| LIVE dari Singapura 'Siaran Langsung Taklimat Scorpene Oleh Peguam Perancis' Posted: 26 Nov 2012 12:28 PM PST 
Tarikh: 27 November 2012 (Selasa)
Masa: 12.00 tghari
Lokasi: KLSCAH (Dewan Himpunan Cina KL/Selangor) Telah yang dijangkakan, peguam dari Perancis akhirnya tidak diberi laluan untuk membuat taklimat mengenai isu Scorpene di Malaysia dan terpaksa memilih Hotel Changi Village, Singapura sebagai lokasi alternatif menyampaikan taklimat. Seperti yang dijanjikan, SAMM menyediakan ruangan awam untuk siaran secara LIVE dari Singapura untuk sepanjang sesi taklimat peguam Perancis. Jadilah antara rakyat Malaysia terawal yang mengikuti taklimat ini dengan hadir ke KLSCAH jam 12tghari (27nov).
Satu sidang media juga akan diadakan setelah tamat sesi taklimat.
ORANG RAMAI DAN SEMUA PENGAMAL MEDIA ADALAH DIJEMPUT HADIR
Mengapa Kerajaan Malaysia Takut Peguam Ini?
Apakah perkara/maklumat terbaru yang bakal disampaikan dalam taklimat peguam Perancis ini??
yang penting untuk diketahui:
1- siapa lelaki ke tiga 2 - apa peranan Altantuya 3 - siapa dia Aminah Abdullah? 4 - siapa dapat passport Malaysia? BAGAIMANA DUIT DIBAYAR - syarikat siapa? - alamat di mana? - siapa tuan yang ambil duit? APA PERANAN NAJIB - di mana mereka berjumpa? - kenapa Altantuya dibunuh? SEMUA INI DALAM TANGAN PEGUAM PERANCIS - termasuk gambar Najib dan Altantuya - termasuk bil makan dalam restoran - termasuk bil hotel
Kenyataan awal SAMM adalah seperti di bawah;
Kenyataan Media
23 November 2012 SAMM Cabar Kerajaan Bagi Laluan Peguam 'Scorpene' Perancis Masuk Malaysia Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM) mengalu-alukan dan sedia menyambut kedatangan peguam Perancis ke Malaysia untuk merungkai isu pembelian kapal selam Scorpene dalam sebuah sesi taklimat khusus kepada ahli parlimen di Parlimen Malaysia. Ahli parlimen juga tanpa mengira warna kepartian harus bersama mendengar taklimat yang akan disampaikan kerana perkembangan isu Scorpene sangat penting. Namun sehingga hari ini masih belum ada sebarang kata putus dari pihak Kerajaan Malaysia membenarkan atau tidak kemasukkan peguam Perancis untuk memberi taklimat mengenai skandal Scorpene. Sikap kerajaan yang membisu ini bukan sahaja menimbulkan lebih banyak persoalan malah menyebabkan persediaan untuk sesi taklimat yang telah diatur terganggu sehingga terpaksa ditangguh minggu depan. SAMM sekali lagi ingin menegaskan sekiranya tiada berlaku rasuah atau apa jua kesalahan serius maka tiada sebab untuk peguam dari Perancis, William Bourdon dan Joseph Breham dihalang untuk masuk ke negara ini. Apakah faktor yang menyebabkan kerajaan takut sehingga peguam yang sama pernah diheret keluar dari negara ini pada 22 Julai tahun lalu? SAMM dengan ini mencabar kerajaan Malaysia supaya berani atas nama kebenaran untuk memberi laluan kepada peguam Perancis ini masuk ke Malaysia. Kerajaan juga digesa untuk memberi jawapan kebenaran lebih awal, boleh atau tidak boleh? Kerajaan perlu berani dan jangan jadi penakut walaupun untuk katakan 'tidak boleh'. Untuk memastikan orang ramai mendapat first hand information SAMM akan menyediakan satu ruang awam untuk rakyat ikuti taklimat peguam Perancis di parlimen secara siaran langsung, akan dimaklum dalam sedikit masa. Selain itu, SAMM juga bercadang untuk membawa William Bourdon ke Jelajah Scorpene SAMM-Suaram siri ke-5 di Kuala Terengganu pada 30 November ini. Kehangatan isu Scorpene berada di kemuncaknya apabila SAMM kini sedang dalam jelajah ke seluruh negara juga dikenali sebagai LeTourDeScorpene dan disambut hebat dalam 4 siri sebelumnya di empat buah negeri, menjadi bukti isu Scorpene adalah isu yang dekat dengan rakyat. Bersekutu dengan Suaram, Jelajah Scorpene kini menuju siri ke-lima di Kuala Terengganu sebelum beberapa siri lagi akan menyusul di Selangor dan Perak.Sekian |
| Don: Economy shows signs of kleptocracy Posted: 26 Nov 2012 12:24 PM PST  Associate Professor Syed Farid Alatas of the Department of Sociology, National University of S'pore
(fz.com) - Farid emphasised that corruption is not one of the many problems that Malaysia faces but the major problem that spawns other problems in other areas such as crime, the environment and education. An academician said the Malaysian political system shows signs of "kleptocracy", which he saw as a systemic practice of corruption embedded into the state and politics. "There is corruption in all countries," said Associate Professor Syed Farid Alatas of the Department of Sociology at the National University of Singapore. "The question is whether we are a country where corruption is the dominant means of doing business. In other words, is Malaysia what I call a kleptocracy?" Farid was speaking at a forum entitled "Eradicating Corruption: How Successful Have We Been?" held in conjunction with the launch of an interim research report on anti-corruption initiatives in Malaysia. He defined kleptocracy as a state dominated by kleptocrats who engage in corruption as a major, if not principal, means of capital accumulation. He also noted that corruption in a country like Malaysia isn't a random or occasional phenomenon and could well be the fifth factor of production. "Key kleptocrats are not mid or low level civil servants who extort or accept bribes to make a living but high-level politicians and bureaucrats who engage in corrupt activities as a means of accumulating capital," Farid added. He then sought to move away from the usual indicators of Malaysia's level of corruption - like the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) and the Global Corruption Barometer (GCB) – opting instead to base his views on objective rather than perceptive criteria. The CPI score is predominantly based on the opinion of experts or business executives and not of the common citizens, and has been criticised for being skewed by the experiences of these groups. Farid pointed out that there are many other issues that reflect the realities in Malaysia that suggest flaws in the way laws have been implemented or with the laws themselves. "There are many aspects of a country's development that point to a constant or even increasing rate of corruption," he said. "For example, Malaysia doesn't seem to be able to build decent roads. Many believe that the reason for our poor roads is because substandard materials are being used and that somewhere along the expenditure and procurement chain officials and contractors are making money from government contracts." Farid then questioned why taxis that ferry passengers to the airport are not allowed to bring passengers home as is the practice in every developed and even underdeveloped country. He further said that corruption is experienced by the ordinary Malaysian in rising crime rates, fragmentation of natural forest cover, the "sorry state" of the education system and the unemployability of fresh graduates. "Corruption is not a crime like other crimes," Farid stated. "In other crimes the impact of the criminal act is restricted to the victim whereas corruption has far-reaching consequences. In a sense, corruption is a weapon of mass destruction." Read more at: http://fz.com/content/don-economy-shows-signs-kleptocracy |
| Can MCA deliver for Najib? Posted: 26 Nov 2012 12:19 PM PST 
Is Najib lashing out at DAP because he's frustrated with MCA's inability to sustain Chinese support? Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz (Free Malaysia Today) Why should any self-respecting Malay support Umno which stands idly by and endorses a party like the MCA? MCA can no longer sustain Chinese support and Umno is absolutely disabled to help. So it has come to this because all this while Umno has turned MCA into a party of honorary Malays. Now Umno reaps what it has sown. The prospect of DAP supplanting and eliminating MCA altogether is the main reason why Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is attempting meek scare-mongering tactic. But people are not buying whatever you say now, Mr PM. Najib says Malays are fed up with DAP. Well, let me tell you this. Those who know Najib well, knows he is playing to the gallery. He is acutely aware that he is speaking among political rejects. MCA's influence over its ethnic group is fast diminishing. Its claim that it's regaining legitimacy among the Chinese sounds so phony and laughable. MCA knows it can only deliver at best three parliamentary seats in the coming general election. The party has been reduced to the status of a neutered Chihuahua. Doing the unthinkable We will humour both Najib and his sleeping partner, MCA. Now why should the Malays be fed up? DAP, after all, has always contested in areas where MCA candidates stand. In which case DAP poses no threat to Umno. So, could it be that Najib is really and actually fed up with MCA for being completely impotent at winning over the Chinese? MCA bends over and does the unthinkable – it articulates issues that alienate them further from Malay votes while at the same time, places Malaysian Chinese as seemingly natural enemies to Malays. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2012/11/27/can-mca-deliver-for-najib/ |
| Should Anwar become PM or not? Posted: 26 Nov 2012 12:13 PM PST 
Even if he becomes the next PM of Malaysia, he may be on the seat for only one term to set the course straight for the new generation of Malaysian leaders who are beginning to see that the only way forward for Malaysia is for her to treat all her citizens equally no matter what race or what religion one belongs to or believes in. P Dev Anand Pillai, FMT Letter There seems to be some confusion on who may be the next Prime Minister should PR take federal power in the coming general elections. As usual there were many spins in the pro Umno blogs that there could have been a deal made by the leader of the current administration and the leader of the opposition that he will be freed from being convicted of the Sodomy II episode if the leader of PAS is allowed to become the next PM should PR win the elections. This is a classic spin tale which we have seen so much of since the time of former PM Dr Mahathir. We still succumb to such tales because we have let ourselves be led by spin masters who ply their skill through the media to control the minds of the people. This is one reason why the freedom of speech, association and assembly is so important. Through the freedom of speech the freedom to opine becomes necessary. What we seem to see is the spin masters trying to create a riff between the parties in the opposition so that they will be distracted by it whilst the BN goes on as usual to win another term in office though not winning the popular vote of the people. By telling the people that freedom of speech and the right to protest will lead to rightful governments being toppled, the leader of a former administration seems to indirectly say that Umno knows what is best for the people and that is how it should be and no one no matter how high that person may be is forbidden to question it. Further we even have people reminding us that we ought to respect the so called social contract where the non Malays accepted by being lesser of an equal to the Malays in exchange for being allowed to live here, this is all nothing but the staple mantra that will be said at the nearing of every general election when there is a strong wind of public support blowing towards the opposition. All this has been said and said many times before and whenever the people being as gullible as they may be due to the education system that never encourages thinking and questioning, vote in the BN, everything then goes back to normal mode where corruption continues as a way of life whilst the cost of all the follies of large scale and massive corruption is then passed down to the gullible and dumb people of Malaysia again. Now by pitting PAS and PKR on whom should be the PM should they capture federal power, is actually a jibe at the Malay mind set and the maturity of the Malay intellect, the question that the people should respond with is, Can't any other Malay besides that from Umno be the Prime Minister of Malaysia? Aren't there any other candidates besides those from blue political blood linage of Umno qualified enough to lead Malaysia? The question of whether Anwar should be the Prime Minister or not is now not the issue at all, even if there is another cooked up allegation which may then start episode III of the Sodomy trials that we all have become so used to, reform and a quest for a change of government has already taken root deep in this country now for it to just fade away should Anwar be jailed again on some trumped up charges. Even if he becomes the next PM of Malaysia, he may be on the seat for only one term to set the course straight for the new generation of Malaysian leaders who are beginning to see that the only way forward for Malaysia is for her to treat all her citizens equally no matter what race or what religion one belongs to or believes in. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2012/11/27/should-anwar-become-pm-or-not/ |
| Puteri must wake up from deep slumber Posted: 26 Nov 2012 12:10 PM PST 
(Free Malaysia Today) - The movement just did not have the leadership capability to reach out to the youngsters using the new media as the platform. Its failure has somewhat driven the youngsters to the other side where its use of the new media has been effective in influencing the young blood. The Umno general assembly is a chance for Umno young women's wing to make itself visible and relevant again. Puteri Umno is not making much of an impact these days. It seems to be hibernating, oblivious to the political storms buffeting Umno and its leaders. The movement was set up in 2001 to primarily engage with youngsters, particularly women aged 35 and below and who are either in college or working. Initially it was full of enthusiasm and drive under the leadership of Azalina Othman Said who helmed the movement from 2002 to 2004. It even "stole" the limelight from Wanita Umno. But over the years the movement has lost its energy and, under the current leadership of Rosnah Shirlin Rashid, it seems to be out of touch with reality. It has gone into deep slumber. It is not connecting with today's youngsters who number about three million and who are first time-voters in the coming general election. It is hardly heard of in the country's vigorous political scene as its activities are not mentioned much in the public domain. The movement's failure in engaging with the youngsters probably prompted Umno president Najib Tun Razak to reach out to the youngsters himself through the alternative media such as Facebook, Twitter and so on. In recent times, when Najib came under heavy fire from the opposition, the Puteri Umno brigade is nowhere to be seen to defend the big boss. Political observers believe this silence is not good for Umno's image and credibility. At a time when Najib sorely needs the support of its members to help him move forward in his transformation programmes against the opposition onslaught, the Puteri movement is just not there to repulse the attacks. The movement also does not seem to be moving with the times. It is not seen using the new media such as blogs or online news portals to reach out to the female youngsters and connect intellectually with them to woo them over to Umno and Barisan Nasional. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2012/11/27/puteri-must-wake-up-from-deep-slumber/ |
| Rosmah Mansor defends controversial 'public morality' clause Posted: 26 Nov 2012 12:09 PM PST 
(Phnom Penh Post) - In the wake of the controversial endorsement this week of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration, the wife of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak defended her country's insistence on preserving the document's "public morality" clause, which rights groups have condemned as subjective and discriminatory against women and sexual minorities. Datin Seri Paduka Rosmah Mansor told the Post in an exclusive interview the clause was something Malaysia "wouldn't, or shouldn't, compromise... on high morality." "To me... human rights [are] the rights of an individual based on what you believe in, based on your culture and your religion. Fine, you want to recognise [LGBT rights], you think that's right, you don't want to follow what is in your bible, fine, I'm not condemning that... But this is the way we want to run our country. Based on... high morality. "You know why HIV and AIDS occur... how it is being spread. Now the number of people suffering from HIV is alarming. What is it you want? Do you want to allow this... or do you want to contain it – then this is the way we all should live." In September, the Sin Chew Daily and foreign media outlets such as The Huffington Postreported that the Malaysian Education Ministry had supported a "guideline" for parents in how to identify gay and lesbian children — claims the Malaysian government denied. But Rosmah maintained: "You have to nip [homosexuality] in the bud. "If you don't, when the time comes and you have to stop [homosexuality], you will find it's too late." Rosmah's claims have drawn the ire of human-rights groups around Southeast Asia. Dr Yuval Ginbar, a legal adviser and ASEAN expert with Amnesty International, told the Post three of the declaration's general principles, one of which was the "public morality" clause, severely hampered human-rights protection. The Southeast Asia Women's Caucus on ASEAN declared in September that public morality had not been defined in international human-rights standards and its interpretation in daily life had been largely based on dominant political, cultural and religious regimes. Ivy Josiah, executive director of the Malaysian NGO Women's Aid Organisation, said it was "disappointing to hear teachers will be encouraged to conduct witch-hunts in schools looking for signs as to who is gay. This, in effect, is an endorsement of promoting hatred." Cambodian Center for Human Rights president Ou Virak labelled Rosmah's comments "outrageous". "Come on, it's 2012 – these are bogus and extremely homophobic claims that HIV is a result of homosexuality – the world knows this is not true," he said. "This confirms our fears about the declaration – that these clauses were included to give governments excuses to not uphold universal principles of human rights." Thilaga Sulathireh, from the ASEAN LGBT Caucus, said Malaysia's views on public morality and homosexuality were archaic and economically and politically motivated. Contacted for comment yesterday, the Malaysian embassy forwarded the request to the prime minister's office, which did not reply by press time. |
| Exco Pas Kedah persoal Karpal Posted: 26 Nov 2012 04:48 AM PST 
(Utusan Malaysia) - Seorang Exco kerajaan Negeri Kedah hari ini melontarkan persoalan kepada Karpal Singh apakah bekalan air yang disalurkan kepada rakyat di Pulau Pinang percuma berikutan permintaan Pengerusi DAP itu agar negeri tersebut tidak memperdagangkan sumber semula jadi kerana air satu anugerah tuhan. @font-face p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal div.Section1 Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Kerajaan Tempatan, Bekalan Air, Sumber Air Dan Tenaga negeri, Datuk Phahrolrazi Zawawi berkata, meskipun air itu anugerah tuhan, penjagaan sumber alam itu termasuk untuk mengekalkan kawasan tadahannya melibatkan perbelanjaan. "Yang syarikat air caj bekalan air itu macam mana? Ini bukan soal dagang, soal sekarang kena bayar, (atau) tidak kena bayar. "Perbadanan Bekalan Air Pulau Pinang bagi percuma ke? Itu untuk air yang dirawat. Yang ini air mentah tetapi hutan kena jaga, penguatkuasaan kena buat dan melibatkan kos," katanya ketika dihubungi Utusan Malaysia di sini hari ini. Seorang Exco kerajaan Negeri Kedah hari ini melontarkan persoalan kepada Karpal Singh apakah bekalan air yang disalurkan kepada rakyat di Pulau Pinang percuma berikutan permintaan Pengerusi DAP itu agar negeri tersebut tidak memperdagangkan sumber semula jadi kerana air satu anugerah tuhan. Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Kerajaan Tempatan, Bekalan Air, Sumber Air Dan Tenaga negeri, Datuk Phahrolrazi Zawawi berkata, meskipun air itu anugerah tuhan, penjagaan sumber alam itu termasuk untuk mengekalkan kawasan tadahannya melibatkan perbelanjaan. "Yang syarikat air caj bekalan air itu macam mana? Ini bukan soal dagang, soal sekarang kena bayar, (atau) tidak kena bayar. "Perbadanan Bekalan Air Pulau Pinang bagi percuma ke? Itu untuk air yang dirawat. Yang ini air mentah tetapi hutan kena jaga, penguatkuasaan kena buat dan melibatkan kos," katanya ketika dihubungi Utusan Malaysia di sini hari ini. Artikel Penuh: http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/Dalam_Negeri/20121127/dn_02/Exco-Pas-Kedah-persoal-Karpal#ixzz2DMcmaCHh © Utusan Melayu (M) Bhd Seorang Exco kerajaan Negeri Kedah hari ini melontarkan persoalan kepada Karpal Singh apakah bekalan air yang disalurkan kepada rakyat di Pulau Pinang percuma berikutan permintaan Pengerusi DAP itu agar negeri tersebut tidak memperdagangkan sumber semula jadi kerana air satu anugerah tuhan. Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Kerajaan Tempatan, Bekalan Air, Sumber Air Dan Tenaga negeri, Datuk Phahrolrazi Zawawi berkata, meskipun air itu anugerah tuhan, penjagaan sumber alam itu termasuk untuk mengekalkan kawasan tadahannya melibatkan perbelanjaan. "Yang syarikat air caj bekalan air itu macam mana? Ini bukan soal dagang, soal sekarang kena bayar, (atau) tidak kena bayar. "Perbadanan Bekalan Air Pulau Pinang bagi percuma ke? Itu untuk air yang dirawat. Yang ini air mentah tetapi hutan kena jaga, penguatkuasaan kena buat dan melibatkan kos," katanya ketika dihubungi Utusan Malaysia di sini hari ini. Artikel Penuh: http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/Dalam_Negeri/20121127/dn_02/Exco-Pas-Kedah-persoal-Karpal#ixzz2DMcmaCHh © Utusan Melayu (M) Bhd |
| ‘Political links behind inaction on 6P mess’ Posted: 25 Nov 2012 07:53 PM PST 
Tenaganita's Irene Fernandez says that political links is one of the reasons why the government is being silent on exploitation of foreign workers under the 6P programme Teoh El Sen, FMT The Malaysian government's inaction in solving the 6P amnesty programme "fiasco" is due to strong political links between errant agents and the BN, Tenaganita's Irene Fernandez alleged today. The migrant rights NGO's executive director was commenting on the revelation that former Home Minister Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad, is a director of a government-appointed agent which is being investigated by the police for several human trafficking related offences. "The presence of a former minister in a company that has been found to have committed so many alleged crimes speaks volumes. This is yet another reminder of how urgent and imperative it is that investigations into allegations of corruption and state complicity in fraud involving the 6P programme be carried out independently, and openly," said Fernandez. "This tells you why there has been inaction. It is because of the strong political links to the regime and the government of the day. This is blatant fraud, but nothing is done," she said. 
