Rabu, 19 September 2012

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Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News


Talk is cheap

Posted: 18 Sep 2012 04:33 PM PDT

And what I mean is that while we talk about struggle and sacrifice in the interest of seeing change, very few are prepared to compromise and sacrifice for the sake of this change. Hence all this talk of struggle, sacrifice and change is mere idle talk that is going to lead to nowhere.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Kalau takut pada risiko, usah bicara tentang perjuangan.

Kalau takut dipukul ombak, jangan berumah di tepi pantai.

If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.

There is a reason why Muslims fast for 30 days during the month of Ramadhan. It is to teach, train and condition yourself to endure pain and suffering, resist temptation and lust, and to enter into a mental state of tolerance and patience. Many Muslims who seldom pray or do not pray at all would still fast. You rejoice when the month of Ramadhan arrives and you gladly deny your body its desires. In short, you abstain from worldly needs and distractions.

Muslims also have to pray five times a day. And to be able to pray five times a day on a very rigid schedule means you must also have discipline. You must also live with inconvenience because no matter whether you are travelling on a journey or locked in a meeting you must always find the time to pray, even when it is not really convenient to do so. Even if you are sick in bed you will wake up to pray and then go back to sleep.

Hence facing and tolerating inconvenience is a daily routine for you and you endure it not with a sigh of regret but with a willing heart and joy. You look forward to your prayers, as you do your fasting.

Humans have needs and urges. Humans have passion and emotion. Humans suffer thirst and hunger. Humans suffer vanity, ego, anger, lust, fear, envy, greed, jealousy, and much more. But all these need to be suppressed. There are only two things you are allowed to feel: patience and tolerance. Everything else need to be set aside.

Considering that these are the objectives and ideals of fasting and praying five times a day, those who comply to these tenets or rituals should have been taught, trained and conditioned to become marvellous human beings. If by the time you are, say, 30, and you have been praying five times a day and fasting for 30 days every year since you were in standard one, you would have been programmed to smile under duress and under any provocative situation.

This, however, does not appear to be so. In spite of all that training, Muslims still have a very short fuse and will fly off the handle at the slightest provocation. They will become very violent and will easily resort to physical action when rubbed the wrong way, however mild that provocation may be. Muslims give the impression that they are a time bomb just waiting to explode.

This is the greatest contradiction you will find in Muslims. Their lips would constantly utter words such as berjaung (struggle), korban (sacrifice), sabar (patience cum tolerance), etc. But it is only lip service. It is not something in their hearts. It makes you wonder whether their prayers and fasting have done any good. Would they have been better off smoking marijuana and doing meditation? At least those who do would preach love, tolerance and peace although they may not believe in Allah or Prophet Muhammad.

The 'turn the other cheek' doctrine is nonexistent for most Muslims. They do not even practice the concept of 'an eye for an eye'. It is more like 'your whole head for an eye' dogma.

Hence we are seeing the violent reaction all over the world at what Muslims perceive as an insult to Prophet Muhammad. The irony of this whole thing is that those who are punished are not really the culprits. We punish other people for something someone else did. If an Indonesian robs us in Bangsar we bomb Jakarta although that particular Indonesian who robbed us may be living in Petaling Jaya.

Malays/Muslims are not the only ones who demonstrate hypocrisy, though. Chinese, Indians, natives of East Malaysia, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, etc., are also the same. They talk about struggle and sacrifice. But struggle and sacrifice are what they expect others to do. They themselves would not do all this.

They understand that struggle and sacrifice work hand-in-glove. One can't exist without the other. But are they prepared to endure one for the sake of the other? Very few Malaysians would although they accuse others of violating this basic principle of the cause.

Okay, we want change. We want to see the end of Barisan Nasional rule. We want to see a new government. And we want Pakatan Rakyat to be that new government.

I can buy that. I have no problems with that. I am prepared to struggle for that. I am even prepared to sacrifice for that. But are you? Are you people who are screaming and shouting about change prepared to also struggle and sacrifice to see this change happen? Or do you want others to do the struggling and sacrificing so that you can be spared this inconvenience?

Actually, the majority of you are all talk. Mere hot air. Very few of you are prepared to struggle and sacrifice. You talk about struggle and sacrifice, no doubt. But you talk about it in the context of what you expect others to do, not what you are prepared to do.

And most of you will deny this. And you will get very angry if I were to suggest this. You are noble and sincere and how dare I accuse you otherwise? But most of you are actually a load of bullshit. And to make matters worse you do not even realise you are a load of bullshit.

So you are noble and sincere, are you? You are prepared to struggle and sacrifice, are you? You want to see change, do you? Well, let's see.

Are the Malays prepared to drop the Islamic State and Hudud agenda in favour of a Secular State for the sake of change if that is the only way to kick out Barisan Nasional and replace it with Pakatan Rakyat?

Are the non-Malays prepared to embrace the Islamic State and Hudud agenda for the sake of change if that is the only way to kick out Barisan Nasional and replace it with Pakatan Rakyat?

Are the Chinese prepared to drop their Chinese school and mother-tongue education agenda in favour of national schools for the sake of change if that is the only way to kick out Barisan Nasional and replace it with Pakatan Rakyat?

Are the Indians prepared to drop their Hindu agenda for the sake of change if that is the only way to kick out Barisan Nasional and replace it with Pakatan Rakyat?

Are the East Malaysians prepared to drop the 18/20-Point Agreements and accept federalisation for the sake of change if that is the only way to kick out Barisan Nasional and replace it with Pakatan Rakyat?

Are the Malays prepared to drop the New Economic Policy in favour of meritocracy for the sake of change if that is the only way to kick out Barisan Nasional and replace it with Pakatan Rakyat?

Are the non-Malays prepared to embrace the New Economic Policy for the sake of change if that is the only way to kick out Barisan Nasional and replace it with Pakatan Rakyat?

Are the Malays prepared to drop the Monarchy in favour of a Republic for the sake of change if that is the only way to kick out Barisan Nasional and replace it with Pakatan Rakyat?

Are the Malays prepared to accept a woman or non-Malay Prime Minister for the sake of change if that is the only way to kick out Barisan Nasional and replace it with Pakatan Rakyat?

Rest assured the above are but a few examples. My list can go on and on if you wish to include the rights of gays, conversion of Muslims to other religions, Bibles in Bahasa Malaysia, English as the language of the Federation, and so much more. But I trust even these few examples demonstrate what I mean.

And what I mean is that while we talk about struggle and sacrifice in the interest of seeing change, very few are prepared to compromise and sacrifice for the sake of this change. Hence all this talk of struggle, sacrifice and change is mere idle talk that is going to lead to nowhere.

And you got the bloody cheek to scream at me for not being true to the cause and for refusing to join the fight for change? How can you expect me to join a group that comprise of a whole bunch of hypocrites?

 

Siege mentality and conditioning of the mind

Posted: 16 Sep 2012 05:03 PM PDT

Unless we stop indoctrinating or brainwashing Muslim children we are never going to solve the problem. Muslims will always view any act as an attack against Islam that requires a hostile and violent response. When you train dogs to attack they will attack. When you train children, who are more intelligent than dogs, that violence is the only legitimate and appropriate response against the 'enemies of Islam', then expect that to happen.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Tantawi, motivasi dan akhlak perjuangan

Hidup di landasan perjuangan Islam ini tidak mudah. Hakikatnya, tiada siapa kata perjuangan Islam ini mudah. Dengan berbekalkan ketaqwaan dan keimanan pada Allah, ramai yang cuba menempuh perjuangan ini.

Namun, tanpa ketaqwaan dan keimanan kepada Allah yang kuat beserta kemahiran memotivasikan diri sendiri, ramai yang tersungkur.

Ramai yang menarik diri di pertengahan jalan.

Ramai yang terpengaruh dengan kesenangan duniawi, dan mengatakan kepada diri sendiri, ada orang lain yang bakal meneruskan perjuangan ini.

Ada pula yang menggunakan jalan terpesong untuk memperjuangkan agama Allah, yang akhirnya bukan dia saja yang tersungkur malah Islam terpalit dengan nama buruk akibat "perjuangan" beliau.

Ada ramai yang menyatakan mereka sedang memperjuangkan Islam. Namun, apabila ditanya apakah perjuangan Islam? Jawapan yang didengari cukup berbeza. (READ MORE HERE)

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Nasrudin Hassan at Tantawi, the PAS youth leader, has just launched his new book called 'Catatan Seorang Pejuang' -- translated to 'Notes (or Diary) of a Fighter (or Warrior)'. The subtitle for that book is: 'No one said the Islamic struggle (or fight) is easy'.

Have you noticed that Muslims like using the word pejuang, berjuang or perjuangan together with the word Islam? Where you find the word Islam you will find the word pejuang, berjuang or perjuangan.

Perjuangan or berjuang means war, battle, struggle, fight, skirmish, scuffle, tussle, resist, wrestle, grapple, strive, labour, strain, toil, fight back, etc. Basically, it is a word that implies offence, not defence.

This is very important to note in trying to understand the mindset of Muslims -- Malays included, of course. Islam is seen as something that requires some sort of fighting or conflict. You can't be a Muslim unless you are prepared to enter into a conflict or engage in a struggle or fight.

Muslim kids learn the term perjuangan Islam long before they learn what Birkin handbags means. In fact, some Muslims like me learned what Birkin handbags (made by Hermès) meant only by the time we were past 60. But at six we already knew about perjuangan Islam.

Muslims are indoctrinated and conditioned at a very early, impressionable and tender age that Islam equates to conflict. They develop a siege mentality and are made to believe that Islam is consistently under attack and hence every Muslim needs to be a soldier -- just like every Christian was a 'soldier of Christ' 500 years or more ago.

In short, Muslims are perpetually on 'war mode'. And this is because they have been brainwashed into believing that Islam is 'at war'. Hence any criticism (or perceived insult) of Islam is seen as an act of war. And any act of war requires a hostile and physical response. Hence, also, any retaliation involving violence is seen as a legitimate and appropriate response.

When you train dogs to attack in response to just one word, 'attack', these highly trained dogs would attack when commanded to do so. Even animals can be conditioned to take someone's life at a mere one-word command. What would you expect, therefore, from more intelligent mammals that have been trained for 20 or 30 years that we are at war and that our religion is under siege and when under attack we need to retaliate?

The fact that the PAS youth leader writes a book with such a title gives you a pretty good idea about what flows through his mind. (To be fair, though, I have not yet read the contents of the book so I am 'judging the book by the cover', so to speak).

Nevertheless, the title of the book reflects the conditioning or indoctrination that the writer has received. And books such as these will in turn condition or indoctrinate other Muslims. Hence we will have a whole Muslim community (Ummah) that builds its foundation of Islamic values on the basis that Islam is perpetually on war mode and every act is perceived as a coordinated conspiracy against Islam.

It is, therefore, very difficult to find Muslims who are 'cool' about what they perceive as a criticism of Islam (I emphasis the word 'perceive'). Muslims are always 'hot'. In fact, every criticism, never mind how mild, is perceived as an insult. And even if you criticise the conduct of Muslims it is seen as a criticism of the religion itself and of the Prophet Muhammad.

Nasrudin Hassan at Tantawi is the PAS youth leader. And he is the PAS youth leader because there are many party members who support him. If not he would not be able to become the party youth leader. That means there are many more people who think like him. If not they would not have voted for him.

Hence Nasrudin Hassan at Tantawi is not alone or in the minority. And the fact that his book is being well received is further proof that many others think just like him.

Unless we stop indoctrinating or brainwashing Muslim children we are never going to solve the problem. Muslims will always view any act as an attack against Islam that requires a hostile and violent response. When you train dogs to attack they will attack. When you train children, who are more intelligent than dogs, that violence is the only legitimate and appropriate response against the 'enemies of Islam', then expect that to happen.

Now, after writing this article, do you really think I can still go back to Malaysia?

 

Track them and mark them

Posted: 15 Sep 2012 05:20 PM PDT

Some of you less-religious people might not comprehend why the government needs to go through all this trouble of detecting LGBTs. Well, the answer is simple, really. The Bible tells us stories of how God destroyed LGBTs. Hence if we follow the Bible then we too must destroy LGBTs. And Muslims also follow what the Bible says. In fact, quite a bit of what is in the Bible is also in the Qur'an.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Psychologists slam guidelines to track LGBT as being harmful

(The Star) - The so-called guidelines to help parents and teachers track lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) symptoms in their children have stereotyped the group, experts and psychologists here said.

Consultant paediatrician Dr Sim Joo Seng said the sexuality of a person may not be established until late puberty.

"Giving guidelines to teachers who are untrained to do so is a dangerous move."

"Even trained psychologists and adolescent psychiatrists have to assess properly when dealing with sexual problems," he said, commenting on the guidelines that were distributed at a parental seminar in Penang on Thursday.

The guidelines, among others, cautioned parents about their sons wearing tight V-neck shirts and bright coloured attire and their daughters being frequently seen in the company of certain girls while ignoring others.

Dr Sim said the guidelines stereotyped the LGBT community and could lead to bigger problems such as discrimination and intimidation.

Clinical psychologist Sylvester Lim likened the guidelines to "a ridiculous attempt" to describe the LGBT community without any supporting research.

The Congress of Teaching Services in National Education (Kongres), however, has come out in support of the guidelines as "these help teachers to solve problems of youths with LGBT tendencies".

Congress president Jemale Paiman said: "LGBT is not suitable for our Malaysian culture and we want to help those who have this problem."

