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• Don’t politicise ‘Allah’ issue, says PKR chief
• Penang Malay Congress wants Guan Eng to withdraw statement over the word ‘Allah’
• PKR smells a rat in carpet man’s deal
• SAPP tells Sabah DAP leader to grow up
• PKR to block Deepak’s land deal through S’gor govt
• 18,000 get PTPTN loans changed to scholarships
• ‘I am priceless, I cannot be bought’
• DAP-SAPP spat over seats rages
• ‘DAP strongman’s firm behind deforestation in Sungai Relai’
• Penang Muslim Network takes to the streets over ‘Allah’ issue
• Ngeh denies firm’s involvement in logging on Kelantan land
• Sabah immigration dishing-out MyKads?
• Allah debate: Let court decide
• ‘Wake up to the ways of PAS’
• DAP's Anthony Loke proposes ban on "sexy performers"
• Stop demanding religious equality, says ex-Fatwa Council chief
• Utusan justified to carry comment by Hasan Ali
• Deepak withdraws case against Wanita Umno leader
• ‘Just imagine if PR is to lead this country’
• SEED: We have no reason to hide figures
• Khairy tells Edge: retract provocative article on May 13
• Pakatan to hold rush meet over ‘Allah’ issue, Anwar says
• PAS: The Najib factor is not key in voting
• No side will win two-thirds majority, says PAS sec-gen
• Why MyKad change at the Immigration?
• Nik Aziz needs to withdraw 'Apostate' ruling on Umno
• January rally to go on even without permit, says activist
• DAP, PAS send mixed messages on ‘Allah’ issue
• Nallakaruppan and Utusan retain most of their defence in Anwar’s defamation suit
• Reveal the figures, MIC told
• PKR cries foul over mock voting for BN
• Stop PR stunts, get real with Christians
• Church leaders happy with Najib’s pledge, but wary it won’t trickle down
• ‘Can we trust Sabah BN leaders, anymore?’
• Sarawak Rela ordered to give ‘undivided support’ to BN

Don’t politicise ‘Allah’ issue, says PKR chief Posted: 29 Dec 2012 01:25 PM PST (The Borneo Post) - KUCHING: The basis for arguing whether or not non-Muslims can use the word 'Allah' to refer to God must rest on its context, etymology and the relevant laws surrounding it. Pointing this out yesterday was PKR Sarawak chief Baru Bian, who said political expediency should not and must not dominate the debate. "Too much is at stake for it touches on the very heart, soul, and spirit of one's belief and faith regardless of what one believes. "I, therefore, urge those with differing viewpoints to exercise restraint, tolerance and goodwill. We must be reminded that we are indeed treading on Holy ground," he told a news conference here recently. Baru, who is also Ba Kelalan assemblyman, also called on both ruling and opposition coalitions to not use the issue as political posturing for the forthcoming 13th general election. "This is not to suggest that we must avoid discussing it at the appropriate forum." He said that 10 per cent or more than two million of the population in Malaysia are Christians, and of this, about two thirds are non-Malay Bumiputera Christians mainly in Sabah and Sarawak. "They rely on the Malay language or Indonesian Bible known as the Alkitab, which uses the word 'Allah' to refer to God. "The word is of Arabic origin, which predates Islam. Christians of other ethnic communities like the Ibans in Sarawak refer to God as 'Allah Taala' or God Most High in their Bible known as the Bup Kudus." He, however, said not all Christians used the word 'Allah' to refer to God. "The context of the Malay-speaking world using the word 'Allah' to refer to God rests on its etymology or the historical development of it. "The first portion of Christian Scriptures translated into Malay was done in Indonesia for the Gospel of Matthew in 1612, which is 400 years ago. "This was one year after the authorised version of the Bible was translated into English known as the King James Version (KJV). The Malay translation was also the first non-European language translation of the Bible. Surely, we can treasure this rare heritage as Malaysians." Baru stressed that East Malaysian Christians had been using 'Allah' to refer to God for generations, and had never caused confusion among Muslims before or after the formation of Malaysia in 1963. "Why should this cause confusion now after half a century?" He noted that Rukunegara uses 'Tuhan' and not 'Allah' to refer to God just like the Indonesian Pancasila. "In terms of common usage, this is a reasonable expression. However, in the Biblical context, the world 'Tuhan' refers to Lord and not God or Allah. "It is therefore not acceptable to ask Christians to switch the two words and take them to mean what they do not mean in their liturgy and worship. "One cannot force someone of another religion to change words in their Holy Scriptures simply to satisfy believers of another religion. This is wholly untenable." He recalled the Kuala Lumpur High Court, on Dec 31, 2009 ruled in favour of the Titular Roman Catholic Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, who is the publisher of the Herald, that even though Islam is the religion of the Federation, this does not empower the government to prohibit the use of the word 'Allah' in the Malay edition of the Herald. "It also found that the word Allah was not exclusive to Muslims." Hence, it must be noted that the said high court verdict was a decision made in the light of Malaysians' religious rights enshrined in the Federal Constitution, he asserted. "The government has appealed against the decision and the Court of Appeal is yet to rule on the matter. "But for now, the high court has spoken clearly on the issue and in the circumstances, we should respect our legal system and allow the law to take its course." Among those present at the news conference were PKR Sarawak vice-chairman See Chee How, who is also Batu Lintang assemblyman, and Wanita PKR vice-chief Voon Shiak Ni.

Penang Malay Congress wants Guan Eng to withdraw statement over the word ‘Allah’ Posted: 28 Dec 2012 07:10 PM PST (Bernama) - The Penang Malay Congress (KMPP) today urged Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to withdraw his call for the federal government to allow the use of the word "Allah" in the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Christian Bible, and to apologise to all Muslims in the country. Its president, Rahmad Isahak, said Lim's statement had caused anger among Muslims and discomfort among non-Muslims, who cherished religious harmony in the country. "Do not deride the word Allah with the aim of gaining sympathy in the political sense," he said in a statement. Rahmad said the statement by Lim, who is the DAP secretary-general, violated what was enshrined in the rules of the Penang Islamic Religious Council (MAINPP). "At the level of the state government, the public knows that the State Islamic Religious Council had concluded that 40 words, including Allah, cannot be used by other religions, when the Pakatan Rakyat came to power and it was agreed to by the chief minister himself. Why must he violate something that had been agreed to?" he said. Rahmad urged State Islamic Religious Affairs Committee chairman Abdul Malik Abul Kassim and DAP vice-chairman Senator Dr Ariffin S.M. Omar to respond to Lim's statement.

PKR smells a rat in carpet man’s deal Posted: 28 Dec 2012 03:23 PM PST PKR's Rafizi Ramli says it is no coincidence that a government investment firm has purchased Deepak Jaikishan's company.  Teoh El Sen, FMT The buying of "carpet man" Deepak Jaikishan's firm Astacanggih Sdn Bhd which coincided with the withdrawal of his lawsuit against a Wanita Umno leader's company over a Defence Ministry land deal yesterday, points towards abuse of power by the government, said an opposition leader. PKR's strategy director Rafizi Ramli was commenting on the purchase by a unit of a government investment company Boustead Holdings Bhd, which acquired an 80% stake in Astacanggih for RM30 million. He claimed that it was "no coincidence" and that this pointed towards an "abuse of power" by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and Defence Minister Zahid Hamidi, adding that he was "shocked at the audacity by Najib and Zahid" to make such a move in full view of the public. "This is clearly the worse investment decision ever taken up by Boustead, and we need some answers from Najib, who has a long history when he was defence minister with majority shareholders Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera [LTAT], which is something owned by the public, especially the servicemen and is something like EPF. We also want to hear from the current minister. To me, it is outright abuse of power," he told FMT. "This is the point that I think has turned the Deepak issue from sensationalised rumour mongering to clearly an issue of public accountability that needs to be pursued. PKR will start the ball rolling here, I think this is more serious that the NFC [National Feedlot Corporation] scandal, let's see if it snowballs into something bigger," said Rafizi, who would be holding a press conference tomorrow on the matter. Rafizi also said that his checks so far found that Astacanggih did not have any track record in terms of financial information or balance sheet being filed. "The whole deal is shielded in secrecy and we found out that the only thing the company has is a RM98 million loan owing to Kuwait Finance House. I can tell you that RM30 million is defintely above premium. "In normal investment circumstances, nobody would buy a company like this, one that is entangled with a land deal that did not go through," he said, referring to the court case involving Deepak's company and Selangor Wanita Umno chief Senator Raja Ropiaah Abdullah, who was a director in Awan Megah (M) Sdn Bhd. Rafizi said that the only asset in connection to Awam Megah, which was also purchased by Boustead, for RM130 million, was a land that was still under dispute and the land title was still uncertain. "I can only conclude that no sane financier or accountant or developer would enter into this unless it is for something else. This is where circumstances are too suspicious, plus it is on the very same day that Deepak actually dropped a legal suit against the federal government," he added. Rafizi said that PKR and Pakatan Rakyat planned to go to town with how Najib had sacrificed the servicemen's interest just to silence Deepak. Case withdrawn Yesterday, FMT reported that Deepak dropped the lawsuit against Awan Megah, a vehicle for Raja Ropiaah, without clear reasons given. On the same day, Bernama reported that a unit of Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera investment vehicle Boustead Holdings Bhd acquired an 80% stake in Astacanggih Sdn Bhd for RM30 million. In a filing with Bursa Malaysia, Boustead's wholly-owned unit, Bakti Wira Development Sdn Bhd, acquired the shares from Prestige Dimension Sdn Bhd and other minority shareholders of Astacanggih on Dec 20. Bakti Wira Development and Astacanggih also signed an agreement with Awan Megah yesterday to acquire 80.94ha of freehold land in Klang, Selangor, for RM130 million. Boustead said the share purchase and land acquisition would be funded via bank borrowings and internally-generated funds. Boustead explained the acquisition would present an opportunity for the group to expand its land bank. Previously, Deepak, through Astacanggih, had filed the legal suit with the Kuala Lumpur High Court naming the Malaysian government, Syarikat Tanah Harta Sdn Bhd, Awan Megah and Cebur Megah Development Sdn Bhd, in which he is also a director, as defendants for breach of agreement over the 233.33 acres of land. Awan Megah had filed a counter-claim in response. READ MORE HERE