Fernandez also called upon Mohd Radzi, currently MP of Kangar, to declare his assets and how much money he has made from the company, SNT Universal Corporation Sdn Bhd. "I find it strange that a lawmaker does not know what his responsibility is in a company," she said. She alleged that Radzi, during his tenure as minister, was himself responsible for the victimisation of thousands of Bangladeshi workers. In 2006, the government lifted a 10-year freeze on the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers. Thousands were then recruited and cheated through an outsourcing process, said Irene. She said that the same "fraudulent" outsourcing companies were now given the opportunity to cheat again when they were appointed to act as agents under the 6P amnesty programme. "More than one year after the 6P was announced, thousands who have paid between RM3,000 to RM4,000 to these companies to be legalised remain undocumented. They are open to arrest, detention and whipping under the Immigration Act," she said. Bogus employers Fernandez said that many migrants continue to be threatened and abused by these agents, who insist on obtaining fradulent work permits through "bogus employers". Police and official reports have been lodged but nothing has come out of it. On Nov 23, FMT reported about Mohd Radzi's directorship in SNT Universal Corporation, which is being investigated for exploiting about 200 foreign workers, mainly Bangladeshis. SNT had allegedly falsely claimed that it is able to register foreigners under the 6P programme and getting work permits for them, setting up dozens of bogus employment agencies, and assaulting job-seeking foreigners. The last allegation is based on CCTV recordings. According to the Companies Commission of Malaysia (CCM), Radzi became a director of SNT on May 17, 2011. 
However, Radzi's response was that "some friends" roped him into being an SNT director and denied knowledge of its activities. "I'm not involved in human trafficking," he said. "People ask me to become a director in all sorts of things. I have no connection with the company." Under the 6P programme, illegal foreign workers will either be legalised or deported without punishment. The six Ps represent the Malay words for registration, legalisation, amnesty, monitoring, enforcement and deportation. The government has appointed more than 300 companies to handle registration. READ MORE HERE |
| The Dome of the Rock: an academic study Posted: 25 Nov 2012 07:22 PM PST 
This is certainly a very interesting hypothesis and quite difficult to dismiss without further examination. The fact that the inscription talks about Jesus and the "Muhammad" in the inscription, if translated to "the praised one", can also be talking about Jesus gives credence to this hypothesis. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin The Dome of the Rock is a shrine or memorial located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. It was built by the Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik and was completed in AD 691. The Temple Mount, known in Hebrew (and in Judaism) as Har haBáyith and in Arabic (and in Islam) as the Haram Ash-Sharif (al-haram al-qudsī ash-sharīf means Noble Sanctuary), is one of the most important religious sites in the Old City of Jerusalem. It has been used as a religious site for thousands of years. At least four religions are known to have used the Temple Mount as their holy site: Judaism, Islam, Christianity, and Roman paganism. The inscriptions on the Dome of the Rock can be seen below. The two 'key words' in those inscriptions would be "Islam" and "Muhammad". Hence, going by these two key words, the Dome of the Rock is believed to have been built by a Muslim -- the Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik -- and it is further believed to have been built as a shrine or memorial to the Prophet Muhammad, the prophet of Islam. In Arabic, the word "Islam" means "submission" or "surrender", which is derived from the root word "salam". From this root word, you can also derive the words "peace" and "safety". Many people feel that Islam implies some sort of "enslavement to Allah", but others find it more viable to define the word "Islam" as "surrender". The word "Muhammad" is derived from the Arabic root word "hamd" or "praise". It is the emphatic passive participle of that root and can be translated as "the Oft-Praised One". As for "Ahmad", it is the superlative form of the same root word "hamd", which means "the Highly Praised One". If you were to interpret the word "Islam" as "submission" or "surrender" and the word "Muhammad" as "the praised one", then the inscriptions will take on an entirely different meaning. Western scholars are beginning to question whether the Dome of the Rock is a memorial to the Prophet Muhammad or a memorial to Jesus Christ. For example, "Muhammad is the Messenger of God, the blessing of God be on him" can also be interpreted to mean: "The praised one is the Messenger of God, the blessing of God be on him". "Muhammad is the servant of God and His Messenger" can also be interpreted to mean: "The praised one is the servant of God and His Messenger". Now, assuming that the "Muhammad" in the inscription does not refer to Muhammad the person (the proper noun) but refers to "the praised one" (an adjective), whom, therefore, are they referring to? If you were to look at the other parts of the inscription, it talks about "The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only a Messenger of God". Then it goes on to say: "It befitteth not God that He should take unto Himself a son" and "There is no god but God". Scholars believe that this is evidence that the inscription is not talking about Prophet Muhammad but about Jesus Christ and that this 'doctrine of faith' is meant to counter or dispute the Christian dogma that Jesus is the Son of God and the Lord (Jesus) -- and that Jesus was merely a messenger or prophet of God. If these scholars are correct in their assumptions, this throws a whole new light on the more than 1,000-year-old conflict as to who owns this holy site. Was this structure built as a memorial to Prophet Muhammad or to Jesus Christ? And if it is a memorial to Jesus Christ, was it built to counter the Christian dogma of the Holy Trinity and present Jesus as a mere mortal and messenger/prophet of God rather than the Lord and Son of God? This is certainly a very interesting hypothesis and quite difficult to dismiss without further examination. The fact that the inscription talks about Jesus and the "Muhammad" in the inscription, if translated to "the praised one", can also be referring to Jesus gives credence to this hypothesis. Nevertheless, it will be very difficult for most people to accept this hypothesis as a possibility considering that for more than 1,000 years people have held on to a certain belief and now you are asking them to rethink this whole thing. You are also telling them that for more than 1,000 years what they believed may not have been correct after all. One more 'troubling' thing about this hypothesis is that Caliph Abd al-Malik was supposed to be a Muslim. Therefore, if he had built this as a shrine for Jesus Christ rather than Prophet Muhammad, does this mean the Caliph was not a Muslim but a Christian? This would be the most difficult question facing Muslims who may choose to consider this hypothesis as a possibility. I suppose this is why the Muslim ulama' say you must not think too much because too much thinking may confuse you and lead you astray. Hmm…maybe I should stop thinking about this then. *************************************************** 
INSCIPTIONS ON THE DOME OF THE ROCK INSCRIPTIONS ON THE INSIDE OF THE OCTAGONAL ARCADE S: In the name of God, the Merciful the Compassionate. There is no god but God. He is One. He has no associate. Unto Him belongeth sovereignity and unto Him belongeth praise. He quickeneth and He giveth death; and He has Power over all things. Muhammad is the servant of God and His Messenger. SE: Lo! God and His angels shower blessings on the Prophet. O ye who believe! Ask blessings on him and salute him with a worthy salutation. The blessing of God be on him and peace be on him, and may God have mercy. O People of the Book! Do not exaggerate in your religion E: nor utter aught concerning God save the truth. The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only a Messenger of God, and His Word which He conveyed unto Mary, and a spirit from Him. So believe in God and His messengers, and say not 'Three' – Cease! NE: better for you! – God is only One God. Far be it removed from His transcendent majesty that He should have a son. His is all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. And God is sufficient as Defender. The Messiah will never scorn to be a N: servant unto God, nor will the favoured angels. Whoso scorneth His service and is proud, all such will He assemble unto Him. Oh God, bless Your Messenger and Your servant Jesus NW: son of Mary. Peace be on him the day he was born, and the day he dies, and the day he shall be raised alive! Such was Jesus, son of Mary, a statement of the truth concerning which they doubt. It befitteth not God that He should take unto Himself a son. Glory be to Him! W: When He decreeth a thing, He saith unto it only: Be! and it is. Lo! God is my Lord and your Lord. So serve Him. That is the right path. God is witness that there is no God save Him. And the angels and the men of learning. Maintaining His creation in justice, there is no God save Him, SW: the Almighty, the Wise. Lo! religion with God Islam. Those who received the Book differed only after knowledge came unto them, through transgression among themselves. Whoso disbelieveth the revelations of God lo! God is swift at reckoning! INSCRIPTIONS ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE OCTAGONAL ARCADE S: In the name of God, the Merciful the Compassionate. There is no god but God. He is One. He has no associate. Say: He is God, the One! God, the eternally Besought of all! He begetteth not nor was begotten. And there is none comparable unto Him. Muhammad is the Messenger of God, the blessing of God be on him. SW: In the name of God, the Merciful the Compassionate. There is no god but God. He is One. He has no associate. Muhammad is the Messenger of God. Lo! God and His angels shower blessings on the Prophet. W: O ye who believe! Ask blessings on him and salute him with a worthy salutation. In the name of God, the Merciful the Compassionate. There is no god but God. He is One. Praise be to NW: God, Who hath not taken unto Himself a son, and Who hath no partner in the Sovereignty, nor hath He any protecting friend through dependence. And magnify Him with all magnificence. Muhammad is the Messenger of N: God, the blessing of God be on him and the angels and His prophets, and peace be on him, and may God have mercy. In the name of God, the Merciful the Compassionate. There is no god but God. He is One. He has no associate. NE: Unto Him belongeth sovereignty and unto Him belongeth praise. He quickeneth. And He giveth death; and He has Power over all things. Muhammad is the Messenger of God, the blessing of God be on him. May He accept his intercession on the Day of Judgment on behalf of his people. E: In the name of God, the Merciful the Compassionate. There is no god but God. He is One. He has no associate. Muhammad is the Messenger of God, the blessing of God be on him. The dome was built by servant of God 'Abd SE: of the Faithful, in the year two and seventy. May God accept from him and be content with him. Amen, Lord of the worlds, praise be to God. |
| Assemblyman claims S'gor govt prevented Syabas from reducing non-revenue water Posted: 25 Nov 2012 05:51 PM PST 
(Bernama) - A Selangor Barisan Nasional (BN) state assemblyman today claimed that the state government had prevented water supply company Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas) from slashing the rate of non-revenue water (NRW) in the state since 2009. Sulaiman Abdul Razak, the assemblyman for Permatang, alleged that the state government had frozen Syabas' capital expenditure (capex), rendering it unable to implement maintenance work to reduce NRW. "As such, the state government cannot blame Syabas for the failure to reduce NRW; it should assume the blame itself," he told a news conference at the lobby of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly, here. In the house earlier, when replying to a question from Datuk Dr Karim Mansor (BN-Tanjung Sepat), Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said that an agreement among Syabas, the state government and the federal government required the water concessionaire to reduce the rate of NRW to 27 per cent in 2009, 19 per cent in 2012 and 15 per cent in 2015. "The rate of NRW in 2012 is 32.6 per cent. It is clear that Syabas did not focus on water resources management," Abdul Khalid said. There was a tense moment in the assembly when Abdul Khalid accused Sulaiman of being a Syabas agent when the latter sought an explanation on the NRW issue in Selangor. |
| Templer Park not under threat, says Selangor Exco Wong Posted: 25 Nov 2012 05:41 PM PST 
(The Star) - The Selangor government has denied reports that the Templer Park Forest Reserve is under threat due to the construction of an elevated highway and luxury bungalows. State executive councillor Elizabeth Wong said the 800ha reserve had been untouched since 2008.
She said the 6.29ha site, as reported in The Star, as part of the forest reserve approved for the construction of luxury bungalows, is on private land at Taman Templer.
The Selangor tourism, consumer affairs and environment committee chairman explained that Taman Templer differed from the Templer Park Forest Reserve, adding that the state government, in 1987, had sold a portion of the forest land to a private company for the purpose of setting up a gold course.
"The proposed development of a 6.29ha site, by Shinning Crest Sdn Bhd, is located on private land next to the Taman Templer Villas development," she said.
Wong said the reported 39.44ha taken from the Kancing Forest Reserve to construct an elevated highway was also inaccurate.
In 2005, the state government gave the approval for 30ha only but the current state government fought for the area, which would be used to construct the highway, to be reduced to 15ha.
"The photo is also not taken from the forest reserve. It is, in fact, a picture of a private land for agriculture activities," Wong said of the photo which was used in The Star's frontpage last Tuesday.
Except for a forest reserve in Sabak Bernam which was de-gazetted for housing development, Wong stressed that the state government had not de-gazetted any other forest reserves in Selangor for similar purpose since Pakatan Rakyat took office in 2008.
"The forest reserve (in Sabak Bernam) was de-gazetted in 2009 because settlers there had been living in the forest reserve since the colonial period," she added.
The Star reported that over 39.44ha of the Kanching Forest Reserve was being cleared for a 60m-high elevated highway called the Rawang Bypass while 6.29ha of hillslopes at a private lot near Bukit Takun have been approved by the Selayang Municipal Council for the building of 60 luxury bungalows.
Nearby residents and environmental groups have since expressed concern over the matter, saying that they were told the project would involve clearing Class 3 and 4 hillslopes of 25 degrees and above 35 degrees respectively. |
| Genneva freeze not fair to investors, says Dr M Posted: 25 Nov 2012 04:02 PM PST 
Zurairi AR, The Malaysian Insider Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad appeared today to defend gold trading firm Genneva Malaysia, and asked Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) to lift the suspension of its assets. He made his remarks today despite a recent explanation by Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Awang Adek Hussin in Parliament that Genneva's liabilities exceeded its assets and that showed the company was unable to pay returns to its investors.  File photo of gold bars sold by Genneva. "I don't know what is wrong with the Genneva thing, they claim that they aren't operating this pyramid scheme," Dr Mahathir told reporters after addressing the 3rd World Conference of Riba (usury) here. "Investigate first because if you stop the transaction, people's money will be locked out and they cannot use, they cannot even get the gold ... They deserve fair treatment." He also urged the authorities to regulate gold trading as he extolled the advantages of keeping and buying gold. Genneva's gold, which was advertised as syariah-compliant gold, was launched in December 2010 by Dr Mahathir, and a number of its traders were spurred on by the former PM's recommendation. Dr Mahathir, who was prime minister for 22 years before retiring in 2003, is an advocate of the gold standard and has urged for its adoption in global trade following the decline of the US dollar. In January at the International Conference on Global Movement of Moderates dinner, Dr Mahathir had urged struggling economies to value their currency to gold instead of the US dollar. "You don't really have to exchange gold but to value your currency against it. "Then you can have a business based not on speculation or manipulation, but on real value," he said, while predicting a return to a Bretton Woods-style fixed currency exchange in coming years. The Bretton Woods Agreement is an international trade agreement signed after World War II, which benchmarked the currencies of its signatory countries against gold and the US dollar. Genneva's bank accounts and other assets have been frozen by BNM since October 1, following suspicion that the company allegedly breached several banking and financial laws such as illegal deposit-taking, money laundering, tax evasion and appointing agents without licence, after several people lodged complaints with the police. Genneva has some 60,000 customers and a monthly turnover of RM2 billion, according to its traders interviewed by The Malaysian Insider last month, but the company's website states 50,000 customers and a turnover of RM3 billion. Bank Negara Governor Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz has also said the central bank was fast-tracking investigations into the controversial gold trading company so that its customers would not be kept waiting for too long. Genneva, Pageantry Gold Bhd, Caesar Gold Sdn Bhd, Worldwide Far East Bhd and Bestino Group Bhd are among 25 individuals and companies offering unlicensed activities that were placed on an investor alert list by the central bank last year, double the number from 2010 and the highest on record since 2003. |
| Karpal leaves political fate to party delegates Posted: 25 Nov 2012 03:57 PM PST 
(The Star) - DAP chairman Karpal Singh, who is contesting for a seat in the central executive committee, is leaving his political fate to the delegates. "I have offered myself but it is up to the delegates to elect the best at the CEC election. "My fate is in the hands of the delegates everyone has a right to speak (but) I cannot please everyone," he said here yesterday. The Bukit Gelugor MP was commenting on a report claiming that a "grand design" by the "Lim Dynasty" faction aligned to party adviser and Ipoh Timur MP Lim Kit Siang and son, secretary-general Guan Eng, to oust him from the committee in the party's national elections next month. The report quoted former DAP grassroots leader Tan Tuan Tat as saying that the plan was hatched to protect the interest of a few as "the warlords don't want the Singh to be their king". He had said that they were extremely upset with Karpal's insistence on a "one man, one seat" electoral formula to face the next general election. Karpal said each time a party election came up, groups would be out to create stories. |
| Importance of local government elections Posted: 25 Nov 2012 03:51 PM PST 
Azmi Sharom THE Batu Caves condominium project has raised some interesting talking points. The most obvious of these, the one taken up by the many comments I have read on the internet, is the sheer bald faced cheek of the BN government. For the Prime Minister to promise the ending of an unpopular project if his party is elected into power beggars belief when it is the local authority which was appointed by his very own party which gave the approval in the first place. Then for the MCA to chip in by saying that the Pakatan state government was at fault for not stopping the project themselves is akin to a thief saying the theft is the fault of the victim because he did nothing to stop it happening. But then, this level of ridiculousness is to be expected. Let's look at something a bit more constructive than the shamelessness of some politicos. For me, this whole fiasco serves as greater proof that there has to be a complete overhaul of our local governments. Firstly we need to bring back local government elections. The current system of appointment of councillors by the state government is simply not democratic. There is also the danger of councillors being beholden to the ones who appointed them. Instead they really should be beholden to the people who live in the area. Furthermore, although I know there are many local authorities and councillors who work very hard and make themselves accessible to their "constituents", what is truly needed is the institutionalising of a system where they are structurally answerable to the people. There are far too many cases of local authorities acting in a high handed manner simply because they know that ultimately there is very little that the ordinary folk can do. The argument that you indirectly select your local government by the state government you vote for does not hold water. This is because the job of the state government is very different from the job of the local government. There are broader political and policy issues that come into play when choosing your state representative. A local representative need not even be affiliated with any party. What people want are councillors who are dedicated and work hard on local issues. State-wide, let alone national issues, does not come into the equation of tree trimming, drain clearing and garbage collection. READ MORE HERE |
| PAS bantah konsert Elton John Posted: 25 Nov 2012 03:35 PM PST 
(The Malaysian Times) - Ketua Pemuda PAS Pusat, Nasrudin Hassan Tantawi menyifatkan kerajaan sebagai tidak sensitif terhadap masalah sosial yang melibatkan remaja Islam di negara ini ekoran penganjuran konsert penyanyi gay, Elton John di Arena of Stars, Genting Highlands pada 29 November ini.  Nasrudin Hassan Tantawi Katanya, kerajaan haruslah melaksanakan tanggungjawab dengan lebih peka dan menghalang segala faktor yang menyebabkan peningkatan berlakunya gejala sosial di negara ini. "Kerajaan nampaknya tidak sedar terhadap gejala sosial yang melanda negara sedangkan konsert sebeginilah yang menjadi punca kepada kerosakan remaja seperti pergaulan bebas, gejala arak, dan ditambah lagi dengan kemunculan pengamal seks sejenis.
