Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Malaysians overseas will be allowed to vote
- Hudud a dream, says Seng Giaw
- Guan Eng: We follow PR consensus that Anwar is prime minister
- Hindraf is with Karpal on hudud, Islamic state
- Analysts: Hadi as PM is a moot issue
- Hadi as PM: Is Najib responsible?
- PAS: Implementing hudud our right, no forcing of non-Muslims
- Woman's death shows risks of putting the church before civil law
- Asean leaders ink declaration
- Calls mount to scrap ASEAN human rights plan
- PM Abdullah urges Islamic teachers to be more understanding
| Malaysians overseas will be allowed to vote Posted: 18 Nov 2012 06:19 PM PST
Pakatan Rakyat MPs were also promised by the Election Commission that Rela officers would remain as normal voters. G Vinod, FMT The Election Commission (EC) today promised to get the Parliament to gazette regulations to allow Malaysians overseas to vote in the next general election. DAP MP Anthony Loke said this at a press conference held at the Parliament lobby today. Also present were PKR MPs Fuziah Salleh and Nurul Izzah Anwar. This was revealed to the parliamentarians by the EC is a meeting held at the Parliament secretariat room. The meeting was chaired by EC chairman Abdul Aziz Yusof and his deputy Wan Ahmad Wan Omar. The nearly three hours meeting was attended by about 50 MPs from both sides of the political divide. Loke, who is Rasah MP, said he was glad by the assurance given by the EC. However, he also reminded the electoral body that they had only two weeks to gazette the required regulations. "I told them that they only have two weeks. The next parliamentary session will be held only after the 13th general election," he said. Loke added that Abdul Aziz also promised that military and police officers would be called for advanced voting, instead of being postal voters, for the general election except for those serving overseas and at the borders. "He also assured that Rela officers will not be postal voters and categorised as normal voters," he said. On related matter, Fuziah said that Pakatan leaders were concerned over some reports that Rela officers may be turned into postal voters and Abdul Aziz's assurance was timely. The Kuantan MP said that a parliamentary constituency would have between 8,000 and 10,000 Rela members, which could affect an area's electoral results.
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| Posted: 18 Nov 2012 03:25 PM PST
DAP vice-chairman criticises politicians for continuing to raise issue 'despite futulity of it' (The Malay Mail) - PAS's vision of implementing hudud is as good as building castles in the air. DAP national vice-chairman Dr Tan Seng Giaw said the notion of implementing hudud law in Malaysia was "pure politics, nothing else". "In order to implement it, you need a two-thirds majority in Parliament and then only can the Constitution be amended," he told reporters after addressing a crowd at Kepong Baru from the party's new election campaigning vehicle, the "Dream Machine". "Are you sure you can get the two-thirds majority? I say, dream on." Tan said all religions, including Islam, did not espouse their followers to force their beliefs upon other people, and the matter of institutionalising Islamic law should be treated as such. He criticised politicians for continuously raising the matter despite the futility of it. "You know it cannot be done, why talk about it?" he said. PAS had previously called for the implementation of hudud law, and the Opposition's victory in several states after the 2008 general election had only served to bolster its claims. However, several key leaders within DAP have opposed the idea. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak had said implementing hudud law was not feasible in a multi-ethnic country like Malaysia but had yet to reveal Umno's stand on the issue. On another matter, DAP is planning to increase the number of vehicles to be used for campaigning in the lead up to the elections. Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai, who was present at the event, said DAP had one 22-wheeler truck, called the "Dream Machine", that will be used for campaigning. However, to meet popular demand, the party is planning to use another two 22-wheeler trucks for campaigning. "We have received too many requests from people for us to make more visits to their constituencies," he said. Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng and Bukit Bintang MP Fong Kui Lun were also present at the event. Lim said the "Dream Machine" will spend at least a day in each state.
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| Guan Eng: We follow PR consensus that Anwar is prime minister Posted: 18 Nov 2012 02:32 PM PST
(The Star) - The DAP is sticking with the consensus made by the Pakatan Rakyat that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim be Prime Minister if the coalition wins in the general election. DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said it has always been Pakatan's stand that the candidate for prime minister should be the Opposition Leader. "As far as DAP is concerned and based on what Pakatan had agreed, we go by the consensus and the choice for prime minister is Anwar." "We stick by what has been agreed all along," he told reporters when at the Parliament lobby. On PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang's statement that he welcomed calls that he be made prime minister, Lim said: "He has the freedom of expression and right to say it." Hadi told reporters after the party's congress over the weekend that he was thrilled to be prime minister. The Ulama and Muslimat wings of the party also reiterated their demands for Hadi to lead the nation.