*******************************************

Hell, I just love sleeveless T-shirts. I also love tight Lycra shorts, when I run or cycle, of course -- because they prevent sores, which later turn septic. I also love bright colours, especially my Polo shirts.

"So, do you think I'm gay?" I asked my wife.

"I suspect you are a lesbian," my wife told me.

"Lesbian? But I am a man."

"You love women, right?"

"Well…yes…" I replied cautiously, wondering whether I was about to walk into a trap with my 'confession'.

"Well, lesbians love women. So that makes you a lesbian."

Hmm…that makes sense. That's sort of 'Malaysian thinking' type of logic. Since you are not happy with Pakatan Rakyat then that makes you a Barisan Nasional supporter. It cannot be any other way.

But what if you are not happy with BOTH Pakatan Rakyat and Basisan Nasional? That cannot be. You can only be unhappy with one of them. If you are not happy with one of them then you must be a supporter of the other.

Yes, very logical thinking indeed. So if I am not happy with Muslims killing United States Ambassadors about a movie that the US Ambassador was not involved with then that makes me a Christian.

Okay, so the Malaysian government regard LGBTs as the scum of society and the government is going to try to detect children with LGBT tendencies. And why do we want to detect LGBTs at this very early age? Simple. If we can track them then we can mark them.

Tracking them is one thing, though. But how do we mark them? I mean it is pointless to track them if we do not mark them. So how do we mark them after tracking them? I suppose the government will come out with a workable system soon. Maybe we can brand them like cattle.

Some of you less-religious people might not comprehend why the government needs to go through all this trouble of detecting LGBTs. Well, the answer is simple, really. The Bible tells us stories of how God destroyed LGBTs. Hence if we follow the Bible then we too must destroy LGBTs. And Muslims also follow what the Bible says. In fact, quite a bit of what is in the Bible is also in the Qur'an.

Hence tracking and marking LGBTs, in fact, destroying LGBTs, is what God did and what God wants us to do. So we are doing God's work by declaring war on LGBTs.

I know, I know, some of you 'thinking people' are now going to argue that if God hates LGBTs so much then why did He create them? Hey, if you start talking like that then we can also ask the Jews if only the Jews are the 'chosen people' then why did God not create everyone as Jews? How come the Jews are the minority while the Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, etc., far outnumber the Jews?

So those types of question do not make sense. Just accept the fact that god hates all non-Jews and LGBTs and that is why God created more non-Jews and LGBTs than straight Jews.

Hence, with that spirit as the backdrop, let us hunt down LGBTs, detect them, and mark them. Then, once we have completed that exercise, we can up the ante by tracking down and marking the rest of the scourge of society.

If it is not that difficult to track down children with LGBT tendencies, it is also not that difficult to track down children with other unnatural and evil tendencies.

I mean God not only hates LGBTs. God also hates straight people who indulge in sex outside marriage, adulterers, corrupted people, murderers, people who abuse their power, swindlers, robbers, cheats, thieves, liars, and so on. These people are equally hated just like LGBTs. So children who have the tendency to one day grow up to become these types of people need to be detected at that early age while they are still at school.

It is good that finally we are getting rid of LGBTs. They pervert and corrupt society. And so do straight people who indulge in sex outside marriage, adulterers, corrupted people, murderers, people who abuse their power, swindlers, robbers, cheats, thieves, liars, and so on. All these people need to be detected or tracked at an early age before they become a problem and then we mark them so that everyone will know who they are and what they are.

 

It’s in the genes

Posted: 14 Sep 2012 05:36 PM PDT

So, as I said, this is not just a Muslim thing. Even half-drunk Indian-Hindu very, very clever lawyers also think and do things exactly like what those outraged Muslims are doing all over the world. Sama-sama bodoh mah! Muslim ke, Christian ke, Hindu ke, Buddhist ke, semua sama-sama bodoh!

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Anti-Islam film protests spread to Sydney

(AFP) -- Hundreds of protesters clashed with police in Sydney on Saturday, as a wave of unrest against a film that mocks Islam spread to Australia, with bottles and shoes hurled outside the US consulate.

Furious protests targeting symbols of US influence flared in cities across the Muslim world on Friday in retaliation for a crude film made in the United States by a right-wing Christian group that ridicules the Prophet Mohammed.

At least six protesters died in Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon and Sudan as police there battled to defend American missions from mobs of stone-throwers, and Washington deployed US Marines to protect its embassies in Libya and Yemen.

In Sydney, Saturday shoppers looked on in surprise as protesters, including children, shouted "Down, down USA" and waved banners such as "Behead all those who insult the prophet".

"We are sick and tired of everyone mocking our beloved prophet," protester Houda Dib told AFP, as the crowd of about 500 gathered outside the US consulate.

"They have no right to mock our prophet. We don't go around mocking anyone's religion."

"They call us the terrorists," protester Sarah Jacob said. "But everyone is terrorising our people."

Demonstrators were pushed back from the steps outside the consulate by police, provoking anger among some in the crowd, many of whom had brought their children with them.

"They were aggravating the situation by pushing our brothers," Dib said. "This is supposed to be a peaceful protest."

The protesters later moved to nearby Hyde Park, where one speaker called for calm, saying the aim of their protest had been to send a message.

"We are here for the sake of our god," he said. "The message is clear, you cannot mock (the prophet)."

******************************************

Yes, the Muslims are outraged. From Australia to Rusila (PAS President Tok Guru Abdul Hadi Awang's hometown) Muslims are rising up in anger because of that movie that allegedly insults Prophet Muhammad. They say the movie is called 'Innocence of Muslims'.

I don't really know what that movie is about because I have not seen it yet. In fact, not a single Muslim from amongst those thousands of outraged Muslims all over the world has seen that movie either. They just heard about this movie and they also heard that the movie is insulting to Prophet Muhammad.

Should they not wait first until the movie is released and then go and see it before coming to a conclusion whether the movie really is insulting to Prophet Muhammad or not?

I doubt that can happen. Not a single Muslim would be prepared to go see that movie. In fact, they will not even allow the movie to be screened. And if any cinema defies this ban and tries to show the movie that cinema would most likely be firebombed with a Molotov cocktail or someone like that.

I mean, how many of you, Muslim or non-Muslim, would dare go to the cinema to see that movie, even it were allowed to be shown, and face the risk of that cinema being bombed with you trapped inside it? I am sure even if they offer you free entry you will still not want to go anywhere near that cinema, let alone go inside it.

You may think that Muslims all over the world are stupid. You may think that this is déjà vu of Salman Rushdie's 'The Satanic Verses'. Remember when Muslims all over the world were outraged and a death sentence was passed on Salman Rushdie? However, again, not a single outraged Muslim had actually read that book.

So how do they know that that book is insulting to Prophet Muhammad? Well, they heard people say. So, based on what people say, action must be taken. People must be killed. Buildings must be burned. Muslims must demonstrate their outrage.

It make Muslims sound stupid, don't you think so? They foam at the mouth and burn and kill based on what they hear, not based on what they witnessed. Only stupid people would foam at the mouth and get outraged to the point of madness because of the rumours they heard whereas they have not actually witnessed it themselves to confirm whether the story is true or not.

Actually, not only Muslims are like this. Most people, non-Muslims included, are the same. And Malaysians are sometimes worse than those from the other countries.

Take my case as an example. I too have been condemned like there is no tomorrow based on what people heard. Take my TV3 interview as a case in point. The majority of those who condemn me had not actually seen the TV3 news. In fact, they boycott TV3 and refuse to watch the news on that station.

So how do they know what I said in that interview? Well, they heard certain people say. In fact, these people who are saying it also did not watch TV3. They read on the Internet that so-and-so read in Utusan Malaysia that TV3 said so-and-so and I was alleged to have said that.

In short, a Pakatan Rakyat Blog said that Utusan Malaysia said that TV3 said that Raja Petra Kamarudin said that……

Yes, that was how it went. And we are not talking about outraged and stupid Muslims here. We are talking about very clever and highly educated Chinese, Indians, Christians, Hindus and Buddhists who reacted because a Pakatan Rakyat Blog said that Utusan Malaysia said that TV3 said that Raja Petra Kamarudin said that……

Let me relate a story about a lawyer friend of mine meeting another lawyer friend of his at the Selangor Club, both Indians. The second lawyer was whacking me and my lawyer friend tried to explain what really happened. But this second Indian lawyer went on and on about how I had done a U-turn.

My lawyer friend got so pissed he asked this second lawyer whether he had read my Statutory Declaration and the other Indian bugger replied that he refuses to read it.

So there you have it. He had not read my Statutory Declaration and he absolutely refuses to read it. However, a Pakatan Rakyat Blog said that Utusan Malaysia said that TV3 said that Raja Petra Kamarudin said that……and that is good enough for him.

So, as I said, this is not just a Muslim thing. Even half-drunk Indian-Hindu very, very clever lawyers also think and do things exactly like what those outraged Muslims are doing all over the world. Sama-sama bodoh mah! Muslim ke, Christian ke, Hindu ke, Buddhist ke, semua sama-sama bodoh!

Yes, I know, I have read some of your comments regarding the demonstrations by Muslims all over the world. And your comments are about how stupid Muslims are. In fact, some of those comments are so downright nasty that I have had to delete them.

If I wanted to hurt Pakatan Rakyat all I needed to do was to allow those comments. Then we can see the Malays punish Pakatan Rakyat come the next election. I mean, you cannot post such nasty and arrogant comments and not expect retaliation.

Yes, I know, I know, freedom of speech means you have the right to insult Malays, Muslims and Islam. But if I were to say you are stupid for believing in 'hell money' and for believing that white ang pows during Chinese New Year bring bad luck you will scream that I am an insensitive racist.

I suppose this explains why you people regard Barisan Nasional people who join Pakatan Rakyat as patriots while the Pakatan Rakyat people who join Barisan Nasional are traitors.

 

To hell and back

Posted: 12 Sep 2012 03:59 PM PDT

The perpetrator who sent Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Chua Tee Yong the 'hell' notes is finally arrested and is put on trial. This is the second day of the hearing and Chua has taken to stand to testify.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Police report lodged over hell notes

(Bernama) -- Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Chua Tee Yong has lodged a police report after receiving a letter containing four pieces of 'hell' notes and a Chinese newspaper cutting.

The MCA Young Professionals Bureau chief said the newspaper cutting, among others, touched on his challenge to debate with Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim on the Talam Corporation Bhd (Talam) debt restructuring.

He believed the 'hell' notes, each supposedly worth 'eight billion', was a warning to him not to pursue the debate," he told reporters after lodging a report at the Putrajaya police headquarters here today.

Earlier, MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek had also received two pieces of 'hell' notes with a newspaper cutting.

*************************************************

Yang Berhormat, can you please look at the copy of this police report and confirm that this is the police report you made on 12th September 2012 and that that is your signature on the police report.

Yes, I confirm.

So, Yang Berhormat, you reported that some unknown person or persons had sent you four hell notes with a total 'value' of RM32 billion.

Yes.

But why did you make the police report?

Because they sent me those hell notes.

I know they allegedly sent you the hell notes. But why did you make a police report? What is so wrong with sending you hell notes? What is the crime here?

Ah…in Chinese culture it is very insulting and offensive to send a live person hell notes.

So you feel insulted or offended that they sent you hell notes because you are not dead yet. If you were dead then you would welcome these hell notes. You would not feel insulted or offended.

Ah…well…yes.

Has it harmed you in any way?

I don't understand.

Has this caused you bodily harm or financial loss?

Ah…no.

So it only affected your feelings?

Yes.

Is it a criminal offense to hurt someone's feelings?

Yes.

So if I don't invite you for my daughter's wedding and I hurt your feelings I can be sent to jail?

Ah...no.

So where is the criminal offense in sending you hell notes other than the person hurt your feelings?

Hurting someone's feelings is wrong.

So, sending you hell notes hurt your feelings and it is a criminal offense to hurt your feelings. Okay, how do you know that these are hell notes?

Ah…I recognise them.

Yes, but how do you know that they are hell notes? Is the word 'hell' printed on these notes?

Ah…no.

So the word 'hell' is not printed on the notes that were sent to you but you recognised them as hell notes?

Yes.

Was not the word 'Diyu' printed on these notes that you have referred to as hell notes?

Yes.

And does not 'Diyu' mean 'underground prison' or 'underground court'?

Ah…yes.

So there is nothing to show that the notes you received are hell notes. In fact, what is printed on these notes is 'underground prison' or 'underground court' and not 'hell'.

Ah…yes…but…

Okay, Yang Berhormat, do you believe in hell?

Yes.

Are you a Christian?

No.

You are not a Christian but you believe in hell?

Yes.

But is not hell a Christian concept? In Chinese culture, there is no such thing as hell. The concept of hell was introduced to China by the Christian missionaries a few hundred years ago whereas Chinese civilisation goes back 5,000 years, or 3,000 years before Christianity. Is this not correct? So there is no such thing as hell in Chinese beliefs.

I am not sure.

In fact, according to Chinese beliefs, when you die you get sent to the Earthly Court where the Lord of the Earthly Court will judge you and then, according to what the court rules, you will either be sent to heaven or to a maze of underground chambers where you serve your sentence for the sins you have committed. Hence hell does not exist. Correct?

I suppose so.

Hence, also, since hell does not exist, then hell notes also cannot exist.

Ah…

And since hell notes do not exist and you made a police report alleging that someone had sent you hell notes I put it to you that you have made a false police report and thus should face charges for this crime.

How can like that….

Yang Arif, I call upon the court to drop the charges against my client since the complainant has made a false police report against my client alleging that my client offended him by sending him hell notes whereas hell does not exist in Chinese beliefs and hence hell notes also cannot possibly exist and the complainant cannot be offended by something that is non-existent.