"Konsert sebegini boleh membawa kemudaratan dan saya sendiri tidak dapat bayangkan bagaimana masalah sosial remaja di negara ini dapat dikurangkan sekiranya pihak berkuasa tidak menyekatnya dari awal," katanya ketika dihubungi The Malaysian Times (TMT) di sini hari ini.
Nasrudin berkata, pihaknya akan menyerahkan bantahan terhadap penganjuran konsert tersebut kepada kerajaan meskipun pihak penganjur berkeras untuk meneruskannya.
"Kami akan menggunakan pendekatan menyerahkan memorandum bantahan terhadap konsert tersebut kepada pihak kerajaan. Ini adalah salah satu langkah yang kami ambil untuk menghalang peningkatan gejala sosial di negara ini daripada terus meningkat.
"Apa pu, kami akan teruskan dengan kerja-kerja dakwah kami dan sentiasa memberi peringatan kepada semua umat Islam terutama golongan remaja agar tidak melibatkan diri dengan gejala-gejala yang mengheret diri ke lembah maksiat," jelasnya.
Penganjuran konsert itu turut dibantah Ahli Parlimen (PAS) Shah Alam, Khalid Abdul Samad yang berpendapat bahawa konsert itu tidak sewajarnya dianjurkan kerana ia bakal menyebabkan berlakunya masalah pergaulan bebas.
 Khalid Samad Katanya, PAS sememangnya tidak membantah masyarakat untuk berhibur namun kami semenangnya tidak menyokong aktiviti golongan lesbian, gay, biseksual dan transgender (LGBT). "Konsert sebegini sememangnya tidak wajar diadakan agar golongan muda tidak terpengaruh dengan budaya yang ditonjolkan. Walaubagaimanapun, konsert ini bukan anjuran PAS, dan kami akan mengambil langkah yang sewajarnya supaya masalah sosial di negara ini terus meningkat," ujarnya.
Tahun lalu, Pemuda PAS turut menghalang konsert rock Elton yang diadakan di tempat yang sama atas alasan penyanyi itu adalah gay namun konsert itu tetap diteruskan dan mendapat sambutan hangat dari semua golongan masyarakat.
Untuk rekod, Elton terkenal dengan lagu hits seperti Candle In The Wind, Rocket Man, Levon dan Your Son" telah mendirikan rumah tangga dengan rakan homeseksualnya David Furnish pada 21 Disember 2005, selepas kerajaan Britain membenarkan perkahwinan sejenis. |
| Stepping up the pressure on PAS Posted: 25 Nov 2012 03:20 PM PST 
(The Star) - BARISAN Nasional's confidence in giving PAS a good fight in Kelantan or even wresting the state is not just big talk and hot air, but is based on a real development that is currently shaping there. The state may be a PAS fortress but the party is increasingly on the back foot over the past year after a series of missteps compounded by Umno's increasing traction among voters. PAS' infamous prayer calling for Umno's destruction as well as its unwillingness to censure DAP's objection to hudud and PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar's comments on religious freedom have upset many Kelantanese. Add Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's popularity and a state Umno that remains united, many observers feel that Barisan and PAS are now almost evenly matched. "Defeating PAS is doable, but I don't want to appear overly confident," said state Umno chief Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed, adding that Barisan is confident of winning at least 23 of the 45 seats in the state assembly. PAS may be entrenched in Kelantan, having been in power for 22 years, but it is not invincible. In the 2004 general election it was just one seat short of losing the state after it secured 23 state seats compared to Barisan's 22. In the 2009 Manik Urai state by-election, PAS retained the seat by a mere 65 votes while Umno managed to wrest the Galas state seat in a by-election the following year with a 1,190-vote difference. PAS' ceramah have always drawn large audiences but the numbers have dropped of late and the crowds at Najib's events in the state have been unexpectedly large. "PAS is beginning to feel the pressure and is now trying to revive flagging morale," said Mustapa. With the race to the finish line now in the final stretch, Mustapa noted a worrying trend. As seen during the recent PAS muktamar, which saw the party organising a prayer that among others called for Umno's destruction, PAS is increasingly resorting to attacking the religious faith of its foes to bolster its flagging image as a defender of Islam. This, said Mustapa, could raise tensions among the Malays, especially prevalent in the 1980s and the 1990s, which saw PAS supporters ostracising fellow Muslims due to opposing political beliefs. Mustapa's own popularity among many voters who see the straight-arrow politician as a potential Mentri Besar is also a factor for Barisan's rising momentum. Some believe Barisan should only field him in a safe seat instead of hedging its chances by having him contest both a state and parliament seat. It could help to convince many people who believe in him to vote for change. "That's a view I respect, but it is not the only view. I'm guided by my boss and wherever I am placed I will still have to work very hard for the people," said Mustapa. |
| BN: We can win Kelantan Posted: 25 Nov 2012 03:18 PM PST 
(The Star) - Barisan Nasional is confident of taking Kelantan in the next general election following good response from the people during visits by party leaders to the state. Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said if there were to be a political tsunami there, it was not impossible for Barisan to get back Kelantan. He said this at a dialogue session at the National Undergraduate Leadership Convention here yesterday. A student asked if Barisan would be able to gain back the four states that were won by Opposition parties in the last general election. "That is our prayer and effort. We have worked hard and we have seen significant changes in many states, including Kelantan," he said. Muhyiddin, who is also Barisan deputy chairman, said that during his recent visits to the state, he witnessed an "extraordinary response" from the people towards Umno. He said the Kelantanese know how PAS would not be able to run the country, as was evident by the party's failure to resolve problems such as poverty, lack of infrastructure and poor welfare efforts. The gathering involved about 3,500 students representing 20 public institutions of higher learning, seven private colleges and 67 representatives of overseas Umno Clubs. In PASIR PUTEH, Kelantan Umno chief Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said Barisan would field several ulama as its candidates in both state and parliamentary seats in the coming general election, reported Bernama. He said they comprised those who had contributed to the party and the country. "We have identified their names," he said, adding that names of the candidates would be announced early to allow the people to evaluate their capabilities. |
| Democracy could breed violence, says Dr M Posted: 25 Nov 2012 03:11 PM PST 
Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider Democracy does not guarantee security, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today, warning instead that it could lead to violence when minority groups rise to demand their rights. The country's longest serving prime minister pointed out that during elections, losing parties often do not accept their failures and would do their best to bring down the elected government. Dr Mahathir said that although it was through a democratic process that these parties had lost, they would turn around to use the same democratic system to negate the results of the polls by claiming that it had been tampered with. "Sometimes this leads to violence and killings, burning of houses and buildings... they would do anything to bring down the majority government," he told a luncheon talk for the International Forum 2012 held in conjunction with Umno's general assembly this week. "This is because in newly democratic countries, we do not fully appreciate the system... while we say we like democracy, we only like it when we win, not when we lose," he added. Dr Mahathir added that as democracy promotes equality of its people, this would lead to conflicts as many do not share the same ideals. These conflicts, if not settled properly, would lead to unending violence and loss of lives, he said. "So even democracy does not guarantee the security of the people," he said. READ MORE HERE |
| Dr M: Demonstrations galore if PR loses GE13 Posted: 25 Nov 2012 03:06 PM PST 
Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad continued today to warn Malaysians of chaos on the streets if Pakatan Rakyat (PR) loses the coming polls, heaping all the blame on his long-time arch nemesis Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for allegedly using demonstrations to get his way. He said the opposition has already begun setting the stage for chaos, pointing to how Malaysians have been rallied by pro-PR groups to rise and reject the results of the election should Barisan Nasional (BN) retain Putrajaya. The former prime minister said, however, that he still believes BN may recapture its much-needed two-thirds parliamentary majority "at the moment", but, in the same breath, warned of Anwar's tactics should this prediction prove true. "Anwar's preparation (for the polls) is (by holding) public demonstrations. "Without Anwar, there are no demonstrations. "Ever since Anwar came out (of jail), there are demonstrations," Dr Mahathir told a press conference after attending a forum on war and conflict at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) here. He pointed out that when Anwar, his former deputy, was still in government, the former Umno number two had been against public protests. "But once he is out... this (demonstrations) is the instrument to put him in Putrajaya," Dr Mahathir said. READ MORE HERE |
| PAS Youth needs to search its soul Posted: 25 Nov 2012 03:00 PM PST 
It is the weakest of youth wings in Pakatan Rakyat Free Malaysia Today At the recent PAS muktamar in Kota Bahru, the youth wing was taken to task by its own members for its ineffectiveness as a political movement, especially in comparison with its counterparts in PKR and DAP. However, much of the self criticism was drowned out by the shrillness of attacks against the party organ, Harakah. This is a pity because what PAS Youth needs most of all is a little soul searching. For example, a delegate from Sarawak raised the valid issue of the wing's failure to highlight problems faced by people in his state. He acknowledged that youth chief Nasrudin Hassan Tantawi did mention Sabah and Sarawak in his opening speech, but only in a general way. "There was no real focus on the issue of the Sarawak people's victimisation by Barisan Nasional," he said. "The poverty rate in Sarawak is 5.3% and there is no water and electricity supply for the interior regions although the state's natural resources contribute enormously to the coffers of the Federal government." Perak delegate Nazri Din challenged the wing's central leadership to come up with a manifesto that suits the needs of youths. Need for a vision
He said PAS Youth had offered no new ideas for formulating a youth vision that could be articulated in the campaign for the 13th general election. "Today we have half million voters in the Felda schemes and 20% of them are youths. The wing must explain to this new Felda generation what it can offer them." Negeri Sembilan delegate Mohd Zulkarnain Mohd Zaki questioned why there had been no update on the activities of the Youth Leadership Academy. "What is the current status of Akademi Kepimpinan Pemuda?" he asked. "We don't know whether it is fully utilised or not." He urged the central leadership to emulate its counterparts in the PKR and DAP youth wings and come up with a "PAS Youth leadership policy". Kelantan delegate Ahmad Marzuk Shaary urged the wing to identify youth figures that would be as prominent as those found in PKR and DAP. "We need to take this matter seriously so that PAS Youth can be a platform for youth leaders," he said. Charisma and creativity Some pro-PAS bloggers agree that PAS Youth is the weakest of Pakatan Rakyat youth wings. Indeed, the Islamic party's youth leaders are noticeably lacking in charisma and political creativity. Nasrudin himself, as well as his deputy, Nik Abduh Abdul Aziz, may be competent as Islamic scholars, but neither of them is notable for ideas that suit Malaysia's political culture. Many observers believe that PAS Youth will not progress in local politics as long as its leadership is dominated by the ulama group. In several states, the focus of activities is more religious than political. Thus we have PAS Youth leaders who seem to spend more time preaching and delivering lectures in the mosques than organising and carrying out political activities. This is a far cry from the days when the wing was led by such figures as Mohamad Sabu, Salahuddin Ayub and Mahfuz Omar. Thus there is no need to explain why Nasrudin, Nik Abduh and other youth leaders from PAS do not get much coverage either in Harakah or any other news publication. If PAS Youth wants more press coverage for its leaders, then it must encourage them to emulate, for instance, PKR's Rafizi Ramli, and take more interest in exposing political scandals and abuses by the ruling regime. An exception
Johor PAS Youth chief Suhaizan Kayat is a notable exception, with his criticism of irregularities in the work of the Election Commission. A senior PAS leader who spoke to FMT on condition of anonymity said there were plenty of newsy issues in his state but the youth chief there, an ulama, had failed to capitalise on them for political mileage. "I have to feed him with the information and push him to have press conferences to highlight the issues," he said. "I even have to ask my secretary to arrange for the press conferences. The coordination factor is so weak." Nevertheless, critics and even detractors would have to congratulate PAS Youth for its Unit Amal, the most well organised and the most effective security unit in Pakatan Rakyat. |
| Ambiga to Najib: Debate with Anwar Posted: 25 Nov 2012 02:55 PM PST 
The Bersih co-chairperson wants the prime minister to accept the opposition leader's challenge to a debate, saying it will allow Malaysians to judge who is best qualified to lead the nation. RK Anand, FMT With the next general election being described as the most poignant in the nation's history, Bersih co-chairperson S Ambiga feels that a debate between Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim is imperative. Now that Najib had indicated that the polls could be called even next month, she said the debate must be held as soon as possible. "It is absolutely necessary that a debate takes place. It will give Malaysians the opportunity to gauge which political coalition is best qualified to govern the nation," she told FMT. Noting that Najib was fond of talking about United States president Barack Obama, Ambiga urged the former to emulate the latter with regard to the practice of presidential debates in the US. "As far as Bersih is concerned, Najib ought to take a leaf out of his [Obama's] book and agree to the debate with Anwar," she said. She added that the debate could prove beneficial to both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat as it would provide a platform to put their respective policies and manifestos to the test. Anwar had repeatedly challenged Najib to a public debate but the latter had refused, citing among others that political debates was not part of the Malaysian culture. Sharing her views on this, Ambiga said the prime minister's refusal to engage in a verbal jousting match with the opposition leader spoke for itself. "When a leader refuses to debate, it means that he is not confident about his policies and manifesto, perhaps he can't defend [BN's policies], only he can answer [why he refuses to debate]," she added. Ambiga said that Bersih would consider initiating a public petition to determine if Malaysians wished to see the two leaders debate on issues of national importance. It is understood that the BN camp was also concerned about Anwar's renowned oratory skills and therefore pitting Najib against him in a televised debate would be political suicide. Meanwhile, Ambiga also took Najib to task for stating that the general election could be held next month during his address at the launch of the Himpunan Barisan 1Malaysia on Saturday. The Bersih leader was aghast that the prime minister continued to tease the nation with regard to the election date. "I find it very disconcerting and irresponsible. The prime minister should not toy with the citizens," she said, adding that Najib had placed the nation on election mode for years now. 
Why fear international observers?
On another matter, Ambiga also expressed astonishment over the prime minister's critical remarks concerning Anwar's request to Canberra to observe the election process here. Najib had asked why the opposition leader had remained silent when Pakatan captured five states in the 2008 general election and dismissed the latter's plea to Australia as shameless. "I am astounded that the prime minister thinks it is embarrassing," said Ambiga. "It is only embarrassing if there is something wrong with the electoral system," she stressed. Furthermore, she said that if the election was clean and fair, Putrajaya should not be concerned about the presence of foreign observers. Pointing out that Malaysia had participated as an observer in other elections, she asked: "Why do we participate in something which we do not believe in?" READ MORE HERE |
| Pakatan won’t let go of Sabah Posted: 25 Nov 2012 02:51 PM PST 
We're here to stay and fight for a better tomorrow for Sabahans, says Lim Kit Siang in response to calls for the opposition coalition not to contest in the general election. Queville To, FMT Sabah's go-it-alone opposition leaders Yong Teck Lee and Jeffrey Kitingan will not get a free ride from Pakatan Rakyat in the general election. Pakatan-friendly groupings in Sabah, Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS) and Pakatan Perubahan Sabah (PPS) led by independent MPs Wilfred Bumburing and Lajim Ukin, are keen to take on the Barisan Nasional in Sabah in the 13th general election. "I can assure you Pakatan is here to fight for a better tomorrow for Sabah," said DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang during a fundraising dinner at Star City Convention centre on Saturday. He was responding to calls by the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) and STAR Sabah leaders for Pakatan not to contest in Sabah and allow the former to take on the BN here. Lim's blunt rejection of the call also short-circuits attempts by a local independent NGO, Demokrasi Sabah (Desah), to broker a deal for opposition parties to have a "one-on-one" fight with the BN and avoid a split in the votes that could give BN seats they would otherwise lose. Lim's speech before several of Pakatan's top leaders including PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim, his deputy Azmin Ali, PAS deputy president Mat Sabu, DAP Sabah chief Jimmy Wong, Kota Kinabalu MP Hiew King Cheu, PAS Sabah Commissioner Aminuddin Aling and PKR Sabah chief Thamrin Jaini indicates no change in Pakatan's election startegy. Lim also used the opportunity to challenge Prime Minister and BN chairman Najib Tun Razak, who is also Umno president, to declare "zero-tolerance" for corruption by using the Automated Enforcement System (AES) during the coming Umno general assembly this week. "I challenge him to declare corruption as Umno's number one enemy," said Lim, adding that if the AES for corruption was introduced, those with unusual amounts of wealth must be charged and brought to court. Najib must prove 'best democracy' claim The veteran DAP leader said if any person fails to prove in court that the wealth was not obtained by lawful means, he or she should then be arrested and their properties seized. Noting that Malaysia's ranking in terms of global transparency had plummeted, he said that if there was no improvement, China would soon overtake Malaysia in this aspect. Lim challenged Najib to prove that he really believed in 1Malaysia by fighting for Ketuanan Rakyat (people supremacy) rather than the Ketuanan Melayu (Malay supremacy). 
