantuya Shaariibuu's murder. This most damaging report would thus disqualify Najib and would put Ku Li back in the lead. The day after I signed my Statutory Declaration, Dr Mahathir summoned Tan Sri Sanusi Junid to his office and asked him whether he had read my SD. Sanusi at first did not know what Dr Mahathir was talking about. After Sanusi had read my SD, Dr Mahathir retorted, "Raja Petra has just killed our horse. We need to find a new one." However, before the final nail could be hammered into Najib's coffin, Kol Azmi did a U-turn and claimed that all the evidence had been removed from the Military Intelligence office and had been destroyed. He also claimed that no copies were made. Instead of hammering the final nail into Najib's coffin, it was hammered into my coffin and Najib went on to become the new Prime Minister while Ku Li was shafted in the arse (along with me of course). Is Ku Li going to be a better Prime Minister? That is what many may ask. The question should be whether Ku Li would be a better Prime Minister than Najib. And whether with Ku Li as Prime Minister, we would have a problem of a Rosmah Mansor acting like Queen Marie Antoinette of France. And whether with Ku Li as Prime Minister we would have a de facto Prime Minister calling the shots and playing the role of the real power behind the throne. Ku Li made one thing very clear, which unsettled Dr Mahathir like hell. And that one thing is: he would become an 'independent' Prime Minister who would press for reforms and even consider forming a 'Unity Government' with the opposition. On the basis of these three promises, we decided to back Ku Li as the new Barisan Nasional (Umno) Prime Minister. This was back in 2006, two years before the March 2008 general election and one year before the November 2007 BERSIH rally. No one knew then how the opposition was going to perform in the following general election due in 2008 or 2009. In fact, at that time, there was no Pakatan Rakyat. Pakatan Rakyat had not even been formed yet. And DAP was still an 'independent' opposition party and not part of any opposition coalition. So, our only bet then, in the absence of a strong and viable opposition coalition, was to try to influence changes within Umno and back the best man who could become Prime Minister and bring reforms to Malaysia. I stress, this was back in 2006, five years ago. And back then this appeared to be the best alternative. But we failed to take into consideration one very important point. And this one very important point is Dr Mahathir is a more seasoned politician than we gave him credit for. And the script for the final scenario was written by him: his puppet Najib became Prime Minister instead of Ku Li who wanted then to be 'independent', reform the government, and offer the opposition a role in the government under a Unity Government. |
| WIKILEAKS: PM ABDULLAH'S POSITION ERODED AFTER TUMULTUOUS WEEK Posted: 26 Jul 2011 01:00 AM PDT
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim dispatched his lieutenants to Taiwan with the avowed aim to complete talks with BN members of Parliament who would crossover to bring down Abdullah's government. At the same time, the Opposition alliance stated the September 16 deadline to topple the government could slip. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KUALA LUMPUR 000805
SIPDIS
FOR EAP/MTS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/12/2018 TAGS: PGOV, KDEM, MARR, MY SUBJECT: PM ABDULLAH'S POSITION ERODED AFTER TUMULTUOUS WEEK
REF: KUALA LUMPUR 787
Classified By: Political Section Chief Mark D. Clark for reasons 1.4 (b and d).
