| The Shadow Games: Umno power-struggle? Posted: 28 Dec 2012 10:18 AM PST 
Muhyiddin's nationwide tour is done under the instruction of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and this shows that Mahathir still has immense influence in Umno. Is Mahathir the one actually running the show in Umno? Selena Tay, FMT The whole atmosphere in Umno is extremely venomous and Najib may be asked to step down after the general election unless BN can regain its 2/3 majority. Just when everyone was thinking that the political activity has gone down a notch or two during this end of the year holiday season, word is going around that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak may be forced to hold the 13th general election before the Water Snake Chinese Lunar New Year which begins on Feb 10. No one knows exactly what is going on in Umno because there is much cloak-and-dagger stuff in their wheeling and dealing. However, if this talk is true, then the polls will have to be held only in early February as January does not favour BN because it is a very busy month due to it being the first month of the new school year and the teachers who are members of political parties will have no time to hit the campaign trail. Therefore only the first weekend of February is available. Be that as it may, polls within the first three months after the Chinese Lunar New Year may lessen the Chinese votes because the Chinese who are working in Singapore (and there are many of them) will only utilise their leave for returning to their hometown during the two-week Chinese Lunar New Year period. Therefore this strategy can serve to lessen Chinese participation in the general election. Now back to the goings-on in Umno. There is no reason to believe that PM Najib wants to hold the general election before the Chinese Lunar New Year. This is because his brainchild, BR1M will only get going on Jan 15 and the payout is scheduled to go on until March 15. This time there are more applicants (youths, singletons and households whose income is below RM3,000) who will be getting the cash aid. If the 13th general election is held before the payout is completed, then the rakyat will suspect that something is amiss. So although there are some in Umno who are impatient for the general election to be held fast, PM Najib will want to stand his ground and hold the polls in late March after all the BR1M recipients have received their cash aid although it cannot be denied that he is under pressure now. It is also common knowledge that Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has gone on a nationwide tour to meet all the Umno state liaison chiefs to see that everything is in order and to ensure that Umno's campaign machinery is in tip-top condition to face their greatest election battle of all time. Muhyiddin's nationwide tour is done under the instruction of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and this shows that Mahathir still has immense influence in Umno. Is Mahathir the one actually running the show in Umno? Najib in a precarious position From all counts, the situation shows that there is a power-struggle going on in Umno and the general accepted belief by all and sundry is that PM Najib may be asked to step down after the 13th general election unless BN can regain the two thirds majority in Parliament and recapture all the Pakatan Rakyat (PR)-held states. With all the Umno warlords aligned to one faction or other, the whole atmosphere in Umno is extremely venomous, the coming Water Snake year notwithstanding. No one knows who is really a friend or foe. But Najib is the one who seems to be in a precarious position. Still, he will not give up without putting up a tough fight. Again, all his problems are caused by his delay in holding the polls and his delay must have irked the decisive Mahathir. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2012/12/29/the-shadow-games-umno-power-struggle/ |
| 18,000 get PTPTN loans changed to scholarships Posted: 28 Dec 2012 10:15 AM PST 
(The Star) - Over 18,000 graduates have had their National Higher Education Corporation (PTPTN) loans converted to scholarships. The loan conversion is made available to those who obtained first-class honours. PTPTN chairman Datuk Ismail Mohamed Said said on Friday that a total of 18,098 graduates had their loans, amounting to RM503.34mil, converted to scholarships as at Nov 30 this year. The loan conversion was previously only available to students who graduated after 2010 but is now available to all eligible graduates. Graduates who obtained first class honours before Jan 1, 2010, must apply for the loan conversion by June 30, 2013. Ismail also said many graduates had also made use of the 20% discount offered to those who settled their loans in full. "Between Oct 1 and Dec 15, 13,900 PTPTN loan beneficia- ries settled their loans in full and a total of RM38.6mil was received as repayment while the discounts offered were worth RM9.59mil. "Of the 13,900, 629 had pre-viously been blacklisted," he said. When tabling Budget 2013, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razakhad announced the 20% discount for those who settled their outstanding amounts in full by Sept 30 next year. Those who fail to meet the deadline but had diligently paid their loans on time for the 12-month period are entitled to a 10% discount. |
| My response to Alan Yeap of Taiwan Posted: 28 Dec 2012 12:06 AM PST 
So you see, you must suffer some loss of reputation or have suffered a financial loss by what I said about you. But if what I said has nothing to do with you but was about someone else and you suffered nothing from what I said how could you sue me? What is your locus standi? And what has the political party you support or do not support got to do with this? NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin EDITOR: Many of you were not born yet in 1957 and yet you make so much noise about Article 153. Why apply different standards for different people? RPK, do you realize how consistently inconsistent you really are? By the way, May 13 tragedy happened in 1969 and not 1957. I remember reading your article on this tragedy and that you yourself interviewed Tunku Abdul Rahman in person. You got your article published in Harakah and this was repeated in your blog not too long ago when you were the RPK that people looked up to. I have to honestly say that I don't know what Article 153 is. I assume it to be the May 13 tragedy. EDITOR: You can't simply sue The Edge. You need locus standi and must prove you have been personally injured. Why are Pakatan supporters so stupid? Janganlah buka mulut kalau jahil. Malulah! RPK, you were once an avid supporter of Pakatan and even risked your own safety canvassing and helping them win handsomely. You even got sent to Kamunting for that cause. I won't repeat your last two phrases. It sounds too …… demeaning. **************************************************** That was Alan Yeap's comment, which he posted from the Shangri La Far Eastern Plaza Hotel in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. First of all, when someone accuses me of being consistently inconsistent, he or she has to be specific and offer some examples. I may be accused of being cheong hei (longwinded), but at least there is no confusion as to what I am trying to say. If I were to say that the DAP leaders are not sincere, that would be a sweeping and very vague statement. Such an allegation would need examples to support what I say. In what way are they insincere and what is it they have done and/or said to give me the impression that they are insincere? To make a sweeping and vague statement is just not acceptable. That, sometimes, is the advantage of being cheong hei. You go into details and throw in a lot of examples to support whatever statement you make. Thus, where is my inconsistency? Did I say yesterday that Islam is the best religion and today I say that Islam is the worse religion? That would be inconsistent for sure. So give me your examples. Alan Yeap said that May 13 occurred in 1969 and not in 1957. I don't know why Alan Yeap is telling me something that I already know. The whole of Malaysia knows it was in 1969. After all, I am not only a student of history but I have written many articles about May 13. Hence I know that May 13 was in 1969 and not in 1957. And I never said that May 13 was in 1957. So I do not know what gave Alan Yeap the impression that I said it was in 1957 and not in 1969. As for the second part of Alan Yeap's comment, I said something else and he responded with something totally unrelated to what I said. What has what he said got to do with what I said? Alan Yeap challenged Khairy Jamaluddin to sue The Edge. Why are the Pakatan Rakyat supporters asking this person and that person to sue this, that or the other? You scream about freedom of speech and how Barisan Nasional and the government do not respect freedom of speech. And then you ask people to sue other people to stifle freedom of speech. You have to decide whether you do want freedom of speech or not. You can't keep asking people to sue other people every time they give their opinion. Now, if they slander you that is another thing. If they say you cheated your company or you had an affair with your secretary and this is not true then you have every right to sue them. But you can't sue people for expressing their opinion. I don't think that giving out ang paus in white envelopes during Chinese New Year is bad luck or that Jesus Christ was the Son of God. That is my opinion. But do you sue me just because that is my opinion and because I expressed my opinion? I can even say that I think you are silly for believing in such things but that is still not grounds to sue me. What if I were to say that I do not believe that God exists and I am of the opinion that all those people who believe in such nonsense are silly people? Can you sue me for that? Slander is one thing. That hurts you and you can sue me if I lied. But my opinion is my opinion and you can't sue me for that. Can I sue you because you said that all those who do not accept Christ will never go to heaven and only those who accept Christ will be saved and will get to see heaven? You have just insinuated that I will be going to hell and you have hurt my feelings. But is that grounds enough for me to sue you? You cannot scream about wanting freedom of speech/opinion/expression and at the same time threaten to sue everyone when they express any opinion that differ from yours. And to sue someone you must have locus standi and whatever was said must have hurt you personally. This has nothing to do with whether you support Pakatan Rakyat or Barisan Nasional. Can you sue me if I were to say that the Japanese committed a lot of atrocities in Nanjing during WWII? First of all, it was true. Secondly, are you Japanese and are you personally hurt by my statement? Has your reputation suffered or did you suffer financial loss because of my statement regarding the Japanese atrocities in Nanjing? So you see, you must suffer some loss of reputation or have suffered a financial loss by what I said about you. But if what I said has nothing to do with you but was about someone else and you suffered nothing from what I said how could you sue me? What is your locus standi? And what has the political party you support or do not support got to do with this? Finally, I do not know how long Alan Yeap has been living in Taiwan but it must have been for quite some time since he does not know what Article 153 is. Or is Alan Yeap Taiwanese rather than Malaysian and that is why he does not know what Article 153 is? Anyway, my response was specifically regarding those people who say that Khairy should not talk about May 13 since it happened in 1969 and he was not born yet then (he was born in 1976). In that case can I comment about things that happened during WWII since I was born in 1950? And what about those who were born after Merdeka in 1957 and yet make comments about Article 153? Do they have a right to talk about a matter that happened before they were born? Those are the issues. The first issue is about suing someone who gives his or her opinion and the second issue is about telling someone not to comment about something that happened before he or she was born. Tony Pua was born in 1972 and Hannah Yeoh in 1979. Going by the standards we apply for Khairy, Tony and Hannah also have to stop talking about a lot of things. After all, all these things they are talking about happened before they were born. But then this 'don't talk about something that happened before you were born' is only a rule for Umno people and does not apply to opposition people. And when I point this out they respond with: do you no longer support the opposition? What shallow thinking and narrow-minded mentality? Wrong is wrong and should not be only wrong for those who are pro-government but right for those who are anti-government. Why can't these people understand something so simple and so basic? |
| "Allah" a journey, not controversy Posted: 27 Dec 2012 10:47 PM PST 
At this point in human evolution, in this age of reconciliation of the post-Mayan calendar, Malaysians (especially Christians and Muslims) need to be less childish in the fight over patenting and branding 'god'. It is a name conceived differently anyway, as different as how each soul conceives the Divine. A REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE Dr Azly Rahman Only in Malaysia is the world perhaps witnessing a raging debate on who has the patent to the word 'Allah'; simply translated as 'the/that god.' It seems to be a seasonal debate to get the political parties to wrestle over the linguistic or semiotic of the word; one that connotes and denotes 'the Force of Divinity' that Man has attempted to understand, revere, love, and fear yet can never comprehend.
This is simply because we are in a matrix of truth and representation, and in a prison-house of language unable to see what the Ultimate Reality looks like.
What's in a name? Maybe nothing. Maybe everything. And even more so this Shakespearean "a rose is a rose" type of problematique seems relevant in a world of political manipulations such as in Malaysia when race and religion are the twin determinants of political evolution.
The debate on the origin of the word 'Allah' is obviously interesting as a topic of dissertation or as an inquiry theme in fields such as bio-semantics, bio-semiotics, linguistic philosophy, philology, or the study of the transcultural flow of language as yours truly embarked upon on the origin of the words 'Cyberjaya' and 'Putrajaya' in a dissertation submitted to Columbia University, a few years back. (see http://www.azlyrahman-originofcyberjaya.com/) To ascertain the origin of the word 'Allah' might also yield those studying it to also explore the origin of the concept of 'god', 'religion', 'scriptures', and even the notion of soteriology in the study of religion; a human enterprise that began with the agriculture society and what the sociologist Karl Wittfogel would term as the 'hydraulic societies'. The attempt to name 'god' and to call it by 'special nouns' have been a human cognitive exercise since Man has been trying to figure our what causes his crop to do well or to be damaged or destroyed, the night to go dark and the sun to illuminate, or the fate of his or her clan as the tribe moves from one planting area to another after slashing and burning crops. The search for 'god', perhaps noted as early as the discovery of cave paintings in Southern France moving on to the conceptualisation of the Divine and Ultimate Reality, to the birth of Zorasterianism, to Judaism, to Christianity, and to Islam (in the Fertile Crescent) and in the non-monotheistic conception of it in cultural philosophies such as Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism (in the Indus valley). These are ways that Man has tried to name the un-namable, explain the unexplainable, and conceive the unconceivable. I am not sure if there have been controversies or people killing each other over who has the right to the name of this or that god. The Romans and the Greeks have gods in common playing different roles, but I have not come across crisis and conflict in such naming of gods in these two civilisations. No need for controversyAt this point in human evolution, in this age of reconciliation of the post-Mayan calendar, Malaysians (especially Christians and Muslims) need to be less childish in the fight over patenting and branding 'god'. It is a name conceived differently anyway, as different as how each soul conceives the Divine. Whether one calls god Allah, The Lord, Brahma-Shiva-Vishnu, Bhagwan, Waheguru, Yahweh, or Hashem or not call it anything at all but refer to it in mere silence and reverie, the ultimate aim is to 'connect', and hence the Latin term 'religio' which loosely means 'to connect'. Herein lies the limits of language insofar as the naming of 'god' is concerned. There is no reason to be locked into controversy but all the reason should be to engage in exploring human creativity in trying to understand Absolute or Ultimate Reality. Because we are social beings plunged into a world of materialism and our existence always in dialectical opposition with world of Appearance and Reality, if we take the Platonic Theory of Forms as a framework of analysis, and because we are always engaging in a world of realism first and foremost, our focus needs to be on how to live a life examined as societies of human beings always empathic to the lives of others less fortunate and to dwell on similarities rather than differences. We ought to focus on making sure fellow men and women are accorded the basics of life - food, shelter, clothing - and how these will contribute to the cultivation of dignity, rights, and responsibility. In Malaysia, this means people of all religious faith ensuring that caste and class in society is gradually, but surely abolished and that the rich will not become richer by any means manipulative and necessary. A wide-awake society that includes the ideological warring factions called the Muslims and Christians fighting over the word 'Allah' ought to be aware of what will continue to divide and conquer them, so that their praxis or the act of translating theory/perspective to practice for the common good is not clouded or even debilitated. It would be necessary to allow any religion to use the word 'Allah' I would venture to say, if the word means everything good and brings them to do ultimate good. Muslims and Christians alike may perhaps need to do a philological and linguistic-genealogical research of the word 'Allah' or even the history of the word 'god' itself in order to be more enlightened of the issues and attendant claims or ownership.
Surprised they may be in discovering that we were once inhabitants of the Tower of Babel trying to figure out what word to use to name the nameless, and what shape to create to represent the Formless.