SAPP tells Sabah DAP leader to grow up Posted: 28 Dec 2012 03:19 PM PST SAPP has accused DAP of trying to sabotage its bid to work with the Pakatan Rakyat coalition. Queville To, FMT KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) has accused DAP of trying to sabotage its bid to work with the Pakatan Rakyat coalition to ensure the opposition succeeds in toppling the Barisan Nasional government. A day after DAP Youth leader and the party's central committee member Junz Wong launched a scathing attack on the local opposition party and accused it of splitting the opposition vote, SAPP's information chief Chong Pit Fah declared that they would not be side-tracked by those bent on playing coalition politics. Chong stressed that negotiations with Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim would continue despite DAP attempting to undermine the negotiations to let local parties contest a majority of the state seats "while we will render our full cooperation and support to ensure that Pakatan goes to Putrajaya". "For the sake of the political future of Sabah, we are willing to work on a formula to ensure a one-to-one contest to enhance every opposition candidate's chances of victory over BN candidates," he added. Wong's statement that was carried on the front page under the title "DAP-SAPP spat over seats rages" by the mainstream media which usually buries opposition stories in their inner pages or does not carry it at all caught many by surprise. SAPP leaders were curious if the DAP Youth leader's statement that SAPP had "evil intentions" and was out to split the opposition vote represented the coalition's feelings, and that of DAP or merely his own opinion. Wong justified his attack by claiming that Sabah DAP had been under constant attack by SAPP ever since his party had announced that it would be contesting the Sandakan parliamentary seat and the Elopura, Tanjung Papat and Karamunting state seats in the coming general election. Confusing opposition supporters Chong described Wong's statement as politically immature as well as "arrogant and presumptuous" and had confused opposition supporters especially as negotiations were on-going. SAPP's intention to contest the Sandakan constituencies such as Tanjung Papat and Elopura which was lost to Gerakan after a series of defections has been well known and Chong said the DAP leader was being disingenuous by bringing it up to drive a wedge between SAPP and the coalition. Wong's outburst also cast doubt on whether its local leaders would toe the line if Pakatan leaders particularly Anwar and senior DAP leaders came to an agreement with SAPP on seat sharing. The DAP leader categorically stated that whatever Anwar, who is also Pakatan component PKR leader, and SAPP agreed to was strictly between them and had nothing to do with the other coalition members. "SAPP is not part of Pakatan. SAPP has clarified that they will work with Anwar for possible seat negotiation, which means they will negotiate for seats agreed upon for PKR only, not PAS and certainly not DAP," Wong said in his statement. "If SAPP thinks (party president) Yong Teck Lee can deal with Pakatan the way SAPP used to deal with BN, then Yong is so wrong! Pakatan is not BN!" he said. READ MORE HERE

PKR to block Deepak’s land deal through S’gor govt Posted: 28 Dec 2012 03:17 PM PST PKR strategic director Rafizi Ramli says as long as Pakatan Rakyat is holding Selangor, it will not allow the RM130 million land deal to go through.  Leven Woon, FMT PKR, through the Selangor government, will block the RM130 million land deal  between Lembaga Angakatan Tentera (LTAT)-linked company Bakti Wira Development Sdn Bhd and a Wanita Umno leader's company PKR strategic director Rafizi Ramli said the deal that involved some 200 acres of land in Bukit Raja, Selangor, came under final purview of state government as it required transferring of titles. In a filing to Bursa Malaysia two days ago, Bakti Wira, a wholly-owned unit of Boustead Holdings Berhad, signed an agreement with Awan Megah, a vehicle company of Selangor Wanita Umno chief Raja Roppiaah Abdullah to acquire the freehold land at the said price. This followed after carpet businessman Deepak Jaikishan's company Astacanggih Sdn Bhd dropped a lawsuit against Awan Megah without clear reasons given. Boustead subsequently agreed to purchase 80% stake in Astacanggih for RM30 million from the businessman who recently made a series of exposes on Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's family. READ MORE HERE

18,000 get PTPTN loans changed to scholarships Posted: 28 Dec 2012 10:15 AM PST   (The Star) - Over 18,000 graduates have had their National Higher Education Corporation (PTPTN) loans converted to scholarships. The loan conversion is made available to those who obtained first-class honours. PTPTN chairman Datuk Ismail Mohamed Said said on Friday that a total of 18,098 graduates had their loans, amounting to RM503.34mil, converted to scholarships as at Nov 30 this year. The loan conversion was previously only available to students who graduated after 2010 but is now available to all eligible graduates. Graduates who obtained first class honours before Jan 1, 2010, must apply for the loan conversion by June 30, 2013. Ismail also said many graduates had also made use of the 20% discount offered to those who settled their loans in full. "Between Oct 1 and Dec 15, 13,900 PTPTN loan beneficia- ries settled their loans in full and a total of RM38.6mil was received as repayment while the dis­counts offered were worth RM9.59mil. "Of the 13,900, 629 had pre-viously been blacklisted," he said. When tabling Budget 2013, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razakhad announced the 20% discount for those who settled their outstanding amounts in full by Sept 30 next year. Those who fail to meet the deadline but had diligently paid their loans on time for the 12-month period are entitled to a 10% discount.

‘I am priceless, I cannot be bought’ Posted: 27 Dec 2012 07:25 PM PST He vows to continue on his mission to expose more dirt, especially against the Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor.  Teoh El Sen, FMT Deepak Jaikishan has declared himself as someone who cannot be bought over or silenced in response to his sudden decision to withdraw a multi-million ringgit legal suit against a Wanita Umno leader yesterday. "I cannot be bought. I am not for sale. I am priceless," Deepak told FMT today. Apart from the withdrawal of his suit againt Selangor Umno Wanita chief Senator Raja Ropiaah Abdullah, yesterday also saw a government investment company puchasing a 80% stake in a company in which he is a director, prompting many to believe Deepak has been bought over by the powers-that-be for his silence. The carpet dealer claimed that he was forced to sell his company, Astacanggih Sdn Bhd for RM30 million to Boustead Holdings Bhd, saying that "very harsh conditions were imposed on me to keep quiet." But when asked, he did not reveal details of these conditions, and simply explained that he was given a "very nice love letter from the government" that threatened him with an "ultimatum" and very direct warnings. He vowed that he would continue on his mission to expose more dirt, especially against Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor. He said that he would be holding a press conference on Jan 1 in which he would launch his booklet "Black Rose" and documents to prove "you know who" gave payments to private investigator P Balasubramaniam. Deepak said that the deal of RM30 million had only covered the money he had invested into the land deal gone sour with Awan Megah Sdn Bhd, linked to Raja Ropiaah, to which the court case was withdrawn. "It is true that my shareholders and me have sold our shares in Astacanggih for RM30 million which is our actual cost price of RM13 million for Raja Ropiaah, RM8 million in political contributions, RM7 million of financial costs and RM2 million in legal and miscellaneous costs. "This was an ultimatum that was forced upon us," he said in an SMS message to the media today. Deepak complained that the irony was that Raja Ropiaah, whom he claimed "stole" the land from his company, had gotten much more from the land deal. "Why would I let it go at only RM30 million? I go home with the money I have actually invested. I am paid what I paid. Money given back to me. Raja Ropiaah, on the other hand, get's RM130 million, what the %*&^… guess that is real power isn't it," he said, explaining that the market price for the 200 plus-acre-land is now RM400 million. Defence Ministry the losers He added that another irony was that the defence ministry was buying "their own land that they sold to Raja Ropiaah in the first place." "LTAT bought their own land which they sold to Raja Ropiaah for RM72.5 million at RM130 million, giving her a profit of RM57.5 million plus RM13 million from us and RM18 million from Guppyunip totalling RM88 million and 20 acres of land worth RM40 million. "The losers are the defence minister and army officers who get cheated by Umno and cheating again by having to buy back the military land at double the price they sold it," said Deepak in another SMS. "Add all that up, and Raja Ropiaah is a very rich lady, maybe as rich as Shahrizat," he said, adding that despite all that, the government seems to be listening to her and not the truth. "Just because she is Umno. I guess very soon they will make statues of these people and ask us to pray to them like Gods. Because they have become above the law, they have become like immortals. Let's work together and get these bastards." READ MORE HERE