SUMMARY 1. (C) Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi has seen his political position eroded during a tumultuous week of mounting challenges from within his United Malay National Organization (UMNO), his coalition partners, and the opposition. While struggling to regain cohesion within his National Front (BN) coalition in the face of inter-racial tensions, UMNO leaders have raised new questions over Abdullah's 2010 transition to his deputy Najib Tun Razak, creating fresh doubts that Abdullah can gain his party's reelection in December. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim dispatched his lieutenants to Taiwan with the avowed aim to complete talks with BN members of Parliament who would crossover to bring down Abdullah's government. At the same time, the Opposition alliance stated the September 16 deadline to topple the government could slip. The chief of the armed forces clarified that the military would remain apolitical, but could be called out via proper legal channels to assist with internal security. Abdullah emerged from an UMNO meeting to state that the government could use the Internal Security Act (ISA), and its detention without trial provisions, to preserve internal security; on September 12 the government made good on this threat by detaining controversial blogger Raja Petra. End Summary. RACIST COMMENTS PROMPT UMNO LEADERS MEETING 2. (SBU) To quell growing animosity and tension between UMNO and its ethnic Chinese partners in the National Front coalition resulting from caustic racist comments from Penang UMNO division leader Ahmad Ismail, PM Abdullah was forced to hold a meeting of the BN Supreme Council on September 9 and a gathering of the UMNO Supreme Council on September 10. The BN leaders referred the matter to UMNO to take action against its own member. After a three hour meeting, the UMNO Supreme Council decided to suspend Ahmad from the party for three years, stripping him of all of his official duties. Despite this ruling, Ahmad remained defiant and suggested his Penang division quickly would create a new role for him. Some of Abdullah's detractors in the party, like Selangor warlord Khir Toyo, came to Ahmad's defense. The Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and the Chinese-dominated Gerakan party voiced their appreciation for UMNO's decision, but also called for a stop to further racially incendiary remarks. 2010 TRANSITION UNRAVELING? 3. (C) As Abdullah and UMNO attempted to douse heated racial tensions that damaged the BN coalition, this week also witnessed the fraying of UMNO's acquiescence to Abdullah's plan to hand over power to DPM Najib in 2010. The most direct blow came from International Trade and Industry Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, an UMNO Vice President who is considered a potential candidate for Deputy Prime Minister should Abdullah step down. Muhyiddin stated on September 10 that Abdullah should resign well before the June 2010 transition date. Muhyiddin noted that the initial promise of this two-month old proposal, meant to assuage concerns about Abdullah's sagging popularity and party support, had now "sunk away". Reacting during a televised press encounter, Abdullah was visibly angered by Muhyiddin's comment. Abdullah questioned why Muhyiddin would challenge the transition plan when the UMNO Supreme Council had already approved the transition and its timing. On September 12, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak appeared to contradict Abdullah and shift his position away from Abdullah's deal, stating that delegates at the December UMNO party elections should approve the transition and its timetable. Other important UMNO leaders have revived their calls to eliminate high quotas for the number of nominations needed to contest leadership positions in the party polls, a system which now heavily favors Abdullah. MAHATHIR SEEKS RETURN TO UMNO 4. (SBU) Complicating matters further for Abdullah, former PM and former UMNO President Mahathir, who quit UMNO on May 19 after expressing disgust with Abdullah's leadership, is considering returning to the party. A smiling UMNO Vice President Muhyiddin told reporters September 9 that Mahathir was persuaded by him, Tengku Razaleigh and several other veteran UMNO leaders at a private meeting at Mahathir's residence on September 6 to rejoin UMNO to help "fix the problems" afflicting the party. Foreign Minister and senior UMNO official Rais Yatim later joined other party leaders in welcoming Mahathir's proposed return to the fold. Mahathir reportedly is now backing his former nemesis, Tengku Razaleigh, to unseat Abdullah in the December UMNO party elections. Commenting tersely on the possible return of Mahathir, whose harsh criticisms of the Prime Minister continue unabated, Abdullah stated September 11 that the UMNO Supreme Council will decide on the issue as "this is a party matter." THE OPPOSITION ATTEMPTS TO COUNTER TAIWAN PLOY... 5. (SBU) Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim meanwhile sought to keep the pressure on UMNO and