He said Najib must also prove that Malaysia really is the best democracy in the world by assuring a peaceful transition of power in the event the BN is defeated in the election. "He must declare that if BN and Umno lose the election, they must in a gentlemanly manner move out from Putrajaya," Lim said in response to Najib's defiant statement that since the government was not "broken" therefore there was no need to change it. Lim, the MP for Ipoh Timur, reiterated Mat Sabu's warning earlier that the BN was doing its best to break up the opposition and diminish its growing grassroots support across the nation. "But we will not fall into their trap and we are more united and stronger than ever," said Lim. Mat Sabu concurred with the widely-held notion that the opposition should work towards a one-on-one fight with the BN to stand any chance of winning more seats. He said PAS' struggle was not merely to become the government as trumpeted by the mainstream media. He said if this was true "it is better for PAS to join the BN and I will definitely become a minister". READ MORE HERE |
| Nurul’s statement and the Kaum Tua mentality Posted: 25 Nov 2012 02:41 PM PST 
Nurul Izzah, who adopts the modernist Kaum Muda mindset, recently found herself the target of the Kaum Tua ire over her 'freedom of religion' comment made at a recent public forum. By AB Sulaiman The case of Nurul Izzah Anwar, the PKR vice president, making the statement that there is no compulsion in religion and that this should apply not only to non-Malays but to Malays as well is now commanding the public domain. Thanks to Utusan Malaysia and the Internet, the speed at which Nurul's statement spread was staggering. The very next day, it appeared as a front-page headline in the Malay daily but with a twist: it was reported that she had been 'suggesting' Malays could commit apostasy; or showing the way to do so. (Apostasy is considered the greatest sin in Malay reckoning.) To the Malay-Muslim, she has committed a grave offence for which she must be taken to task. I will try to identify what really is at issue by way of asking some pertinent and relevant questions.
Cutting through the confusion First question: Nurul quoted the Quranic edict that "there is no compulsion in religion". Is she right? The answer is yes, she is, as in Surah 2.256. Following question: Did she state that this edict should apply to Malays as well? Her words spoken at the Nov 3 forum held at the Full Gospel Tabernacle church in Subang Jaya, according to the transcript provided by Malaysiakini, were: "How can anyone really say, 'sorry, this only applies to non-Malays.' It has to apply equally." Her statement can be understood as meaning that the Article 11 constitutional provision on the freedom of religion must apply for Malays as well. Since nowhere in the Quran does it mention the Malay ethnicity, we should logically infer that Nurul's remark was a comment on Malaysian law rather than on Islamic jurisprudence. Next: why then did former PAS deputy president Nasharudin Mat Isa reportedly say that the Surah was not applicable to Malays? I do not wish to answer for him, but according to the reports it is because as a religious scholar he feels qualified to comment on such things while others are not. Sri Gading Member of Parliament Mohamad Aziz raised the Nurul issue in the House on Nov 7 saying" "Apa hukum dari segi syariat Islam atas kenyataan Ahli Parlimen Lembah Pantai yang menyatakan orang Melayu Islam bebas memilih agama yang diminati? Dalam erti kata lain, boleh keluar daripada agama Islam yakni murtad. Kenyataan ini seolah-olah meraikan orang Islam menjadi murtad." Translated into English, the MP had described Nurul's remark as more or less as a statement to celebrate Malay conversion because apostasy will now be permitted among Muslims. You might ask: Did she actually encourage apostasy for Muslims? The answer is no. Syariah augmented by civil laws In her reply to Mohamad Aziz, Mashitah Ibrahim – the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of Islamic affairs – said that under the law, anyone found guilty of mocking or maligning Islam could be sentenced to prison not exceeding two years, fined RM3,000 or both. If wielded, this piece of prohibitive legislation portends a conflict and tussle pitting a reformist and progressive Malay-Muslim mind such as Nurul Izzah's on the one hand, and the orthodox and conservative mind represented by Mashitah, Nasharudin, Mohamad Aziz and the rest of them on the other. This conflict is common enough in any religion and Islam is not spared. In Islam, this conflict stemmed from the tussle between Revelation and Reason, which I shall delve into immediately. For this discourse, I will refer to a scholarly work Crisis in the Muslim Mind by Dr Abdul Hamid Ahmad AbuSulayman who was a Rector of the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). In his 1993 book, the author explained the relationship between Revelation and Reason.
Which takes precedence? Revelation in Islam decrees that all knowledge comes from God via His Revelations found in the Quran which is 'God's word'. Reason is Man's ability to rationalise by using his God-given intelligence and memory. Reason is God's way of making mankind understand Revelation. As Revelation is 'stored' in the Quran, mankind must use his reasoning ability to adhere to all of the edicts, rules and regulations inherent in this holy book. It is at this point that there appears a split in understanding between the orthodox and the progressive. To the orthodox, as the Quran is God's Words, its entire contents are to be the ultimate Truth. The Quran has to be adhered to without any hesitation, doubt, scepticism. To progressives the Quran might indeed be God's Words but mankind has been given intelligence by God. The Muslim can and should employ thought and rationality to everything, even to the Quran. Bow and obey An illustration taken from Islamic history might help you to understand the point. For this I will refer to the writing of Pervez Hoodbhoy's work, Islam and Science (1992) from where I take the case of Abu Yusuf Yaqub ibn Ishaq al-Kindi or better known as al-Kindi (801-873 CE) – a philosopher, mathematician, and musician during the Caliphate of Al-Mutawwakil in Baghdad. Al-Kindi pointed out that Surah 55.5 of the Quran states that the sun, moon, stars, mountains, trees and beasts 'bow themselves' before God. For the unsophisticated, this invokes an idea wherein all creation literally bends in prayer – a bowing tree, a bowing mountain (for example) bending in prayer. He had some doubt over this term in its literal sense. After a long mental search, al-Kindi interpreted that 'bow' could mean 'obey' – the mountains and trees and all other creations obeyed God's Words but did not bow in doing so. A point to note is that al-Kindi lived during the period when human civilisation was rudimentary and the literacy rate was low. The aristocratic class was all-powerful and feudalism was the norm. There was also an emergent clergy or ulama class of citizens, usually aligned with the aristocracy. In the event, al-Kindi's radical views had to be acceptable to the rulers and the ulama class. Apparently in this specific 'bowing' case, they did not agree and deemed his opinion a heresy. The reaction was swift to his heretic and dangerous beliefs. The Caliph had al-Kindi flogged in public and confiscated his library the 'Al-Kindiyah'. The old philosopher fell into depression and silence, and died a broken man. Revelation had won over Reason. God's Words (and by extension the Syariah) are an immutable set of rules which cannot be modified according to the times. Sure enough when the four Imams – Maliki (d.795 CE), Hanafi (d.767 CE), Shafii (d.820 CE), and Hanbali (d. 855 CE) – codified the Islamic jurisprudence that is applied right up to today, they were all under the influence of Revelation over Reason. "There were slight differences in weight they attached to various Quranic verses and degree of validity they assigned to various Prophetic traditions", says Hoodbhoy. Nonetheless their philosophies were otherwise uniform: Revelation over Reason. The orthodoxy and conservatism of Islam was later strengthened by the immensely influential Al-Ghazzali (d.1111 CE). Islamic commentators claim that by the end of the 11th century, all major problems of Islamic jurisprudence had been resolved between these Islamic schools. After that, all the doors for discourse or Ijtihad were slammed shut. Bolting the Gates of Ijtihad Let's pause a little over the points made in the last paragraph. Before the closing of Ijtihad, the flame of learning had burnt bright in Islamic civilisation. Scholars like al-Kindi, Ibn Sina, Omar Khayyam and many others were leading the known world in intellectual development and study. Modern day scholars and adherents of Islam will not miss the opportunity to remind the non-Muslim world of Muslim contributions to human knowledge and science. But after this glorious era, there was the ascendency of an ossified religiosity making it harder for secular pursuits to exist. It appeared that the closing of Ijtihad had also closed the minds of the Islamic civilisation. Partly because of this closed mind, the Muslim civilisation missed out in the subsequent human intellectual developments: the thoughts of Copernicus, Galileo, and Newton and a long list of illustrious names that had led to the explosion of science and scientific thinking; the growth of democracy, capitalism, the Industrial Revolution. It missed out from the burgeoning economic, social, political, intellectual and technological opportunities and advancements faced and undertaken by the universal human civilisation. When Islam was brought into this country (circa 1403 CE), it was this orthodox and conservative version that arrived. I have not come across of any record of any meaningful intellectual development from the Malay civilisation from this date.
Kaum Tua, Kaum Muda Malay intellectual discourse began in the early 20th century, as shown by recent Malay social history. During this time there appeared the tussle between the Kaum Tua and Kaum Muda. Farish Noor has written a concise and fairly authoritative account of these factions under an article titled Pre-Net Reformists in Malaysiakini (22 March 2001). According to Farish who is presently a senior fellow at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, the Kaum Tua comprised mainly the traditional ruling elite led by the royals and aristocrats of the Malay sultanates on the peninsula while the Kaum Muda were the modernist reformist Malay and Peranakan intelligentsia based in the more cosmopolitan centres on the West coast. Both groups were worried about the future development of the country and their collective fate under British rule. The royal families and aristocrats, Farish writes further, launched a number of initiatives that were aimed at protecting the interests of the local communities against the onslaught of British political and economic hegemony. One such effort was the Majlis Agama Kelantan (Kelantan Religious Council) that was formed in 1915. But the Majlis and many other bodies like it soon came under the leadership and patronage of Malay rulers who were more interested in protecting the interests of the traditional ruling elite than the Malay masses. Another source quoted the conflict between Kaum Muda and Kaum Tua as centring on the validity of Reason to verify religious matters (or Ijtihad) versus those who blindly followed the teachings of early scholars (or Taqlid), see Middle-East Journal of Scientific Research 7 (special issue of 'Diversity of Knowledge on Middle East': 07-13, 2011 © IDOSI Publications, 2011). The advocators of taqlid, Kaum Tua, rejected the use of reason in religion as they claimed that the practice conflicted with the Quran. The task of genuine social reform and political organisation therefore devolved instead to the new generation of Malay reformers and modernists who came to be known as Kaum Muda, writes Farish Noor. Kaum Muda had this modernist opposition towards blind imitation (taqlid) and their emphasis was on the dire need to use Reason. To them, instead of simply accepting the words and opinions of the religious scholars, Man is required to make use of Reason to distinguish between the valid and invalid opinions, or to reinterpret them. Those arguments are strikingly familiar and from this I can safely deduce that they refer to the tussle of Revelation over Reason in the Malay social context. In that pre-Internet era, the Kaum Muda was trying to disseminate the new mental order via newspapers, journals and magazines. One prominent personality, Syed Sheikh al-Hadi who hailed from Penang went over to Singapore and Malacca to open madrasahs or religious schools hoping to spread progressive Islam. READ MORE HERE |
| Himpunan Hijau @ Dataran Merdeka Posted: 25 Nov 2012 11:30 AM PST 
(The Malaysian OBserver) - Some 10,000 protesters gathered today in front of Dataran Merdeka to pressure the government to stop the controversial Lynas rare earth plant in Gabeng, Kuantan. Apart from that, this evening's gathering also marked the end of the 13-day walk of 300KM from Kuantan to Kuala Lumpur led by Himpunan Hijau chairman Wong Tat. Watch video at: http://www.mobtv.my/current_affairs-2462.html Ini lah semangat patriotik yang mencintai tanahair kita. Semangat menentang perosak alam LYNAS telah menyatukan berbagai bangsa tanpa mengira warna kulit, agama dan keturunan. Perjuangan yang mulia ini menyuarakan pencerobohan alam sekitar. Semangat patriotik bukan lah seperti mana berbunyi berjuang untuk Melayu, Agama dan bangsa, tetapi semangat patriotik adalah semangat berjuang untuk kesemua hak rakyat sehingga ke anak cucu cicit kita. |
| Pluralism: The new bogey Posted: 25 Nov 2012 11:26 AM PST 
Najib: Pluralism is against Islam What the opponents of pluralism are saying is, it's offensive and wrong to make all religions equal because Islam, and by extension Muslims, are superior to all others. Jacqueline Ann Surin, The Nut Graph THERE is a new threat against Muslims in Malaysia and its name is pluralism. No less than Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak himself has flagged pluralism as an "enemy of Islam" and grouped it together with the other bad words, "LGBT" and "liberalism".  My Name is Khan promotional poster (source: Wiki Commons) Not to be outdone, some Muslims, who have been described as scholars, recently declared the spread of pluralism in Malaysia as "worrying", as if it were some kind of pandemic that needed to be controlled. Even popular Bollywood star, Datuk Shah Rukh Khan, has been accused of promoting pluralism through his rather inspiring and endearing movie, My Name is Khan. But just what kind of threat does pluralism pose to Malaysian Muslims? And if it's such a clear and present danger to the majority of the population, what are other nations, which also experience cultural and religious diversity, doing about pluralism that we may learn from them? Pluralism 101 Just what is pluralism anyway? According to Harvard University's Pluralism Project, there are four components to pluralism. Diana L Eck writes that diversity alone is not pluralism. There needs to be an "energetic engagement with diversity" for pluralism to exist. "Today, religious diversity is a given, but pluralism is not a given; it is an achievement," she writes, adding: "Mere diversity without real encounter and relationship will yield increasing tensions in our societies." Second, it's not about tolerance, which is tenuous, but "the active seeking of understanding across lines of difference". Eck argues that tolerance "does nothing to remove our ignorance of one another" and warns that in today's world, "our ignorance of one another will be increasingly costly". Thirdly, pluralism is not relativism. Rather it is the "encounter of commitments". What does this mean? It means that proponents of pluralism don't need to leave their identities and commitments behind. It's about "holding our deepest differences, even our religious differences, not in isolation, but in relationship to one another." And finally, pluralism's foundation is dialogue. That means both speaking and listening in a way that involves "give and take, criticism and self-criticism" so that the process can reveal both "common understandings and real differences". More sheep than Muslims Seen in this light, it's no wonder that institutions such as Harvard University in the US have embarked on initiatives to promote, rather than reject, pluralism. Indeed, the motivation for undertakings such as the university's Pluralism Project has been the radically changing religious and cultural landscapes that have emerged in the US because of immigration. The project's mission statement is "to help Americans engage with the realities of religious diversity".  Helen Clark (source: Wiki Commons) The US isn't the only place in the world where a predominantly white, Christian population views diversity as a gift that can be channelled for greater good by promoting pluralism. In a country where there are likely more sheep than Muslims, Helen Clark's administration lent support to a project by the New Zealand Diversity Action Programme that resulted in the Statement on Religious Diversity. Among others, the statement "encourages education about diverse religious and spiritual traditions, respectful dialogue, and positive relationships between government and faith communities". And just like in the US, New Zealand was spurred by the increasing religious and cultural diversity arising from migration from Asia, Africa and the Middle East. More Muslims than sheep In Malaysia meanwhile, there are clearly more Muslims than sheep. In fact, the Malay Muslim population in Malaysia is what the white Christian population is in countries like the US and New Zealand. More importantly, unlike the US and New Zealand, we've always lived with religious and cultural diversity. Our society didn't suddenly see a dramatic shift in demographics that led to citizens feeling befuddled about the appearance of mosques, temples, gurdwaras and churches.  Sheep (Todd Huffman | Flickr) And yet, what do we do about our plurality? From prime minister to so-called religious scholars to Muslim youth groups, we hear a clear and resounding rejection of pluralism. Here's what they're saying when they cast pluralism as the new bogey in town: "No" to engagement. "No" to dialogue. "No" to active understanding. "No" to equal and respectful relationships with others. In other words, "No" to what we've been historically and culturally since, at the very least, Malacca became a trading port in the 15th century. And "No" also to what we have already achieved which developed countries are only now trying to acquire. In fact, let's just demolish one of the bedrock of Malaysian life. Seen in this light, we shouldn't be at all surprised that there were attempts to denigrate Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim through the distribution of leaflets in Slim River this month that condemned the Opposition Leader as a believer of religious pluralism. He's not the only one. Two years ago, PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat was attacked at an Islamic seminar for attending a function at a Buddhist temple. Read more at: http://www.thenutgraph.com/pluralism-the-new-bogey/ |
| Mustapa: Kelantan Umno to field ulama as candidates in election Posted: 25 Nov 2012 11:17 AM PST 
(Bernama) - The Kelantan Umno will also be fielding ulama as its candidates to contest for state and parliamentary seats in the coming 13th general election. State Umno liaison chairman Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said they comprised those who had contributed to the party and the country. "We have identified their names," he told reporters after closing the 1Cooperative 1Community programme here today. The International Trade and Industry Minister said the names of the candidates would be announced earlier to allow the people to evaluate their capabilities. Normally, the names of the candidates would be announced two days before nomination day, but this time the announcement would be made earlier, he added. |
| K'tan govt firm on implementing Islamic law on non-Muslims Posted: 25 Nov 2012 11:14 AM PST 
(Bernama) - The Kelantan government remains firm on implementing Islamic law on non-Muslims despite strong objection from DAP national chairman Karpal Singh. State Housing, Tourism, Arts and Culture Committee chairman Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan said the state government was prepared to face the risk of being sued by non-Muslims as each policy made in Kelantan was in line with the provisions in the Constitution. "I don't want to comment on Karpal's statement. Firstly, I did not hear it directly from him, and secondly, if Karpal sees this legislation, he will agree with me. He's a lawyer. "It's his right to sue the Kota Baharu Municipal Council (MPKB)...but read this law carefully, otherwise he (Karpal) will have to pay the (court) costs. We are not trying to be smart when we draw up a law or an act," he told a press conference at the MPKB building, here, today. Newspapers reported today that Karpal has called on the Kelantan PAS government to explain the enforcement of Islamic law on non-Muslims in the state. Karpal had said that non-Muslims in Kelantan who were issued summonses by MPKB based on Islamic law could challenge the summonses in court. It was recently reported that a Kota Baharu hair salon manager, Ong Lee Ting, claimed that she was issued with a summons 11 times by the local authority since 2010 because her non-Muslim women workers had cut the hair of non-Muslim men. As result, she was fined RM200 to RM350 each time and she also claimed that other hair salons also faced the same problem. Takiyuddin said the state government implemented the policy to protect women's honour, whether they were Muslims or not, in order to prevent them from being exposed to sexual harassment and prostitution. He said hair salons had often been reported to be doing business only as a guise but behind that, were involved in illegal and immoral activities. "Is a father willing to allow his daughter to be sexually harassed while at work or a husband willing to accept his wife being disturbed by male customers?" he asked. |
| Penyair Jalanan Posted: 25 Nov 2012 11:12 AM PST Rakyat malaysia memang berbakat, menyuarakan ketidakadilan melalui syair dan puisi, sekali lagi membuktikan bahawa kaum tiong hua tak cekap berbahasa melayu ada lah salah, terasa ini adalah satu penghinaan yang melampau, kalau bagi peluang untuk pak menteri berpatun tepi jalan, agar mereka gagal dan tidak berupaya secara spontan berpatun di khalayak ramai.