DAP-SAPP spat over seats rages Posted: 27 Dec 2012 07:05 PM PST Nancy Lai, The Borneo Post KOTA KINABALU: Trouble seems to be brewing in the opposition front as DAP Sabah and Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) take potshots at each other on several issues, including the seats they are eyeing. With the 13th general election expected to be held anytime soon and no end in sight to the acrimony between the two opposition parties, the chances of Pakatan Rakyat pulling off a strong alliance against Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) appear increasingly remote. Continuing the war of words yesterday, DAP Sabah assistant secretary cum National DAPSY Central Committee member Junz Wong issued a strongly worded statement in which he accused SAPP of harbouring "evil intentions" to split the opposition votes in Sabah. Junz claimed that DAP Sabah has been under attack by SAPP ever since DAP announced that it would be contesting the Sandakan parliamentary seat and the Elopura, Tanjung Papat and Karamunting state seats. He said SAPP has even claimed that DAP was secretly assisting UMNO to win in the coming election. "Firstly, DAP demands that (Datuk) Wong Yi Ming apologize for accusing DAP of helping UMNO! DAP has worked for a free and democratic Malaysia for as long as DAP has existed, led by credible leaders such as Lim Kit Siang and Karpal Singh. "DAP had gone through difficult times when BN was much stronger, fighting BN head-to-head (while SAPP was colluding with BN)," Junz said. "Even then, DAP did not join BN when invited to join the coalition. There was even one time in Malaysia's history where there was only a lone national opposition representation in Parliament, and that was DAP. "We strongly reject such intentional, irresponsible and baseless accusations against DAP. SAPP wants Malaysians to be misled so that votes would be split in the coming PRU13. These attempts were made with most evil intentions!," he said. "Secondly, to contest the Sandakan seats has always been made known within Pakatan component parties. SAPP is NOT part of Pakatan. SAPP has clarified that they will work with Datuk Seri Anwar (Ibrahim) for possible seat negotiation, which means they will negotiate for seats agreed upon for PKR only, not PAS, and certainly NOT DAP. "If SAPP thinks (Datuk) Yong Teck Lee can deal with Pakatan the way SAPP used to deal with BN, then Yong is so WRONG! Pakatan is NOT BN! BN decisions would be made by (Tun) Dr Mahathir or Pak Lah or Najib, so SAPP just have to deal with the Prime Minister," he asserted. Junz said that in the spirit of Pakatan Rakyat, consensus among the three parties' top leadership will make the decision, not one single leader. "SAPP's Yong thinks he can by-pass DAP or PAS by going straight to Anwar to negotiate for DAP seats? By continuously slandering DAP and throwing baseless accusations against DAP has worsened the good faith," he claimed, adding that by not negotiating with DAP on seat allocations, SAPP can only get seats which have been agreed for PKR. (That is if PKR is willing to let go). Junz said SAPP likes to play the role of 'Mr Know Everything'. "Its publicity chief Chong Pit Fah has claimed that PKR would stand in Sandakan. SAPP is not part of Pakatan and neither has SAPP ever sat in on any of Pakatan seat negotiation meetings. How would he (Chong) know and make an announcement for PKR-Pakatan? He is giving a price for a car that doesn't belong to him," he claimed. "Thirdly, SAPP's intentions are obvious and evil. On the one hand SAPP is slandering Pakatan, citing Pakatan is a Malaya party while on the other hand, it keeps fishing for opposition votes by claiming they are working with Pakatan. "This has caused much confusion as to where SAPP actually stands. Even STAR and PKR has openly asked SAPP to make a clear stand on whether SAPP is joining PR or not! "Observing the movements of SAPP throughout the years has helped us come to one conclusion. "SAPP's uncertain position as a 'spoiler' is so apparent. We hope that if SAPP is really sincere in wanting to work together for the sake of the people of Sabah and Malaysia, then SAPP must join Pakatan Rakyat now! Then we can immediately sit down on seats negotiation seriously once and for all. DAP door is always open waiting for SAPP to come knocking." "Fourthly, Why does SAPP has to 'hentam' (criticize) DAP for wanting to contest in the four Sandakan seats? Hasn't SAPP already shown their arrogance in their continuous call to contest 40 seats? "DAP has three principles to ensure a straight fight against BN, and DAP reiterates its stand that for a 1-to-1 fight against BN, it must work on the basis of the principles that no party must be larger than the other component parties to ensure a form of check and balance because power corrupts politicians, and this is also against the spirit of social democracy; secondly, to show its sincerity to Malaysians by joining Pakatan Rakyat Sabah secretariat because there is no point of only talking about working with PR as this will only be perceived as attempts to confuse voters, especially Pakatan voters," Junz said. "The third principle is that there must be respect for Pakatan component parties as a national coalition. Stop slandering PR and misleading voters by branding PR a Malayan coalition," he said. "DAP has made its stand clear from the very beginning that we want to achieve a one-to-one fight based on these principles. This stand will not be moved. We would also like to remind SAPP that PKR has never promised to let go of all PKR seats, PKR only agrees to give some seats to SAPP. Likewise for DAP. "DAP will embrace SAPP with open arms and negotiate when SAPP joins PR in agreement to those principles stated above. For now, we would think that the chance is slim as SAPP appears to focus on geographical and demographical politics rather than working for the good of all Malaysians," he said. "For DAP, we think the damage is done, it's time to do repairs and rectify the situation before it is too late. We hope SAPP can come to its sense that what it has been doing won't help get them anywhere nor would SAPP be doing Malaysian voters any favour ahead of this crucial GE13. In fact, SAPP is indirectly helping BN as their actions would seemingly cause votes to be split. "We hope in the next 100 days, SAPP will make the right decision to join PR otherwise  a three cornered fight becomes inevitable," he said.

‘DAP strongman’s firm behind deforestation in Sungai Relai’ Posted: 27 Dec 2012 06:04 PM PST (The Star) - MUCH of the 4,000ha Sungai Relai forest reserve is now barren and a DAP strongman has been accused of being involved in the deforestation. Berita Harian alleged that the land clearing near Gua Musang, Kelantan, was believed to be linked to a plantation company controlled by a senior DAP leader. Efforts to clear the area was said to have started in April to make way for oil palm cultivation but the daily, which visited the area on Wednesday, said the land remained empty. It also reported that that the deforestation has caused contamination in Sungai Relai. Water from the river has become undrinkable, forcing residents to source for water in other villages, the paper said. The revelation came following a blog posting which alleged that certain DAP leaders were offered land in Kelantan as an inducement to allow PAS assemblyman Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin to assume the position of the Perak Mentri Besar after the 2008 elections. Both the senior DAP leader and Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, who is also the PAS spiritual leader, have since lodged police reports over the accusations.

Penang Muslim Network takes to the streets over ‘Allah’ issue Posted: 27 Dec 2012 05:59 PM PST Penang Muslim Network members demonstrate over the "Allah" issue at Masjid Simpang Enam near Komtar. — Picture by K.E. Ooi Opalyn Mok, The Malaysian Insider Penang Muslim Network (JMPP) members marched 500 metres from a mosque in Macalister Road to Komtar after Friday prayers today to demand an apology from DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng over his call for the federal government to allow the use of the word "Allah" in Malay-language bibles. The group comprising about 50 members, led by JMPP coordinator Mohd Hafiz Mohd Nordin, carried banners demanding that "Father Joseph Lim Guan Eng" apologise and retract his statement as they started the march at about 2pm. Two Federal Reserve Unit trucks and several police patrol units were already waiting for the demonstrators at the Komtar underpass where the demonstrators stopped and shouted through loud hailers. Earlier, a scuffle almost broke out when the police tried to stop the demonstrators from marching to Komtar after they gathered in front of the mosque. However, after a brief negotiation between the members of the group and the police, they were allowed to march through the busy Penang Road, effectively closing off the whole road and bringing traffic to a standstill. At the Komtar underpass, the group recited a prayer and shouted for Lim, who is also Penang chief minister, to retract his statement and also for Muslims in Penang not to trust Pakatan Rakyat (PR). "Even in delivering a Christmas message, he had to include such religious sentiments against the Muslims, this showed how insensitive and discriminatory the PR and DAP are," claimed Mohd Hafiz. He also said Lim's statement is not only an insult to all Muslims in the country but also an insult to the King. On Monday, Lim issued a Christmas message where he urged the federal government to allow the use of the word "Allah" in the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Christian Bible for east Malaysia, the Alkitab. This created a huge uproar with even PAS joining in to insist that Christians should not use "Allah" in the Alkitab as it does not reflect the actual meaning of "God" in the original text. The Internet is also rife with Muslim blogs criticising Lim over his statement and demanding that he issue a retraction and apologise. Today, DAP national chairman Karpal Singh called for calm over this issue while pointing out that many non-Muslims in the country use the word too. READ MORE HERE

Ngeh denies firm’s involvement in logging on Kelantan land Posted: 27 Dec 2012 05:54 PM PST Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider Perak DAP chief Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham today denied a news report claiming that Upayapadu Plantation Sdn Bhd has been logging for timber on a piece of land in Kelantan, which Barisan Nasional (BN) lawmakers recently alleged had been corruptly awarded to the firm. The Beruas MP clarified in a statement here that the firm was instead involved in a reforestation project that was previously encouraged and supported by both the Kelantan state and federal governments. "I would like to emphasise that Upayapadu Plantation Sdn Bhd has not taken out any single log from the land it has undertaken to do reforestation since some investors and I took over the company in April this year," he said. Ngeh insisted that the news report, carried by a Malay daily yesterday, was a lie, and alleged that the pictures published in the newspaper showing timber being carted out of the land had likely been taken from elsewhere. He said that contrary to the report, he and other investors in Upayapadu were merely carrying out reforestation at the site, in order to help produce sufficient, sustainable timber supply for the future. "Apart from the Kelantan government, the project undertaken by Upayapadu Plantation was supported by the then Plantation Industries and Commodities Industries minister Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui and the then deputy minister of Rural and Regional Development Datuk Awang Adek Hussin," he said. Ngeh also denied that the reforestation project would affect the livelihood of the Orang Asli, claiming that none of the indigenous tribes live on the said land. "I have been transparent and have explained all questions raised with regards to Upayapadu Plantation Sdn Bhd. "I believe BN raised it to divert attention from the billions of ringgit worth of land scandals that I have raised," he said. Ngeh and his cousin and Taiping MP Nga Kor Ming have been, in recent days, accused by BN lawmakers in the Perak legislative assembly of getting kickbacks from PAS in exchange for letting PAS take the mentri besar's position after the 12th general elections four years ago. READ MORE HERE

Sabah immigration dishing-out MyKads? Posted: 27 Dec 2012 04:43 PM PST It apparently takes only two hours to process a new MyKad at the Immigration Department in Sabah's Federal Administrative Complex, claims DAP.  Queville To, FMT KOTA KINABALU: Why is the Immigration Department in Sabah processing new MyKads and change of addresses? And when did the National Registration Department (NRD) appoint the Immigration Department to handle MyKads in Sabah? Posing these question, Sabah DAP said it was tipped off by the members of the public that the process of changing to the new MyKads and address could be done at the Immigration Department in the Federal Administrative Complex here and that the procedure took only two hours. "It is being done at the Immigration Department, which is suppose to only handle passport and work pass. Since when is the Immigration Department also doing the job of the National Registration Department?" the party's Tanjung Aru chief, David Chong Ket Sui asked. Chong further claimed that he received information that most of those who were changing their MyKad and address were from Pulau Gaya, Telipok, Menggatal and Karambunai. "Most of these people are from the Bajau Filipino community who are changing their address to Kota Kinabalu and Sembulan. "We believe the move is facilitated by a group of people offering a sum of money ranging from RM100 to RM200 for them to change their address in their MyKad and in the process move their voting constituency," said Chong in a statement issued today. He claimed that all the people had to do was to select areas such as Karamunsing, Kampung Air and Sinsuran as their new address, even though they are not residing in these places. Chong believes that there is a plan by some in the Barisan Nasional to change the demographics of the Chinese majority constituencies such as Kota Kinabalu. "The BN is moving voters from other constituencies to the Chinese-majority constituency to change the demography and give them a chance to win in the coming election," he claimed. READ MORE HERE