Until we Muslims and Christians come to this dialogical crossroad, the road to political manipulation in Malaysia is always paved with linguistic distortion in service of crypto-crony-capitalistic intentions! ********************************** OUR USUAL REMINDER, FOLKS:
While the opinion in the article/writing is mine,
the comments are strictly, respectfully, and responsibly yours;
present them rationally, clearly, politely, and ethically. https://www.facebook.com/#!/azly.rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/ |
| ‘I am priceless, I cannot be bought’ Posted: 27 Dec 2012 07:25 PM PST 
He vows to continue on his mission to expose more dirt, especially against the Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor. Teoh El Sen, FMT Deepak Jaikishan has declared himself as someone who cannot be bought over or silenced in response to his sudden decision to withdraw a multi-million ringgit legal suit against a Wanita Umno leader yesterday. "I cannot be bought. I am not for sale. I am priceless," Deepak told FMT today. Apart from the withdrawal of his suit againt Selangor Umno Wanita chief Senator Raja Ropiaah Abdullah, yesterday also saw a government investment company puchasing a 80% stake in a company in which he is a director, prompting many to believe Deepak has been bought over by the powers-that-be for his silence. The carpet dealer claimed that he was forced to sell his company, Astacanggih Sdn Bhd for RM30 million to Boustead Holdings Bhd, saying that "very harsh conditions were imposed on me to keep quiet." But when asked, he did not reveal details of these conditions, and simply explained that he was given a "very nice love letter from the government" that threatened him with an "ultimatum" and very direct warnings. He vowed that he would continue on his mission to expose more dirt, especially against Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor. He said that he would be holding a press conference on Jan 1 in which he would launch his booklet "Black Rose" and documents to prove "you know who" gave payments to private investigator P Balasubramaniam. Deepak said that the deal of RM30 million had only covered the money he had invested into the land deal gone sour with Awan Megah Sdn Bhd, linked to Raja Ropiaah, to which the court case was withdrawn. "It is true that my shareholders and me have sold our shares in Astacanggih for RM30 million which is our actual cost price of RM13 million for Raja Ropiaah, RM8 million in political contributions, RM7 million of financial costs and RM2 million in legal and miscellaneous costs. "This was an ultimatum that was forced upon us," he said in an SMS message to the media today. Deepak complained that the irony was that Raja Ropiaah, whom he claimed "stole" the land from his company, had gotten much more from the land deal. "Why would I let it go at only RM30 million? I go home with the money I have actually invested. I am paid what I paid. Money given back to me. Raja Ropiaah, on the other hand, get's RM130 million, what the %*&^… guess that is real power isn't it," he said, explaining that the market price for the 200 plus-acre-land is now RM400 million. Defence Ministry the losers
He added that another irony was that the defence ministry was buying "their own land that they sold to Raja Ropiaah in the first place." "LTAT bought their own land which they sold to Raja Ropiaah for RM72.5 million at RM130 million, giving her a profit of RM57.5 million plus RM13 million from us and RM18 million from Guppyunip totalling RM88 million and 20 acres of land worth RM40 million. "The losers are the defence minister and army officers who get cheated by Umno and cheating again by having to buy back the military land at double the price they sold it," said Deepak in another SMS. "Add all that up, and Raja Ropiaah is a very rich lady, maybe as rich as Shahrizat," he said, adding that despite all that, the government seems to be listening to her and not the truth. "Just because she is Umno. I guess very soon they will make statues of these people and ask us to pray to them like Gods. Because they have become above the law, they have become like immortals. Let's work together and get these bastards." READ MORE HERE |
| DAP-SAPP spat over seats rages Posted: 27 Dec 2012 07:05 PM PST 
Nancy Lai, The Borneo Post KOTA KINABALU: Trouble seems to be brewing in the opposition front as DAP Sabah and Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) take potshots at each other on several issues, including the seats they are eyeing. With the 13th general election expected to be held anytime soon and no end in sight to the acrimony between the two opposition parties, the chances of Pakatan Rakyat pulling off a strong alliance against Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) appear increasingly remote. Continuing the war of words yesterday, DAP Sabah assistant secretary cum National DAPSY Central Committee member Junz Wong issued a strongly worded statement in which he accused SAPP of harbouring "evil intentions" to split the opposition votes in Sabah. Junz claimed that DAP Sabah has been under attack by SAPP ever since DAP announced that it would be contesting the Sandakan parliamentary seat and the Elopura, Tanjung Papat and Karamunting state seats. He said SAPP has even claimed that DAP was secretly assisting UMNO to win in the coming election. "Firstly, DAP demands that (Datuk) Wong Yi Ming apologize for accusing DAP of helping UMNO! DAP has worked for a free and democratic Malaysia for as long as DAP has existed, led by credible leaders such as Lim Kit Siang and Karpal Singh. "DAP had gone through difficult times when BN was much stronger, fighting BN head-to-head (while SAPP was colluding with BN)," Junz said. "Even then, DAP did not join BN when invited to join the coalition. There was even one time in Malaysia's history where there was only a lone national opposition representation in Parliament, and that was DAP. "We strongly reject such intentional, irresponsible and baseless accusations against DAP. SAPP wants Malaysians to be misled so that votes would be split in the coming PRU13. These attempts were made with most evil intentions!," he said. "Secondly, to contest the Sandakan seats has always been made known within Pakatan component parties. SAPP is NOT part of Pakatan. SAPP has clarified that they will work with Datuk Seri Anwar (Ibrahim) for possible seat negotiation, which means they will negotiate for seats agreed upon for PKR only, not PAS, and certainly NOT DAP. "If SAPP thinks (Datuk) Yong Teck Lee can deal with Pakatan the way SAPP used to deal with BN, then Yong is so WRONG! Pakatan is NOT BN! BN decisions would be made by (Tun) Dr Mahathir or Pak Lah or Najib, so SAPP just have to deal with the Prime Minister," he asserted. Junz said that in the spirit of Pakatan Rakyat, consensus among the three parties' top leadership will make the decision, not one single leader. "SAPP's Yong thinks he can by-pass DAP or PAS by going straight to Anwar to negotiate for DAP seats? By continuously slandering DAP and throwing baseless accusations against DAP has worsened the good faith," he claimed, adding that by not negotiating with DAP on seat allocations, SAPP can only get seats which have been agreed for PKR. (That is if PKR is willing to let go). Junz said SAPP likes to play the role of 'Mr Know Everything'. "Its publicity chief Chong Pit Fah has claimed that PKR would stand in Sandakan. SAPP is not part of Pakatan and neither has SAPP ever sat in on any of Pakatan seat negotiation meetings. How would he (Chong) know and make an announcement for PKR-Pakatan? He is giving a price for a car that doesn't belong to him," he claimed. "Thirdly, SAPP's intentions are obvious and evil. On the one hand SAPP is slandering Pakatan, citing Pakatan is a Malaya party while on the other hand, it keeps fishing for opposition votes by claiming they are working with Pakatan. "This has caused much confusion as to where SAPP actually stands. Even STAR and PKR has openly asked SAPP to make a clear stand on whether SAPP is joining PR or not! "Observing the movements of SAPP throughout the years has helped us come to one conclusion. "SAPP's uncertain position as a 'spoiler' is so apparent. We hope that if SAPP is really sincere in wanting to work together for the sake of the people of Sabah and Malaysia, then SAPP must join Pakatan Rakyat now! Then we can immediately sit down on seats negotiation seriously once and for all. DAP door is always open waiting for SAPP to come knocking." "Fourthly, Why does SAPP has to 'hentam' (criticize) DAP for wanting to contest in the four Sandakan seats? Hasn't SAPP already shown their arrogance in their continuous call to contest 40 seats? "DAP has three principles to ensure a straight fight against BN, and DAP reiterates its stand that for a 1-to-1 fight against BN, it must work on the basis of the principles that no party must be larger than the other component parties to ensure a form of check and balance because power corrupts politicians, and this is also against the spirit of social democracy; secondly, to show its sincerity to Malaysians by joining Pakatan Rakyat Sabah secretariat because there is no point of only talking about working with PR as this will only be perceived as attempts to confuse voters, especially Pakatan voters," Junz said. "The third principle is that there must be respect for Pakatan component parties as a national coalition. Stop slandering PR and misleading voters by branding PR a Malayan coalition," he said. "DAP has made its stand clear from the very beginning that we want to achieve a one-to-one fight based on these principles. This stand will not be moved. We would also like to remind SAPP that PKR has never promised to let go of all PKR seats, PKR only agrees to give some seats to SAPP. Likewise for DAP. "DAP will embrace SAPP with open arms and negotiate when SAPP joins PR in agreement to those principles stated above. For now, we would think that the chance is slim as SAPP appears to focus on geographical and demographical politics rather than working for the good of all Malaysians," he said. "For DAP, we think the damage is done, it's time to do repairs and rectify the situation before it is too late. We hope SAPP can come to its sense that what it has been doing won't help get them anywhere nor would SAPP be doing Malaysian voters any favour ahead of this crucial GE13. In fact, SAPP is indirectly helping BN as their actions would seemingly cause votes to be split. "We hope in the next 100 days, SAPP will make the right decision to join PR otherwise a three cornered fight becomes inevitable," he said.
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| ‘DAP strongman’s firm behind deforestation in Sungai Relai’ Posted: 27 Dec 2012 06:04 PM PST 
(The Star) - MUCH of the 4,000ha Sungai Relai forest reserve is now barren and a DAP strongman has been accused of being involved in the deforestation. Berita Harian alleged that the land clearing near Gua Musang, Kelantan, was believed to be linked to a plantation company controlled by a senior DAP leader. Efforts to clear the area was said to have started in April to make way for oil palm cultivation but the daily, which visited the area on Wednesday, said the land remained empty. It also reported that that the deforestation has caused contamination in Sungai Relai. Water from the river has become undrinkable, forcing residents to source for water in other villages, the paper said. The revelation came following a blog posting which alleged that certain DAP leaders were offered land in Kelantan as an inducement to allow PAS assemblyman Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin to assume the position of the Perak Mentri Besar after the 2008 elections. Both the senior DAP leader and Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, who is also the PAS spiritual leader, have since lodged police reports over the accusations. |
| Penang Muslim Network takes to the streets over ‘Allah’ issue Posted: 27 Dec 2012 05:59 PM PST 
Penang Muslim Network members demonstrate over the "Allah" issue at Masjid Simpang Enam near Komtar. — Picture by K.E. Ooi Opalyn Mok, The Malaysian Insider Penang Muslim Network (JMPP) members marched 500 metres from a mosque in Macalister Road to Komtar after Friday prayers today to demand an apology from DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng over his call for the federal government to allow the use of the word "Allah" in Malay-language bibles. The group comprising about 50 members, led by JMPP coordinator Mohd Hafiz Mohd Nordin, carried banners demanding that "Father Joseph Lim Guan Eng" apologise and retract his statement as they started the march at about 2pm. Two Federal Reserve Unit trucks and several police patrol units were already waiting for the demonstrators at the Komtar underpass where the demonstrators stopped and shouted through loud hailers. Earlier, a scuffle almost broke out when the police tried to stop the demonstrators from marching to Komtar after they gathered in front of the mosque. However, after a brief negotiation between the members of the group and the police, they were allowed to march through the busy Penang Road, effectively closing off the whole road and bringing traffic to a standstill. At the Komtar underpass, the group recited a prayer and shouted for Lim, who is also Penang chief minister, to retract his statement and also for Muslims in Penang not to trust Pakatan Rakyat (PR). "Even in delivering a Christmas message, he had to include such religious sentiments against the Muslims, this showed how insensitive and discriminatory the PR and DAP are," claimed Mohd Hafiz. He also said Lim's statement is not only an insult to all Muslims in the country but also an insult to the King. On Monday, Lim issued a Christmas message where he urged the federal government to allow the use of the word "Allah" in the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Christian Bible for east Malaysia, the Alkitab. This created a huge uproar with even PAS joining in to insist that Christians should not use "Allah" in the Alkitab as it does not reflect the actual meaning of "God" in the original text. The Internet is also rife with Muslim blogs criticising Lim over his statement and demanding that he issue a retraction and apologise. Today, DAP national chairman Karpal Singh called for calm over this issue while pointing out that many non-Muslims in the country use the word too. READ MORE HERE |
| Ngeh denies firm’s involvement in logging on Kelantan land Posted: 27 Dec 2012 05:54 PM PST Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider Perak DAP chief Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham today denied a news report claiming that Upayapadu Plantation Sdn Bhd has been logging for timber on a piece of land in Kelantan, which Barisan Nasional (BN) lawmakers recently alleged had been corruptly awarded to the firm. The Beruas MP clarified in a statement here that the firm was instead involved in a reforestation project that was previously encouraged and supported by both the Kelantan state and federal governments. "I would like to emphasise that Upayapadu Plantation Sdn Bhd has not taken out any single log from the land it has undertaken to do reforestation since some investors and I took over the company in April this year," he said. Ngeh insisted that the news report, carried by a Malay daily yesterday, was a lie, and alleged that the pictures published in the newspaper showing timber being carted out of the land had likely been taken from elsewhere. He said that contrary to the report, he and other investors in Upayapadu were merely carrying out reforestation at the site, in order to help produce sufficient, sustainable timber supply for the future. "Apart from the Kelantan government, the project undertaken by Upayapadu Plantation was supported by the then Plantation Industries and Commodities Industries minister Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui and the then deputy minister of Rural and Regional Development Datuk Awang Adek Hussin," he said. Ngeh also denied that the reforestation project would affect the livelihood of the Orang Asli, claiming that none of the indigenous tribes live on the said land. "I have been transparent and have explained all questions raised with regards to Upayapadu Plantation Sdn Bhd. "I believe BN raised it to divert attention from the billions of ringgit worth of land scandals that I have raised," he said. Ngeh and his cousin and Taiping MP Nga Kor Ming have been, in recent days, accused by BN lawmakers in the Perak legislative assembly of getting kickbacks from PAS in exchange for letting PAS take the mentri besar's position after the 12th general elections four years ago. READ MORE HERE |
| The Truth About May 13: Declassify Our Own Documents Posted: 27 Dec 2012 04:54 PM PST 
So is the government interested in what really happened in May 1969: who started the violence; who were the "hidden hands" alluded to in Said Zahari's immortal poem on the incident; how many casualties were there really? Or are they more interested in their status quo and peddling the same old story that we no longer believe in? Dr. Kua Kia Soong, Suaram Adviser The call by the UMNO Youth leader for The Edge to retract their story about "May 13" is laughable when FINAS is just about to release their much trumpeted film Tanda Putera which is aimed at reinforcing UMNO's version of the incident. The director of the film has said as much, that the film is aimed at contradicting the thesis of my 2007 title that the racial violence was a veiled coup d'etat by the emergent state capitalists in UMNO against the aristocrats under the Tunku. The continued postponement of the film's release is as perplexing as the continued postponement of the appeal by the two men sentenced for the murder of the Mongolian lass, Altantuya. Is the government apprehensive about the negative reaction many Malaysians will have toward the film? Has the Special Branch already submitted their intelligence to the government, warning them that this tired old official version of May 13 would only serve to enhance anti-UMNO voting behavior? The continued postponement for the release of this film is a smack in the face of the film director who appears to have little, if any, artistic freedom in the project at all and who at the same time, seems content to be a compliant accomplice in this historical cover-up. WANT THE TRUTH? OPEN THE SPECIAL BRANCH FILES Much has been made by non-academic UMNO hacks that my 2007 title relied on declassified documents from (foreign) British sources, as if researchers are incapable of separating the facts from fiction. Malaysian historians, whether they are the official apologists or the more radical, know that the British were more inclined toward supporting UMNO and the Alliance than the communists or the opposition as part of the neo-colonialist solution at Independence. In fact, in the book I pointed out the hypocrisy of the British in justifying an arms deal for the Home Guard when the outside world was condemning the racial violence and the partiality of the Malaysian security forces. Still, these documents reveal the innermost thoughts of the British officials and their own intelligence. They are the equivalent of the Wikileaks that have been made available to us to read today. But let's talk about the elephant in the room – our own classified documents on the May 13 racial violence of 1969. If UMNO is really interested in the truth, surely the simplest solution is to declassify our own files, especially those kept by the Special Branch. I still remember the cocky boast made by my Special Branch Interrogation Officers when I was detained under the ISA in 1987, that their archives at Bukit Aman are better than any university library in the country. I can believe them. So is the government interested in what really happened in May 1969: who started the violence; who were the "hidden hands" alluded to in Said Zahari's immortal poem on the incident; how many casualties were there really? Or are they more interested in their status quo and peddling the same old story that we no longer believe in? Malaysians should give their votes only to candidates who are committed to the enactment of a Freedom of Information Act and the repeal of the Official Secrets Act.
TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION Our country cannot trundle along in this way, relying on Biro Tatanegara-type methods to portray history. We can no longer allow this dark episode in our history to be used as a political threat to frighten the people every time the status quo feels challenged. In order for this issue to be laid to rest, all the relevant facts need to be made visible and the dead named and honoured through the convening of a Truth & Reconciliation Commission (TRC). As with the South African TRC, "... a truth & reconciliation commission is a necessary exercise to enable (us) to come to terms with (our) past on a morally accepted basis and to advance the cause of reconciliation." Apart from the testimonies of all the people affected by the May 13 violence and their families, the May 13 TRC needs to be given access to all the classified documents in the country, especially those in the reportedly excellent Special Branch library and those in the possession of the Cabinet. Only then will we be able to lay to rest the ghosts of May 13 and finally become a society at peace with itself… |
| Muslims, Christians, the Word Allah and the Bible Posted: 27 Dec 2012 04:46 PM PST 
It is clear that it is only permissible to use the term Allah to refer to God in the Bible, it is exactly what the Quran wants us to do. What an irony. I would like to thank my Christian brothers and sisters in their effort to make Allah the universal name of God and wanting the name to be the preferred reference to God in the Bible. Anas Zubedy Here we go again… Every now and then, this matter will see the light of day. This time around, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng brought it up in his Christmas message. I personally agree with his sentiment. We should all share the word Allah and make it the universal name for God. As far as the Quran is concerned, this verse explains the universality of Allah clearly. They are those who have been expelled from their homes in defiance of right,- (for no cause) except that they say, "our Lord is Allah". Did not Allah check one set of people by means of another, there would surely have been pulled down monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques, in which the name of Allah is commemorated in abundant measure. Allah will certainly aid those who aid his (cause);- for verily Allah is full of Strength, Exalted in Might, (able to enforce His Will) – Quran 22:40 Then what is the real issue here? As I have written in my book Can we use Allah in the Bible?, it is about TRUST. Below is the excerpt of the conclusion of Chapter 2 from my book that can be downloaded here http://letusaddvalue.blogspot.com/2012/12/muslims-christians-word-allah-and-bible.html "It is clear that it is only permissible to use the term Allah to refer to God in the Bible, it is exactly what the Quran wants us to do. What an irony. I would like to thank my Christian brothers and sisters in their effort to make Allah the universal name of God and wanting the name to be the preferred reference to God in the Bible. But, you must not stop there. You must also strive hard to ensure that not just the Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Indonesia Bibles use the term Allah but all the other translations in the world regardless if they are in Japanese, English, Russian or Hindi uses the same term. Malaysian Christians can lead the world of Christianity to make Allah the universal name of God with the solid support of their Muslim brothers and sisters. Anything that can bring us closer together must be supported. A shared universal name to call our God Allah seems a most appropriate place to start. Failing to do so will create mistrust because the correct term for God in Malay is Tuhan. The Muslims will question your consistency and sincerity. Because the real issue here is Trust. Not the technicality of the term Allah, Tuhan, Elohim, Elah etc. This is where we need to focus. This is what we need to pay attention to. There are three levels of trust missing. Firstly we do not trust each other. The Muslims perceive the inconsistency of Christians wanting to use the term Allah in the Malay bible and not the other translations as a plot to convert Malay Muslims to Christianity. And, the Christians perceive the Muslims rejection to the usage of the term as another strategy to block the spread of the Christian faith to Muslims in Malaysia. This feeling is deep in the Christian psyche as they find the lopsided law on conversion in Malaysia to be unfair (Check what the Quran say about this at 83:1-3 and 5:8). Secondly, we do not trust ourselves. The Muslims lack confidence of fellow Muslims and feel that just by using the term Allah, their faith towards Islam can be shaken. The Christians lack confidence that being Christ-like is enough to attract others to the faith. That when you turn the other cheek, you win. Yet the deepest rot is the lack of trust in Allah or God or Tuhan or any other name you want to call upon Him! Both Muslims and Christians fail to trust that Allah will be with those who are true and love those who trust Him. If we do so, we have nothing to fear and nothing to grieve. Failing to trust Him, we become weak, insecure and misguided." So to solve this issue, we must focus on TRUST between Muslims and Christians. I would be very happy if Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng can be the Christian leader to get the ball rolling and strive to ensure that Allah is not only used in the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Bible, but all the other translations around the world as well. If we extend our efforts to ensure that the Bibles in all languages use the term Allah, I have a strong conviction that Muslims will be able to see good in this effort and do not see this as a ploy of converting Malay Muslims to Christianity. The word Allah is universal and I believe it should be universally used by all Muslims and Christians alike. When Malaysian Christians take the lead to make the word Allah universal and fight for its usage internationally, Muslims will have no reason to be suspicious; they will TRUST Christians more. And I reckon this is one way how TRUST between our Muslim and Christian communities can be nurtured. Verily Allah is my Lord and your Lord: Him therefore serve ye: this is a Way that is straight – Quran 19:36 |
| Sabah immigration dishing-out MyKads? Posted: 27 Dec 2012 04:43 PM PST 
It apparently takes only two hours to process a new MyKad at the Immigration Department in Sabah's Federal Administrative Complex, claims DAP. Queville To, FMT KOTA KINABALU: Why is the Immigration Department in Sabah processing new MyKads and change of addresses? And when did the National Registration Department (NRD) appoint the Immigration Department to handle MyKads in Sabah? Posing these question, Sabah DAP said it was tipped off by the members of the public that the process of changing to the new MyKads and address could be done at the Immigration Department in the Federal Administrative Complex here and that the procedure took only two hours. "It is being done at the Immigration Department, which is suppose to only handle passport and work pass. Since when is the Immigration Department also doing the job of the National Registration Department?" the party's Tanjung Aru chief, David Chong Ket Sui asked. Chong further claimed that he received information that most of those who were changing their MyKad and address were from Pulau Gaya, Telipok, Menggatal and Karambunai. "Most of these people are from the Bajau Filipino community who are changing their address to Kota Kinabalu and Sembulan. "We believe the move is facilitated by a group of people offering a sum of money ranging from RM100 to RM200 for them to change their address in their MyKad and in the process move their voting constituency," said Chong in a statement issued today. He claimed that all the people had to do was to select areas such as Karamunsing, Kampung Air and Sinsuran as their new address, even though they are not residing in these places. Chong believes that there is a plan by some in the Barisan Nasional to change the demographics of the Chinese majority constituencies such as Kota Kinabalu. "The BN is moving voters from other constituencies to the Chinese-majority constituency to change the demography and give them a chance to win in the coming election," he claimed. READ MORE HERE |
| Allah debate: Let court decide Posted: 27 Dec 2012 04:31 PM PST 
A Sarawak assemblyman says it is "unacceptable" to force "a religion to change words in their Holy Scriptures simply to satisfy believers of another religion." Joseph Tawie, FMT KUCHING: Both Barisan Nasional and opposition leaders have been urged to restrain from making comments on the use of the term "Allah" in reference to God and to allow the Court of Appeal to rule on the matter. The government appealed a 2009 High Court decision favouring the church based on the the Federal Constitution. In making this appeal, Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian said: "Political expediency should not and must not dominate the debate." "The basis for arguing whether non-Muslims can use the word 'Allah' to refer to God must rest on its context, etymology, and the relevant laws surrounding it. "Too much is at stake for it touches on the very heart, soul, and spirit of one's belief and faith regardless of what one believes. "I, therefore, urge those with differing viewpoints to exercise restraint, tolerance and goodwill. We must be reminded that we are indeed treading on holy ground. This is not to suggest that we must avoid discussing it at the appropriate forum." He further urged BN and the opposition to agree to a common moratorium not to use the Allah or Alkitab issue in the forthcoming general election. Some 10 percent of Malaysia's population are Christians but they are the collective majority in East Malaysia's Sarawak and Sabah. In both Sarawak and in Sabah, the Malay speaking bumiputera Christians rely mainly on the Indonesian Bible. "Christians of other ethnic communities like the Ibans in Sarawak refer to God as 'Allah Taala' or God Most High in their Bible known as the Bup Kudus. "They rely on the Malay language or Indonesian Bible known as the Alkitab, which uses the word 'Allah' to refer to God. The word is of Arabic origin, which predates Islam," he said. Misplaced proposition 
Bian who is Ba Kelalan assemblyman further explained that the first portion of Christian scriptures translated into Malay was done in Indonesia for the Gospel of Matthew in 1612, four hundred years ago. "This was one year after the authorised version of the Bible was translated into English known as the King James Version (KJV). The Malay translation was also the first non-European language translation of the Bible. Surely we can treasure this rare heritage as Malaysians. "Some have suggested that this is an East Malaysian problem and therefore the word 'Allah' can be used there while over in the peninsula, the word should be 'Tuhan'. "This proposition is misplaced as it suggests we have two 'Malaysias' instead of 1Malaysia. This is dangerous for national unity," Bian warned. He also reminded peninsular leaders that tens of thousands of East Malaysian Christians were working in the peninsula and this did not include a sizeable Orang Asli community who were also Christians. "Do we want to deny them their constitutional right to refer to God as Allah as they do back home? "East Malaysian Christians have been using 'Allah' to refer to God for generations. This has never caused confusion among Muslims before or after the formation of Malaysia in 1963. "Why should this cause confusion now after half a century?" he asked. He pointed out that Rukunegara used 'Tuhan' and not 'Allah' to refer to God just like the Indonesian Pancasila. "In terms of common usage, this is a reasonable expression. However, in the Biblical context, the word 'Tuhan' refers to Lord and not God or Allah. "It is, therefore, not acceptable to ask Christians to switch the two words and take them to mean what they do not mean in their liturgy and worship. "One cannot force someone of another religion to change words in their Holy Scriptures simply to satisfy believers of another religion. This is wholly untenable," he lamented. READ MORE HERE |
| ‘Wake up to the ways of PAS’ Posted: 27 Dec 2012 01:52 PM PST 
(The Star) - Christians, especially the urban middle class, must wake up to the ways of PAS which has announced its objection to the use of the word "Allah" in churches and the absence of Christmas messages from the leaders of the Islamist party, MCA said. MCA central committee member Loh Seng Kok said Christians should not allow themselves to be persuaded by DAP to support PAS in order to express their unhappiness against the Barisan Nasional. "The DAP has tried to show that PAS has become liberal but the reality is that the Islamist party has consistently showed its intolerant ways towards other minorities," he said. Loh, a Christian, was commenting on a statement by PAS information chief Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man that the word "Allah" was sacred to Muslims and its sanctity should be protected. The PAS leader had said that the should not be used recklessly, like to refer or liken Allah to His creations or anything which resembled His servants. Tuan Ibrahim was quoted as saying this in the PAS' official online portalHarakah Daily. He was responding to a call by DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, in his Christmas Day message on Monday, that Christians should be allowed to use the word "Allah" in the Malay version of the Bible. Loh said the statement by Tuan Ibrahim was a "wake up call" to Christians who still supported PAS and that it was time for them to reject the Islamist party. He also took a snipe at Lim, saying there was no reason for the DAP leader to exploit religion during Christmas, saying it was a festive occasion to be celebrated by all Malaysians. "It is distasteful for Lim to use his Christmas message to raise emotive religious issues and that reflects badly of him. This is the time to call on all to bring peace and not to score political points," he added. Loh also pointed out the absence of Christmas messages from PAS leaders, saying it was very telling of the position of PAS on the celebration of Christmas. Sabah MCA vice-chairman Chew Kok Woh said the word "Allah" was freely used by churches in Sabah and Sarawak and that it was accepted by the Barisan Nasional government. He said there was no need for anyone to rekindle the controversy as even in the peninsula, the word "Allah" has been used by the orang asli and even the Baba in Malacca, adding that the DAP should stop dividing Malaysians. In a rare breaking of ranks in the opposition coalition, Johor DAP deputychairman Norman Fernandez has hit out at the PAS leadership, saying they were a danger to all non-Muslims. "While (Datuk Seri) Najib Tun Razak (who is a Muslim) sent SMS to all Christians, it is worth noting that no PAS leader has sent season's greeting to Christians. Apparently its highly sensitive for PAS Muslims to wish Christians "Merry Christmas" because it can effect their aqidah and make them apostates," he wrote in a blog on Christmas day. |
| DAP's Anthony Loke proposes ban on "sexy performers" Posted: 27 Dec 2012 01:49 PM PST 
(The Star) - The DAP has proposed banning "sexy singers" from all its party functions but this has earned it a rebuke from MCA, which says the former is bowing to Islamist party PAS, its partner in Pakatan Rakyat. DAP national organising secretary Anthony Loke has proposed the ban, saying he would raise the matter at the next central executive committee meeting. "When people come to our party functions, they come to listen to political speeches, not for indecent entertainment," he said. He said guidelines should be drawn up and distributed to all party branches to prevent performers from dressing inappropriately. The proposal came following a controversy in Telemong, Bentong last month when a performance was halted abruptly after "complaints" that the singer was dressed "too sexily". The villagers who attended the event were upset over the cancellation, saying it was a slap in the face for the Chinese community as the DAP had bowed to pressure from PAS leaders. MCA central committee member Datuk Ti Lian Ker slammed Loke's proposal saying it amounted to the DAP endorsing the policies of PAS as well as supporting the Islamist party's interpretation of decent dressing for non-Muslims. He said sleeveless shirts and shorts were deemed inappropriate by PAS, questioning whether the DAP and PAS were now becoming "moral and fashion policemen". Recently, MCA leaders have slammed Loke for being a PAS apologist in view of his constant defence of the Islamist party's policies. They said he had "betrayed" non-Muslim voters when he concurred with PAS that gender segregation was all right at PAS events. Yesterday, Loke, maintained that his proposal had nothing to do with pressure from PAS, and that no PAS leaders were present when the performance in Bentong was called off. Last week, Bentong Dapsy chairman Chow Yu Hui was challenged by 15 village chiefs to slice off the head of a cockerel to prove that he did not cancel the performance. Chow, however, did not turn up as he said there was "no point" in prolonging the issue. The act of cutting a cockerel's head at a temple is a Chinese tradition to prove one's innocence. |
| Unsustainable love affair with cars Posted: 27 Dec 2012 01:36 PM PST 
We cannot be building more roads and highways. Some hard decisions have to be made and in doing so, trade-offs have to be accepted. Whatever the decision, it involves pain of some sort to some party. Indecision because we want to avoid pain is not an option as when the day of reckoning comes, many more will be affected. Nungsari Radhi, fz.com ALTHOUGH the frequency has been somewhat reduced in the last few years, I still use the North-South Expressway quite often, especially the Kuala Lumpur to Penang stretch. Most of the time, I drive alone as I enjoy the solitude with time to think for a few hours while navigating the traffic on the highway. However, it is now no longer therapeutic to drive. The last few trips to Penang were rather stressful and the driving experience has gradually deteriorated over the years. My last two KL-Penang trips took about 7½ hours each. Based on a journey of 350km, the average speed was well below 50kph. That is just horrible on a highway. Speed, therefore, is not the issue on our highways. On the contrary, the problem, in my view, is the lack of speed. I can attest to the fact that over the years that I have been driving on the highway, drivers have generally become slower and to some extent, this has contributed to the highways getting jammed up. Commercial vehicles are regularly seen passing slow-moving cars, slowing traffic down even more as these big vehicles have to cut into the overtaking lane. Of course, there is also the problem of slow-moving traffic blissfully occupying the overtaking lane. These drivers should be fined by the traffic police. The real problem, however, is the explosion in the number of cars on the highways, in particular, small-engine cars. You hardly see the bigger, high-performance cars on the highways. Those who have money buy cars for prestige, not mobility or even performance. Those who can barely afford a car are those who are buying a means of transport. The growth in this group has been facilitated by loose credit, a low interest rate regime and the extension of the repayment period. This is the group that represents real demand for transport. They may have chosen private transport because of the absence of public transport, but in doing so, their discretionary consumption is reduced considerably and they get themselves into debt. In all likelihood, their personal or household balance sheets will show negative net worth and continue to do so unless their future income rises sufficiently. A car, unfortunately, is a depreciating asset. Malaysia is on an unsustainable path with this love affair with cars. Car sales have been burgeoning — exceeding 600,000 vehicles a year — and created dependence on many fronts. The car market has grown at a compound rate of over 6% over the last 30 years. Banks that extend credit, insurance companies that offer coverage, the government that collects taxes and the various dealers who sell and service the cars are all dependent on the trend continuing. There is therefore strong resistance to change. In addition, the government subsidises pump prices — RON95 is currently at about 75 sen per litre. At a 50kph crawl on the highway, the consumption must be quite high, say, eight litres per 100km or 28 litres per KL-Penang trip, implying a government subsidy of RM19.60 per car per trip. A back-of-the-envelope calculation based on 50kph and about one car distance between cars show there must have been about 17,500 cars on my recent trip or a total subsidy of RM343,000. And that's just for that one trip, which was on a Sunday during the year-end school holidays. The pressure on our fiscal deficit therefore remains high. The point here is that something has to change. In this case, car sales cannot keep growing at the rate they have over the last three decades. Cars cannot keep clogging up the roads and highways everywhere while consuming increasing amounts of subsidies and contributing towards higher household debt. We cannot be building more roads and highways. Some hard decisions have to be made and in doing so, trade-offs have to be accepted. Whatever the decision, it involves pain of some sort to some party. Indecision because we want to avoid pain is not an option as when the day of reckoning comes, many more will be affected. Read more at: http://fz.com/content/unsustainable-love-affair-cars |
| Stop demanding religious equality, says ex-Fatwa Council chief Posted: 27 Dec 2012 01:28 PM PST 
(The Malaysian Insider) - Non-Muslims should drop their demand to use "Allah" for their gods as the Arabic word is fundamental to Islamic belief and therefore exclusive to Muslims, National Fatwa Council former chairman Datuk Dr Ismail Ibrahim was reported saying in a Malay daily. Ismail was weighing in on the latest debate over the Arabic word for god, in a row between Islamist opposition party PAS and its secular ally, DAP, which appears to be a hot-button topic in the run-up to national polls due soon. "Enough is enough, enough with all the other policies, including the ones enshrined in the Constitution that has been claimed for equality, to be granted equal rights... therefore the right to recognise the concept of the divinity in this religion, don't grab, challenge and manipulate so. The name 'Allah' is still something basic and fundamental to Islam. "The name 'Allah', from a philosophical point, its definition and concept is not equal with the name Tuhan, God, Lord and so on in the usage of other religions," he was quoted as saying by Sinar Harian in its front-page report today. Ismail was further reported saying those insisting the word "Allah" be allowed for use in Malay bibles should desist due to linguistic and cultural differences. He gave an example that Arabs could swear by the word "Wallahi" hundreds of times in their daily conversation but the oath was incomparable to that understood by Muslim Malaysians in the local language and that this difference between an ordinary oath and the Syariah term was explained in the Quran. "The same, therefore, with the use of the name 'Allah' that is being attempted to be compared with other languages, especially Arabic, even though this comparison should be understood from a linguistic and cultural angle between Malay and Arabic," Ismail told the newspaper. Without naming anyone, he urged the parties against looking for petty reasons to justify the usage of "Allah" for the Christian god. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/stop-demanding-religious-equality-says-ex-fatwa-council-chief/ |
| The PAS conundrum – or is it really? Posted: 27 Dec 2012 01:24 PM PST 
No policy decision would be made without consensus from all three parties. This must be emphasised. No one party would be able to decide all on its own the policy of the coalition, since each pary's point of view would have to be given equal consideration even at the policy formulation stage. Tricia Yeoh, Selangor Times At a recent policy dinner at St. Mike's, a cozy Ipoh restaurant, I spoke of civil society, reform issues and my experience of having worked at the Pakatan Rakyat-led Selangor government. The discussion eventually centred on one subject alone, that being the 'PAS conundrum' (titled by me); conundrum being defined as a confusing and difficult problem or question. This has been a recent trend, where I am often asked questions like, "How can we be sure that the radical, conservative Islamic right of PAS won't wield a bigger influence in Pakatan?", or "If Pakatan forms the next Federal Government, would PAS push its agenda of an Islamic State nationwide?", reflecting the real fears and concerns of a certain section of Malaysians. The recent reports of the PAS-led Kelantan state government's gender-segregation regulations for hair salons that were initially imposed on non-Muslim outfits (which were later withdrawn), as well as two non-Muslim couples being issued summonses for indecent behaviour, have contributed to such sentiment. The narrative being played up daily by MCA (not Umno, for obvious reasons) is that non-Muslims in Malaysia must therefore reject Pakatan wholesale based on the assumptions that first, these are bad policies; second, people do not like these bad policies; and third, if PAS can do it in Kelantan, they are likely to do it elsewhere. At the very core of this discussion is the question of how the three Pakatan parties are able to agree on public policy and its implementation were it to take over in the upcoming 13th General Election, given their differences most starkly between DAP and PAS. The former is clearly opposed to the Islamic state, championing the cause of the secular state whilst the latter holds the Islamic state close to heart. First, let us acknowledge that Malaysia is far from homogeneous, its society made up of an extremely wide range of ethnic backgrounds, religions, cultures, class, genders, and more relevant to this discussion: worldviews. The reason we are afraid is because we have not truly known the other. This we may attribute to a rigid education system, political party structure, history, the British practice of divide-and-rule thereby segregating the races, all of which resulted in frail identities that we are not confident about and therefore fearful of losing. Any political coalition that attempts to mirror this complex makeup of Malaysian society is bound to face challenges. The Barisan Nasional model of having race-based parties coming together in a coalition is becoming obsolete not because our society is necessarily becoming less defined by our respective cleavages (whatever they are, may it be class, language, ethnicity or otherwise). It is outdated because that structure inherently requires that each party retreats to their ethnic voting base and panders to their needs, almost always at the exclusion of others. That the Pakatan coalition is multiracial is not a statement of lines blurring between these identities. In fact, it is an acknowledgement that these numerous (and sometimes multiple) identities exist, but are encouraged to flourish whilst looking out for the other within one big family. This is the approach that appeals to me. That I am not segregated by my race as a Chinese from others, but that whilst celebrating my Chinese-ness, I am also working alongside my Malay sister within the same party towards building a better country. Now, to address the PAS issue. I highlighted it as a conundrum because keen Pakatan supporters who are worried about such trends above feel they are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. They seek change in Malaysia and ask themselves, at what cost is this change worth? At the policy dinner, several views were given in response, including my own. First, that although PAS may have its strong views in Kelantan, it is a coalition of three parties rooting to be the next government. No policy decision would be made without consensus from all three parties. This must be emphasised. No one party would be able to decide all on its own the policy of the coalition, since each pary's point of view would have to be given equal consideration even at the policy formulation stage. We can also see how a state like Selangor, which has the most mixed representation from all three parties amongst the Pakatan states, has been governed, as an example. Even when difficulties have come up over the past four years, these are resolved by recognising the concerns of all three parties, and then making a decision after such negotiation. This represents a sort of new politics, completely different when compared to the Umno-style dominance in the Barisan coalition. Pakatan also has the advantage of raising concerns that are not necessarily based on race, and therefore a closer reflection of society's needs (poverty, education and so on). This is therefore an opportunity to use the political process itself as a method by which concerns that are representative of a people as a whole can be pushed forward rather than that from an exclusive segment of people alone. Read more at: http://www.selangortimes.com/index.php?section=views&author_id=17&permalink=20121227173350-the-pas-conundrum-a |
| Is it any wonder that poverty is still prevalent in the resource rich states of Sabah and ... Posted: 27 Dec 2012 01:20 PM PST 
Is it any wonder that poverty is still prevalent in the resource rich states of Sabah and Sarawak after 45 years in Malaysia? CT Ali, Free Malaysia Today History will tell us that alliances between states are entered into to serve strategic, economic and the national interest of their people. More often than not these alliances are driven by political leaders who dream of greater glory and national advancement that the sum of such an alliance may bring. History will also tell us that no nation can survive an alliance with another for too long when the interest of its people are exploited and taken advantage of by the another. Such is the situation that the people of Sabah and Sarawak now feel they are in – the same Sabah and Sarawak that joined with Singapore and Malaya to form that new nation of Malaysia. Joined not as the 12th and 13th states under Malaya but as equal partners having equal status and rights within the Federation of Malaysia. Singapore has since bid adieu to Malaysia because it serves the political purpose of the Umno-led Barisan Nasional government of Malaysia for that to happen. Political Armageddon awaits Umno if Singapore was allowed meaningful participation into the federal politics of Malaysia. With Singapore conveniently out of the way, this BN government of Malaysia did partake in and willingly encourage the following in Sabah and Sarawak: - First it proceeded forthwith to export to East Malaysia the politics of race and religion that had enabled Umno to divide and rule the population of Malaya to their political advantage for over 50 years.