 

It’s only symbolic

Posted: 11 Sep 2012 04:16 PM PDT

We tend to get too uptight too easily. We should relax a bit and not take life too seriously. It is good that people resort to symbolism rather than carry guns and bombs. I mean, burning Qur'ans, burning flags, keris-kissing, stepping on photographs, dragging cow heads and pig heads, etc., hurt no one. No symbolic act hurts anyone for that matter.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Before that, I just want to inform you not to send any more money meant for Nurul Izzah Anwar's election fund to the Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM) bank account in London. The Committee is not too happy about it and is concerned that MCLM may suffer the same fate as Suaram.

So far, slightly over RM1,100 has come in from four people and that money will be redirected to the Ahli Parlimen Lembah Pantai account. But let that be all. No more please.

With regards to the plan to set up a Pakatan Rakyat election fund, if you can remember, I mentioned that I was going to speak to a lawyer to set up a Board of Trustees to handle this. Unfortunately, probably after they saw what happened to Suaram, no one dares get involved.

I had planned to get about 3-5 professionals such as lawyers and accountants to set up a Board of Trustees and then open a bank account where you can send your donations to -- to be called the Pakatan Rakyat Election Fund. Of course, for purposes of transparency and accountability -- what we are asking Barisan Nasional and Umno to do -- we would have to publicise who these people are so that members of the public will know that their donations will not be abused or misused.

No one dares lend his/her name to this exercise, though. If their names are kept confidential and can remain a secret, they have no problems getting involved. But if their names are going to be made public, then they would rather not get involved. However, for purposes of transparency and accountability, we cannot keep the names of the Board of Trustees a secret. Or else how will the donors know that their donations are safe?

Well, I did try. I thought if we could raise some money for Pakatan Rakyat this would help in the election effort. I suppose most would rather secretly donate in cash with no records to link it back to them. Hence, if you still wish to donate anything, then go seek out your favourite political party or wakil rakyat yourself and just give them cash.

Now, today I want to talk about Malaysians getting very upset with symbolism. I am, of course, referring to the recent Merdeka celebration where one girl stepped on the photograph of Malaysia's Prime Minister and the young chap who took off his pants to 'show his naked bum' to the Prime Minister while the enthusiastic crowd cheered them on and applauded.

Actually, the Prime Minister should step in and direct the police to drop this case. Why arrest, handcuff and charge these kids? They did not actually (physically) step on anyone's face. What they did is an act of symbolism and we should not get upset with symbolic acts. Tolerating acts of symbolism would be a demonstration of maturity and surely Malaysians are matured enough to allow acts of symbolism without getting upset about them.

Look at some of the photographs below. Umno Youth has done the keris-kissing ritual many times. I am sure the Chinese view this as merely a symbolic act and not something that they should get upset about. I am confident that the Chinese are cool with this keris-kissing ritual and would not vote opposition just because of this.

Then there was the cow head protest in front of the Selangor State Secretariat building. Again, the Indians/Hindus are able to accept this as merely a symbolic act and not something to lose any sleep over. I am sure the Indians/Hindus just laughed it off and never gave it a second thought.

If you can see below that, many Muslims all over the world have done the United States flag-burning protest. The government allowed it. These flag-burning protestors were not shot with tear gas or arrested. Everyone took it as merely a symbolic act. Even America did not get upset or send a protest note to these governments.

Then we had the pig's head protest in front of a mosque in France, which you can see below. Two pigs' heads were placed in front of the mosque, not in the mosque, so no harm done. This was just like the cow head protest in front of the Selangor State Secretariat building, a mere symbolic act, which the Malaysian government did not consider a serious act.

Then there were the Qur'an burning and Qur'an in the toilet protests. Again, this was only a symbolic act and no harm done. These people were just exercising their right to protest and their right to freedom of expression. After all, the Qur'an is just a book like any other book, so why get upset?

As a matured society, we should allow freedom of expression and freedom to protest. We should not get upset with symbolic acts. I mean, if Muslims drag cow heads, non-Muslims can always drag pig heads. If Christians burn Qur'ans and put them in toilets, Muslims can always do the same with Bibles.

We should actually treat all this light-heartedly. Just laugh it off. Maybe you can also do the same in a tit-for-tat move. No one who is matured is going to get angry. They might even enjoy it and regard it as fun.

We tend to get too uptight too easily. We should relax a bit and not take life too seriously. It is good that people resort to symbolism rather than carry guns and bombs. I mean, burning Qur'ans, burning flags, keris-kissing, stepping on photographs, dragging cow heads and pig heads, etc., hurt no one. No symbolic act hurts anyone for that matter.

 

They are messing with our minds

Posted: 09 Sep 2012 07:00 PM PDT

Committing suicide was the last thing on our minds back then. Our minds were not messed up like the minds of today's kids. Okay, maybe we were a bit messed up because we could not decide in what order of priority it was supposed to be -- bikes, booze and broads or bikes, broads and booze. But we did not allow details to stand in the way of fun.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

One million people commit suicide each year: WHO

(AFP) - One million people die by their own hand each year, accounting for more deaths than wars and murders put together, the World Health Organisation said yesterday, calling for urgent action to address the problem.

"Data from the WHO indicate that approximately one million people worldwide die by suicide each year. This corresponds to one death by suicide every 40 seconds," the organisation said in a report launched ahead of the World Suicide Prevention Day on Monday.

And while the number of deaths by suicide is staggering, the number of attempts each year is 20 times higher, the WHO said, pointing out that five percent of people in the world try to kill themselves at least once during their lifetime.

And the problem is getting worse, the organisation said, insisting that "given the magnitude of the public health problem of suicidal behaviours", urgent action was needed.

"As suicide is largely preventable, it is imperative that governments, through their health, social and other relevant sectors, invest human and financial resources in suicide prevention," the report said.

According to Dr. Shekhar Saxena, who headed the team behind the report, suicide rates have risen sharply in some parts of the world in recent years, with some countries seeing their rates jump by as much as 60 percent.

"Although suicide continues to remain a serious problem in high-income countries, it is the low- and middle-income countries that bear the larger part of the global suicide burden," the report said, adding: "It is also these countries that are relatively less equipped to prevent suicide".

The highest documented suicide rates can be found in Eastern European countries like Lithuania and Russia, while they are lowest in Latin America, WHO said.

The United States, Western European countries and Asia fell in the middle of the range, the report showed, but stressed that statistics are not available for many countries in Africa and South-East Asia.

Globally, suicide is meanwhile the second cause of death worldwide among 15-19 year-olds, with at least 100,000 adolescents killing themselves each year, according to the study.

Among adults, the suicide rate is highest among those aged 75 and older, the WHO said, pointing out that "elderly people are likely to have higher suicide intent and use more lethal methods than younger people, and they are less likely to survive the physical consequences of an attempt".

The report also showed that men were three times more likely to commit suicide, but that three times as many women as men attempted to kill themselves.

"The disparity in suicide rates has been partly explained by the use of more lethal means and the experience of more aggression and higher intent to die, when suicidal, in men than women," it explained.

*********************************************

Latin America has the lowest suicide rate in the world, maybe because they like to party

One million people a year or one person every 40 seconds commits suicide all over the world. "Although suicide continues to remain a serious problem in high-income countries, it is the low- and middle-income countries that bear the larger part of the global suicide burden," said the report.

"Globally, suicide is meanwhile the second cause of death worldwide among 15-19 year-olds, with at least 100,000 adolescents killing themselves each year, according to the study," said the news report above, which represents 10% of those who commit suicide

So there you have it. These people are too young to have sex (they are not matured enough to make the decision whether to have sex of not) but they are not too young to commit suicide.

But why do people commit suicide, especially teenagers who have not even started their life yet? I suppose it is because they are not happy. And since they are not happy they no longer want to live.

Isn't 15 or 16 a bit too young to not be happy? When I was that age I was happy like hell. Every day was party day, as far as I was concerned. And we lived for today. We did not care a damn about tomorrow. Why are the kids of today not like how we were when we were their age?

I suppose, in our days, we did not have any pressure. Everyone was a friend, not like today where you have Malay friends, Chinese friends, Indian friends, etc. You were just a friend, period, so there was not much pressure placed on us to compartmentalise ourselves into racial, religious or social blocks.

Then we never worried about our future. Every day is today. Tomorrow also becomes today when the sun rises the following morning. Hence who cares about tomorrow? Tomorrow never comes. Nowadays, there is no today. Everything is about tomorrow. We don't live for today. We plan and prepare for tomorrow.

I suppose grass helped a lot as well. In our days, grass was not considered a drug and hence was not illegal. Even policeman would join us for a smoke. And sometimes the policemen would dip into their own pocket and pull out some grass for us to 'roll'.

Man, in those days we kids did not have any problems with the policemen like the kids of nowadays. The policemen were our friends and our smoking 'kakis'. Some of them even came around with their squad cars to join us in Benteng for Teh Tarik and a smoke.

Committing suicide was the last thing on our minds back then. Our minds were not messed up like the minds of today's kids. Okay, maybe we were a bit messed up because we could not decide in what order of priority it was supposed to be -- bikes, booze and broads or bikes, broads and booze. But we did not allow details to stand in the way of fun.

So what happened? What changed in those 45 years since we were kids who lived for today and did not care a damn about tomorrow? Why do kids today commit suicide when in our days a good 'watermelon' was to die for but only in a figure of speech sort of way?

(By the way, for those of you who do not know what 'watermelon' means, too bad. For those who do, maybe you can take a trip down memory lane with the video below).

Anyway, sometimes I wonder whether the fault could be because we replaced grass with religion and that is why so many people are unhappy and end up committing suicide. Well, as Bob Marley said, "Don't worry, be happy." But we will have to start by getting rid of those people who keep telling us that we are going to go to hell if we don't listen to them.

oenlU0KiILc

SEE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oenlU0KiILc

 

The only good politician is a dead politician

Posted: 09 Sep 2012 04:56 PM PDT

Would an orgy help then? I mean, not only will we encourage males and females to mix freely but they can also strip naked and engage in an orgy. We will have a mass bonking session involving 1,000 men and women. Will this make Malaysians love each other more? If free mingling of males and females can help improve racial harmony just imagine what free sex can do.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Two dead, child loses leg in Thai south

80 police hurt after riot at Kurdish festival in Germany

Wave of attacks kills 56 in Iraq

Taliban threaten to kill Prince Harry

Those are just some of the news items this morning. There are, of course, many more than just those four and all give Islam a bad name. Basically, the impression that one gets is Islam or Muslims is about violence, conflict, killing, intolerance, extremism etc.

Why is it when we read anything about Islam or Muslims it must always be something negative? Aren't there any good news like Muslims set up relief centres for refugees, Muslims raise USD100 million for war orphans, Muslims condemn and call for economic sanctions against states that propagate terrorism, and whatnot?

I am sure that there are some good news but who likes to read good news? It is the bad news that sells. Sex, politics, murder -- those are what sell.  And if it is a politician involved in a sex cum murder scandal that sells even better. Hence do you now understand why the Altantuya Shaariibuu story will just not go away?

Today there is that story about PAS in Negri Sembilan separating the males and females at its Hara Raya bash (Negri PAS under fire for segregating sexes at Raya open house).

State MCA political and strategy bureau head Datuk Lee Yuen Fong said PAS' action only caused uneasiness among Malaysians. "Why do you need to segregate when it is an open house and held in an open area? This is a preview of what PAS will do if it ever gains power," he said.

Negri Sembilan Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism council chairman Edward Lim said that having such a rule would not help foster unity. "We can understand if the rule is introduced to ensure women, girls and children get their food as there is always a scramble at such events," he said.

National MIC information chief Datuk V.S. Mogan described the segregation as ridiculous. "It mocks the open house concept and doesn't help in promoting unity," he said.

PAS has been doing this for years. I have attended many PAS functions at Taman Melawar in Gombak (not only Hari Raya events) and they have always had separate sections and separate entrances for males and females.

But this has never upset my wife and me one bit. My wife just walks in together with me through the 'male' entrance and she sits together with me in the male section. She does not join the other ladies in the ladies section. And that has never been an issue. No one has come up to her to ask her to leave the male section and go join the women in the ladies section. In fact, my wife was not even wearing a tudung or scarf. And sometimes she wears tight/body-hugging jeans and a 'sexy' T-shirt.

These people make it appear like this is something that PAS only introduced this year rather than it has always been like that for more than two generations. And what are these MCA, MIC and Negri Sembilan Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism council people complaining about? The event is a PAS event held at their place. They can decide how they want things done in their own event.

If you come to my event, say at my house, I will expect you to take off your shoes even though taking off your shoes when entering someone's house is not British culture. It is my house so I will decide how things are done. And if you don't like it then don't come to my house. Simple!

The event was a PAS event. If PAS says no dogs are allowed then don't bring your dog. Go bring your dog to a MCA or MIC event of you wish. If PAS says you cannot strip and dance stark naked on top of the table then don't do that. Do that when you go to the Negri Sembilan Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism council gathering.

Lee said that in a multi-racial and multi-religious country like Malaysia, it was important for people to mix with one another as it would help promote understanding.

So the state MCA political and strategy bureau head, Datuk Lee Yuen Fong, wants to promote racial harmony through free mingling of males and females. If males and females were not allowed to mix freely then Malaysia would suffer racial discord.

Would an orgy help then? I mean, not only will we encourage males and females to mix freely but they can also strip naked and engage in an orgy. We will have a mass bonking session involving 1,000 men and women. Will this make Malaysians love each other more? If free mingling of males and females can help improve racial harmony just imagine what free sex can do.