Allah debate: Let court decide Posted: 27 Dec 2012 04:31 PM PST A Sarawak assemblyman says it is "unacceptable" to force "a religion to change words in their Holy Scriptures simply to satisfy believers of another religion."  Joseph Tawie, FMT KUCHING: Both Barisan Nasional and opposition leaders have been urged to restrain from making comments on the use of the term "Allah" in reference to God and to allow the Court of Appeal to rule on the matter. The government appealed a 2009 High Court decision favouring the church based on the the Federal Constitution. In making this appeal, Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian said: "Political expediency should not and must not dominate the debate." "The basis for arguing whether non-Muslims can use the word 'Allah' to refer to God must rest on its context, etymology, and the relevant laws surrounding it. "Too much is at stake for it touches on the very heart, soul, and spirit of one's belief and faith regardless of what one believes. "I, therefore, urge those with differing viewpoints to exercise restraint, tolerance and goodwill. We must be reminded that we are indeed treading on holy ground. This is not to suggest that we must avoid discussing it at the appropriate forum." He further urged BN and the opposition to agree to a common moratorium not to use the Allah or Alkitab issue in the forthcoming general election. Some 10 percent of Malaysia's population are Christians but they are the collective majority in East Malaysia's Sarawak and Sabah. In both Sarawak and in Sabah, the Malay speaking bumiputera Christians rely mainly on the Indonesian Bible. "Christians of other ethnic communities like the Ibans in Sarawak refer to God as 'Allah Taala' or God Most High in their Bible known as the Bup Kudus. "They rely on the Malay language or Indonesian Bible known as the Alkitab, which uses the word 'Allah' to refer to God. The word is of Arabic origin, which predates Islam," he said. Misplaced proposition Bian who is Ba Kelalan assemblyman further explained that the first portion of Christian scriptures translated into Malay was done in Indonesia for the Gospel of Matthew in 1612, four hundred years ago. "This was one year after the authorised version of the Bible was translated into English known as the King James Version (KJV). The Malay translation was also the first non-European language translation of the Bible. Surely we can treasure this rare heritage as Malaysians. "Some have suggested that this is an East Malaysian problem and therefore the word 'Allah' can be used there while over in the peninsula, the word should be 'Tuhan'. "This proposition is misplaced as it suggests we have two 'Malaysias' instead of 1Malaysia. This is dangerous for national unity," Bian warned. He also reminded peninsular leaders that tens of thousands of East Malaysian Christians were working in the peninsula and this did not include a sizeable Orang Asli community who were also Christians. "Do we want to deny them their constitutional right to refer to God as Allah as they do back home? "East Malaysian Christians have been using 'Allah' to refer to God for generations. This has never caused confusion among Muslims before or after the formation of Malaysia in 1963. "Why should this cause confusion now after half a century?" he asked. He pointed out that Rukunegara used 'Tuhan' and not 'Allah' to refer to God just like the Indonesian Pancasila. "In terms of common usage, this is a reasonable expression. However, in the Biblical context, the word 'Tuhan' refers to Lord and not God or Allah. "It is, therefore, not acceptable to ask Christians to switch the two words and take them to mean what they do not mean in their liturgy and worship. "One cannot force someone of another religion to change words in their Holy Scriptures simply to satisfy believers of another religion. This is wholly untenable," he lamented. READ MORE HERE

‘Wake up to the ways of PAS’ Posted: 27 Dec 2012 01:52 PM PST   (The Star) - Christians, especially the urban middle class, must wake up to the ways of PAS which has announced its objection to the use of the word "Allah" in churches and the absence of Christmas messages from the leaders of the Islamist party, MCA said. MCA central committee member Loh Seng Kok said Christians should not allow themselves to be persuaded by DAP to support PAS in order to express their unhappiness against the Barisan Nasional. "The DAP has tried to show that PAS has become liberal but the reality is that the Islamist party has consistently showed its intolerant ways towards other minorities," he said. Loh, a Christian, was commenting on a statement by PAS information chief Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man that the word "Allah" was sacred to Muslims and its sanctity should be protected. The PAS leader had said that the should not be used recklessly, like to refer or liken Allah to His creations or anything which resembled His servants. Tuan Ibrahim was quoted as saying this in the PAS' official online portalHarakah Daily. He was responding to a call by DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, in his Christmas Day message on Monday, that Christians should be allowed to use the word "Allah" in the Malay version of the Bible. Loh said the statement by Tuan Ibrahim was a "wake up call" to Christians who still supported PAS and that it was time for them to reject the Islamist party. He also took a snipe at Lim, saying there was no reason for the DAP leader to exploit religion during Christmas, saying it was a festive occasion to be celebrated by all Malaysians. "It is distasteful for Lim to use his Christmas message to raise emotive religious issues and that reflects badly of him. This is the time to call on all to bring peace and not to score political points," he added. Loh also pointed out the absence of Christmas messages from PAS leaders, saying it was very telling of the position of PAS on the celebration of Christmas. Sabah MCA vice-chairman Chew Kok Woh said the word "Allah" was freely used by churches in Sabah and Sarawak and that it was accepted by the Barisan Nasional government. He said there was no need for anyone to rekindle the controversy as even in the peninsula, the word "Allah" has been used by the orang asli and even the Baba in Malacca, adding that the DAP should stop dividing Malaysians. In a rare breaking of ranks in the opposition coalition, Johor DAP deputychairman Norman Fernandez has hit out at the PAS leadership, saying they were a danger to all non-Muslims. "While (Datuk Seri) Najib Tun Razak (who is a Muslim) sent SMS to all Christians, it is worth noting that no PAS leader has sent season's greeting to Christians. Apparently its highly sensitive for PAS Muslims to wish Christians "Merry Christmas" because it can effect their aqidah and make them apostates," he wrote in a blog on Christmas day.

DAP's Anthony Loke proposes ban on "sexy performers" Posted: 27 Dec 2012 01:49 PM PST   (The Star) - The DAP has proposed banning "sexy singers" from all its party functions but this has earned it a rebuke from MCA, which says the former is bowing to Islamist party PAS, its partner in Pakatan Rakyat. DAP national organising secretary Anthony Loke has proposed the ban, saying he would raise the matter at the next central executive committee meeting. "When people come to our party functions, they come to listen to political speeches, not for indecent entertainment," he said. He said guidelines should be drawn up and distributed to all party branches to prevent performers from dressing inappropriately. The proposal came following a controversy in Telemong, Bentong last month when a performance was halted abruptly after "complaints" that the singer was dressed "too sexily". The villagers who attended the event were upset over the cancellation, saying it was a slap in the face for the Chinese community as the DAP had bowed to pressure from PAS leaders. MCA central committee member Datuk Ti Lian Ker slammed Loke's proposal saying it amounted to the DAP endorsing the policies of PAS as well as supporting the Islamist party's interpretation of decent dressing for non-Muslims. He said sleeveless shirts and shorts were deemed inappropriate by PAS, questioning whether the DAP and PAS were now becoming "moral and fashion policemen". Recently, MCA leaders have slammed Loke for being a PAS apologist in view of his constant defence of the Islamist party's policies. They said he had "betrayed" non-Muslim voters when he concurred with PAS that gender segregation was all right at PAS events. Yesterday, Loke, maintained that his proposal had nothing to do with pressure from PAS, and that no PAS leaders were present when the performance in Bentong was called off. Last week, Bentong Dapsy chairman Chow Yu Hui was challenged by 15 village chiefs to slice off the head of a cockerel to prove that he did not cancel the performance. Chow, however, did not turn up as he said there was "no point" in prolonging the issue. The act of cutting a cockerel's head at a temple is a Chinese tradition to prove one's innocence.

Stop demanding religious equality, says ex-Fatwa Council chief Posted: 27 Dec 2012 01:28 PM PST   (The Malaysian Insider) - Non-Muslims should drop their demand to use "Allah" for their gods as the Arabic word is fundamental to Islamic belief and therefore exclusive to Muslims, National Fatwa Council former chairman Datuk Dr Ismail Ibrahim was reported saying in a Malay daily.   Ismail was weighing in on the latest debate over the Arabic word for god, in a row between Islamist opposition party PAS and its secular ally, DAP, which appears to be a hot-button topic in the run-up to national polls due soon. "Enough is enough, enough with all the other policies, including the ones enshrined in the Constitution that has been claimed for equality, to be granted equal rights... therefore the right to recognise the concept of the divinity in this religion, don't grab, challenge and manipulate so. The name 'Allah' is still something basic and fundamental to Islam. "The name 'Allah', from a philosophical point, its definition and concept is not equal with the name Tuhan, God, Lord and so on in the usage of other religions," he was quoted as saying by Sinar Harian in its front-page report today. Ismail was further reported saying those insisting the word "Allah" be allowed for use in Malay bibles should desist due to linguistic and cultural differences. He gave an example that Arabs could swear by the word "Wallahi" hundreds of times in their daily conversation but the oath was incomparable to that understood by Muslim Malaysians in the local language and that this difference between an ordinary oath and the Syariah term was explained in the Quran. "The same, therefore, with the use of the name 'Allah' that is being attempted to be compared with other languages, especially Arabic, even though this comparison should be understood from a linguistic and cultural angle between Malay and Arabic," Ismail told the newspaper. Without naming anyone, he urged the parties against looking for petty reasons to justify the usage of "Allah" for the Christian god. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/stop-demanding-religious-equality-says-ex-fatwa-council-chief/

Utusan justified to carry comment by Hasan Ali Posted: 27 Dec 2012 01:13 PM PST   (NST) - KUALA LUMPUR: A Malay daily was justified to carry a comment by Datuk Hasan Ali in response to opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's interview with the BBC as the matter touched on public interest. Lawyer Datuk Firoz Hussein Ahmad Jamaluddin told the High Court yesterday Utusan Malaysia (UM) and Hasan Ali, the then Selangor PAS Commissioner, must be given the right to freedom of speech.  "As a newspaper, UM has the duty to publish matters of public interest. What politicians utter is also of public interest," he said in his submission before judge Datuk V.T. Singham. Firoz was submitting in a RM50 million defamation suit brought by Anwar against the defendants for publishing an article attributing to Hasan in reaction to his (Anwar) interview with BBC regarding Malaysia's laws on homosexuals. Anwar, who had named the publisher Utusan Melayu (M) Bhd and its group editor Abdul Aziz Ishak as defendants, is also seeking aggravated and exemplary damages and other relief deemed fit by the court. Feroz said a news report had a short life span and could become stale the following day.  He said newspapers were competing with broadcast and other social media and that was why it was urgent to break a news as soon possible.   Feroz said Anwar's statement attracted Hasan to respond in that he was not in agreement with the opposition leader's stand.  At this juncture Singham interjected and asked whether Anwar's statement meant he wanted to legalise homosexuality. Feroz replied in the affirmative as Anwar had uttered in the BBC intereview that "we should not be seen as punitive". Singham said the newspaper should have sought clarification from Anwar as in certain circumstances issues relating to race and religion were sensitive. Counsel N. Surendran, who is representing Anwar, said the news report attributing to Hasan meant that his client was unfit to be a leader. He said the media law, including the Defamation Act, only gave protection to responsible journalism. Surendran said UM's report implied that Anwar encouraged homosexuality. He said Anwar's reference to the word punitive only meant harshness of punishment, not promoting homosexuality. "The publication in UM is therefore a false statement and the defendants' have no defence to rely on," he said, adding that the defendants' position that news had short life span tantamount to opening the door to publish false news. "Newspapers must get verification before going to print," he said. Singham will deliver his written judgment on Jan 21.