- Second this same BN government set out to colonise East Malaysia and took absolute control over their oil, gas and land resources for the benefit of Malaya – or more to the point for the advantage of the political elites in Umno in particular and BN in general.
- Third they allowed with impunity the contemptible practice already embedded in the culture of Sabah and Sarawak politicians to grow indiscriminately – and that is the willingness of these politicians to indulge in party hopping and horse trading – much aided and infused by the proliferation of money politics, rampant state level corruption abuse of power and administrative management already prevalent in Malaya under the Umno-led government of Barisan Nasional.
Is it any wonder that poverty is still prevalent in the resource rich states of Sabah and Sarawak after 45 years in Malaysia? Is it any wonder that corrupt administrators, crony timber robber baron and massive and endemic corruption now colour the politics in Sabah and Sarawak? A political landscape that is also not unfamiliar to those in Malaya. A political landscape that any state and people will have to endure where corrupt politicians are allowed to rule not for the good of the people who elected them to office but for their own benefit. Everyone has an agenda For me the problems besetting our brothers and sisters in Sabah and Sarawak are no different from that faced by us in Malaya. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2012/12/28/dealing-with-the-borneo-agenda/ |
| The nation's future Posted: 27 Dec 2012 01:17 PM PST 
Because they bother about their positions, we have seen our national debts climbing and money handed out generously. Because they fear losing their power, administrative agencies have been spared from the rod despite deteriorating efficiency. Lim Sue Goan, Sin Chew Daily To Malaysia, 2012 should have been a year of accelerated transformation. Everything seems to have been on the right track but unfortunately, several year-end international ratings seem to have exposed the "king's new clothes." In the 2012 corporate bribery survey, Malaysia is right at the bottom. 50% of respondents contacted by Transparency International have replied affirmatively when asked whether they have lost their contracts due to bribes offered by their rivals during the past one year, attesting to the fact that commercial bribery is very serious in this country. According to Global Financial Integrity's latest report, some RM196.8bn of black money made its way out of Malaysia in 2010 alone, the second highest in the world. During the past decade (2000-2010), a whopping RM871bn of money flowed out of the country through illegal means, a loss of RM33,000 for each of the country's 27 million inhabitants. In addition, Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) studies show that Malaysia slides the most among 59 countries surveyed in mathematics and science performances. It is not true to say that the government's Economic Transformation Programme has resulted in more foreign investments, as Q3 manufacturing investments plummeted 26.1% to RM6.2 billion against a sharp increase to about US$20 billion in our neighbour Indonesia. International rankings aside, we also fumble in a number of domestic issues. While the transport ministry has reiterated that that legal issues pertaining to the AES system are non-existent, Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail lately announced that all court prosecution procedures involving the AES would be temporarily halted. In another incident, the MCMC recently awarded eight 4G (LTE) Long Term Evolution permits, with companies having no telecommunication background getting the biggest quota share. Rampant corruption, sliding academic standards, stagnant administrative and executive capabilities, lack of transparency in the award of contracts, etc. are all old issues. The ETP is not half as great as the government has claimed and the irregularities are still very much alive. Without checking on corruption, the country's valuable resources will continue to drain away. Without solid effort to improve the calibre of Malaysians, there is no way we can achieve our vision. If such things are allowed to go on next year, we won't expect to see any significant breakthrough in 2013. We are not lacking talented people or ambitious plans. We are seriously in want of political wisdom. Leaders with political wisdom should place national interests above their own. Because they bother about their positions, we have seen our national debts climbing and money handed out generously. Because they fear losing their power, administrative agencies have been spared from the rod despite deteriorating efficiency. |
| Utusan justified to carry comment by Hasan Ali Posted: 27 Dec 2012 01:13 PM PST 
(NST) - KUALA LUMPUR: A Malay daily was justified to carry a comment by Datuk Hasan Ali in response to opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's interview with the BBC as the matter touched on public interest. Lawyer Datuk Firoz Hussein Ahmad Jamaluddin told the High Court yesterday Utusan Malaysia (UM) and Hasan Ali, the then Selangor PAS Commissioner, must be given the right to freedom of speech. "As a newspaper, UM has the duty to publish matters of public interest. What politicians utter is also of public interest," he said in his submission before judge Datuk V.T. Singham. Firoz was submitting in a RM50 million defamation suit brought by Anwar against the defendants for publishing an article attributing to Hasan in reaction to his (Anwar) interview with BBC regarding Malaysia's laws on homosexuals. Anwar, who had named the publisher Utusan Melayu (M) Bhd and its group editor Abdul Aziz Ishak as defendants, is also seeking aggravated and exemplary damages and other relief deemed fit by the court. Feroz said a news report had a short life span and could become stale the following day. He said newspapers were competing with broadcast and other social media and that was why it was urgent to break a news as soon possible. Feroz said Anwar's statement attracted Hasan to respond in that he was not in agreement with the opposition leader's stand. At this juncture Singham interjected and asked whether Anwar's statement meant he wanted to legalise homosexuality. Feroz replied in the affirmative as Anwar had uttered in the BBC intereview that "we should not be seen as punitive". Singham said the newspaper should have sought clarification from Anwar as in certain circumstances issues relating to race and religion were sensitive. Counsel N. Surendran, who is representing Anwar, said the news report attributing to Hasan meant that his client was unfit to be a leader. He said the media law, including the Defamation Act, only gave protection to responsible journalism. Surendran said UM's report implied that Anwar encouraged homosexuality. He said Anwar's reference to the word punitive only meant harshness of punishment, not promoting homosexuality. "The publication in UM is therefore a false statement and the defendants' have no defence to rely on," he said, adding that the defendants' position that news had short life span tantamount to opening the door to publish false news. "Newspapers must get verification before going to print," he said. Singham will deliver his written judgment on Jan 21. |
| The Election Commission should resign for condoning vote-buying by the BN Posted: 27 Dec 2012 01:09 PM PST 
As if this allegation of abuse of power and vote-buying is not bad enough, Election Commission (EC) deputy chairman Wan Ahmad Wan Omar has been quoted by the media as saying that the alleged incident was a "perfectly acceptable and normal" exercise of "voter education" by the BN. Zairil Khir Johari, DAP Assistant National Publicity Secretary A recent exposé by Perak PKR has alleged that the Department of Orang Asli Development (Jabatan Kemajuan Orang Asli or Jakoa) in Tapah has been conducting mock voting sessions in order to "train" the local Orang Asli to vote for the BN. It is further claimed that not only were the Orang Asli forced to cast their votes for the BN in full view of Jakoa officers and Chenderiang assemblyman Dr Mah Hang Soon, they were subsequently rewarded with 5kg of rice each. As if this allegation of abuse of power and vote-buying is not bad enough, Election Commission (EC) deputy chairman Wan Ahmad Wan Omar has been quoted by the media as saying that the alleged incident was a "perfectly acceptable and normal" exercise of "voter education" by the BN. Wan Ahmad further justified the donation of rice in exchange for votes as acceptable as he reasoned that it would only be an offence if it is "given during the campaign period". Such a response by the EC is shocking and incredulous to say the least. How can the EC, which is a public institution entrusted to regulate elections in an unbiased manner, so boldly attempt to whitewash such an unethical act, and on top of that one that was alleged to have been conducted in collusion with a publicly-funded government department? Furthermore, is the EC actually saying that vote-buying is acceptable as long as it is not done during an election campaign? How does that make any sense at all? Can we therefore say that it is acceptable for a student to cheat as long as he is not doing it during an exam? Clearly, the EC and the BN have no respect whatsoever for the democratic rights of Malaysian citizens. But while it is expected for the BN to attempt such Machiavellian chicanery, it is completely unacceptable for the very institution that is tasked to protect our electoral system to condone vote-buying and political corruption in the guise of "voter education". These irresponsible remarks, coupled with earlier allegations surrounding the chairman and deputy chairman's membership of a certain political party, have severely compromised the integrity of the EC. There is now no way out but for the entire EC to resign in order to preserve what little credibility is left of the institution. |
| Questionable Reputation of a Well-Known Specialist Hospital Posted: 27 Dec 2012 01:05 PM PST 
We had put the life of our father in the hands of these experts and trusted with our life that they will save my father because of their specialisation. With this kind of ability and no sympathy shown to our late father, I am now doubtful of the integrity and reputation of this hospital. Yet, this specialist hospital have the cheek to promote itself as a medical tourism hospital. Chew Leong Hong, Taipei, Taiwan My father passed away suddenly on December 17, 2012. He was a stocky and strong 78 years old man but passed away suddenly after being hospitalised for 15 days. I am not writing to pour out the sorrow of my father's demise, rather I would like you to judge for yourself the reputation of a well-known and expensive specialist hospital in *******, which is amongst the best private hospitals in Malaysia. My father was treated for oesophagus cancer and undergone chemotherapy and radiation therapy on the advice of the oncologist (cancer specialist). Upon completion of those therapies, the oncologist suggested a computer tomography scan a month after the treatment to verify whether the cancer has spread. The results of the scan showed the treatment was successful, the cancer remained localised which means it did not spread and my father went on with his normal life. However, a month or so after that, he started feeling dizzy and the oncologist said he has low blood count. He recommended blood transfusion but my father continued to have low blood count and required blood transfusion every two weeks. Prior to the chemotherapy and radiation, we were not told of the risks which we now realised will result in the low production of red blood cells. As the low blood count did not improve, the oncologist recommended my father to a haematologist (blood specialist) and he ordered a bone marrow biopsy. The haematologist could not find anything wrong with the bone marrow. He then ordered an endoscopy of the colon and intestine to rule out any internal bleeding. Again, the results showed there was no bleeding in the colon and intestine. These tests were conducted between September and November 2012 and the specialists could not find the root cause of my father's low blood count. They kept recommending blood transfusion as the solution. After his death, we googled and found that having too many blood transfusion, as in the case of my father, results in iron overload that will damage the liver and spleen. These specialists did not warn us about those dangers but continue to put my father on blood transfusion. My father eventually died of liver and spleen failure. Four days before my father passed away, this haematologist threatened not to continue treating my father if he is not allowed to perform a bone marrow analysis. We are not in favour of a second bone marrow biopsy since the first biopsy did not indicate anything wrong with the bone marrow. We eventually gave in as we felt he might make good his treat (he is the only blood specialist in this hospital). But we are suspicious that this haematologist seems to have a secret agenda. We confronted this haematologist who incidentally carried an honorific Dato' title, after my father's funeral, not only he did not show any sympathy, he was so arrogant and talked down to my mother, sister and me and defended himself by saying that the bone marrow analysis he performed four days before my father passed away indicated metastasis tumour, and cancer has spread to the liver and spleen. I am not sure if this is coincidental or a stroke of luck for this haematologist as he is now absolved of any blame. As for the oncologist, he was a tad better than the haematologist but these two specialists provided us ill informed advice or rather the lack of it when treating my father. And their service do not come cheap yet their best solution for a low blood count problem was blood transfusion. We had put the life of our father in the hands of these experts and trusted with our life that they will save my father because of their specialisation. With this kind of ability and no sympathy shown to our late father, I am now doubtful of the integrity and reputation of this hospital. Yet, this specialist hospital have the cheek to promote itself as a medical tourism hospital. The lesson to be learned from this sad episode is not to trust the specialists entirely, must demand for an explanation if a certain treatment is recommended and its associated risks and demand for answers if the patient is not responding to treatment. Most important of all, take control of the patient's destiny and never rely totally on the specialists. We have lived to regret it and it is a pain we will carry for life for we have lost a loved one to people whom we thought we could trust to cure him. How naive all of us have been. |
| May 13: Official Version Vs Declassified Documents Version Posted: 27 Dec 2012 06:06 AM PST 
What was never revealed was Tunku's statement from his residence in Penang, 1972, what Asiaweek's M.G.G Pillai had alleged in the 17 February 1978 issue of that magazine and Tunku's interview with Asiaweek, published on 10 May 1985. May 13, 1969 - Truth & Reconciliation
[Posted Oct 1, 2008] Reading the Malaysiakini report dated Oct 12, 07 entitled 'Malay capitalists' not behind May 13′ I can't help but wonder how the powers-that-be took great pains to rebut the allegations and accusations that the riots were planned by Malay capitalists as concluded by Suaram's director Dr Kua Kia Soong's in his bookMay 13 – Declassified Documents on the Malaysian Riots of 1969. In fact the Utusan Group has republished first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman's book, May 13: Before and After and its obvious that the publication of this book was to dispel Dr. Kua's conclusions. However this book 'Before and After' was written by Tunku shortly after the May 13 incident and what was never reveal was Tunku's statement from his residence in Penang, 1972, what Asiaweek's M.G.G Pillai had alleged in the 17 February 1978 issue of that magazine and Tunku's interview with Asiaweek, published on 10 May 1985. The writer wishes to present all three articles here, one by Malaysiakini at attempts to potray Tunku's book 'Before and After' as official facts and excerpts from an article written by Fan Yew Teng, former DAP Acting SG entitled 'Some UMNO Myths Young Malaysians Should Know About' and Tunku's statement in 1972 for readers to make an informed conclusion. _____________________________________________________________________________________ 'Malay capitalists' not behind May 13′Oct 12, 07 Utusan Group has republished first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman's May 13: Before and After book to rebut the allegations and accusations that the riots were planned by Malay capitalists. It is obvious that the publication of this book was to dispel conclusions found in Suaram director Dr Kua Kia Soong's May 13 – Declassified Documents on the Malaysian Riots of 1969. In his book, Kua (right) said the May 13 incident was a coup d'etat against Tunku by Malay capitalists surfacing that at time to grab power from the old aristocrats to execute a new Malay agenda. He drew his conclusions based on a three-month research into various sets of foreign dispatches and confidential reports from that time – which were declassified recently by the Public Records Office in London after 30 years. However, the official version by the government states that the riots were caused by predominantly Chinese opposition supporters who provoked the Alliance party by celebrating their election victory by parading on the streets. The reason for the republication of Tunku's book was noted clearly in the foreword written by academician Prof Dr Nik Anuar Nik Mahmud who is based in the history, politics and strategy department under Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's social science and humanities faculty. He said the republication was timely "in light of recent attempts by parties who were trying to twist the facts and cause confusion over the bloody May 13 riots." 'Cause of the tragedy' He wrote: "In mid-May, a book about May 13 was published. However, the approach used clearly rejected the belief that the riots were caused by the socio-economic imbalances between the races in the country. "Instead, the writer presented a new thesis that the Malay capitalists let by Tun Abdul Razak tried to topple Tunku as the cause of the riots." However, Nik Anuar did not expressly acknowledge that the aforesaid book was the book written by Kua but the references were clear. The academician elaborated that despite it being difficult to discover the real motive for that book, there is a current trend to besmirch the country's past leaders including, Abdul Razak, Harun Idris, Mohamad Ghazali Shafie and security officers. He said the approach was clearly prejudiced – and if not refuted – would lend credence to the Malay capitalist takeover claim. Hence, Nik Anuar said the publication of Tunku's book would satiate all allegations against national leaders especially those directed at Abdul Razak. In the 195-page book, Tunku summarised that the racial riot was the work of extremists and communists. According to him, these two group of people have been attempting to start riots even before independence. Power struggle
Tunku said they started tensions in the economic boycott (Hartal) in 1967, the death by hanging incident (1968), elections boycott (1969), corpse parade (May 9, 1969) and the victory march by opposition parties on May 12, 1969 causing racial tensions and riots. Based on this, Nik Anuar ruled out the role of the Malay capitalists because Tunku has never viewed the incident as a move to seize power. He did note that Tunku (left) admitted that the bloody incident was due to a few Umno members who were not happy that he remained as PM.. "But their dissatisfaction did not cause the riots itself. This has been explained by Tunku in Chapters 15 and 16 of the book," Nik Anuar stated. He added that Tunku's book should be read and studied by the people especially the youths "so that they would not be caught in the accusations of parties trying to twist facts and defame leaders that have sacrificed for their race, religion and country." "Tunku's book is based on documents procured from the Royal Malaysian Police. This different from the book published before this that are based on diplomatic and foreign journalist sources that are not reliable," Nik Anuar wrote. |