Actually, asking men and women to mix freely or organising orgies would not solve the racial problem in Malaysia. What would help improve things would be when we line up all the politicians in front of a firing squad and shoot them, especially those politicians who are using race and religion to divide Malaysians

The only good politician is a dead politician, I always say.

THE SECRET TO RACIAL HARMONY

 

Why it is un-Islamic to arrest Ong Sing Yee

Posted: 08 Sep 2012 04:19 PM PDT

When I brought that poster back to Malaysia, my Tok Guru whispered to me that I should get rid of it because it is haram in Islam. I should not hang it up on the wall, said my Tok Guru. I should just burn it. Even if Khomeini is a revered religious leader it is still haram to hang his poster or photograph on the wall.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

From the Islamic viewpoint, there is nothing wrong in stepping on statues, paintings, posters and photographs of humans and animals. In fact, the Talibans in Afghanistan blew up such statues. Remember the Bamiyan statues of Buddha that were blown up back in March 2001?

Statues, paintings, posters and photographs of people and animals are forbidden in Islam. Some ulama' (scholars) say that 'exemption' can be given in certain instances such as when photographs are needed for passports, identity cards, driving licences, etc. However, if they are just for fun or for show, then, according to the ulama', they are forbidden.

Hence are we allowed to hang photographs of rulers, political leaders, pop stars, etc., on the wall? Not if it is meant to revere these people or to 'honour' them. This would expose people to the danger of idol worshipping like how some people idolise pop stars.

I know some kids will say that so-and-so is their idol. They idol worship these superstars. Well, in Islam that is wrong. Saudi Arabia would even confiscate photographs and posters of Imam Khomeini. I should know because I had to hide my poster to smuggle it out of the country. I was warned I might be arrested if I was caught but I took that risk (and got away with it).

When I brought that poster back to Malaysia, my Tok Guru whispered to me that I should get rid of it because it is haram in Islam. I should not hang it up on the wall, said my Tok Guru. I should just burn it. Even if Khomeini is a revered religious leader it is still haram to hang his poster or photograph on the wall.

I did what my Tok Guru advised although it pained me to do so because that was the poster I carried above my head in the Mekah demonstration that I participated in.

Hence what Ong Sing Yee did was actually very Islamic. The Talibans would probably approve of what she did. So would the Salafis. In fact, even many Sunnis, the sect that most Malaysian Muslims belong to, would feel the same way.

If Ong Sing Yee had stepped on a poster of Carlsberg beer or on a poster of Sports Toto, she would have been commended. Such things are haram in Islam. And so are posters of human beings, which are equally haram in Islam.

Let those politicians and fake Muslims continue to foam at the mouth and whine away. We true Muslims who know what Islam is all about should commend Ong Sing Yee. More people should do what Ong Sing Yee did. Revering politicians and placing their photographs on the wall is considered idol worshipping in Islam. All these should be pulled down just like what the Talibans did in Afghanistan.

Oh, and don't worry about the Sedition Act. That is an old English law that was created so that the people would not criticise the King. You see, the King went against the Pope and the people were not happy about it. In those days, many people were papists and they believed that the Pope was God's Wakil on earth and that what the Pops says is on behalf of God.

The Palace, however, wanted the people to believe that the new Wakil of God is the King and not the Pope. But they had to stop the people from contradicting the Palace. Hence they created the Sedition Act so that those who said the Pope and not the King is the Wakil of God could be arrested.

Basically, the Sedition Act was meant to defend the Church of England. Now, Malays use it to defend haram things like hanging photographs and posters of people on the wall. Actually, these are sesat Muslims.

 

When nothing works, do nothing

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 04:37 PM PDT

But Dr Mahathir is old and senile. Nik Aziz is a country bumpkin. Saudi Arabia is crazy. It is our civil right to watch porn. No one should stop us from watching porn. So we have children also watching porn. But that is the price of freedom of information. There should be no censorship.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

More than 11 years ago, back in early 2001, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad explained why Malaysia needs a detention without trial law.

The Internal Security Act (ISA) is a preventive law, explained Dr Mahathir. It is a law that makes it possible to detain people before they commit a crime. If they have already committed a crime then they can be arrested and charged in court.

But it is better to detain these people before they commit a crime, Dr Mathathir said. Once they have already committed the crime they would probably be far away from the scene of the crime and would have escaped by the time the police arrive.

Even if they are arrested and charged they may get off. Maybe there is not enough evidence to get a conviction or a smart lawyer would get them acquitted. Hence, even if they are arrested, there is no guarantee they would be punished.

This makes the ISA necessary, said Dr Mahathir. People can be detained even before they commit a crime. Even while they are still thinking of committing a crime they can already be detained. Once they have committed a crime the damage would have already be done. Better we prevent the damage before it happens.

Then 911 happened. And this allowed Dr Mahathir to gloat and tell us 'I told you so'.

Our Twin Towers is still standing because Malaysia has a detention without trial law, said Dr Mahathir. The US does not have such a law so their Twin Towers is gone. That shows how useful the ISA is to preserve peace, order and stability. The US too needs a preventive detention law like Malaysia, Dr Mahathir counselled that great power.

Then the US 'followed' Malaysia's 'advice' by introducing their version of a detention without trial law. And the western countries too started embarking on preventive detention. They detained suspected terrorists who had yet to commit any crime but were suspected of planning or thinking of committing a crime.

So the world proved Dr Mahathir right in the end.

And now we find that adults who have sex with children escape punishment. Then we say that Malaysia's legal system stinks. People who should be punished are not punished and people who should not be punished are punished. It is the world upside down. And, of course, we are not happy about this.

So what do we do? Do we detain without trial people who are suspected of planning to commit a crime or do we wait until they do commit the crime and then arrest and charge them and see them get acquitted and escape punishment?

Then we have people like Tok Guru Nik Aziz Nik Mat who says that boys and girls (or men and women) should not be allowed to mix freely. In fact, countries like Saudi Arabia do not allow girls or women to leave the house unless escorted or chaperoned by male members of their family. This is to prevent girls or women from being raped or duped into having sex with horny male predators.

But we call Nik Aziz an idiot and Saudi Arabia a backward country. We do not want segregation of the sexes or separate swimming pools and checkout counters for males and females. We want males and females the freedom to mix and not having to endure forced segregation by the state.

Yes, we want this and we want that. We want everything. We also want race-free political parties that will uphold the interest of our race. Hmm…that sounds like we want virgin prostitutes.

Then we have a 14-year old girl who has sex with a 13-year old boy. Do we now charge the girl for sex with a minor since she is one-year older than the boy? Or will this apply only if an 18-year old girl has sex with a 17-year old boy and then the 18-year old girl gets sent to jail in the interest of the 17-year old boy?

But it was the boy who seduced the girl. So how can the girl be punished? Yes, but it is the age that counts. And since the girl is older than the boy then she and not the boy has to be punished.

But why, in the first place, do children of 12 or 13 have sex? Well, this could be because children of nine or ten have access to the Internet and they get to see porn on the Internet. So they want to try out all those exciting things they see every day on the Internet.

So it is the Internet then that has to be blamed? Or is it because boys and girls or men and women are allowed to mix freely? Would barring girls from leaving the house without a chaperone or having separate swimming pools and checkout counters for males and females help? Or do we just arrest more people and charge them in court and see them get acquitted and go unpunished?

Phew…what a dilemma we are facing. Then Dr Mahathir comes out and makes a statement that the Internet needs to be regulated. Then we whack Dr Mahathir and call him all sorts of names.

But there is just too much porn on the Internet, argues Dr Mahathir. We are allowing children to see things they should not be allowed to see. And if we allow children free access to porn sites then they might want to try what they see on the Internet. And then we will have children indulging in sex.

But Dr Mahathir is old and senile. Nik Aziz is a country bumpkin. Saudi Arabia is crazy. It is our civil right to watch porn. No one should stop us from watching porn. So we have children also watching porn. But that is the price of freedom of information. There should be no censorship.

Okay, the downside is children who watch porn indulge in sex. But we do not agree to chaperoning girls or women. We also do not agree to segregation of the sexes. We want more policemen on the streets arresting adults who have sex with children and strict judges who are prepared to send these people to jail. And if a 19-year old girl has sex with a 17-year old boy then the girl must be locked up even if it was the boy who seduced the girl.

And since Barisan Nasional cannot do this then we must kick out Barisan Nasional and replace the government with Pakatan Rakyat. And how will Pakatan Rakyat solve this problem that Barisan Nasional cannot?

That is not important. What is important is we gave Barisan Nasional 55 years and they could not solve the problem. No doubt Pakatan Rakyat has not told us yet how they are going to solve the problem that Barisan Nasional could not solve. But we will talk about that later. Let's vote them into office first and then we will discuss how Pakatan Rakyat is going to solve the problem that Barisan Nasional cannot solve.

Maybe we will do what Dr Mahathir suggests. Maybe we will listen to Nik Aziz. Maybe we will follow what Saudi Arabia does. Maybe we can show children various verses of the Qur'an and Bible that say sex outside marriage is forbidden and that they will go to hell if they violate God's command. Maybe we can detain without trial suspected sex offenders before they commit a crime. Or maybe we will do nothing and the problem will just continue. But let's vote first and find out later.

 
Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

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Waytha still a ‘national threat’?

Posted: 18 Sep 2012 11:53 PM PDT

(The Sun Daily) - Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) leader P. Waythamoorthy, 46, was prohibited from leaving the country on Tuesday after being told by airport officials he was classified as a "threat to national security" in the immigration department's records.

 

Waytha, who spent five years in self-exile in the UK, was held up at the LCCT, Sepang while checking in for a Manila flight at 5.30pm.

"It was a business trip and it has gone to waste as a result. This is absolutely ridiculous. I had no problems entering the country last month. I was told by immigration officers that the police have classified me as a national threat, and I am not allowed to leave the country," he told theSun.

He learnt the immigration had clarified that the prohibition order was issued by the police in 2007 and it may be outdated.

Waytha lodged a report against Immigration Director Datuk Alias Ahmad, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar and Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hussein at 11am today at the Travers police station, claiming the prohibition was a breach of human rights.

"The restriction should have been removed if it is outdated. I am leaving for London on Saturday and I hope to not face similar problems," he said.

Waythamoorthy said he would institute legal action against the relevant parties if the prohibition remains active.

Officials from the police, immigration and Home Ministry were not reachable for responses.

Waythamoorthy left the country in November 2007, fighting Hindraf's cause from overseas before returning to Malaysia last month.

On Aug 2, Ismail was reported to have said that the police will monitor the movements and activities of Waythamoorthy and that no action would be taken against him as long as he abides by the law.

On Aug 1, Waythamoorthy entered the country via the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex in Johor Baru with a passport issued to him on July 30 by the Malaysian High Commission in Singapore. His passport was revoked on April 2008.

Upon his return, Waythamoorthy said he would not be taking sides in the country's political arena nor would Hindraf become a political party as its main duty was to champion the cause of the Indian community in the country.

 

 

Ad Calling Jihad ‘Savage’ Is Set to Appear in Subway

Posted: 18 Sep 2012 11:39 PM PDT

http://mjcdn.motherjones.com/preset_51/pam-geller-jihad-ad.jpg

(New York Times) - As violent and sometimes deadly protests consume much of the Muslim world in response to an American-made video mocking the Prophet Muhammad, New Yorkers will soon encounter another potentially inflammatory rendering of Islam: an advertisement in the transit system that reads, "In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man."

It concludes with the words, "Support Israel. Defeat Jihad," wedged between two Stars of David.

After rejecting the ads initially, then losing a federal court ruling on First Amendment grounds, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said on Tuesday that the ads were expected to appear next week at 10 subway stations.

"Our hands are tied," Aaron Donovan, a spokesman for the authority, said when asked about the timing of the ad.

In July, Judge Paul A. Engelmayer of Federal District Court in Manhattan ruled that the authority had violated the First Amendment rights of the group that sought to place the ad, the American Freedom Defense Initiative. The authority had cited the ad's "demeaning" language in barring its placement.

The authority, which appealed the July ruling, also asked the judge to postpone implementing his decision until after its next board meeting on Sept. 27.

But in an order late last month, Judge Engelmayer granted the agency just two more weeks to revise its ad policy or to seek a further stay from an appellate court. It has done neither.

Now, the authority finds itself in a precarious position. The American Freedom Defense Initiative has also purchased ad space in Washington, but the transit authority there said Tuesday that it had "deferred" the ad's placement "out of a concern for public safety, given current world events."

A similar option is not available to New York's transportation authority because of the court order, according to the agency. Mr. Donovan said the authority might consider revising its ad policy at its board meeting next week.

Pamela Geller, the executive director of the American Freedom Defense Initiative, said in an e-mail Tuesday that transit officials in Washington were "kowtowing to the threat of jihad terrorism." She added that recent events in the Middle East had not given her pause "for a second" about posting the ads in New York.

"I will never cower before violent intimidation, and stop telling the truth because doing so is dangerous," she said. "Freedom must be vigorously defended."

She added, "If someone commits violence, it is his responsibility and no one else's."

The group has also advertised at Metro-North Railroad stations, with posters that cite "deadly Islamic attacks" since Sept. 11 and read, "It's not Islamophobia, it's Islamorealism."

The transportation authority has said it did not try to block these ads because they did not meet the agency's threshold for "demeaning" language, as the ad referring to a "savage" had.

Muneer Awad, the executive director of the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said the ads were an attempt to "define Muslims" through hate speech.