BN by dispatching four senior officials from this Peoples Justice Party's (PKR) to Taiwan, supposedly to meet with BN MP's who may crossover to bring down Abdullah's government. BN had hastily arranged a "study tour" to Taiwan for BN members of Parliament, September 8-17, in what is widely viewed as a ploy to thwart September 16 crossovers. PKR said their officials would attempt to finalize the crossovers (the opposition requires 30 to claim the majority and topple Abdullah's government). OPPOSITION ADMITS SEPTEMBER 16 COULD SLIP 6. (SBU) As PKR announced its officials were going to Taiwan to finalize crossovers, the opposition People's Alliance (Pakatan) also issued a statement suggesting that the September 16 deadline for toppling BN could slip. The three-party alliance of PKR, the Democratic Action Party (DAP) and the Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS), in a September 11 release, explained that the September 16 deadline may have to be postponed due to the Taiwan trip by the BN MPs. However, the coalition expressed confidence that a change of federal government "would happen soon." Subsequently, BN officials announced that many of the MPs would be returning early from Taiwan, hinting that this should eliminate excuses for Anwar not meeting his September 16 deadline. ARMED FORCES TO STAY OUT OF POLITICS, BUT STILL ON CALL 7. (SBU) Malaysian Armed Forces Chief General Abdul Aziz Zainal stated at a press conference September 11 that the armed forces have been and will remain apolitical. The General gave his assurance following questions and criticism from opposition and civil society quarters over his statement on September 9, urging the government to take stern action against anyone stoking racial sentiments in the country and thereby threatening national unity. "The armed forces are highly professional and apolitical", Abdul Aziz clarified on September 11, and would only get involved in internal matters if requested through the legal process by the authorities or police. He explained, "Our (the military's) secondary role is to support the police and government agencies in any form of operations where our presence is requested -- such as for internal security, humanitarian and disaster relief operations.8 General Abdul Aziz refused to comment when asked by reporters whether he would support a new government, adding "I do not know of any (impending) changes in government." ABDULLAH THREATENS USE OF THE INTERNAL SECURITY ACT 8. (SBU) PM Abdullah stated September 10, following the UMNO Supreme Council meeting, that he did not rule out the possibility of invoking the Internal Security Act (ISA), which allows detention without trial for those who threaten national security. He added that the Home Minister, who has the authority to approve ISA detentions, would "think twice or even three times" before deciding to take that step, but "if the minister thinks that it is an appropriate action to be taken, then he will take it." 9. (SBU) The Prime Minister said that in the September 10 Cabinet meeting, his Ministers expressed concern and described race relations in the country as showing "not so good signs," and that a number of sensitive issues which were not openly discussed before were being raised. Although the government has managed to control the situation thus far, he added that "we cannot allow a fiery situation to prevail as it could jeopardize the peace and security of our country." Responding to a question on whether the government would curtail freedom of speech in the country, the PM explained that there was no such thing as absolute freedom anywhere in the world, noting "People cannot just say whatever they like, in the name of free speech, to the extend that it can offend and hurt others and jeopardize security." MAKING GOOD ON THE THREAT 10. (SBU) Abdullah's government made good on the threat by arresting controversial blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin at his home on September 12, using the ISA. Home Minister Syed Hamid confirmed to reporters that police had detained Raja Petra under the ISA provision for persons who pose threats to "security, peace and public order." Raja Petra has repeatedly enraged the BN government by, among other things, blunting attacking senior political leaders, connecting DPM Najib to a murder scandal, and condemning the sodomy allegations against Anwar. Raja Petra currently faces sedition and defamation charges. Septel provides more details of the arrest and provides suggested press guidance. COMMENT 11. (C) Abdullah has endured a rough week, one that has eroded his political strength. The current tone of the direct and indirect challenges to his position are similar to those he faced in the first six weeks after the March 8 election debacle when his continuation in office was an open question. Two factors are increasing the pressure on Abdullah at this point. First, UMNO has become unnerved in the face of Anwar Ibrahim's threat to bring down the government this month, and the greater Anwar's menace, the more UMNO elites consider replacing Abdullah with a stronger figure. Second, the UMNO divisional elections, which select delegates to the December party polls, begin on October 9 almost immediately following the Muslim holidays at the end of the Muslim fasting month. Those leaders who wish to challenge Abdullah's reelection and his two-year transition to Najib must stake out their positions now and maneuver for support, or the opportunity quickly will be lost. KEITH