| Malaise in Malaysia: Corruption in High Places Posted: 27 Dec 2012 06:00 AM PST 
It is an accepted cliché that power corrupts and is usually in reference to a country's leaders and their ability to amass private fortunes at the expense of their electorate. But the real tragedy is how corruption corrodes civil society. It creates cynicism, anger or voter apathy, with people losing confidence in politicians and therefore losing their connection with democracy. If the problem cannot be solved through the ballot box because of a corrupt electoral system, then a country is really in trouble. Azeem Ibrahim, Huffington Post Malaysia may not be in big trouble yet. While it still has a robust free press and whistleblowers are protected, the current issues have a chance to be addressed fairly. But the media is under pressure to conform and whistleblowers have been arrested instead of the corrupt officials. One of the foundations of the fight against corruption is the need to protect the messenger, and while many countries are being urged to adopt such legislation, it is only effective if respected and enforced. Malaysia ranked 60th out of 182 nations last year in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index, down four places from 2010, when 178 countries were included. Two recent scandals have rocked the establishment party of UMNO, bringing disrepute to people in high places from the Prime Minister down. The Scorpene submarines deal has exposed the hypocrisy of leaders who pledge to end corruption yet proceed as if winning elections is all about self-enrichment. Malaysia was a signatory of the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) in 2008 with a legal obligation to "prevent, investigate and prosecute" cases of international corruption. However, a complaisant majority party and judiciary allow for delays in hearings, refusals to release documents and in the case of the submarines deal, to deny that French law has jurisdiction over Malaysian transactions. The French government however, is actively pursuing its own inquiry and has released over 153 documents making it clear that apart from individuals, the ruling party (UMNO) was the biggest beneficiary, receiving commissions, bribes and support fees in the millions. In spite of government harassment, the civil rights organization, SUARAM, is determined to uncover the truth in its pursuit for accountability and stated in a May 2012 press conference in Bangkok, that it will continue to make the results public as the case proceeds in the French Court. Another scandal has recently become public and tarnished the reputation of a former government minister and family members when it was revealed that National Feedlot Corporation funds weremisused for the purchase of condominiums using Malaysian government funds. Government patronage over the years has involved highway construction and defense contracts and a variety of other government arrangements with UMNO cronies. Prime Minister Najib Razak, who chairs the Finance Ministry Acquisition Committee, is in the powerful position of being able to award contracts and to charge whistleblowers instead as a smokescreen to protect his friends. PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim has condemned such politically-motivated charges and his party is setting up a National Oversight and Whistleblower Centre to offer future informants protection via legal and monetary aid. Anwar promises to end corruption and dissatisfaction with UMNO and has been reinforcing the popularity of the PKR. But while the integrity of the electoral process is in doubt and the institutions responsible for anti-corruption and the rule of law have been compromised, it is difficult to foresee how the next election will play out. Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/azeem-ibrahim/malaise-in-malaysia-corruption_b_2304185.html |
| New Year Countdown Party for Damansara Utama (PJ) Residents Posted: 27 Dec 2012 05:55 AM PST All DU residents are welcome. There will be performances, music & fireworks. Jointly organized by the Adun/State Assemblyman (Dr. Cheah Wing Yin), DUST (Damansara Utama Service Team) & MBPJ. Please like our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pages/DUST/317161921722690 |
| Don’t bribe us with our money! Malaysians are not that stupid Posted: 27 Dec 2012 05:53 AM PST 
The Prime Minister seems to be playing Santa Claus. He is very generously dishing out goodies from seemingly bottomless coffers, convinced that Malaysians are a greedy, unthinking lot who can be bought easily. P Ramakrishnan, Aliran executive committee member Little does he realise that the Malaysians of today are a very perceptive and discerning lot who can see through his election ploy. They know that the money that is being doled out does not come from Barisan Nasional coffers. If that was the case, then Malaysians can be grateful to the BN. But when he uses the people's money to bribe them and expects them to be grateful to the BN, it is insulting their intelligence. The new-found concern and compassion for Malaysians is very telling. It is nothing but a bait to fish for votes that will keep the BN in power. Malaysians will not fall for this ruse. Housing has been a great problem for Penangites for the last thirty over years. The soaring prices have put houses beyond the reach of average Penangites. Thousands of Penangites have moved to the mainland to buy houses. An equal number of Penangites have bought houses in Kulim and Sungai Petani simply because they could not afford houses on the island. The narrow streets and poor public transport had created horrendous congestion and pollution for Penangites, making their lives a nightmare. But this problem did not suddenly confront Penangites with the change in government on 8 March 2008. It has always been there. Hardly anything substantive has been done by the BN to redress these problems. This neglect continued despite Penang producing a Prime Minister in the past. Penang has been marginalised for many decades. That is a fact. The housing problem confronting Penangites has been there all along. Najib should have known this. He was the Deputy Prime Minister for more than five years after which he became Prime Minister, a position he has been holding for more than three years. In other words, he was in the forefront of the nation's leadership for almost nine years. How has he been blind to this grave situation all this while? He must have known this; yet he did nothing to alleviate the misery of the poor in Penang. He did nothing to solve this problem even when he became the Finance Minister. It is not a question of finance for not building the much-needed houses in Penang. The BN seems to be never short of cash! It only means that the BN did not care for Penang in spite of the continued support that the BN received from Penang every time there was an election. We were just taken for granted! During his visit to Penang on 8 December 2012, Najib said that "the opposition had failed to deliver on promises of affordable housing made when campaigning during the last election". He further alleged, "They had promised that they would resolve the housing issue within two weeks of coming to power". I don't seem to remember such a promise being made. If it was true that the opposition promised to solve the housing issue within two weeks of coming to power, then they must be stupid. Can houses be built that fast? The opposition has been in power for more than four years. With limited resources and burdened with carried forward debts, can this be solved within this period? Let's take a look at Najib's promise. He promised to build 20,000 houses for Penang. He stated that under the 1Malaysia People's Housing Scheme, "the first PRIMA project will involve some 2,000 units in Kampung Kastam, Bukit Glugor". The ground-breaking for the project is expected to be next year and the project is slated for completion 36 months later. In other words, with all the resources and expertise at hand, it would take the federal government three years just to build 2,000 houses. Yet he expects the opposition to build houses in "two weeks"! What kind of houses is the BN going to build? According to him, "if the current unit costs RM500,000, we will sell it around RM300,000 only". In would mean a 40 per cent discount. But the RM200,000 discount has to be absorbed by the government. It would cost RM400,000,000. For the 20,000 units promised, the government will have to fork out four billion ringgit! What would be the monthly instalment for these houses? Who can afford to pay such instalments? Now, even if the houses are to be bought at RM300,000, who will be buying these houses? Can the homeless poor and the low-income earners afford to buy these houses? Where is the BN's concern for the poor? All their talk about caring for the poor and taking care of their welfare is now exposed as empty talk. There is no housing solution for the poor! Why is the BN unable to start building immediately? According to him, federal-owned land and that belonging to agencies like the Penang Regional Development Authority, JKP Sdn Bhd and Syarikat Perumahan Nasional Bhd are available for this project. This land has been available for many years; so why was no attempt made previously to build houses to ease the housing problem. Why wait until next year? This is where the BN comes across as hypocritical. He is making a conditional promise expecting support to be returned to power in order to build the houses. He is coercing Penangites to vote for BN. He did not say that these houses would be built irrespective of the outcome of the election results. He did not say that the BN will build these houses even if it lost the elections. Will Najib dare to declare that he will build the promised houses even if Penangites voted for the opposition? Prove your sincerity by making such a declaration. Malaysians are not that stupid. They will not be bribed with their own money! (P Ramakrishnan is the immediate past president of Aliran) |
| Deepak withdraws case against Wanita Umno leader Posted: 27 Dec 2012 04:30 AM PST 
A lawsuit against Awan Megah (M) Sdn Bhd, allegedly a vehicle for Selangor Umno Wanita chief Senator Raja Ropiaah Abdullah, was withdrawn without reasons. Teoh El Sen, FMT Controversial businessman Deepak Jaikishan today withdrew a lawsuit against a Wanita Umno leader's company over a Defence Ministry land deal which went sour. The withdrawal was confirmed by Saseedharan Menon, the lawyer for the main defendant, Awan Megah (M) Sdn Bhd which belonged to Selangor Umno Wanita chief Senator Raja Ropiaah Abdullah. "Yes, they have withdrawn [it] and the court has struck off the case," he told FMT. He said that reasons behind the sudden withdrawal today, which was fixed for oral submissions, were not given. "We had no objections to the withdrawal and there were no orders as to costs," he said "This is no out-court-settlement." Saseedharan said the withdrawal would vindicate Raja Roopiah, saying: "It has to vindicate my client as the withdrawal comes from the plaintiff himself" Meanwhile, lawyer Latheefa Koya said that Deepak had changed his lawyers on short notice today. "We are no longer his lawyers on record," she said, referring to lead counsel R Sivarasa and N Surendran. She said that Deepak's matter, including the withdrawal, was handled by another firm, adding that no reason was given for the change of lawyers. Deal to build defence research centre Previously, Deepak, through the company Astacanggih Sdn Bhd, of which he is a director, had filed the legal suit in the Kuala Lumpur High Court naming the Malaysian government, Syarikat Tanah Harta Sdn Bhd, Awan Megah and Cebur Megah Development Sdn Bhd, in which he is also a director, as defendants for breach of agreement over the 233.33 acres of land. Awan Megah had filed a counter-claim in response. High Court judge Zabariah Mohd Yusof had earlier struck out the Malaysian government, Syarikat Tanah Harta and Cebur Megah as defendants in the suit, a decision later upheld by the Court of Appeal. READ MORE HERE |
| ‘Just imagine if PR is to lead this country’ Posted: 26 Dec 2012 04:52 PM PST 
It has been part of DAP's tradition to threat people when it comes to covering their scandal. Thus, on December 20, at 3.30pm when he was at the food court of Dewan Undangan Negeri, Nga Kor Ming came to Dato' Hamidah and threatened her by saying, "If you revealed this, you watch out I will go after you''. The Kuala Lumpur Post The issue of Kelantan's 4,210 land which is worth almost RM30 million in locations such as Relai, Chiku District at Gua Musang which is given to Upayapadu Plantation Sdn Bhd by Nik Aziz's government is beginning to fall apart. It is said that the land is given because it involves the interest of politicians such as Adun DAP Sitiawan, Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham, few of the investors in the company. The 'gift' given by PAS government to the Perak DAP leader is said so that PAS could put Adun Pasir Panjang, Datuk Seri Mohamad Nizar Jamaluddin as Perak Chief Minister at the time. Based on the search on Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM), 40% or RM15 million of Upaya Padu Plantation Sdn Bhd is owned by Ngeh Koo Ham, and 51% or RM16 million is owned by a company known as Efektif Kirana. And 99% of the shares in Efektif Kirana is owned by Ngeh Koo Ham as well. Thus, in a way, Upaya Padu Plantation is almost 100% owned by Ngeh Koo Ham. Ngeh also confirmed that he is the owner of the company even though previously he tried to lie deny everything. This issue is not really that hard to understand especially when Nik Aziz's Media Secretary himself, Ahmad Fadhli Shaari confirmed that the state government had offered Upayapadu Sdn Bhd through the letter of Yayasan Islam Kelantan dated August 28, 2005. Considering that everything is breaking up, Nik Aziz and Ngeh began to find ways to defend themselves when their 'dirty business' is exposed. Harakah also took an important role to twist stories and to blame UMNO leaders as the backbone of the whole thing. They are saying that the land is given to Upayapadu through the approval from the central government based on the letter from Deputy Minister of Ministry of Rural and Regional Development, Datuk Dr Awang Adek bin Hussin, and the letter from Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities at the time, Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui. It is clear that this is PAS's desperate efford in trying too twist such a simple story, so that it would be too twisted for rakyat to understand. This is because, both of the letters which is being used as PAS as their 'evidence that they are innocent' is only support letter on the project which is proposed and not the document to change land ownership to anyone. It has always been the responsibility of the central government to support projects that are seen to be able to generate state income. However, Datuk Awang Adek nor Datuk Peter Chin have any rights or power to change the land ownership to Upaya Padu Sdn Bhd or anyone. According to the Perak Today, the only one who has the power to do such thing is none other than Tok Guru Nik Aziz himself. The thing which makes it harder for PAS and DAP is when this scandal is raised in Dewan DUN Perak by Dato' Hamidah Osman. It has been part of DAP's tradition to threat people when it comes to covering their scandal. Thus, on December 20, at 3.30pm when he was at the food court of Dewan Undangan Negeri, Nga Kor Ming came to Dato' Hamidah and threatened her by saying, "If you revealed this, you watch out I will go after you''. However, as usual, DAP is too arrogant to admit that they threaten anyone even though the fact is, Mohamad Tajol Rosli Ghazali and Datuk Rusnah Kassim was there during the incident. Who knows what DAP and PAS would do after this to cover their corruption issue. Today, PAS had proven that they are willing to sacrifice 4,210 hectare of their land for the CM post. Just imagine if PR is to lead this country…who knows how much land would PAS give away for the post of Cabinet Ministers or even GLC Directors. And just imagine the kind of threats those DAP would do if they don't get what they want. |
| SEED: We have no reason to hide figures Posted: 26 Dec 2012 04:27 PM PST 
Responding to a call from an Indian business group, the secretariat explains the loans given out to Indian businesses. G Lavendran, FMT The Special Secretariat for Empowerment of Indian Entrepreneurs (SEED) today said that people should first dismiss the misconception that it is a MIC initiative. SEED director AT Kumararajah explained that the secretariat was set up by the Prime Minister's Department to assist in giving out the RM180 million allocated for the Indian community. He added that G Palanivel was playing his role in SEED as a cabinet minister and not as the president of MIC. Kumararajah claimed that SEED had data since August 2012 up until Dec 6, 2012 with regard to the number of applicants, the amount of loans dispersed and the applicants who had been rejected. "It is a work-in-progress, we have no reason to hide the figures. At the same time, it's not easy to collect data from the 13 banks affiliated with this programme and all its branches from around Malaysia. We are getting there," he said. The SEED director was responding to the Malaysian Indian Business Association (Miba) which demanded MIC to reveal the figures pertaining to the funds allocated for Indian businesses. According to Kumararajah, there had been 932 applications as of December 20 this year. Out of which, 643 had been approved and dispersed and 20 applications rejected. The balance 269 applications were still being processed but 57 of them were already lined up out of which, 28 almost completed. He said that out of the total RM2.43 billion allocated by the government for businesses, RM180 million was allocated specifically for the Indians. This amount, he added, was broken down and parked under several other programmes and financial institutions – RM10 million to Malaysian Industrial Development Finance (MIDF), RM10 million to Small and Medium Enterprises Corporation Malaysia (SME), RM30 million to Tekun and the remaining RM130 million to banks. Responding to another point raised by Miba, Kumararajah said: "The funds given out by banks is indeed using the Islamic concept. People have to realise that the Islamic concept is merely a funding mechanism and has proved to be one of the fastest growing mechanisms." "There is no difference between normal loans and that of the Islamic concept, the only thing is the 'halal' factor. Still, there is leniency ranging from 15%-20% of the business being of 'non-halal' in nature," he added. Creating awareness Explaining further on the figures, Kumararajah said RM24.37 million had been given out so far to the above mentioned 643 approvals – RM3 million via SME, RM9.9 million via MIDF, RM9 million via Tekun and RM13.8 million via banks. "We have the figures and just need time to collect the precise data. Once that is complete, we would definitely publish the details," he told FMT. READ MORE HERE |
| Khairy tells Edge: retract provocative article on May 13 Posted: 26 Dec 2012 04:08 PM PST 
(Malaysian Digest) - Edge Financial Daily has been urged to retract its article related on the May 13 tragedy, in which it was claimed that the incident was triggered by Umno's plans to topple the late Prime Minister Tuanku Abdul Rahman Putra. Umno Youth has condemned the accusations and described the article as "an act of provocation."
The party's youth wing chief, chief Khairy Jamaluddin said, the article, which was based on accusations and sentiment, was intentionally aired as a means to provoke a reaction towards the Malay party.
He said the bloody tragedy was a 'black mark' on the country's history, and needs to serve as a lesson not only to Umno but also all Malaysians.
"In history, it is already written what happened in this tragedy; everyone also knows who was responsible for it.
