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Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Minister urges employers not to hire by race
- Pakatan’s ties do not bind, says Dr M
- Hadi Awang says ready to challenge Najib in Pekan
- Leave religious matters to relevant bodies, political parties told
- Lawyer denies giving false information on Suaram
- Klang leaders back Karpal’s proposal
- Anti-hopping Bill ‘against federal laws’
- DAP campaign lorry stolen
- Trouble in Sabah: PKR’s ‘ori’ vs ‘photocopies’
- Manikavasagam to be dropped?
- Do they know what we want?
- Johor’s Malay vote may thwart Pakatan’s quest for Putrajaya, say leaders
| Minister urges employers not to hire by race Posted: 02 Nov 2012 07:17 PM PDT
(TMI) - Employers in this country have been reminded not to practice racial discrimination in the recruitment of workers. Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said they should be transparent and not put certain conditions that prevent certain races from joining their organisations. "If there is evidence of discrimination, the ministry can take action against the employer in accordance with the provisions of existing laws," he told reporters after opening Batu Caves Library in the compound of Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple here today. Subramaniam was commenting on a study by a news portal on the tendency of employers in Malaysia to favour a particular race than other races. He added the ministry would examine the basis of the study before taking further action if necessary. At the event, Subramaniam donated books to the library that has nearly 6,000 titles in Tamil literature and religion. |
| Pakatan’s ties do not bind, says Dr M Posted: 02 Nov 2012 07:14 PM PDT
(TMI) - Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad regards the co-operation among the opposition parties as temporary and only to win the coming general election. Unlike the Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties, which had close co-operation and understanding among them for 55 years, he said there was often no consensus in the opposition Pakatan Rakyat pact and no plans for the future. "We must remember that the pact is not a coalition. It is an unwritten agreement to co-operate to fight BN, that's all," he said. He noted that certain quarters were reported to want to give a chance to the opposition in the upcoming general election, thinking that they were like BN. Speaking to Malaysian journalists after delivering a public lecture to about 1,000 guests comprising university students, academicians and corporate figures from all over Sudan yesterday, Dr Mahathir said the opposition did not have a development agenda for the country, much less to look after the interest of the people. "What has been promised is to raise to 20 per cent the (petroleum) royalty for some state governments. So, other states without oil will lose out and this means only the states which have oil can be developed. "Even now, with the 5 per cent royalty we pay, they are so rich, far richer than other states," he said. On the opposition's shadow cabinet, which was said to be still vague, the country's fourth prime minister said it was normal. "They have the ambition to rule Malaysia. As such, they need to set up what is called a shadow cabinet but it is only a shadow. "They find it difficult to select a leader because everyone wants to be a leader. Anwar Ibrahim (the opposition leader) thinks he will be prime minister but other people also have big ambitions." Dr Mahathir said promising to have 10 to 15 deputy prime ministers in the shadow cabinet was just bait for the opposition parties to co-operate. A foreign newspaper recently pointed out that Anwar's interest in a shadow cabinet had remained vague, despite expressing his interest a few times since the last general election in 2008. The report said the shadow cabinet model, found mainly in Britain and Australia, would mark each individual cabinet minister who play a role in criticising the current government and its policies, while offering alternative solutions. Dr Mahathir who arrived in Khartoum Wednesday, earlier opened the Malaysia-Sudan Trade and Investment Forum, here. He will leave for Oman today. |
| Hadi Awang says ready to challenge Najib in Pekan Posted: 02 Nov 2012 07:10 PM PDT
(TMI) - PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang has announced his readiness to challenge Umno giant and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak for the Pekan seat in Pahang in the coming 13th general election, Sinar Harian has reported. The veteran PAS leader, however, said the decision would be left to the party's central leadership to decide. "I will heed the party's decision and will leave it to the party. The party will make the decision... including whether it will direct me to stand in the Pekan parliamentary seat," he was quoted as telling reporters at the Terengganu PAS Muslimat election fund launch yesterday. Abdul Hadi has been active in politics for more than three decades since his entry into the Islamist party in 1978. The 65-year-old politician was Terengganu mentri besar for one term from 1999 to 2004, before the state fell back into Barisan Nasional (BN) hands in the 2004 general election. Pekan's incumbent Najib, who is also Malaysia's sixth prime minister, was the Pahang mentri besar between 1982 and 1986, and was also known as the youngest politician to take on the post at 29 years. The Kuala Lipis-born Najib first ran for elections in 1976 and has been an elected representative since then. |
