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Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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• Like a trapped animal (part 3)
• Khairy: Anwar lying about Pakatan’s need for private jet
• ‘Anwar approved attacks against Guan Eng’
• RPK sowing fear, says ex-comrade
• Anwar: Private jet is friend’s
• Zaid tells Dr M: I rather be an ungrateful Malay than a stupid one
• PR leaders: Tunku Aziz is a BN agent
• Photos of Pakatan leaders in private jet hits cyberspace
• Kepong Umno Youth chief stabbed, in critical condition
• Uproar against Ngeh and Nga at DAP convention
• Dong Zong duo get more flak
• Veteran newsman accuses Malaysiakini of being insincere
• Hasan Ali gesa PAS-Umno bersatu
• It’s all lies, there’ll be no anarchy
• Why Suaram’s status is suddenly so important
• Anwar: Dr M, Daim behind forex scandal
• A country of extremists
• In defense of the right to offend
• How to torpedo a submarine investigation
• Pakatan must prove its worth to win GE13, says Guan Eng
• Selangor govt confusing people on water issues, says Cassa
• Dr M: Hudud law will create injustice
• Dr M: Soros wants to install puppet PM
• Like a trapped animal (part 2)
• Dr M: Melayu tidak ‘bersyukur’ akan hilang kuasa dibawah pemerintahan PR
• Pakistan minister places bounty on anti-Islam filmmaker
• Liverpool, United add respect to rivalry
• Karpal: You don’t have be a Penangite to be CM
• Karpal gets support for anti-hopping bill
• PERSECUTION IN MALAYSIA - Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Malaysia
• Ex-DAP Tunku Aziz: Lim Guan Eng appointed himself CM
• Ex-mufti: Pakatan should rebuke its own for anti-Islam remarks
• Like a trapped animal (part 1)
• IGP: Police studying police reports against Ngeh
• Karpal denies DAP getting foreign funds
• Apa sebab pergi cari pasal?
• Israel won't force Google to block anti-Muslim video
• Putting My Foot Down
• Let authorities probe Suaram foreign funding, says Najib
• Read what the Umno Blogs are saying
• Senseless rage over anti-Islam film
• 237 reports made against Ngeh’s controversial Tweet
• Guan Eng: DAP Kedah wajar dapat tambahan kerusi
• End the siege on religions, urges NGO
• Tunku Abdul Aziz: No political clout in Pakatan Rakyat to form the next federal government
• France bans protests over Prophet Mohammad cartoons
• Just plain afraid of losing
• Insults to Islam ignite violence in Pakistan, 15 killed
• Who will be the Sabah opposition CM?
• Report: M’sia high on religious intolerance

Like a trapped animal (part 3) Posted: 23 Sep 2012 07:35 PM PDT   And the most crucial term and condition, which Dr Mahathir announced in a gathering of about 1,000 Umno members in Petaling Jaya, was that the next Prime Minister after Pak Lah would be 'guided' by a President's Council. Who the members of that President's Council are and who would be heading it was not revealed in that announcement but everyone in the audience was able to guess the answer. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin That Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (Pak Lah) was going to be ousted soon after the 12th General Election of March 2008 is indisputable. That was the game plan. The needling question, though, was: once Pak Lah is ousted, who is going to replace him? Barisan Nasional was supposed to do 'not too good' in that general election -- after Barisan Nasional's historical and most impressive performance in the March 2004 general election before that. That, too, was part of the game plan. But for that to happen it would have to be an 'inside job'. And that is a story that has already been told. And that is why of late the Umno leaders have been warning its members that the party will not tolerate any sabotage in the coming general election. They are worried that history will repeat itself. They know that for Pakatan Rakyat to bring down Barisan Nasional is not too easy, although not impossible. But if internal sabotage is involved, just like in March 2008, then the possibility increases. The deal struck between Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Pak Lah soon after the former announced his 'retirement' during the Umno general assembly in mid-2002 was that the latter would be a one-term Prime Minister. After that he would step down. Furthermore, he would not 'disturb' all the projects and programmes that Dr Mahathir had implemented. In short, Pak Lah would keep Dr Mahathir's 'legacy' intact. However, after taking the reins of power on 1st November 2003, Pak Lah reneged on his word. The first thing he did was he dismantled Dr Mahathir's 'monuments'. Then, with a stiff upper lip, he announced that he is not a one-term Prime Minister. "Who says I am a one-term Prime Minister?" he indignantly asked. He then swore to prove his detractors wrong. And that was when Dr Mahathir decided that Pak Lah would have to be brought down. But for that to happen it would have to be Umno that brings him down, not the opposition. If it were the opposition that brings him down that would be bad news because it would have meant that Anwar Ibrahim would be taking over as Prime Minister. Bringing down Pak Lah was just the first step. More important would be who is going to replace him. Dr Mahathir's main grievance against Pak Lah -- other than his going back on his word regarding Dr Mahathir's legacy and the serve one-term only -- was Khairy Jamaluddin. By Pak Lah's own admission, Khairy and his 'Fourth Floor Boys' were running the country. Pak Lah admitted this to his close circle of friends; so that was no secret. Dr Mahathir's concern (if this matter were not handled properly) was that it would just be an 'out of the frying pan and into the fire' situation. They oust Pak Lah to be rid of Khairy and end up getting Rosmah Mansor instead when they appoint Najib Tun Razak as successor. How to ensure that they were not merely replacing Khairy with Rosmah -- an even worse proposition? Dr Mahathir tried to advise Najib that before he can be considered for the job of Prime Minister of Malaysia he would first need to solve the 'problem' of Rosmah. Najib may even have to choose between becoming Prime Minister and staying married to Rosmah. Both are not compatible. This upset Najib who told Dr Mahathir's 'emissary' to butt out of his personal life. His marriage and the matter of his wife were not open to negotiation. Clearly the subject of Rosmah was a sacred cow (no pun intended). Najib made that point very clear. Najib would have to be taught a lesson. He was beginning to think that his succession was a God-given right and that once Pak Lah steps down he automatically takes over. Najib will have to learn that whomsoever takes over as Prime Minister would be whatever Dr Mahathir decides and there are no two ways about it. Dr Mahathir then started talking to Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah (Ku Li) and Dr Mahathir made sure that Najib knew about it. So now Dr Mahathir had two candidates for Prime Minister and successor to Pak Lah -- Najib and Ku Li. Whom it was going to be would all depend on who is prepared to accept the terms and conditions. And the most crucial term and condition, which Dr Mahathir announced in a gathering of about 1,000 Umno members in Petaling Jaya, was that the next Prime Minister after Pak Lah would be 'guided' by a President's Council. Who the members of that President's Council are and who would be heading it was not revealed in that announcement but everyone in the audience was able to guess the answer. Ku Li was adamant that he would not accept the role of 'proxy' Prime Minister with a de facto Prime Minister telling him what to do -- so absolutely no President's Council to 'guide' him. If he becomes Prime Minister then he will decide how the country should be run, not someone behind him pulling the strings and telling him what to do. A few meetings were held between Dr Mahathir and Ku Li and it appeared like the matter was making no progress. Both Dr Mahathir and Ku Li were very stubborn and were not able to put their very large egos aside. There was also the matter of old wounds that had not quite healed. Finally it ended with both sticking to their guns and refusing to budge. As far as Dr Mahathir was concerned, if Ku Li wanted the job of Prime Minister, he (Ku Li) would have to crawl to him (Dr Mahathir) and beg for it. Ku Li also felt the same way. If Dr Mahathir wants him as Prime Minister he (Dr Mahathir) would have to crawl to him (Ku Li) and beg him (Ku Li) to accept the job. The matter appeared to have reached a deadlock and those of us caught in the middle who were putting in a lot of effort to make sure that Ku Li and not Najib takes over as Prime Minister were getting quite exasperated. Why won't one of them remove his chip from his shoulder and kowtow to the other? This matter will never be resolved if both remain stubborn. When it appeared that Ku Li was not going to play ball, Dr Mahathir reverted to Najib. In that final meeting of many that we had with Ku Li (one meeting where Haris Ibrahim and Malik Imtiaz attended), he told us that it looks like he is already out of the race. Without a doubt Dr Mahathir is going to make Najib the Prime Minister. It is not going to be him (Ku Li) after all. So we will have to come up with a plan on how to torpedo Najib's chances. That 'plan' offered itself in the form of the revelation by the Deputy Head of the Special Branch of the Military Intelligence regarding Rosmah's involvement in the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder. And it was decided that I would sign a Statutory Declaration regarding the matter (but that is a story I have already related many times so no need to go into all the details again). The day after my Statutory Declaration was made public, Dr Mahathir summoned Sanusi Junid to his office to ask him whether he had read what I said in my Statutory Declaration. Sanusi said he had not and Dr Mahathir gave him a copy to read (how Dr Mahathir managed to get a copy so fast I do not know until today). Sanusi just said, "Oh my God! Why did he do this?" and Dr Mahathir replied, "Raja Petra had just broken the legs of our horse. It looks like we will have to look for a new horse." But that 'new horse', Ku Li, who saw that Najib's chances of becoming Prime Minister had reduced somewhat, still refused to play ball. Aiyoh, anak Raja ni! Degil sangat! "Why can't you just agree to Dr Mahathir's terms and conditions and once you become Prime Minister you do a U-turn and tell him to go screw himself, like what Pak Lah did?" we asked him. But then Ku Li is too much of a gentleman to do that. A deal is a deal and once he agrees to something he would never renege on his word. So he would never deceive Dr Mahathir by saying yes and then shaft Dr Mahathir later once he becomes Prime Minister. Aiyah! Why so honest one? Politics cannot be played like that! Sometimes we need to use tricks and deception. Say yes and grab the job first. Later we can do a dirty on Dr Mahathir. Once you are Prime Minister and power is in your hands what can Dr Mahathir do about it? If he talks too much just arrest him and put him in jail. That is what I would do. But that is not Ku Li and he refused to play Dr Mahathir for a sucker. That messed up Ku Li's chances of becoming Prime Minister and, tainted or not, it would have to be Najib who takes over. But before that they would have to discredit my Statutory Declaration. And that was when they arrested me and charged me for criminal defamation. As much as I protested and explained that I never made any allegation against Rosmah but instead I made an allegation against the Deputy Head of the Special Branch of the Military Intelligence, they still charged me for three counts of criminal defamation. Once they succeeded in raising doubts as to what they alleged was my accusation against Rosmah, Pak Lah was forced out of office and Najib took over as Prime Minister. The question now is: is Najib going to remain the Prime Minister or is he on the way out? Of course, if Pakatan Rakyat takes over in the coming general election, certainly Najib would be out. There is no doubt about that. But what if Barisan Nasional manages to hold on to power? Will Najib still remain the Prime Minister or is he going to suffer the same fate as Pak Lah? I suppose that will have to be another story for another time, if I decide to write it. Anyway, in the meantime stay tuned, in case.

Khairy: Anwar lying about Pakatan’s need for private jet Posted: 23 Sep 2012 06:33 PM PDT (Malaysian Digest) - Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin has rubbished Parti Keadilan Rakyat de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's explanation that Pakatan Rakyat needed to use a specially-chartered private jet to travel from Kota Kinabalu to Labuan as there were no flights available. Anwar, in a Press conference in Parliament today, had explained that the Pakatan entourage needed to use a private jet on their September 16 trip to East Malaysia as there were no connecting flights available from Labuan to Kota Kinabalu that day. Khairy, however, dismissed the claims and said a simple check would show that there were indeed flights available. "Anwar says that he took a private jet from Labuan to Kota Kinabalu because on that day, there were no connecting flights. Refer to Malaysiakini's report." @font-face p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal div.Section1 The Malaysia Airlines flight schedule tweeted by Khairy earlier today. Pix: Twitter/Khairykj Producing Malaysia Airlines' flight schedule, Khairy said it was evidence enough that there were flights catered to Kota Kinabalu from Labuan that day. "This is MAS' schedule. Every day, there are at least two to three connecting flights from Labuan to Kota Kinabalu. So what day exactly is Anwar talking about?" he asked. He also questioned the need for secrecy on the owner of the aircraft. "Who is the owner of the PJ (private jet)? Why is the identity a secret?" Khairy asked. Khairy had earlier poked fun at Pakatan following the news surrounding the private jet fiasco. Earlier this morning, he had tweeted: "Breaking news: Pakatan to offer free private jet flights for all Malaysians if they capture Putrajaya at GE13. #mondaytroll."

‘Anwar approved attacks against Guan Eng’ Posted: 23 Sep 2012 04:38 PM PDT Independent Nibong Tebal MP Tan Tee Beng claims the opposition leader had condemned the Penang chief minister in 2009. Athi Shankar, FMT GEORGE TOWN: Independent Nibong Tebal MP Tan Tee Beng claims that PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim had once condemned Penang Chief Minister and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, calling him "kurang ajar" (rude or insolent). Tan alleged that Anwar told him this in a private discussion during a break from a parliamentary session in 2009. He also alleged that Anwar gave him the green light, when he was in PKR, to reproach Lim for his wrongdoings and mismanagement in Penang. Tan had apparently called for a private meeting with Anwar in the Parliament house to find out whether the latter was upset with his (Tan's) constant criticisms of the Pakatan Rakyat state government. When he sought the clarification from Anwar during the November parliamentary sitting, Tan said his former political boss told him that he was not upset, but welcomed it. He said he decided to seek the clarification after he was told by some PKR colleagues that the opposition leader was unhappy with his stinging criticisms against the Lim's administration. Tan claimed Anwar told him that "this young boy [Lim] is kurang ajar. He needs to be taught some lessons". Tan said he started publicly criticising Lim only after receiving Anwar's approval. "Anwar had given his blessings to me to attack Lim. So I was naturally confused when some PKR leaders told me that Anwar was upset," he told FMT. However, Tan said he became frustrated and upset when Anwar failed to shield him against Lim's attacks on him. "Anwar just dumped me. He just washed his hands off me," said Tan. READ MORE HERE

RPK sowing fear, says ex-comrade Posted: 23 Sep 2012 04:28 PM PDT Haris Ibrahim takes offence at a Malaysia Today article claiming that racism has become worse. K Pragalath, FMT Social activist Haris Ibrahim has accused Malaysia Today editor Raja Petra Kamarudin of fear mongering with his statement that racism in Malaysia has reached a new height. Haris apologised to followers of his blog for an article he posted last January, in which he defended Raja Petra, popularly known as RPK, against accusations that the latter had turned his back against the struggle to oust Barisan Nasional from power. In a blog posting referring to a Sept 21 Malaysia Today article, Haris accused RPK of trying to "sow the seeds of fear". The offending article came under the headline "Cina sudah kurang ajar! Dah lupa 13 Mei ke?" (The Chinese have become rude! Have they forgotten 13 May?") It declared: "Racism in Malaysia has reached a dangerous level never seen before since May 1969." In response, Haris said: "The only thing racist in this country is Umno, BN, Dr M and the mainstream media. "And now, of course, RPK's untiring efforts to sow the seeds of fear." Haris's article argued that the various races in the country had become more united, offering as evidence the Bersih gatherings and other recent public protests against the ruling regime. "Did the tender scenes of the makcik in the Ganesha temple in Jalan Pudu putting bits of salt in the mouths of those anak bangsa Malaysia of all ethnicities and gender, seeking refuge in the temple after being hit by tear gas and chemical-laced water, smack of racism?" he wrote. "Have the anti-Lynas campaigns been racist? No!" Haris and RPK were founders of the Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement, one of the objectives of which was to identify election candidates for Pakatan Rakyat. Haris quit the movement early this year.

Anwar: Private jet is friend’s Posted: 23 Sep 2012 04:00 PM PDT The deal to shuttle Anwar and other Pakatan politicians to East Malaysia, apparently came with no strings attached.  Patrick Lee, FMT A friend, according to Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, arranged for the him and other Pakatan Rakyat MPs to travel on a private jet to East Malaysia earlier this month. Speaking to reporters in the Parliament lobby, he did not disclose the "friend's" name, though Anwar added that the trip came with no strings attached. "I asked him, because I was concerned that he had some interest in Penang, Kedah, Selangor or Kelantan…He said no, it was not tied to anything, so I said okay. "He is not that involved [in politics]. I've known him for some time. He said he will do this for a friend, because he understands the problem of logistics," he said. Anwar was referring to a series of articles and blog posts critical of the Permatang Pauh MP travelling in a private jet on Sept 15 and 16. The criticisms were based off photographs taken and later uploaded to the Internet by PKR vice-president Tian Chua, who accompanied Anwar on the trip. Anwar said: "Why did we ask Tian Chua to take these pictures? Because I didn't want people think that this was a secret." He added that the coverage of this matter was an attempt by Umno and the MCA to frighten businessmen from helping Pakatan Rakyat politicians. He also asked why Umno chose to harp on this issue when there were alleged matters of corruption and irregularities that needed tending to.

Zaid tells Dr M: I rather be an ungrateful Malay than a stupid one Posted: 23 Sep 2012 03:02 PM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - Former Cabinet member Datuk Zaid Ibrahim said today he would rather be ungrateful than stupid, as he mocked Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for suggesting that Malays who were unappreciative would cause the community to lose political power. Dr Mahathir told Umno's Utusan Malaysia in an interview published yesterday that Malays were "ungrateful" and "lacking intelligence", warning that the greed of a few power-hungry Malays in the opposition would see the country's dominant race lose its political power.  The former PM also alleged that "if any of these Malay (opposition) parties win the elections and form the government, this government would have to follow the dictates of other (races)." Responding on Twitter this morning, Zaid said: "I rather be called ungrateful Malay than a stupid one, who doesn't think, who follow blindly the dictates of arrogant Malay leaders." Zaid was part of Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's Cabinet but was sacked in 2008, a few months after he resigned as minister in protest against the government's decision to use the Internal Security Act (ISA) to arrest an opposition politician, a blogger and a journalist. He became a PKR member before eventually quitting, and is now the leader of an opposition-aligned party, while continuing to push for political and law reforms. Dr Mahathir has become in recent months a vocal campaigner for Datuk Seri Najib Razak's Umno, and his growing influence has seen the party shed many of its reform plans in favour of playing the race card. Yesterday, in his lengthy tirade against the Malays, the former prime minister expressed sadness that the Malays were now purportedly split into three factions and said that this has resulted in them "begging" for support from the other races.  At another function, Dr Mahathir also suggested that currency speculator George Soros was attempting to usurp political power from the Barisan Nasional (BN) government by appointing his own leader as the next prime minister of Malaysia.  The former prime minister made this statement when asked to comment on several local NGOs that were in the limelight recently after the Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Ministry called on the Registrar of Societies to investigate Suaram, which has received funds from Soros.  Commenting on this, Zaid also mocked Dr Mahathir on Twitter yesterday by saying that if English football club Manchester United won their match against Liverpool yesterday, it must also be because of Soros.  "If Man U wins then Soros must hav a hand in this." In another tweet, he added: "Malays must be really stupid to believe the Jewish conspiracy to install puppet PM."