"The act of blaming Umno is unacceptable. Not only does it not make sense, it also far off the mark from the truth," he told Utusan Malaysia.
He was commenting on an article published in the Edge Financial Daily, written by Mohsin Abdullah on Dec 17, which stated that the May 13, 1969 tragedy was planned by Umno to topple the leadership of Prime Minister Tuanku Abdul Rahman Putra.
Khairy explained, anyone who wished to publish an article on sensitive issues such as the May 13 tragedy should instead refer to historical facts first, and not form a partisan conclusion.
He said, any assessment or accusation of such nature should be examined first with full responsibility to avoid confusing the public. Khairy said, historical facts clearly showed that the tragedy was triggered after a provocation-riddled parade by Opposition supporters, following a huge win in that year's general election.
"Umno strongly condemns the accusations and see it as an act of provocation. We urge that the article be retracted as soon as possible." |
| Confidence tricks in Sabah politics Posted: 26 Dec 2012 03:46 PM PST 
Former Chief Minister Harris Salleh's latest comments are indicative of how disengaged Sabah leaders, both past and present, are from the man on the street. Free Malaysia Today Ask almost anyone in Sabah, especially those in the Chinese business community, and they'll tell you the state's economy is in a bad way and will be so for the foreseeable future. Sabah's prized assets are in greedy hands. Its golden crop – oil palm – is losing its lustre in the commodities market, its tourism lure is messy, the prices of goods and services have gone up, property prices have sky-rocketed and where jobs are available wages are low and the infrastructure remains creaky and basic. With all this pointing to deepening economic woes, you'd think that the state's politicians who have rarely been so unpopular would be cautious about throwing stones at glass houses that they are living in. But no, its still business as usual. The constant government boot-polishing goes on as though these things don't matter. Have the state's leaders become disengaged from the people? Are they out of touch with what the man in the street thinks? Former chief minister Harris Salleh, who never misses an opportunity to give advice though he was unceremoniously booted out of government more than 27 years ago, gave some insight into the state politicians' thinking this week by heaping praise on what most would view as failure and incompetence. Speaking as though he was giving the state a Christmas present, Harris predicted more of the same from the Barisan Nasional and Chief Minister Musa Aman for Sabah after the looming 13th general election. He said BN will win in Sabah without breaking a sweat. The prediction came with the usual boot polishing and though couched in the language of the confident, sounded like a plea when he said there was a possibility that the BN might lose a few seats, especially in the urban areas where people were more in touch with what was going on. An indication that the former chief minister is aware that the ruling coalition is facing a tough time. Explaining what it has done with the years it has been given to develop the state, Harris said: "… changing from Barisan Nasional is just like the English saying jumping from the frying pan into the fire" and the opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat was without "real leaders". As though reciting a mantra, he added: "Sabah under Musa has done very well. It is a well managed state. This was confirmed by the Auditor-General's report that Sabah has the best accounting system in Malaysia. Musa has also jump-started the Sabah economy from the top to the bottom. This is almost completed." But the former chief minister also said that further pain was necessary for all Malaysians for this "top to bottom" economic revamp being put in place heroicly by the current chief minister with a little help from a BN government in Putrajaya. "After this election Musa will jump-start the economy from the bottom if the federal government adopts the policy to abolish all subsidies, education and medical fees and in return pay a cash allowance of RM300 to every person. "This will immediately trigger the development of abandoned rural lands. It will also create hundreds of thousand jobs for Sabahans," he was quoted as saying. That distribution of cash, which has always been one of the former chief minister's monetary policies since his days helping Berjaya, has always led to head-scratching among the more economically prudent and will again bemuse most. Observers noted that Harris who has given candid advice about state and national governance has not dared to point out that Musa has done nothing out of the ordinary and can instead be blamed for allowing poverty to flourish during his tenure. The man who signed over Sabah's oil and gas rights in return for 5% royalty and controversially ceded the island of Labuan, which used to be part of Sabah, to the federal government, making it the second Federal Territory in the country, sees the writing on the wall for the BN and is hoping he can help starve-off defeat and perhaps protect his legacy. Sounding as though he was pleading to Sabahans he said: "With another five years there is ample time for Najib to reform both the government and Umno. "With the plan to reform, it will give time to Najib to jump-start the economy from the bottom. This means that everybody – the rural people will be given opportunities to improve and sustain their economy forever." Harris talked of "well-planned" programmes for the cultivation of both cash and permanent crops that have to be introduced in the rural areas to jump-start the economy from kampong-level and raising to the top.
'Halt all subsidies'
This, by itself, he said, would create employment for the locals apart from reducing import of agricultural produce and creating cash-flow in the small townships or districts. All this, however, borders on an insult to many who have made the best they can with poorly planned and delayed infrastructure development in the state, including in healthcare and educational services. The most controversial of the former chief minister's suggestions was that the government halt all subsidies as, he said, these were creating an artificial sense that the living standard and cost of living in Malaysia is cheap. READ MORE HERE |
| Pakatan to hold rush meet over ‘Allah’ issue, Anwar says Posted: 26 Dec 2012 03:39 PM PST 
Ida Lim, The Malaysian Insider Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders will conduct an urgent meeting to discuss the controversial "Allah" issue that has resurfaced, Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today. Anwar said this when asked to comment on DAP and PAS taking different stands on whether the Arabic word "Allah" should be used by Christians to describe their god in the Alkitab, the Malay-language translation of the Bible. "Now that this matter has resurfaced, I think it will require an urgent meeting of Pakatan leadership," Anwar told reporters after a court hearing here. Earlier on, the PKR de facto leader said that the matter had previously been settled in a meeting with leaders from all three PR parties ― DAP, PAS and PKR ― present. "From my understanding, this issue was resolved. Not only was there a meeting, but there was a detailed elaborate discussion on the subject..." he said, saying that classical and religious texts were referred to in the meeting. In a renewed debate over the use of the word "Allah", PAS yesterday said that Christians should not use it in the Alkitab, claiming that it does not reflect the actual meaning of "God" in the original text. PAS also said that using the word "Allah" in the Alkitab will confuse both Christians and Muslims. But DAP insisted yesterday that Christians in Sabah and Sarawak, who use the Malay language to converse, should be allowed to use the word "Allah" in their Alkitab. READ MORE HERE |
| PAS: The Najib factor is not key in voting Posted: 26 Dec 2012 03:24 PM PST 
"Especially when PAS fights against Umno (in Malay-majority seats), the background of the candidate counts. It also matters if the candidate has a big family there, lots of friends or contacts," he said. Tarani Palani, fz.com Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's approval ratings have been coasting at a steady 60% since he took office in 2009, but whether that is enough to take his weakened coalition through the crucial 13th general election is an open question. For PAS, Najib is dogged by controversies that the people would not easily forget and this would negate his high score in opinion polls. Therefore, the Islamic party is confident that the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition would not be able to regain its precious two-thirds majority that it lost for the first time in the 2008 electoral contest. PAS secretary-general Mustafa Ali downplayed the effect of the Najib factor on the election outcome. The key to winning the coming election lies in the candidate's local connections, he opines. "In the elections, whether you can win or will lose depends on the local constituency – how big is your power base there and how strong is your candidate. Those two elements count more. It is not the Najib factor," he said in an interview with fz.com recently. According to Mustafa, the way the party machinery and workers were organised and how they worked the ground in the local constituency still mattered a lot. He believes that Najib's high approval ratings may be due to the people's perceptions as well as the clever use of Najib's appearances and public image. "Maybe it is a perception because people see him out and about, but the Najib factor is not too much of a factor," he said, when it comes to the next general election. In particular, Najib's popularity does not diminish the fact that the prime minister has to deal with the effect of his involvement in high profile cases, in the minds of the general public, said Mustafa. "He may present a new kind of politics but he has political baggage," said Mustafa said with a chuckle. Najib has been embroiled in allegations that huge commissions were paid for the purchase of Scorpene submarines from French defence firm DCNS during his tenure as the Defence Minister. A close associate, Abdul Razak Baginda, had been charged with abetment in the murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shariibuu, who was an interpreter in the submarine deal. Abdul Razak was acquitted in 2008. Opposition politicians have used the case as a talking point during ceramah (talks) and the issue can be expected to be extensively aired during the election campaign. Mustafa's views notwithstanding, Najib's popularity is frequently cited by political commentators as an important factor that will influence the BN's chances in the general election. Its significance is seen as even more important considering that the percentage of people who are dissatisfied with his leadership has been consistently below 30% since 2009. However, the BN has not fared as well in its approval ratings and Najib has been constantly coaxing BN politicians to work harder to win the people's support. Soon after taking over as the country's sixth premier, Najib made a strong bid to re-brand the BN administration as inclusive by promoting the 1Malaysia concept as a way to foster national unity. He has also tried to re-invent himself as a leader reaching out to the middle ground, instead of taking the rightist approach that has been the traditional Umno position. Analysts have also rated his economic and administrative transformation programmes and the steady stream of financial handouts as positive factors that would pay dividends during the general election. Discounting the Najib factor, PAS is putting its faith in its core election strategy of connecting with voters, and it remains to be seen whether this approach is the correct one for what may be the closest fight yet in an election. In Mustafa's view, the coming election may be revolutionary for the nation but the political culture on the ground remains unchanged. This is especially true in the seats where PAS has traditionally faced Umno in a battle for Malay hearts and minds. "In PAS, we chose candidates based on their 'winability'. Their capacity to perform, their acceptance by local constituents and the 'X' factor," said Mustafa. "Especially when PAS fights against Umno (in Malay-majority seats), the background of the candidate counts. It also matters if the candidate has a big family there, lots of friends or contacts," he said. "It all counts. These people can vote across party lines if they like the candidate. That will be the 'X' factor. It does not matter if the candidate is young, old or new – as long as they have these criteria, they will be elected," said Mustafa. Also, he believes that the next election will be such a close fight that the idea of securing a "two-thirds" majority, which was the yardstick to measure the BN's election performance, will no longer apply. "I think the people see a possibility of a two-party system now," he said. On the chances of Pakatan gaining power, Mustafa solemnly believes that it was a distinct possibility. "For all three Pakatan parties, this is the closest to the central government (that we have been)," he said. "It will be a close fight that nobody will ever think of getting a two-thirds majority. Whoever wins will win with a simple majority," he said. |
| No side will win two-thirds majority, says PAS sec-gen Posted: 26 Dec 2012 03:17 PM PST 
(The Malaysian Insider) - The 13th general will be a very tight race where the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) pact and the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition can only hope to take Parliament by a simple majority, Datuk Mustafa Ali predicts. The PAS secretary-general poured cold water on the BN's upbeat forecast for the looming elections that it has got the upper hand and reclaim the two-thirds majority it lost four years ago in the landmark 2008 elections, which also saw the formation of PAS-DAP-PKR partnership. "Even if Pakatan rakyat wins, we will not get two-thirds majority. "There will be no side that will get a two-thirds majority victory," he told Sinar Harian Online yesterday. The ruling BN is now in control of 137 seats out of 222 in the Dewan Rakyat. But Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who heads the 13-member BN coalition, has expressed confidence it can take back its customary two-thirds control of Parliament as in previous years, so long as members unite instead of sabotaging the party. Umno information chief, Datuk Ahmad Maslan has said BN only needed to win a minimum of eight seats to add to its 140 seats it won in the 12th general elections to reclaim its pole position in the law-making house. However, political observers have said that BN could possibly take only 120 seats at the next polls, pointing to growing voter restlessness at the slow pace of the Najib administration's promised government and economic reforms. While a simple majority is good enough to enact new laws, a two-thirds majority is crucial to amend the Federal Constitution. |
| Neither BN nor Pakatan good for Sabah, S’wak Posted: 26 Dec 2012 03:08 PM PST 
Declassified documents pertinent to Borneo, found in the British archives, indicate that Putrajaya's policies may be running foul of the unwritten constitution of Malaysia. Joe Fernandez, FMT Former Sabah Chief Minister Mohd Harris Salleh has never failed to appear from time to time as a bundle of contradictions to the extent of even embarrassing his own party leaders. Harris, in his defence, may be said to mean well and even acting in good faith but often this argument is nothing more than the proverbial fig-leaf. The man simply can't be allowed to get away with it too many times. It creates not just bad but dangerous precedents. Both Harris and former Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad appear to be birds of a feather in more ways than one. However Harris isn't even facing the remotest danger of being hauled up by Umno — assuming he's still a member of the party given his penchant for sponsoring mosquito parties including Usno 2006 which is awaiting "registration" — on disciplinary charges for bringing it into public disrepute. This Mother of All Charges, with apologies to Saddam Hussein, is sure to cook anyone's goose for good. Harris, in the latest, put his aging foot in his mouth in making comparisons between the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat (Pakatan). In remarks carried earlier this week in the local media, a seemingly worried and frustrated Harris warned Sabahans in no uncertain terms that voting in Pakatan will be like going into the fire from the frying pan (BN). Either state is not a desirable "ideal" for Sabahans. Harris however seems quite convinced that the frying pan is the lesser of two evils for Sabahans "since there's no other choice". Orang Asal — Murut and Dusun including Kadazan or urban Dusun — activists beg to disagree with Harris on his theory that "better the frying than the fire". For starters, they think the jury is still out on whether Pakatan is the fire or the frying pan, not that it makes any difference. Pakatan, in a way, might be akin to going into the frying pan from the fire (BN). Pakatan has pledged that Sabah and Sarawak will enjoy 20 per cent oil and gas royalty under its federal administration vis-a-vis the present measly five per cent they collect from the BN federal government. Agenda Borneo vs Agenda Malaya Is this what Sabahans really want after 50 years of putting up with Malaysia in the mould of the Peninsular Malaysia-dominated Putrajaya? This year alone, the federal government collected RM18 billion in oil and gas revenue from Sabah. Elsewhere, it has collected RM24 billion in other revenue. The Malaysia Agreement stipulates that 40 per cent of this combined total must be returned to the state. However, this stipulation has allegedly not been honoured since 1970, according to sources in the know. Orang Asal activists like local hero Jeffrey Kitingan are urging the people to say "enough is enough!". "Ini kali lah!", scream Sabahans who want to have nothing to do whatsoever with Putrajaya allegedly continuing to rule Sabah and Sarawak through local proxies and their stooges. "Kalau bukan sekarang, bila lagi! Kalau bukan kita siapa lagi!", they want to know. Enter the Agenda Borneo, propagated by Jeffrey's United Borneo Front (UBF), as the eternal stand against the Agenda Malaya of Putrajaya and the parti-parti Malaya operating in Borneo. The Agenda Malaya, according to Jeffrey and his people, has seen the Federation of Malaya masquerading as the Federation of Malaysia since 1963. Giving proof they cite the fact that Putrajaya claimed that Malaysia was 55 years old this year, the figure calculated from Aug 31, 1957, the day that the British advisors to the Bugis Sultans gave up their control of the Malayan Administration. As further proof they point out that Putrajaya keeps referring to Sabah and Sarawak as the 12th and 13th states and has ensured that local history text books maintain the fiction that both "nations in Malaysia" secured their independence through Malaysia on Sept 16, 1963. Malaysia has unwritten constitution Nothing could be further from the truth on the history of Malaysia, swear activists in Sabah and Sarawak. Sarawak in fact chose independence as its form of self-determination and secured that status on July 22, 1963. Sabah, likewise, chose independence as its form of independence and secured that status on Aug 31, 1963. It follows therefore that both Sabah and Sarawak entered the 1963 Federation as "independent nations" in Malaysia unlike self-governing Singapore which became independent through the new Federation. Brunei chose to remain a British protectorate rather than risk all in emulating Singapore. Brunei was proven right when Singapore left Malaysia two years later in 1965. Sabah and Sarawak, which realised that the written Constitution of Malaya was being passed off as the written Constitution of Malaysia, were not allowed by Putrajaya to follow in Singapore's footsteps and go back to solely their hard-won self-determination status of July 22, 1963 and Aug 31, 1963 respectively. Malaysia, Jeffrey and company want to tell the whole world, has an unwritten constitution based on the Batu Sumpah among other constitutional documents including the written constitution of Malaya. The other constitutional documents cited are the Inter-Governmental Committee Report (IGCR); the Cobbold Commission Report (CCR); the 20/18 Points; the informal UN survey in Sabah and Sarawak; the Malaysian Bill and the state constitutions of Sabah and Sarawak. Constitution a pandora's box STAR deputy chairman Daniel John Jambun and activist Kanul Gindol claim that they found more than 5,000 declassified documents during a month's research stint in November at the British Archives in Kew Gardens, England. READ MORE HERE |
| Pembangkang tidak dibenarkan ceramah di Felda Posted: 26 Dec 2012 03:01 PM PST 
Muda Mohd Noor, FMT Biro Felda dan Orang Asal PKR mendakwa Felda telah mengeluarkan arahan bahawa pemimpin pembangkang tidak dibenarkan lagi mengadakan program ceramah di kawasan tanah peneroka. Pengerusi biro, Suhaimi Said berkata, bagi negeri Pahang arahan itu dikeluarkan di Rompin kira-kira seminggu lalu. "Di Pahang ia telah berkuatkuasa di beberapa tempat seperti Rompin dan Jengka 22 serta Jengka 23. "Arahan ini datang dari ibu pejabat Felda di Kuala Lumpur. "Tetapi kami tidak mahu mempedulikan arahan itu. Kami telah mengadakan ceramah di sebuah Felda di Rompin malam tadi tetapi tidak ada kejadian buruk berlaku," tambah Suhaimi. Bagaimanapun, ketua cabang PKR Kuala Krau itu mendakwa arahan itu tidak membabitkan Umno. Ia mungkin ada kaitan dengan konvoi Oren Pahang anjuran Persatuan Anak-anak Peneroka Felda (Anak) di negeri itu minggu lalu. `Janji pilihanraya' Sementara itu dalam perkembangan lain, Suhaimi mengalu-alukan sebarang usaha untuk membina rumah-rumah untuk generasi kedua Felda adalah janji pilihanraya. Bagaimanapun, katanya pihak berwajib perlu memastikan projek perumahan itu sampai kepada kumpulan sasaran iaitu anak-anak peneroka.