| Leave religious matters to relevant bodies, political parties told Posted: 02 Nov 2012 06:16 PM PDT
(The Star) - MCA respects the position of Islam in the country but does not want political parties to claim authority over religious matters, said its central committee member Datuk Ti Lian Ker. He said there were already institutions authorised to regulate Islamic matters and political parties should allow them to perform their duties. "The public should not confuse political parties with institutions like the National Fatwa Council. No political party should encroach into the jurisdiction and authority of these institutions," Ti told reporters here yesterday. He said MCA respected the law and the Federal Constitution but it would not tolerate political parties that ran foul of and sidelined the Islamic institutions by implementing their own version of the law. "The hudud law that is to be implemented by PAS is inconsistent and not in line with real Islamic law. For example, the PAS spiritual leader has said that this would be enforced on non-Muslims as well. "From time to time, PAS also amend its law to fit its political agenda. So, it cannot be said that PAS law is the same with hudud law," he said. Ti, who is also Kuantan MCA chairman, said the division would continue to support party president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek in voicing public concerns on PAS' version of hudud. "It is a flaw to say that we cannot comment when a political party wants to legislate laws in whatever form in the name of Islam. "It is not right to intimidate or threaten non-Muslims who have questions and want explanations," he added. Hundreds of members from 12 Muslim NGOs had earlier gathered at the Kuantan MCA headquarters to hand over a memorandum demanding that Dr Chua retract his statements, which they claimed had insulted hudud and Islam. Ti said he regretted the manner in which the group had gathered, adding that they were shouting "aggressively" in a provocative manner. He also slammed the group for being selective when DAP chairman Karpal Singh himself had also spoken against hudud. |
| Lawyer denies giving false information on Suaram Posted: 02 Nov 2012 05:56 PM PDT
(The Star) - A lawyer has denied claims by an MP that he provided false information to a French lawyer in a bid to topple the Federal Government. "I wish to state that the allegations made by Wee Choo Keong and the insinuations by newspapers are false and baseless," Amer Hamzah Arshad told reporters yesterday. Wangsa Maju MP Wee Choo Keong, who sits as an Independent, had accused Amer of attempting to fool international authorities by claiming in a letter to French lawyer William Bourdon that Suaram was a legal entity and a registered body through Suara Inisiatif Sdn Bhd. "Suaram is not a registered body with the Registrar of Societies (ROS) and yet the law firm sent a letter to a French lawyer claiming that it is a registered body," Wee said in Parliament on Wednesday. Wee said it was a "grand design to discredit the Government" and that Suaram had received foreign funding showing that "they have a bad intention". Amer clarified that he was not practising with the law firm Wee had named, and that Suaram was a personal client of his. "The said letter was written and signed under my name as the personal legal adviser of Suaram to state the background and registration history of Suaram under the Companies Act," said Amer, reading from a statement. "The allegations of a grand design' is a figment of Wee Choo Keong's grand imagination' and I challenge him to repeat his slanderous and defamatory accusations outside Parliament." |
| Klang leaders back Karpal’s proposal Posted: 02 Nov 2012 05:51 PM PDT
(The Star) - DAP grassroots leaders here have come out to back Karpal Singh's "one candidate, one seat" proposal. Seven party branches from Klang, led by Taman Chi Liung Indah DAP branch chairman K. Yogasigamany, said they supported Karpal's proposal as there were many qualified leaders in the party. They said the party should acknowledge the hard work put in by the party's grassroots by nominating some of them as election candidates. Yogasigamany said those who objected to Karpal's proposal did not understand the people's needs as they were "parachuted" in. "Grassroots leaders are people-oriented who have been serving the rakyat. "Why have these people not been nominated?" he asked in a statement yesterday. The other branches are Southern Klang, Taman Gembira, Klang, Bukit Tinggi, Ehsan and Teluk Pulai. Yogasigamany added that 14 DAP branches had collectively sent a memorandum recommending five grassroots' leaders to be chosen as the candidate for the Kota Alam Shah seat. However, he said they had yet to receive a response from state or national-level leaders. |