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| Posted: 25 Jul 2011 08:20 PM PDT
Yes, in Mekah and Medina there is no banned sect of Islam. In Mekah and Medina everyone is just plain Muslim and we are allowed to pray side-by-side with them and behind imams who are Salafis or Wahhabis. But when we come back to Malaysia, we ban them, arrest them and declare that they are deviant Muslims and terrorists whom Malaysians must not follow. NO HOLDS BARRED Malaysia appears to have many enemies of the state. The colour yellow. Words such as 'Reformasi', 'Hindraf', 'Bersih', 'Altantuya', etc. Shiah and anything at all within the scope of non-Sunni Islam. Communists. Jews. Gays. Democracy. Gatherings. Marches. Rallies. Free speech. Bahasa Malaysia Bibles. Proportional representation in Parliament and the State Assemblies. Opposition political parties. You name it and they are all enemies of the state as far as Malaysia is concerned. The Malaysian government is scared of its own shadow. And now Wahhabism is the latest addition to the list of 'banned items'. The article 'The Wahhabi Myth' addresses the fallacies connected to Wahhabism or Salafism as follows: The 'Wahhabi' Myth by Haneef James Oliver clarifies many of the gross inaccuracies and outright lies that have been attributed to the belief of the Salafi Muslims (often referred to as "Wahhabis"). Karen Armstrong speaks about the difference between Osama bin Laden's sect (Qutbism) and Salafism/"Wahhabism" in a Guardian article entitled "The label of Catholic terror was never used about the IRA": "Bin Laden was not inspired by Wahhabism but by the writings of the Egyptian ideologue Sayyid Qutb, who was executed by President Nasser in 1966. Almost every fundamentalist movement in Sunni Islam has been strongly influenced by Qutb, so there is a good case for calling the violence that some of his followers commit "Qutbian terrorism." Qutb urged his followers to withdraw from the moral and spiritual barbarism of modern society and fight it to the death. Read more here: http://sinningslave.wordpress.com/ The bottom line is, anything that does not comply with my beliefs, standards, ideology, doctrine and whatnot is just not on and is haram. That was how things were back in the Middle Ages. Either you are with me or you are against me. And if you are against me then you are my enemy and you must die a violent and painful death. The problem is, while the civilised world has abandoned these old Middle Ages ways and beliefs, in the developing world -- such as in Malaysia -- we are still living in the Middle Ages and still adopting what the civilised world has long abandoned. In short, as the previous Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said: Malaysia is a country with First World infrastructure but Third World mentality. And this statement came from the Malaysian Prime Minister himself. And do you need me to quote what one-time Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said about the mentality of Malaysians? No, I thought not. I better not quote anything from Dr Mahathir lest you all froth and foam at the mouth like rabid dogs. Tens of thousands of Malaysians go to Mekah and Medina every year for their Haj and Umrah. To date, millions of Malaysians have performed both the main and 'small' pilgrimages. And what do they do in Mekah and Medina? They pray side-by-side with the Shiah, Wahhabi, and many other sects of Muslims -- behind an imam of the Grand Mosque in Mekah and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina who are Salafis or Wahhabis. Yes, in Mekah and Medina there is no banned sect of Islam. In Mekah and Medina everyone is just plain Muslim and we are allowed to pray side-by-side with them and behind imams who are Salafis or Wahhabis. But when we come back to Malaysia we ban them and arrest them and declare that they are deviant Muslims and terrorists whom Malaysians must not follow. I watched a movie last night about a gang of robbers that the FBI was trying to track down. They had some suspects but could not get a warrant to put them under 24-hours surveillance. It would be very difficult to convince the court, said the FBI boss, unless one of them converts to Islam. What does that tell you? It tells you that Islam is dangerous and Muslims are terrorists. If one of the bank robbers were a Muslim then the court would readily waive his fundamental rights. That is of course a made-in-America movie where anything Islam is bad and Muslims are terrorists. I suppose they are not that wrong when even the Malaysian government labels Wahhabis or Salafis as terrorists. And is not Malaysia a