Beliau mendakwa beberapa projek perumahan sebelum ini hanya memberi manfaat kepada anak pengurus dan kakitangan Felda. "Ini janji pilihanraya. Rumah yang dibuat itu banyak dinikmati oleh anak pegawai Felda dan golongan bukan peneroka. "Ini berlaku di Felda Mempaga dan Felda Lepar dekat Bentong, Pahang," tambahnya. Aktivis masyarakat itu berkata demikian ketika ditanya mengenai dakwaan bahawa sebuah syarikat swasta telah ditawarkan kontrak untuk membina rumah bagi generasi kedua warga Felda di seluruh negara. Syarikat tersebut dikatakan akan bekerjasama dengan KPF Holding yang akan menyediakan dana bagi projek pembinaan rumah berkenaan.
Bagaimanapun, menurut sumber ia masih di peringkat perbincangan dan belum dibawa dalam mesyuarat KPF untuk dimuktamadkan. |
| Cassa kecam MB Selangor berhubung isu air Posted: 26 Dec 2012 02:57 PM PST 
Adakah MB Selangor mahu mahu satu 'perang politik' di antara kerajaan negeri dan kerajaan pusat berhubung isu air? (Bernama) - Persatuan Pengguna Subang dan Shah Alam (Cassa) mengecam Menteri Besar Selangor Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim ekoran kenyataannya baru-baru ini bahawa beliau (Khalid) sanggup menunggu sehingga 100 tahun untuk menyelesaikan isu air walaupun Selangor diancam krisis bekalan air menjelang 2015. Presiden Cassa, Datuk Dr Jacob George, berkata kenyataan Khalid itu "tidak profesional" dan mengesahkan beliau mahu satu 'perang politik' di antara kerajaan negeri dan kerajaan pusat berhubung isu air. "Sebagai menteri besar, beliau harus lebih sensitif kerana yang menanggung kedukaan dan kelukaan daripada masalah air ialah pengguna di Selangor sendiri," katanya dalam satu temubual. Dr George berkata apa yang terjadi ekoran pendirian yang diambil oleh Khalid berhubung isu air ialah "gajah berlawan dengan gajah tetapi pelanduk yang mati di tengah-tengah", iaitu rakyat, pengguna negeri Selangor dengan masalah pemotongan air dilaporkan di beberapa kawasan ekoran kekurangan bekalan. Sebagai contoh, minggu lepas, beberapa kawasan di sekitar Pandan Perdana, Pandan Indah, Taman Taynton View dan Taman Bukit Segar di Cheras mengalami gangguan bekalan air berikutan penurunan paras kolam utama yang dikesan sejak awal minggu. Menurut Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas, ia berpunca daripada permintaan bekalan air yang meningkat mendadak sejak kebelakangan ini dan melibatkan lebih 9,000 pengguna. "Sebelum mereka datang memerintah negeri ini, mereka buat banyak kenyataan bahawa mereka nak mesra rakyat dan sebagainya. Tetapi dari 2008 sampai sekarang kita nampak sudah ada satu penukaran fikiran dalam cara mereka membuat kerja dan lakukan tanggungjawab. "Mereka dah jadi tidak sensitif lagi, mereka ingat sudah berkuasa, boleh buat apa-apa (sahaja), tak payah dengar (suara rakyat). Ini mendukacitakan bila mereka keluar kenyataan iaitu 100 tahun pun mereka akan melengah-lengahkan walaupun mereka tahu pada tahun 2015 kita akan berhadapan dengan masalah bekalan air yang begitu besar," katanya. Beliau berkata kekurangan bekalan air di Selangor bukan sahaja berpunca daripada permintaan pengguna biasa tetapi lebih kepada industri-industri, projek-projek perumahan yang tumbuh seperti cendawan yang mengakibatkan pertambahan jumlah penduduk dengan mendadak. Menurut Dr George, beliau perhatikan setiap kali pihak seperti kerajaan pusat berbincang atau melaksanakan langkah-langkah mengatasi isu air di Selangor, kerajaan negeri akan membawa masuk isu-isu baru yang tidak ada kaitan dengan isu-isu asal. Beliau berkata, kerajaan pusat sudah membuka banyak ruang kepada kerajaan Selangor sama ada secara langsung atau tidak langsung, termasuk sedia membantu dari segi kawangan dan teknikal dan malah Timbalan Perdana Menteri Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin pun setuju untuk turun padang. |
| Why MyKad change at the Immigration? Posted: 26 Dec 2012 11:45 AM PST 
(Daily Express) - "But it is being done at the Immigration Department, which is only handling passport and work pass. Since when did the Immigration Department also handle the job of the National Registration Department?" he asked. DAP Tanjung Aru has queried the reason for the changing of new MyKad being done at the Immigration Department in the Federal Administrative Complex here instead of the National Registration Department. Its Chief, Dato David Chong Ket Sui, said he had received a report that the process to change to the new MyKad and address could be done up to two hours only. "But it is being done at the Immigration Department, which is only handling passport and work pass. Since when did the Immigration Department also handle the job of the National Registration Department?" he asked. In a statement Wednesday, Chong said he received information that most of those who were changing their MyKad and address were from Pulau Gaya, Telipok, Menggatal and Karambunai. "Most of these people are from the Bajau Filipino community who are changing their address to Kota Kinabalu and Sembulan," he said, adding the move was allegedly facilitated by "agents" offering money ranging from RM100 to RM200 for them to change their address in their MyKad and in the process moved their voting constituency. He said all they had to do was to select areas such as Karamunsing, Kampung Air and Sinsuran as their new address even though they were not residing in these places. Chong believed the move had something to do with the fact that the Barisan Nasional (BN) had found out that it would be difficult for them to win Chinese majority constituencies such as Kota Kinabalu, which has about 90 per cent Chinese voters. "Therefore, the BN is moving voters from other constituencies to the Chinese majority constituency to change the demography and give them a chance to win in the coming election," he claimed. According to him, the BN needed at least 4,000 voters to offset the Chinese votes in Kota Kinabalu, which in the last general election had voted in a candidate from DAP. Meanwhile, Chong said since the process to change the address and in the MyKad now was so easy and quick, he urged those who had to take a long journey back to cast their vote to change their address in their Identity Card so that their polling centre could be nearer. "Those who always complained about the trouble for them to go back to far away constituencies like Kudat or Sandakan should take the opportunity to change their address in their MyKad, which only takes up to two hours now," he said. Chong presumed that the change of voting constituency in the electoral roll is being done together with the change of address in the MyKad at the Immigration Department. It had been reported that BN leaders from Sepanggar parliamentary constituency had also complained about the "exercise" to move voters from the constituency to neighbouring Kota Kinabalu parliamentary constituency. |
| The smartphone rebate just got stupider Posted: 26 Dec 2012 11:40 AM PST 
Why offer such a rebate to only youths, a key electoral demographic that the Barisan Nasional is struggling to win over, and not also to older Malaysians who are just as economically-disadvantaged? A. Asohan, Digital News Asia - Only eligible for pre-approved devices costing under RM500; other qualifying criteria just as bad
- Smartphone rebate still stinks of an election ploy, with possible 'crony play' now added in as well
ONE of the most flabbergasting initiatives unveiled by Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak (pic), Malaysia's Prime Minister and Finance Minister, in his proposed national budget, was a rebate of RM200 (US$65) for youths to purchase a 3G smartphone. As my colleague Karamjit Singh noted in his commentary, Budget 2013 smartphone rebate: A stupid thing to do, the RM300 million (US$98 million) could have been put to better use on other initiatives to develop the ICT ecosystem in the country. It's all about smartphones these days admittedly, with the device fast becoming the first point of access to the Internet and entry to the Digital Economy for an increasingly large segment of society. Research firm Gartner recently reported that global sales of mobile phones to end-users in the second quarter of 2012 saw a 2.3% decline from the corresponding period the previous year; while smartphone sales accounted for 36.7% of total mobile phone sales and grew 42.7% in the same period. Our own telcos are finding that smartphones are becoming increasingly important to their own customers as well. Maxis said that in an internal survey it found that 31% of its subscribers were smartphone users. Meanwhile, an analyst report earlier this year estimated that about 20% of DiGi Telecommunications Bhd customers are smartphone users. This can only increase over the coming years as prices come down and telcos hopefully come out with even more attractive data packages. So with market forces on our side, why do we – or our youths at least – need a rebate? Well, putting on my rarely-used 'Mr Nice Guy' hat, I could argue that even with prices coming down, the rebate can help bridge the divide between the haves and the have-nots. It's not just about a device, it's about ensuring that every Malaysian can participate and be a player in the Digital Economy.  I could argue that, but I won't, if only because details have just come in about the smartphone rebate proposed under the nation's Budget 2013, the so-called Youth Communications Package. Malay-language technology portal site Amanz.my broke the news that the rebate is only eligible for pre-approved devices that will cost under RM500.
The criteria for which a Malaysian youth can qualify for the smartphone rebate is listed in the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) website in a PDF file here or click the accompanying picture on the left. The MCMC said the the list of approved devices and authorized dealers will be made available on its website starting Jan 1, although Amanz.my has already revealed that Senheng and SenQ will be part of that list. It's on a 'first-come, first-served' basis too. The rebate is open until Dec 31, 2013, or until the RM300 million allocated under Budget 2013 runs out, whichever comes first. Also, as LowYat.net noted in a quick follow-up, one has to be "an existing subscriber or register for a new broadband plan with any of the telco that participated in the program" such as Maxis, Celcom Axiata, DiGi, U Mobile, YTL and Tune Talk. The criteria to qualify doesn't seem well thought out either – any youth earning RM3,000 or less per month is eligible. That's individual income, according to the language in the MCMC document, not monthly household income – "Berpendapatan bulanan RM 3,000 ke bawah" or "monthly income of RM3,000 or less". I am hoping that this is a mistake, because as it stands now, if you're between 21 and 30 years old, and you just got a job that pays you that much – and your parents are well-heeled executives earning 10 times your salary – not to worry, you poor thing. You too qualify. And since that RM500 is just pocket money to you, you can beat out that poor guy whose entire family earns less than RM3,000 per month – if only because by the time he saves up the money to buy the device and subscribe to a data plan, it will be 2014. Or that RM300 million allocation would have run out. Way to bridge the digital divide. Read more at: http://hornbillunleashed.wordpress.com/2012/12/27/39365/ |
| Islamic banking practices a scam Posted: 26 Dec 2012 11:32 AM PST 
There must be something terribly wrong with the Islamic banking policy adopted by Malaysia where it turns borrowers into deep debtors. Awang Abdillah, Free Malaysia Today Poverty has a negative multiplier effect on the economic, racial, religious and social fabric of a nation, and Malaysia is no exception. Hence it must be addressed by the incumbent government as a priority issue. Since 1981 until today, poverty has never been a priority issue for the federal government and the Sarawak state regime. Instead the nation's wealth and that of Sarawak has been misused to enrich the Umno political elite through the implementation of mega economic projects at inflated prices. The federal projects have been monopolised by Umno cronies while in Sarawak it is used to expand the business empire of Chief Minister Taib Mahmud. In Semenanjung Malaysia the Indians and rural Malays form the core of the poverty group while in Sabah and Sarawak it is the rural natives and Malays. Poverty can be defined as the deprivation of the necessary needs of a good quality of life of the people. The standard needs are sufficient personal earnings, decent homes, access to good public infrastructure and modern transport and communications system, creation of sufficient employment opportunities for job seekers of all categories, quality education especially at the tertiary level, quality medical and health facilities, a strong currency and cheaper cost of imports. Hence the ability of the people to improve their personal economic well-being and the role of the government as a provider must complement one another in efforts to eradicate poverty. To this end, a banking system can play a major role in enabling the people to acquire socio-economic stabilities.
Islamic banking
The concept of modern banking is primarily the lending of money as a profit-making business. Borrowers have to pay interest for the loans which is profit to the lender. And though the banking system does provide financial assistance, it does not offer it cheap. Growing interest charges eventually makes this financial assistance a liability. Many companies and even nations go bust because of this accruing interests. Hence very often such banking system benefits the lender and the borrowers are on the losing end. On the other hand the Islamic principle of financial assistance is to provide loans without making a profit from it. The Islamic lending concept has two objectives – provide financial assistance to those in need and maintain a low-cost of acquiring these goods and services. Under the true Islamic banking system, lending in any form is not classified under the business category because the lender is merely giving financial assistance and not involved in any business transactions with the borrower. Trade or business involves activities such as purchases and sales, export-import, construction, manufacturing, property development, renting and services. Therefore the earnings from lending which is defined as riba (interest) is not a business profit and hence is haram (prohibited ) under the syariah law. The responsibility of the borrower is to return the principal sum to the lender plus minimum services charges, which then enables the lender to re-lend it to those in need.
Wrong interpretation of Islamic banking
The Quran is correct in defining that lending is NOT a business. It is stated in Surah Al Baqarah verse 275, where among others God permits trade/business but prohibits 'riba', i.e profit/interest from a loan. This means that lending activities just like zakat (alms to the poor ) is not a business but an obligation to help those in need. The current Islamic banking system that is operating in Malaysia and the Islamic world for that matter tries to do away with the Western concept of banking. However due to their wrong interpretation of the Islamic lending principle or hypocrisy they rebrand the Western lending concept and presented it as Islamic. Take for example the housing loan under the murabahah concept and the western banking system. Under the latter, if the price of a house is RM100K, the bank will charge another RM100k interest for 20 years for a 100% housing loan. The total cost of the house is now RM200k. The banks will make a 100% profit over the 20-year period. Now under the current Islamic bank system, the housebuyer will still pay RM200k. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2012/12/27/islamic-banking-practices-a-scam/ |
| Dr M sees Najib as errand boy Posted: 26 Dec 2012 11:30 AM PST 
And Mahathir's declaration that Rosmah has the right to stay 'high profile' is actually a death sentence. Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz, Free Malaysia Today Why was Najib Tun Razak profusely complimenting Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad at the recent Umno general assembly while blithely ignoring his immediate predecessor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi? The reason is because Najib didn't have the presence of mind to do what is honorable. Abdullah who must also have been sitting somewhere in front was cavalierly, not cleverly, brushed aside by Najib. Didn't Abdullah achieve anything during his short stint as prime minister? Truth is Najib never had an iota of appreciation or respect for the colourless Abdullah. Abdullah has been and still is the object of Mahathir's invectives. The Sun newspaper reported that in the run-up to the 2008 elections, Mahathir had openly criticised Abdullah's administration despite the latter being the man Mahathir had handpicked to take over the top job after he decided to step down. Najib's enthusiastic outpouring was because he did not want his number two Muhyiddin Yassin to outshine him. When Muhyidin spoke and mentioned Mahathir, he got thunderous applause on each occasion. So, Najib added those ritualistic outpouring of love for the "man who can walk on water". He knows Mahathir remains a powerful force behind the scenes.