PR leaders: Tunku Aziz is a BN agent Posted: 23 Sep 2012 02:57 PM PDT Md Izwan, The Malaysian Insider Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders have labelled Tunku Abdul Aziz Ibrahim a Barisan Nasional (BN) agent who lacks credibility following recent reports where the former DAP vice-chairman has openly criticised his former party and leaders. The opposition leaders yesterday slammed Tunku Aziz as a traitor in response to the latter's statement on Friday about his plan to tour the country to open the minds of the people, especially opposition supporters, to make the right decision during the upcoming general election. Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai described Tunku Aziz's actions as representing BN, saying the latter was now an agent of the ruling coalition for his attacks against DAP and PR leaders. "He is now like a BN agent, attacking PR and DAP every day. I pity him for due to his treachery, many have avoided him," Tan told The Malaysian Insider when contacted yesterday. Tan also describe Tunku Aziz as weak and not having any credibility and integrity left. He also accused the former DAP leader of ill intentions for his accusations about the DAP without any basis and proof. Kuala Selangor MP and PAS leader Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad expressed shock over Tunku Aziz's statement, saying the latter's decision to tour the nation was a waste of time. Dzulkefly also regarded Tunku Aziz's actions as being those of a BN agent because of its wide coverage in BN-controlled newspapers and television channels. "This is a wasteful action and a treacherous attitude," he said. "If we look at the coverage given to him by Umno and BN-controlled media, it is clear he is a BN agent," he added. Rasah MP Anthony Loke agreed with his colleagues that Tunku Aziz was no longer credible. "He is no longer credible and his words have made people lose respect for him," Loke said. He added Tunku Aziz's accusations about the DAP were baseless and without proof, expressing confidence that people could judge Tunku Aziz for themselves. Tunku Aziz had in May announced his departure from the DAP over a conflict of opinions with other party leaders over the Bersih 3.0 rally on April 28. Following his departure, Tunku Aziz has been increasingly vocal and critical towards the opposition PR especially the DAP, stirring discontent among his former colleagues.

Photos of Pakatan leaders in private jet hits cyberspace Posted: 23 Sep 2012 02:36 PM PDT Travelling in style: Anwar and DAP vicechairman Tan Seng Giaw pictured in the private jet (inset) during a trip with other Pakatan Rakyat leaders. (The Star) - Photographs of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and several Pakatan Rakyat leaders travelling on a private jet have caused a stir in cyberspace. While some bloggers and Barisan Nasional officials criticised their "travel style", Anwar and his team maintained it was merely an easy mode to travel across Sarawak and Sabah. The pictures, originally tweeted by PKR vice-president Tian Chua on Sept 15, were uploaded by several blogs. Apart from Anwar and Tian Chua, those seen in the aircraft included DAP vice-chairman Dr Tan Seng Giaw, PKR Wanita chief Zuraida Kamaruddin, PAS treasurer Dr Hatta Ramli and Terengganu PKR chief Abdul Rahman Yusof. Some of the blogs even suggested that the aircraft may have been registered to a United States bank. A posting in novandri.blogspot.com said the Opposition leaders had accused the Barisan government of being wasteful while they often portray themselves as being prudent and travel only on low-cost airline AirAsia. "Many supporters were impressed but, unfortunately, this is all an act. "The latest story about Anwar travelling in a private jet with other Opposition leaders will surely leave a negative perception on the people," said the blogger. Kota Belud MP Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan said it was ironic that the Opposition, who accused Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and the Government of being wasteful, actually used a private jet for campaigning. "Even if the service was paid for or arranged by a certain party, the rakyat has the right to know who did it and whether it was a local or foreign sponsor," he said. Kedah Gerakan Youth chief Tan Keng Liang said: "Even if it was a loan, they must realise there is no free lunch in this world." Reacting to the criticisms, Anwar tweeted on Saturday: "What's the issue? A friend arranged for a private jet." Defending her father, Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar tweeted: "What's the issue with a jet trip loaned by a friend? Ain't ours, ain't public funds." Tian Chua said they were travelling to several places in Sarawak and Sabah over the weekend of Malaysia Day, adding that it was cheaper and time saving to charter the jet than to fly commercial.

Kepong Umno Youth chief stabbed, in critical condition Posted: 23 Sep 2012 02:31 PM PDT (The Star) - Kepong Umno youth chief Datuk Norizan Ali, 41, is in critical condition after he was stabbed in the stomach outside his home early Monday morning. Ampang OCPD Asst Comm Amiruddin Jamaluddin said the incident was believed to have occurred at about 4am after he returned home from watching football with friends at a mamak stall. "It is believed he parked his car about 20m from his double story house at Jalan Dagang 2/4, Taman Dagang when he was approached by two men believed to be foreigners. "We are not sure if there was a struggle, but he suffered injuries before the suspects left," he said when met at the Ampang Hospital. He added that none of the victim's belongings were reported missing and police are still in the dark over the matter and hope to get more details after he regains consciousness. It is learnt that Norizan is now undergoing surgery after he suffered stab wounds to his stomach. One of his fingers was almost sliced off. The case is currently being investigated under Section 307 of the Penal Code for attempted murder.

Uproar against Ngeh and Nga at DAP convention Posted: 23 Sep 2012 02:08 PM PDT (The Star) - A commotion broke out at the Perak DAP convention with delegates accusing two of their leaders of blocking members from forming new branches. A disgruntled delegate demanded that state chief Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham and secretary Nga Kor Ming explain the matter. There had been talk that the cousins had been using their influence to strengthen their hold in the party. The delegate claimed he had found out from the national headquarters that Ngeh and Nga had rejected the application for new branches to be set up. Other delegates also pounced on the two men, criticising them of using the Chinese media to attack members for holding party activities. A delegate also lambasted Ngeh over his controversial tweet over the film trailers of the Innocence of Muslims movie, pointing out he should have been more considerate and not hurt the feelings of the Malay community. When contacted, Ngeh brushed aside the grouses, saying there should be proper procedures when dealing with party matters. "The issues raised were old ones, for which I had already made the necessary clarifications," he said, declining to elaborate.

Dong Zong duo get more flak Posted: 23 Sep 2012 02:04 PM PDT (The Star) - The MCA has slammed the top two leaders of the United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia for "using" the organisation to further their personal agenda. Party president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said Dong Zong chairman Yap Sin Tian and his deputy Chow Siew Hon had caused a split in the Chinese community instead of bringing them together in developing Chinese education. "We feel it is time to evaluate these two leaders; whether they are suitable to lead Dong Zong," he said after a briefing on Chinese school issues here yesterday. The session was attended by 250 representatives from the board of directors and parent-teacher associations of Chinese schools in Johor. On the Sept 26 rally, which is seeking to oust Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong as the Deputy Education Minister, Dr Chua said the "whole purpose of the 926 rally is to damage the MCA and Barisan Nasional". He said the party had all along been cooperating with Chinese schools to resolve their issues. Later, in JOHOR BARU, the MCA president said the Chinese community should realise the importance of having a good command of at least three languages to have a competitive edge. Aside from the importance of the mother-tongue, he said the community should know two other languages too. "Having a good command of least three languages serves as an added advantage in the competitive world as well as the chance to contribute to the nation better," he said at a dinner on Saturday for SJKC Pei Chih, Taman Desa Cemerlang, to raise funds for a new RM1.5mil multi-purpose hall. Dr Chua recounted his experience in 1992 when he visited Shenzhen, China, where he faced difficulty in understanding the government officials' English. "But the situation is so much better now," he said. "Recently, I visited China again, and I must say that their command of English is better than some of us. "Although China, as an economic giant, still uses Chinese as their main language, they have come to realise the importance of learning another language," he pointed out. Dr Chua also debunked claims by certain parties that the Government did not care about Chinese education, citing how it had helped in the development of Chinese schools besides recognising qualifications from 820 universities in China. After his speech, Dr Chua announced a RM200,000 donation to fund the school hall.

Veteran newsman accuses Malaysiakini of being insincere Posted: 23 Sep 2012 01:56 PM PDT (The Star) - Veteran journalist Y.L. Chong has challenged Malaysiakini to reveal its annual financial report. He said that while the portal operators claim to promote transparency, accountability and media independence, they neither announced the value of shares nor declared dividends. He was responding to comments by Malaysiakini CEO Premesh Chandran that co-founders and staff of the news portal owned 70% of the shares. Chong quit Malaysiakini 11 years ago following the top manage-ment's refusal to publicly declare its links to currency speculator George Soros. The issue surfaced again recently following reports that Malaysiakini and Suaram were among several anti-establishment organisations that allegedly received foreign funding. The two main contributors are the American-based National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and Soros-linked Open Society Institute (OSI), which had been financing groups supporting its interests and objectives around the world. Chong questioned if Malaysiakini revealed its annual financial statements to its staff. "When I was serving as news editor, I was verbally told during top management meetings that I am also a shareholder. "But I never received in black-and-white how much shares I owned. "And until today, Malaysiakini has never revealed the value of its shares,'' he said. Chong said as the news editor, he was privy to information raised at Malaysiakini's meetings. "I learned that Malaysiakini had then received 10% downpayment of RM188,000 from MDLF (Media Development Loan Fund) for a 10% interest in Malaysiakini,'' he said. "I want Premesh to declare how much is the 70% shares owned by Malaysiakini co-founders and staff worth now,'' he said. In an immediate reaction, Premesh said Mkini Dotcom Sdn Bhd owned Malaysiakini and the company files its annual returns yearly with CCM (Companies Commission of Malaysia). "This includes all details of shareholders. The par value of the shares is RM1,'' he said, adding that all staff who owned shares had been issued share certificates. However, he said, they had not issued any dividends to shareholders.

Hasan Ali gesa PAS-Umno bersatu Posted: 23 Sep 2012 01:49 PM PDT Logiknya PAS perlu menyertai Umno kerana Umno lebih besar ahlinya dan memerintah negara, kata bekas Naib Presiden PAS itu.  Muda Mohd Noor, FMT PAS dan Umno perlu mencari jalan bersatu untuk kebaikan agama dan bangsa, kata bekas Naib Presiden PAS,  Datuk Hasan Ali. "Logiknya PAS perlu menyertai Umno kerana Umno  lebih besar ahlinya  dan memerintah negara. "Tak kira siapa masuk siapa…yang penting perpaduan dan penyatuan (orang Melayu)," kata beliau. Beliau mengulas gesaan Ketua Pemuda Umno, Khairy Jamaluddin supaya PAS meninggalkan Pakatan Rakyat dan menyertai Umno. Khairy yang juga ahli Parlimen Rembau berkata demikian ketika berucap dalam demonstrasi membantah filem 'Innocence of Muslims' Amerika Syarikat di Kampung Baru Kuala Lumpur Jumaat lalu. Manakala PAS mengadakan demonstrasi serupa di Kedutaan Amerika Syarikat. Khairy melihat persamaan Umno dan PAS dalam perjuangan ini menjadi titik tolak PAS lebih sesuai dengan Umno berbanding Pakatan Rakyat. `Kurang pergi masjid' Hasan dipecat dari PAS beberapa bulan lalu kini menubuhkan NGO yang dikenali sebagai Jalur Tiga. Ditanya mengapa PAS menolak menyertai Umno, Hasan berkata, orang Umno kena menilai diri mereka mungkin tidak cukup Islam. "Mungkin kurang pergi masjid, jadi orang PAS tidak suka dengan Umno," tambahnya. Hasan membuat andaian bahawa serangan antarabangsa ke atas  umat Islam mungkin ada hubung kait dengan gerakan atau rangkaian di dalam negara. "Sebuah parti politik pembangkang dalam negara kita negara yang tidak suka kepada Islam dan terus meremeh-remehkian Islam. "Tapi yang  lebih hampa orang Melayu sendiri membenci agamanya," katanya. Beliau berkata, semua ini tidak akan berlaku jika orang Islam bersatu tanpa mengira fahaman politik.

It’s all lies, there’ll be no anarchy Posted: 23 Sep 2012 01:42 PM PDT Except to sack a few scoundrels in the system, a new opposition-led government will not mean the country will descend into chaos.  Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz, FMT The biggest lie being spouted in this country is that if a new government takes over, the nation will descend into anarchy. Leaders in the current government must be taking us Malaysians as fools. They must think we were born yesterday. Let me be clear here. No one is indispensable, least of all Umno-Barisan Nasional. Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is not indispensable. Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad is not indispensable. The old doctor must surely have been hallucinating when he recently said "better the devil we know than the angel we don't know", alluding to Najib (vis-à-vis Umno-BN) and Anwar Ibrahim (PKR-Pakatan Rakyat). We know the devil (Najib) and his devilish ways and we still want to choose him? Have we lost our marbles? Doesn't Mahathir understand that the people chose to kick out the devil? Mahathir is anti-democracy It's farcical for Mahathir to endorse voting when it was he who extinguished the flame of democracy in Umno. During his rule, he started the anti-voting measures to ensure the positions of Umno president and the deputy to be almost unchallengeable, with bonus votes and all that. In which case, why should we even believe that if Umno-BN falls, this country will descend into widespread chaos? It will descend into chaos only if people do not obey laws anymore. It will be so if the structures of government crumble. But will the structures of government disintegrate if Umno-BN loses? It will not. The civil service will still be around. We are not firing civil servants although there are 1.4 million of them. They will still perform their respective functions. We are not going to close down the land and district offices. We are not going to close down the post offices, fire stations or any other essential agencies. What we want to do is to replace a few scoundrels. Just a scratch. Not even a flesh wound. READ MORE HERE

Why Suaram’s status is suddenly so important Posted: 23 Sep 2012 01:39 PM PDT By showing that Suaram is a company, the Najib administration can tell the French authorities that Suaram has not legal standing to bring the Scorpene inquiry, says Raja Petra.  Free Malaysia Today The ongoing government onslaught on human rights watchdog Suaram is a carefully planned tactic undertaken by the Najib administration to defend itself against a French inquiry into the Scorpene submarine deal. The government intends to show to the French authorities that Suaram is a profit-motivated company and not an international NGO as it had claimed itself to be at the French courts. "As such, Suaram has no locus standi in the 'class action suit' [over the alleged corruption in the Scorpene deal]," popular blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin said today in a posting in his Malaysia-Today portal. Raja Petra said that the French investigation into the sale of the two submarines to Malaysia was launched mainly because of an application made by Suaram, which had applied to the French court for the investigation to be launched on the basis that it was an international NGO. He said that Suaram had claimed that it has suffered damage because France sold the two submarines to Malaysia. He added that Suaram was also seeking compensation. "Suaram has managed to convince the French court that it is an international NGO and therefore has locus standi to take this 'class action suit' against the Malaysian government." Raja Petra also attached a document submitted to the French authorities to indicate that Suaram was "an international NGO that was eligible to sue for compensation as it had personally suffered damages because of the obvious phenomenon surrounding the corrupt sale of these submarines". "The Malaysian government, therefore, now has to defend itself against a possible legal action. "And to do that, it has to bring into question Suaram's status as an international NGO. And if the Malaysian government can prove that Suaram is not an international NGO but is a registered company [and hence profit-motivated], then it may be able to torpedo the submarine investigation," he said. Raja Petra said that the Malaysian government has to "rip to shreds Suaram's status" so that it can argue that "not only is Suaram a profit-motivated company and not an international NGO but also it has no locus standi in this class action suit". In recent weeks, Suaram has come under intense attack over its funding and organisational structure. The government has accused it of being funded by foreign powers to "destabilise the peace of the country". Last week, Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said that six government agencies are taking action against Suara Inisiatif Sdn Bhd, the operating entity of Suaram, for breaching five sections of the Companies Act 1965. Suaram has consistently denied any wrongdoings.

Anwar: Dr M, Daim behind forex scandal Posted: 23 Sep 2012 01:36 PM PDT Referring to the foreign exchange scandal that erupted in the 90s, Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim said that he instructed Bank Negara to stop speculating in the currency market.  G Vinod, FMT Bank Negara got involved in foreign exchange speculation under the direction of the finance minister before me, with the blessings of the then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim said this at Parliament today. Anwar served as finance minister from 1991 to 1998. His immediate predecessor was Umno veteran, Daim Zainuddin. Earlier, Deputy Finance Minister Donald Lim told the Dewan that Malaysia lost RM5.7 billion when Bank Negara was said to be involved in the forex scandal. When Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng asked whether action was taken against officers involved in the matter, the deputy minister told the Penang chief minister to refer the matter to Anwar as he was serving as the finance minister then. The hall soon erupted and Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin pointed out that on April 27, 1993, DAP MP Lim Kit Siang had said that Anwar must take responsibility for the billions lost. Anwar stood up to defend himself, saying it was he who instructed Bank Negara to stop speculating on the currency market in 1993. He also said Kit Siang was right to ask the question at that time and said that he had admitted to the DAP veteran that Bank Negara made some losses in the scandal. "Then Bank Negara governor, Jaafar Hussein resigned despite not being directly involved in the matter, together with Nor Mohamed Yakcop who was then in charge of the Forex Trading Unit. "But when I was jailed in 1998, Nor Mohamed was promoted to become a minister," said Anwar.