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| Hindraf is with Karpal on hudud, Islamic state Posted: 18 Nov 2012 02:15 PM PST
Hindraf Makkal Sakti feels that more Pakatan Rakyat leaders must speak up against PAS' extreme Islamist stand (FMT) - DAP chairman Karpal Singh is the lone voice against PAS' Islamist stand and this does not auger well for the non-Muslims in the country. Hindraf Makkal Sakti feels that when other Pakatan Rakyat leaders do not speak up againt PAS, the right of non-Muslims will be pushed aside if the coalition comes into power. Hindraf chairman P Waythamoorthy said DAP and PKR leaders' silence raised suspicions that they would not defend the rights of over 12 million non-Muslim citizens if PAS pushed for an Islamic state. He said their silence suggested that MCA theory of PAS to establish Islamic theocracy by amending the Federal Constitution with the help of all Muslim MPs from Pakatan and Barisan Nasional could be right. "Will PKR and Umno MPs vote against PAS Islamist initiatives? It is a million dollar question that only time will answer," the Hindraf leader told FMT here today. He said Hindraf like many other concerned NGOs were baffled on why others in DAP and PKR, especially non-Muslim leaders like Lim Kit Siang and his son Guan Eng, were silent on this issue. "Just imagine if there was no Karpal, no one in Pakatan would be voicing out against PAS.The DAP supremo is the only leader defending non-Muslim rights. Right thinking citizens should back him. He critised PAS of being fanatical in establishing an Islamic state and introducing hudud law, pointing out that an Islamist agenda was unconstitutional and would rock the very foundation of formation of Malaysia in 1963. He reminded that freedom of religion and, absolute protection of rights of natives to their own land, religion, culture and custom were among main conditions agreed upon by all parties when Malaysia was formed with merger of Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore.
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| Analysts: Hadi as PM is a moot issue Posted: 18 Nov 2012 02:13 PM PST
Pundits shrug of calls at PAS muktamar as having little importance. Patrick Lee, FMT Political pundits attach little importance to calls for PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang to become Malaysia's next prime minister. At least four prominent analysts seem agreed that it will not affect Pakatan Rakyat's solidarity. They said the opposition alliance had firmly decided on Anwar Ibrahim's premiership even if some PAS members were averse to the idea. "This will not cause a rift in Pakatan because its leadership has formally agreed that Anwar will be picked as PM," said James Chin, a professor at Monash University. Chin was referring to the repeated endorsement of Abdul Hadi as premier-in-waiting during last weekend's PAS muktamar. Delegates who made the call included those of PAS's Ulama wing. Independent analyst Khoo Kay Peng said the PAS leader was never in the running for the prime minister's position. "I don't think this will be taken seriously, unless it is endorsed by the highest of PAS's leadership," he said. Furthermore, he added, Abdul Hadi might not make a better PM than Anwar, given their large differences in experience and international image. He noted that Anwar had held various ministerial posts, including that of deputy prime minister. Denison Jayasooria, a research fellow at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, said having a well-balanced federal cabinet was more important than deciding who should be PM. He also advised Pakatan to focus more on a comprehensive policy direction rather than on the PM's position. Universiti Malaya's Azmi Sharom said the question was premature and would not matter if Pakatan were to lose the coming general election. He pointed out that a potential PM needed first to win a seat, win the confidence of the majority of Parliament and have the endorsement of the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong. He said that there was no way, at present, of knowing whether either Anwar or Abdul Hadi would win a seat in the 13th general election.