perceived Islamic country and did not Umno say it is the largest Islamic party in the world? When the Christians and Jews call Muslims terrorists, they are prejudiced. When Muslims call Muslims terrorists, this is a statement of fact and proves what the West suspected of Islam -- that it is a terrorist religion. And did I not say many times that Muslims are Islam's greatest enemy? ************************************ Wahhabi alert will damage ties with Saudi Arabia, says PAS By Shannon Teoh, Malaysian Insider PAS said today that Putrajaya was damaging ties with key Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia, home of the religion's two holy cities of Mecca and Medina, by placing ulamas suspected of practicing Wahhabism on a terror watchlist. PAS vice president Datuk Mahfuz Omar told reporters today that the move by the National Security Council (NSC) to monitor scholars such as influential former Perlis mufti Asri Zainul Abidin was an overreaction that could jeopardise ties with the country where Wahhabism is the dominant form of Islam. "This will hurt ties with Saudi Arabia and give a negative perception towards Malaysia," the Pokok Sena MP said. About 26,000 Malaysian Muslims travel annually to perform the Haj in Mecca, one of the largest national quotas given by the kingdom. Malaysia has asked for another 10,000 places as nearly 700,000 are on the waiting list. Deputy president Mohamed Sabu also mocked the Najib administration's move, calling it a "fiction and propaganda." The Malaysian Insider reported yesterday that the NSC met and ordered state muftis and religious agencies to monitor and take action against the traditionalist Islamic practice that has been linked to terrorism. Maverick scholar Asri was first linked to Wahhabism and the terrorists group Jemaah Islamiah (JI) early last year, along with PAS President Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, former Perlis mentri besar Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim dan Perlis Mufti Juanda Jaya. The Malaysian Insider understands that Abdul Hadi and Shahidam Kassim have been omitted from the watchlist. Two Umno lawmakers have come to the defense of Dr Mohamed Asri Zainul Abidin, insisting that the Najib administration has wrongly labelled the maverick former Perlis mufti as a potential terrorist threat. Both Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said that the NSC had overreacted over a difference of opinion by raising a terror alert over fears that Wahhabism was being revived. *********************************** Asri not a terrorist, say Umno MPs By Shannon Teoh, Malaysian Insider Two Umno lawmakers have come to the defence of Dr Mohamed Asri Zainul Abidin, insisting that the Najib administration has wrongly labelled the maverick former Perlis mufti as a potential terrorist threat. Both Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said that the National Security Council (NSC) had overreacted over a difference of opinion by raising a terror alert over fears that Wahhabism was being revived. The Malaysian Insider reported yesterday that the NSC met and ordered state muftis and religious agencies to monitor and take action against the traditionalist Islamic practice that has been linked to terrorism. "Asri is not a terrorist," Saifuddin said on micro-blogging site Twitter yesterday. The Temerloh MP told The Malaysian Insider later that "I disagree with labelling someone as a Wahhabi, leading to calling him a terrorist. This only divides Muslims." Khairy also said in a statement that reports that Asri and other Muslim scholars have been placed on a watchlist for as "Wahhabis and terrorists... is an overreaction." "I see no subversive action or effort by Asri that qualifies him as a terrorist," the Rembau MP added. The Malaysian Insider also reported that the NSC meeting listed several prominent leaders as Wahhabis including a group of young Islamic scholars who joined Umno last year. Although he did not follow suit in joining the senior partner in the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, Asri, who has been linked to Wahhabism in the past, is said to wield considerable influence over young Muslim scholars. Saifuddin also told The Malaysian Insider that Wahhabism was practiced in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. "Does this mean that Malaysian Muslims should no longer perform the Haj (in Mecca)? We can have differences of opinion in Islam. We should not let this bring us to labelling others as Wahhabi or terrorists," he said in a text message. Khairy also agreed that it was unacceptable that someone was accused of terrorism without being allowed to offer an explanation. Asri was first linked to Wahhabism and the terrorists group Jemaah Islamiah (JI) early last year, along with PAS President Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, former Perlis mentri besar Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim dan Perlis Mufti Juanda Jaya. The Malaysian Insider understands that Abdul Hadi and Shahidam Kassim have been omitted from the watchlist.
