Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- DRB-HICOM to go private?
- Explain RM207 billion compensation, says Anwar
- Don’t repeat past mistakes, Jerit tells Pakatan
- MCA man sits on fence over ‘Allah’ row
- Despite royal decree, Protestant churches say will keep using ‘Allah’
- Ambiga: TI-M’s refusal to watch polls disappointing
- ‘Japan did not pay RM207 billion’
- Zahid to sue Rafizi for alleged defamation
- Mat Sabu: We expect trouble-free rally
- English murdered in a murder story
- IPF plans mammoth rally on Jan 12
- Senior lawyer sees red over judge-bashing
- Mustafa: Hudud application impossible for now
- Questions over ‘fatwa’ effect on non-Muslims after Selangor Sultan’s ‘Allah’ decree
- Muhyiddin: We are not bankrupt
| Posted: 09 Jan 2013 05:13 AM PST
FIRST QUARTER TARGET: Tycoon Syed Mokhtar may make standalone offer, says source (Business Times) - Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar AlBukhary may make a standalone offer to privatise DRB-HICOM Bhd, the country's biggest automotive company, people working on the plan said yesterday. Business Times understands that the plan is being helmed by privately-held Meridian Solutions Sdn Bhd. Meridian is a unit controlled by Syed Mokhtar's top financial aide, Ooi Teik Huat. | ||
| Explain RM207 billion compensation, says Anwar Posted: 08 Jan 2013 05:04 PM PST
(Anwar Ibrahim's Blog) - PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim is taking the BN government to task and wants it to explain what became of the RM207 billion compensation allegedly paid by the Japanese government to surviving victims and the heirs of over 30,000 Malayans used as forced labour for the infamous Death Railway from Siam to Burma during World War II. He has claimed that the money was not transferred to the Treasury when he was finance minister back in the 1990′s. "I have said that this money was not dispersed to the Treasury. This RM207 billion is something which the present BN government can't stay silent." "Like the issue brought up in the transfer of suspected illicit funds following the report by the Global Financial Integrity group, where over RM190 billion was unaccounted for. So far, there has not been any comment from the prime minister or the Treasury on this issue. There is a clear neglect of the country's finances," he said. Anwar was asked to comment on the revelation by former Perak menteri besar Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin that the Japanese government had allegedly paid the compensation to the Malaysian government in the 1990′s. Nizar had said that he does not know if the money is still in the keeping of the government or had already been disbursed to the victims. "There were 30,000 who had survived to come back to Malaysia, though some had died, they have heirs who formed the Association of former labourers and heirs of the Siam-Burma 1942-1946 railway construction," Nizar was quoted saying in a Harakahdaily report.
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| Don’t repeat past mistakes, Jerit tells Pakatan Posted: 08 Jan 2013 04:52 PM PST
Workers are furious that Pakatan has rejected its 'reasonable' floor wage proposal of RM1,500. Anisah Shukry, FMT Non-governmental organisation Jaringan Rakyat Tertindas (Jerit) has flayed Pakatan Rakyat for using "lame excuses" and "unsound judgment" in rejecting Malaysian workers' recent RM1,500 minimum wage proposal. Jerit said Pakatan's outright rejection of the RM1,500 minimum wage was "not of sound judgment or justified", especially since the Wold Bank Report was prepared on the advice of the Malaysian government and classified as "not for citation". "The PKR director of strategy Rafizi Ramli's sudden dependence on the World Bank Report, a document used by the BN government, is really baffling us," Jerit said in a statement today. On Sunday, more than 20 workers' union under the coalition of the Malaysian Workers Network (MWN) had proposed a monthly a minimum wage of RM1,500 ahead of the 13th general election. But the following day, several Pakatan leaders told FMT the figure was not applicable for the time being and maintained that the floor wage should be set at RM1,100. Citing the classified World Bank report, Rafizi had said anything higher than the rate Pakatan had proposed in its alternative budget would have an adverse impact on the economy. PAS MP Dzulkefly Ahmad also told FMT that RM1,500 would not be sustainable as it would be counter-productive to workers. But Jerit today questioned whether Pakatan had truly done its research before making such statements, and cited the nation's per capita income as proof that RM1,500 was reasonable. "Taking into account the income per capita figure which is RM RM26, 420 per year per Malaysian citizen, which means each Malaysian roughly should be taking home RM2,291 as a wage, the demand for RM1,500 minimum wage is very reasonable and has a basis," said Jerit "Thus, for PKR to reject outright the RM1,500 demand for minimum wage without knowing the rationale of the workers is akin to the pot [PKR] calling the cattle [BN] black." Jerit was referring to the fact that Pakatan has continuously slammed BN for setting the country's minimum wage at RM900 for the peninsula and RM800 for Sabah and Sarawak. Jerit also cited Indonesia as an example that implementing a minimum wage of RM1,500 was possible. "Indonesia, our neighbouring country, just in November 2012 gave its minimum wage a 40% increase from 1.5 million rupiah [about RM472] to 2.2 million rupiah [about RM692]," said Jerit. "Even then, the Jakarta Globe on Nov 6, 2012 reported that 'despite hefty minimum wage increases across the country next year, Indonesia remains an attractive destination for foreign companies due to the solid pace of its economic growth, global banks UBS and Deutsche Bank say.'." RM 1,500 not viable? Jerit also questioned whether "Rafizi and the Pakatan leadership" were aware of the rakyat's cost of living and whether Pakatan's proposed minimum wage of RM1,100 would suffice.