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| Hadi as PM: Is Najib responsible? Posted: 18 Nov 2012 02:06 PM PST
Was there a 'deal' between Anwar Ibrahim and Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak over Sodomy II; leading to the PAS dilemma over Anwar? Teoh El Sen, FMT Firebrand blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin has suggested that there may have been a 'deal' between Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim prior to the latter's acquittal in the Sodomy II charge in January this year. In his latest posting "Does ABU equal to Anwar-for-PM?", Raja Petra said that about a month before Anwar was acquitted, there was already news filtering out from Umno that Anwar would be freed, adding that the information came from 'high-ups' in Umno and was told to him by lawyer-activist Haris Ibrahim. "Sam [Haris] received from his contacts in Umno that Anwar would be acquitted from the 'Sodomy 2' charge. The information that Sam received was that Najib had made a deal with Anwar. However, it was not too clear what type of deal it was," wrote Raja Petra. He said that Anwar's acquittal would 'more or less confirm' that the latter had turned "Umno Trojan horse". Raja Petra also referred to the latest statements by the PAS Ulama and Muslimat wings' supporting party president Abdul Hadi Awang to be made prime minister, saying that this may have been in response to Anwar's unexpected acquittal. "We were not the only ones caught gasping by Anwar's acquittal. PAS, too, could not accept Anwar as prime minister. But for them to renounce Anwar would have been 'bad politics'. However, if Anwar were convicted for Sodomy 2, then the problem would solve itself. "Due to Anwar's conviction for Sodomy 2, he would be disqualified from becoming prime minister even if Pakatan Rakyat wins enough seats to form the next federal government," he wrote. "If Anwar had been convicted for Sodomy 2, it would have been considered 'good politics', said Raja Petra. According to Raja Petra, jailing Anwar would have had a adverse effect on Barisan Nasiona (BN). "The sympathy factor would be high and Anwar could be 'marketed' as a martyr and a victim of injustice. Having Anwar in jail would benefit the opposition a great deal. "Plus it would solve the additional problem of not having him as the Prime Minister in the event Pakatan Rakyat gets to form the federal government," he said. Was acquittal an independent decision? Raja Petra said PM Najib may have realised that acquitting Anwar worked better for BN than putting him in jail. "Najib, too, knew that PAS did not want Anwar as prime minister. Hence the prime minister would be doing PAS a favour by putting Anwar in jail. "But if Anwar were to be acquitted, then PAS would face a dilemma. Do they (PAS) keep quiet and accept Anwar as prime minister or do they openly declare that they cannot accept Anwar as prime minister?" "Was Anwar's acquittal an independent decision by the judge or was the judge's decision to acquit Anwar a brilliant political move by Najib to drive a wedge between PAS and PKR (plus also now between PAS and DAP it seems)?"
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| PAS: Implementing hudud our right, no forcing of non-Muslims Posted: 18 Nov 2012 10:22 AM PST
(Bernama) - PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang has stressed that hudud is PAS' right to implement in this country when the time comes. "Hudud is our right, and we (PAS) will not be enforcing hudud on non-Muslims as they have their own religion. For example, Muslims caught drinking liquor will be punished under hudud law but not the non-Muslims," he told reporters at the end of PAS' 58th Annual Muktamar (General Assembly), here, yesterday. Hadi said a study done by PAS showed that many non-Muslims supported the implementation of hudud as they had no confidence with the existing law. The hudud issue rose again when the party's Dewan Ulama chief, Datuk Harun Taib said PAS would definitely implement hudud if the opposition group comes into power after the upcoming general election. However, this was disputed by several DAP leaders including its national chairman, Karpal Singh. On PAS-DAP relations, Hadi said it was different from that between Umno and MCA because DAP accepted Islam's position as stipulated in the Federal Constitution, while the question of rejecting hudud was another matter. Asked about the suggestion by the muktamar delegates for Hadi to be appointed prime minister, he said they were free to speak "but the most important thing is to ensure the opposition wins the upcoming elections first". On the preparations for the elections, Hadi said everyone in PAS was in the mood to do battle and a joint manifesto of the opposition allies would be drawn up, besides the manifestos for the respective states.
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| Woman's death shows risks of putting the church before civil law Posted: 18 Nov 2012 10:18 AM PST
(Brisbane Times) - One person's religious freedom must end where it hurts another's right to health or happiness - or, as in Halappanavar's case, the right to life itself. As protesters outside the Irish Parliament last week pointed out, Halappanavar had a heartbeat, too.
It is said that the best way to get a bad law overturned is to enforce it. When people see its consequences, the truism goes, they will be so appalled that public support for change will build up an unstoppable head of steam.