"We're encouraging American Muslims to go out there and define themselves," he said.

Mr. Awad added that the group had not called for the ads' removal, though it has asked the transportation authority to redirect funds it receives for the ads to the city's Human Rights Commission.

"It's perfectly legal to be a bigot and to be a racist," he said. "We want to make sure there's a counter-voice."

 

Dr M: Najib’s cash handouts ‘very close’ to vote buying

Posted: 18 Sep 2012 11:34 PM PDT

Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad admitted today that the Najib administration's penchant for handing out cash to Malaysians through its various people-centric policies was "very close" to vote buying.

But the former prime minister said the government was running out of time with polls drawing closer as the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition needed a bigger mandate to tighten its grasp on Putrajaya.

"I do not believe in giving money to the people. I believe in giving facilities. But I think when a government has no time and they are facing an election, they make a decision that is easy," Dr Mahathir said in his keynote address at the Perdana Leadership Foundation's CEO Forum 2012 here.

"If you give people money, then they should support (you). Maybe it is not vote-buying... but it is very close to that," he said, to laughter from the audience.

The government is expected to announce a second round of RM500 cash handouts to lower-income households when Budget 2013 is tabled next week, in a move that is seen as giving Najib and his BN pact's ratings a boost ahead of polls expected soon.

The first round of handouts under the Bantuan Rakyat 1 Malaysia (BR1M) programme, which involved some five million families and cost taxpayers RM2.6 billion, saw Najib's approval ratings shoot up to 69 per cent, largely due to a surge of support from low-income households.

Throughout his address, Dr Mahathir repeatedly mentioned the Najib administration's cash handouts, at one point even saying that "he (Najib) has a lot of money".

"Now we have a new man as the head (of government)," he said when recalling the succession of prime ministers after he stepped down in 2003.

"I won't say anything bad about him because I support BN.

"The only thing I'm going to say is that he has a lot of money and he is giving away money to everyone.

"During my time, I didn't give away money. I could have even given money to myself but I didn't. I think I made a mistake there," he said in jest.

Najib will table the Budget on September 28 and besides the fresh BR1M handout, he is expected to announce other measures to boost domestic spending and the economy in a bid to head off a worsening economic outlook as he prepares to call his first general election.

The economy grew at a surprising pace of 5.4 per cent in the second quarter, blowing away economists' expectations and potentially giving rise to a feel-good factor ahead of the general election.

But the good news is not expected to last, as the global outlook is likely to affect Malaysian exports.

Malaysia's surprisingly strong second-quarter economic growth despite weakening exports was largely due to the buffer of ongoing construction projects and increased spending attributed to civil servant salary hikes and government cash handouts, say economists, which could point to uneven growth in the months ahead.

This means many ordinary Malaysians are not feeling the positive effects of economic growth, making the second BR1M handouts necessary to continue maintaining any economic momentum.

A number of international ratings agencies also say that Malaysia has yet to present a convincing plan to tackle the twin fiscal threats of its federal budget deficit and federal debt even though strains on its credit profile are increasing.

The ratio of federal government debt to GDP reached 51.8 per cent at end-2011 despite strong GDP growth but barring a further deterioration in the global economy, the government should be able to meet its 2012 deficit target of 4.7 per cent of GDP.

The opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) has criticised the Najib administration for what it says is vote buying by the BN government through public spending in the form of various handouts such as the BR1M.

 

Free speech or incitement? French mag runs cartoons of Prophet Mohammed

Posted: 18 Sep 2012 11:33 PM PDT

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/09/19/article-0-15089227000005DC-537_468x313.jpg

(CNN) - After a week of deadly, international protests against an anti-Islam film, a French satirical magazine is fueling the debate between freedom of expression and offensive provocation.

The magazine Charlie Hebdo published cartoons featuring a figure resembling the Prophet Mohammed in an issue that hit newsstands Wednesday.

Magazine director Stephane Charbonnier said his staff is "not really fueling the fire," but rather using its freedom of expression "to comment (on) the news in a satirical way."

"It happens that the news this week is Mohammed and this lousy film, so we are drawing cartoons about this subject," Charbonnier told CNN affiliate BFM-TV on Wednesday. "It's more turning in derision this grotesque film than to make fun of Mohammed."

The "lousy film" he's referring to is "Innocence of Muslims," an amateurish, 14-minute video that mocks the Prophet Mohammed as a womanizer, child molester and killer. The video drew international attention last week and spawned heated protests in more than a dozen countries.

Any depiction of Islam's prophet is considered blasphemy by many Muslims.

France will close embassies and schools in about 20 countries on Friday, the main Muslim day of prayer, as a precaution, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday. It is already boosting security in some locations.

There has been no violence reported as a result of the cartoons so far.

They were published just a day after hundreds of Muslims took to Twitter to satirize the U.S. magazine Newsweek's cover story on "Muslim Rage."

Muslims posted tongue-in-cheek tweets about what enrages them, such as having a really good hair day but no one knowing because you wear a hijab.

Hend Amry, who posted that tweet as @LibyaLiberty, said Charlie Hebdo's latest cartoons were a cynical attempt to inflate sales.

Opinion: Media don't get #MuslimRage

She compared it to the French magazine that printed topless photos of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge last week.

"Like printing tawdry pics of (Catherine) Middleton -- lowbrow rating booster," she said.

"If we're going to chart it on the Muslim insult-o-meter, it is less inflammatory than the 'film,' but does continue the East/West divide we see," she told CNN.

Charlie Hebdo journalist Laurent Leger said the magazine has shown Muslim men and Muslim extremists in the past, but does not explicitly state that the cartoons are depictions of the Prophet Mohammed.

Rather, he said, the cartoons are open to interpretation.

"The aim is to laugh. We want to laugh at the extremists -- every extremist. They can be Muslim, Jewish, Catholic. Everyone can be religious, but extremist thoughts and acts we cannot accept," Leger said.

Hend Amry said she didn't believe that was really the magazine's intention.

"No it isn't. It's for ratings," she said.

Leger said the magazine was within its rights.

"In France, we always have the right to write and draw. And if some people are not happy with this, they can sue us and we can defend ourselves. That's democracy. You don't throw bombs, you discuss, you debate. But you don't act violently. We have to stand and resist pressure from extremism."

The cartoons are already drawing strong condemnation by the French Muslim community.

Mohammed Moussaoui, president of the French Council of Muslim Faith, described a feeling of "indignation against this new Islamophobic act" to BFM-TV.

He said the cartoons are "insulting for the prophet of Islam," and described their publication as a "new provocation."

French authorities have already taken precautionary measures, with police vehicles parked outside the offices of Charlie Hebdo late Tuesday.

The offices were the scene of an attack last November, when they were burned on the day the magazine was due to publish an issue with a cover appearing to make fun of Islamic law.

The cover featured a bearded and turbaned cartoon figure of the Prophet Mohammed saying, "100 lashes if you're not dying of laughter."

The magazine received threats after it announced that the edition would be guest-edited by the Prophet Mohammed and dedicated to the Arab Spring, Charbonnier told BFM-TV in November.

The cartoonist known as Luz has been under police protection since last year, when one of his illustrations depicting the Prophet Mohammed was featured on the cover of that issue.

Luz told CNN the latest cartoons depicting Mohammed are not featured on the cover.

"We learned our lesson," Luz said.

French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault weighed in on the debate Tuesday, expressing "his disapproval of any excess" and appealing "to the spirit of responsibility of each," according to a statement from his office.

"The prime minister states that the freedom of speech makes up one of the fundamental principles of our republic. This freedom is expressed within the confines of the law and under the control of the courts," the statement read.

Outside the country, security at French embassies have been reinforced, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said.

"I am against all provocations, especially during a period as sensitive as this one. I do not see any usefulness in such provocation," he told the radio station France Info. "There must be freedom of speech, but I am absolutely opposed to any provocation."

France has seen rising tensions over its rapidly growing Muslim minority -- the largest Muslim population in western Europe. Last year, the country banned the wearing of Islamic veils and other face coverings, claiming they were both degrading and a security risk.

Belgium has passed similar legislation, and Switzerland banned the building of minarets, the tall spires which often stand next to mosques.

 

Dr M: BN won’t get supermajority

Posted: 18 Sep 2012 11:27 PM PDT

The influential former prime minister says Najib's government is weak.

Syed Jaymal Zahiid, FMT

Influential former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad today described the Najib government as weak and predicted that it will not gain the much-needed parliamentary supermajority in the upcoming polls.

Malaysia's longest-serving premier said the present government under Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak was too focused on "surviving" after its record losses in the 2008 general election, meaning it could not make "strong decisions" needed to push the country forward.

Mahathir had in the past hinted repeatedly that Najib was making concessions to popular and opposition demands to shore up support and warned that this could weaken his administration.

Speaking at the 2012 Perdana Global CEO Forum here today, the country's fourth prime minister said he would not "say anything bad" of Najib's performance now but hinted that it was too occupied with wooing voters at the expense of development.

"I think Barisan Nasional will win but I think the majority will not be so good," he said in his keynote address entitled "What to expect post-13th general election".

"If you ask me, will BN deliver after it wins? Today the government is not strong… it is trying to survive. What it is doing is just surviving. When a government is only trying to survive, it cannot focus on development."

Mahathir also hinted that Najib, an unelected prime minister who took office in April 2009, was splashing out cash to woo voters and hinted that it was almost "close to vote buying".

Spending a lot of money

"I won't say anything bad about Najib. I'm supposed to be campaigning for him but what I can tell you is, he is spending a lot of money. I wish I could have done that but we didn't have that much money then," he joked.

The former premier had often dodged rating Najib's performance in the past, repeatedly saying that he would avoid giving negative feedbacks.

Observers interpret Mahathir's response as a hint that the outlook on Najib's leadership and approach to redeem BN's losses in 2008 was not good.

And while he is seen campaigning hard to ensure the ruling coalition stays in power, analysts said this does not necessarily translate into endorsement for Najib.

Today, Mahathir again urged voters to be mindful of voting in the opposition, saying that although the present administration may have its weaknesses, the country can improve with only a reshuffle in leadership.

He said voting the opposition into power could be disastrous and the voters will have to "pay the price" when most of the policies of the opposition are in place.

BN claimed most of the ideas proposed by Pakatan Rakyat were populist and unrealistic.

Pakata  had promised to raise oil subsidies, lower car prices and cut taxes but the government said these measures will affect revenue and hinder development.

 

Taib is worth RM45b, believe it or not

Posted: 18 Sep 2012 11:23 PM PDT

When Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud told longhouses residents in Sungai Aup, Sibu, in 2010 that he had 'more money than he can ever spend', people understood that he was rich. But how rich, was anyone's guess. 

Pushparani Thilaganathan, FMT

Earlier today, Swiss-based NGO, Bruno Manser Fund (BMF), threw some light when it released its report: The Taib Timber Mafia. Facts and Figures on Politically Exposed Persons from Sarawak, Malaysia.

According to the report, Taib and his 20-member family clan are collectively worth US$21 billion (RM64 billion).

Taib himself is worth US$15 billion (RM45 billion) and, according to the report, "is the richest man in Malaysia"… his wealth having been derived from "plundering the state during his three decades as Chief Minister of Sarawak".

It further explains why Umno and Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak cannot muscle old man Taib out of his decades-old political seat.

Also wallowing in wealth are Taib's better known siblings Onn Mahmud, Tufail Mahmud, Raziah Mahmud and his children Mahmud Bekir, Sulaiman Rahman, Jamilah and Hanifah. Also in this elite loop is his first cousin Hamid Sepawi.

Lesser known to the masses are Taib's 12 other clan members, also "business magnets" worth millions in US dollar.

Disclosing these financial details in a 45-page report released in Brussels in conjunction with the visit of the Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister, Bernard Dompok, to the European Union, BMF noted that "godfather" Taib and his family may have more "assets hidden in offshore districts", which may be untraceable.

"The facts and figures of the Taib family are merely the tip of the iceberg as many family assets are likely to be hidden overseas or in offshore districts where information is virtually impossible to obtain."

But the extensive research into Taib's business in Malaysia and overseas had, however, uncovered the vast dimensions of the family's illicit assets.

"This report aims to build up international pressure against the corrupt Taib family and provide investigating bodies, journalists, Sarawakians and interested parties with detailed evidence on the Taib financial empire.

"The report also aims to demonstrate the financial and political control that Taib has over Sarawak and provides profiles on the chief minister and his family members, all of whom have financially benefited from the destruction of Sarawak's rainforest," it said.

The reports claimed that Taib abused his position as chief minister, state finance minister, and planning and resources minister, to award his family members with timber and palm oil concessions, state contracts and directorships in Sarawak's largest companies.

It notes that in 2009, his three ministries controlled 49.6% of the state's operating expenditure of RM1.19 billion (US% 391 million) and 80% of the state's development expenditure of RM3.08 billion (US$1.01 billion), with the other 10 ministers sharing the rest.

Overflowing wealth

Detailing the wealth list of the Taib clan, the report said that the second richest man in Malaysia was Taib's brother Onn Mahmud, who is worth US$2 billion (RM6 billion).

Also sharing the billionaire tag with a net worth of US%1.5 billion (RM4.5 billion) and US$1 billion (RM3 billion) respectively were Taib's elder son Mahmud Bekir and his Canada-based socialite daughter Jamilah Taib-Murray.

His two other children – the "invisible" Kota Samarahan MP, Sulaiman Rahman, is worth US$300 million (RM900 million) while and daughter Hanifah has US$400 million (RM1.2 billion) to her name.