http://static.ak.fbcdn.net/rsrc.php/v1/y2/r/5l8_EVv_jyW.swf?v=445172355529820&ev=0 |
| Kelantan refuses to budge from unisex hair salon ruling Posted: 25 Nov 2012 09:02 AM PST Unmoved by flak: State Local Government, Culture and Tourism Committee chairman Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan, at a press conference, holding up The Star which highlighted the municipal council's gender-segregation by-laws. (The Star) - KOTA BARU: Kelantan refuses to back down from enforcing its gender-segregation rules for unisex salons where women are prohibited from cutting the hair of men and vice-versa. State Local Government, Culture and Tourism Committee chairman Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan said the by-law was enforced by the Kota Baru Municipal Council in line with the Islamic policies propagated by the PAS government more than 10 years ago. "It is in line with our government's policy to safeguard women and curb sexual harassment at work places," he said, adding that the rule applied to all districts in the state. Takiyuddin, who is PAS assistant secretary-general, cited the Local Government Act 171, Section 107 (sub section 2) and the Local Government Act, which stipulate that licences and permits can only be issued based on the local government's rules and conditions and can be revoked at any time. As far as the state government was concerned, the ruling for unisex salons was a non-issue, he said at a press conference at the council yesterday. "But we need to clarify the matter because the media has blown it out of proportion. "We need to provide the rationale behind the introduction of the by-law," he said while holding up Friday's copy of The Star. He said the by-law was introduced in 1991 when the councils froze the issuing of licences and permits to unisex salons state-wide in line with the PAS state government's slogan of "Growing with Islam" that applied to both Muslims and non-Muslims. Takiyuddin said the Kota Baru council decided to include stricter conditions in 1999 after it found salon operators continually violating certain conditions stipulated in their permits. "It is a known fact that hair salons and unisex establishments are the most convenient places for immoral activities. They provide a cover for men and women to engage in illicit activities. "If I were Chinese, I will never allow my wife to patronise such salons or even consider allowing my children to work in such places because of their reputation as a hotbed for immoral activities. "And even a Chinese wife will feel uneasy to allow her husband to go to such places. Frequenting such places will always lead to scandals," he said. He said there was nothing wrong for a woman salon worker to provide hairdressing services to a female patron or for a male barber to cut a male customer's hair. "But when a woman worker gives upper body massages to a male customer, one thing will eventually lead to another, ending with illicit activities," said Takiyuddin. He said that in Kuala Lumpur, there were special coaches provided by KTM Komuter and Rapid KL for women. "My question here is when it comes to salons, why is it a forbidden cut and when it comes to trains, why not call them forbidden coaches ... They are not forbidden, it is just man for man and woman for woman," he said. |
| Shah Alam the battleground for urban Malay votes Posted: 25 Nov 2012 08:56 AM PST 
The next general election is expected to be the closest fight to form the new Malaysian government. And several seats across the nation are likely to be heated battles with the slimmest of majorities. The Malaysian Insider takes a look at some of these hot seats in what will be an intense election for control of Malaysia. In Shah Alam, the total registered voters as at last June numbered 96,066 people where Malays made up about 70 per cent and the rest consisting of Chinese, Indians and others. Amin Iskandar, The Malaysian Insider The capital city of the country's richest state, Shah Alam, is peopled by pensioners, civil servants, businessmen, traders, undergraduates and assembly-line workers who are predominantly Malay and Muslim. The political landscape in this parliamentary seat underwent a sea change in Election 2008 when for the first time a PAS contender, Khalid Abdul Samad, beat the incumbent, Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Shamsuddin, from the mammoth Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition by a whopping 9,314-vote margin. It seemed like a David-vs-Goliath battle. And since then, Khalid's popularity appears to be on the upswing. But the battle is not quite over for BN. 
It may have been stunned by the unexpected blow four years ago but BN has caught a fresh wind and is likely to field a fresh man to go toe-to-toe with Khalid (picture) in the ring — local-born Datuk Ahmad Nawawi Md Zin, who is the the Umno division chief and Shah Alam BN chief. Ahmad Nawawi may not be as high-profiled as his PAS opponent nationally, but his political pedigree is just as illustrious as Khalid's, who is the younger brother to long-time Johor Baru MP Tan Sri Shahrir Samad and bats for the Umno team. Ahmad Nawawi is the son of Datuk Md Zin Sulaiman, a former three-term assemblyman for Batu Tiga — one of two state seats that falls within the Shah Alam parliamentary constituency, the other being Kota Anggerik. Md Zin was state lawmaker from 1982 to 1994, and died while an incumbent, just ahead of the 1995 general election. His son is counting on old-time voters with fond memories of his father's service in Batu Tiga to contribute to the BN's bid to reclaim Shah Alam at the next polls due soon. "Batu Tiga is categorised as a white area, that is one the BN can confidently win while for Kota Anggerik, its status is currently more grey-white where it is possible to win but the ruling federal coalition will have to work much harder," Ahmad Nawawi told The Malaysian Insider in a recent interview. Ahmad Nawawi though is no electoral novice. As the former Kota Anggerik assemblyman, he speaks from experience and he is confident BN can wrest control of the Selangor capital. He said BN has a key performance index (KPI) and a realistic breakdown of the percentage of support that showed one of the main factors that had contributed to its defeat in Election 2008 was due to the coalition fielding non-Shah Alam natives as candidates or, in the local lingo, "parachute candidates". Ahmad Nawawi said in 2008 one of the main reasons that led to BN's crushing defeat was that the locals no longer accepted Aziz Shamsuddin.  Ahmad Nawawi is confident of winning back Shah Alam. "We have our KPI to win in Shah Alam, we are not looking for 80 per cent of the Malay votes here, of the 70 per cent Malay voters here, we only need 65 per cent to support us, can get 55 to 60 per cent Indian voters and 25 to 30 per cent Chinese voters, we will win comfortably by a 5,000-plus majority. "With the suppport of the Malays who have returned to BN compared to previously, we feel more confident of taking over Shah Alam," he said. In Shah Alam, the total registered voters as at last June numbered 96,066 people where Malays made up about 70 per cent and the rest consisting of Chinese, Indians and others. Ahmad Nawawi, who was also a state executive councillor during the administration of Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo, said the Malay support towards BN had slid, similar to during the 1999 general election, but in the 11th general election the coalition was saved by Chinese and Indian support. "In the present situation, when we look at the positive response from the public, especially the Chinese when we are on the ground, this gives us the confidence that the chances are better. "The government pensioners' club is actively helping us, previously where were the retirees who wanted to help us? Now everyone is volunteering themselves because they are worried, including Umno veterans," he said. READ MORE HERE |
| Is Pakatan really ready to govern? Posted: 25 Nov 2012 08:48 AM PST 
If what Anwar has done in PKR and Pakatan is testimony to what he is capable of doing, then he is not acceptable to the Malays. CT Ali, FMT The thing with a general election is this: politicians stand in front of us minus their arrogance, minus their latest Mercedes, minus their mansion in their gated community, minus their secretaries, aides, friends and all the trappings that money can buy to humbly ask you for your votes. And no matter who they are, in politics there will come that moment when doubt enters their mind and they will nervously ask themselves if maybe this will be the time when karma will hit them in the face. Will they raise their arms in triumph after the returning officer have declared them the winner or do they gamely extend their hands to their opponent to congratulate them for their victory even as they desperately look for an exit to go commiserate with themselves for their loss? But before they arrive at that moment in time, there is still a life to be lived and an election to be won by these politicians. The nation is their oyster! And what they have done or promised to do to our nation bears reflection – be it Barisan Nasional, Pakatan Rakyat or the Independents – before you decide whom to vote for. Today we are a nation in a flux. There are verbal and physical political scuffles, racial unrest, religious turmoil and, some say, our economy is in free-fall while others insist that we are poised for growth. The ebb and flow of political rhetoric emitting from within BN and Pakatan is deafening and impossible to ignore and the 13th general election hangs like a cloud threatening to bring floods to low-lying areas or much-needed rain for farmers – take your pick! Over all this presides Najib Tun Razak. He is confident of electoral victory and why should he not be? He makes Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's attempts at reforms look unimaginative. His pace in announcing, initiating and implementing reforms is robust but his disregard for fiscal propriety is worrying. But in an election year he will do what he must to try and ensure that a public sated with BN largesse will reciprocate by casting their votes for BN. BN believes that electoral victory is at hand, but Najib is still unsure if BN can retake Selangor and so for now he waits to find a way to do so before calling for the games to begin.
Has Pakatan enough push? For the opposition, the Internet chatter and a perceived surge of support from the people point to a glittering final furlong in the run-up to the 13th general election. But all that glitters is not gold. Pakatan claims it is in ascendancy politically – not yet totally able to fully dominate all that it surveys but there are reasons to think that Putrajaya beckons. After all, Pakatan ceramahs are well attended and the juggernaut of Anwar Ibrahim seems to cut a swathe even through the rural areas where Umno dominates. Johor totters invitingly towards its side of the divide and the defections of once Umno stalwarts is heartening. Surely, Pakatan says, the people of this nation have had enough of a BN government. Pakatan says it is time for change. DAP, PAS and PKR will overcome their distrusts for each other and work for their common good – that of trying to take political power from the Umno-led BN. But in politics trying is never enough. In politics what matters are the numbers that you methodically accumulate. Vote by vote, constituency-by-constituency, state-by-state, one MP at a time marshalling them all into a momentum of sorts that moves in tandem towards ensuring ultimate victory at the polls. This is no easy task. It requires organised manpower, adequate financial resources, an electoral machinery in synch with the tasks demanded of it by its political masters and yet able to gauge and accommodate the nuances of a fickle electorate. Put all this together and you will have the general election handed over to you on a plate. Huh… easier said than done. Now who, between BN and Pakatan, have done that? Both sides of the divide are desperately positive that their side will triumph. Both sides are desperately optimistic that they have the numbers to ensure that enough of their MPs will be elected to enable their side to form the government. Of course, you need to be optimistic and positive… but desperately so? Why desperately so? Let me tell you why. Is Pakatan really ready? Pakatan has asked that we give the opposition alliance the mandate to form the government, but who from Pakatan will govern our nation? Or more to the point, who do we want from Pakatan to govern us? Who will be prime minister, deputy prime minister and who shall be in Cabinet? Who will be the menteris besar and who will be governors and datuk bandars? What are the policies they will implement? How will the sharing of power between PKR, DAP and PAS be reflected in reality? Surely not with three deputy prime ministers and enough ministers to field five football teams (and reserves) without outside help. All these questions we have asked of Pakatan leaders but they have yet to answer to our satisfaction. We ask and Pakatan tells us: "Let us get into government first and then we will see! We will know what to do." How can they know what to do in Putrjaya when they do not know what to do with PKR and Anwar – or are they in denial that there is a problem with PKR and Anwar? They know that it is Anwar who calls the shots in PKR, not Azmin Ali. If Azmin talks about Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim's "promotion" into Cabinet, then it is Anwar who wants Khalid to be in the Cabinet. Then what of Selangor? Who does Anwar want to be menteri besar of Selangor? If Pakatan is unable to resolve this at state level, then the matter of who will become what at federal level only portends ill for Pakatan – what more for our nation. This is but one issue that Pakatan has failed to address. There are others. READ MORE HERE |
| Green Walk a death knell for MCA? Posted: 25 Nov 2012 08:45 AM PST 
MCA veterans are of the view that things could only get worse for the party in Pahang as long as the party continues to worship Umno feudalism while paying lip-service to the people. Stanley Koh, FMT The anti-Lynas one-man 300-kilometre journey initiated by Himpunan Hijau chairman Wong Tack from Kuantan to Kuala Lumpur had attracted thousands of ordinary Malaysians, mostly Chinese, to join in his cause to protect the environment. The overwhelming support at stop-overs along the way in towns and new villages in Pahang had generated numerous "touching" human stories on the rapport and silent support towards the protection of the environment, which had been abused and grossly neglected by the Barisan Nasional government. It is therefore not surprising that worrying murmurs of deep concerns are haunting the MCA's rank and file in Pahang, which is also the home state of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak. MCA has distanced itself from the opposition against the Lynas rare earth operations located at Gebeng, Kuantan, and quietly banned all party rank and file leaders from actively supporting the protest walk. By abandoning and isolating the party's dutiful role, the leadership had chosen to be in a self-denial mode, underestimating the impact it can cause in the upcoming general election. However, many MCA veterans are not so sure of the party leadership's reassurances and confidence anymore. The Pahang MCA's electoral performance in 2008 embodied tale-tell signs that nothing should be taken for granted. 
A disconnected party In 2008, MCA garnered only some 59,784 popular votes in Pahang, winning two out of three parliamentary seats contested. Out of the eight state seats, the party won six, namely Cheka, Damak, Teruntum, Bilut, Mentakab and Semambu. The opposition DAP won Tras and an Independent candidate Ho Yip Kap claimed Tanah Rata and had since since declared himself pro-BN. But the electoral fortunes of the party's performance in Pahang are changing. The Green Walk is more than just a simple human endeavour. What emerged out of it is a strong political will by a conscientious few. It also reflected how disconnected the BN coalition is from the aspirations of ordinary Malaysians on environmental issues. The public resentment in Pahang against MCA's impotent role on environmental protection will deepen and is expected to cause a bigger electoral backlash. Aggravating matters, the MCA top leadership, including its Pahang state leadership, had shown a disappointing response towards public grievances on controversial environmental issues since the 2008 election. However, the MCA leadership has been quietly undertaking moves to strengthen its electoral performance in the state. According to 2008 figures, only 46% of the 29,086 valid MCA members had registered themselves as voters although there were some 62,593 Chinese voters in Pahang. There are onging efforts to enlarge the base of electoral support by actively registering party members as voters, including shifting pro-MCA voters to safeguard future party candidates in winnable seats. The party wants to be able to retain its two parliamentary seats that has given it two ministerial positions – Tourism Minister Dr Ng Yen Yen in Raub and Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai in Bentong. The party is also constantly reminded of its defeat in Kuantan in 2008 – to PKR's Fuziah Salleh – that no seat is safe. Two other MCA state seats are also in danger of falling, namely the Damak and Teruntum seats which the party had won with narrow margins of 509 and 293 votes respectively. READ MORE HERE |
| Set up Minority Affairs Ministry, says Hindraf Posted: 24 Nov 2012 06:02 PM PST 
The movement says that it will throw its backing to any coalition that sets up the ministry and endorses its five year blueprint. G Vinod, FMT Hindraf today demanded the government to set up a Minorities Affairs Ministry right after the general election. Hindraf national advisor N Ganesan said this at the movement's fifth anniversary gathering, held at the Kuala Lumpur-Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, to commemorate its hugely succesful November 2007 rally. "Let Hindraf run the ministry as we are the only NGO that is steadfast in our cause. "We will only throw in our support to the coalition that will endorse our demand and our five year blueprint," said Ganesan, addressing the nearly 2,000 attendees. In Nov 25, 2007, tens of thousands of Indians marched to the nation's capital seeking for a betterment of the Indian community plight but the incident was marred when police used heavy handed tactics to break the crowd. Following the Hindraf rally, the traditional Barisan Nasional supporters threw their backing to Pakatan Rakyat in the general election in the following year, denying the ruling coalition its customary two thirds majority at the Parliament, and delivered five states to the opposition. Hindraf's six demands
At the gathering today, Hindraf also made several demands in its five year blueprint. They are: 1) Stop displacing Indian plantation workers and provide reasonable compensation, as well as, offer skills training to them, 2) Resolve Indian stateless issue, 3) Provide equal education opportunity to all Indian students via meritocracy, 4) Provide equal job and business opportunities to Indians, 5) Stop police brutality and death in custody, and set up the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC), and 6) Stop institutionalised racism and ratify United Nations convention against racial discrimination. Ganesan said that Hindraf would be able to resolve the six issues affecting the Indian community through the Minority Affairs Ministry. He also urged the government to allocate RM4.5 billion annually to the ministry for that purpose. "And don't tell me that the amount is big. Budget 2013 is worth RM230 billion and the amount we seek is not even five percent of the budget," said Ganesan. READ MORE HERE |
| Pulling a rabbit out of a hat Posted: 24 Nov 2012 04:02 PM PST 
First of all, I don't think that the next general election is going to be held in December this year. It would most likely be around February-March next year. And the timing of the general election would all depend on whether Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is able to pull a rabbit out of his hat. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin There are four very interesting news reports that I would like to comment on today. (Maybe you can read those four news reports below before you read what I am going to say). First of all, I don't think that the next general election is going to be held in December this year. It would most likely be around February-March next year. And the timing of the general election would all depend on whether Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is able to pull a rabbit out of his hat. Assuming Najib fails to perform his magic trick and things more or less remain the same, then this is what I forecast we may see. Umno will sail through with about 70-75 parliament seats in Peninsular Malaysia. MCA will not win more than ten seats. MIC, Gerakan and PPP will get wiped out. Barisan Nasional Sabah and Sarawak will pull through with 30-35 seats while 20-25 seats will go to Pakatan Rakyat plus some 'independent' parties. This would mean Pakatan Rakyat could win 100-110 parliament seats while Barisan Nasional would win 110-120 seats. If Pakatan Rakyat wins 110 parliament seats this will mean Malaysia will see a hung parliament with Barisan Nasional winning only 112 seats. Then about 5-10 Barisan Nasional MPs will cross over to help Pakatan Rakyat form the new federal government. And the majority of these crossovers will be from East Malaysia. However, it can also work the other way. In the event of a hung parliament, 5-10 MPs from Pakatan Rakyat can cross over to Barisan Nasional to help Barisan Nasional increase its majority in Parliament. Hence both sides need to be very careful in their choice of candidates because 'negotiations' are ongoing by both sides of the political divide for potential crossover candidates. Kelantan, Penang and Selangor are safe states for Pakatan Rakyat. Sabah, Sarawak, Perlis, Terengganu, Pahang and Johor are safe states for Barisan Nasional. Kedah, Perak, Negeri Sembilan and Melaka can go either way. For the 13 Federal Territory seats, five can go to Barisan Nasional and eight to Pakatan Rakyat. ***************************************** Najib: GE could be in Dec, or next year Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said the 13th general election can be held in December, even though the country will be facing the monsoon at that time. He was confident that despite the monsoon season, the machinery of the political parties contesting in the election could face any eventuality. "If it rains or a flood occurs, (then we) can use the boat," he said in jest when asked whether the GE would be held in the near future or Parliament would dissolve on its own on the expiry of the current mandate. He said this in an interview with editors of Bernama and Utusan Group in conjunction with the Umno General Assembly 2012 at his office in Parliament House, recently. Najib, who is also Umno president, however, did not rule out the possibility that the election would be held next year if it is not held next month. "If there is no election in December, then it will be held next year," he said. Najib has up to April 28 next year to dissolve Parliament to make way for the 13th general election before the Parliament dissolves on its own, and the Election Commission is compelled to set a date for the general election within two months of the dissolution of Parliament. ***************************************** Dr M: Barisan can retain power with two-thirds majority Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has predicted that Barisan Nasional will keep Putrajaya and that regaining a two-thirds majority in Parliament is not an impossible target. He said Kedah, Selangor and Penang were winnable on condition that Umno did not indulge in the politics of sabotage and members supported the selected candidates. Dr Mahathir has been driving home the "no sabotage" message at a string of meetings he has had with Umno leaders and groups from all over the country. He also made it crystal clear that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has his unreserved support, slamming pro-Pakatan Rakyat news portals which keep claiming that he wanted Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to take over. "That is their propaganda. Have they ever heard me promoting Muhyiddin? During Pak Lah's time, yes, I did try to promote Muhyiddin. But Muhyiddin told me he is fully behind Najib and would not go against Najib. They are harping on this because they want to make Umno weak. "I have spoken to Umno all over the country. I told them they have to support Najib to win the election," he said. "Najib has done a lot of good, maybe there are things which could be improved but we can tackle that after the general election." He was confident that Johor and Negri Sembilan would stay with Barisan despite the Opposition's ambitions in these two states. He said that although Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng was so powerful that he was known as tokong (deity), there were people who were not happy with him. Dr Mahathir also said it was time Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat kept his promise to retire. "He promised to step down when I stepped down. These people never keep their word. They are supposed to be religious people but religious people who don't keep their word are not very religious," he added. ***************************************** Professor: Barisan can win 120 seats if polls are held now (The Star) - Barisan Nasional can win 120 seats if the general election were to be held now, said National Council of Professors deputy chairman Prof Datuk Dr Shamsul Amri Baharuddin. However, he told Sinar Harian that 24 seats were still considered "grey areas" while Pakatan was expected to win 70. He predicted that Barisan would still be able to form the Federal Government in spite of a comparatively slimmer majority than in 2008. "They will win no fewer than 120 seats. Now, Barisan has 140 seats, 24 are "grey areas" while the remaining are taken up by Pakatan Rakyat. Overall, the majority is narrow," he said in a pre-Umno annual general assembly interview. Currently, Barisan has 137 seats in Parliament while Pakatan holds 72. Seven seats are held by independents, PSM has one while SAPP has two. Dr Shamsul Amri said his prediction was based on research conducted in September by his team. ***************************************** BN confident of recapturing Selangor (Bernama) -- Barisan Nasional (BN) is confident of re-capturing Selangor from the opposition pact in the 13th general election, said Selangor BN Coordinator Datuk Seri Mohd Zin Mohamed today. "The momentum is with us now. Based on the response and support shown by the Selangor people the advantage is on our side. "Therefore, we should build up the momentum and not do anything that can weaken it," he said when opening the Selangor People's Progressive Party Convention at SJK (C) Yuk Chyun, Jalan Klang Lama near here. Towards this end, he said, members of all BN component parties should move in one group and made decisions collectively so that BN would remain strong. He also told members of BN component parties in Selangor to unite and not to sabotage one another or the parties in BN. |
| MCA member slams leadership over education policies Posted: 24 Nov 2012 03:22 PM PST 
The grassroots leader vows to pull out from the party if MCA fails to change the outcome of National Education Blueprint. Leven Woon, FMT The 6,000-strong Dong Zong rally against the National Education Blueprint 2013-2025 today saw the surprise attendance of a grassroots MCA member from Kota Tinggi, Johor. Breaking ranks with the party leaders who had openly snubbed the rally, the Kota Kecil MCA chairman Tai Foo Him led three busloads of people to support the rally which was held in Padang Timur here. He told reporters that majority of 110 people who came with him were MCA members. He drew a mixture of cheers and boos when asked to speak at the rally where some of the protesters had carried banners reading: "Shameless MCA president betrays Chinese education" and "BN MCA, Corrupt and Abuse of Power". "I feel ashamed when I saw your placards condemning our party. I think our leaders must change," he said. "If they don't, then maybe it's about the time for us to change," he added, without elaborating. He then cited the example of Black American activism in the 1960s to encourage the crowd to continue the struggle. 