The death of Savita Halappanavar might do just that for the women of Ireland.
Halappanavar, 31, was 17 weeks pregnant with her first, much-wanted baby when she went to Galway's University College Hospital in pain. Doctors told her that her cervix had opened and amniotic fluid was leaking. Her pregnancy was ending and there was no hope for the child.  "One person's religious freedom must end where it hurts another's right to health or happiness - or, as in [Savita] Halappanava's case, the right to life itself." Photo: AP Over the next three days, in agonising pain, Halappanavar repeatedly begged for an abortion to get the miscarriage over quickly. Could doctors not induce the labour so she could give birth sooner?
Advertisement According to her husband, Praveen, the consultant told them this was not possible because there was still a foetal heartbeat and ''this is a Catholic country''.
That heartbeat stopped after four days and only then was Halappanavar taken to have the contents of her womb removed. She developed septicaemia, or blood poisoning, and was dead three days later.
Obstetrics 101 tells us that sepsis is more likely if the mother's membranes stay ruptured for a long time, or if she retains ''products'' in her womb after miscarriage, termination or delivery. A dilated cervix is like a open wound.
Halappanavar's homeland of India is aghast and there have been diplomatic flurries of concern. Three separate inquiries are under way into the catastrophe and no doubt there will be findings as to whether or not medical negligence was a factor.
That was a straw eagerly clutched by some defenders of the Irish Catholic Church after the scalding rage that erupted over Halappanavar's case.
''It has nothing to do with the church,'' one deeply Catholic woman assured me sharply. ''It sounds like medical negligence. And, anyway, it happened in a state hospital.''
She was channelling Pontius Pilate washing blood from his hands. In Ireland, politics is deeply intertwined with Catholic doctrine and the institutional power of the church - and the church's tough stance against abortion has protected a near total ban on the procedure.
Ireland still has on its books 1861 legislation that makes it a crime to procure a miscarriage. A 1983 amendment to the constitution acknowledges the right to life of the unborn child but is also meant to give equal right to the life of the mother.
In 1992, Ireland's Supreme Court was forced to interpret that during the case of X, a suicidal 14-year-old rape victim. The government was trying to stop her going to Britain to abort the pregnancy that had resulted from the rape. The court ruled that if there was a substantial risk to the mother's life - her life, but not her health - it would be lawful to terminate. Irish governments have prevented that judgment from coming into effect by failing to pass laws that would affirm and clarify it.
More than 4000 Irish women each year go to Britain to end pregnancies, according to British health statistics, with almost one in 10 Irish pregnancies ending in British abortion clinics. An unknown number go to other European countries. ''Abortion tourism'', they call it.
Years ago, it could be argued that the influence of church doctrine on the Irish government was democratic - the majority believed in Catholic teachings, so it was fair enough that they were reflected in Irish law and that church leaders were consulted about planned legislation.
But that is no longer the case. A poll in The Irish Times found that 77 per cent now believe abortion should be permitted in some circumstances. Other polls have found the hold of the church is weakening more generally - 77 per cent of Irish now think there should be female priests, 90 per cent want married priests and 70 per cent say the church's teachings on sexuality are not relevant to them at all.
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| Posted: 18 Nov 2012 10:17 AM PST
(The Star) - Addressing concerns that the declaration was not up to international standards, Najib said Malaysia's stand was that the country had its own norm and values. Asean leaders have adopted the Asean Human Rights Declaration at the 21st Asean Summit here. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak signed on behalf of the Malaysian Government at the Peace Palace yesterday where the summit is being held. The Asean Human Rights Declaration states that every person is entitled to certain rights regardless of race, gender, age, language, religion and political opinions, among others. The declaration also states that the rights of women, children, elderly and disabled persons and migrant workers are an integral and indivisible part of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Addressing concerns that the declaration was not up to international standards, Najib said Malaysia's stand was that the country had its own norm and values. "In fact we feel that the declaration has points which are better than the universal declaration of human rights," he told the Malaysian media after attending the first day of the summit. The Prime Minister said Malaysia rejected any inclusion of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights in the declaration. "It depends on your values and norms and we reject LGBT but it does not mean any weakening in terms of the principle of human rights," he said. "The leaders did not discuss Malaysia's stand and they have accepted it. We have signed it and as far as we are concerned Asean countries have accepted (our stand)." Asean secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan said the adoption of the declaration was a major development and member states were ready to commit themselves to it. "Asean shall pursue the protection and promotion of human rights in the region in our own way and also try to maintain the highest standard as expressed in various declarations and instruments of the international community," Surin told a press conference here. On his meeting with Myanmar President Thein Sein, Najib said he had expressed Malaysia's concern over sectarian violence which had resulted in internally displaced persons in Rakhine state. "Malaysia noted that while Rakhine is a very sensitive issue to Myanmar, it has generally been very forthcoming and cooperative to concerns raised by Malaysia," he said.