Taib's sibling Onn Mahmud has an alleged net worth of US$1.5 billion (RM4.5 billion) and is the second richest man in Malaysia, while his other brother Tufail has US$600 million (RM1.8 billion) and sister Raziah is worth US$500 million (RM1.5 billion).

Other siblings noted in the report are Arip Mahmud who is worth US$100 million (RM300 million), Ibrahim Mahmud and Ali Mahmud at US$20 million (RM60 million) each. His sister Ferdahanum and Zaleha are worth US$10 million (RM30 million) each while the net worth of another sister Aisah Zainab is not known.

Also mentioned in the report is Taib's cousin Hamid Sepawi who made the Forbes Asia 2012 list . Hamid, who is the founder of Ta Ann Group, a timber conglomerate, is worth US$175 million (RM535 million), according to the list.

Next in line is Taib's in-laws.

His daughter Jamilah's husband, Sean Murray, is worth US$10 million (RM30 million) while Hanifah's spouse Syed Ahmad enjoys US$20 million (RM60 million) in assets.

Of his brother-in laws, Robert Geneid (Raziah's spouse) has US$10 million (RM30 million) and Ferdahanum's man Abdul Aziz Husain has US$20 million (RM60 million).

READ MORE HERE

 

Freeze Taib’s accounts, govts told

Posted: 18 Sep 2012 11:20 PM PDT

A Swiss NGO has lumped Taib Mahmud together with 'money launderers' Indonesian president Suharto and Philippines' Marcos. 

(FMT) - Swiss NGO, Bruno Manser Fund (BMF), has reiterated its call for governments and banks around the globe to freeze the assets of Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud and his family.

It has also called on anti-corruption and anti-money-laundering authorities worldwide to investigate the Taib family's business activities.

In a statement issued in conjunction with the release of its report 'The Taib Timber Mafia. Facts and Figures on Politically Exposed Persons from Sarawak, Malaysia' in Brussels, Belgium earlier today, BMF said the Taibs could be compared to Indonesia's president Suharto and president Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines.

"The Taibs are being compared to the Suharto and Marcos clans who have also stolen billions from their countries.

"According to Transparency International, former Indonesian president Suharto had embezzled US$15 to US$35 billion, while former Philippines president Ferdinand Marcos is thought to have stolen between US$20 and US$900 billion.

"We want the governments and banks around the globe to freeze Taib family assets.

"These assets should be frozen and restituted to the people of Sarawak, and the Taib family and their co-conspirators should be prosecuted for corruption, abuse of public funds, fraud, money laundering, tax evasion and other related crimes," noted the statement, alluding to the report which detailed Taib and his family's extensive wealth.

According to the report, which was released to coincide with the visit by the Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister, Bernard Dompok, to the European Union, Taib and his 20-member clan are worth US$21 billion (RM64 billion).

And the extensive wealth, the report claims, was derived "through the almost complete political and economic control of Sarawak" over the past three decades.

"Taib Mahmud has systematically plundered a country once rich in natural resources, particularly oil, gas and timber. While the proceeds of the oil and gas extraction are mostly benefiting Malaysia's federal government, the Sarawak state government enjoys total autonomy as to the use of the state's forest resources and state lands.

"The Bruno Manser Fund estimates the combined net worth of 20 Taib family members at close to US$21 billion, which have been acquired through the almost complete political and economic control of Sarawak, over three decades.

"In particular, the Taibs have established monopolies over the granting of timber and plantation concessions, the export of timber to third countries, the maintenance of public roads as well as over the production and sale of cement and a number of other construction materials," it said.

Taib's assets being monitored

Taib, an impoverished carpenter's son, has been helming Sarawak since 1981.

According to the report, his personal wealth now stands at US$15 billion (RM45 billion), making him the richest man in Malaysia.

The second richest man in Malaysia is his brother Onn Mahmud with a net worth of US$1.5 billion (RM4.5 billion).

Both have been closely linked to logging scandals dating back to 1981, the year Taib assumed the chief minister's post.

The report cited two key scandals – one in 2007 and another in 2008.

"In 2007, a scandal exposed by the Japanese tax authorities revealed that tens of millions of US dollars had been paid in secret, illegal kickbacks by Japanese shipping companies exporting timber from Sarawak.

"The money was paid directly to Hong Kong companies linked to the chief minister's brother, Onn Mahmud. The Japanese cartel concluded an agreement in 1981 with Malaysia's Dewan Niaga Sarawak regarding lumber transport.

"Dewan Niaga is a state-affiliated agency in charge of lumber export control and is headed by Onn Mahmud, one of Taib's brothers.

"In 2008, Indonesian newspaper, Tribun Pontianak, revealed that around 30 shipments of illegal Indonesian logs were imported into Sarawak and re-exported to other countries every month. Chief Minister Taib Mahmud was implicated in this timber scam," the report noted.

READ MORE HERE

 

Fake website or serious opposition mouthpiece? - PBS

Posted: 18 Sep 2012 05:24 PM PDT

(Bernama) - Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) has urged Malaysians in Sabah to look at the website http://suarapakatanrakyat.com/ postings since August 2011 to judge for themselves whether Suara Pakatan Rakyat is a fake website or a serious opposition mouthpiece created specifically to discredit Barisan Nasional (BN) in a systematic manner.

PBS has described the opposition's denial and calls for evidence to link the blog to Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) as a desperate attempt to distance itself from the controversial but popular pro-opposition blog.

PBS assistant secretary-general Daniel Kinsik said the PBS police report and subsequent statement (over an article) did not point finger specifically at PKR, but rather the blog and the blogger whose writings were obviously pro-opposition and critical of BN.

PKR Sabah deputy secretary-general Darrel Leiking had earlier challenged PBS secretary-general Datuk Henrynus Amin to produce evidence to link PKR to the blog.

"What evidence is Darrel talking about when the PBS police report simply urged the police to investigate the seditious nature of the article," said Daniel in a statement, here, today.

"Why is he so jumpy when nothing is said to specifically accuse PKR of being the author of the blog? Does he know something we do not know?" What is there to be afraid of?

"As a lawyer, Darrel should read the PBS police report and subsequent statement, before jumping to conclusion merely based on sensational headlines created by the editors to add spark," he said.

Daniel said PKR Kadazandusun and Murut leaders were confused and started acting strange as the controversial article mocking the Sumazau dance must weigh heavily on their conscience as opposition leaders, knowing very well Suara Pakatan Rakyat is a mouthpiece for the opposition agenda.

"Notwithstanding the police investigation, PBS' stand is that the article in the Suara Pakatan Rakyat blog is seditious in nature and seems to be the work of those closely linked to the opposition agenda.

"If indeed Pakatan Rakyat has nothing to do with the controversial blog, they should take legal action to stop Suara Pakatan Rakyat from further publishing, using a name closely identical to theirs," he said.

However, Daniel said, the people of Sabah would not be easily fooled by the opposition denial, as Darrel's antics merely reinforced public suspicion that Pakatan Rakyat was desperate and afraid of the unexpected turn of events against them.

 

Why should politics be in black and white?

Posted: 18 Sep 2012 05:16 PM PDT

Narrow view of politics reduces it to a two-size fits all dichotomy: you are either all Pakatan or all BN, writes Ong Kar Jin.

By Ong Kar Jin, FMT

The world is not black and white. Even for the colour blind, there are shades of grey (indeed, as many as ahem, Fifty Shades of Grey!). One of the first things we learn as we grow up is that things are often not simple – nuances permeate our world.

Somehow, however, this awareness that the world is not binary is suspended in our perception of Malaysian politics. Depending on whether you follow the mainstream or alternative media, every forthright political participant is pigeon-holed as either an anti-government/pro-opposition troublemaker, or a government-paid lapdog cyber trooper.

Following on from this artificial labelling is the "all-or-nothing" expectation of the personalities involved. Nothing good must be said of the other side, and 100% adherence to your side is demanded.

A recent example is the comment by PAS member of parliament for Hulu Langat Che Mat Che Rosli that radiation levels from the much-loathed Lynas plant were low. He was swiftly bombarded with criticisms including charges that he was paid by the government to lie and he had turned traitor. Che Mat, a nuclear scientist by training, was blasted for stating a fact as he saw it.

Or consider the issue of low wages in Malaysia: those who opposed minimum wage were swiftly branded as selfish rich capitalists while those who supported it were labeled socialists.

This binary view turned Twitterjaya into a class warfare background. Lost in the hostilities was a deeper consideration of the issue at stake, and the reasoning behind the different positions.

Refsa considers this narrow view of politics a serious impediment to the development of a mature democracy in Malaysia. It reduces politics to a two-size fits all dichotomy: you are either all Pakatan or all BN: "[My side] is always good. [My side] is always right. [The other side] is always wrong."

This all-or-nothing approach is presumptuous and undesirable. It is presumptuous as the stifling of dissent suggests that only the views of the party leaders are correct and important. It is undesirable as it fails to recognise different opinions on particular issues and prevents constructive discourse.

The fact is there can be many potential approaches to address the social problems of our day. Rational, intelligent thinking people would be expected to evaluate proposed policies on a case-by-case basis, and cannot be expected to always support everything a particular party is doing.

Constructive criticism must be welcomed. Dissenters must not be labelled as traitors.

Expanding our horizons

All mature democracies accept constructive criticism as necessary for improvement. Consider this: back in 2008, then Democratic US presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton had differing opinions on how to run the economy and conduct foreign policy. They intensely criticised each other's proposals, and the debates allowed a consensus on the 'best' policies to evolve.

So much so that Mrs Clinton subsequently agreed to serve as President Obama's Secretary of State!

No one was called a traitor or chucked into some stereotypical category, because the American public recognised the goal of the discourse. Recognising the colourful views that people have can be bitter, but is ultimately beneficial.

For our democracy to mature, we Malaysians must expand our horizons and realise that people have a right to express different stands on different issues. We may have our political leanings but it does not mean we have to support our particular party blindly all the time, for we are not mindless automatons.

In fact, like any parent who has scolded their child will know, it is those who give fair criticism that truly have their beloved's best interests at heart.

Sadly, our mainstream media is not facilitating this maturation process. Part of the internet vitriol directed at Che Mat following his comments on the Lynas plant were probably because he was misrepresented in the mainstream media. He said that radiation levels were low but the most critical issue of waste disposal had yet to be addressed; the mainstream media quoted him as saying Lynas was safe!

READ MORE HERE

 

Zakir Naik’s host defends invite

Posted: 18 Sep 2012 05:12 PM PDT

Saba Islamic Media invites non-Muslims to the controversial orator's talks. 

G Vinod, FMT

Saba Islamic Media today defended its invitation of controversial Islamic orator Dr Zakir Naik to give talks in Malaysia, saying its purpose was to promote harmony among people of various religions.

Saba spokesman Shakirin Kakulal Govindji said his organisation was inviting non-Muslims to Naik's talks and would give them priority during the question-and-answer sessions.

News that the Mumbai-born physician-turned-orator was coming to Malaysia next week has caused fierce debate on the Internet, with some commentators alleging that Naik has often insulted non-Islamic faiths in his talks.

"We are a multi-religious country and we want to maintain the peace and harmony in Malaysia," Govindji told FMT. "In the past 20 years, Saba Islamic Media has worked towards building bridges with people of different faiths in the country."

He said that among Saba's objectives in inviting Naik was to have him clarify Islamic views on unity among people of all faiths, the Islamic perspective on modern science, and Muslims' misconception of terrorism and jihad.

Naik is scheduled to deliver a series of talks between next week and Oct 7 at several venues, including the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC).

Govindji said there would be a non-Muslim panellist at the PWTC event.

"We also invite non-Muslims to attend the talks," he said. "Priority will be given to them to pose questions. Rest assured that no one will stop you.

"So I urge those who disagree with Zakir's thoughts to put forward your rebuttals and allow him to answer them. Zakir has agreed to end the sessions late to accommodate all questions."

Govindji also explained his own views on inter-faith harmony. He said that although there were doctrinal differences between religions, this did not mean that people of different faiths could not unite on common ground.

READ MORE HERE

 

The basis of it all

Posted: 18 Sep 2012 05:05 PM PDT

Looking beyond the recently-signed Kuching Declaration, the most important thing is not about what's being said before the elections, but what comes after it.

Yet, the document is quite vague on how best to address the states' problems beyond the royal commission of inquiry on illegal immigrants (which the Barisan-led government has already agreed to) and increasing oil royalties. "These are all essentially the same things they promised in 2008," said Dr Jeniri Amir, a political communication and history lecturer at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak.

Yu Ji, The Star

THE Kuching Declaration, by the Pakatan Rakyat, seeks to redress the development imbalance between Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak and Sabah should it win the impending general election.

The declaration's seven points relate to restoring the spirit of the "Malaysia Agreement". It includes upping the number of Sarawakians and Sabahans in decision-making positions within the civil service, initiating a royal commission on illegal migrants, and increasing oil royalties for both states from 5% to 20%.

In the last paragraph of the declaration, it summarises the points as "an incontrovertible contract between Pakatan Rakyat and the peoples of Malaysia".

Leaving aside the outcome of the polls, the declaration brings to light two significant points.

Firstly, will the majority of Sarawakians and Sabahans see the significance of the declaration? Secondly, does Pakatan Rakyat, and in particular PKR, have enough good candidates in rural constituencies?

The second point will determine whether Pakatan has a good chance at taking the helm of Putrajaya. We know how strong DAP is in the urban and a couple of semi-rural areas. PAS, meanwhile, has not had much success in this liberal state.