Deepak withdraws case against Wanita Umno leader Posted: 27 Dec 2012 04:30 AM PST A lawsuit against Awan Megah (M) Sdn Bhd, allegedly a vehicle for Selangor Umno Wanita chief Senator Raja Ropiaah Abdullah, was withdrawn without reasons. Teoh El Sen, FMT Controversial businessman Deepak Jaikishan today withdrew a lawsuit against a Wanita Umno leader's company over a Defence Ministry land deal which went sour. The withdrawal was confirmed by Saseedharan Menon, the lawyer for the main defendant, Awan Megah (M) Sdn Bhd which belonged to Selangor Umno Wanita chief Senator Raja Ropiaah Abdullah. "Yes, they have withdrawn [it] and the court has struck off the case," he told FMT. He said that reasons behind the sudden withdrawal today, which was fixed for oral submissions, were not given. "We had no objections to the withdrawal and there were no orders as to costs," he said "This is no out-court-settlement." Saseedharan said the withdrawal would vindicate Raja Roopiah, saying: "It has to vindicate my client as the withdrawal comes from the plaintiff himself" Meanwhile, lawyer Latheefa Koya said that Deepak had changed his lawyers on short notice today. "We are no longer his lawyers on record," she said, referring to lead counsel R Sivarasa and N Surendran. She said that Deepak's matter, including the withdrawal, was handled by another firm, adding that no reason was given for the change of lawyers. Deal to build defence research centre Previously, Deepak, through the company Astacanggih Sdn Bhd, of which he is a director, had filed the legal suit in the Kuala Lumpur High Court naming the Malaysian government, Syarikat Tanah Harta Sdn Bhd, Awan Megah and Cebur Megah Development Sdn Bhd, in which he is also a director, as defendants for breach of agreement over the 233.33 acres of land. Awan Megah had filed a counter-claim in response. High Court judge Zabariah Mohd Yusof had earlier struck out the Malaysian government, Syarikat Tanah Harta and Cebur Megah as defendants in the suit, a decision later upheld by the Court of Appeal. READ MORE HERE

‘Just imagine if PR is to lead this country’ Posted: 26 Dec 2012 04:52 PM PST It has been part of DAP's tradition to threat people when it comes to covering their scandal. Thus, on December 20, at 3.30pm when he was at the food court of Dewan Undangan Negeri, Nga Kor Ming came to Dato' Hamidah and threatened her by saying, "If you revealed this, you watch out I will go after you''. The Kuala Lumpur Post The issue of Kelantan's 4,210 land which is worth almost RM30 million in locations such as Relai, Chiku District at Gua Musang which is given to Upayapadu Plantation Sdn Bhd by Nik Aziz's government is beginning to fall apart. It is said that the land is given because it involves the interest of politicians such as Adun DAP Sitiawan, Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham, few of the investors in the company. The 'gift' given by PAS government to the Perak DAP leader is said so that PAS could put Adun Pasir Panjang, Datuk Seri Mohamad Nizar Jamaluddin as Perak Chief Minister at the time. Based on the search on Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM), 40% or RM15 million of Upaya Padu Plantation Sdn Bhd is owned by Ngeh Koo Ham, and 51% or RM16 million is owned by a company known as Efektif Kirana. And 99% of the shares in Efektif Kirana is owned by Ngeh Koo Ham as well. Thus, in a way, Upaya Padu Plantation is almost 100% owned by Ngeh Koo Ham. Ngeh also confirmed that he is the owner of the company even though previously he tried to lie deny everything. This issue is not really that hard to understand especially when Nik Aziz's Media Secretary himself, Ahmad Fadhli Shaari confirmed that the state government had offered Upayapadu Sdn Bhd through the letter of Yayasan Islam Kelantan dated August 28, 2005. Considering that everything is breaking up, Nik Aziz and Ngeh began to find ways to defend themselves when their 'dirty business' is exposed. Harakah also took an important role to twist stories and to blame UMNO leaders as the backbone of the whole thing. They are saying that the land is given to Upayapadu through the approval from the central government based on the letter from Deputy Minister of Ministry of Rural and Regional Development, Datuk Dr Awang Adek bin Hussin, and the letter from Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities at the time, Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui. It is clear that this is PAS's desperate efford in trying too twist such a simple story, so that it would be too twisted for rakyat to understand. This is because, both of the letters which is being used as PAS as their 'evidence that they are innocent' is only support letter on the project which is proposed and not the document to change land ownership to anyone. It has always been the responsibility of the central government to support projects that are seen to be able to generate state income. However, Datuk Awang Adek nor Datuk Peter Chin have any rights or power to change the land ownership to Upaya Padu Sdn Bhd or anyone. According to the Perak Today, the only one who has the power to do such thing is none other than Tok Guru Nik Aziz himself. The thing which makes it harder for PAS and DAP is when this scandal is raised in Dewan DUN Perak by Dato' Hamidah Osman. It has been part of DAP's tradition to threat people when it comes to covering their scandal. Thus, on December 20, at 3.30pm when he was at the food court of Dewan Undangan Negeri, Nga Kor Ming came to Dato' Hamidah and threatened her by saying, "If you revealed this, you watch out I will go after you''. However, as usual, DAP is too arrogant to admit that they threaten anyone even though the fact is, Mohamad Tajol Rosli Ghazali and Datuk Rusnah Kassim was there during the incident. Who knows what DAP and PAS would do after this to cover their corruption issue. Today, PAS had proven that they are willing to sacrifice 4,210 hectare of their land for the CM post. Just imagine if PR is to lead this country…who knows how much land would PAS give away for the post of Cabinet Ministers or even GLC Directors. And just imagine the kind of threats those DAP would do if they don't get what they want.

SEED: We have no reason to hide figures Posted: 26 Dec 2012 04:27 PM PST Responding to a call from an Indian business group, the secretariat explains the loans given out to Indian businesses. G Lavendran, FMT The Special Secretariat for Empowerment of Indian Entrepreneurs (SEED) today said that people should first dismiss the misconception that it is a MIC initiative. SEED director AT Kumararajah explained that the secretariat was set up by the Prime Minister's Department to assist in giving out the RM180 million allocated for the Indian community. He added that G Palanivel was playing his role in SEED as a cabinet minister and not as the president of MIC. Kumararajah claimed that SEED had data since August 2012 up until Dec 6, 2012 with regard to the number of applicants, the amount of loans dispersed and the applicants who had been rejected. "It is a work-in-progress, we have no reason to hide the figures. At the same time, it's not easy to collect data from the 13 banks affiliated with this programme and all its branches from around Malaysia. We are getting there," he said. The SEED director was responding to the Malaysian Indian Business Association (Miba) which demanded MIC to reveal the figures pertaining to the funds allocated for Indian businesses. According to Kumararajah, there had been 932 applications as of December 20 this year. Out of which, 643 had been approved and dispersed and 20 applications rejected. The balance 269 applications were still being processed but 57 of them were already lined up out of which, 28 almost completed. He said that out of the total RM2.43 billion allocated by the government for businesses, RM180 million was allocated specifically for the Indians. This amount, he added, was broken down and parked under several other programmes and financial institutions – RM10 million to Malaysian Industrial Development Finance (MIDF), RM10 million to Small and Medium Enterprises Corporation Malaysia (SME), RM30 million to Tekun and the remaining RM130 million to banks. Responding to another point raised by Miba, Kumararajah said: "The funds given out by banks is indeed using the Islamic concept. People have to realise that the Islamic concept is merely a funding mechanism and has proved to be one of the fastest growing mechanisms." "There is no difference between normal loans and that of the Islamic concept, the only thing is the 'halal' factor. Still, there is leniency ranging from 15%-20% of the business being of 'non-halal' in nature," he added. Creating awareness Explaining further on the figures, Kumararajah said RM24.37 million had been given out so far to the above mentioned 643 approvals – RM3 million via SME, RM9.9 million via MIDF, RM9 million via Tekun and RM13.8 million via banks. "We have the figures and just need time to collect the precise data. Once that is complete, we would definitely publish the details," he told FMT. READ MORE HERE

Khairy tells Edge: retract provocative article on May 13 Posted: 26 Dec 2012 04:08 PM PST (Malaysian Digest) - Edge Financial Daily has been urged to retract its article related on the May 13 tragedy, in which it was claimed that the incident was triggered by Umno's plans to topple the late Prime Minister Tuanku Abdul Rahman Putra. Umno Youth has condemned the accusations and described the article as "an act of provocation." The party's youth wing chief, chief Khairy Jamaluddin said, the article, which was based on accusations and sentiment, was intentionally aired as a means to provoke a reaction towards the Malay party. He said the bloody tragedy was a 'black mark' on the country's history, and needs to serve as a lesson not only to Umno but also all Malaysians. "In history, it is already written what happened in this tragedy; everyone also knows who was responsible for it. "The act of blaming Umno is unacceptable. Not only does it not make sense, it also far off the mark from the truth," he told Utusan Malaysia. He was commenting on an article published in the Edge Financial Daily, written by Mohsin Abdullah on Dec 17, which stated that the May 13, 1969 tragedy was planned by Umno to topple the leadership of Prime Minister Tuanku Abdul Rahman Putra. Khairy explained, anyone who wished to publish an article on sensitive issues such as the May 13 tragedy should instead refer to historical facts first, and not form a partisan conclusion. He said, any assessment or accusation of such nature should be examined first with full responsibility to avoid confusing the public. Khairy said, historical facts clearly showed that the tragedy was triggered after a provocation-riddled parade by Opposition supporters, following a huge win in that year's general election. "Umno strongly condemns the accusations and see it as an act of provocation. We urge that the article be retracted as soon as possible."