Speaking to reporters later, Tai said the MCA leaders did not dare to speak out against the blueprint because they were afraid to lose their government positions. The branch chairman who joined MCA in 1989 also criticised the party for openly rejecting the rally. "MCA and the Chinese community are from the same root. Nevermind if you don't support the rally, but why oppose the rally?" he said. Tai warned that should MCA failed to change the outcome of the blueprint, he would pull out from the party. He also said he has done nothing wrong for the party to level a possible disciplinary action against him. |
| Dr M drums up support for Umno Posted: 24 Nov 2012 03:12 PM PST Top driver and VIP passengers: Dr Mahathir is committed to helping Najib and Umno win the general election. They are seen here with their spouses in a golf buggy during the last Hari Raya open house at Seri Perdana. Umno's grand old man is doing whatever he can to help Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak lead Umno and the Barisan Nasional to a convincing electoral victory. Joceline Tan, The Star EVERYONE seems to want a piece of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. The Umno general assembly is just days away and the media has been after him for interviews. They want to know what Umno's grand old man has to say about the party. Just a year ago, the former Premier was still unsure and fretting about how Umno and the Barisan Nasional would fare in the polls. At that time, he could not see the light at the end of the tunnel. But it was quite a different story last week. Dr Mahathir was sanguine and in a mellow mood despite juggling a hectic week. His replies to questions were brief, sharp and, well, rather cheeky at times. The prognosis of the "Doctor In The House" – to borrow from the title of his best-selling memoirs – is that the party is in a much better state than it was last year. Umno has made it out of the tunnel under the stewardship of Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. This is a busy month for Dr Mahathir. Outside the suite at the PWTC where the interview was taking place, there was a hive of activity connected to his Perdana Foundation for World Peace. There was an exhibition on War Crimes and inside one of the halls, the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Commission was hearing testimonies on war crimes against Palestine. Last year, the commission held a mock trial that convicted George W. Bush and Tony Blair of "crimes against peace" in the Iraq war. Dr Mahathir's commitment to the Palestinian cause is not just about commiserating with the Muslim brethren. It also has to do with his life-long conviction against imperialism and colonialism.  Faizal: 'Either we make it or we are finished' But all that may not quite rival his commitment to Umno. Dr Mahathir has been working quietly behind the scenes, doing his part to assist Najib in drumming home the message that if Umno wants to win well in the general election, it has to stop the old culture of political sabotage. He has met one state Umno delegation after another at his Perdana Foundation premises in Putrajaya. "The key message was: do not sabotage the party. He told us, whoever contests, please support him or her. One of the reasons we did badly in 2008 was because our own people sabotaged the party. There is a Malay shift back to Umno so if we still lose it will be because of internal sabotage," said Cheras Umno chief Datuk Syed Ali Alhabshi, who was part of the Federal Territories Umno delegation that met Dr Mahathir last month. Umno plays a largely supporting role in Kuala Lumpur where it contests only three out of 11 seats but the session was packed because members were keen to hear what he had to say. "It was a bit emotional for us, the fact that at his age he is still out there rooting for us especially when he said that even if his son is not nominated as a candidate, he would still go all out for the party," said Syed Ali. The hall was just as packed when it came to Selangor Umno's turn. "He said this is going to be the mother of all battles. He appealed to us to come together as one. We are at the crossroads – either we make it or we are finished. He was pleading with us, I thought he came close to tears at one stage," said the Kapar Umno deputy chief Datuk Faizal Abdullah. Umno needs to go the extra mile to convince people that the party is open to change and reform. Najib is preparing to embark on a bold slate of candidates that will include experienced as well as new and fresh faces. If he is going to convince voters, especially the undecided ones, that Barisan candidates are the team of the future, he cannot have people who have overstayed or those with baggage clinging on. Najib's problem is how to ease them off as smoothly as possible. Some of the people who are dropped may be Umno warlords and no one likes to be told they are no longer needed. Umno's election history has had its share of the local party machinery closing shop or "tutup bilik gerakan" when their man is not selected. Dr Mahathir has seen it happen many times in his 22 years as Prime Minister. He was almost disqualified in the 1999 general election because of an error in his nomination forms. Fortunately, he was able to submit a new set of forms before the deadline but his political secretary who prepared the forms had to quit after the election. And that is why the party leadership is working hard to psyche members against internal sabotage so that they will be mentally ready to accept the candidate line-up when the election is called. Dr Mahathir has also used the sessions to ask those present to give their full support to Najib so that he can lead the coalition to a convincing victory. He is aware of pro-Pakatan news portals carrying reports that he is trying to topple Najib and that he prefers Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.  Suraya: 'Mahathir factor will have impact in Kedah' Common agenda The reports do not make sense because Dr Mahathir has no reason to want to topple Najib. Both of them have a common agenda – they want Umno and Barisan to win well, they aim to finish off Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's career, and they have no love for PAS and even less for DAP. What many are not aware of is that Najib and Dr Mahathir have a warm relationship. Quite a lot of it is due to Najib's personality because he has been able to maintain cordial ties between the two warring former premiers. Besides, Najib's office has many Mahathir admirers who understand that Dr Mahathir is not the sort of man who indulges in flattery or praise. He is an exacting man who gives credit and makes criticism in equal measure. When the elder man criticises government policy they understand that it does not mean he is against the government or their boss. "We are very confident that Tun Mahathir is with us," said a staff member. Dr Mahathir has dropped by for tea with the PM on a number of occasions and the staff always behave as though a movie star has arrived. They rush to kiss his hand and have their photos taken with him. He is ushered up via the private lift and when he leaves, Najib personally sends him down to the car. Both men are also known to invite each other to their homes for dinner. During the last Hari Raya open house at Seri Perdana, Najib left his lunch when he was told that Dr Mahathir and Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali were at the entrance so he could escort them to the VVIP table. At functions attended by Dr Mahathir, Najib often whispers to his staff to make sure than Dr Mahathir's car drives out first when the event finishes. Protocol dictates that the Prime Minister's car should leave first but Najib will insist that Dr Mahathir be shown the top respect. The Prime Minister's aides are very aware of these gestures of respect. Dr Mahathir has amused reporters with his tongue-in-cheek remarks about who is most suited to be Pakatan's candidate for Prime Minister. On Wednesday, he said that DAP chairman Karpal Singh is the most qualified because of his legal background and the fact that he has been around so long. "If he puts on his turban, he can compete with Nik Aziz (Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat) but he is not a Malay although that can be easily corrected," he said with a broad grin. Actually, he added an even more cheeky remark that is best not repeated. On Thursday, he told reporters that PAS president Datuk Seri Hadi Awang is more qualified than Anwar to be prime minister because the former has no baggage. But he said that Hadi, who had referred to Umno as an "evil party" or "parti syaitan", should know he is working with the devil himself. "He is in a coalition with the devil. I know this devil. Hadi is in cahoots with this devil," he said with a devilish grin. It was vintage Mahathir. He was basically saying that Karpal is a good lawyer but has overstayed in politics, Nik Aziz has the religious but not the professional credentials, Hadi accuses Umno of being an evil party but is working with the devil and Anwar has too much political baggage.  Syed Ali: Drumming home 'no sabotage' message That is the advantage of knowing when to let go after 22 years in power – it gives him the licence to say what others cannot. Nik Aziz would be in the same privileged position had he kept his promise to step down after Dr Mahathir goes. Nik Aziz marked his 22nd year as Kelantan Mentri Besar last month and Dr Mahathir is not about to let him forget the past. "These people never keep their word. They are supposed to be religious people but people who don't keep their word are not very religious. They called me firaun (pharoah), syaitan. It doesn't affect me; it's like water over a leaf. I trust the public; I think they can see through it," he said. Many people are simply amazed at the way that Dr Mahathir, 87, is going all out for Umno. So is Dr Siti Hasmah. "I know Tun Siti was so sad when Kedah fell. They were outside Umno in 2008 but they are back and that's going to make a difference especially in Kedah," said Sungai Tiang assemblywoman Datuk Suraya Yaakob. The former First Lady's eyesight is failing but she is there at all the Umno functions. At the session with the Kedah Umno delegation, Suraya noticed that Dr Siti Hasmah's eyebrows looked lop-sided – one eyebrow was only half pencilled in. They had a good giggle especially after Dr Siti Hasmah confessed that she had been at another function the whole morning looking like that. Dr Siti Hasmah also confessed that she would sometimes ask Dr Mahathir to help draw her eyebrows. He would oblige but he would also tease that this sort of thing was not part of their marriage contract. "They are such a cute couple, so devoted to each other," said Suraya. The former First Couple are equally committed to seeing that Umno succeeds in the general election. "Umno enabled me to become Prime Minister. Now is my time to pay back what it did for me," said Dr Mahathir. |
| Bukan PAS, yang gelicir orangnya Posted: 24 Nov 2012 03:00 PM PST 
Mungkin yang dikatakan PAS tergelincir dari pimpinan ulama kerana Mohamad Sabu yang bukan ulama telah mengalahkan dua calon ulama dalam pertandingan jawatan Timbalan Presiden dalam Muktamar sebelum ini. Subky Abdul Latif, The Malaysian Insider Telah timbul isu PAS dikatakan tergelincir dari dasar Islamnya dan kepimpinan ulama gara-gara dikatakan setelah ditembusi oleh para parasit. Justeru itu PAS telah ditohmah mulai leka mengtamakan untuk berkuasa dari memajukan politik dakwahnya sambil meningkatkan dakwah politiknya. Tetapi menjelang muktamarnya dari 15 hingga 18 November 2012 nampak adanya gelombang orang yang keluar dari PAS. Yang ada ialah gelombang orang menyertai PAS oleh orang-orang yang bersara dari perkhidmatan kerajaan dan orang-orang Umno yang bersara dari partinya. Antara yang bersara dari Umno itu Tamrin Ghafar Baba dan Tan Sri Kadir Shaik Fadzir. Kadir tidak mendaftar jadi PAS, tetapi hati dan jasadnya sudah bersama PAS. Mungkin yang dikatakan PAS tergelincir dari pimpinan ulama kerana Mohamad Sabu yang bukan ulama telah mengalahkan dua calon ulama dalam pertandingan jawatan Timbalan Presiden dalam Muktamar sebelum ini. Ia tidak cukup untuk mengatakan ulama telah dipinggirkan kerana sistem kepimpinan PAS bertunggakkan kepada Majlis Syura Ulama, pimpinan bersama Tok Guru Nik Abdul Aziz dan Dr. Harun Din. Wibawa Mursyidul Am dan Presidennya yang ulama belum tercabar. Pemilihan Mohamad Sabu belum menjadikan status kepimpinan ulama terlucut. Seperti Iran, Presidennya boleh ulama dan boleh juga bukan ulama. Pernah bukan ulama menjadi Presiden seperti Bani Sadr, Rajai seorng guru matamatik dan Ahmadenejad sekarang. Ia juga pernah ada Presiden ulama seperti Ayatullah Ali Khaminae, Hojatul Islam Mashimi Rafsanjani dan Khatami. Tetapi tidak pernah Iran terlucut dari pimpinan ulama. Dua kerajaan negeri pimpinan PAS sekarang — Kelantan dan Kedah — berMBkan ulama. Benar MB Perak dulu bukan ulama tetapi ia disebab ulama yang berstatus pemimpin kalah dalam pilihanraya. Adapun kerjasama dalam Pakatan Rakyat bersama PKR dan DAP dibuat mengikutkan lunas siasah syariyah yang diluluskan oleh Majlis Syura Ulama. Kerjasama politik atau tahaluf siasi sudah PAS jalani sebelum Anwar Ibrahim dipecat dari Umno sejak tahun 1985 menjelang PRU 1986. Uztaz Ibrahim Libya yang terkenal keras itu sebelum terbunuhnya tidak menentang tahaluf itu kerana ia diputuskan mengikut kaerah siasah syariyah. Politik PAS itu ada turun naiknya, tetapi tidak pernah ia tergelincir dari pejuangan Islamnya. Ketika ia berada dalam kerajaan BN telah merasa sedap dengan nikmat kerajaan, tetapi PAS mengambil langkah sedia ditendang dari mengikut arahan Hussein Onn dan Dr Mahathir. Ia kembali kepada perjuangan tulinnya. PAS telah selamat dari tergelincir tetapi dari semasa ke semasa, orang ada yang tergelincir. Hatta dua orang yang pernah menjadi Presidennya tergelincir — Haji Ahmad Fuad dan Dato Asri. Sejak pimpinan Dr. Burhanuddin Alhilmy hinggalah ke zaman Ustaz Haji Abdul Hadi ada yang bertaraf pimpinan tergelincir baik tergelincair dari parti mahupun pemikiran Islam yang dibawa PAS. Sebagai sebuah parti yang terbuka ia disertai oleh semua lapisan rakyat yang berbagai latarbelakang pendidikan. Maka tidak terlepas ia dari dibolosi oleh orang yang dikatakan parasid. Tetapi para parasit yang tidak dapat menjadikan dirinya benar-benar PAS, maka satu demi satu telah gagal menjadi ahli yang baik. Ada parasid yang melarikan diri dan ada juga yang disuruh lari. Mereka juga tergelincir. Jika jenis itu belum hari, mereka juga akan tergelincir pula. PAS pernah berkawan dengan Tengku Razaleigh, Rais Yatim dan Datuk Harun Idris. Mereka juga tergelincir. Tetapi PAS tetap seperti ketika ia ditubuhkan dulu. |
| Behind the liberal front Posted: 24 Nov 2012 02:51 PM PST 
The policies of PAS in Kelantan have put its Pakatan Rakyat allies in an awkward spot. For the DAP, the value of hanging on to PAS is not in winning new seats but having a partner who can provide the Prime Minister or Mentri Besar if they win big, as was the case in Perak before the defection. Baradan Kuppusamy, The Star THERE is more to the hair controversy in PAS-ruled Kota Baru than meets the eye. For one, the woes of doing business have just multiplied and it also tells of the unfriendly business environment in Kelantan, which prides itself in allowing pig farms but not a woman cutting a man's hair and in full and open view. It also shows, especially to the business-oriented Chinese community, that supporting the Islamist party, no matter what the DAP does to justify and whitewash it ahead of the coming general election, is a step backwards. PAS is set to be dominant in Pakatan Rakyat and the intolerant rules it is imposing in Kelantan will eventually be translated into national policies by its representatives. Remember the protest against cinemas in Bangi and the gender segregation seating in cinemas in Sabak Bernam? Once the genie is out of the bottle it is impossible to wish it back in. By all counts, DAP is resurgent and while it is on course for a big victory at the polls, it is also urging Chinese voters to back its partner PAS. But no matter how liberal PAS pretends to be, it stumbles ever so often. It shows its inherent intolerance and narrow mindedness, all in the name of Islam, an intolerance that appears intrinsic to all religious parties. If PAS becomes dominant, which is within reach with its one million card-carrying members, and with DAP and PKR giving it added clout, what is to stop it from implementing the same policies nationwide? At stake is our liberal way of life. Salon operators in Kota Baru have been repeatedly summoned for allowing females to cut the hair of males or vice-versa, a prohibition imposed by the Kota Baru Municipal Council that is filled with PAS members. Gender segregation is openly enforced in Kelantan, and PAS says this is in accordance with Islam. But this is the first time where a non-Muslim female hairdresser has been summoned for cutting the hair of a non-Muslim male, a common enough practice everywhere else in the world except in Kelantan now. Islamic rules were only for Muslims but now that rule has clearly encroached into non-Muslim space, and such space is narrowing and likely to get worse with PAS on a dominant path. Can the DAP, which defends all things PAS and even goes about uttering Islamic verses, explain this intolerant tendencies? The same PAS party is in the news for praying for God's help to run down Umno and Barisan Nasional, wanting their destruction allegedly for being hard on Muslims. Thus far the DAP as well as PKR are silent on this prayer asking for the destruction of Umno/Barisan Nasional, a desperate attempt to energise rural Malay support that is slipping from under PAS. In the past, this very party had called Umno infidels, pig farmers and pharaohs, and told all who want to hear that Umno members won't go to heaven when they die. This is the party that is partnering with DAP and PKR and wants to get to Putrajaya in a big way. It shows a temporary liberal face that becomes unhinged ever so often, leaving red faces in the liberal PKR and secular DAP. A religious party advocating a theocracy simply has no role in a modern democracy, and a secular party like the DAP should have been aware of the limitations of a religious party before entering into a partnership. Despite the ever so often hiccups from PAS, the DAP has been advancing the political interest of PAS and in return gets the support of PAS Malay members in the urban centres the DAP will contest. But this support would only enlarge its majority in the urban centres, not win for it new seats. For the DAP, the value of hanging on to PAS is not in winning new seats but having a partner who can provide the Prime Minister or Mentri Besar if they win big, as was the case in Perak before the defection. Pure political expediency is at work here between DAP and PAS. Each gains something out of their alliance PAS gets Chinese voter support and wins in many marginal seats against traditional rival Umno, and DAP gets a Malay partner in government. As the hair cutting controversy unravels, the woes of the Chinese business community continue to multiply in Kelantan. One salon manager was summoned 11 times, the latest on Tuesday, another was issued with 10 summonses, and a third with four. It's a wonder the salons are in business at all. "I would understand it if we were fined for allowing our women workers to cut the hair of Muslim men. But they were attending to non-Muslim men," said a salon manager remonstrating against the rule. What will be next on the PAS list of don'ts ... female doctors for females only? |