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| Calls mount to scrap ASEAN human rights plan Posted: 18 Nov 2012 10:14 AM PST
(Al Jazeera) - The draft hasn't been published officially but a copy obtained by Al Jazeera shows that these principles would require that human rights and freedoms be "balanced with the performance of duties" and be subject not only to regional and national "context" but limited on a variety of grounds including "national security", "public order" and "public morality". Ten Southeast Asian nations are set to sign a declaration critics say will degrade, not protect, human rights. Leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will sign the group's first-ever declaration on human rights on Sunday with a clear statement on the supremacy of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights in an attempt to ease concerns that their own document falls short of international standards. Indonesia's Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa told Al Jazeera that there would be no delay and that the Phnom Penh Statement would include a "very clear assertion" that the implementation of the Asean declaration will be in accord with the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. "If we were now to doubt and decide to delay there's no guarantee that it will ever come back," he said on Saturday. "We have to seize the moment." In a grouping that includes the Communist governments of Vietnam and Laos, as well as the monarchy of Brunei and the more vibrant democracies of Indonesia and the Philippines, it has taken years of sometimes tense negotiation for ASEAN to get this far. The commissioners who helped draft the document insist the declaration should be seen as a starting point, rather than an end in itself. 'Good start' "Some countries are conservative, some are more liberal so we have to come to a melting pot of all these diversities," said Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, Malaysia's Commissioner to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights. "It's a good start. From here you can only go upwards." The United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights, Navi Pillay, as well as groups such as Amnesty International, have called on ASEAN to delay the adoption of the document.
The main point of contention is the declaration's General Principles. The draft hasn't been published officially but a copy obtained by Al Jazeera shows that these principles would require that human rights and freedoms be "balanced with the performance of duties" and be subject not only to regional and national "context" but limited on a variety of grounds including "national security", "public order" and "public morality". "We are very disappointed and actually, outraged, that such standards are being adopted," said Yap Swee Seng, Executive Director of the Bangkok-based Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development. "If ASEAN adopts the declaration, the credibility and reputation of ASEAN will be dented in the eyes of the international community." Cambodia, the group's current chair, is battling accusations of deepening human rights abuses including the forced eviction of people from their land. In the run up to the summit, it tried to close down a series of workshops and discussions arranged by regional and local NGOs. Organisers say they were forced to cut short events after venue owners were intimidated and hundreds of participants found themselves ordered out of the Phnom Penh guesthouses where they were staying. They were allowed, however, to hold a peaceful rally outside Cambodia's National Assembly, although riot police kept watch. 'Living document' The process of drafting the text has been left mostly to the ten AICHR commissioners, most of them government appointees. The Commissioners say that discussions were held at the national level although there were only two regional consultations with civil society groups: one in Kuala Lumpur in June and another in Manila in September. The UN's Pillay says the process would have benefited from being more open. "This is not the hallmark of the democratic global governance to which ASEAN aspires, and it will only serve to undermine the respect and ownership that such an important declaration deserves," she said in a statement. | |
| PM Abdullah urges Islamic teachers to be more understanding Posted: 18 Nov 2012 10:12 AM PST
(Channel News Asia, 2007) - Mr Abdullah says: "This is not something that cannot be done. It has happened before. Those who have decided to leave the religion for some reason, they don't want to be Muslims anymore, what can you do? If they want to leave the religion, what are you going to do?" Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi has called on the country's religious departments to listen to the problems raised by those wanting to renounce Islam and find a solution for them. He was speaking to reporters after opening an Islamic conference in Putrajaya on Monday.
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