A country of extremists Posted: 23 Sep 2012 11:07 AM PDT Given that this is a Muslim country, one should call Egyptian "Islamists" on who they really are: a bunch of shrill, patriarchal, misogynistic, violent extremists who are using Islam as a cover for their behaviour. Mahmoud Salem, The Daily News Egypt Like many of you, I have been horrified with the phone call made by constituent assembly member, Mohamed Saad El Azhary, to the 10 pm show on Dream, where he stated his intention to change the Egyptian constitution to allow the age of consent for marriage for females to be the age at which they reach puberty and have their first period, even if this age is as low as 9 years-old. He stated that the current legal age to be inappropriate with Egyptian cultural values, which always encourage marriage at a young age for certain segments of Egyptian society, and that the international treaties regarding human rights and women's rights to be a product of western values that are not suitable for Muslim Nations, and therefore should not be followed by us. This is coming on the heels of the week that had both the prophet movie crisis, the attack on the US embassy with people carrying an Al-Qaeda flag and the ensuing political fallout with the US, where we were described, for the first time in almost 40 years, as "not an ally". It has been a splendid week, as you can imagine. It is safe to say that Egypt is going through its own version of a culture war, except that unlike the US for example, it is a culture war in which one side always attacks and the other side scampers for cover. The amount of people who told me that this is the week where they have lost all hope and decided to leave the country is ridiculous. For some odd reason, the same people that should stay and engage in this culture war are the same people who are thinking of running away from it, thus allowing the other side to win by default. Nothing showcases this more than the case of Albier Saber. Albier is a 25 year-old Copt who got arrested by the Egyptian police for the crime of posting the trailer of the movie Innocence of Muslims on his Facebook page, and he is currently being accused of disdain for religion and has been attacked in his holding cell by other inmates for it. One would think that such action would be considered preposterous by the non-Islamist population because 1) the trailer was shown on TV, and introduced to the Egyptian population, by Salafi TV presenter Khaled Abdallah, and yet he didn't face any charges and 2) Since when is sharing content on our own Facebook pages a crime? and 3) The irony that the police operating under a government that exists only due to a revolution that got organised by a Facebook page that published content that the previous government thought was offensive and dangerous for the country's unity is now doing the same thing and arresting such Facebook offenders as well? Nope, such points are usually only found on Twitter, but everyone, with the exception of some human rights NGOs , are shying away from defending Albier, as if fearing that they would be labeled Prophet Haters by the Islamist camp or something. And none of them seems to think that them standing up in those specific battles is the only thing that will stop the sum of their fears from actually happening. They have willingly given the Islamists the right to speak in the name of Islam, and step on eggshells in order not to confront them, even though confronting them is fairly easy, and it starts with calling them out on their bullshit. First of all, given that this is a Muslim country, one should call Egyptian "Islamists" on who they really are: a bunch of shrill, patriarchal, misogynistic, violent extremists who are using Islam as a cover for their behaviour. That in reality we don't have "islamists" as much as people with unresolved sexual and personal issues that have found in certain Islamic schools an excuse to carry out their convoluted fantasies about sex, control and mental lock-down. That their so called fundamentalism is synthetic and created primarily to excuse their behaviour, and that their "back to basics" mantra that romanticises a time where they believe that their social rules, intellectual walls and sexual fantasies were part of society's norm and wishes to bring it back is obviously a crock and wishful thinking. Read more at: http://dailynewsegypt.com/2012/09/18/a-country-of-extremists/

In defense of the right to offend Posted: 23 Sep 2012 11:05 AM PDT Charles C. Haynes Photographers take pictures outside the home of Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, who has been linked by news organizations to the production of the controversial video, "Innocence of Muslims", in Cerritos, Calif. on Sept. 14, 2012. The Coptic bishop for Los Angeles, Bishop Serapion, told Reuters that Nakoula called him, denying any link to the film and saying he had been a victim of mistaken identity by the media. (REUTERS) Extremists of all stripes are having a field day. (Washington Post) - Loony rabble-rousers at home – the people behind "Innocence of Muslims," the now infamous film insulting the prophet Muhammad – have succeeded in giving loony rabble-rousers abroad a golden opportunity to promote violence in the name of their own sick, twisted vision of Islam and the world. The filmmakers join the ranks of Terry Jones, Fred Phelps and other American extremists who will say and do anything to make headlines and provoke outrage. But however vile the filmmakers' motives and however odious their speech, we must defend the indefensible by upholding their right to freedom of expression. Needless to say, much of the world doesn't agree. From the president of Egypt (who is calling for the makers of the film to be punished) to some pundits in Europe (who are asking once again why Americans tolerate hate speech), the American commitment to robust free speech is being widely questioned and debated. Even in the land of the free, protecting the right to offend is an increasingly tough sell. A disturbing 43 percent of Americans do not think people should be allowed to say things in public that might be offensive to religious groups, according to a 2009 survey conducted by the First Amendment Center. The U.S. Supreme Court does, of course, allow some restrictions on speech under the First Amendment, including speech intended to incite imminent violence. But this film doesn't meet that test. Although the filmmakers surely knew that their film would provoke angry protests (and no doubt that was part of their intent), they aren't responsible for radical groups halfway around the world using the film as an excuse to kill American officials and attack Western embassies. If the United States were to react to this violence by attempting to censor speech that deeply offends religions (as in some European countries) or speech that is blasphemous (as in some Muslim majority countries), Americans would forfeit the right to freedom of speech and religion. Once government has the power to punish speech deemed "offensive" or "hateful," the First Amendment is effectively repealed and no one's speech is safe from prosecution and no one's religion is safe from governmental interference. Read more at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/guest-voices/post/in-defense-of-the-right-to-offend/2012/09/20/3779853e-0336-11e2-8102-ebee9c66e190_blog.html

How to torpedo a submarine investigation Posted: 23 Sep 2012 01:00 AM PDT   The Malaysian government, therefore, now has to defend itself against a possible legal action. And to do that it has to bring into question Suaram's status as an international NGO. And if the Malaysian government can prove that Suaram is not an international NGO but is a registered company (and hence profit-motivated) then it may be able to torpedo the submarine investigation. Hmm…torpedo a submarine investigation…I like that. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin CM slams 'revenge' probe on Suaram Lim Guan Eng says the ulterior motive is apparent since the authorities chose to act on Suaram only now despite the organisation being in existence for 23 years. (Free Malaysia Today) - DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng has criticised the federal government's investigation on human rights organisation Suaram, calling it a "clear act of political revenge". By picking on Suaram, the Penang chief minister said Putrajaya had again demonstrated double standard with its selective prosecution. He was curious why Barisan Nasional did not give the same attention to many companies that had committed more serious financial irregularities. He noted that Domestic Trade, Co-operative and Consumerism Minister Ismail Sabri had said that Suaram would soon face prosecution for its "confusing" and "misleading financial accounts". Lim said Sabri's statement intensified the attack on Suaram while the BN government's selective prosecution of Suaram had exposed its penchant for punishing whistle-blowers. He was convinced that the selective prosecution of Suaram was a political revenge to distract attention from the Scorpene and National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) scandals. He recalled that PKR election strategy director Rafizi Ramli was arrested for revealing bank account details that led to the charges against NFC chairman Mohamed Salleh Ismail. "Suaram appears to have been victimised for its role in publicly highlighting and assisting in the Scorpene corruption trial in France," he added. According to press reports, the Companies Commission of Malaysia (CCM) was supposed to have made a recommendation early this week to the Attorney-General's Office to press charges against Suara Inisiatif Sdn Bhd, a company linked to Suaram, for unexplained financial irregularities. Lim asked why a privately-funded human rights NGO was being electively victimised over supposed financial irregularities when there were a multitude of high-profile and scandalous cases of alleged corruption and mismanagement of public funds such as the RM500 million commission for the purchase of two Scorpene submarines and the RM250 million NFC scandal. "No minister ever talked of investigating the accounts of the companies involved in the two alleged scandals," he added. He said Suaram's accounts had been audited and submitted routinely every year and even the NGO leaders publicly declared they had nothing to hide. "As Suaram was formed in 1989, why take action only now but not for the previous 23 years? Is it an act of vengeance?" he asked. **************************************************** An EXCLUSIVE insider report by YL Chong, a.k.a. Desiderata Some time in early 2001, the Far Eastern Review ran a short report saying that Malaysiakini was receiving money from "purported" rogue trader (as alleged by several Malaysian leaders including the then Prime Minister), George Soros. FEER claimed the money was channelled through South East Asia Press Alliance (SEAPA). Yes, Premesh denied this report of George Soros funding, whether "direct of indirect". I later found out at a company meeting that Premesh was not being truthful. I wrote later that while FEER was barking up the right tree, it was standing on the wrong branch. The investment money came NOT from SEAPA but from the Media Development Loan Fund (MDLF), via a George Soros unit called the Open Society Institute (OSI), which has many offices outside of the United States. I was then News Editor, and hence privy to information raised at Malaysiakini's meetings, and I had learned that indeed Malaysiakini had received an initial 10 percent down payment of RM188,000 for a 10 percent interest in Malaysiakini. At a weekend meeting, I told the top two guns -- Steven Gan and Premesh Chandran -- they had better come clean by telling the "full story" and not half-truths. I said how the investment money came through from George Soros -- direct or indirect -- was not important. The truth was indeed that RM188,000 came as initial investment from MDLF, a Soros unit. I told them since Malaysiakini flagged itself as promoting transparency and openness, it was not right to hide the fact. I said I had no problem with funding from Soros into the news portal -- as long as we practised ethical journalism. Since the top two guns did not agree with me -- in fact Steven Gan said it would be the death of Malaysiakini if they admitted to receiving this Soros funding! -- I was given Hobson's choice but told them I would hand in my resignation the following Monday (two days later). Premesh in a following press statement kept on insisting it was NOT true when I said indeed, the FEER story was correct in essence -- barking up the right tree but wrong branch was my metaphoric narrative! -- disclosed when I went public on why I resigned. Premesh still vehemently denied the story of Malaysiakini having received money from George Soros, and defamed me by saying I resigned over dissatisfaction over my "pay"! I believe it was some 10 to 11 months later, MDLF paid the remaining 90 percent of its investment, or more than the 1.88 million initially indicated at the time of my resignation) or MORE for a 30 percent (I stand corrected on this point on the numbers). I drew the NST attention to this development and it ran an update story on this development. **************************************************** Inspector Clouseau, where are you? There appears to be some confusion as to what is currently going on in Paris. We are being told that there is an on-going trial in Paris and that the French police are about to arrest and extradite Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to France to face charges and whatnot. This sounds like a Manuel Noriega of Panama episode all over again. Are we going to see a planeload of French commandos parachuting into Putrajaya to whisk Najib out of bed? Actually, this is not an open court hearing but merely an application by Suaram who filed a criminal complaint, together with an application to join the proceedings as a civil party -- Civil Party Petition -- before a judge in chambers. The judge will first have to look through the evidence and determine whether a crime has been committed before ordering a trial. Based on Suaram's application, the prosecutor ordered the Tribunal De Grande Instance in Paris to investigate the allegations of impropriety in the submarine contract. The result of this police investigation runs into hundreds of pages from D1 to D153, which you can read below. The idea to initiate a campaign to keep the Scorpene submarines issue alive until the 13th General Election was mooted by R. Sivarasa and Tian Chua some time back in 2009. Sivarasa and Tian Chua discussed the matter with Anwar Ibrahim who decided that Suaram would be the best vehicle to use to initiate the action. French lawyers were then engaged to act on behalf of Suaram to apply to the French court for a probe to be conducted on all the companies and personalities involved in the submarines contract. This was a sort of 'class action suit' to be taken by Suaram but Suaram had to first convince the court that it had locus standi on the matter. Suaram was presented to the court as an international NGO similar in status to Amnesty International whose job is to uphold democracy and human rights. This pleading to the court can be seen in the first document, document D1, below. (Malaysia Today, 26 June 2012) (READ MORE HERE) **************************************************** Okay, so what is really going on here? First of all, it was Desmond YL Chong of Malaysia Chronicle, a.k.a. Suara Tian Chua, who revealed that Malaysiakini was receiving foreign funding. And Chong pointed out that this is wrong and he went on to explain why that prompted him to resign from Malaysiakini two days after he discovered this 'scandal'. Hence it was Tian Chua's 'running dog' who first triggered this problem resulting in the shit hitting the fan. Now, these people funding Malaysiakini are the same people who are funding Suaram. Hence, if Chong feels that it is wrong for Malaysiakini to receive funding from these people, then, according to the government, it should be equally wrong for Suaram to do so as well. That is point number one. The next point is regarding what is going on in Paris, which you can read about above. The crucial part of this French investigation is in document D1: http://www.malaysia-today.net/files/scorpene/D00001.pdf And the part you must note in that document (D1) is as follows: SUARAM est une organisation non gouvernementale fondée en 1989 (SUARAM is a non-governmental organization founded in 1989). Il ne fait donc pas le moindre doute qu'eu égard à l'article 2 du code de procédure pénale français SUARAM est tout à fait recevable à ester en justice pour obtenir réparation des atteintes qu'elle a personnellement subie de par l'évident phénomène corruptif entourant la vente de ces sous-marins (There is therefore no doubt that, with regards to Article 2 of the French Code of Criminal Procedure, SUARAM is quite admissible to sue for compensation for she has personally suffered damage because of the obvious phenomenon surrounding the corrupt sale of these submarines). The French investigation into the sale of the two submarines to Malaysia was launched mainly because of an application made by Suaram. Suaram had applied to the French court for this investigation to be launched on the basis that Suaram is an international NGO that has suffered damage because France sold two submarines to Malaysia. And Suaram is seeking compensation. Hence Suaram is the complainant cum applicant and the defendant in this case is the Malaysian government. But the action is being taken in a French court, not in Malaysia. And Suaram has managed to convince the French court that it is an International NGO and therefore has locus standi to take this 'class action suit' against the Malaysian government. The Malaysian government, therefore, now has to defend itself against a possible legal action. And to do that it has to bring into question Suaram's status as an international NGO. And if the Malaysian government can prove that Suaram is not an international NGO but is a registered company (and hence profit-motivated) then it may be able to torpedo the submarine investigation. Hmm…torpedo a submarine investigation…I like that. And that is why the Malaysian government is going after Suaram. The Malaysian government has to rip to shreds Suaram's 'status' so that it can argue that not only is Suaram a profit-motivated company and not an international NGO, but it also has no locus standi in this 'class action suit'. I would say that this is a very clever 'defend by attacking' strategy, which I would also use if I were placed in that same situation. Well, as they say, all is fair in love and war. (MORE DOCUMENTS CAN BE SEEN HERE: D1-D153)

Pakatan must prove its worth to win GE13, says Guan Eng Posted: 22 Sep 2012 06:29 PM PDT Liza J. Ariffin, The Malaysian Insider Pakatan Rakyat (PR) needs to convince voters of its ability to form a formidable federal government and to cooperate as a unified pact to win its place in Putrajaya in the coming polls, Lim Guan Eng said today. The DAP secretary-general accused the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) of perpetuating three "myths" about the opposition to spread doubt over its readiness to govern — that PR leaders cannot work together much less co-operate when in power; PR is not capable of administrating a nation; and PR does not have the people's interests at heart and are only power crazy. Lim said the Najib administration has been using "extremist, racial and religious rhetoric" to mask failures of the BN government and to win votes in the upcoming general election. The Penang chief minister also moved to dispel three "lies" he claimed were spun by the government to distract attention from BN's failure to fight corruption and its lack of "competency, accountability and transparency in governance". "The first lie is that Malaysia would go bankrupt if PR wins because we can not afford to deliver all our promises," Lim said today during the Perak DAP state annual convention in Ipoh. "Our competent performance in the four PR states clearly disproves this lie as no PR states went bankrupt, instead recorded large surpluses," he added. Lim said the second lie was MCA's claims that a PR victory would lead to an Islamic state under PAS, while Umno claims a Christian state would be formed under DAP. "This lie by MCA and Umno is self-contradictory. The clearest rebuttal is that there is no mention of an Islamic or a Christian state in the PR's common policy," he said. Lim then claimed BN's third lie was a reoccurrence of the May 13 racial riots if there is a change of government. "Such threats are intended to frighten non-Malays even though BN and Umno know that a change of government can only happen if the Malay voters desire change as Malays form the majority of voters," he said. "The 2008 general elections show that Malaysian voters are mature and there were no racial incidents even though there was a change of state governments in five states. "As the last three Bersih rallies have shown, the desire for clean elections has strong support from Malays who made up the majority of the peaceful demonstrators," he added. Lim, however, believed Putrajaya's "reliance on playing extremist racial and religious sentiments will be rejected by Malaysians". "I believe that Malaysians would choose a new government that delivers on economic performance, prosperity for all and reversing the brain drain and reject an unchanged government that exploits race and religious extremist sentiments to hide its corruption and cronyism," he said. Lim then urged PR leaders to emphasise integrity, clean leadership and good governance to reflect good performance in PR states. "We must institutionalise open tenders and publicly declare our assets to show we have nothing to hide just as PR leaders have done in Penang." READ MORE HERE

Selangor govt confusing people on water issues, says Cassa Posted: 22 Sep 2012 06:19 PM PDT Cassa says most people in the state are not sure who is right and wrong. (Bernama) - Wat-er confusion! The Selangor government is confusing the people over water issues in the state to suit its political agenda, and at the expense of consumers and the economy, a prominent consumer activist charged today. Consumer Association of Subang and Shah Alam (Cassa) president Jacob George said, based on feedback he had received, most people in Selangor were confused over who was right and wrong. Amidst this confusion, he said the state government had also injected, as an after-thought, a new dimension to the water issue – that water tariffs would increase if the federal government went ahead with building the Langat 2 water treatment plant. George also lamented that a number of executive councillors (excos) in the Selangor government were formerly non-governmental organisation (NGO) activists who had been looking at things negatively, no matter how well-intentioned the federal government plans were, to improve conditions in the country. "I have been involved with various NGOs for 37 years. I could see their game-plan [over water issues], their strategies and that's why they are bringing up irrelevant matters just to block what the federal government is trying to do," he told Bernama in an interview. In addition, George claimed the state government was also bringing in issues between it and Puncak Niaga Holdings Bhd into the picture, whereas they should be resolved in a different platform. He said this unnecessary time-wasting should have been spent on resolving the impending water crisis in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya. "So, why is the state government doing all these? Don't mix these up and place it in one basket. This is not right. This is for our future, not just for the people of Selangor but for our neighbours [in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya], as well, because it [water crisis] would have serious implications," he added. On the Langat 2 treatment plant which the state government was opposed to, the Cassa president said, all studies by experts showed the project had to be implemented without further delay due to a serious shortfall in treated water production, as the existing 34 plants in Selangor were operating at maximum capacity. Here again, he said, the state government confused consumers by stating that the reservoirs were full of water, and that there was no crisis even in the future, although the argument was about adequate supply of treated water. What the federal government was concerned about, he noted, was with long-term planning addressing an impending water crisis, given the rapid population growth and the needs of industries. "The plans are for 10, 15 or 20 years ahead, and when you talk about water, there's definitely going to be problems. It is a global issue now, and every country is facing it, coupled with weather, environmental and pollution problems setting in," he said. Cassa snubbed George said projects like the Langat 2 plant could not be implemented overnight and further delays fuelled by politicking, could push the cost of the project higher by as much as 70%. In the first place, he said, there was no need to politicise the issue as it was a human rights issue, and in facing an issue such as consumer rights, all sides must remain level-headed and focus on the core issue. George revealed that Cassa had offered to mediate in the federal-state conflict over the issue but the Selangor government had snubbed the offer, although the federal government gave positive response. "We have sent many letters to them (Selangor government), giving them the feedback from consumers and they didn't respond even once. So, we know that they don't want Cassa to intervene but that's their choice. "We accept it but don't say that we don't know the ground feeling. We have gone to the ground, talking to various groups of society and everyone agrees that a water crisis is just round the corner," he said. He also took to task the National Water Services Commission (Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Air Negara or SPAN), for its relatively muted silence over water issues in Selangor, and this added to the confusion, as well. "Cassa is very disappointed with the stand taken by SPAN and public perception of SPAN is rather negative, as if it doesn't exist. Many times, we have inivited them to debates on water issues, but they didn't attend. "If they continue to be disinterested in playing a role, then it defeats the purpose of setting up SPAN. "SPAN, with all its powers, should be in the forefront in trying to resolve such issues and the confusion arising from them. So far, they have failed to do this," claimed George.

