Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- PKR launches election website
- Nurul Izzah to tell JAIS apostasy row is Utusan’s fault
- Non-MPs barred from Parliament PC area
- ‘I am disappointed with Nurul’
- ‘Stop targetting Nurul’
- Cops search home of suspect’s sister in royal Facebook slur probe
- Malaysian government's Malay policy failure
- Bahrain revokes citizenships of 31 people
| Posted: 07 Nov 2012 05:56 PM PST
www.demirakyat.my is the central point of information on the party's election efforts, says Nik Nazmi. Anisah Shukry, FMT PKR today launched a website to canvass netizens for votes in the coming election. PKR communications director Nik Azmi Nik Ahmad told reporters www.demirakyat.my would serve as the party's main election platform and the central point for information on its election efforts. "The website is the place the public can visit to find out all they need to know about their candidates," he said. "All our election materials, including candidate lists, will be included on the site. "It will allow netizens to share our election messages, speeches, visuals and other paraphernalia either directly with people in their communities or with their virtual communities in Facebook and Twitter, for instance." Most important, Nik Nazmi quipped, would be the "donation page" because the "resource-strapped PKR" needed funds for its campaign. The site informs donors how their money will be put to use. For example, a donation of RM100 would allow PKR volunteers to reach out to voters residing in rural areas. "The website is a call to action and will be increased in capacity to display information about all election candidates as we progress to the general election," Nik Nazmi said. He said he expected www.demirakyat.my to attract large traffic, adding that it had been receiving 1,500 hits a day even before it was launched. He said the target groups included Malaysians living overseas who might not return in time for the general election but could contribute in ways other than voting for Pakatan Rakyat candidates.
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| Nurul Izzah to tell JAIS apostasy row is Utusan’s fault Posted: 07 Nov 2012 03:31 PM PST
Mohd Farhan, Darwis, The Malaysian Insider Nurul Izzah Anwar, who has been accused by Umno of supporting apostasy for Muslims, will meet Selangor religious officials tomorrow to explain to them that she has been the victim of slander by Utusan Malaysia, the newspaper owned by the Barisan Nasional (BN) party. The PKR vice-president's statement, at a public forum on "Islamic State: Which version, whose responsibility?" in Subang Jaya last Saturday, has resulted in attacks from several religious hawks and Umno politicians suggesting that her remarks meant she supported Muslims renouncing Islam and turning "murtad" or apostate. "I will go to JAIS office at 11am tomorrow to lodge a complaint against Utusan Malaysia for their slander against me," Nurul Izzah (picture) told the media in the Parliament lobby today, referring to the Selangor Islamic Religious Department. Yesterday, popular Islamic scholar Datuk Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin defended her, and pointed out that her remarks that Malays also have freedom of religion meant there was no compulsion in Islam. Mohd Asri was also reported as saying that Nurul Izzah's initial remark could have been misconstrued because it was not explained in detail. He said the first-term federal lawmaker had contacted him to help explain to the public her statement and that he agreed with her remarks that there was no compulsion in Islam. In Parliament yesterday, deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Dr Mashitah Ibrahim said that legal action may be taken against Nurul Izzah. Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad also joined Muslim conservatives in dismissing the view that there is no compulsion in Islam, telling those professing the faith not to get too "carried away by western ideals". Earlier this week, Nurul Izzah said she will take legal action against Umno-owned dailies Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian for allegedly twisting her statement in a recent forum. She has reportedly denied that she is supporting apostasy among the country's Malay-Muslim community. Race and religion issues are inseparable in Malaysia, where the Malays — who make up 60 per cent of the 28 million population — are constitutionally defined to also be Muslims.
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| Non-MPs barred from Parliament PC area Posted: 07 Nov 2012 03:11 PM PST
Dewan Rakyat Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia says this iss because non-MPs are abusing Parliament grounds. Patrick Lee, FMT Anyone who is not a member of Parliament will no longer be allowed to speak to the media at a special press conference area within the Parliament lobby. Dewan Rakyat Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia said the space, reserved for MPs, was misused by others to give press conferences. "This is for those people who purposely use Parliament facilities to sit with the MPs for coverage," he told reporters in his chambers. At the same time, he said that people were still allowed to speak to the media within Parliament grounds, so long as it wasn't within the special press conference area. There had been many times during Parliament sessions when groups or individuals were invited by various MPs to speak to the media. In many cases, some of them had been members of these MPs' own political parties, and would sometimes take charge of these press events. Earlier today, Pandikar told the Dewan Rakyat that with immediate effect, the press conference area could only be used by MPs. Invoking Standing Order 93 and 94, he said the matter would be relayed to the Prime Minister, the Minister in charge of Parliamentary Affairs, the Opposition Leader and the head of Parliament's Administration. At the time, none of the MPs present in the House stood up to object. Pandikar also said that some Parliaments around the world did not even allow the press to enter their grounds. He added that even India's Parliament had a special press conference area outside its gates.