One of the prime movers of the Kuching Declaration is a restaurateur, who happens to be the ex-manager of singer/actress Ning Baizura. Vernon Kedit runs the popular "the Dyak" restaurant in Kuching, which has a 4.5 out of five rating on tripadvisor.com.

When asked to help organise Pakatan's Malaysia Day celebrations here, Vernon applied the same flair he had acquired as a pop star's manager as well as the attention to detail so evident in his restaurant's food.

The man is smart, eloquent and has a passion for all things Sarawak.

"We could have just had an 'event', or we could have a significant one. We chose the latter," Vernon told me in an interview this week.

For two weeks, Vernon and his Pakatan counterparts — including state DAP secretary Chong Chieng Jen, a multi-term MP and state assemblyman, and PAS officials — discussed and debated the contents of the declaration.

Several key words were removed and then reinstated just days ahead of Malaysia Day. The final version was preceded by eight drafts.

On Sept 16, six state and national Pakatan leaders signed the declaration at Chong Lin Commercial Centre, the venue of a massive ceramah on the eve of 2008's general election, which led to Barisan's worst showing since Merdeka.

Altogether, six documents were signed - one for each of the signatories to take home. Three billboard-sized declarations were also on their way back to the headquarters of each of the Pakatan parties.

The Kuching Declaration, according to Vernon, is a legal document.

"Whereas Buku Jingga is a book of policies, the Kuching Declaration is a very legal piece of paper. You cannot bring Buku Jingga to court, but you can bring the declaration to one," Vernon said. "It guarantees us autonomy and as equal partners within Malaysia."

The underlying theme of the declaration is the ones stating "Sarawak for Sarawakians," and "Sabah for Sabahans".

Yet, the document is quite vague on how best to address the states' problems beyond the royal commission of inquiry on illegal immigrants (which the Barisan-led government has already agreed to) and increasing oil royalties.

"These are all essentially the same things they promised in 2008," said Dr Jeniri Amir, a political communication and history lecturer at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak.

Jeniri also dismissed the declaration as a "gimmick to win the "hearts and minds" of Sarawakian and Sabahan voters.

How exactly would autonomy translate into better governance to ensure that Sarawakians and Sabahans have, say, better education opportunities, he asked.

"Yes, there are inequalities and yes, the Opposition has made inroads into the rural areas, judging by the votes in the last state elections.

"Barisan should seriously consider some of the problems raised by Pakatan.

"But on the declaration, it's just the same promises all over again."

Personally, I doubt the declaration would have much impact beyond the urban middle-class.

How many people in Baram or Hulu Rajang know about the Malaysia Agreement? How many young people know about the 18- and 20-point agreements?

In time, will the Kuching Declaration be remembered as a significant happening; or will it fade away as a mere footnote in history?

All that depends on the outcome of the general election. After all, the only thing that matters the most is not what is being said before the elections, but what comes after it.

 

Who’s your Daddy?

Posted: 18 Sep 2012 05:00 PM PDT

Malaysia is also facing an economic downturn, no matter what the bastions of power say. It's getting harder to get jobs, be promoted and be awarded projects, the right way. Brilliant graduates and professionals are dismayed when they find out that meritocracy doesn't exist in corporate Malaysia.

Dina Zaman, The Malaysian Insider

Of course, everyone is talking about this phenomenon. From the office worker, to the budding fashionista, right up to high society itself.

"Well. I suppose it is a good sign…. that… Melayu dah maju," a friend said.

You must have seen them: The New Rich and Beautiful. The young men are handsome, and the young women appear regularly in local magazines. They drive the best. Porsche Cayenne is the car of the moment, though by the time this is published, the new rich may have moved on to another make.  An 800 square feet apartment with a RM4,000 rental tag does not deter them. Their precincts?

"Oddly enough," the said friend observed, "there's a lot of them in Kota Damansara. (pause) Well. The cars."

Inevitably the conversation will lead to the ever oft question:

Who's their father?

Or mother?

This phenomenon is nothing new. Edith Wharton and F. Scott Fitzgerald recorded the clash of old and new money in their novels. Vanity Fair – the high brow magazine which reports on politics plus lifestyle and entertainment – and Tatler UK are glossy and excellent bibles of the rich and powerful.

In Malaysia, local editions of high society magazines like Tatler, Prestige, as well as the uber fashionista's must-have, GLAM, are showcases of the who's who, who's rising, who's had a botched nose job, and occasionally the fallen.  And in this gilded world, the backbiting, the status jostling and social brokerage is only for those with courage and tenacity. This seems to be the domain of social opportunists.

So who are the new and young rich?

A good majority belong to the Concession Generation. Daddies and mummies were shrewd proxies and held government contracts. Not all of them were given contracts through unethical means, but nevertheless, their wealth sprang from work and projects with the government of the day. How are they different from the offspring of old money?

Anoura (names have been changed to protect the privacy of those interviewed) captured the difference rather succinctly. Anoura parties with them.

"These kids go to national schools, or private schools which only teach the national curriculum. They don't go to private international schools, that the children of old money do."

Why is that?

She laughed. "Sebab they all tu ramai bodoh. You think they can pass IB (International Baccalaureate?) The expat kids and the old money kids are bloody smart, okay? Their worldview is global. Budak-budak ni, at the end of the day, Melayu beb."

May we quote you on that?

"Sure. Just don't use my real name. I'm part of the system too."

Anoura sighed. She knows the system too well. Her father is part of it. "To get the deal, sometimes, he has to 'kill' the tenders." Her father was once a civil servant, and most of his friends were too.

Like the many brokers and wheeler-dealers in the city, he and his friends just need to strike that ONE deal, and they'll be happy. And because of their former work in the government, they understand the protocols.

This leg-up has helped somewhat, but they haven't got that deal yet. Not yet. "Even a small meal with the guys at the bottom of the rung costs RM500. That's one dinner. Imagine a few dinners a week. In all the years my father has started brokering for deals, he has been swindled by friends. They have to pay cuts to the people who may help them along the way. Why does he do this? Simple. After all the things they've gone through, they think they deserve a deal."

READ MORE HERE

 

Talk is cheap

Posted: 18 Sep 2012 04:33 PM PDT

And what I mean is that while we talk about struggle and sacrifice in the interest of seeing change, very few are prepared to compromise and sacrifice for the sake of this change. Hence all this talk of struggle, sacrifice and change is mere idle talk that is going to lead to nowhere.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Kalau takut pada risiko, usah bicara tentang perjuangan.

Kalau takut dipukul ombak, jangan berumah di tepi pantai.

If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.

There is a reason why Muslims fast for 30 days during the month of Ramadhan. It is to teach, train and condition yourself to endure pain and suffering, resist temptation and lust, and to enter into a mental state of tolerance and patience. Many Muslims who seldom pray or do not pray at all would still fast. You rejoice when the month of Ramadhan arrives and you gladly deny your body its desires. In short, you abstain from worldly needs and distractions.

Muslims also have to pray five times a day. And to be able to pray five times a day on a very rigid schedule means you must also have discipline. You must also live with inconvenience because no matter whether you are travelling on a journey or locked in a meeting you must always find the time to pray, even when it is not really convenient to do so. Even if you are sick in bed you will wake up to pray and then go back to sleep.

Hence facing and tolerating inconvenience is a daily routine for you and you endure it not with a sigh of regret but with a willing heart and joy. You look forward to your prayers, as you do your fasting.

Humans have needs and urges. Humans have passion and emotion. Humans suffer thirst and hunger. Humans suffer vanity, ego, anger, lust, fear, envy, greed, jealousy, and much more. But all these need to be suppressed. There are only two things you are allowed to feel: patience and tolerance. Everything else need to be set aside.

Considering that these are the objectives and ideals of fasting and praying five times a day, those who comply to these tenets or rituals should have been taught, trained and conditioned to become marvellous human beings. If by the time you are, say, 30, and you have been praying five times a day and fasting for 30 days every year since you were in standard one, you would have been programmed to smile under duress and under any provocative situation.

This, however, does not appear to be so. In spite of all that training, Muslims still have a very short fuse and will fly off the handle at the slightest provocation. They will become very violent and will easily resort to physical action when rubbed the wrong way, however mild that provocation may be. Muslims give the impression that they are a time bomb just waiting to explode.

This is the greatest contradiction you will find in Muslims. Their lips would constantly utter words such as berjaung (struggle), korban (sacrifice), sabar (patience cum tolerance), etc. But it is only lip service. It is not something in their hearts. It makes you wonder whether their prayers and fasting have done any good. Would they have been better off smoking marijuana and doing meditation? At least those who do would preach love, tolerance and peace although they may not believe in Allah or Prophet Muhammad.

The 'turn the other cheek' doctrine is nonexistent for most Muslims. They do not even practice the concept of 'an eye for an eye'. It is more like 'your whole head for an eye' dogma.

Hence we are seeing the violent reaction all over the world at what Muslims perceive as an insult to Prophet Muhammad. The irony of this whole thing is that those who are punished are not really the culprits. We punish other people for something someone else did. If an Indonesian robs us in Bangsar we bomb Jakarta although that particular Indonesian who robbed us may be living in Petaling Jaya.

Malays/Muslims are not the only ones who demonstrate hypocrisy, though. Chinese, Indians, natives of East Malaysia, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, etc., are also the same. They talk about struggle and sacrifice. But struggle and sacrifice are what they expect others to do. They themselves would not do all this.

They understand that struggle and sacrifice work hand-in-glove. One can't exist without the other. But are they prepared to endure one for the sake of the other? Very few Malaysians would although they accuse others of violating this basic principle of the cause.

Okay, we want change. We want to see the end of Barisan Nasional rule. We want to see a new government. And we want Pakatan Rakyat to be that new government.

I can buy that. I have no problems with that. I am prepared to struggle for that. I am even prepared to sacrifice for that. But are you? Are you people who are screaming and shouting about change prepared to also struggle and sacrifice to see this change happen? Or do you want others to do the struggling and sacrificing so that you can be spared this inconvenience?

Actually, the majority of you are all talk. Mere hot air. Very few of you are prepared to struggle and sacrifice. You talk about struggle and sacrifice, no doubt. But you talk about it in the context of what you expect others to do, not what you are prepared to do.

And most of you will deny this. And you will get very angry if I were to suggest this. You are noble and sincere and how dare I accuse you otherwise? But most of you are actually a load of bullshit. And to make matters worse you do not even realise you are a load of bullshit.

So you are noble and sincere, are you? You are prepared to struggle and sacrifice, are you? You want to see change, do you? Well, let's see.

Are the Malays prepared to drop the Islamic State and Hudud agenda in favour of a Secular State for the sake of change if that is the only way to kick out Barisan Nasional and replace it with Pakatan Rakyat?

Are the non-Malays prepared to embrace the Islamic State and Hudud agenda for the sake of change if that is the only way to kick out Barisan Nasional and replace it with Pakatan Rakyat?

Are the Chinese prepared to drop their Chinese school and mother-tongue education agenda in favour of national schools for the sake of change if that is the only way to kick out Barisan Nasional and replace it with Pakatan Rakyat?

Are the Indians prepared to drop their Hindu agenda for the sake of change if that is the only way to kick out Barisan Nasional and replace it with Pakatan Rakyat?

Are the East Malaysians prepared to drop the 18/20-Point Agreements and accept federalisation for the sake of change if that is the only way to kick out Barisan Nasional and replace it with Pakatan Rakyat?

Are the Malays prepared to drop the New Economic Policy in favour of meritocracy for the sake of change if that is the only way to kick out Barisan Nasional and replace it with Pakatan Rakyat?

Are the non-Malays prepared to embrace the New Economic Policy for the sake of change if that is the only way to kick out Barisan Nasional and replace it with Pakatan Rakyat?

Are the Malays prepared to drop the Monarchy in favour of a Republic for the sake of change if that is the only way to kick out Barisan Nasional and replace it with Pakatan Rakyat?

Are the Malays prepared to accept a woman or non-Malay Prime Minister for the sake of change if that is the only way to kick out Barisan Nasional and replace it with Pakatan Rakyat?

Rest assured the above are but a few examples. My list can go on and on if you wish to include the rights of gays, conversion of Muslims to other religions, Bibles in Bahasa Malaysia, English as the language of the Federation, and so much more. But I trust even these few examples demonstrate what I mean.

And what I mean is that while we talk about struggle and sacrifice in the interest of seeing change, very few are prepared to compromise and sacrifice for the sake of this change. Hence all this talk of struggle, sacrifice and change is mere idle talk that is going to lead to nowhere.

And you got the bloody cheek to scream at me for not being true to the cause and for refusing to join the fight for change? How can you expect me to join a group that comprise of a whole bunch of hypocrites?

 

Duo’s application struck out in RPK suit

Posted: 18 Sep 2012 02:48 PM PDT

(The Star) - The High Court here has struck out an application by two lieutenant colonels to amend their statement of claim in a defamation suit filed against blogger Raja Petra Raja Kamaru­din.

High Court judge Justice Su Geok Yiam dismissed the application after ruling that the issues for amendment brought up by Lt-Col Abdul Aziz Buyong and Lt-Col Norhayati Hassan were matters of evidence rather than fact.

She also ruled that there had been no satisfactory explanation for the delay in the amendment.

No date has been set for the next mention.

Raja Petra was charged with defaming Datin Seri Rosmah Man­sor and the two senior military officers in a statutory declaration made at the Jalan Duta court complex on June 18, 2008.

However, the Kuala Lumpur Ses­sions Court subsequently granted him a discharge not amou­n­ting to an acquittal over the charge.