Dr M: Hudud law will create injustice Posted: 22 Sep 2012 06:17 PM PDT The former prime minister says hudud with its shortcomings cannot fit into multi-racial countries like Malaysia. Leven Woon, FMT Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad made his strongest ever objections on hudud law today, saying that its implementation will create an unjust judiciary system in Malaysia. Speaking at the Islam and Women's Health forum today, he said hudud with its shortcomings cannot fit into multi-racial countries like Malaysia, as it only punishes the Muslims. "In hudud, if you steal, you can have your hand chopped off. But they want to chop off only Muslims' hand, not the non-Muslim who steal same amount of money. Surely it's not justice," he told the audience during the question-and-answer session. He also took a swipe at the hudud's condition on rape offence, whereby four witnesses are required to convict a perpetrator. "Today we have the modern equivalent tool of DNA. You can collect evidence of rape through collecting DNA samples and compare them with the offender. "Surely, we can accept circumstantial evidence even if there are no four witnesses. "In Islam, the most important thing is justice. When you judge, you must make sure justice has been served. If you judge knowing clearly that this is unjust, then I think it is un-Islamic," he said. Mahathir' comment came amid repeated statements by PAS lately to implement the stringent law should it come into federal power. Earlier, the longest-serving prime minister said that the hudud debate came about because certain individuals wanted to be stringent to show they are more "Islamic". "There is no mention in the Quran about stoning to death, or shooting with M16 gun, but this is regarded as the most appropriate [by some individuals]. "This shows we prefer the most extreme interpretation of Quran as against the norm of the day," he said. He urged Muslims to follow the Quran instead of the Sunnah or Hadith, which are merely "optional" interpretations of the Quran. "In Islam, certain things are compulsory and certain [things] are optional; if we don't accept the optional ones, that is not wrong for us," he said.

Dr M: Soros wants to install puppet PM Posted: 22 Sep 2012 06:15 PM PDT (FMT) - American tycoon George Soros is funding several NGOs and companies in Malaysia to influence local politics and gear the country towards a regime change, claimed former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad. "He tries to control our politics, and select his people to be the prime minister," Mahathir told reporters here after a forum on "Islam and Women's Health" He was commenting on the recent reports by Umno-controlled newspapers that the US-based National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is funding local NGOs and online news portal Malaysiakini. TV3 aired a similar report on Thursday suggesting that the foreign funding, such as Soros' Open Society Foundation, uses the NGOs to topple governments around the world and replace them with Soros' proxies. Mahathir said such a move was always done in the name of "promotion of democracy and freedom". "So apparently we don't have freedom here. Soros wants a puppet prime minister, that's why he wants to see a regime change in Malaysia," he said. NGOs such as human rights pressure group Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) have been bearing the brunt of criticism over its funding and organisational structure. The government has accused it of being funded by foreign powers to "destabilise the peace of the country". On Tuesday, Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said that six government agencies are taking action against Suara Inisiatif Sdn Bhd, the operating entity of Suaram, for breaching five sections of the Companies Act 1965. Suaram has consistently denied any wrongdoings, while Pakatan Rakyat leaders such as Lim Guan Eng labelled the authorities' action on Suaram as "clear act of political revenge". Suaram is instrumental behind the Scorpene corruption trial in France, a deal which allegedly implicated Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak. The case also involved Altantuya Shaariibuu, a Mongolian interpreter and model who was murdered near Kuala Lumpur in 2006.

Like a trapped animal (part 2) Posted: 22 Sep 2012 05:27 PM PDT   And that is what the 13th General Election is all about. It is about kill or be killed. It is about whether Dr Mahathir or Anwar will win. It is about who is going to jail, Dr Mahathir or Anwar. And if Anwar wins then Dr Mahathir is not going to go to jail alone. Pakatan Rakyat has promised to go for everyone who is corrupt and has committed a crime. So, many people have something to lose. Anwar has to die so that so many others can live. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin Dr M: Malays will lose political power if PR takes over (The Malaysian Insider) - Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has called the Malays "ungrateful" and "lacking intelligence", warning that the greed of a few power-hungry Malays in the opposition would see the country's dominant race lose its political power. "If any of these Malay (opposition) parties win the elections and forms the government, this government would have to follow the dictates of other (races). The Malays will no longer hold dominance in the government that they were so willing to share with others," he said in a special column titled "Suara Hati Mahathir" published in Mingguan Malaysia today, the weekend edition of Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia.  In his lengthy tirade against the Malays, the former prime minister expressed sadness that the Malays were now purportedly split into three factions and said that this has resulted in them "begging" for support from the other races. "It has forced them to beg for support... even from those who have all this time been fighting against efforts to uplift the positions of the Malays and make them equal to the others. But this support is not given for free," he warned. "Who brought on this disaster? No other than the Malays themselves ― greedy Malays, Malays lacking in intelligence, Malays easily influenced by lust, easily dominated by hatred when agitated," he continued in typical no-holds-barred fashion. Dr Mahathir took pains to remind the Malays of their colonised past in the decades before independence, detailing horror stories of how the British had called them lazy and stupid, enslaving them in their own country. He said the Malays were only allowed to take on menial labour jobs and were made into drivers and orderlies or clerks and office boys at most. "There were assumed to be incapable of holding any responsibility. The Chinese and the Indians were even brought into the country to solve this problem of the Malays being stupid and incompetent," the veteran politician recalled. When the Japanese arrived, Dr Mahathir said the Malays even lost their lowly office jobs and were forced to become petty roadside traders selling goods like bananas. If they failed to bow their heads low when walking by a Japanese soldier, they would be forced to balance large chunks of rocks on their heads and shoulders until they would collapse from dizziness, he said. "They would be ordered to climb tall coconut trees to get the fruits for these Japanese soldiers. If they failed, they would be slapped and would have to crouch to seek forgiveness," Dr Mahathir continued. *********************************************** The 13th General Election, which most expect in February-March next year, is going to be very interesting. It is going to be interesting because of a few reasons. The pertinent questions I would ask would be: 1. Are we going to see history being repeated? 2. Was the 12th General Election a flash in the pan? 3. Are we finally going to see the end of the rule of the same government that Malaysia has had for the last half century? 4. Have Malaysians finally buried the spectre of 'May 13' and is it now no longer a factor in Malaysian politics (and hence has become a blunt weapon)? 5. Has Malaysian politics been reduced to that of the United States Presidential elections? 6. Whose propaganda machinery and political strategy is better, Barisan Nasional's or Pakatan Rakyat's? 7. Have the political surveys and opinion polls done over the last couple of years been accurate in assessing the mindset of Malaysians? 8. Are we still retaining the political culture of the last 30 years or is that now a thing of the past? I suppose my list of questions can go up to a dozen or more but for purposes of today's discussion allow me to focus on just those eight. My list is not in order of priority or importance and I am going to address them not in the sequence above. Most likely Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak would be requesting an audience with His Majesty the Agong early next year to request His Majesty's consent to dissolve Parliament. Thereafter the Election Commission (SPR) will take over and has 60 days in which to hold the elections. Most likely, also, SPR will allow a ten-day campaign period. Hence, while Nomination Day could be about a month after Parliament is dissolved, Polling Day would be just ten days after that. Now, Malaysians feel that this is unfair. A ten-day campaign period is too short, they say. In actual fact, if the 13th General Election were held, say, in March 2013, then the campaign period would be five years rather than ten days. Hence it really makes no difference whether the 'official' campaign period is ten days or ten weeks. The reality would be the campaign would have been going on for five years, making Malaysia the only country in the world where the campaign period is five years. Do I need to explain this? Well, considering the comprehension level of most Malaysians maybe I do. You see, it is like this: both Barisan Nasional as well as Pakatan Rakyat have been on the campaign trail since 9th March 2008, the day after the 12th General Election. They started campaigning the very morning after Polling Day of 8th March 2008 and have never stopped campaigning ever since. More importantly, though, the campaigning is not really about which will make a better government, Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat? It is about who will make a better Prime Minister, Najib Tun Razak or Anwar Ibrahim? Hence, when Malaysians go to the polling booths on Polling Day, many people will be voting not so much based on which political party they support but on who they want as the Prime Minister. For example, say Pakatan Rakyat announces that if it wins the general election Anwar Ibrahim will not become the Prime Minister but Hadi Awang will instead. How many Chinese will still vote Pakatan Rakyat? Or, say, Pakatan Rakyat announces that Lim Kit Siang is going to be the Prime Minister (which is allowed under the law). Would many Malays still vote Pakatan Rakyat? The factor, therefore, is Anwar. It is because Anwar is going to be Prime Minister that these people will vote Pakatan Rakyat. And they will vote Pakatan Rakyat because they do not want Najib rather than because they want Anwar. It is about what you don't want and not about what you want. Hence ABU (anything but Umno) may work because ABU is about what you don't want, meaning Umno. Say Umno announces that Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah will be taking over as Prime Minister after the 13th General Election. Najib will retire and hand the reins to Ku Li. Will all those who intend to vote Pakatan Rakyat still vote Pakatan Rakyat since the main reason they are voting Pakatan Rakyat is because they are pissed with Najib and Rosmah? So, the criteria here is vote the other side of what you don't want. This makes it easier to ignore and close your eyes to who or what you are voting for. You just decide who or what you don't want then close your eyes and vote the opposite to that. And this is partly the fault of the political parties themselves. The campaigning has not been about what they can do for the country but about the bad points of the other side. Barisan Nasional has been going out of their way to point out the bad points and faults of the Pakatan Rakyat leaders, in particular Anwar Ibrahim, while Pakatan Rakyat has been doing the same about Barisan Nasional, in particular regarding Najib and Rosmah Mansor. In fact, the 13th General Election is not even about Anwar and Najib. It is about Anwar and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. And to understand this we need to rewind 30 years to 1982 when Anwar first joined Umno. While Anwar may be the de facto leader of PKR (plus opposition leader as well because of that), Dr Mahathir is the de facto government leader (the power behind the throne so to speak). Basically, Najib is Dr Mahathir's proxy. Hence if you hate Dr Mahathir (assuming hating Najib and Rosmah is not enough reason to reject Umno), then you vote for Anwar (meaning vote Pakatan Rakyat). Many may not be aware that it was Ku Li who brought Anwar into Umno back in 1982. Dr Mahathir actually did not want Anwar but Ku Li was persistent and Dr Mahathir eventually relented. The main concern was that if Umno does not take Anwar then he might join PAS (which was seriously courting him). So better Umno takes Anwar then he goes to PAS. At least in Umno Anwar could be controlled. Dr Mahathir actually admitted this in an interview in Japan some years back. He said he agreed to allow Anwar to join Umno to prevent him from joining PAS. Dr Mahathir added that he thought he could control Anwar once he was in Umno but then he discovered that Anwar was conspiring to oust him so he had no choice but to get rid of Anwar. Hence Dr Mahathir admitted that he did not actually want Anwar and he got rid of Anwar not because of the sodomy allegation but because he (Anwar) was conspiring to oust him (Dr Mahathir). We can assume, therefore, that the sodomy allegation was the excuse rather than the reason. It is, therefore, to Dr Mahathir's interest that he ensure Anwar does not take over as Prime Minister. It has become something very personal between Dr Mahathir and Anwar. This is a vendetta, an old score to settle, not about better governance, etc. And if Anwar succeeds in taking over he would do what he had intended to do back in 1998 but failed. Dr Mahathir is going to go to jail. And if Anwar fails to take over then he is going to jail instead. Dr Mahathir will make sure of that. Hence the 13th General Election is about whether Dr Mahathir or Anwar is going to win while the loser, whoever that may be, is going to end up in jail. It is winner takes all and loser loses all type of situation -- the Malaysian political culture. This is a high stakes game. This is about who is going to sit in Putrajaya and who is going to die in jail. And the fact that Pakatan Rakyat has promised that if it takes over the federal government it is going to korek (dig) all the wrongdoings and transgressions of those currently in power (including those already retired) means Pakatan Rakyat (meaning Anwar Ibrahim) cannot take over at all costs, even at the cost of bloodshed. Well, it is either my blood or your blood, so better your blood. So it may have been better if Pakatan Rakyat had not made so much noise about the witch hunt they are going to launch once (not 'if') they take over. Promising revenge and retribution have made not only the politicians but the civil service, police, judiciary, military, etc., scared shit. They visual a Pakatan Rakyat takeover as translating to the death of many who walk and sit in the corridors of power in Putrajaya -- not confined to just the elected officials or politicians. It may have been prudent if Pakatan Rakyat had announced an amnesty and period or reconciliation instead. Promising revenge has turned this into a deadly game. It is kill or be killed. I remember once speaking to Zakaria Chik, the then CPO of Johor (whom I knew when he was in Terengganu). I congratulated him on his success at combating crime in Johore. I then asked him why all the robbers and kidnappers seem to have been shot dead. You do not seem to arrest anyone, I said. All are shot dead. Zakaria replied that he told his police officers he does not want any prisoners, only bodies. Any police officer that brings back a live prisoner would be transferred to traffic duty. Hence they don't make any arrest. They shoot on sight. The criminals, too, knew that they were not going to be arrested or taken alive. They were going to be shot dead even if they surrendered. So why surrender? Better they try to escape by shooting their way out. So the criminal would never surrender. They will shoot at the police. And the police too have to shoot back. So it is a 'kill or be killed' situation -- and most times the police win. And that is what the 13th General Election is all about. It is about kill or be killed. It is about whether Dr Mahathir or Anwar will win. It is about who is going to jail, Dr Mahathir or Anwar. And if Anwar wins then Dr Mahathir is not going to go to jail alone. Pakatan Rakyat has promised to go after everyone who is corrupt and has committed a crime. So, many people have something to lose. Anwar has to die so that so many others can live. In 1999, the opposition did very well. And the factor was Dr Mahathir. Many people hated Dr Mahathir and were angry at what he did to Anwar. In 2004, the opposition did very badly. The factor, again, was Dr Mahathir. Dr Mahathir had retired and had handed the reins to Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. So no more hate Dr Mahathir factor. Let's give Pak Lah a chance. In 2008, the opposition did well again. And, yet again, the factor was Dr Mahathir. Dr Mahathir had resigned from Umno and had asked the Malays and Umno members to punish Umno by voting for the opposition. So what is 2013 going to look like? Is Dr Mahathir still a factor? Are we going to see the 1999 scenario, the 2004 scenario, or the 2008 scenario? And how strong is the Dr Mahathir factor or is he no longer relevant or significant? Umno is now like a trapped animal. And trapped animals can be very desperate and vicious. Umno and the Umno leaders (plus those in government such as the civil servants) have been promised that once Pakatan Rakyat takes over it is going to be payback time. Heads are going to roll. Jails are going to be full. There may not be enough jails for everyone. Do you think it was wise to make such a promise? Do you think these people should have been made to feel like a trapped animal? Do you think they will allow Pakatam Rakyat to take over if their heads depend on Pakatan Rakyat not taking over? When it is either kill or be killed how do you think your enemy is going to fight? If you are going to die anyway and there are not going to be any prisoners you might as well come out with both guns blazing. That is what the 13th General Election has been reduced to. But maybe Pakatan Rakyat is so confident it is going to win it need not care about the 'death threat' to the losers once Pakatan Rakyat takes over. But the thing is the votes have not been counted yet and there is many a slip between the cup and the lip. So anything can happen. And as they also say, it ain't over till the fat lady sings. Oh, that's right, the fat lady did sing, on Hari Raya. Okay, maybe it is over; but let's see. Anyway, I will stop here and maybe I can continue with part 3 another day, if I am in the mood for it.