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| ‘I am disappointed with Nurul’ Posted: 07 Nov 2012 02:46 PM PST
The lawyer who posed the sensitive question on religious freedom is disappointed that the PKR leader has changed her stand. Leven Woon, FMT A lawyer who posed the question on religious freedom to PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar during a forum last Saturday is disappointed with the politicians 180 degree turn. Siti Kasim, a member of the Bar Council human rights committee, said she was disappointed that Nurul had "retracted" her remark. "I believe Nurul was just trying to impress the people, she didn't think of the consequences," she told FMT. Siti said Nurul should have stood firm on her remark that freedom of religion was a right for all including the Malay-Muslim. "There's nothing wrong about it, she is saying the truth. I expected a hoo-ha after that. But as a politician, you just need to stick to the truth," she added. She wondered if Nurul was merely adjusting herself to the largely non-Muslim audience on that day and making a political remark. At the forum titled "Islamic state: Which vision? Whose responsibility?", Siti asked Nurul whether freedom of religion should be extended to the Malays since the PKR leader talked about the issue in her speech. Siti said while Nurul did not mention about apostasy in her response, the latter however was a clear supporter of freedom of religion for the Malays. "In the following days she 'retracted' her remark, and said she did not support apostasy. But indirectly when you say you support freedom of religion, and if Malay wants to get out from Islam, that's apostasy," she pointed out. The Orang Asli rights advocate said she once posed the same question to Nurul's father, Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, but failed to get a direct response. "He was going around the bush and didn't answer directly. We want politicians to be straight forward," she said. Meanwhile, Siti said it was high time for the issue to be debated as the Federal Constitution did not exclude the Malays from their right to freedom of religion. She said the individuals who criticised Nurul were the conservatives who insisted that their version of religion was the correct one.
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| Posted: 07 Nov 2012 02:43 PM PST
A MIC leader and a business group express disappointment with the wave of attacks launched against the PKR vice-president. RK Anand, FMT Caught in the eye of a religious storm, PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar is staring at the possibility of being probed by the Islamic authorities. But an outspoken MIC leader cautioned the powers-that-be against "doing to her what was done to her father." Party communication chief S Vell Paari said Nurul – whom he described as "one of the few bright sparks in a pitch black room" – should not be hauled up over a political vendetta. Furthermore, he added that Nurul had explained herself. In 1998, Nurul's father Anwar Ibrahim was sacked as the deputy prime minister. He was then charged with sodomy and corruption, which Anwar claimed were trumped up by his former boss turned arch nemesis Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Anwar, now the opposition leader, was once again charged with sodomy in 2008 but had been acquitted this year. Once again, he accused his political rivals of hatching a plot. Conceding that he had no authority to comment on issues pertaining to Islam, Vell Paari explained that he was looking at the matter from a different vantage point. "While it is common for politicians to sing a different tune and issue threats of legal action when the heat is turned on, Utusan however is not the benchmark for free and accurate reporting either. "So Utusan's reports must be taken with not a pinch but rather a fistful of salt," he added. The MIC leader also took a swipe at Mahathir for claiming that Nurul was influenced by the ideals of Western liberalism. Firstly, he said it was wrong for the former premier to presume that the daughter of his nemesis had supported apostasy, when there were two versions to the dispute. Secondly, Vell Paari said Mahathir should stop blaming everything on the West as if this part of the world was free from sin. "If these critics feel that the West is the root of all evil, then they should stop wearing tailor-made designer suits and stop being chauffeured around in continental cars," he quipped. On a more serious note, Vell Paari said the latest controversy highlighted once again how the political climate in Malaysia was now enveloped in hate and fear. "Politics of hate and fear have become the staple diet in this country with both sides of the divide indulging in such antics to seek mileage. This must stop. "Both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat leaders must cease this unhealthy brand of politics as it impedes the maturing process of this nation," he added. Give them room to express Meanwhile, Malaysian Indian Business Association (Miba) president P Sivakumar was also disappointed with the attacks launched against Nurul. He told FMT that the younger generation of leaders must be given the scope to express themselves without fear of reprisals, be it from their seniors or the authorities.
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| Cops search home of suspect’s sister in royal Facebook slur probe Posted: 07 Nov 2012 12:42 PM PST
(FMT) -- The police paid a pre-dawn visit this morning to the rented home of Asiah Abd Jalil, sister to Ahmad Abd Jalil ― the man being investigated for allegedly criticising the Johor sultan ― and searched the premises without a warrant, just hours after the family held a gathering at the landmark Dataran Merdeka here last night pushing for his release from detention.