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| MCA man sits on fence over ‘Allah’ row Posted: 08 Jan 2013 04:39 PM PST
Boo Su-Lyn, The Malaysian Insider An MCA leader refused today to make a stand on the Selangor Sultan's decree banning non-Muslims from referring to their gods as "Allah". When asked if non-Muslims should be allowed to use the word "Allah", MCA deputy publicity chief Loh Seng Kok (picture) evaded the question by saying: "I'm not making a statement." He noted, however, that many state anthems contained the word "Allah". "Are we being barred from singing the state anthem now?" asked Loh, who is also an MCA central committee member. Muslim-majority Malaysia has 13 states and three federal territories. More than half the state anthems contain the word "Allah" in their lyrics. The Selangor Sultan instructed the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (MAIS) and the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (JAIS) yesterday to take firm action against all groups, including non-Muslims, who continued to question the state fatwa (edict) and a 1988 state law restricting use of the Arabic word. MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek was unavailable for comment. Former Perlis mufti Datuk Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin has said that the royal ban would force many states to create a "special" version of their anthems. Christian church leaders have questioned if a fatwa could be applied to non-Muslims. Council of Churches in Malaysia (CCM) secretary-general Rev Hermen Shastri also pointed out that the High Court's 2009 ruling, which said that the word "Allah" was not exclusive to Muslims, was still in effect pending the Home Ministry's appeal against it. CCM president Bishop Datuk Thomas Tsen has highlighted Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's 10-point agreement, issued in April 2011, that allowed Christians in Borneo Malaysia to use the word "Allah" in their worship.
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| Despite royal decree, Protestant churches say will keep using ‘Allah’ Posted: 08 Jan 2013 04:02 PM PST
Debra Chong, The Malaysian Insider An umbrella body representing Malaysia's Protestant churches said today Christians nationwide have been calling their god "Allah" in their worship for centuries and will continue exercising their constitutional right to do so, notwithstanding a Selangor state decree barring the term from them. The heads of churches of the Council of Churches of Malaysia (CCM) said it had noted the current discourse over the use of the word "Allah" by non-Muslims. The church leaders who are meeting in Ipoh, reiterated that they have been using "Allah" in Malay-language bibles "for centuries" and that many indigenous communities here have incorporated the word that was of Arabic origin as part of their everyday language. "That being the case, we shall continue this practice ― a right guaranteed to us in our Federal Constitution (Article 11) ― and call on all parties to respect this fundamental right," they said in a statement to The Malaysian Insider. The CCM clergymen's statement comes on the heels of a similar statement issued yesterday by the umbrella body for all Sikh temples in the country. The Malaysian Gurdwaras Council (MGC) added that any move to stop non-Muslims from using the word "Allah" in a religious text would be a restriction on Sikhs from practising their religion. "The Malaysian Gurdwaras Council (MGC) is saddened to note that a decree has been issued by His Highness the Sultan of Selangor that non-Muslims in the state are banned from using the word Allah as it is a holy word exclusive to Muslims. "The MGC is further dismayed that no exceptions have been made in the decree," MGC president Jagir Singh said in a statement. Sultan Sharafuddin has called for an emergency meeting with state Islamic religious officials to bar non-Muslims from using the Arabic word for god, the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (MAIS) said yesterday. The statement from the state's highest Islamic authority came despite a High Court ruling in December 2009 that the word "Allah" was not restricted to Muslims and the Catholic Church had the right to publish the word in the Malay section of its weekly newspaper, Herald. Despite the Selangor Sultan's latest decree banning non-Muslims in the state from using the word "Allah", Pakatan Rakyat (PR) confirmed today its stand on the controversy, insisting that Islam does not prohibit others from using the word.