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| Posted: 24 Jul 2011 11:24 PM PDT
I sometimes wonder whether this is genuine stupidity or whether Jho Low is a Trojan horse who is doing all this very cleverly and intentionally to accelerate Najib's downfall. Why allow Najib's enemies easy access to ammunition? Jho Low seems to be offering Rosmah's and Najib's head to their enemies on a silver platter. NO HOLDS BARRED "Jho Low pays record price for NY condo, nearby to Rosmah's favourite jeweller," said Wong Choon Mei of Malaysia Chronicle on 21 July 2011. In that story she goes on to say: Remember Jho Low? Yes, apart from Paris Hilton, whizz-kid Jho is also very close to Prime Minister Najib Razak's wife Rosmah Mansor. In fact, the 29-year old Penang boy has just bought a super-luxury penthouse in New York at a sky-high price that has set tongues wagging amongst the property agents there. Incidentally, the condo is just a 10-minute walk from Rosmah's favourite jewellery retailer Jacob & Co, from whom she has been reported to have bought a RM24.4 million ($8 million) 'natural fancy blue-gray cushion-cut' diamond ring. And in case Rosmah, who is not known to be fond of exercise, prefers to be driven, Jacob & Co at 48, East 57th Street is just a 3-minute whizz away by stretch limousine. Business ties Jho is also connected in some way - directly or indirectly - with several very important investment and financial entities. These include Najib's prized RM15 billion 1Malaysia Development Berhad, the RM10 billion Terengganu Investment Authority, UBG which is the former banking arm of Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud's family business, as well as the oil-rich Mid-East firm PetroSaudi. No, this is not a business article to unravel the amount of filth contained within the dealings of this nest of firms. Malaysian Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim said it best when he described 1MDB as Najib's political "slush fund" to prop up Taib and his cronies. Some in the financial circles even say the complex paper trail that surrounds the firms' inter-dealings would surely provide an ideal way to launder some of the possibly illicit money that may flow through the network. Read more here: http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=16215:remember-jho-low?-this-is-what-he-has-been-doing-lately&Itemid=2 ************************************** What makes this revelation even more interesting are the four links Malaysia Chronicle added below that story under the sub-heading of 'Related Story': 1. Who is he? M'sian billionaire splashes RM14.5bil on super-yacht 2. The Rosmah ring: 24mil RM or US$, tupperware party or VVIP exhibition 3. Rosmah in hot soup over gargantuan RM24.4mil diamond ring 4. VIDEO Rosmah's RM24.4mil diamond ring Wong Choon Mei is known to be closely linked to PKR leader, Tian Chua. It seems as though Malaysia Chronicle is suggesting that Jho Low, who is in turn closely linked to 'First Lady' Rosmah Mansor, is not only the man behind the purchase of the most expensive yacht in history but is also the man who couriered that very controversial ring to Malaysia. According to the whispers in Putrajaya, Jho Low sent the ring to Malaysia for Rosmah to look at and whether it has now been sent back to New York, as alleged, or is still in Malaysia, is not known. And, if it has been sent back to New York, whether this is because Rosmah did not like it or whether it is because of the controversy surrounding this ring -- and therefore it is too hot to allow it to remain in Malaysia -- is also not known. Whatever it may be, Jho Low's name seems to be linked to not only the purchase of this very expensive super-luxury New York penthouse but also to the yacht and the ring. Anyway, that is what they say and we only go by what they say, whether this is true or not. But what we do know, and this is a fact, the 3M team of Mahathir-Muhyddin-Mukhriz are going to town on this issue. Jho Low is close to those who walk in the corridors of power, in particular the 'First Family of Malaysia'. And anything he does will always be linked back to the 'First Family'. There is no avoiding this. Is Jho Low just too stupid? Does he not know that he is under close scrutiny and anything he does will lead back to Rosmah's and Najib's door? And do Rosmah and Najib not know that the 3M team is gleefully awaiting his downfall so that a new 'First Family' can be installed in Putrajaya? When Najib cancelled his one-week holiday in Europe and rushed back to Malaysia after meeting the Pope in Rome (and which Najib publicly thanked Rosmah for her 'sacrifice') we already smelled a rat, a big smelly rat. Why would Najib cancel his holiday and rush back to Malaysia unless there was some sort of major emergency? And an emergency this serious can only mean his throne is under threat. And, lo and behold, when Malaysia Chronicle came out with this story of the super-luxury penthouse in New York