Asiah told The Malaysian Insider four policemen had knocked on the door of her rented home in Klang at about 6.30am today and initially asked to record her family's statements. The family declined as they were rushing to Johor Baru where Ahmad was to be presented before a magistrate at 2.30pm today. The police then asked to search the home she shares with her children and another brother, to which she agreed after consulting her lawyer, Fadiah Nadwa Fikri. "They conducted a thorough search but it was done in a professional manner. They asked for permission and allowed my mother and I to cover our aurat before entering," Asiah said over the phone as the family drove through Seremban. "They said they were looking for something but we have no idea what they're looking for." Asiah said she believed the police had gone to her Klang house because it was the address listed on Ahmad's MyKad even though he no longer lived there, having moved to Damansara Damai recently. Ahmad, a 27-year-old quantity surveyor was arrested at his office in Cheras on November 2 and hauled to face the Johor police for allegedly posting seditious remarks against the Johor royal house on Facebook. Yesterday Johor CID deputy director Asst Comm Nor Azizan Anan denied that Ahmad had been forced to confess to the crime while under police interrogation. Ahmad was remanded a further three days from Tuesday under Section 233 (1)(b) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 for his alleged Facebook insult against the Johor Sultan. Section 233 deals with an "improper use of network facilities or network service, etc". Section 233(1)(b) stipulates that "a person who initiates a communication using any applications service, whether continuously, repeatedly or otherwise, during which communication may or may not ensue, with or without disclosing his identity and with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any person at any number or electronic address, commits an offence". |
| Malaysian government's Malay policy failure Posted: 07 Nov 2012 10:16 AM PST
(PressTV) - It was designed to close the vast economic gap between the Malays and non-Malays, especially Chinese. Watch video at: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/11/07/270955/malaysian-governments-malay-policy-failure/ When the New Economic Policy was introduced in 1970, the majority Malays only controlled 3% of the economy. The policy gave Malays a host of special privileges, including in getting government contracts, lower interest rate loans and places in university, aiming to increase their economic share to 30%. But critics say most of the benefits have just gone to big companies close to the ruling party. The organisation representing businesses owned by Malays who are also known as Bumiputera says despite a huge increase in membership, Malay businesses are still struggling. The government says the policy has narrowed the economic gap, reduced poverty among Malays, created a sizeable middle class and prevented tensions between Malays and non-Malays from boiling over. Prime Minister Najib Razak has acknowledged that the implementation of the policy has been flawed. Najib has floated the idea of moving to a system of helping those most in need regardless of their race. But he is facing resistance from conservatives in his party who still want to maintain all the privileges for the Malays.
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| Bahrain revokes citizenships of 31 people Posted: 07 Nov 2012 09:59 AM PST
Some of those stripped of citizenship were never accused of committing a crime, the opposition claimed (Al Jazeera) - The decision, they said, "is intended to punish them for expressing peaceful dissent and thereby intimidate others from exercising their right to freedom of expression." List of 31 people, many of them activists and two former MPs, comes amid ongoing government crackdown on opposition. Bahraini authorities have revoked the citizenships of 31 people, among them two former members of parliament, for having "undermined state security," state news agency BNA reported. The names of the 31 activists, including brothers Jawad and Jalal Fairuz, both ex-MPs who represented the opposition Shia al-Wefaq party, were listed in Wednesday's report, which quoted an interior ministry statement. Also named was Ali Mashaima, son of prominent activist Hassan Mashaima who is head of the Shia opposition movement Haq and who is serving a life sentence for allegedly plotting against the monarchy. The government move comes after Bahrain late last month banned all protests and gatherings to ensure "security is maintained," after clashes between Shia-led demonstrators and security forces in the Sunni-ruled country. The Gulf state, Bahrain, home to the US Fifth Fleet and strategically situated across the Gulf from Iran, has experienced unrest since February 14 last year when protests erupted calling for democracy. Hundreds of people were arrested when the security forces, aided by troops from neighbouring Saudi Arabia, crushed the uprising within a month. However, protests resumed months later and happen on a regular basis in villages around the country. Many activists, some whose names appear on Wednesday's list, were tried in a special military court set up at the time. Another former MP and leading al-Wefaq member, Matar Matar, told AFP that some named on the list were acquitted by the military court while others were never charged with "undermining state security." Other opposition sources said that some of the named activists are currently living abroad. 'Grave concern' According to the International Federation for Human Rights, 80 people have died in Bahrain since the unrest began. Two local rights groups -- The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights and the Bahrain Center for Human Rights -- voiced "grave concern" over the decision to revoke the citizenships. "The BYSHR and the BCHR express grave concern over the systematic targeting of prominent political activists, former members of parliament, clerics and others," they said in a statement. The decision, they said, "is intended to punish them for expressing peaceful dissent and thereby intimidate others from exercising their right to freedom of expression."
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