Dr M: Melayu tidak ‘bersyukur’ akan hilang kuasa dibawah pemerintahan PR Posted: 22 Sep 2012 02:26 PM PDT Md Izwan, The Malaysian Insider Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad melabel orang Melayu yang "tidak bersyukur" dan "kurang berilmu" akan mengakibatkan mereka kehilangan kuasa memerintah jika Pakatan Rakyat (PR) memerintah kelak. Mantan perdana menteri (PM) tersebut juga meluahkan rasa kesal melihat bangsanya bergaduh sesama sendiri hanya kerana merebut kuasa.  "Saya rasa sedih melihat bangsa sendiri tidak tahu bersyukur, begitu sekali mudah lupa, begitu sekali mudah dipengaruhi dan diperalat oleh orang lain sehingga sanggup memburukkan bangsa sendiri," kata Dr Mahathir dalam Mingguan Malaysia, akhbar milik Umno.  Dalam artikelnya lagi, Dr Mahathir memberi peringatan kepada orang Melayu agar tidak lupa diri hingga mereka dihina lagi seperti zaman British dahulu.  "Orang Melayu sudah lupa akan betapa hinanya mereka semasa dijajah dahulu.  "Mereka tidak pun mengakui akan nikmat yang banyak yang dinikmati oleh mereka setelah merdeka dan mereka menerajui kerajaan-kerajaan Malaysia merdeka," katanya.  Kemerdekaan negara dikecapi menurut Mahathir adalah hasil kekuatan orang Melayu yang menyokong Umno dan rakannya dalam Perikatan.  Dr Mahathir juga berkata perpecahan dikalangan orang Melayu ketika ini sangat membimbangkan.  "Sekarang orang Melayu berpecah kepada tiga kumpulan kecil yang terpaksa mengemis untuk mendapat sokongan orang lain.  Beliau juga tidak menolak suatu hari nanti orang Melayu terpaksa mengikut telunjuk orang lain jika keadaan ini berterusan.  "Jika mana-mana daripada parti Melayu ini memenangi pilihan raya dan mendirikan kerajaan, tak dapat tidak kerajaan ini akan terpaksa mengikuti telunjuk orang lain.  "Melayu tidak lagi akan menjadi tunggak kepada pemerintahan negara yang mereka rela berkongsi dengan orang lain," tambah Dr Mahathir lagi.  Dr Mahathir mendakwa negara tidak akan mencapai kemerdekaan pada 1957 jika parti serpihan daripada ulama dalam Umno menang pilihanraya pertama semasa zaman Tunku Abdul Rahman.  "Kumpulan pertama yang menubuh parti serpihan terdiri daripada ulama dalam Umno yang kecewa kerana permintaan mereka supaya 10 daripada mereka dicalonkan oleh Tunku Abdul Rahman ditolak olehnya dan hanya satu sahaja yang diberi kepada kumpulan ini.  "Jika Parti Islam mendapat lebih daripada satu kerusi, nescaya kemerdekaan tidak tercapai pada 1957," kata Mahathir lagi.  Dr Mahathir berharap nasihat yang diberikannya menjadi panduan dan iktibar kepada orang Melayu agar perkara sama tidak berulang semasa zaman penjajahan.  "Bangsa saya jelas tidak dapat menangani kejayaan. Bangsa saya mudah lupa. Bangsa saya tidak tahu bersyukur.  "Bangsa saya tidak tahu mengambil iktibar daripada nasib yang menimpa kaum sebangsa yang hari ini tinggal di wilayah yang dikuasai orang lain," katanya.

Pakistan minister places bounty on anti-Islam filmmaker Posted: 22 Sep 2012 02:18 PM PDT (AFP) - A Pakistani official on Saturday placed a US$100,000 bounty on the head of the maker of an anti-Islam film that has sparked a wave of violence and anger, as Muslims mounted fresh protests worlwide. Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmed Bilour also called on the Taliban and  Al-Qaeda to join the hunt and help accomplish the "noble deed."   Bilour spoke to reporters in the northwestern city of Peshawar a day after  violent nationwide demonstrations against the "Innocence of Muslims" film left  21 people dead and more than 200 injured.   "I announce today that this blasphemer who has abused the holy prophet, if  somebody will kill him, I will give that person a prize of $100,000," Bilour  said, urging others to shower the killer with cash and gold.   "I also invite Taliban and Al-Qaeda brothers to be partners in this noble  deed," he added. "I also announce that if the government hands this person over  to me, my heart says I will finish him with my own hands and then they can hang  me."    Protests against the low-budget film, which mocks Islam, have erupted  across the Muslim world, leading to more than 50 deaths since the first  demonstrations on September 11.   A French satirical magazine's publication this week of cartoons mocking the  Prophet Mohammed has further stoked anger.   The producer of the film, Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, is reportedly a Los  Angeles-based 55-year-old Egyptian Copt and convicted fraudster, currently out  on parole.   US media reports say Nakoula wrote and produced the film, using the  pseudonym Sam Bacile before being identified. Police questioned him before he  went into hiding with his family.   Thousands of Islamist activists in Pakistan staged demonstrations again  Saturday but there was no repeat of the previous day's widespread violence.   More than 5,000 protesters, including hundreds of women, marched towards  the parliament in Islamabad chanting "We love our Holy Prophet" and "Punishment  for those who humiliated our Prophet".   Some 1,500 people from the hardline Islamist Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Sunni  religious groups rallied in front of the US consulate in the eastern city of  Lahore, chanting "The US deserves only one remedy — jihad, jihad"   Smaller protests took place in the southwestern city of Quetta, as well as  in Peshawar, where six people died in Friday's protests, and in the southern  port city of Karachi, where 15 people were killed Friday.   Witnesses estimated that more than 45,000 people joined Friday's nationwide  rallies, mainly members of right-wing religious parties and supporters of  banned terror groups.   Those numbers, however, were still considered small in a country of 180  million.   Four more people died overnight from wounds they received during the  protests, taking toll of those killed across Pakistan on Friday to 21, health  officials said.    The combined total of wounded in Karachi, Peshawar and the capital  Islamabad was 229.   In Nigeria, meanwhile, tens of thousands of people protested in the second  city of Kano, burning images of US President Barack Obama and stomping on the  American flag.   The procession of men, veiled women and children stretched for several  kilometres (miles) through the city, the largest in Nigeria's mainly Muslim  north.   They shouted "death to America, death to Israel and death to the enemies of  Islam". There were no reports of violence.   The demonstration was organised by the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, a  pro-Iranian group that adheres to the Shiite branch of Islam.   In Lebanon, thousands of supporters of the Shiite Hezbollah movement took  to the streets in the southern town of Bint Jbeil.   Women in black chadors carried colourful Islamist flags alongside young  children holding the Koran, the Muslim holy book.   Hezbollah parliamentary representative Nawaf al-Moussawi told the crowd the  film was "... not merely a trivial creation carried out by a group, but  American politics intended to be disseminated to the Western world."   He also warned against reprisal attacks on the Christian community.   In east Jerusalem about 500 Palestinians, accompanied by a marching band,  protested against both the film and the cartoons in the French satirical weekly  Charlie Hebdo.   In Germany, 1,500 people staged a peaceful protest in the western city of  Dortmund, a day after similar demonstrations in other German cities.   A German far-right group's threat to screen the video has prompted heated  debate over whether or not the authorities should ban the film on security  grounds.   In neighboring Austria, about 500 people protested outside the US embassy  in the capital Vienna.   In France, riot police were out in force in several parts of Paris to  enforce a ban on protests, a week after an unauthorised demonstration against  the film led to 150 arrests.   Social networks had been awash with appeals for French Muslims to defy the  ban and hold fresh protests.   French police have arrested a man in the western city of La Rochelle for  having allegedly called on a jihadi website for Stephane Charbonnier, chief of  satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, to be decapitated.

Liverpool, United add respect to rivalry Posted: 22 Sep 2012 02:15 PM PDT (AFP) - Matches between Liverpool and Manchester United have always contained incredible history and rivalry, on and off the pitch. But when the two sides meet at Anfield on today, there will be a huge amount of respect on show at the end of what has been an emotional fortnight for Liverpool. The match is the first at their home ground since the release of a damning report into the Hillsborough disaster, in which 96 Liverpool fans were crushed to death before an FA Cup tie on April 15, 1989. The report absolved the fans of any blame, slamming the police and politicians for overseeing a cover-up of the facts. Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers said his side were ready to cope with all that comes with the day. "I'm very much looking forward to it," he said. "It's a game I've grown up watching all of my life," he said. "Two massive clubs and it's a great opportunity to be involved in such a game. "But, first and foremost, it's a great opportunity for us as a club to commemorate and to pay tribute to the families and the people involved with Hillsborough, and show and pay our respects to the families at the game. "Hopefully we can then go on and get three points, which would set off what would hopefully be a great day for us." United manager Sir Alex Ferguson took the unprecedented step of writing a letter to his fans, urging them to show their respect by not singing the kind of offensive chants a minority of their supporters have indulged in, in the past. "Our rivalry with Liverpool is based on a determination to come out on top – a wish to see us crowned the best against a team that held that honour for so long," he said. "It cannot and should never be based on personal hatred. Just ten days ago, we heard the terrible, damning truth about the deaths of 96 fans who went to watch their team try and reach the FA Cup final and never came back. "What happened to them should wake the conscience of everyone connected with the game. Our great club stands with our great neighbours Liverpool today to remember that loss and pay tribute to their campaign for justice." When the two sides met last year, there was a huge moment of controversy when Liverpool's Luis Suarez was alleged to have racially abused United full back Patrice Evra. Suarez was later banned for eight matches and when the two sides met again at Old Trafford, they refused to take part in the pre-match handshake. This time, the two teams have promised to shake hands while former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler has suggested they go even further. "It would be nice for Luis Suarez to put some flowers at the United end regarding (the) Munich (air disaster, when seven United players were among 21 people killed), and for Patrice Evra to do so at the Kop," Fowler said. "The two clubs do have a rivalry, but some things are far more important than football and this is one of them." Six players have been sent off in the past 11 matches between the two and Ferguson said it was crucial his side behave well. "There's a great atmosphere, fantastic, and the kind of atmosphere you want to be involved in," he said. "It does get emotive, but you just have to handle that".

Karpal: You don’t have be a Penangite to be CM Posted: 22 Sep 2012 02:10 PM PDT (The Star) - DAP chairman Karpal Singh has fended off criticisms that Lim Guan Eng should not be the Chief Minister because he is not a Penangite. He said election laws were clear on this issue, adding that an election candidate only needed to be a resident and a Malaysian citizen to stand in any state. "To stand as a candidate in any state in Malaysia, one just has to be a resident that is the qualification and, of course, a citizen of the country. "The Lim family has a residence in Penang. No doubt, (Penang Chief Minister) Lim (Guan Eng) was born in Batu Pahat but his connection with Penang is sufficient for him to be the right choice for the post of Chief Minister," he said here yesterday. Karpal was responding to a statement by former DAP vice-chairman Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim that the Penang Chief Minister should be a local instead of Lim, who is from Batu Pahat. In a recent ceramah, Tunku Abdul Aziz, who quit DAP in May, had called on Penangites to ensure that their Chief Minister come from among the crop of local leaders instead of someone "parachuted" in from other states. Tunku Abdul Aziz had said that Chow Kon Yeow, who is the state DAP chairman, should have been the Chief Minister, adding that he was a "nice man" and "not arrogant". When contacted, Chow said it was up to the people to "choose the party the Chief Minister is from". Asked about the meeting between DAP leaders at the Red Rock Hotel after the party took over the state, during which Lim had allegedly nominated himself for the top post, Chow said this was the consensus reached among them. Penang Barisan Nasional chairman Teng Chang Yeow, who was born in Batu Pahat, said everybody had the freedom to express their views and opinions on the matter. "Let the voters decide on who they think is right," said Teng. Penang Chinese Town Hall chairman Datuk Lam Wu Chong said there was no such rule that the Chief Minister must be a local-born Penangite. However, a Penang-born engineer, who only wanted to be known as James, said he would prefer to have a local as a Chief Minister. "It would be better if we are led by a Penangite as the person shares a similar sentiment about the state and can easily meet our expectations," said the 31-year-old.

Karpal gets support for anti-hopping bill Posted: 22 Sep 2012 01:57 PM PDT The DAP national chairman will table a private member's bill to stop party-hopping and he has got an unlikely ally in an independent MP. Athi Shankar, FMT GEORGE TOWN: DAP national chairman Karpal Singh will table a private members' bill to stop party hopping in Parliament next week and he has got an unlikely ally in independent MP Tan Tee Beng. Tan, the Nibong Tebal MP, has declared his support for Karpal's initiatives to amend Articles 10 and 48 of the Federal Constitution to pave way for the anti-hopping legislation to stop party-hopping. Tan said he would back Karpal because he does not believe in political coup d'etat to form governments by defections. "I am against turning around the government and country through this bad tactic. It's an unethical practice and a dangerous trend. "The government should only be formed through legitimate elections," he told FMT. Karpal said that he would table a private member's bill during the budget sitting of the final parliamentary session of the year that would start next week to amend both constitutional provisions. Both provisions are considered as stumbling blocks against legislating anti-hopping law to prevent elected representatives from defecting from one party to another. Tan won Nibong Tebal seat under PKR ticket in 2008 general election but left the party in March 2010 to become an independent MP. Tan said he was always against part-hopping and he insisted that he only left PKR due to political differences with party supremo Anwar Ibrahim. He said he had never declared himself as a BN-friendly independent unlike other defecting MPs. "It's my critics and media who claimed that I'm BN-friendly. I have never said it," he said. Fall-out with Anwar He pointed out that his fall-out with Anwar was over the unwarranted "916 episode" where the PKR supremo leader wanted to capture Putrajaya via defections of 30 Barisan Nasional MPs, mostly from Sabah and Sarawak. "I never agreed with Anwar on Sept 16 date. I told him that I would rather prefer to be opposition MP than take over the government by default," said Tan. He said this can be clarified with PKR MPs – Ampang's Zuraida Kamaruddin, Balik Pulau's Yusmadi Yusoff, Indera Makhota's Azan Ismail, Kelana Jaya's Loh Gwo Burne and Telok Kemang's Kamarul Bahrin Abas – as they were witnesses over his argument with Anwar in the opposition leader's Segambut home. READ MORE HERE

PERSECUTION IN MALAYSIA - Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Malaysia Posted: 22 Sep 2012 11:28 AM PDT Ij9soe_9BfU  Or watch at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ij9soe_9BfU An appeal to the Islamic religious authorities especially the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) to stop all agitations and incitements against the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Malaysia and to hold an open discussion (muzakarah) with it. TheAmanTv Background The Islamic religious authorities have often been defaming and inciting the people against the Jamaat in the mass media. The latest was in a TV1 "Forum Perdana Hal Ehwal Islam" program aired on 13 September. 2012 at 9.00pm that was organized by the Selangor Mufti's department in conjunction with Selangor International Islamic University College (KUIS), Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (Jakim) and Radio and Television Malaysia (RTM). The Jamaat regrets that it has never been given the space and opportunity to defend itself against the allegations that have been thrown at it. Request The Jamaat requests that an open muzakarah be held on the question of "Ahmadiyyat : Islam or Not ?" Why Open Muzakarah? 1.The muzakarah will be in line with the command of Allah swt : "Call unto the way of thy Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation, and argue with them in a way that is best. Surely, thy Lord knows best who has strayed from His way; and He knows those who are rightly guided." (Surah An Nahl 16:126) 2. The open muzakarah or dialogue will enable the government, the security authorities, the mass media and the public to get accurate and correct information from both JAIS and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Malaysia. 3. Holding an open muzakarah is better than conducting raids and trespassing, or committing abuse of power. 4. An open muzakarah can prevent worsening the situation where the demonization of the Jamaat in Malaysia can lead to incidents of intimidation and violence against Jamaat members.

Ex-DAP Tunku Aziz: Lim Guan Eng appointed himself CM Posted: 21 Sep 2012 09:55 PM PDT Athi Shankar, WikiSabah GEORGE TOWN: In the never ending attempts to belittle Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng ,the latest query is  whether Lim is the legitimate leader of the state. This time it comes from former DAP national vice-chairman Tunku Abdul Aziz Ibrahim. Tunku Aziz says Lim appointed himself as the chief executive of the newly formed Pakatan Rakyat government by virtue of being the party's secretary general. By convention, he noted that long serving Penang DAP chairman and Padang Kota assemblyman Chow Kon Yeow should have been the chief minister, not a parachute candidate like Lim. But, Tunku Aziz alleged Lim declared himself as the chief minister during a meeting among DAP elected representatives held in Red Rock Hotel immediately after the 2008 election results were announced. During the closed door meeting, Abdul Aziz claimed that when a question was raised on who would be the new chief minister, Lim, the Bagan MP and Air Putih assemblyman, immediately jumped up and said "I am the chief minister because I am the party secretary general." He said Lim pre-empted any internal political conventional process to take place to choose the chief minister. "No one nominated or chose him … he chose himself. He bypassed the party's central executive and state committees to bulldoze his way through to grab the post. "I think many know the story on how he became the CM," Tunku Aziz told FMT before speaking at an indoor rally here last night. Tunku Aziz noted that Lim had been committing administrative blunders since 2008 because he does not understand the local needs, demands and sentiments. He cited unscrupulous sales of state land to rich developers to build posh houses at the expense of affordable homes for the poor was a perfect example of Lim's mismanagement due to lack of knowledge, maturity and experience. Rich developers He said Lim was now surrounded by rich developers. "Ordinary Penang people can't afford to buy homes in their own birth place. It's violation of their rights. Penangites wanted a chief minister, not a land broker," said Abdul Aziz. As the secretary general, he said Lim should sit at the national secretariat and focus to reorganise, restructure and strengthen the DAP to face the next election. He said DAP now was in disarray due to overwhelming power play by the dominant Lim dynasty which had frustrated many grassroots leaders and members. He said some leaders and members either were sacked or had left the party for good as "they were fed up with the Lim dynasty dominance." "Lim thinks he can handle everything so he wears many hats, sparing only positions of councillors and JKKK head to others. "His monopoly of power is a sign of insecurity and distrust of others," said Tunku Aziz. Family business Later when speaking on the same subject at the rally, he said the Lim dynasty had turned DAP into a family business, practicing double standard and selective prosecution. He also slammed these leaders as hypocrites for not voicing out their opposition against the hudud law, even though they supported their national chairman Karpal Singh's firm stand against it. "They fear losing the Malay votes," Tunku Aziz told a crowded Leong See Kah Miew hall in Jalan Perak. Other speakers at the rally themed "The days when we were in DAP" were former DAP members Tan Tuan Tat, a former Selangor DAP publicity secretary; Yap Kon Min and Tony Tan Chee Chong, a former personal assistant to Selangor DAP chief Teresa Kok Suh Sim. On Pakatan, Tunku Aziz described the coalition as a mere "marriage of convenience" in which all allies – DAP, PKR and PAS, could agree on many issues to clinch a common agenda. He noted that Pakatan can't reach consensus on a shadow cabinet and predicted intense internal squabbles for positions of prime minister and cabinet ministers if the coalition capture the federal government.