Najib cares less for Umno
Listening to both Muhyiddin and Najib, everyone in the hall and outside knew that Mahathir still called the shots in Umno. Najib is not PM material and Mahathir knows this. To him Najib is just an errand boy who will soon outlive his usefulness. So what can Najib do? Well, he will have to ensure his men are chosen to be candidates in the next election. His winnable candidates criteria means loyalty to him above all else. Umno, as far as Najib is concerned can go to the dogs. Was Mahathir impressed by Najib's low class histrionics and dramatisation? Definetly not. Also notable is that Najib knows that Mahathir can't stand the sight of his wife, Rosmah Mansor. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2012/12/27/dr-m-sees-najib-as-errand-boy/ |
| Nik Aziz needs to withdraw 'Apostate' ruling on Umno Posted: 26 Dec 2012 11:27 AM PST 
(Bernama) - Apart from PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang's decree 35 years ago which should be withdrawn as it causes disunity among Muslims, the opposition party's spiritual advisor should also withdraw several of his own religious rulings (fatwas). Umno Information chief Datuk Ahmad Maslan said this was because several religious rulings made by Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat as Kelantan Menteri Besar especially that Umno was apostate and whoever supported Umno was evil, had bad implications on Malays and Muslims in the country. "Nik Aziz needs to withdraw his religious rulings which could break up the Malays and Muslims, not only Abdul Hadi should do so (withdraw his decree)," he told reporters after visiting 157 flood victims at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Mulong here last night. Ahmad said this was in line with the address of the Sultan of Kelantan, Sultan Muhammad V on Tuesday who wanted Muslims to mutually respect each other and avoid prolonged problems. In his speeh at the 100th anniversary of the Kelantan Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (MAIK), the Sultan said that he hoped all parties were aware of the high hopes of Muslims towards peace and harmony as well as his disappointment when the energy and strength of Muslims were sapped because of internal struggles. The text of his speech was read out by the Tengku Mahkota of Kelantan, Tengku Muhammad Fa-iz Petra. |
| January rally to go on even without permit, says activist Posted: 26 Dec 2012 11:25 AM PST 
(The Malaysian Insider) - The Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat (People's Uprising Rally) mass event next January 12 will go on at Stadium Merdeka even without the authorities' permit to use the iconic venue, The Malaysian Insider understands. According to social activist Hishammuddin Rais, event organisers are still waiting for a response from the KL City Hall on their application for Stadium Merdeka, which was sent some time last week. But he noted that even without permit, rally-goers could gather peacefully in the areas surrounding the stadium. "I am just paraphrasing Md Sabu... if there is no stadium permit, we gather around it," he said, referring to PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu, who is chairman of the event. "I don't think there will be any chaos, unless the cops are going to come running again. But I think the time is not conducive for this... but we shall cross the river when we get there," Hishammuddin told The Malaysian Insider. Should the event proceed without permission, the streets of the capital will again become the focus of international attention as major civil society movements nationwide, along with PR parties and other anti-government proponents, gather to demand a string of key issues ahead of national polls. Hishammuddin said that the People's Uprising Rally is a culmination of sorts for all movements against purportedly unfair government policies and decisions, as well as pro-change, pro-democracy and pro-opposition groups, and a massive show of force to frighten the ruling administration away from cheating during the coming polls. At a press conference to announce the rally last week, Mohamad had invited all those with grouses against the government to participate in the mammoth event. "We are not hiding the fact that this date was selected specifically because it is near the elections. And yes, there will be those who say this is purely political. "It is clearly an event to mount pressure on the government of the day so they will not do mass cheating during the polls, so that it will not be a stolen election," Hishammuddin said. But the activist, who is also a Bersih 2.0 steering committee member, reminded that regardless of the political nature of the rally, the involvement of civil society movements meant that the groups want their demands delivered ― from the scrapping of the Lynas plant in Kuantan, to the promise of fair royalty payments to oil-producing states, free education and a fair polls process. "These groups have been voicing their demands... and this is not just for the present government but for the incoming government as well. "These demands are still valid so whoever rules next, must remember this," Hishammuddin said, before adding that the demand for free and fair elections will lead as the key message of the event. As such, protestors, numbering to a targeted one million, will colour the iconic Stadium Merdeka this January 12 in splashes of anti-Lynas's fluorescent green, Bersih 2.0's eye-catching yellow, the anti-FGVH movement's orange and the striking red of pro-oil royalty groups. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/january-rally-to-go-on-even-without-permit-says-activist/ |
| “Dragging” Its Feet? The EC Has Had to Be “Dragged” Kicking and Screaming by Bersih 2. ... Posted: 26 Dec 2012 11:19 AM PST 
As we come to the closing days of 2012, we have to note that unless the amendments to the 2003 Postal Voting Regulations are made soon, there is no way that 1 million overseas Malaysians will be able to register to vote by post in time for the next general election. MyOverseasVote MyOverseasVote reads with interest EC Deputy Chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar's denial yesterday of Bersih 2.0 Co-Chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan's allegation that the EC has been "dragging its feet" on election reform. In his rebuttal, Wan Ahmad cited, as an example of the EC's "unprecedented" reforms, the extension of postal voting to all Malaysians overseas (Malaysiakini, 20 December 2012). MyOverseasVote believes that to state that the EC has been "dragging its feet" is to endue the EC with more activity and cooperativeness than it actually deserves. It would be more apt to say that the EC has had to be dragged kicking and screaming by civil society, Bersih 2.0 and the Parliamentary Select Committee on Electoral Reform (PSC) in order to come up with any reforms at all. We believe that the EC's inaction on this issue alone speaks for itself: - On 11 February 2011, nearly two years ago, Wan Ahmad told the press that the EC "was now looking at extending the ballot to other Malaysians at large who were working in international organisations or running businesses overseas" (The Malaysian Insider).
- On 25 August 2011, shortly after the historic Bersih 2.0 rally in July 2011, EC Chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof announced that the EC "was in the midst of amending regulations to extend postal voting rights to Malaysians working overseas" (The Star).
- On 1 December 2011, the PSC recommended in its interim report that all Malaysians living overseas should be entitled to vote by post. This was accepted by the Dewan Rakyat, but the EC insisted on a requirement that overseas Malaysians could not vote unless they returned to Malaysia every five years.
- On 3 April 2012, the PSC confirmed its recommendation in its final report and gave the EC a three-month deadline (3 July 2012) to make the necessary arrangements with Government departments to implement its recommendation. This was also accepted by the Dewan Rakyat.
- On 11 July 2012, having missed the PSC's deadline, Abdul Aziz told Malaysians that "the system [of overseas postal voting] can be implemented by September if we have to amend the law, but it could be earlier than that (if legal amendments are not needed)" (Malaysian Insider).
- On 14 September 2012, two weeks before the start of the last Dewan Rakyat sitting before the next general election, Abdul Aziz said that the Attorney-General's Chambers was "still studying whether an amendment to the Election Act was needed" before overseas postal voting for Malaysians could be implemented" (Bernama/Malaysiakini).
- On 19 October 2012, Wan Ahmad said that: "Very soon, maybe next month[November], we will upload the form that can be accessed by Malaysians all over the world who are already registered voters, to request to receive their ballot papers by post" (The Star).
- On 3 December 2012, having missed the end of the final Dewan Rakyat of this Parliament, EC Secretary Datuk Kamaruddin Mohamed Baria said that: "The EC is finalising the policy, planning logistics, labour and financial provisions to implement this system effectively. After that, the EC will amend the Election (Postal Voting) Regulations 2003″ (The Sun).
Again, MyOverseasVote would point out that the EC, as the body entrusted by the Federal Constitution with the preparation and revision of electoral rolls and the conduct of elections, has its own legal staff and a RM700 million budget and is given wide rule-making powers both by Article 113(5) of the Federal Constitution and by the Elections Act 1958. As we come to the closing days of 2012, we have to note that unless the amendments to the 2003 Postal Voting Regulations are made soon, there is no way that 1 million overseas Malaysians will be able to register to vote by post in time for the next general election. After two years of deceit and inaction, MyOverseasVote has little confidence that the EC will deliver on overseas voting by the 13th General Election, though we would be very happy to be proven wrong. |
| DAP, PAS send mixed messages on ‘Allah’ issue Posted: 26 Dec 2012 12:57 AM PST 
Ida Lim, The Malaysian Insider In a fresh debate over the word "Allah", PAS says that Christians should not use it to describe their god in the Bible, while its political ally DAP insists that Christians in East Malaysia should be allowed to use the Arabic word. PAS information chief Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said today the use of the word "Allah" in the Alkitab, the Malay-language translation of the Bible, would not reflect the original text's meaning. "PAS' stand is that the Bahasa Melayu Bible should replace the 'God' term with 'Tuhan' and not 'Allah' to mirror the actual meaning of the original text," he said in a press statement. Tuan Ibrahim said both Christians and Muslims could be confused when the word "Allah" is used in the Alkitab. "Since the Bahasa Melayu Bible is a translation from the original English text, the term 'God' does not mean 'Allah', because the accurate translation is 'Tuhan'. It should be translated according to original meaning. Translating 'God' to 'Allah' will confuse Christians and create unease among the Muslims and can confuse Muslims," he said. He said "Allah" was a sacred name for the Muslims and should be used appropriately. "In relation to that, (the) request to use Allah's name in the Bahasa Melayu translation of the Bible is not wajar (suitable), even the society in the West, they don't use Allah's name to refer to God whether in speech, writing of films. The word that is often used is 'Lord'," said Tuan Ibrahim, who is also Pahang PAS commissioner. On Monday, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng had raised the controversial "Allah" issue in his Christmas message. "For this reason, DAP urges the BN Federal government to allow the use of the word 'Allah' on the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Bible as has been allowed in Sabah and Sarawak for the last 50 years and practised in the Middle East for more than a thousand years," Lim wrote in a statement on December 24 in English and Mandarin. Zairil Khir Johari, DAP's assistant publicity secretary, said today that Lim's words have been "twisted", saying that the Penang chief minister had only asked Putrajaya not to deny the rights of Christians in East Malaysia to use the word "Allah". According to Zairil, several news reports had falsely accused Lim of urging the federal government to allow Christians in Peninsula Malaysia to use the word "Allah" in the Alkitab. "He (Lim) only asked that it be allowed in the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Bible that is used by Christians in Sabah and Sarawak." "Furthermore, the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Bible can only be found in Sabah and Sarawak and not in Peninsula Malaysia. "Therefore, the issue of usage of the word "Allah" in Peninsula Malaysia does not arise at all," Zairil said. Zairil pointed out that the word "Allah" was commonly used by Christians in neighbouring Indonesia and has been used for decades by the Bumiputera Christians in East Malaysia that converse in the Malay language. Christians form 9.2 per cent of Malaysia's 28.3 million-strong population, with many of them in east Malaysia using the Malay language and the word "Allah" to refer to their God. In recent years, the Christian and Muslim religious communities have been engaged in a tug-of-war over the word "Allah", with the latter group arguing that its use should be exclusive to them on the grounds that Islam is monotheistic and the word "Allah" denotes the Muslim god. A legal tussle over the use of the word "Allah" remains unresolved, with the Catholic Church still barred from publishing the word in its weekly newspaper, despite winning a High Court decision on December 31, 2009. This is due to the Home Ministry filing an appeal in 2010 against the High Court's decision, which have since stagnated in the courts as no date has been set for its hearing. Last year, shipments of the Alkitab, the Malay-language Bible catering to the Bahasa Malaysia-speaking Bumiputera Christians, were blocked or confiscated at ports, before the government finally bowed to pressure and released them. |
| Nallakaruppan and Utusan retain most of their defence in Anwar’s defamation suit Posted: 26 Dec 2012 12:53 AM PST 
(The Star) - Malaysian United Indian Party president Senator Datuk S. Nallakaruppan and two others were allowed to retain most of their statements of defence in a RM100mil suit filed by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim against them. Nallakaruppan, Utusan Melayu (Malaysia) Bhd and its Editor-in-Chief Datuk Abdul Aziz Ishak had pleaded the defence of justification, qualified privilege and fair comment which were part of the opinion in the majority judgment of Anwar's 1998 sodomy case in the Federal Court. High Court Judicial Commissioner Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera Wednesday granted only a part of Anwar's application to strike out a portion of the defence statements by Nallakarupan, Utusan Melayu and Abdul Aziz. The only part, which was allowed to be struck out by the Judicial Commissioner, was the plea of justification. However, Vazeer allowed the defences of qualified privilege, fair comment and mitigation of damages to be retained. On March 26, the Opposition leader had filed the suit alleging Nallakaruppan had uttered defamatory words against him which were then published on the front page of the Utusan Malaysia daily on March 20. In his statement of claim, Anwar said the defamatory words included in the article were false, baseless, was published with ill intention and had tarnished his good name. Anwar is seeking RM100mil in general, aggravated and exemplary damages, cost and other relief deemed fit by the court. The High Court has set January 18, 2013 for case management. |
| 351 peneroka saman Felda, tuntut RM200 juta Posted: 26 Dec 2012 12:48 AM PST 
Felda Palm Industries didakwa berniat jahat dan sengaja menurunkan KPG sehingga enam peratus bertentangan dengan kadar sepatutnya. Jamilah Kamarudin, FMT Seramai 351 peneroka Felda Mempaga 1, 2, dan 3 serta Felda Bukit Damar, Pahang hari ini memfailkan saman menuntut ganti rugi keseluruhan kira-kira RM200 juta terhadap Felda kerana menipu kadar perahan gred (KPG) sawit. Saman difailkan melalui Tetuan Daim dan Gamany di Mahkamah Tinggi Temerloh, Pahang pagi tadi menamakan Lembaga Kemajuan Tanah Persekutuan (Felda) sebagai defendan pertama dan Felda Palm Industries Sdn Bhd sebagai defendan kedua. Plaintif dalam writ saman antara lain mendakwa, Felda Palm Industries berniat jahat dan sengaja menurunkan KPG sehingga enam peratus bertentangan dengan kadar sepatutnya dengan tujuan untuk menurunkan harga setiap tan buah sawit. Peneroka terbabit turut mendakwa wujud konspirasi antara defendan pertama dan kedua menyalahgunakan kaedah penggredan untuk memastikan KPG diturunkan, selain menjual buah sawit dibawah KPG yang sepatutnya tanpa pengetahuan plaintif. Disebabkan itu, plaintif mendakwa setiap mereka mengalami kerugian sebanyak RM30,912 pada tahun 2008. Manakala bagi buah yang ditahan tapi tak dilupuskan, setiap peneroka telah kehilangan pendapatan sebanyak RM1345.63 (RM560.08 setan). "Kerugian kesemua plaintif untuk tahun 2008 lebih kurang RM11.322 juta," writ saman itu menyebut. Ganti rugi Sehubungan itu, plaintif memohon mahkamah untuk mendapatkan printah supaya Felda dan Felda Palm Industries membayar ganti rugi khas kepada plaintif berdasarkan jumlah keluaran dan harga sawit untuk setiap tahun bermula tahun 1995. Selain itu, peneroka terbabit turut meminta ganti rugi am dan teladan untuk penipuan dan pecah amanah, kadar faedah empat peratus setahun dikenakan keatas jumlah ganti rugi khas bemula dari tahun 1995 serta empat peratus jumlah ganti rugi am dari tarikh pemfailan writ sehingga kes selesai sepenuhny dan lain-lain kos. Saman difailkan wakil peneroka Abdul Rashid Abdul Wahab sebagai plaintif pertama dan Din Mohd Arif (plaintif ke-331). Mereka diwakili Ketua Biro Guaman PKR Latheefa Koya dan Timbalan Pengerusi Biro Peneroka Felda dan Orang Asal PKR T Kumar. Turut hadir Pengerusi Biro Peneroka Felda dan Orang Asal PKR Suhaimi Said serta timbalannya Bob Manolan. |
| Reveal the figures, MIC told Posted: 26 Dec 2012 12:44 AM PST 
Miba wants MIC to disclose the figures and documents pertaining to the funds allocated for Indian entrepreneurs. G Lavendran, FMT An Indian business group leader has urged MIC to reveal the proper figures with regard to the funds allocated by the government for Indian entrepreneurs. Speaking to FMT, Malaysian Indian Business Association (Miba) president P Sivakumar said this was the only way for confidence in MIC to grow. "Out of the RM180 million that was allocated, only RM30 million is justifiable through Tekun. Perhaps another RM20 million can be justified through the Small and Medium Enterprise Corporation Malaysia (SME). But what about the other RM130 million?" he asked. Furthermore, he said the RM130 million was dispersed to financial institutions to be given out as business related loans via the Islamic concept. "It is not easy for Indians to apply for loans via this concept, the document requirements are not flexible. So how is the Indian community going to benefit from this? "This shows how little the system has opened up for equality and fairplay," he added. Sivakumar commended the MIC secretary-general S Murugesan on his comments pertaining to the same issue but stressed that it should be supported with proper documentation. "Every Malaysian deserves to know the truth. We need more people from MIC to clear the haze by giving statements, this time around with figures and proper supporting documents to get the message across clearly to the people," he said. Sivakumar said he welcomed the idea of new policies and programmes being implemented by MIC but felt that the government must participate in this together. "Stand up and be accounted for, MIC," he said. READ MORE HERE |
| PKR cries foul over mock voting for BN Posted: 26 Dec 2012 12:41 AM PST 
But EC says the exercise among Orang Asli in Tapah, even if true, would be legitimate. Anisah Shukry, FMT Barisan Nasional rewarded indigenous people in Tapah with 5kg of rice each in return for casting mock ballots in favour of its candidates, PKR claimed today. "Several weeks ago, the Department of Orang Asli Development (Jakoa) and Chenderiang assemblyman Mah Hang Soon ran a series of programmes in Orang Asli villages in Tapah," Perak PKR treasurer Yap Yit Thong told FMT today. "In the programme, the Orang Asli were given two homemade ballot papers similar to the ballot paper used in elections, and were forced to tick Barisan Nasional in full view of the Jakoa officers and Dr Mah. "Those who ticked BN in both ballot papers were then given 5kg of rice as a reward." Yap said the Orang Asli had to return the marked ballot papers immediately to the officials, apparently so that no evidence of the exercise remained. But some of the marked ballot papers wound up in Yap's hands when several Orang Asli approached him to complain about the issue. 
"We don't know what BN's purpose is," Yap told FMT. "Maybe when it's time for general election, BN will tell the Orang Asli, 'You already voted for us' or 'We gave you the rice and you promised you would vote for us; so you must do so.'" Yap said the mock election, if it did take place, was in violation of the Election Offenses Act and could be investigated as a crime. The act states that any person who "without due authority prints any ballot paper or what purports to be or is capable of being used as a ballot paper at an election" could be imprisoned for up to two years or fined up to RM5,000 or suffer both penalties. A person who "prints any advertisement, handbill, placard or poster which refers to an election and contains a reproduction of a ballot paper, or of what purports to be a ballot paper, to be used or likely to be used at such election" may face similar punishment. Yap said he had yet to approach Jakoa or Mah over the issue, but was demanding that they give an explanation. He also called on the Election Commission to question Jakoa and Mah. "Dr Mah must resign as Chenderiang state assemblyman and executive council member of Perak for abusing his power," he said. 'Completely fine'
However, EC deputy director Wan Ahmad Wan Omar told FMT the alleged incident appeared to be a voter education programme rather than an attempt at vote buying or blackmail. 
"This is the first time this issue has been raised with me, but from what you explained, it sounds perfectly acceptable and normal," he said. "A lot of political parties are doing mock elections. This is a form of voter education, by which they are educating people on how to vote. "That is completely fine. The EC is in fact encouraging political parties, NGOs and concerned citizens to educate one another on how to vote." He said that the EC had been promoting voter education programmes for a while now, especially in light of the high percentage of spoilt votes in the 2008 general election. As for allegations that the Orang Asli participants had to vote for BN's candidates in the mock ballot, Wan Ahmad said that that was perfectly natural and to be expected. "That is campaigning," he said. "Any political party, whether from the government or the opposition, would do the same if they were teaching the public to vote. It doesn't matter at all. "To me, it just sounds like BN is conducting a voter education programme while campaigning at the same time." READ MORE HERE |
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