Pakatan to hold rush meet over ‘Allah’ issue, Anwar says Posted: 26 Dec 2012 03:39 PM PST Ida Lim, The Malaysian Insider Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders will conduct an urgent meeting to discuss the controversial "Allah" issue that has resurfaced, Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today. Anwar said this when asked to comment on DAP and PAS taking different stands on whether the Arabic word "Allah" should be used by Christians to describe their god in the Alkitab, the Malay-language translation of the Bible. "Now that this matter has resurfaced, I think it will require an urgent meeting of Pakatan leadership," Anwar told reporters after a court hearing here. Earlier on, the PKR de facto leader said that the matter had previously been settled in a meeting with leaders from all three PR parties ― DAP, PAS and PKR ― present. "From my understanding, this issue was resolved. Not only was there a meeting, but there was a detailed elaborate discussion on the subject..." he said, saying that classical and religious texts were referred to in the meeting. In a renewed debate over the use of the word "Allah", PAS yesterday said that Christians should not use it in the Alkitab, claiming that it does not reflect the actual meaning of "God" in the original text. PAS also said that using the word "Allah" in the Alkitab will confuse both Christians and Muslims. But DAP insisted yesterday that Christians in Sabah and Sarawak, who use the Malay language to converse, should be allowed to use the word "Allah" in their Alkitab. READ MORE HERE

PAS: The Najib factor is not key in voting Posted: 26 Dec 2012 03:24 PM PST "Especially when PAS fights against Umno (in Malay-majority seats), the background of the candidate counts. It also matters if the candidate has a big family there, lots of friends or contacts," he said. Tarani Palani, fz.com Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's approval ratings have been coasting at a steady 60% since he took office in 2009, but whether that is enough to take his weakened coalition through the crucial 13th general election is an open question. For PAS, Najib is dogged by controversies that the people would not easily forget and this would negate his high score in opinion polls. Therefore, the Islamic party is confident that the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition would not be able to regain its precious two-thirds majority that it lost for the first time in the 2008 electoral contest.   PAS secretary-general Mustafa Ali downplayed the effect of the Najib factor on the election outcome. The key to winning the coming election lies in the candidate's local connections, he opines.   "In the elections, whether you can win or will lose depends on the local constituency – how big is your power base there and how strong is your candidate. Those two elements count more. It is not the Najib factor," he said in an interview with fz.com recently.   According to Mustafa, the way the party machinery and workers were organised and how they worked the ground in the local constituency still mattered a lot.   He believes that Najib's high approval ratings may be due to the people's perceptions as well as the clever use of Najib's appearances and public image.   "Maybe it is a perception because people see him out and about, but the Najib factor is not too much of a factor," he said, when it comes to the next general election.   In particular, Najib's popularity does not diminish the fact that the prime minister has to deal with the effect of his involvement in high profile cases, in the minds of the general public, said Mustafa.   "He may present a new kind of politics but he has political baggage," said Mustafa said with a chuckle.   Najib has been embroiled in allegations that huge commissions were paid for the purchase of Scorpene submarines from French defence firm DCNS during his tenure as the Defence Minister. A close associate, Abdul Razak Baginda, had been charged with abetment in the murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shariibuu, who was an interpreter in the submarine deal. Abdul Razak was acquitted in 2008.   Opposition politicians have used the case as a talking point during ceramah (talks) and the issue can be expected to be extensively aired during the election campaign.   Mustafa's views notwithstanding, Najib's popularity is frequently cited by political commentators as an important factor that will influence the BN's chances in the general election.   Its significance is seen as even more important considering that the percentage of people who are dissatisfied with his leadership has been consistently below 30% since 2009.   However, the BN has not fared as well in its approval ratings and Najib has been constantly coaxing BN politicians to work harder to win the people's support.   Soon after taking over as the country's sixth premier, Najib made a strong bid to re-brand the BN administration as inclusive by promoting the 1Malaysia concept as a way to foster national unity.   He has also tried to re-invent himself as a leader reaching out to the middle ground, instead of taking the rightist approach that has been the traditional Umno position.   Analysts have also rated his economic and administrative transformation programmes and the steady stream of financial handouts as positive factors that would pay dividends during the general election.   Discounting the Najib factor, PAS is putting its faith in its core election strategy of connecting with voters, and it remains to be seen whether this approach is the correct one for what may be the closest fight yet in an election.   In Mustafa's view, the coming election may be revolutionary for the nation but the political culture on the ground remains unchanged.   This is especially true in the seats where PAS has traditionally faced Umno in a battle for Malay hearts and minds.   "In PAS, we chose candidates based on their 'winability'. Their capacity to perform, their acceptance by local constituents and the 'X' factor," said Mustafa.   "Especially when PAS fights against Umno (in Malay-majority seats), the background of the candidate counts. It also matters if the candidate has a big family there, lots of friends or contacts," he said.   "It all counts. These people can vote across party lines if they like the candidate. That will be the 'X' factor. It does not matter if the candidate is young, old or new – as long as they have these criteria, they will be elected," said Mustafa.   Also, he believes that the next election will be such a close fight that the idea of securing a "two-thirds" majority, which was the yardstick to measure the BN's election performance, will no longer apply.   "I think the people see a possibility of a two-party system now," he said. On the chances of Pakatan gaining power, Mustafa solemnly believes that it was a distinct possibility.   "For all three Pakatan parties, this is the closest to the central government (that we have been)," he said.   "It will be a close fight that nobody will ever think of getting a two-thirds majority. Whoever wins will win with a simple majority," he said.

No side will win two-thirds majority, says PAS sec-gen Posted: 26 Dec 2012 03:17 PM PST (The Malaysian Insider) - The 13th general will be a very tight race where the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) pact and the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition can only hope to take Parliament by a simple majority, Datuk Mustafa Ali predicts. The PAS secretary-general poured cold water on the BN's upbeat forecast for the looming elections that it has got the upper hand and reclaim the two-thirds majority it lost four years ago in the landmark 2008 elections, which also saw the formation of PAS-DAP-PKR partnership. "Even if Pakatan rakyat wins, we will not get two-thirds majority. "There will be no side that will get a two-thirds majority victory," he told Sinar Harian Online yesterday. The ruling BN is now in control of 137 seats out of 222 in the Dewan Rakyat. But Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who heads the 13-member BN coalition, has expressed confidence it can take back its customary two-thirds control of Parliament as in previous years, so long as members unite instead of sabotaging the party. Umno information chief, Datuk Ahmad Maslan has said BN only needed to win a minimum of eight seats to add to its 140 seats it won in the 12th general elections to reclaim its pole position in the law-making house. However, political observers have said that BN could possibly take only 120 seats at the next polls, pointing to growing voter restlessness at the slow pace of the Najib administration's promised government and economic reforms. While a simple majority is good enough to enact new laws, a two-thirds majority is crucial to amend the Federal Constitution.

Why MyKad change at the Immigration? Posted: 26 Dec 2012 11:45 AM PST   (Daily Express) - "But it is being done at the Immigration Department, which is only handling passport and work pass. Since when did the Immigration Department also handle the job of the National Registration Department?" he asked. DAP Tanjung Aru has queried the reason for the changing of new MyKad being done at the Immigration Department in the Federal Administrative Complex here instead of the National Registration Department. Its Chief, Dato David Chong Ket Sui, said he had received a report that the process to change to the new MyKad and address could be done up to two hours only. "But it is being done at the Immigration Department, which is only handling passport and work pass. Since when did the Immigration Department also handle the job of the National Registration Department?" he asked. In a statement Wednesday, Chong said he received information that most of those who were changing their MyKad and address were from Pulau Gaya, Telipok, Menggatal and Karambunai. "Most of these people are from the Bajau Filipino community who are changing their address to Kota Kinabalu and Sembulan," he said, adding the move was allegedly facilitated by "agents" offering money ranging from RM100 to RM200 for them to change their address in their MyKad and in the process moved their voting constituency. He said all they had to do was to select areas such as Karamunsing, Kampung Air and Sinsuran as their new address even though they were not residing in these places. Chong believed the move had something to do with the fact that the Barisan Nasional (BN) had found out that it would be difficult for them to win Chinese majority constituencies such as Kota Kinabalu, which has about 90 per cent Chinese voters. "Therefore, the BN is moving voters from other constituencies to the Chinese majority constituency to change the demography and give them a chance to win in the coming election," he claimed. According to him, the BN needed at least 4,000 voters to offset the Chinese votes in Kota Kinabalu, which in the last general election had voted in a candidate from DAP. Meanwhile, Chong said since the process to change the address and in the MyKad now was so easy and quick, he urged those who had to take a long journey back to cast their vote to change their address in their Identity Card so that their polling centre could be nearer. "Those who always complained about the trouble for them to go back to far away constituencies like Kudat or Sandakan should take the opportunity to change their address in their MyKad, which only takes up to two hours now," he said. Chong presumed that the change of voting constituency in the electoral roll is being done together with the change of address in the MyKad at the Immigration Department. It had been reported that BN leaders from Sepanggar parliamentary constituency had also complained about the "exercise" to move voters from the constituency to neighbouring Kota Kinabalu parliamentary constituency.