Ex-mufti: Pakatan should rebuke its own for anti-Islam remarks Posted: 21 Sep 2012 09:28 PM PDT Ida Lim, The Malaysian Insider Former Perlis Mufti Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin today advised Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders to practise moderation when criticising others and not shy away from rebuking party colleagues if they breach religious boundaries. The Muslim cleric, who was commenting on the row over DAP lawmaker Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham's remark on Twitter, said politicians on both sides of the aisle should not only attack their opponents while keeping silent when their allies make mistakes. "For Pakatan, I hope they will be more balanced in politicking. Don't just pick on the faults of your opponents, but keep quiet when your ally makes a mistake. This is unhealthy politics. "I also hope that Umno will be the same, practise a healthy political culture," he told The Malaysian Insider. Asri's comments came after Ngeh apologised for asking recently over microblogging site Twitter if the protests against the anti-Islam clip "Innocence of Muslims" were a waste of "time and energy." Ngeh, the chairman of DAP's Perak chapter, came under fire for the remark but his party colleagues had also earned the ire of Barisan Nasional (BN) politicians when they did not openly rebuke the leader for his tweet. "I accept Ngeh Koo Ham's statement of apology, only next time, hopefully he will be careful with his comments," Asri said. Earlier today, Ngeh said that he felt his apology should sufficiently calm Muslim anger over his remarks and urged his critics to move on from the matter to other more important issues. He had on Thursday said that he had not meant to hurt Muslim sensitivities or belittle Islam with the offending message on Twitter. But prime minister yesterday questioned Ngeh's sincerity, reportedly saying: "If it is that easy, we can also pass remarks, insult and ridicule other religions and later apologise." De facto law minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz had yesterday called for the police to probe Ngeh over his remarks on the microblogging site. Yesterday, DAP's Lim Guan Eng said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak should not be "uncharitable and small-minded" over Ngeh's apology. He pointed out that Ngeh's apology and retraction yesterday proved that Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders were more gracious and willing to admit to their mistakes or shortcomings, unlike the politicians in Najib's Barisan Nasional (BN). Lim also told Najib to look at his own members in BN before passing any judgment against Ngeh, pointing out that many in the ruling coalition who made offensive statements in the past had not found it necessary to apologise later.

Like a trapped animal (part 1) Posted: 21 Sep 2012 08:49 PM PDT   My friends told me I was crazy. "What are you going to do if your prediction does not come true?" they asked me. "Well, I suppose I will quietly leave the country," I joked. "Never fear, though," I told them. "There is such a thing called a self-fulfilling prophecy. If enough people believe it, it will happen." THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin Who prevails in Umno? (The Malaysian Insider) - Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah can talk about a better Malaysia, and we don't doubt his sincerity. He has been principled on many issues, and speaks of the knowledge of authority, not the authority of knowledge. That is the gist of his speech this past week in Melbourne. "It's not about numbers, it's about qualitative change. There are many paths to a better Malaysia," he told a mixed audience of about 130 at the annual Seminar Pembangunan Insan (Seminar on Human Development) at Melbourne Umno Club (KUAM) on Thursday. Saifuddin identified four features for the participatory democracy needed to respond to today's new social consciousness, especially among the young — integrity, governance, innovations in democracy, and progressive political thought. Do the others in Umno or Barisan Nasional (BN) speak of the same things? Does he speak for Umno or BN for that matter? The thing is, Saifuddin is of a very small minority in Umno. In fact he stands alone, and is not popular in the party that feels its dominance is an entitlement, a birthright. And the names he mentioned in his talk in Melbourne — Khairy Jamaluddin and Gan Ping Siew — are not in his class when speaking about change, be it in Putrajaya or within their parties. The question is this: who has more sway in Putrajaya: Saifuddin or the likes of Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz or Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein or even Datuk Ahmad Maslan? And who prevails in Umno? At this point in time, it sure doesn't look like its Saifuddin or those like him. *********************************************** That was The Malaysian Insider Editorial today, and a very valid observation and pertinent questions, may I add. Nevertheless, we all know the answer to those questions. Saifuddin Abdullah speaks for the minority, not the majority. And the majority definitely holds the opposite view to Saifuddin's. Should Saifuddin, therefore, even bother to speak up since his is the minority view and his minority view is not going to change anything? But then is this not always the case? The minority would normally never dare speak up. Take Saifuddin's case as an example. Those in Umno brand him as a Trojan horse. They call him a mole. They allege that he is a Pakatan Rakyat supporter who is trying to sabotage Umno from the inside. They consider him a traitor who is waiting to leave Umno to join the opposition. And because of that he would most likely not be chosen to contest the next election. The opposition would also whack him. They will say he is not sincere. If he is sincere why is he still in Umno? He should leave Umno now and join the opposition. Then, when he does leave Umno to join the opposition, he would still get whacked. Umno will say he is a frustrated person (gulungan keciwa) who left Umno to join the opposition because he is not going to be chosen to contest the next election. The opposition supporters will say the same thing and will speculate that he is an Umno mole who will probably jump back to Umno in the event of a hung Parliament. The bottom line is, whatever you say and do can never be right. They will still have something to say about you. And being in the minority means you will get whacked by both sides. It is better you remain in the majority, either pro-government or pro-opposition. If you are in the opposition and you criticise the opposition you will get whacked. If you are in the government and you criticise the government you will get whacked. Hence you either take the side of the government or you take the side of the opposition and then suck up to one side or the other. Then you become a hero. That, I suppose, is the Malaysian way. That is the Malaysian mindset. You follow the herd. Either you are a cow or you are a goat. And you just moo or bleat when others do, in sync and in tempo with the others. You do not meow in a group that moos or bleats. They will whack you to kingdom come. And that proves Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's theory that most people, Malaysians included, are like herd. They buy and sell property and shares like herd as well. When people buy they buy. When people sell they sell. Fundamentals play no part in your investment and divestment decisions. You just follow what others do. And hence would Malaysian politics be any different? If you think that Barisan Nasional is going to win you will vote Barisan Nasional. If you think that Pakatan Rakyat is going to win you will vote Pakatan Rakyat. This happened in 1999. It happened in 2004. And it happened again in 2008. Most people would like to believe that Pakatan Rakyat performed the way it did in 2008 because the people already had enough of Barisan Nasional and just wanted a change after half a century of the same government. I hope you do not believe this because if you do then you are going to be in for a rude shock. No, that was not the reason why 2008 turned out the way it did. People already felt the way they did in 2008 since way back in 1998, ten years before that. The only thing is that most people did not dare act on what they felt because they thought they were in the minority. And people do not like being in the minority. They want to be in the majority. In 1998, it was mainly the Malays who swung. And they swung because they felt that the Malays who were going to swing were in the majority. And that proved true the following year in the 1999 general election. The non-Malays I spoke to back in 1998-1999 also felt the same way as the Malays felt. But they were not confident that the swing was large enough. They were worried that the swing would be too small and hence if they joined those who vote against the government they might be in the minority. And the non-Malays told me that it is very dangerous to be in the minority. It is safer to be in the majority. Hence even if they hate Barisan Nasional they would still vote for Barisan Nasional just to be safe. In 2004, it appeared like the hate factor had disappeared. The people were not really anti-Barisan Nasional as much as they were anti-Dr Mahathir. And the issue against Dr Mahathir was what he did to Anwar Ibrahim. Hence 1999 was a reflection of the Dr Mahathir hate factor. But Dr Mahathir had already resigned and there was talk that Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi would release Anwar soon after the 11th General Election of March 2004. Hence the Malays are no longer angry with Umno. Against that backdrop, most likely the Malays would swing back to Umno. So, if the non-Malays voted opposition while the Malays voted Barisan Nasional, the non-Malays will be in the minority. So, again, it would be safer to vote Barisan Nasional, just in case. And that was exactly what happened in 2004. The Malays swung back to Umno and PAS lost Terengganu and held on to Kelantan with a one-seat majority in the State Assembly. Phew, lucky the non-Malays did not vote opposition. So they were right for not voting opposition after all. If they did they would be in deep shit. But they still hated Umno and Barisan Nasional though. It is just they did not vote opposition for safety reasons. Then, in 2007, against the backdrop of the Bersih and Hindaf rallies in November that same year, it appeared like those opposed to the government were in the majority, or at least a large minority. And it appeared like those opposed to the government were not confined to just one race but cut across the board to include all the races. Even Tun Dr Mahathir was opposed to the government. He resigned from Umno and campaigned all over Malaysia to tell the Umno members to not vote for Umno. It looked like this time it was for real. Many Umno people even supported and joined the Bersih march in November 2007. DAP and PAS members and some leaders also met up with Umno people who supported the move that Umno must be taught a lesson in the general election. There were just so many anti-Umno Umno members and leaders. This anti-Umno movement was no longer just an opposition thing. Umno people and leaders were against Umno as well. Tun Dr Mahathir himself was against Umno. Umno is finished. It is time everyone voted Pakatan Rakyat. We are now in the majority. Then we went round the country to speak at ceramahs and announced that Barisan Nasional was going to lose between 80-100 Parliament seats. They were also going to lose five states and probably rule in two states with a simple majority. Barisan Nasional is finished. Even Umno people and its leaders support the opposition. We told the tens of thousands in the audience this will definitely happen. We even named the states that were going to fall to the opposition. My friends told me I was crazy. "What are you going to do if your prediction does not come true?" they asked me. "Well, I suppose I will quietly leave the country," I joked. "Never fear, though," I told them. "There is such a thing called a self-fulfilling prophecy. If enough people believe it, it will happen." It is just like the stock market or property market. If enough people believe that in January next year the market is going to collapse it will collapse. And it will collapse because people will panic and will sell. So it is the panicking and selling that actually triggers the collapse. That is how self-fulfilling prophecies work. The people from Sabah and Sarawak were quite sore with us from West Malaysia. We should have gone to East Malaysia and also tell the voters there that Barisan Nasional was going to get whacked, they lamented. The East Malaysian voters did not think it would happen. So they voted Barisan Nasional because they thought the swing is not going to be large enough. If they had known that the swing was actually bigger than they thought then they too would have voted opposition. Hence the people from East Malaysia would have also followed the herd if they had known. The only thing is they did not know that there was a herd. And that was why they stuck with Barisan Nasional. The question now is: do the people believe that the swing is still there? Do they believe that the swing is even larger now than in 2008? If they believe that the swing is larger it is going to get larger. But if they believe that the swing has gone back to Barisan Nasional then it will swing back to Barisan Nasional. People have herd mentality and they will follow the herd. They do not want to be in the minority I will stop here for now and maybe continue later with part 2 of 'Like a trapped animal' and relate what is going to make the people, in particular the Malays, vote Umno.

IGP: Police studying police reports against Ngeh Posted: 21 Sep 2012 07:04 PM PDT (Bernama) - The police are evaluating reports made against Perak DAP chairman Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham to determine the nature of the offence when he questioned Muslim reaction to an anti-Islam film, the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar said today. "If there is justification, we will conduct the investigation in accordance with procedure," he told a news conference after launching a campus community policing programme at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), here. Ismail was asked to comment on the call by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz yesterday for the police to open investigation into the matter. Mohamed Nazri said many quarters had lodged reports against Ngeh who had allegedly enraged Muslims protesting against the film "Innocence of Muslims" produced by one Sam Bacile of the United States. Asked whether the police had opened investigation, Ismail said he had yet to receive a report from the CID director who had been instructed to look into the police reports. "I believe we can make an announcement soon," he added. Ngeh had tweeted that "Khairy wants muslim protest against Sam Bacile. For islam or for his political gains? Are muslims wasting too much time and energy on this?" in reference to Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin's statement.

Karpal denies DAP getting foreign funds Posted: 21 Sep 2012 07:00 PM PDT (Bernama) - DAP national chairman Karpal Singh said the allegation that the party is getting foreign funds from George Soros was uncalled for. "Where is the evidence that the DAP is getting foreign funds?" he said when asked about several Malaysian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) including Suaram having obtained foreign funds to destabilize the government. On the claim that the DAP was also linked to the foreign funds, Karpal said: "DAP does not get foreign funds." Speaking to reporters here today, he said most organizations received foreign funds but this was nothing wrong as long as they were declared and not illegal. "In fact a lot of countries get foreign aid from other countries like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for example. Do you think it is a criminal offence?" he said. Several local NGOs were in the limelight recently after Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry called on the registrar of societies to investigate Suaram which received funds from Soros. On a separate matter, Karpal said it was not necessary for the Penang chief minister to be a Penang-born as claimed by former DAP vice-chairman Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim. "Lim Kit Siang has connection in the state of Penang for a long time. The Lim family has residence here. No doubt Lim Guan Eng was born in Batu Pahat, but his connection with Penang is sufficient for him to be the right choice for the chief minister," he said. Tunku Aziz yesterday said that the Penang chief minister should be a local instead of a politician parachuted into the state from elsewhere and suggested that state DAP chairman Chow Kon Yeow be chosen to lead the new state government as chief minister. On Tunku Aziz's comments that the DAP national chairman was sometimes sidelined, Karpal said he accepted his opinion, however, it was not right and without basis. "In the DAP, unlike the other parties, it is the secretary-general who is the most important, but that does not mean the chairman is sidelined," he added.

Apa sebab pergi cari pasal? Posted: 21 Sep 2012 06:31 PM PDT You can find almost anything in this world if you go looking for it and if you know where to find them. There are even gay parties, wife-swapping parties, orgies, 'adult' entertainment centres, nudist colonies, singles resorts, etc. You name it; you can find it -- even sex with cows and goats if that is what turns you on. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin Israel won't force Google to block anti-Muslim video Court rejects MK Talab el-Sana's petition to prevent the controversial film from being available to people in Israel via the Internet • Court: Those who may be offended by it should not look for it on the Internet. (Israel Hayom) - The Jerusalem District Court rejected a petition by MK Talab el-Sana (Ra'am-Ta'al) on Thursday requesting that the controversial film, 'Innocence of Muslims', produced in the U.S., be made inaccessible to people in Israel through the Internet. Judge Miriam Mizrahi decided to refrain from issuing an order to restrict access to the film through the YouTube website. El-Sana, together with other Israeli-Arab political and religious leaders, requested that the YouTube page featuring the film be shut down, or, alternatively, that the page be blocked from access throughout the country. Although the petitioners asked for an urgent hearing on the matter so that the court could issue a temporary order to prevent the film from being accessible on the Internet, Mizrahi said in her ruling that those who thought they would be offended by viewing the film should not search for it on the Internet. "Whoever does not look for the film will not find it, so the public who would be offended by the film can avoid seeing it," Mizrahi said. The court is scheduled to continue to discuss the matter on Oct. 15, after both sides submit their detailed legal explanations. The petitioners, through attorney Kais Nasser, claimed, "The movie is extremely offensive, desecrates the image of the Prophet Muhammad in a racist manner, tramples his sanctity and name, and offends the honour and faith of more than a billion Muslims throughout the world and more than a million Muslims who are citizens of Israel." (READ MORE HERE) ************************************** When my wife and I first moved into our new home in Manchester three years ago, on Saturdays and/or Sundays people from the local church would come knocking on our door to talk to us about Jesus Christ. Most times I would be in my office working so my wife goes to answer the door. My wife would stand there patiently as they spoke to her about Jesus. They would also invite her to the local church to meet the community. After their 'ceramah' they would leave pamphlets and booklets with her before they left. My wife would just place the material on the sideboard and later would dump them in the dustbin together with the other 'junk mail' that goes out with the Thursday rubbish collection. Different people would come at different times and sometimes they would ask what religion we profess. My wife would reply that we are Muslims and they were usually very pleased to hear that. This probably made their 'mission' more interesting and challenging. They don't come around that much nowadays, at least not weekly any longer like before. I suppose they have given up on us as a 'lost cause'. Nevertheless, my wife (and I as well whenever I happen to be the one answering the door) is never rude to these Christian evangelists. We always smile -- and maintain the smile throughout even when they stand on our doorstep for half an hour -- and politely give them our full attention. We never show that we are impatient for them to leave. We will allow them to finish what they want to say and leave when they are ready to leave. Until then we stand there and play the perfect host and make sure they are not uncomfortable about 'disturbing' us. I sometimes even flip though the pamphlets and booklets before I throw them into the dustbin. I feel guilty about throwing them away without reading them and therefore waste their effort and money in their attempt to convert us to the way of Christ. They left them so that we will read them -- so I do just that, I read them. Hence at least that part of their mission succeeds although they failed to get us to go to church. I just hope that at least that small effort of ours at being nice, hospitable and friendly managed to give these Christian evangelists the impression that not all Muslims run berserk and will foam at the mouth when you try to preach Christianity to them. I consider this my greatest jihad for Islam -- showing Christians that Muslims can be nice, hospitable and friendly. They never tried to tell us that Islam is bad or is the wrong religion. They just focused on talking about Christianity and to tell us that Jesus loves us and is our saviour and all that. They also tried to put across to us that they love us as well and is why they come to our door every week to talk to us. And I also showed them that I love them and appreciate the trouble they took to come to speak to us. I could, of course, have screamed at them to leave us alone. I could also have told them that we are Muslims and hence are not interested to hear what they have to say about Christianity or Christ. But that would be downright rude and unfriendly even though that would be within our rights to do so. After all, they are disturbing us very early on a Sunday or Saturday morning so I have every right to tell them off. At the very least I could have just not opened the door and after a while they would have gone away. But why disappoint them? Why make them feel like they have wasted their time? Why make them feel unwelcome by not opening the door when they clearly know we are at home? Make them feel welcome and let them go home happy that they managed to talk to a Muslim about Christianity and Christ. I know most Muslims reading this will be appalled. They would probably think that my imam (faith) is very weak. How can week after week I layan (entertain) Christian evangelists who are trying to convert me to Christianity? Well, I am not a 'regular' Muslim. If you can't accept me for what I am then that is your problem, not mine. You lead your life the way you want to lead your life and leave me to lead my life the way I want to. That is the long and short of it all. I want to now talk about that news item from Israel above. What the Israeli court said regarding that controversial movie is very sensible.  "Those who may be offended by it should not look for it on the Internet. Whoever does not look for the film will not find it, so the public who would be offended by the film can avoid seeing it." You may have heard or read that there is a trailer of an anti-Islam movie on the Internet, YouTube in particular. But did they come to your door to give you a copy of that movie? Did they force you to sit down and watch that movie? Are you obligated to watch that movie? You heard or read about it. Then you went looking for it. And then you found it. After that you get angry and run berserk. Apa ni? Apa sebab pergi cari pasal? You go looking for it and then you get upset. There are many things out there. There are brothels and prostitutes (plus transvestites) walking on the streets and hanging around seedy back lanes and side alleys. There are massage parlours that throw in sex or a hand job/blow job for an extra fee. There are bars, pubs, clubs, etc., where you can go to get drunk plus to pick up girls, boys, lady boys and whatever may turn you on. There are casinos, gambling dens and gaming outlets where you can gamble. You can find almost anything in this world if you go looking for it and if you know where to find them. There are even gay parties, wife-swapping parties, orgies, 'adult' entertainment centres, nudist colonies, singles resorts, etc. You name it; you can find it -- even sex with cows and goats if that is what turns you on. So don't go looking for it. And if you go looking for it and find it, don't go and get upset about it. Now, if they come to your home and knock on your door to offer you these 'services', then by all means get upset. Scream, rant and rave if you want since they came to your home to disturb you. But even then, if they came to my home and knocked on my door I would not get upset. I would either politely refuse them, tell them not to disturb me again, or just not open my door. But I would not bother to run amok, even if they came to my door. And if they did not come to my door why the hell would I want to go and seek them out and then get upset?