| Anti-hopping Bill ‘against federal laws’ Posted: 02 Nov 2012 05:38 PM PDT
(The Star) - The anti-hopping Bill passed by the Penang State Assembly is unconstitutional and can be challenged in court, experts said. Constitutional law expert and UiTM Emeritus Professor of law Datuk Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi said that Article 10(1)(c) of the Federal Constitution clearly stated that all citizens have the right to form associations. He also pointed out that the Federal Court (then Supreme Court) had ruled in the 1992 case of the Kelantan state assembly versus Nordin Salleh, that an anti-hopping law passed by the state assembly was unconstitutional and not in accordance with Article 10(1)(c). "Changing one's party to another party is part of the freedom of association provided for in the Federal Constitution. It is a person's constitutional right to disassociate or re-associate. "This law is likely to be challenged in the courts and is clearly in disregard of a binding judicial decision," he said yesterday. Article 10 of the Federal Constitution provides for the freedom of speech, assembly and association. Senior lawyer Roger Tan described the anti-hopping law as a populist move without regard to the sanctity of the Federal Constitution. "Pakatan Rakyat has always claimed that the Federal Constitution is the supreme law of the land. I would have expected the Penang Government to show more respect to it. "It is also bad governance if the government of the day takes a position that they can do anything they want until and unless it is declared invalid by the courts. This is not helping ordinary citizens to observe the rule of law," said Tan in reference to the 1992 Federal Court's decision. DAP chairman and Bukit Gelugor MP Karpal Singh, meanwhile, said the Penang enactment as it stood was unconstitutional because of Article 10 of the Federal Constitution and the verdict in the Nordin Salleh's case. "I will file a Private Members' Bill sometime next week to give it a legality. The Bill is to amend Article 10 to accommodate the anti-hopping provision. "A Constitutional amendment is necessary. Otherwise the whole amendment will be null and void as Article 10 will still stand," he said, noting that generally, all Constitutional amendments were made retrospective to Aug 31, 1957. |
| Posted: 02 Nov 2012 05:32 PM PDT
(The Star) - A DAP campaign lorry borrowed from a party supporter was reported to have been stolen early this morning in Johor Baru. DAP Youth chief and Negri Sembilan party chairman Anthony Loke said that although they were not entirely sure if the lorry had been towed away by authorities or stolen, the latter was highly likely. He said the five-tonne box van was last seen by party workers parked outside Gelang Patah DAP Wanita Chief Ng Siam Luang's shop in Taman Tun Aminah, Skudai at 1am on Saturday. The party workers had been loading the truck with campaign materials for a ceramah in Seremban later. "When the party workers came back to the shop at 6am, the lorry was gone," he told The Star. He added that it was strange a thief would steal a lorry adorned with DAP stickers. Loke said the party would lodge a police report on the matter soon. In JOHOR BARU, Gelang Patah DAP Wanita Chief Ng Siam Luang said she remembered locking the lorry's doors and checking the alarm system before heading home. "When my daughter went out at around 7am, she noticed that the lorry was no longer parked there but thought that one of our members had driven the vehicle away as we were supposed to go to Seremban for a 4pm ceramah," she told reporters. |
| Trouble in Sabah: PKR’s ‘ori’ vs ‘photocopies’ Posted: 02 Nov 2012 05:04 PM PDT
Anwar Ibrahim must come up with a quick solution to douse the growing resentment between original members and newcomers Calvin Kabaron, FMT There's a new catch-phrase greeting in Sabah PKR's political circles and it is greatly divisive. The greeting is "PKR ori" or "PKR photocopy?". "PKR ori" refers to genuine members of the party while "photocopy" addresses those with Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS) and Pakatan Perubahan Sabah (PPS) who "refused" to be members of PKR. APS is led by Tuaran MP who was once deputy president of Upko, Wilfred Bumburing, while PPS is by Lajim Ukin, a former federal deputy minister, who is also Beaufort MP. Lajim was with Umno and is often referred to as Umno's westcoast warlord. Their 'defection' was much heralded by opposition Pakatan Rakyat. These parties are now "parked" under Pakatan and and have declared their support of Anwar Ibrahim, PKR's de facto leader. The "ori" and "photocopy" catch-phrase is rising in popularity within PKR in Sabah. Anwar must already be aware of its effect on his party, more so now after last night's 'revelation'. Last night Bumburing was supposed to "launch" his APS for Sepanggar at a clubhouse in Inanam but only about 50 people turned up, according to PKR insiders in the division. Bumburing