| Najib’s message to Chinese voters Posted: 24 Nov 2012 02:46 PM PST 
(Bernama) - Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the Chinese community who likes his leadership, must give solid support to Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) if they want him to bring more successes to the nation through the national transformation programme. The prime minister said this in a special interview prior to the 66th Umno general assembly next week, when asked to comment on remarks by political observers, that some parties in the Chinese community liked Najib's leadership but not his party and BN, and were divided over giving support. Najib, who is also Umno president, in the one-hour interview with Bernama and Utusan Malaysia, nevertheless, said he saw the wind of change blowing in the level of support towards the government including from among the Chinese community compared to 2008 because they liked the government's direction. Commenting further on the parties in the Chinese community who were still divided in their support of the government, he said: "If they want me as the PM who can bring transformation to the nation, as they had been convinced all these while, they must give their support to me." "Because a strong PM is a PM who has comprehensive support, so that more successes can be brought to the nation," he added. Najib said a prime minister without a comprehensive mandate was weak and could be disputed, including whatever innovation he wanted to implement because any change would face many challenges. "A leadership without political support is a leadership without moral strength. If a leader has no moral strength, the leader will find it hard to face challenges to bring about big changes to the nation," Najib said. Since becoming prime minister in April 2009, Najib has introduced numerous comprehensive transformation programmes encompassing the government delivery system and politics and economy which were starting to show very positive preliminary results. The prime minister said although Umno or BN had several weaknesses, yet they were much better if compared to the opposition pact. "So if they don't like UMNO or BN, at least we are solid, having the same aim and talking in the same tone compared to the opposition who are basically at odds, even in terms of ideology. They are also not in tune (among the opposition) as to who will become the PM. Najib also said in national political system, if the groups liked his leadership, whether they wanted to or not they must give support to his party, namely, Umno and BN. "Otherwise, another party will be PM and not me. This means, someone else they don't want will become PM. And the pillar in our system is whoever becomes the PM," he said. Commenting further on the increase in support from the Chinese community towards the current government, Najib said he was aware that a change in attitude took time. Conceding that the government had problems with Chinese voters, he said, nevertheless, the government should not shunt them aside but to intensify engagements to understand their needs and demands, and respond accordingly. He said he understood the Chinese in towns were not overly dependent on the government but they must be aware their successes as individuals and a community were the result of government policies. "The government created conducive surroundings where they can find business opportunities, opportunities to develop themselves. If they look at the future, they would also need a country that is well-administered. "So BN can do this and make adjustments to our policies they are unhappy about and the weaknesses they say we must correct… for example crimes in towns." He stressed that so long as the people were not satisfied with the rate of drop in crimes, the effort would be escalated to erase all their concerns. Najib also refuted allegations by opposition parties that Umno was racist when urging towards the unity of Malays, and purportedly, its struggle was only in the interest of Malays. "Malay unity does not mean we oppose other races because, as I had said, we must bring other communities together with us." "We have carried this spirit since long ago from the time of Tunku (Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj) and Tun Razak (Hussein). Why should we set aside what had been founded by our founding fathers." Najib stressed that the current Umno leaders, like its founding fathers who set up the Alliance and then BN, were aware the strength of the country hinged on cooperation between the communities. "This we must hold on to," he said, adding that several actions which gave the perception that Umno was racist should and would be corrected. Najib said, when the government introduced the 1 Malaysia concept, all communities understood better, that, in this country, all communities must benefit from the national leadership. He said, as a result of the efficiency in the administration of the country, the government could ensure quite a strong national economic growth, whereby, the third quarter of this year recorded a 5.2 per cent growth and 300,000 jobs were created. The increase in foreign direct investment continued to go up from RM5 billion in 2009 to RM29.3 billion in 2010 and RM36.6 billion last year. "All these achievements, people say went against the world economy," he said, adding that the nation developed a high level of confidence with the achievements. The prime minister said the policies and programmes of the opposition as contained in their "Orange Book" and 2013 Budget did not get rave reviews from economists. "If we ask investment bankers and their fund managers' financial analysts, they do not give a high valuation to what was forwarded by the opposition. This means that they only see BN as a viable government." He said the current national transformation programme to boost Malaysia into becoming a developed and high-income nation could not possibly be achieved in three or four years but needed a much longer time. "President (Barack) Obama also demanded another term as president (of the United States) because he said it was impossible to make amends on what was done during the tenure of (President George) Bush, in four years. Furthermore, Najib said if BN received a strong mandate from the people in the 13th general election, God willing, he would commit himself to using his post and the strength of moral leadership to carry out greater and grander achievements for Malaysia. |
| Be careful who we vote for Posted: 24 Nov 2012 02:40 PM PST 
We should be on guard against politicians who try to pass themselves off as theologians, regardless of their religion. Wong Chun Wai, The Star IT'S incredibly silly and nave to actually believe that the religious push by PAS, especially the implementation of hudud and syariah laws, will not affect non-Muslims. There are many Chinese voters, swayed by anti-establishment sentiments towards Barisan Nasional, who have been easily convinced that the Islamist party is perfectly acceptable and that hudud laws would not encroach into the lifestyle of non-Muslims. So they take a light, if not cynical, response towards the call by the Chinese-based component parties in the Barisan and have dismissed the red flag raised by the MCA and Gerakan as no more than a scare tactic. Last week's report that a female Chinese hairstylist has been fined regularly by the Kota Baru Municipal Council for cutting the hair of male Chinese customers has revealed how the PAS agenda is affecting non-Muslims. Salon operators have learnt the hard way that gender segregation regulations in the PAS-controlled state apply to non-Muslims as well. The KB municipal council by-laws forbid women from cutting men's hair and vice-versa regardless of their religion. E-Life Hair Salon manager Ong Lee Ting said she has been paying fines of between RM200 and RM350, adding that she was warned the licence for the salon would be revoked because of the many summonses issued to the operator. While many of us may be used to the way the PAS state government has been running Kelantan with its strict religious regulations, including gender segregation at concerts and supermarket check-outs, some might not be aware that the party's leaders in other states have been doing something similar. In Bangi, Selangor, the PAS state assemblyman Dr Shafie Abu Bakar has stood firm against any proposal to set up a cinema in his constituency. A Chinese businessman reportedly tried to set up a cinema in Bangi but the PAS politician was the biggest stumbling block. When the issue was reported in February, Dr Shafie questioned the need for a cinema in his constituency when one could watch movies on television and the Internet. He claimed that his constituency was 97% Muslims who preferred to attend religious and educational classes. In July, PAS in Kuala Selangor insisted on putting up notices in a cinema forbidding unmarried couples from sitting together. State PAS Commissioner Dr Rani Osman said the directive was made by the licensing department of the Kuala Selangor district council. The state deputy commissioner Khalid Samad, who is purportedly a liberal, was reported as saying that the cinema was frequented by families and they had complained of couples making out there. He also reportedly described it as a poor man's nightclub! In Kota Baru, the PAS state government at one time reportedly insisted that the lights in cinemas must be switched on during the movie to prevent patrons from conducting immoral activities. In 1995, when PAS came to power in Terengganu, the first thing the state's then Mentri Besar Hadi Awang did was to demolish the replica of a turtle at a roundabout in Kuala Terengganu, saying it was akin to idol worshipping. This is the same man who has indicated his interest to be Prime Minister of Malaysia. But we must accept the fact that PAS politicians have always been very clear on what they want to achieve if they are in power. They have consistently and clearly made it known that implementation of hudud laws are on top of their agenda. It is only the apologists outside PAS that have tried to reassure their non-Muslim supporters that this would not happen or that hudud laws, even if implemented, would not affect non-Muslims. Try telling that to a non-Muslim rape victim if the perpetrators are Muslims. We should be on guard against politicians who try to pass themselves off as theologians, regardless of their religion. Those who challenged the authority of such politiciantheologians have found themselves being reminded that dissent means challenging God's laws. They are also put down by such figures who dismiss their critics as unqualified and incapable of carrying out a debate because the challengers are not religiously qualified. Suddenly, religion has become the monopoly of these political-religious characters. Malaysia is veering towards a dangerous situation where there are many non-Muslim voters who are prepared to vote in orthodox PAS leaders. They don't realise that they would be turning the clock back with their political adventurism. It could be a hair-raising experience! |
| DAP worried hudud will cover non-Muslims Posted: 24 Nov 2012 02:35 PM PST (The Star) - The DAP is worried that hudud law will be extended to non-Muslims, with the latest controversy involving hair salon operators in PAS-led Kelantan. Its chairman Karpal Singh said he was surprised that Kelantan decided to enforce a ruling prohibiting non-Muslim women from cutting the hair of men and vice versa. "The Kelantan Government has publicly declared that Islamic laws will not be extended to non-Muslims. PAS has also stated that hudud will only be applied to Muslims. "There's a lot of concern among the public on what has just happened in Kelantan. If hudud is allowed, they will come to be extended to non-Muslims," he told a press conference yesterday. Karpal, who is the Bukit Gelugor MP, said the municipal council ruling was unconstitutional. "In fact, it should be challenged in court. Those concerned should not pay the fines imposed. It is unlawful. "The municipal council in Kelantan is collecting fines on the basis of an unlawful law. "I hope that the PAS leadership will intervene on this matter and do something about it as soon as possible," he said. Karpal said Barisan Nasional should not be presented with issues that could be exploited with the general election looming, likening the law relating to hairdressers as an "unkind cut". On the upcoming two-day DAP national conference from Dec 15, he said 66 party members had been nominated for 20 positions in the central executive committee. |
| Conspiracy to oust Karpal? Posted: 24 Nov 2012 02:23 PM PST 
Ringleaders are upset with Karpal's insistence on one man-one seat electoral formula as part of party strategy to face the next GE, claims a former DAP man. Athi Shankar, FMT Is there a grand design – purportedly mooted by the Lim Dynasty faction – to oust DAP national chairman Karpal Singh in the party national election next month? According to former DAP grassroots leader Tan Tuan Tat, such a plan is already allegedly in place to vote Karpal out from the central executive committee (CEC). Tan, a former Selangor DAP publicity secretary, said the plan was hatched to protect the self-interest of a few. "The warlords don't want the Singh to be their King. They feel Karpal is against their selfish interests," the former DAP's Taman Seri Sungai Pelek branch chairman told FMT here. These ringleaders, he said, were extremely upset with Karpal's insistence on one man-one seat electoral formula as part of party strategy to face the next general election. Karpal's single seat proposal for a party candidate to contest only either a federal or a state seat, albeit some exemptions, has been overwhelmingly popular among party grassroots and lay public. 
But Tan said some of the party's current nine double-seat holders from the Lim Dynasty were unhappy with Karpal's initiative to streamline their multiple positions and multiple perks. He alleged that the warlords were also unhappy with Karpal outspoken criticisms against PAS Islamic state and PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim's unsuccessful Sept 16 Putrajaya coup in 2008. READ MORE HERE |
| Muhyiddin lambasted for bad education policies Posted: 24 Nov 2012 02:20 PM PST 
An Indian NGO rep tells some 6,000-strong crowd at the Dong Zong rally that Muhyiddin is a failed education minister. Leven Woon, FMT The Dong Zong rally against the National Education Blueprint kicked off today with various speakers training their guns at the ruling government, including one who labelled Muhyiddin Yassin as the "dumbest education minister in the world". Dubbed as "Peaceful Appeal Against National Education Blueprint", the rally saw more than 6,000 people gathering the Padang Timur here since 10am, many holding umbrellas under the hot Sunday weather. The protesters also displayed banners that among others read: "Safeguard SJK (C) and SJK (T)", "Guarantee existence and development of multi-stream schools", "Education blueprint stumbling block to unity" and "National school syllabus to fuse Chinese school". Both Barisan Nasional and the MCA were targeted by the protesters, as several placards were spotted reading: "Shameless MCA president betrays Chinese education", "BN MCA, Corrupt and Abuse of Power". 