Israel won't force Google to block anti-Muslim video Posted: 21 Sep 2012 05:01 PM PDT Court rejects MK Talab el-Sana's petition to prevent the controversial film from being available to people in Israel via the Internet • Court: Those who may be offended by it should not look for it on the Internet. (Israel Hayom) - The Jerusalem District Court rejected a petition by MK Talab el-Sana (Ra'am-Ta'al) on Thursday requesting that the controversial film, "Innocence of Muslims," produced in the U.S., be made inaccessible to people in Israel through the Internet. Judge Miriam Mizrahi decided to refrain from issuing an order to restrict access to the film through the YouTube website. El-Sana, together with other Israeli-Arab political and religious leaders, requested that the YouTube page featuring the film be shut down, or, alternatively, that the page be blocked from access throughout the country. Although the petitioners asked for an urgent hearing on the matter so that the court could issue a temporary order to prevent the film from being accessible on the Internet, Mizrahi said in her ruling that those who thought they would be offended by viewing the film should not search for it on the Internet. "Whoever does not look for the film will not find it, so the public who would be offended by the film can avoid seeing it," Mizrahi said. The court is scheduled to continue to discuss the matter on Oct. 15, after both sides submit their detailed legal explanations. The petitioners, through attorney Kais Nasser, claimed, "The movie is extremely offensive, desecrates the image of the Prophet Muhammad in a racist manner, tramples his sanctity and name, and offends the honor and faith of more than a billion Muslims throughout the world and more than a million Muslims who are citizens of Israel." According to the petition, publication of the film violates the penal code by offending the feelings of Muslims, incites racism and constitutes slander. Attorney Hagit Bleiberg, who represented Google (owner of YouTube) in the case, pointed out that "No one in the world, and in Israel in particular, has recognized the Google search engine as a publisher. The film's creator is its publisher. It is he who uploaded the content. YouTube did not upload the film and neither did Google. It's a fact that the court did not find them responsible for it." At the end of the session, El-Sana warned that violent protests may take place in Israel if access to the film is not blocked. On Sept. 11, the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other embassy staffers were killed in an attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi by protesters angry over the film which they said ridiculed the Prophet Muhammad. After that incident, a wave of violent protests swept through Arab countries in light of the film's publication and repercussions from the film's anti-Muslim message have yet to abate in the Arab world. Cindy Lee Garcia, an actress from Bakersfield, California, who had a small role in the anti-Islam film, told the Gawker website on Sept. 12 that Nakoula Basseley Nakoula (aka "Sam Bacile"), the film's producer, initially said he was an Israeli real estate mogul but told her on set that he was actually Egyptian and spoke Arabic. Garcia said that after protests broke out in Libya and Egypt, she called Bacile up to express her outrage. When she asked why he made the film, she said he told her, "I'm tired of radical Islamists killing each other." Garcia has since sued Nakoula and demanded that the film be removed from YouTube. She accused the producer of fraud, slander and violation of her privacy, and said her life was in danger due to her role in the film. A Los Angeles judge rejected her petition on Thursday, but Garcia, via her attorney, vowed to continue to pursue the matter. Meanwhile, the chief editor of the satirical French weekly paper Charlie Hebdo was unapologetic and defiant on Sept. 19 over his decision to publish drawings considered offensive to Muslims. Charlie Hebdo editor Stephane Charbonnier, who publishes under the pen name "Charb," has been under police protection for the past year. "Muhammad isn't sacred to me. I don't blame Muslims for not laughing at our drawings. I live under French law. I don't live under Quranic law," Charbonnier told The Associated Press. He said he had no regrets and felt no responsibility for any violence. "I'm not the one going into the streets with stones and Kalashnikovs," he said. "We've had 1,000 issues and only three problems, all after front pages about radical Islam." On Nov. 2, 2011 a fire caused serious damage at the headquarters of the newspaper which had "invited" the Prophet Muhammad as a guest editor throughout the week. A police official said the fire broke out at the offices of Charlie Hebdo, and the cause remains unclear. No injuries were reported in the incident.

Putting My Foot Down Posted: 21 Sep 2012 04:08 PM PDT Malaysia Today is publishing this article in response to comments posted asking about the source of the photograph By Shaun Tan, CEKU You know something's wrong when even the simplest gestures become risky. Last week many of us were made acutely aware of this. On Merdeka Eve, a group of people were photographed stepping on pictures of Prime Minister Najib Razak. The result was the arrests of three young people under the threat of sedition and a continuing 'manhunt' for the rest of the group. Suddenly stepping on the Prime Minister's photo – something no one even knew was supposed to be illegal – was threatened with criminal prosecution. Such persecution by the Barisan Nasional government has prompted one of the suspects, a 19-year-old girl, to apologize for her actions. I don't know what satisfaction the BN government got from bullying a young girl into apologizing, but in at least one respect it seems to have succeeded: suddenly people are apologizing where no apology should be necessary. The Opposition response to this has been disappointingly hesitant. So far most statements by Opposition leaders seem to urge the government to 'forgive' those involved. It's a pity that so few are prepared to say what needs to be said: that those young people were just expressing their displeasure at the Prime Minister in a way that harmed no one, that threatened no one, and that the government has neither right nor cause to forgive them anything. It's a pity that our government needs reminding that in a democracy politicians derive their authority from the people, and that when faced with public expressions of displeasure, a true leader should square his shoulders and put up with it. Because in politics, criticism and even insult come with the territory, and someone who cannot stomach it or who can only respond to negative feedback with threats and coercion is unfit to lead. It's difficult for me not to see this persecution as just the latest in a series of attacks by the BN government on our liberty. I've grown up seeing how these attacks have infected the country with a pernicious self-censorship and reduced the mainstream media to its pitiful state, and I am unwilling to concede another inch. I don't want Malaysia to become a country where the Prime Minister is so sacred that even stepping on his image is illegal. And since without a corresponding gesture my words will be empty, here's a photo to go with them: READ MORE HERE

Let authorities probe Suaram foreign funding, says Najib Posted: 21 Sep 2012 03:56 PM PDT (Bernama) - Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today he would leave it to the authorities to investigate allegations that non-governmental organisation Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) receives foreign funding. "Let the Companies Commission of Malaysia (CCM) and the relevant authorities investigate (the matter)," he told reporters after launching the Urban Transformation Centre (UTC) at Pudu Sentral, here.  Preliminary investigation by CCM had revealed the existence of fund transactions between Suaram and its parent company, Suara Inisiatif Sdn Bhd.   Suaram, which claims to be a non-governmental organisation, was also found to have not registered with the Registrar of Societies (RoS).  On the Saudi Arabian government's rejection of a Malaysian application to increase its annual quota of pilgrims to the Holy Land, Najib said the decision rested with the Saudi Arabian government.  Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom said yesterday that Malaysia was among 40 countries which were denied an additional quota of Haj pilgrims for this year by the Saudi Arabian government.   Malaysia had asked for the annual quota of 28,000 to be raised by 10,000 this year in view of the 982,000 people on the Haj pilgrimage waiting list.  Najib expressed pride over the success of the 1 Malaysia English Channel Solidarity Swimming Expedition team yesterday. He said the team's success was a major achievement for Malaysia as well as for the Malaysian Armed Forces.  "I am very proud that they were able to swim across the English Channel, a feat most difficult to accomplish, what with the many obstacles. I am also proud of the fact there are people who are resilient and bold and carry the spirit of Malaysia Boleh," he said. Two teams from the armed forces, one comprising a solo swimmer and the other a relay team, completed the feat yesterday after the event was postponed due to strong winds and rough sea.   Solo swimmer Estino Taniyu, a Royal Malaysia Navy (RMN) personnel from Semporna, Sabah, became the second Malaysian to conquer the channel without the use of a shark cage, after Lennard Lee who accomplished the feat in 2004. Estino completed his swim in 13 hours, 45 minutes and 45 seconds.  The relay team of six swimmers, comprising Mohd Roslan Mohd Zawawi, Mohd Khairul Faizal Mazli, Mohd Salleh Mahmor, Buranurdin Sali, Sharizal Omar and Mohd Zulfadhli Mahamad, completed their swim in 14 hours and 30 minutes.      The expedition was sponsored by the Malaysian 7 Continents Exploration Club under the patronage of the prime minister.

Read what the Umno Blogs are saying Posted: 21 Sep 2012 03:47 PM PDT Bila Melayu bersatu tunjuk marah, babi-babi bertambah rasis Apabila UMNO dan PAS bersama-sama tunjuk perasaan membantah video You Tube dan karikutur akhbar Perancis yang menghina Nabi Muhammad S.A.W., ada babi-babi yang berkemungkinan adalah babi DAP yang resah dan gelisah. Mereka gelisah melihat Melayu bersatu hati dan sepakat yang memungkinkan lebih banyak persepakatan sesama Melayu akan berlaku sebagaimana Cina dalam DAP dan luar DAP begitu bersepakat dan senada dalam memainkan isu berhubung kepentingan mereka. READ MORE HERE

Senseless rage over anti-Islam film Posted: 21 Sep 2012 03:30 PM PDT Islamic Renaissance Front, The Malaysian Insider The Islamic Renaissance Front views the recent murders and uproar over the film "Innocence of Muslims" with much sadness and bafflement. All available facts suggest that "Innocence of Muslims" is not even a film. What is currently known about it was available in the widely circulated YouTube clip which ran for a total of some 13-odd minutes. What is worse, most critics are in agreement on the film's utterly poor quality — cheap sets, mediocre actors, bad voice-overs and incomprehensible narrative — all of which explains why no one had even heard of the so-called film until Muslims decided to make a fuss about it.  Indeed, the added tragedy is not so much that the film is Islamophobic, which it clearly is, but that the unnecessary attention given to it by angry Muslims, eventually gave the film far more publicity than it deserves.  Why? The question is why. What is behind the apparent trend of Muslim hypersensitivity? For the protests is just one occurrence out of countless others before, whereby masses of Muslims occupy public space to pressure some form of censure, punishment or banning of some product for insulting Islam. Rather than to reflect, negotiate or dialogue the tenor has often been to confront and suppress.  The most well-known case to date was the furore over Salman Rushdie's "The Satanic Verses". More recently there were the Danish cartoons. Even the rather well produced "The Message", directed by Moustafa Akkad in 1976 with Anthony Quinn as the main actor, which did not portray the Prophet at all was deemed by many Muslims to be offensive. A Muslim group staged a siege against the Washington DC chapter of B'nai B'rith, threatening to blow up the building and its inhabitants under the false belief that Quinn portrayed the Prophet. We now witnessed the needless deaths of dozens of innocent civilians as a result of violent protests that only reinforced the distorted image of Islam as a religion of violence and intolerance. It portrays the vicious face of a religion that was supposed to be a religion of peace and compassion. The West?  When one observes the discourse closely, one will find that what underlies the narrative is a sense of defeat and insecurity upon being overwhelmed by what is often broadly termed as "the West". This sentiment is an obvious continuation of an earlier resentment against Western colonialism, which almost all Muslim-majority countries today experienced in one form or another. Daily life in the age of globalisation too has seen an increase of presence by Western products as well as political and cultural values. Geopolitically, the presence of Western military forces in Muslim countries is all too apparent and overwhelming.  All this has somehow been viewed by Muslims as a sign that Islam is left behind, in one way or another, as a civilisation. That in turn further reinforces the anxiety of powerlessness before fearful imaginations of a monolithic behemoth called "the West". From there, everything Islamic is juxtaposed against it, giving rise to a mood of scepticism against anything and everything that comes from the so-called "West".  Towards openness and dialogue But the situation is not that simple. While there has been much decline in science and learning in the Muslim world, which is undeniably tied to a history of colonial exploitation, Muslims must learn to take responsibility for the course of their own progress. Thus, rather than to recoil in defensiveness against everything Western or offensive, there must be instead, an attitude of critical reflection and openness to ideas.  Progress requires freedom, for no genuine learning can proceed when power is imposed from without on what can be said and heard. To embrace this is not to embrace or justify Islamophobic or racist sentiments. It is rather to affirm that racist or Islamophobic sentiments are best dealt with through dialogue, learning and empathy rather than brute force or coercion.  Hate must be combated. Oppression must end. But Muslims will only fail themselves if they proceed in a stupor of insecurity and anger.  Islam is a religion of patience and compassion  There is nothing in Islam that says hate must be combated with more hate. Recall, when the Prophet Muhammad was just beginning his mission, a woman placed faeces at his door in hatred of Islam. Muhammad endured the humiliation peacefully, neither choosing to retaliate in anger or violence, to exemplify that ethos of calm and compassion that defined the eventual success of Islam in Mecca.   Conservative Muslims tend to regard such instances as inevitable given that Muslims did not get in power until Medina, but they forget the historical fact that it was Muhammad's exemplary character as a clear-headed leader in Mecca that compelled the Medinans to turn to him as an arbiter and leader for their fragmented city in the first place. Calm and compassion needed in Malaysia too Yesterday, thousands gathered outside Masjid Jamek Kampung Baru and the US Embassy to protest the "Innocence of Muslims". Interestingly this saw members of the Islamist party (PAS) and the main ruling Malay party (Umno) marching for a similar cause for once, even prompting the Umno Youth chief to invite PAS to join the ruling coalition.  It is too early to say if this will lead to anything but it does reveal again an age-old fact about Malay politics, namely in how the vagueness of "Malay and Muslim unity" is used as a pretext to overlook other more concerned issues, such as socio-economic justice and multiracial solidarity. Emotions and passions reign ahead of clear-headed rationale and human values.  The Islamic Renaissance Front once again calls for all Muslims to focus on the central agenda of Islam and that is the end of oppression and the establishment of a just society whereby all citizens irrespective of race and creed are treated equally. Enough lives, time and effort have been wasted over this film. It is time to move on and wake up.  * This Islamic Renaissance Front statement carries the names of Dr Ahmad Farouk Musa, Ahmad Fuad Rahmad, Fadiah Nadwa Fikri, Rizqi Mukhriz and Ehsan Shahwahid.

237 reports made against Ngeh’s controversial Tweet Posted: 21 Sep 2012 03:19 PM PDT (Bernama) - A total of 237 police reports have been lodged in the state against Perak DAP chairman Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham for his controversial tweet questioning the moves taken by Muslims in protesting the anti-Islamic 'Innocence of Muslims' film. Perak police chief Datuk Mohd Shukri Dahalan said police would look into the reports and take into consideration all aspects before making any decisions on the matter.  "So far, we have collected the reports lodged statewide and my officers will study them.  "All developments will be announced later," he told reporters after attending Crime Prevention Forum launch by Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir here yesterday.  Mohd Shukri also advised certain quarters, as well as members of the public, to take caution in making public statements to avoid causing public anger.  "In the context of multi-racial people, we want to live in harmony without any uncomfortable feelings, especially in issues involving race and religion," he said.  In his tweet two days ago, Ngeh questioned Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaludin's intention to stage a protest against the short film and inferred whether Muslims were spending too much time an d energy on the issue.  The low-budget film directed by Sam Bacile from California, which insulted Prophet Muhammad and Islam, had sparked violent protests among Muslims across the world.

Guan Eng: DAP Kedah wajar dapat tambahan kerusi Posted: 21 Sep 2012 03:15 PM PDT (Sinar Harian) - DAP Kedah wajar diberi peranan lebih besar dalam Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13 (PRU13) dengan tambahan kerusi untuk bertanding termasuk peringkat parlimen. Setiausaha Agung DAP, Lim Guan Eng berkata, DAP Pusat bersetuju dengan hasrat DAP Kedah yang mahu meletakkan calon di dua kerusi parlimen (Alor Setar dan Padang Serai) dan enam Dewan Undangan Negeri (Dun) membabitkan Kota Darul Aman, Bakar Bata, Derga, Bakar Arang, Gurun dan Lunas.  "DAP tetap mahu tambahan kerusi untuk bertanding pada PRU13, ketika PRU12 kita hanya letak calon di Kota Darul Aman dan Derga. Jumlah ini amat kecil dan ia tidak boleh diterima untuk PRU13," katanya ketika berucap merasmikan Konvensyen Tahunan DAP Kedah, di Dewan Perhimpunan Cina Kedah, semalam.  Bagaimana pun, Guan Eng berkata, jika agihan kerusi membabitkan DAP-PKR tidak mampu diselesaikan di peringkat negeri, perkara itu wajar diputuskan oleh Pusat untuk mengelak tercetus ketidakpuasan hati kedua-dua pihak.  "Jika tidak boleh bincang lagi di peringkat negeri, ia tak perlu bincang. Biar Pusat buat keputusan muktamad dan kedua-dua pihak terima keputusan. Jangan bergaduh sesama sendiri, ia membuang masa, kita hanya mahu lawan BN sahaja, bukan dalam PR," katanya.  Menurutnya, DAP Kedah diminta menyerahkan perkara itu kepada DAP Pusat untuk dibincangkan dalam Sekretariat Pakatan Rakyat (PR) sekali lagi, jika menemui jalan buntu.  "Biar Pusat tentukan jika masih tidak dapat diselesaikan. Saya harap hasrat DAP Kedah diberi pertimbangan sewajarnya oleh rakan-rakan dalam pakatan untuk bergerak sebagai satu pasukan, dalam usaha mengekalkan kuasa di negeri ini," katanya.  Guan Eng juga mengarahkan kedua-dua parti tidak lagi membuat kenyataan terbuka atau berbalas kenyataan dalam akhbar berhubung isu terbabit.  "Kita tumpu pada gerak kerja parti sudahlah, biar Pusat putuskan. DAP juga mahu menyumbang lebih pada PR," katanya.