Nik Aziz needs to withdraw 'Apostate' ruling on Umno Posted: 26 Dec 2012 11:27 AM PST   (Bernama) - Apart from PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang's decree 35 years ago which should be withdrawn as it causes disunity among Muslims, the opposition party's spiritual advisor should also withdraw several of his own religious rulings (fatwas). Umno Information chief Datuk Ahmad Maslan said this was because several religious rulings made by Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat as Kelantan Menteri Besar especially that Umno was apostate and whoever supported Umno was evil, had bad implications on Malays and Muslims in the country. "Nik Aziz needs to withdraw his religious rulings which could break up the Malays and Muslims, not only Abdul Hadi should do so (withdraw his decree)," he told reporters after visiting 157 flood victims at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Mulong here last night. Ahmad said this was in line with the address of the Sultan of Kelantan, Sultan Muhammad V on Tuesday who wanted Muslims to mutually respect each other and avoid prolonged problems. In his speeh at the 100th anniversary of the Kelantan Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (MAIK), the Sultan said that he hoped all parties were aware of the high hopes of Muslims towards peace and harmony as well as his disappointment when the energy and strength of Muslims were sapped because of internal struggles. The text of his speech was read out by the Tengku Mahkota of Kelantan, Tengku Muhammad Fa-iz Petra.

January rally to go on even without permit, says activist Posted: 26 Dec 2012 11:25 AM PST   (The Malaysian Insider) - The Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat (People's Uprising Rally) mass event next January 12 will go on at Stadium Merdeka even without the authorities' permit to use the iconic venue, The Malaysian Insider understands. According to social activist Hishammuddin Rais, event organisers are still waiting for a response from the KL City Hall on their application for Stadium Merdeka, which was sent some time last week. But he noted that even without permit, rally-goers could gather peacefully in the areas surrounding the stadium. "I am just paraphrasing Md Sabu... if there is no stadium permit, we gather around it," he said, referring to PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu, who is chairman of the event. "I don't think there will be any chaos, unless the cops are going to come running again. But I think the time is not conducive for this... but we shall cross the river when we get there," Hishammuddin told The Malaysian Insider. Should the event proceed without permission, the streets of the capital will again become the focus of international attention as major civil society movements nationwide, along with PR parties and other anti-government proponents, gather to demand a string of key issues ahead of national polls. Hishammuddin said that the People's Uprising Rally is a culmination of sorts for all movements against purportedly unfair government policies and decisions, as well as pro-change, pro-democracy and pro-opposition groups, and a massive show of force to frighten the ruling administration away from cheating during the coming polls. At a press conference to announce the rally last week, Mohamad had invited all those with grouses against the government to participate in the mammoth event. "We are not hiding the fact that this date was selected specifically because it is near the elections. And yes, there will be those who say this is purely political. "It is clearly an event to mount pressure on the government of the day so they will not do mass cheating during the polls, so that it will not be a stolen election," Hishammuddin said. But the activist, who is also a Bersih 2.0 steering committee member, reminded that regardless of the political nature of the rally, the involvement of civil society movements meant that the groups want their demands delivered ― from the scrapping of the Lynas plant in Kuantan, to the promise of fair royalty payments to oil-producing states, free education and a fair polls process. "These groups have been voicing their demands... and this is not just for the present government but for the incoming government as well. "These demands are still valid so whoever rules next, must remember this," Hishammuddin said, before adding that the demand for free and fair elections will lead as the key message of the event. As such, protestors, numbering to a targeted one million, will colour the iconic Stadium Merdeka this January 12 in splashes of anti-Lynas's fluorescent green, Bersih 2.0's eye-catching yellow, the anti-FGVH movement's orange and the striking red of pro-oil royalty groups. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/january-rally-to-go-on-even-without-permit-says-activist/

DAP, PAS send mixed messages on ‘Allah’ issue Posted: 26 Dec 2012 12:57 AM PST Ida Lim, The Malaysian Insider In a fresh debate over the word "Allah", PAS says that Christians should not use it to describe their god in the Bible, while its political ally DAP insists that Christians in East Malaysia should be allowed to use the Arabic word. PAS information chief Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said today the use of the word "Allah" in the Alkitab, the Malay-language translation of the Bible, would not reflect the original text's meaning. "PAS' stand is that the Bahasa Melayu Bible should replace the 'God' term with 'Tuhan' and not 'Allah' to mirror the actual meaning of the original text," he said in a press statement. Tuan Ibrahim said both Christians and Muslims could be confused when the word "Allah" is used in the Alkitab. "Since the Bahasa Melayu Bible is a translation from the original English text, the term 'God' does not mean 'Allah', because the accurate translation is 'Tuhan'. It should be translated according to original meaning. Translating 'God' to 'Allah' will confuse Christians and create unease among the Muslims and can confuse Muslims," he said. He said "Allah" was a sacred name for the Muslims and should be used appropriately. "In relation to that, (the) request to use Allah's name in the Bahasa Melayu translation of the Bible is not wajar (suitable), even the society in the West, they don't use Allah's name to refer to God whether in speech, writing of films. The word that is often used is 'Lord'," said Tuan Ibrahim, who is also Pahang PAS commissioner. On Monday, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng had raised the controversial "Allah" issue in his Christmas message. "For this reason, DAP urges the BN Federal government to allow the use of the word 'Allah' on the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Bible as has been allowed in Sabah and Sarawak for the last 50 years and practised in the Middle East for more than a thousand years," Lim wrote in a statement on December 24 in English and Mandarin. Zairil Khir Johari, DAP's assistant publicity secretary, said today that Lim's words have been "twisted", saying that the Penang chief minister had only asked Putrajaya not to deny the rights of Christians in East Malaysia to use the word "Allah". According to Zairil, several news reports had falsely accused Lim of urging the federal government to allow Christians in Peninsula Malaysia to use the word "Allah" in the Alkitab. "He (Lim) only asked that it be allowed in the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Bible that is used by Christians in Sabah and Sarawak." "Furthermore, the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Bible can only be found in Sabah and Sarawak and not in Peninsula Malaysia. "Therefore, the issue of usage of the word "Allah" in Peninsula Malaysia does not arise at all," Zairil said. Zairil pointed out that the word "Allah" was commonly used by Christians in neighbouring Indonesia and has been used for decades by the Bumiputera Christians in East Malaysia that converse in the Malay language. Christians form 9.2 per cent of Malaysia's 28.3 million-strong population, with many of them in east Malaysia using the Malay language and the word "Allah" to refer to their God. In recent years, the Christian and Muslim religious communities have been engaged in a tug-of-war over the word "Allah", with the latter group arguing that its use should be exclusive to them on the grounds that Islam is monotheistic and the word "Allah" denotes the Muslim god. A legal tussle over the use of the word "Allah" remains unresolved, with the Catholic Church still barred from publishing the word in its weekly newspaper, despite winning a High Court decision on December 31, 2009. This is due to the Home Ministry filing an appeal in 2010 against the High Court's decision, which have since stagnated in the courts as no date has been set for its hearing. Last year, shipments of the Alkitab, the Malay-language Bible catering to the Bahasa Malaysia-speaking Bumiputera Christians, were blocked or confiscated at ports, before the government finally bowed to pressure and released them.

Nallakaruppan and Utusan retain most of their defence in Anwar’s defamation suit Posted: 26 Dec 2012 12:53 AM PST (The Star) - Malaysian United Indian Party president Senator Datuk S. Nallakaruppan and two others were allowed to retain most of their statements of defence in a RM100mil suit filed by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim against them. Nallakaruppan, Utusan Melayu (Malaysia) Bhd and its Editor-in-Chief Datuk Abdul Aziz Ishak had pleaded the defence of justification, qualified privilege and fair comment which were part of the opinion in the majority judgment of Anwar's 1998 sodomy case in the Federal Court. High Court Judicial Commissioner Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera Wednesday granted only a part of Anwar's application to strike out a portion of the defence statements by Nallakarupan, Utusan Melayu and Abdul Aziz. The only part, which was allowed to be struck out by the Judicial Commissioner, was the plea of justification. However, Vazeer allowed the defences of qualified privilege, fair comment and mitigation of damages to be retained. On March 26, the Opposition leader had filed the suit alleging Nallakaruppan had uttered defamatory words against him which were then published on the front page of the Utusan Malaysia daily on March 20. In his statement of claim, Anwar said the defamatory words included in the article were false, baseless, was published with ill intention and had tarnished his good name. Anwar is seeking RM100mil in general, aggravated and exemplary damages, cost and other relief deemed fit by the court. The High Court has set January 18, 2013 for case management.

Reveal the figures, MIC told Posted: 26 Dec 2012 12:44 AM PST Miba wants MIC to disclose the figures and documents pertaining to the funds allocated for Indian entrepreneurs.  G Lavendran, FMT An Indian business group leader has urged MIC to reveal the proper figures with regard to the funds allocated by the government for Indian entrepreneurs. Speaking to FMT, Malaysian Indian Business Association (Miba) president P Sivakumar said this was the only way for confidence in MIC to grow. "Out of the RM180 million that was allocated, only RM30 million is justifiable through Tekun. Perhaps another RM20 million can be justified through the Small and Medium Enterprise Corporation Malaysia (SME). But what about the other RM130 million?" he asked. Furthermore, he said the RM130 million was dispersed to financial institutions to be given out as business related loans via the Islamic concept. "It is not easy for Indians to apply for loans via this concept, the document requirements are not flexible. So how is the Indian community going to benefit from this? "This shows how little the system has opened up for equality and fairplay," he added. Sivakumar commended the MIC secretary-general S Murugesan on his comments pertaining to the same issue but stressed that it should be supported with proper documentation. "Every Malaysian deserves to know the truth. We need more people from MIC to clear the haze by giving statements, this time around with figures and proper supporting documents to get the message across clearly to the people," he said. Sivakumar said he welcomed the idea of new policies and programmes being implemented by MIC but felt that the government must participate in this together. "Stand up and be accounted for, MIC," he said. READ MORE HERE