Thasleem Mohd Ibrahim, who heads the National Indian Rights Action Team (NIAT), said in his addressing speech that the people respected Bahasa Malaysia as the national language and only demanded the rights to learn mother tongue. He criticised Muhyiddin, who is also the deputy prime minister, over his controversial policies such as the introduction of the Interlok novel to secondary school students and the National Education Blueprint. "What does he know? He knows nothing about education. He is the most stupid education minister in the world," he said, drawing the protesters' applause. READ MORE HERE |
| General assembly will be a show of unity and discipline, says Najib Posted: 24 Nov 2012 12:33 PM PST 
(Bernama) -- The 2012 Umno General Assembly is set to give a signal that the party is thoroughly prepared for the general election, that it has risen stronger, more disciplined, more solid and capable of assuring a better future for all Malaysians under the Barisan Nasional (BN). Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the gathering of 5,447 party delegates should portray a party which was prepared in the true meaning of the word. "Whether in terms of the image of our party, direction of the party, unity in the party, organisation, right up to the grass root, (the assembly) should portray a party which is already firm, strong and has a high fighting spirit and motivation to ensure a major victory for Umno and BN," he said. In a special interview with editors of Bernama and Utusan prior to the general assembly next week, the Prime Minister also stressed the importance of organisational discipline towards giving strength in ensuring the success of the party. Najib said, "If we have organisational discipline, I believe it will give us strength, a very great strength because we have the number which must be buttressed with the strength of party discipline. "If we do not receive an order following the chain of command, it means we have gone against discipline and as a consequence we can lose in a war." He said the focus of the debate must lead towards the positive attitude of Umno on its direction and confidence in the leadership, and subsequently to provide answers to accusations thrown by the opposition at the Umno and BN leaderships. Taking PAS as an example of a party hiding behind its Islamic image, Najib said, "This must be discussed by Umno and if possible we come up with strong arguments, so we can emerge as the main party among the Malays". The prime minister said Umno's situation was better compared to a year ago and "surely is better than the pictures which we see in the opposition pact which show parties not sharing the same aspirations, fragile ties and much of what they tried to hide all these while have been exposed". He said the difference in directions and opinions among the opposition was becoming obvious with the issues of who should be prime minister, views on freedom to change religions and opinions on practices not in line with Islam. "If we look between the two, Umno and BN had boosted confidence while the opposition parties had raised more question marks and controversies which can be questioned by voters," he said. Asked about his effort to revive Umno after BN's poor performance in the general election in 2008, Najib said, "I hold on to the principle of getting up after falling down and continuing to work hard after being successful". As such, he said when he took over the leadership of the party and government, he was committed to do whatever possible to revive Umno and BN, starting with the 1 Malaysia concept: People First, Performance Now as a master philosophy of his administration. He said his administration policies were inclusive by upholding social justice and forwarding new ideas which were more creative. "I truly understand, in this 21st century, supremacy can be obtained by those parties who win in contests of ideas. "This is why many programmes which we implement today were never thought of before. From 1 Malaysia People's Shop, 1 Malaysia Clinic, Urban Transformation Centre, Rural Transformation Centre, 1 Malaysia People's Taxi, 1 Malaysia People's Aid, et cetera," he said. |
| Spike in new voters for Selangor ‘normal’, EC chief says Posted: 24 Nov 2012 12:30 PM PST 
(TMI) -- The controversial huge jump in first-time voters for Selangor is regular and to be expected as the country's richest state is a magnet for Malaysians seeking better jobs and lives, Election Commission (EC) chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof has said. Abdul Aziz credited the spike to Selangor's status as a very popular state among Malaysians, saying that many voters are attracted by the job opportunities available to work and stay there. He was responding to the Selangor government's doubts and suspicion over the spike in the number of voters in its state assembly (DUN) and Parliamentary constituencies. "Throughout Malaysia, from 2008 up to 2012, three million new voters have been registered. "Out of the three million, 400,000 are from Selangor, because Selangor is a very popular state, so many people like to work (and) live in Selangor and they use (an) address in Selangor," he told The Malaysian Insider in a phone interview when contacted yesterday. The Pakatan Rakyat (PR) state government had recently carried out a study which showed the figures of newly-registered voters in constituencies held by one of the three political parties within its alliance — PKR, DAP and PAS — had steadily increased with every passing quarter this year, at 563,471; 600,406; and 625,210 respectively. Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said in a statement on Friday that the state could not trace 28 per cent of its 497,084 voters who were registered in last year's fourth quarter. The PKR man also pointed to the incomplete electoral maps of five state assembly areas as justification for Selangor's worries. But Abdul Aziz said that a big chunk of Malaysia's newly-registered voters in the past four years use addresses in Selangor when registering with the EC. When registering voters, the EC has to follow the address as recorded in identity cards (IC) — now called MyKads. Voters can change their voting address if they change their MyKad address and inform the EC. Abdul Aziz said Selangor's popularity made it natural for some Parliamentary areas in Selangor to have an increase of new voters by 30 to 40 per cent. Other places like Ipoh, Johor Baru and Malacca have a percentage increase in new voters that is more or less like Selangor's, he said. "The increase of voters in Selangor, Parliament or ADUN (areas) in Selangor, are also happening in other places, other states. Not only in Selangor. "This is normal," he said. The commission chief also attributed the significant jump to the hard work of both the EC and political parties in registering those who are eligible to vote. "PKR, DAP, PAS are very active in registering voters in Selangor...They contribute a lot in terms of (registering) new voters in Selangor," he said, referring to the parties in PR. He said another 600,000 people in Selangor are eligible to vote, but have yet to register. Political parties have been working to get more citizens registered as voters, ahead of the 13th general elections that is expected to be the country's most intensely-contested polls. In the 12th general election, the three federal opposition parties had swept a total of 36 seats, with PKR taking the lion's share of 15 seats; and the DAP and PAS taking 13 and eight respectively. Selangor is said to be a state with hot seats because of its large number of newly-registered voters, as well as being the country's wealthiest state. The Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition is said to be eyeing the country's wealthiest state in the upcoming elections, with its chairman Datuk Seri Najib Razak recently pledging to cancel a controversial condominium project in the Batu Caves area if BN wins back Selangor. Najib, who is also Umno president, has repeatedly vowed to win back Selangor for his BN coalition by all means necessary. |
| Najib: Pilihan raya umum ke-13 Disember ini? Posted: 24 Nov 2012 12:22 PM PST 
(Bernama) -- Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak berkata pilihan raya umum ke-13 (PRU-13) boleh diadakan pada Disember ini, walaupun negara dilanda musim tengkujuh. Beliau yakin walaupun musim tengkujuh, jentera parti politik yang bertanding mampu menghadapi sebarang kemungkinan. "Kalau hujan atau banjir, boleh naik sampan, naik bot," katanya dengan nada berseloroh ketika ditanya sama ada PRU-13 akan diadakan dalam masa terdekat atau Parlimen akan dibiarkan terbubar dengan sendirinya. Beliau berkata demikian dalam temubual eksklusif bersama para pengarang Bernama dan Utusan Malaysia sempena Perhimpunan Agung Umno 2012 di pejabatnya di Parlimen baru-baru ini. Najib, yang juga Presiden Umno, bagaimanapun tidak menolak kemungkinan pilihan raya boleh diadakan pada tahun depan jika ia tidak diadakan pada bulan depan. "Kalau bulan Disember tak ada pilihan raya umum, tahun depanlah. Melainkan kita buat bulan Disember ini," katanya. Najib mempunyai masa hingga 28 April tahun depan untuk membubarkan Parlimen bagi memberi laluan kepada PRU-13 sebelum Parlimen terbubar dengan sendirinya, dan Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya wajib menetapkan tarikh pilihan raya dalam tempoh dua bulan selepas itu |
| Najib garis lima sebab Umno/BN perlu diberi mandate besar dalam PRU13 Posted: 24 Nov 2012 12:15 PM PST 
(Bernama) -- Visi, wawasan dan hala tuju Barisan Nasional (BN), termasuk Umno, yang jelas dalam membangunkan negara adalah antara lima sebab yang digariskan oleh Perdana Menteri mengapa parti komponen itu perlu diberi mandat besar dalam pilihan raya umum ke-13 (PRU-13). Datuk Seri Najib Razak, yang juga Pengerusi BN dan Presiden Umno berkata sebagai sebuah parti berpengalaman, Umno selaku parti tunjang dalam BN sentiasa memacu dan menggerakkan pelbagai idea dan transformasi ke arah masa depan negara yang gemilang berbanding pakatan pembangkang yang masih kabur mengenai perkara itu. Selain itu, Umno dan BN turut merupakan satu pakatan yang terikat kepada dasar-dasar yang disokong secara bersama dan tidak ada percanggahan sama ada dari segi dasar mahupun ideologi, dan ini berbeza dengan parti lawan yang seringkali mengeluarkan pendapat yang bertentangan walaupun atas soal-soal asas dan fundamental, katanya. "Ketiga, kita mempunyai 'track record' pencapaian yang terbukti dan tidak boleh disangkal dalam mengurus negara di mana kita juga telah dapat meyakinkan rakyat bahawa peta jalan ke hadapan adalah berdasarkan kemampuan kita untuk melaksanakannya selama ini. "Maknanya, keyakinan rakyat bahawa kemampuan kita untuk melaksanakan agenda negara iaitu transformasi besar yang ingin kita perlihatkan," katanya dalam temubual eksklusif bersama para pengarang Bernama dan Utusan Malaysia sempena Perhimpunan Agung Umno 2012 di pejabatnya di Parlimen baru-baru ini. Najib berkata sebagai sebuah kerajaan, Umno dan BN memiliki kekuatan moral yang kukuh dan sentiasa berpegang kepada janji di mana setiap janji yang dibuat dipastikan supaya ditunaikan serta tidak akan membuat janji yang tidak mampu dipenuhi. Beliau berkata janji kerajaan BN adalah jelas untuk kepentingan rakyat dan sentiasa ditunaikan berdasarkan prinsip janji ditepati berbanding janji pakatan pembangkang yang bertujuan memperdaya pengundi demi memenuhi matlamat untuk menakluki Putrajaya. Pengerusi BN berkata sebab terakhir yang perlu diberi perhatian ialah rakyat tidak perlu menggadai masa depan dengan menyerahkan negara kepada parti yang tidak boleh menjanjikan masa depan lebih baik ketika kredibiliti mereka juga dipertikaikan. "Masa depan kita, masa depan anak-anak kita terlalu mahal untuk diperjudikan, sebaliknya dengan Barisan Nasional tahap keyakinan lebih tinggi... ini dapat dilihat dari segi prestasi pasaran dengan kemasukan pelabur-pelabur dari dalam dan luar negara," katanya. Mengenai mengapa orang Melayu tidak menggunakan agama sebagai asas penyatuan seperti yang dilakukan kaum lain, Najib berkata: "Orang Melayu telah dikelirukan dengan hasutan dan fitnah yang bertalu-talu terhadap pemimpin Umno dan Umno itu sendiri, walaupun dakyah-dakyah tersebut merupakan serangan politik dan tidak ada asasnya." Najib berpendapat orang Melayu juga terpedaya dengan imej luaran seperti label parti yang dikatakan parti Islam dan rupa pemimpin yang mereka anggap lebih Islamik. Beliau berkata sepatutnya sesebuah parti itu dinilai dari segi pengisian dan agenda yang boleh meninggikan perjuangan dan syiar Islam, dan Umno telah membuktikan parti itu dapat memperjuangkan tuntutan Islam berdasarkan Maqasid Syariah. "Sejak dulu lagi kita perjuangkan Islam, bermula dengan Perlembagaan, pembentukan institusi-institusi Islam serta program-program Islam yang kita telah wujudkan dan martabatkan seperti perbankan Islam," katanya. Ditanya harapan beliau kepada para perwakilan selepas tamat perhimpunan kali ini, Najib berharap seluruh warga Umno yang hadir dapat menghayati mesej yang diterapkan seterusnya menterjemahkan dalam bentuk tindakan serta sikap masing-masing. "Umpamanya, banyak penegasan akan dibuat tentang bagaimana mereka harus mendepani cabaran PRU-13 dan bagaimana kita harus meletakkan persediaan kita secara mantap bukan sahaja dari segi persiapan fizikal seperti bilik gerakan, bantuan material dan sebagainya tetapi juga dari segi semangat dan sikap untuk meletakkan kemenangan pilihan raya sebagai yang perlu diutamakan dan tidak ada apa-apa perhitungan yang lain meskipun sesuatu itu memang sangat dihajati oleh kita," katanya. Beliau juga berharap perwakilan yang berbahas mampu mengupas, menjawab dan menangkis sebarang isu nasional serta tohmahan yang dihalakan kepada parti. |
| A game of chance Posted: 24 Nov 2012 01:23 AM PST Hence, since we are the ones who are going to pay for this mistake, should we not be the ones to decide what is true and what is false? Hence, also, should we not be allowed to decide what we wish to believe in since at the end of the day we are the ones who will suffer the consequences? NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin Let's say, before your parents got married, your father was a Muslim and your mother a Christian. Then, when they got married, your mother converted to Islam and a year later you were born. What religion do you think you would be following now? Let's say, before your parents got married, your father was a Christian and your mother a Muslim. Then, when they got married, your mother converted to Christianity and a year later you were born. What religion do you think you would be following now? Let's say both your father and mother were Christians. Then, after they got married, they went to Tibet for their honeymoon where they visited a monastery. They were so impressed with how the Buddhist monks lived their lives that your parents converted to Buddhism. One year later you were born. What religion do you think you would be following now? Today, there is more than a 99% chance you would be following the religion of your parents. There would be less than a 1% chance you would leave the religion of your parents to follow a new religion. So are you 100% absolutely sure the religion you are following today is the correct religion? It is 'correct' only because you have been brought up in the religion of your parents. What if your parents never cared much for any religion and brought you up in an environment where there was no religion. Would you not probably be an atheist today? How many of you have pondered on this question? Are you not what you are or who you are because of your parents? What if your parents had made a mistake and left the 'true' religion they were born into to embrace a 'false' religion? The religion you were brought up in would now become the 'true' religion while the earlier religion that your parents abandoned would be the 'false' religion. Hence which is 'true' and which is 'false'? Is 'true' the new religion of your parents that you were brought up in or their old religion which they abandoned? Hence, also, is true and false subjective and merely an opinion based on what you have been raised to believe? Or is true and false real and tangible? Today we fight and argue about what we perceive as true and false. We uphold what we believe to be true and oppose what we believe to be false. However, if our parents had 'changed course' some time in their life by abandoning their old religion in favour of a new one, and they had exposed us to what they believe to be true, then our interpretation of true and false would be what we have been taught to believe to be true and false. So are we really fighting for the truth or are we fighting for what we have been taught to believe to be true? And are we really confident that God has blessed us with the truth or has Satan misled us into believing that we are following the truth when actually we are following something false? I suppose one day we will all know the answer to that question. But we will first have to die to get the answer to that question. In the meantime, while we are still alive, we want as many people as possible to follow us down this path of the truth. But what happens if we are not on the path of truth and we end up leading others down a false path? While we will pay for this error of our ways, are we also going to pay for the error of the others we misled down this same false path? Or will each person pay for their own errors even if that error was made because others misled us? Yes, there are those who would like to force their beliefs upon us and compel us to follow what they believe to be the right path. But if that so-called right path is actually the wrong path then we who followed them down this wrong path would end up paying for this mistake. Hence, since we are the ones who are going to pay for this mistake, should we not be the ones to decide what is true and what is false? Hence, also, should we not be allowed to decide what we wish to believe in since at the end of the day we are the ones who will suffer the consequences? 
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| Najib: Anwar's call for Australia to intervene in GE shameful Posted: 23 Nov 2012 10:53 PM PST 
(THE STAR) - Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has described Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's request for Australia to intervene in the general election as a shameless act. The Prime Minuster questioned Anwar's lack of confidence in Malaysia's electoral process when the opposition won five states in the last elections. "Now they say there are 12-year-olds in the electoral roll. If so, show us the proof so we can address the problems, don't ask a foreign country to intervene, don't bring shame upon our country," Najib told a gathering of 1,500 NGOs at the Putra World Trade Centre. Anwar had petitioned for Australia to intervene in the elections but foreign minister Bob Carr rejected the request. In an interview, Anwar said people who are ineligible to vote, some of whom were 12-years old, were in the electoral list. Commenting on Australia's rejection of Anwar's request, Najib said: "Luckily the Australians are wise and said no way, not our business', because they know they have good relations with us and they know Malaysian leaders. "But he (Anwar) goes here and there to cucuk (provoke), his cucuk is never-ending." Najib said Malaysia was now becoming an example to many nations and in fact, some were jealous of its success and achievements but certain parties in the country were finding fault with the government and making a hue and cry abroad. "Don't talk about inside the country, the Bangsamoro also looked up to Malaysia (to end the conflict in the southern Philippines; (for) 40 years, more than 100,000 had died," he said. Malaysia facilitated the peace process between the Bangsamoro and the Philippine goverment which culminated in a peace accord being signed by the conflicting parties last month. "Here, people look for fault in us, (whilst) others are worse. "In the Unites States, even the presidential election had problems, voters could not find their names at voting booths, late decisions, but nobody said there was big cheating going on, or the selection of (Barack) Obama for the second term was not valid, none..," he said. Blasting the opposition who often questioned and disputed the government, Najib said they, however, kept quiet when the opposition wrested five states from the Barisan Nasional (BN) in the last general election in 2008. |
| Theocratic 3 P's - prohibit, persecute & punish Posted: 23 Nov 2012 10:48 PM PST 
KTEMOC KONSIDERS The lamentable incident (or incidents, since there have been more than one case) of municipal authorities in Kota Bharu applying Islamic laws and/or regulations on non-Muslims has been in some ways a blessing at this particular point in time, when many non-Muslims particularly Chinese are just about to vote overwhelmingly for PAS, an unusual voting trend even far greater than the one in March 2008 or in the several by-elections since. Two factors have influenced the unusual non-Muslims' change of political preference for an Islamic party, one which they had previously feared (prior to the last general election). These factors have been: (a) Their revulsion, particularly by Chinese Malaysians, for UMNO's utter corruption and unabated greed, vile, frightening and hurtful racism and, most of all, the sheer unabashed feral and teflon-ized arrogance, combined with total disgust for the sycophantic effeminate ineffectual political voice/influence of MCA, MIC and Gerakan, and (b) PAS presentation of itself with a softer face, a party more concerned with combating corruption than religious proselytization, one that will promote social welfare and justice, and an antagonist, antithesis and antidote to the monstrous UMNO, as exemplified by the attractive personalities of Nik Aziz, Mat Sabu, Khalid Samad and most of all, Nizar Jamaluddin. Recently, even anti-Valentine Day's Nasrudin Hasan, the Chief of PAS Youth, has moderated his right-wing stance to assume a more affable persona.  | | popular and trusted Nizar Jamaluddin | But from time to time there have been slips by PAS where we caught glimpses of their true face, even of/from the leaders we had deemed very tolerant, those whom we could trust, respect and even love. In August 2010, the frail grandfatherly-looking Pak Haji Nik Aziz showed his hard face when he called for the death sentence for those who dumped their babies born out of wedlock, but without mentioning or considering the social, cultural and yes, religious circumstances which left those young and probably teenage mums no or very little other choice. The treatment by a secular state would have been diametrically opposite to Nik Aziz's cruel crushing capital punishment for those very much frightened 'mums', already suffering from desertion, desperation, and deprivation of love, support and compassion. We should be placing emphasis on education, guidance and counselling rather than stoning people to death. And if society has been more understanding, and parents or families of the unfortunate young women provide support in accepting and caring for the unwanted babies, we would have less of 'baby dumping'. As if that was not cruel enough, he shocked us further by demanding that illicit (unmarried) lovers be stoned to death. It's bad enough to have capital punishment without that barbarous Middle-Eastern atrocity, which is best left to the Arabs and Israelis (recall in which country was this first said "He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone at her"?). In Malaysiakini's Karpal locks horns with Nik Aziz over baby dumping, Karpal Singh commented that Nik Aziz's proposal was far too harsh, when more should instead be done to study the root cause of the baby dumping. Bhai stated: "I am somewhat disturbed by the statement of Nik Aziz, who not only supports the use of capital punishment for those found guilty of dumping babies but has also asked for those committing illicit sex to be stoned to death. "Nik Aziz should realise we do not live in primitive times. In the present time and age, the punishment of stoning to death, which is a cruel and unjust punishment, does not, and cannot have a place."
"What is required is an in-depth study of the reasons which lead to what has become a topic of grave concern ... what has to be looked at with the eye of a hawk is not the symptoms, but the cause, before resorting to cries for the death penalty." Mind you, UMNO couldn't claim any high grounds on the baby dumping tragedy, because Malaysiakini also told us that: Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil had previously called for cases of baby dumping to be filed as attempted murder or murder cases. According to the Penal Code, anyone convicted of murder carries a mandatory death sentence. Datuk Paduka Marina Mahathir had once lamented in her Star column (as best as I can recall, in my own words) that one of Malaysia's deficiencies in its Islamic programs and implementations has been the poor educating of the government's Islamic clerics. Now, if PAS' learned Mursyidul Am (spiritual advisor) could be so ferociously cruel in his outlook towards some Islamic 'crimes' (instead of being compassionate), what hope then is there for balanced and compassionate considerations from those less educated and less learned than him, plebes like those intrusive Kota Bharu municipal officers. Then to add chillies to the sad tragedies, as reported by Malaysiakini's Valentine's Day blamed for baby dumping PAS Youth Chief Nasrudin Hassan bizarrely blamed celebrations on Valentine's Day and New Year's Day as the root cause, where these celebrations encourage free sex that has led to ... yadda yadda yadda ... culminating in baby dumping.
Nasrudin claimed: "It's an indication that the 'mating season' occurred during the New Year's Day celebrations."
My dear Nasrudin, New Year's Days and Valentine's Days have been celebrated all over the world, yet other countries haven't had our kind of baby dumping. Why?
'Coz their societies are far more humane, compassionate, caring, supportive and less misogynistic. And we could certainly do with less of such nonsensical PAS self-interests-driven pronouncements. Quite frankly, I have never heard of any theocratic state which was tolerant, balanced or compassionate, not even in medieval theocratic (Buddhist) Tibet.
Invariably, lowly educated or/and young clerics or religious enforcement officers, given almost unrestrained powers, would sense an uncontrollable compulsion to prohibit, persecute (not prosecute, though that'd come subsequently), and punish - if anything, just to show their powers, and to invoke fears (which they possibly mistake for respect). READ MORE HERE |
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