and linked this story to the story of the yacht and Rosmah's ring, the whole thing became very clear. We are probably seeing history repeating itself here. Back in the days of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi they used Khairy Jamaluddin as the catalyst to bring Pak Lah down. Now, the catalyst is Rosmah Mansor. And Jho Low's stupidity is making this possible. Why are Jho Low and Rosmah making it so easy for the 3M team to make their move? I would have thought that since Jho Low is now so high profile and everything he does makes the front page he would not want to do anything that attracts so much attention. And buying the most expensive yacht in history and a super-luxury penthouse in New York, plus sending a very expensive ring to Rosmah by courier, is certainly the height of stupidity. I sometimes wonder whether this is genuine stupidity or whether Jho Low is a Trojan horse who is doing all this very cleverly and intentionally to accelerate Najib's downfall. Why allow Najib's enemies easy access to ammunition? Jho Low seems to be offering Rosmah's and Najib's head to their enemies on a silver platter. The Umno blogs are working overtime to dispel talk that Rosmah bought that ring. This is actually true and the Umno blogs are not lying. Rosmah did not buy the ring. Jho Low sent it to her. But why send the ring to Rosmah by courier? Surely a ring that expensive can be sent to Malaysia through other means and in secrecy. This is probably the most stupid thing Jho Low has ever done (if it was stupidity in the first place and not done on purpose). And with the story of that ring linked to the story of the record-breaking yacht and the super-luxury penthouse in New York, just doors away from the jewellers, the 3M team has everything it now needs to start working on an early retirement for Najib. No wonder Najib had to cancel his holiday and rush back to Malaysia. Najib probably thought it would be safer to reclaim his throne before he finds it in someone else's hands. And we do not need to be a Harvard graduate to figure out who this someone else is.
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| WIKILEAKS: Anwar becomes opposition leader in Parliament Posted: 24 Jul 2011 01:00 AM PDT
Anwar's Political Secretary Sim Tze Min and PKR electoral chief Saifuddin Nasution told Poloffs that the opposition plan to achieve a majority in Parliament by September 16 remains "on" but others, including PKR Vice President Azmin Ali, were more cautious, noting "we'll see." More detached observers remain highly skeptical of Anwar's ability to meet his self-proclaimed deadline, but do not deny, given his present momentum, that the opposition leader could eventually prevail. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUALA LUMPUR 000765
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EAP/MTS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/28/2018 TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, PINR, KDEM, MY SUBJECT: ANWAR SWORN IN AT PARLIAMENT
REF: A. KL 759 ANWAR WINS RESOUNDING VICTORY B. KL 753 INDICATORS ALL POINT TO ANWAR VICTORY C. KL 743 GOM PLAYING HARDBALL
Classified By: ACTING POLITICAL SECTION CHIEF W. GARY GRAY, REASON 1.4 (B AND D).
1. (C) Summary. Anwar Ibrahim, still savoring his landslide by-election victory, was sworn into Parliament on August 28 after being officially confirmed as leader of the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) opposition alliance. His first intervention was to question the merits of the DNA identification bill which the ruling coalition planned to pass later that day. Some key Anwar aides seemed to be hedging on their leader's stated pledge to oust the Government by September 16 and neutral observers were even more skeptical, but most agreed that Anwar is now enjoying a surge of momentum. A suddenly more assertive mainstream media is portraying the BN as mired in old thinking and old methods, in contrast to the more cutting edge tactics effectively employed by the opposition in Permatang Pauh. End Summary. 2. (C) Parliament was the center of attention on August 28 as Anwar Ibrahim, followed by a large media entourage, entered to be sworn in by Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia at the beginning of the session. The Speaker also formally announced that the PR parties had unanimously selected Anwar as Opposition Leader in Parliament. Star newspaper chief editor Wong Chun Wai, (recalling a conversation with PM Abdullah a few days before) told Poloffs that PM Abdullah himself had overruled underlings who wanted to delay Anwar's entry into Parliament and ordered that the newly-elected MP be sworn in as soon as possible. Anwar, again mobbed by reporters upon re-emerging from the chamber, chided the BN for spending "billions" in Permatang Pauh but failing to win over voters with its negative race-based campaign. Having harshly criticized the media over the past several weeks, Anwar told the assembled