was disappointed and embarrassed. And so too was PKR Batu MP Tian Chua. Both were on their way to Inanam when told of the poor turnout. Eventually it was former senator Maijol Mahap who delivered Bumburing's speech, eye-witnesses claimed. Tian Chua is now expected to discuss with his national leadership on how to negotiate this new challenge, resulting from PKR's "multiple-marriage" with APS and PPS. Observers here are already questioning whether this political arrangement is counter-productive to the opposition party. He told his friends "his mood just evaporated". Meanwhile a state PKR leader who declined to be named said there was an urgent need for PKR's top leadership to address the "ori" and "photocopy" issue, as it was now dividing the hard-earned unity within the party in Sabah. Sabah PKR has been, for years in a tumultuous situation, especially when Sabah rights advocate Dr Jeffrey Kitingan was in it. "This is not a laughing matter. This is a real issue in PKR. "What made thing worse is that these "PKR photocopy" claimed and behaved as deciders and "the power' in the party. You can feel the uncomfortable alliance between the two groups in Tuaran, Kota Marudu, Kota Belud and in other areas too," he alleged. Read more |
| Posted: 02 Nov 2012 04:54 PM PDT
K Pragalath, FMT Kapar MP, S Manikavasagam may be dropped as the opposition candidate of the country's largest parliamentary constituency and instead offered a state seat by PKR for the upcoming general election, party sources revealed. Sources said the first term Kapar MP has been offered a choice of two state seats – Sri Andalas and Bukit Melawati – in exchange for the Kapar parliamentary constituency. In 2008, Manikavasagam beat S Komala Devi, the MIC Wanita chief, with a thumping 12,297 vote majority. As off March, 2008, the seat had 112,224 voters out of which 51% were Malays, 35% Chinese and 13 % Indians. The Kapar parliamentary seat has four state seats – Meru, Sementa, Sungai Pinang and Selat Klang. Sources close to Manikavasagam claim that the first term parliamentarian was keen to contest in Sri Andalas or Batu Caves and not Bukit Melawati. Incumbent Sri Andalas state assemblyman is Xavier Jayakumar, who is also a Selangor exco member. Amiruddin Shari and MP Muthiah are Batu Caves and Bukit Melawati state reps respectively. Party sources say Manikavasagam, fondly known as Mike in party circles, and Jayakumar could be involved in a seat swap. "Xavier (Jayakumar) would go to Kapar parliamentary seat while Mike would take over at Sri Andalas. Mike will strenghen the state Pakatan while Xavier (Jayakumar) would move up to national politics," a party source claimed. Jayakumar, however, is not the sole option for the party in Kapar. There are talks that PKR may field "an outsider" in Kapar. Lawyer and social activist K Saraswathy, who is yet to join any of the three main opposition parties, is another possible opposition candidate for Kapar. The Barisan Nasional also appears to have two candidates for Kapar. The seat is allocated to the MIC under BN's seat sharing system. Read more
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| Posted: 02 Nov 2012 04:47 PM PDT
Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat say that the time for change is nigh – just as long as the change is for their own good – not ours! CT Ali, FMT We know Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat better than they know themselves. BN ridicules the impossibility of Pakatan coalition partners working with each other within the confines of their own political ideologies. Three diametrically opposing political entities that BN hopes will be torn asunder by hudud and the realities of power sharing where race and religion, not needs, will decide who will be in government. Pakatan is spoilt for choice. They are tripping over themselves as to what they should do next to expose the abuses and mismanagement in government by BN. Does Pakatan start with exposing the need for greed amongst BN politicians and the corruption that goes with it or will Pakatan 'educate' the public on the massive abuse and misuse by BN of their political power to achieve their political agenda – that of remaining in government at all costs? I have news for BN and Pakatan – We already know all this and more! We know our politicians from both sides of the divide are so enamored with their own political agenda that they cannot see the forest for the trees! Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak comes up with scores of transformation initiatives that he said would make our country, our people and our economy better. Not to be outdone, Pakatan too have their proposals that they say would take away much of the economic burden of the people. BN and Pakatan say that the time for change is nigh – just as long as the change is for their own good – not ours! BN and Pakatan are so desperately focused on trying to win government that they fail to understand what we want. We want honest, decent and responsible politicians in government. We do not want politicians who lie to us, politicians who abuse the trust we place in them, politicians who takes money that does not belong to them, politicians who are arrogant, politicians who do not understand the meaning of the phrase "servants of the people" and politicians who talk of family values, devotion to religion and god even as they fornicate outside their matrimonial bonds and deliberate on how they could use god to boost their political credentials. We know all this and we also know the reality too. We know that when all is said and done, it is BN and Pakatan that will decide our fate and the sorry future of our nation. Our history has always shown this to be true, whether at state or federal level. Those who have political power do as they please because they can. So how is it that our people are able to put history aside and work towards trying to bring about change? Read more
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| Johor’s Malay vote may thwart Pakatan’s quest for Putrajaya, say leaders Posted: 02 Nov 2012 09:15 AM PDT The second or third generation of voters in the traditionally pro-Umno FELDA settlements may potentially sway towards the opposition but not the first-generation settlers. Mohd Farhan Darwis, Malaysian Insider Despite Pakatan Rakyat's (PR) ambitious predictions in Johor for the coming polls, local leaders from the federal opposition front expect to stumble in their quest to unlock the Malay vote, which is seen as the key to break into Umno's southernmost fortress. The Malays make up close to 60 per cent of the three million-strong population of Johor, which is also home to a staggering 74 FELDA settlements spread out across 21 state constituencies. The FELDA Malay vote is often played by BN as its trump card during electoral battles, and has also been credited as among one of the key reasons behind the ruling pact's survival of the 2008 political tsunami, particularly in Johor. In Election 2008, BN lost its customary two-thirds parliamentary majority and ceded five states to the opposition, clinging to power only through its successes in Johor and east Malaysia. But local PR leaders believe a slight 35 per cent vote swing among the Johor's Malay electorate should suffice to topple BN in Johor in the next polls, provided the pact throws all its muscle behind ensuring that Johor's non-Malays are willing to go anti-BN. When met during recent interviews, several leaders told The Malaysian Insider that their respective parties have their sights set on the state's mixed and urban seats, where the non-Malay voters make up a prominent percentage. "For the Chinese voters, we are not worried... whether DAP or PKR, or even PAS — if we stand in a Chinese area, voters will opt for PR. "The mixed areas, where the ratio is 50:50 (Malay:non-Malay) or 60:40 (Malay:non-Malay), we have potential to win... so these areas are our focus," Johor PAS commissioner Datuk Dr Mahfodz Mohamed told The Malaysian Insider in an interview. He described the Malay vote as Umno's "lifeline", admitting that it would be too difficult for PR to break into this vote bank. "The Malay seats in the villages, FELDA areas, or Felcra, this is Umno's lifeline... it's definitely hard to breach. Perhaps we may have made some inroads but winning these seats would be tough. "They are safe areas (for Umno), and have been gifted with many things from the party, they feel very obligated to the party there," Mahfodz said. He said the second or third generation of voters in the traditionally pro-Umno FELDA settlements may potentially sway towards the opposition but not the first-generation settlers. PAS Youth chief Shuhaizan Kaiat echoed the same with his party leader, revealing that PAS has even placed Johor's Malay majority seats as its lowest priority target for the coming general election. "Areas with a large number of FELDA settlers particularly are our least focused target for votes... even lower than the rural villages as these settlements are difficult for our campaigners to even enter," he said. But with an estimated 70 per cent support from the state's Chinese community, who make up over 35 per cent of Johor's population, Shuhaizan said the state could well be in the bag for PR in GE13. "We have no doubts of their support in PR," he said. In another interview, Johor Umno Information chief Datuk Sambul Bari Jamali also said he was confident that the state's dominant Malay community would stay loyal to BN in the coming polls. "I would not call them PR's stumbling block, but it is true the Malays in Johor are loyal to their parties, loyal to Umno. "Maybe PR has the support of some of the Malays in the urban areas, but what they (PR) have to see is this easy indicator — the Malays do make up Johor's majority," he said. In Election 2008, BN returned a strong government in Johor when it trounced the opposition in 25 of 26 parliamentary seats and 50 of 56 state seats. Without its victories in Johor, BN would have lost the battle in the peninsula to PR, with only 60 federal seats, in comparison with PR's 79. Including the Johor seats, BN's seat tally with PR stood at 85-80.
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