End the siege on religions, urges NGO Posted: 21 Sep 2012 02:58 PM PDT (The Star) - The unrelenting siege on all religions and their prophets must cease, said a Muslim non-governmental organisation. Society must also be courageous to condemn abominations against theism, said the Muslim Professionals Forum yesterday. In issuing its statement over the controversial film Innocence of Muslims and the subsequent violent protests across the Muslim world, the organisation said that "the perpetrators have guised behind the cloak of freedom of speech while claiming to be works of literature or the arts". The beliefs of Christianity, Judaism and Hinduism have similarly not been spared. "Specific individuals and interest groups are unashamedly abusing our noble values of freedom of speech and expression to tarnish the image of authentic religions, demonising it and demeaning their prophets with trails of untruths and unfounded claims," said the organisation's board of directors. The Muslim Professionals Forum also labelled the irrational and emotional reactions by some Muslims and the violence unleashed with its consequent deaths, injuries and damages to property as "most un-Islamic" and "distant from the Islamic teachings of peace, justice and fair-play". "Governments, civil society, religious leaders and icons in the literary and film industry must be courageous to condemn and prohibit the publication and showing of films and literary works of a similar nature." Umno had also condemned the production and airing of the movie as well as the caricatures of Prophet Muhammad in bad light in a French magazine. "Fellow Muslims need to understand that Islam doesn't need us to defend it; it only needs us to represent it faithfully and authentically."

Tunku Abdul Aziz: No political clout in Pakatan Rakyat to form the next federal government Posted: 21 Sep 2012 02:55 PM PDT (The Star) - Pakatan Rakyat does not have the political clout to form the next federal government because they cannot agree on many fundamental issues, said former DAP vice-president Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim. "Among themselves (DAP, PAS and PKR), they have not agreed with each other. This is what people are describing as a marriage of convenience. They will surely divorce," he said here on Friday night during a ceramah at the Leong See Kah Miew community hall. "But (for now), they are scared to do so because they share a common goal, which is to capture Putrajaya." He was speaking in Penang for the first time, since he quit DAP in May. The former Transparency International board of directors' vice-chairman also touched on the political situation in Penang. He added that even if Pakatan won, it would be a useless outcome because they would only decide on the ministerial posts when they reached Putrajaya and it would be too late. "Now, they cannot decide among themselves about forming a shadow cabinet," he said. On Penang, he said while the state had progressed in the last four years, it was developed because it had a history of more than 200 years and not because of Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng. "Rather it is your (local) ancestors, who are the ones who built it up," he said. According to Tunku Abdul Aziz, Lim was a politician who parachuted into Penang because he was not capable in Malacca.

France bans protests over Prophet Mohammad cartoons Posted: 21 Sep 2012 02:52 PM PDT (Reuters) - PARIS: France banned protests yesterday against cartoons published by a satirical weekly denigrating Islam's Prophet Mohammad as part of a security clamp-down while prayers took place across the Muslim world. The country's Muslim population, drawn largely from ex-colonies in North and West Africa, shrugged off the controversy as imams in mosques denounced the pictures but urged their followers to remain calm. The drawings have stoked a furor over an anti-Islam film made in California that has provoked sometimes violent protests in several Muslim countries, including attacks on US and other Western embassies, the killing of the US envoy to Libya and a suicide bombing in Afghanistan. Interior Minister Manuel Valls said prefects had orders to prohibit any protest and to crack down if the ban was challenged. "There will be strictly no exceptions. Demonstrations will be banned and broken up," he told a news conference in the southern port city of Marseille. The main body representing Muslims in France appealed for calm as the weekly Charlie Hebdo put a new print run of the cartoons featuring a naked Prophet Mohammad on the news stands. Mohammed Moussaoui, head of the French Muslim Council, described both the film and the cartoons as "acts of aggression" but urged French Muslims not to protest in the streets. "I repeat the council's call not to protest. Any protest could be hijacked and counterproductive," he told radio RFI. An estimated 8,000 Muslims gathered peacefully for Friday prayers at a temporary prayer hall in northern Paris set up in a former fire department depot. So many turned out that hundreds had to pray in the rain in the adjacent parking lot. "This demonstrates that the vast majority of the Muslim community is not made up of extremists," said Abderahmane Dahmane, spokesman for the local association that runs the prayer hall, one of the largest in the Paris region. "The majority will not play the game of the hotheads." At prayers in the northeast Paris suburb of La Courneuve, delivery driver Hakim Ardjou, 42, also rejected violence. "We just want our message to be heard: this sort of insult is a disgrace, but we will keep calm." Public approves protest ban French embassies, schools and cultural centers in some 20 Muslim countries were closed yesterday, the Muslim day of prayer, in a precaution ordered by the French government. French media showed footage of an embassy protected by soldiers and barbed wire in former French colony Tunisia, where the Islamist-led government has also banned protests over the cartoons. Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said there had been anti-French demonstrations in Afghanistan, Egypt and Indonesia, but there were no incidents against French nationals. "In a certain number of countries, the measures (closures) will be kept in place as a precaution on Saturday and Sunday," Fabius told journalists. Police were on alert in the French capital after protests planned by some Muslim groups were banned. Charlie Hebdo, an anti-establishment weekly whose Paris offices are under police protection, defied critics to rush out another run of the publication that sold out on Wednesday. It says the cartoons are designed simply to poke fun at the uproar over the film and on Friday hit back at critics accusing it of deliberately stirring controversy to sell newspapers. "If Charlie Hebdo wanted to make a quick buck, it would not produce Charlie Hebdo," it said on its Twitter feed. The publication has a print run of around 70,000 but its Mohammad cartoons have made front-page news in a country which has both the largest Muslim and Jewish populations in Europe – an estimated five million Muslims and 600,000 Jews. President Francois Hollande's government has sought to balance a cherished tradition of freedom of expression with security concerns, denouncing Charlie Hebdo as irresponsible. "When you are free, in a country like ours, you always have to measure the impact of your words," French European Affairs Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said. A survey by TNS Sofres for i-Tele news channel showed 58 percent thought freedom of expression was a fundamental right, and that "freedom to caricature" was part of that. Yet an even higher 71 percent of the roughly 1,000 people interviewed on Thursday approved of the ban on protests against the cartoons. France has a proud tradition of street protest.

Just plain afraid of losing Posted: 21 Sep 2012 02:47 PM PDT The Barisan Nasional must not go overboard in its campaign of intimidation against the opposition. Selena Tay, FMT Those in power can be said to be bullying the rakyat and the opposition Pakatan Rakyat one way or other. First and foremost is the bullying of the rakyat by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak in regard to the date of the 13th general election. Not too long ago he has strongly hinted that the polls will be held in November, but only recently he has said, "Let them speculate. I like them to speculate." This is a very irresponsible conduct coming from the leader of the nation. Not sticking to the November date shows that he is afraid of losing. Just as Barisan Nasional has said the Selangor Pakatan-led state government is afraid of losing when the latter announced that it would not be holding the state polls this year, the same yardstick can also be applied to the BN. Perhaps Najib wants to have the election next year so that he can regain Selangor at one go. It must be noted, too, that he has said guessing the election date is a national past-time. "In the first place, the election date is definitely not a game and should not have been made into a game. Therefore it is time to put a stop to it. This has gone on long enough," said M Manogaran, DAP MP for Teluk Intan. Another form of bullying from the powers-that-be is the refusal to clean up the electoral rolls. Instead, the citizens who took to the streets to ask for clean and fair elections have been set upon, attacked and beaten up. The constant bombardment of one-sided propaganda promoting BN, which includes biased reporting against Pakatan through the mainstream media to keep voters in the dark, can also be considered a form of bullying, with the intention of creating captive minds for easy manipulation. The harassment of NGOs, civil society activists and individuals connected with whistleblowing on the powers-that-be is also bullying. Punching-bag DAP Pertaining to the bullying of the opposition, the DAP has become a punching bag for both Umno and MCA. DAP has been accused of being anti-Malay and anti-Islam but, at the same time, is also accused of being supportive of the implemention of hudud law, with the exception of DAP stalwart, Karpal Singh. Therefore, DAP is cornered from all sides with contradictory accusations. Not very intelligent but enough to fool the gullible. DAP's service centres in Penang have also been splashed with red paint recently and also earlier this year. So much for DAP. As for Pakatan Rakyat leader Anwar Ibrahim, he has had to endure bullying punishment in the form of sex scandals and have had a shoe thrown at him in a mosque in Kedah earlier this month. His Pakatan bus which is currently going on a tour in the Peninsula in an effort to meet the rakyat has been splashed with red paint more than once (thrice at this time of writing). Nails have also been strewn on the road to damage the bus tyres, not to mention hostile youths blocking the route. Even Anwar's safety cannot be guaranteed from malicious forces, what more the safety of the average ordinary citizens. Earlier this year, too, Pakatan's ceramahs have been set upon by rowdy youths. The cars of Pakatan leaders have also been damaged. The victims of the car damage include Anwar, PAS Bukit Gantang MP Nizar Jamaluddin, PAS Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad and a Malacca DAP state assemblyman. Cars of DAP's dinner guests in Kuching have also suffered damage to the windscreen this year. Fortunately a windscreen repair shop proprietor, who is also a DAP member, has offered to provide discounted repairs. READ MORE HERE

Insults to Islam ignite violence in Pakistan, 15 killed Posted: 21 Sep 2012 02:42 PM PDT (Reuters) - ISLAMABAD: Muslim protests against insults to the Prophet Mohammad turned violent in Pakistan, where at least 15 people were killed yesterday, the Muslim day of prayer, but remained mostly peaceful in other Islamic countries. In France, where the publication of cartoons denigrating the Prophet stoked anger over an anti-Islam video made in California, authorities banned all protests over the issue. "There will be strictly no exceptions. Demonstrations will be banned and broken up," said Interior Minister Manuel Valls. Tunisia's Islamist-led government also banned protests against the images published by French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo. Four people were killed and almost 30 wounded last week when the U.S. embassy was stormed in a protest over the film. Many Western and Muslim politicians and clerics have appealed for calm, denouncing those behind the mockery of the Prophet, but also condemning violent reactions to it. At street level, Muslims enraged by attacks on their faith spoke of a culture war against those in the West who put rights to freedom of expression before religious sensitivities. "They hate him (the Prophet Mohammad) and show this through their continued works in the West, through their writings, cartoons, films and the way they launch war against him in schools," said Abdessalam Abdullah, a preacher at a mosque in Beirut's Palestinian refugee camp of Bourj al-Barajneh. Muslims consider any depiction of the Prophet blasphemous. Western diplomatic missions in Muslim nations tightened security ahead of Friday prayers. France ordered embassies, schools and cultural centers to close in a score of countries and Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said some would stay shut over the weekend. Cut him in pieces In Pakistan, tens of thousands of people joined protests encouraged by the government in several cities including Islamabad, Karachi, Peshawar, Lahore, Multan and Muzaffarabad. The bloodiest unrest erupted in the southern city of Karachi, where 10 people were killed, including three policemen, and more than 100 wounded, according to Allah Bachayo Memon, spokesman of the chief minister of Sindh province. He said about 20 vehicles, three banks and five cinemas were set on fire. Crowds set two cinemas ablaze and ransacked shops in the northwestern city of Peshawar, clashing with riot police who fired tear gas. At least five people were killed. In Mardan in the northwest, police said a Christian church was set on fire and several people hurt. Mohammed Tariq Khan, a protester in Islamabad, said: "Our demand is that whoever has blasphemed against our holy Prophet should be handed over to us so we can cut him up into tiny pieces in front of the entire nation." Security forces fired in the air in Peshawar and the eastern city of Lahore to keep protesters away from U.S. consulates. Police fired tear gas at about 1,000 protesters in Islamabad. The US embassy in Pakistan has run television spots, one featuring Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, saying the government had nothing to do with the film about Mohammad. Pakistan had declared Friday a "Day of Love" for the Prophet and Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf said an attack on Islam's founder was "an attack on the whole 1.5 billion Muslims". The Foreign Ministry summoned the US chargé d'affaires to lodge a protest over the video posted on YouTube, the latest in an array of irritants poisoning US-Pakistani relations. In neighbouring Afghanistan, police contacted religious and community leaders to try to prevent bloodshed. Protests in Kabul and the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif only attracted a few hundred people and no violence was reported, but a cleric told one crowd: "If you kill Americans, it's legal and allowable." About 10,000 Islamists gathered in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka after Friday prayers, chanting slogans and burning US and French flags and an effigy of US President Barack Obama. Peaceful protests Protests went off peacefully in the Arab world, where last week several embassies were attacked and the US envoy to Libya was killed in an initial burst of unrest over the film. Thousands of Libyans marched in Benghazi yesterday in support of democracy and against the Islamist militias that Washington blames for the attack on the US consulate last week that killed four Americans including the ambassador. Authorities said eight people in total had been arrested over the attack. Later, pro-government demonstrators stormed the headquarters of the Islamist Ansar al-Sharia militia, aiming to evict fighters from the site. A few dozen Egyptians protested near the French embassy in Cairo, but were kept away from the premises by police deployed in large numbers to avoid a repeat of violence at the US embassy last week. Mainstream Islamic leaders in Egypt, where Islamist parties have moved to the heart of government since Hosni Mubarak was toppled, have expressed outrage, but urged a peaceful response. In remarks to Reuters, the leader of the Nour Party, one of the biggest ultraorthodox Islamist parties in Egypt, echoed calls for the criminalization of insults to religions including Islam. But he said it was important to separate between an offender and an entire society. "The reasonable people in the West outnumber the thoughtless," said Emad Abdel Ghafour. "Contact should be kept up with the reasonable people," he added. "It is unreasonable that reactions come through arson and killing. We all suffer and are affected by these acts," he said. In Yemen, where the US embassy was stormed last week, several hundred Shi'ite protesters chanted anti-American slogans, but riot police blocked the route to the embassy. Anger over the film brought several thousand Shi'ites and Sunnis together in a rare show of sectarian unity in Iraq's southern city of Basra, where they burnt US and Israeli flags. Thousands marched against the film on Thursday in a district of eastern Saudi Arabia where members of the Shi'ite Muslim minority have staged anti-government demonstrations since last year, a local activist said. Photographs of the march showed protesters burning American flags. Lebanon's Hezbollah-run al-Manar television showed thousands of people waving Lebanese and yellow Hezbollah flags as they marched past the Roman ruins of Baalbek and shouted slogans such as "Death to America, death to those who insult the Prophet". Several hundred people demonstrated peacefully in the southwest German city of Freiburg. Some carried placards reading "Our Prophet Mohammad is taboo". "Both the film and the cartoons are malicious and deliberately provocative. The film particularly portrays a disgracefully distorted image of Muslims," Rupert Colville, spokesman for UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, told a news briefing in Geneva. He said Pillay upheld people's right to protest peacefully, but saw no justification for violent and destructive reactions. "In the case of Charlie Hebdo, given that they knew perfectly what happened in response to the film last week, it seems doubly irresponsible on their part to have published these cartoons," Colville said of the French magazine.

Who will be the Sabah opposition CM? Posted: 21 Sep 2012 02:40 PM PDT Sabah BN secretary Abdul Rahman Dahlan has given the opposition one month to announce who their chief minister will be. (FMT) - KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Barisan Nasional has thrown the opposition,namely Pakatan Rakyat, a challenge – "announce your shadow cabinet within a month". Aware that this will be a singularly impossible immediate feat for Sabah Pakatan which is grappling with seething resentment over newcomers – defectors from BN – flexing their muscles, Sabah BN secretary Abdul Rahman Dahlan said that Sabahans had the right to know who will be the state's chief minister if the opposition came into power. "We're giving them a month, ample time for their members to meet and discuss who should be made chief minister. "We're fair, we don't  expect them to come up with the shadow cabinet line-up tomorrow or the day after," he said. Abdul Rahman added that announcing their shadow cabinet would also reflect on the opposition's sincerity in supporting a two-party system. "In the west under the two-party concept, opposition parties must announce their shadow cabinet before the election so voters would be able to judge their experience, credibility and effectiveness in the cabinet. "Such act is also in line with the democratic process as the people will be able to know the candidates' backgrounds, track record and experience. "The people would then be able to judge for themselves the leaders' abilities and experiences," said Abdul Rahman He was speaking to reporters during a joint press conference here yesterday. Also present were Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) secretary-general Dr Henrynus Amin, United Pasok Momogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) secretary-general  Wilfred Madius Tangau; Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) secretary-general Dr Johnson Tee, Liberal Democratic Party secretary-general Teo Chee Kang, Parti Gerakan Sabah liaison secretary Wong Choon Seng, MCA Sabah liaison secretary Goh Wak Kheng and MIC Sabah liaison secretary Gannes Nandy. According to Abdul Rahman, the current conflicting statements from opposition leaders about candidates for ministerial posts were confusing Sabahans. READ MORE HERE

Report: M’sia high on religious intolerance Posted: 21 Sep 2012 02:38 PM PDT A US-based report suggests that while Malaysia's government was more relaxed on religious restrictions, it still had a long way to go.  Patrick Lee, FMT At  first glance, Malaysia may be enjoying more religious freedom today, according to the US-based think tank, the Pew Research Center. In a report entitled "Rising Tide of Restrictions on Religion" surveying 197 regions, Malaysia's government seemed to be more relaxed over religion, scoring 6.4 in mid-2010, compared to 8.1 in mid-2009. However, the decrease in government-applied restriction -collated under the report's Government Restriction Index- still puts it at 0.2 points below the "Very High" marker. As a result, the country now shares a "High" placement with nations such as Pakistan, Bangladesh and Iraq. At the same time, Malaysia seemed to have higher social hostility where religion was concerned. In mid-2009, the group's Social Hostility Index (SHI) marked Malaysia with a score of 1.3. In mid-2010, this figure increased to 2.2. As such, Malaysia is termed as a "Moderate" country SHI-wise, sharing the category with the US, Zimbabwe, Cambodia, Haiti and Australia. According to the report, the GRI's score was determined by various questions including: how national law and policy affected religious freedom. the regulation of religious symbols. harrassment of religious groups by any level of government. terming certain groups as "dangerous cults" or "sects". if all religious groups had same level of government access or privilege. The SHI on the other hand, was determined by questions such as: whether there were crimes involving religious hatred or bias. if sectarian violence occurred. if religious groups prevented other groups from operating. the threat of violence to enforce religious norms. the harrassment of women for violating dress codes. The report did not delve into Malaysia's individual score. Meanwhile, the report said that more than 5 billion people in the world today (75%) lived in a country where their government restricted them from practicing their faith. READ MORE HERE

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