journalists that he knew "your hearts were in the right place even though you have to write what your bosses order." In that regard, state-owned RTM (Radio-Television Malaysia), which normally broadcasts the first 30 minutes of every Parliament session, began its coverage only after Anwar's swearing in. 3. (C) The mainstream media, with the notable exception of Malay language publications, has exhibited uncharacteristic boldness in the wake of the by-election, with a number of articles sharply critical of the BN's campaign in Permatang Pauh and expressing grudging admiration for the opposition alliance's operation. Star editor Wong told us he had resisted pressure to downplay Anwar's triumph and insisted on reporting it in banner headlines. Such openings have appeared in the past only to be slammed shut, and the GOM sent a message on August 27 by ordering all 21 Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in the country to block access to Raja Petra's controversial Malaysia Today website (www.Malaysia-Today.net). The site remains accessible, however, through an alternate link. Raja Petra charged that the GOM had breached its own commitment not to censor the internet during the promotion of Malaysia's own version of Silicon Valley, the Multimedia Super Corridor. 4. (C) While Anwar held court outside, in the chamber opposition MPs voiced their objections to the DNA identification bill, which Home Affairs Minister Syed Hamid was pushing to pass by the end of the day. Anwar himself returned to make his first intervention, questioning the Government's motives for trying to rush through the bill, widely seen as targeted at Anwar's own ongoing sodomy case (Ref C). Opposition MPs acknowledged to us that they had no hope of delaying the legislation and expected it to pass, but as noted (Ref A), the bill must pass through the upper house, not scheduled to meet until December 1, before becoming law. 5. (C) Anwar's Political Secretary Sim Tze Min and PKR electoral chief Saifuddin Nasution told Poloffs that the opposition plan to achieve a majority in Parliament by September 16 remains "on" but others, including PKR Vice President Azmin Ali, were more cautious, noting "we'll see." More detached observers remain highly skeptical of Anwar's ability to meet his self-proclaimed deadline, but do not deny, given his present momentum, that the opposition leader could eventually prevail. Saiffudin maintained that Anwar is now clearly winning the electoral game, but what remains is winning over the critical institutions, especially the police and the military. He claimed, however, that compared to ten years ago, Anwar and the opposition are in far better shape in this regard to having, won over a number supporters within the various key state institutions. He acknowledged that the Police Special Branch was especially critical in this regard, expressing the hope that SB personnel, better than anyone else, knew which way the political winds were blowing and would want to emerge on the winning side or at least hedge their bets. 6. (C) Our PKR interlocutors continued to exhibit some nervousness about PAS's reliability as a coalition partner. While gratified with what they saw as a sterling PAS performance in supporting Anwar in Permatang Pauh, they worry that elements within PAS, especially its youth wing, will continue to issue extreme pronouncements that alienate other coalition partners. They also concede that any new balance of power resulting from MPs crossing over to Anwar's side must include sufficient numbers of Malay/Muslims to avoid alienating PAS. In addition to the fragility of the PR, of course the next serious obstacle for Anwar is his upcoming sodomy trial. GOM sources continue to suggest that they have what they see as some sort of convincing evidence up their sleeve. This presumably would be revealed upon the beginning of the trial, the date of which will be determined when the court reconvenes on September 10. KEITH
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They pointed out that several contradictory statements made by his administration gave the strongest signal that Najib was increasingly seen as a liability for UMNO and Barisan Nasional.
Deliberate mishandling
"History will repeat. Tun (Mahathir) was forcefully sidelined by UMNO to save the Malay party, because he had become the biggest liability... The strategy proved to work. Pak Lah won big in the 11th general election in April 2004, in fact it was the biggest victory in UMNO's history," wrote the PAS central committee member.
In the 2008 general elections, PSM's Dr Kumar (right) stood and won the Sungai Siput constituency against MIC President Samy Vellu.
As in the 2008 general elections, PSM / Third Force has forged a strategic alliance with Pakatan which is committed to overthrowing the BN coalition and to reinstating our basic freedoms, liberal democracy and human rights.
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