PKR cries foul over mock voting for BN Posted: 26 Dec 2012 12:41 AM PST But EC says the exercise among Orang Asli in Tapah, even if true, would be legitimate. Anisah Shukry, FMT Barisan Nasional rewarded indigenous people in Tapah with 5kg of rice each in return for casting mock ballots in favour of its candidates, PKR claimed today. "Several weeks ago, the Department of Orang Asli Development (Jakoa) and Chenderiang assemblyman Mah Hang Soon ran a series of programmes in Orang Asli villages in Tapah," Perak PKR treasurer Yap Yit Thong told FMT today. "In the programme, the Orang Asli were given two homemade ballot papers similar to the ballot paper used in elections, and were forced to tick Barisan Nasional in full view of the Jakoa officers and Dr Mah. "Those who ticked BN in both ballot papers were then given 5kg of rice as a reward." Yap said the Orang Asli had to return the marked ballot papers immediately to the officials, apparently so that no evidence of the exercise remained. But some of the marked ballot papers wound up in Yap's hands when several Orang Asli approached him to complain about the issue. "We don't know what BN's purpose is," Yap told FMT. "Maybe when it's time for general election, BN will tell the Orang Asli, 'You already voted for us' or 'We gave you the rice and you promised you would vote for us; so you must do so.'" Yap said the mock election, if it did take place, was in violation of the Election Offenses Act and could be investigated as a crime. The act states that any person who "without due authority prints any ballot paper or what purports to be or is capable of being used as a ballot paper at an election" could be imprisoned for up to two years or fined up to RM5,000 or suffer both penalties. A person who "prints any advertisement, handbill, placard or poster which refers to an election and contains a reproduction of a ballot paper, or of what purports to be a ballot paper, to be used or likely to be used at such election" may face similar punishment. Yap said he had yet to approach Jakoa or Mah over the issue, but was demanding that they give an explanation. He also called on the Election Commission to question Jakoa and Mah. "Dr Mah must resign as Chenderiang state assemblyman and executive council member of Perak for abusing his power," he said. 'Completely fine' However, EC deputy director Wan Ahmad Wan Omar told FMT the alleged incident appeared to be a voter education programme rather than an attempt at vote buying or blackmail. "This is the first time this issue has been raised with me, but from what you explained, it sounds perfectly acceptable and normal," he said. "A lot of political parties are doing mock elections. This is a form of voter education, by which they are educating people on how to vote. "That is completely fine. The EC is in fact encouraging political parties, NGOs and concerned citizens to educate one another on how to vote." He said that the EC had been promoting voter education programmes for a while now, especially in light of the high percentage of spoilt votes in the 2008 general election. As for allegations that the Orang Asli participants had to vote for BN's candidates in the mock ballot, Wan Ahmad said that that was perfectly natural and to be expected. "That is campaigning," he said. "Any political party, whether from the government or the opposition, would do the same if they were teaching the public to vote. It doesn't matter at all. "To me, it just sounds like BN is conducting a voter education programme while campaigning at the same time." READ MORE HERE

Stop PR stunts, get real with Christians Posted: 25 Dec 2012 02:58 PM PST An NGO says this Christmas is the time for Najib to ponder and really hear the Christians on the issue of fairness and justice.  Luke Rintod, FMT Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has been asked to stop his "public relations stunts" and instead deal with the biased treatment his federal administration has meted out to Christians in Sabah and Sarawak. Demanding that Najib "walk his talk", a local NGO, Borneo's Plight in Malaysia Foundation (BoPiMaFo), said the PM's "nice words" in his Christmas message yesterday, rang "hollow as far as sincerity and truth is concerned" when compared to the "real situation" in Malaysia affecting Christians. The foundation's president Daniel John Jambun said that in Sabah especially, the "Christian community continued to be increasingly marginalised and victimised by loads of actions from Najib's ruling party Umno." "This Christmas time is for Najib to ponder and really hear the Christians on the issue of fairness and justice. "In Sabah especially, we are constantly being marginalised. Christians face difficulty in building their own churches, mission schools are in a sorry state, there's marginalisation in scholarships and government jobs and promotions. "What justice does he speak of if mosques, suraus and even madrasahs and all their officials like imam, bilal, missionaries are being salaried from taxes the government collected from us the rakyat while our churches and officials are being left out only for the faithfuls to support? "And on top of that, there seem to be various open concerted efforts from the government agencies to frustrate the development of Christianity in worship, education, literature, arts, even cultures. We cannot even put up crosses," said Jambun. Christians marginalised Jambun, who is also a deputy chairman of the Sabah chapter of opposition State Reform Party (STAR), also raised the issue of the Alkitab and Bibles which are subjected to unnecessary scrutiny. READ MORE HERE

Church leaders happy with Najib’s pledge, but wary it won’t trickle down Posted: 25 Dec 2012 02:55 PM PST Najib had reassured the Christian community in Malaysia on Christmas Day yesterday that the government recognised them the as an essential part of the nation. – Picture by Saw Siow Feng Zurairi AR, The Malaysian Insider Church leaders are happy with Datuk Seri Najib Razak's pledge to the Christian community, but expressed concern that the prime minister's message will not filter down to conservatives and extremist elements in his party and government. Najib had reassured the Christian community in Malaysia on Christmas Day yesterday that the government recognised them the as an essential part of the nation. Christians form about nine per cent of the country's 28 million population. "I hope that was not only from him alone, but it (also) has to be from the other part of the government," Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) chairman Datuk Ng Moon Hing told The Malaysian Insider yesterday. CFM, the umbrella body of all Christian denominations in the country, organised its annual Christmas Day party attended by all political leaders. Ng's view was mirrored by the Tan Sri Murphy Pakiam, Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur, who said the prime minister needs courage, determination and consistent effort to accomplish his promises. "Hopefully he can get his whole team to (work at it)," Pakiam said. The church leaders agreed that Najib's attendance in the Christmas event was a nice gesture towards the Christian community, but would be for naught if he failed to confront extremists elements in his party and the government. "What's troubling to Christians is that the government has not spoken up to the extremists what its views are," said Hermen Shastri, the general secretary from the Council of Churches of Malaysia (CCM). The CCM is an ecumenical fellowship of churches and Christian organisations that are part of the larger Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) representing 90 per cent of the country's 2.8 million Christians. Last year, Umno-owned daily Utusan Malaysia published a report entitled Kristian Agama Rasmi? ("Christianity the official religion?"), where it was alleged that DAP leaders and Christian clergymen were conspiring to take over Putrajaya, abolish Islam as the religion of the federation and install a Christian prime minister. In the aftermath of the report, Malay supremacist group Perkasa and its president Datuk Ibrahim Ali threatened Christians nationwide with a holy war against any move to usurp Islam with a Christian state. Najib then meet church leaders to clear the air but the Home Ministry had only slapped the daily with a warning letter for publishing the unsubstantiated report. Shastri warned that by not taking any action on extremists, it will undo and make difficult the plans that the PM wants to accomplish. "(This will happen) as long as some groups keep on saying that Christians are a threat," Shastri said. The church leaders have listed several issues affecting the Christian community that has yet to be addressed by the government, with the issue of insufficient land for religious sites chief among them. "What we felt previously is that there are certain issues that the government could be more upfront (with) when dealing with them," confessed Philip Kok, a bishop with the Lutheran Church of Malaysia. "I think a lot of time, (we are facing) a struggle against bureaucracy. Some difficulties looked like it was (a problem with policy), but then the policy is interpreted in a different light," Ng explained. READ MORE HERE

‘Can we trust Sabah BN leaders, anymore?’ Posted: 25 Dec 2012 02:30 PM PST The only reason Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is desperately wooing Sabah is because Umno can no longer rule Peninsular Malaysia without Sabah and Sarawak.  Luke Rintod, FMT PENAMPANG: A veteran political activist who was once with Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) said many among the Barisan Nasional leaders in Sabah had at many times told crowds that BN stands for "Barisan Nah Sial". Fredoline Edwin Lojingki, 71, who is now with opposition State Reform Party (STAR) said he could name these hypocrite leaders who are now heaping praises after praises on BN and its corrupt leaders. "These leaders once referred to BN as Barisan Nah Sial but they are singing a different tune now because they are now ministers, they got projects and all the trappings of power," he said in a statement here today in response to PBS Johnny Mositun's statement yesterday. Lojingki said the PBS information chief has forgotten what had Umno done with its two-thirds majority. "He forgot that it is because of BN losing its two thirds majority in parliament that it is now wooing Sabah and Sarawak votes," he opined. "Has Mositun forgotten that at one time Dr Mahathir Mohamad proudly announced on television that without Sabah and Sarawak, Umno could still rule the federal government? "Is Mositun aware of the importance of a check and balance in parliament?" he asked. Lojinki further reminded Sabahans and leaders to think before they speak. He said the questions they must first ask of themselves is: "Is a two-third majority, or worse, a complete control of parliament by BN good or bad for Sabah." "We leaders have a duty to explain what we believe is good for the country. Let us not mislead the people just because we curry powder with the power that be. "Lets not forget how difficult it is for lagging Sabah and Sarawak to be heard by a powerful central power," he said, adding that it is only the people who could decide if they want BN, or any other party, to have a two-thirds majority in the 222-seat parliament. READ MORE HERE

Sarawak Rela ordered to give ‘undivided support’ to BN Posted: 25 Dec 2012 01:41 PM PST   (Free Malaysia Today) - Sarawak PKR has described calls to Rela members to help Barisan Nasional win in the state as 'immoral'. The neutrality of paramilitary volunteer corp, Rela, in Sarawak has come under question following a recent "immoral" order by a top ranking officer urging its members to support Barisan Nasional. Sarawak has 300,000 Rela members stationed in 32 districts.Nationwide, there are 3.2 million members. At a function in Julau district, Rela officer Lieutenant Colonel (Rela) Moses Sipan reportedly told Rela members that the government had allocated some RM400 million in the 2013 budget for the corp. "This huge sum shows the government's confidence in Rela. "Therefore as a show of our appreciation we must give our undivided support to BN in the coming general election," he said. Julau has about 8,000 Rela members. The constituency is currently held by Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) vice-president Joseph Salang, who is also a deputy minister in the federal cabinet. Sipan's call to Rela members in Julau is also seen as an 'order' to all Rela members in Sarawak. The directive has irked the opposition in Julau constituency and the state. Slamming Sipan, state PKR chief Baru Bian said: "This is wrong. It is immoral and politically wrong for them to do that. "Rela is not a political party. It is a voluntary organisation and funded by the rakyat's money. "You don't use this kind of voluntary organisation to strengthen your political influence." Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/12/26/sarawak-rela-ordered-to-give-undivided-support-to-bn/

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