The two lieutenant colonels have since filed separate RM1mil defamation suits against him.

 

Pejabat SUARAM diserbu pegawai ROS, polis

Posted: 18 Sep 2012 02:20 PM PDT

Pejabat Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM) di sini hari ini diserbu oleh enam orang pegawai pendaftar pertubuhan (ROS) dan polis.

Menurut peguam yang berada di pejabat SUARAM, Fadiah Nadwa Fikri, polis dan pegawai ROS itu datang ke pejabat SUARAM pada sekitar 11:50 pagi tadi.

"Mereka cuba untuk masuk ke pejabat untuk menggeledah pejabat, tetapi kami tidak benarkan kerana mereka tidak mempunyai waran geledah.

"Setakat ini mereka hanya berada di luar pejabat, dan kami masih tidak membenarkan mereka masuk, keadaan masih lagi dalam keadaan terkawal," kata Fadiah lagi.

Serbuan ini dikaitkan dengan dakwaan SUARAM menerima dana asing dan pertubuhan ini dikatakan mempunyai "akaun yang meragukan".

Badan hak asasi manusia itu dikatakan menerima serangan kerana terus terlibat dalam siasatan dari Perancis berkenaan penyelewengan wang bernilai berbillion ringgit untuk membeli dua buah kapal selam Scorpene.

READ MORE HERE

 

White House: Libya attack may have been preplanned

Posted: 18 Sep 2012 02:13 PM PDT

(Yahoo News) - THE White House on Tuesday explicitly left open the possibility that last week's dramatic attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, which left four Americans including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens dead, was a preplanned attack.

Press secretary Jay Carney suggested the assault could have been the work of an armed group looking to "take advantage" of unrest he blamed on an anti-Islam video available online.

Carney repeatedly described that footage as the "precipitating" cause of the protests and the violence targeting American diplomatic posts in Egypt, Libya, Sudan, Tunisia and elsewhere.

Libya is "still a very volatile place [where] there are vast numbers of weapons, and certainly a number of violent groups in the country," he told reporters at his daily briefing.

"There is an abundance of weapons, including heavy weapons, and there are certainly groups that carry those weapons and look to take advantage of those circumstances—as there are around the region and the world," Carney said. He did not say whether such groups might be linked to international extremist networks like al-Qaida. 

"We have seen circumstances in the past in other parts of the region where incidents that inflame opinion are taken advantage of, and exploited, by groups that have an interest in creating chaos and destabilizing their local governments, or attacking the West or the United States," Carney said.

Carney said he was "not aware" of any advance warning from Libyan officials regarding the assault on the American Consulate in the eastern city of Benghazi, which saw heavily armed and as-yet undisclosed fighters storm the compound and then hold it for hours against American and Libyan counterattack.

Top lawmakers briefed on the raid last week by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta emerged from the closed-door session describing it as a preplanned, orchestrated attack. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper are due to brief Congress on the evolving situation on Thursday.

"This is a matter that's under investigation in terms of what precipitated the attacks, what the motivations of the attackers were, what role the video played in that," Carney continued. "I am not, unlike some others, going to prejudge the outcome of an investigation and categorically assert one way or the other what the motivations are or what happened exactly until that investigation is complete."

But Carney last week repeatedly blamed the video for the violence, including the attack on the consulate in Benghazi. "It's not an assumption," he said Friday, asserting that the administration had no evidence to buttress the claim that the attack was the work of extremists. Some analysts have said it beggars belief to say that a spontaneous show of religious-themed anger would escalate into a heavily armed assault on the consulate—all on the anniversary of 9/11.

So is the White House ruling out the possibility that it was an extremist group?

"Of course not," Carney said on Tuesday. "As more information comes to light, that will obviously be a part of the investigation and we'll make it available when appropriate." When? "I don't keep FBI time lines at the ready."

He added, "Based on the information we initially had available, and have available, we do not have any indication at this point of premeditation, or preplanned attacks—but it is under investigation."

 

'Fatwa' to kill issued against anti-Islam filmmaker

Posted: 18 Sep 2012 02:04 PM PDT

(Agencies) - A Fatwa was issued against filmmaker Nakoula Basseley Nakoula amidst warnings from Hizbollah of dangerous repercussions if the anti-Islam film is released in full. Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah called the film the "worst attack ever on Islam".

Hizbollah warned of "very dangerous" global repercussions if an anti-Islam film is released in its entirety, as a fatwa was issued against the film's producer who has gone into hiding with his family.

The warning from Hizbollah's Hassan Nasrallah came as the death toll from a week of violence sparked by the movie rose to 19.

An eruption of Muslim anger over a trailer of the American-made film that appeared on the internet has spread across the world, taking hold Monday in Afghanistan, Indonesia, the West Bank, the Philippines and Yemen.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators poured into the streets of southern Beirut to denounce the film at Nasrallah's request, and the head of the powerful Shiite Muslim group surprised supporters by making a rare public appearance.

Nasrallah, whose Lebanese movement is blacklisted in the United States as a terrorist group, has called for a week of protests across the country over the film, describing it as the "worst attack ever on Islam".

"America must understand ... the US must understand that releasing the entire film will have dangerous, very dangerous, repercussions around the world," he told the rally.

The filmmaker Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, a 55-year-old Egyptian Copt and fraudster who was sentenced to 21 months in prison in the US in June 2010, has not been seen since Saturday when he was questioned by his US parole officer.

The risks now facing those involved in the production of the film "Innocence of Muslims", which depicts the Prophet Mohammed as a thuggish womanizer, were underlined when a Salafist cleric in Egypt called Monday for the deaths of all those involved in its making.

The film producer's family joined him in hiding, as more cast members of the film that outraged the Islamic world insisted they had been duped into making it.

Before dawn on Monday, officers from the Los Angeles County sheriff's department escorted four members of Nakoula's family out of their home to be driven in unmarked police vehicles to an undisclosed location to join him.

The terrorism monitoring service SITE Intelligence Group said Ahmad Fouad Ashoush issued his fatwa, or religious edict, against the cast and crew of "Innocence of Muslims" via jihadist internet forums over the weekend.

"I issue a fatwa and call on the Muslim youth in America and Europe to do this duty, which is to kill the director, the producer and the actors and everyone who helped and promoted the film," the cleric said.

The controversial movie has sparked a week of furious protests outside US embassies and other American symbols in at least 20 countries.

In Pakistan, thousands of students burned US flags and chanted anti-American slogans in the northwestern city of Peshawar, where Osama bin Laden kept a home during the 1980s jihad against Soviet troops in adjacent Afghanistan.

In the nearby district of Upper Dir, a protester was killed and two others wounded in a shoot-out with police.

In Karachi, Pakistan's biggest city, another demonstrator died after being shot in the head during clashes with police near the US consulate on Sunday.

The US embassy in Islamabad was closed on Monday because of the risk of demonstrations and diplomats have been banned from all but essential travel throughout the country.

In neighboring Afghanistan, protests turned violent for the first time when more than 1,000 people rallied in Kabul, setting police cars and containers ablaze, police told AFP.

Between 40 and 50 policemen were "very slightly wounded" by stone-throwers and members of the crowd waving sticks, said Kabul police chief Mohammad Ayoub Salangi.

Google has barred access to the video of the film in Egypt, India, Indonesia, Libya and Malaysia, while the government has restricted access to Google-owned YouTube in Afghanistan.

Later, Pakistan blocked access to YouTube after an order from Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf to do so, following the video-sharing website's failure to take down the anti-Islam film.

Attempts to access YouTube met with a message saying the website had been classed as containing "indecent material".

In Jakarta, protesters hurled petrol bombs and clashed with Indonesian police outside the US embassy shouting "America, America go to hell", as demonstrations in the world's most populous Muslim nation turned violent.

The capital's police chief Untung Rajab said 11 policemen and a protester were injured and taken to hospital, and that four protesters were arrested.

Mass demonstrations after the main weekly Muslim prayers on Friday saw 11 protesters killed as police battled to defend US missions from mobs in Egypt, Lebanon, Sudan, Tunisia and Yemen.

The unrest began in Cairo, where protesters stormed the US embassy late Tuesday, replacing the Stars and Strips with an Islamic flag.

Hours later it spread to the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, where the US consulate came under sustained attack, killing four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens.

In Afghanistan, two US Marines died and six US fighter jets were destroyed when Taliban fighters on Friday stormed a giant airfield to avenge the film.

The United States has deployed counterterror Marine units to Libya to protect its embassy in Tripoli and stationed two destroyers off the North African coast.

A Marine unit was also dispatched to protect the US embassy in Yemen, where police shot dead four protesters and wounded 34 others on Thursday as a mob breached its perimeter. There were more protests in Yemen on Monday.

The United States has evacuated all non-essential staff and family members from Sudan and Tunisia and warned US citizens against travel to the two countries.

Libya said it has arrested 50 suspects in connection with the consulate attack.
 

There’s something about Selangor

Posted: 18 Sep 2012 01:54 PM PDT

Najib's speeches now are no longer subtle. His message is loud, brash and clear.

Selena Tay, FMT

The decision by the Pakatan Rakyat-helmed Selangor state government to dissolve the State Legislative Assembly next year seems to have greatly annoyed the Barisan Nasional leaders who have openly accused the Selangor government of being afraid of losing.

And Pakatan will lose Selangor because the dirty voter rolls will enable BN to regain Selangor easily.

As BN is so cocksure of getting back Selangor, it will only be a matter of time so it has to be patient for just a few more months.

Still, this means that BN's plan to hold the polls in November, assuming that it is in November, has encountered a minor glitch for it must be thinking of recapturing Selangor in the 13th general election.

Maybe that is why BN is so cross with Pakatan. Yes, this must be the reason. The statement by the Election Commission (EC) that it is a waste of time, money and resources if Selangor were to hold separate polls is also most telling.

And perhaps it is this small hiccup that has caused Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to come out with a statement that he was "worried about the future of the Malays and the Muslims should the country come under a different regime" as reported in a local English daily on Sept 16.

Well, what have MCA and MIC got to say to this?

The same English daily also reported Najib as saying, "I believe those in DAP are not at ease with the position of the Malays and Islam. Just ask those who experience it in Perak and Selangor. PKR is weak. With its combination with others, and if DAP wins big, where will the Malays place their hope?"

True, ugly colours

What does this show about the 1Malaysia slogan and the credibility of Najib as the one who admitted that 1Malaysia is his brainchild?

Back to the question of the general election.

Assuming that the polls are planned for November, the latest strategy by the Selangor government has put BN in a fix as the prime minister has vowed to regain Selangor in the 13th general election.

This means that he will have failed in his mission if he were to hold the polls in November. It is this thought which must have irked him, is it not?

And postponing the polls to March next year is too risky. Some issues that lurk beneath may suddenly resurface to trouble BN besides the unpredictable global economic outlook.

Therefore, BN has embarked on a rampage in a frenzied attempt to garner support, especially from the business community where Selangor is concerned. Every Selangorian and especially the business community should remember that Pakatan's prudent management has managed to save the state RM1.9 billion in reserves as at end of last year.

Thus BN now no longer bothers if its true, ugly colours are being revealed. It hopes the gullible rakyat will be blind to its faults and its Machiavellian motive to grab Selangor at all costs as well as to win big by regaining the two-third majority in Parliament.

BN's election machinery has been activated and the groundwork already started. In the mainstream media, too, there is an overdose of BN's propaganda advertorials. Is it possible for BN to sustain the momentum until March next year? By then, the rakyat will be so fed up and bored to death!

READ MORE HERE

 

Killing innocents is never the answer

Posted: 18 Sep 2012 01:42 PM PDT

Violence only begets violence, and once more the poorest and the weakest suffer most.

AZMI SHAROM

IN 1998, the Clinton administration approved a cruise missile strike on Baghdad. It missed its target (an Iraqi military installation) and hit a civilian home killing the residents.

The strike was approved in response to the "guilt" of some Iraqis who had supposedly threatened the life of George Bush the elder. It did not seem to matter that the trial for said crimes was not even over yet when the missile was launched.

My point is that it does not take much for American government-sponsored violence to be unleashed on a country.

In this light, the death of Christopher Stevens, the American Ambassador to Libya, along with several of his colleagues could have severe repercussions on innocent people.

The Obama administration seems to be practising restraint for the moment, but one can question if a more hawkish government would act in the same way. As it is, Mitt Romney is making Bush-like sounds of war.

The catalyst for all this is that utterly obscene and reprehensible video insulting the Prophet Muhammad.

As of this moment, it appears that it was made by a petty crook with a shady past, and it was supported by odious right-wing groups.

These loathsome creatures can be said to be simply hatemongers, but it can also be said that whether on purpose or not, they are agents provocateurs for the hawks of America who are just itching for an excuse to wreak even more destruction on West Asia.

And nothing would serve their wicked intentions more than scenes of death and violence inflicted on American lives and property, shown with salivating eagerness by so-called news channels like Fox.

It does not matter that ordinary Libyans were the first to react in trying to save Stevens, it does not matter that the Islamic Orthodoxy, most notably the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, has condemned the killings.

The act of a shrill few would be used to colour the Islamic world as violent and sub-human.

In this light, it is of even more importance that Islamic countries that want to, rightly, protest against the film also be equally strong in their stand against the inflicting of violence. It is important because to do otherwise would be playing right into the hands of those who would wish harm unto them.

Let me be clear, this disgusting work of hatred naturally raises feelings of anger. Ordinary people as well as governments have every right to express that anger, but that expression must stop at the point of violence.

READ MORE HERE

 

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