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| Ambiga: TI-M’s refusal to watch polls disappointing Posted: 08 Jan 2013 03:57 PM PST
(The Star) - Bersih 2.0 steering committee co-chairperson Datuk S. Ambiga says Transparency International-Malaysia's (TI-M) rejection of the Election Commission's (EC) invitation to monitor the general election is "disappointing". She said this was because accredited bodies had the advantage of gaining access into polling stations. However, she deemed most of the EC's conditions as "ridiculous", and urged the commission to review its conditions if it was truly committed to inviting independent bodies to monitor the elections. In an immediate response, TI-M secretary-general Josie Fernandez said she was "surprised" by Ambiga's criticism, adding that it was the executive committee's unanimous decision to reject the offer. She said this was because some conditions were not agreeable. "I hope Ambiga realises that for us to take part, we must first address issues such as a limited number of observers permitted in each constituency and limitations such as not being able to speak to the press," Fernandez said. She said TI-M also faced financial and human resources constraints and would not be able to deploy the several hundred observers required. Meanwhile, Ambiga introduced the new election monitoring campaign launched by Bersih 2.0 in partnership with Malaysians for Free and Fair Elections and Pusat Komunikasi Masyarakat. Called the Pemantau Pilihan Raya Rakyat (Pemantau), she said the body hoped to get 10,000 volunteers to serve as observers, adding that they would have to sign a pledge and code of conduct. "Those who have not adhered to the code of conduct will have their reports devalued," she said.
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| ‘Japan did not pay RM207 billion’ Posted: 08 Jan 2013 03:44 PM PST
(The Star) - Japan never paid RM207 bil to the Malaysian Government as compensation for victims of the Death Railway project in the 1940s, according to the Japanese Embassy. Its Second Secretary Takaharu Suegami, responding to PAS working committee member Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin who was reported to have said so, said the latter's claim was "outside the involvement and knowledge of the Government of Japan". "All questions arising out of the unhappy events with regard to Malaysia have been fully and finally settled under the San Francisco Treaty which entered into force in 1952," he said in a statement yesterday. Nizar was quoted by Harakah Daily as saying that the embassy had confirmed that the money was handed to the Malaysian Government in 2004. The report stated that the money had yet to be distributed to families of the estimated 30,000 Malaysians who were forced labourers of the project between 1942 and 1946. Suegami said both countries had also signed an agreement on Sept 21, 1967, whereby Japan agreed to supply services and products to Malaysia totalling RM25mil. The grants, he said, had been used to build two ships, among other projects, but there was no transfer of an undisclosed amount of money. "Malaysia agreed that any question from the events of the Second World War that might affect our good bilateral relations would be fully and finally settled with the agreement. "All the supply in accordance with the agreement was completed by May 6, 1972," he said.
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| Zahid to sue Rafizi for alleged defamation Posted: 08 Jan 2013 03:36 PM PST
(The Star) - Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi will sue PKR strategic director Rafizi Ramli for alleged defamation. He said Rafizi had gone overboard by accusing him of abuse of power over the acquisition of a company and land by Boustead Holdings Bhd, which is a subsidiary of Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera (LTAT). Boustead in a filing with Bursa Malaysia last month stated that it would acquire an 80% stake in Astacanggih Sdn Bhd, linked to controversial carpet businessman Deepak Jaikishnan, through subsidiary Bakti Wira Development Sdn Bhd. Zahid said Boustead, as a public-listed company, did not take instructions from any minister or individual. "They (Boustead) did purchase the company for RM30mil and land for RM130mil but Rafizi should be aware that the market price was more than RM300mil. "The said transaction is fully commercialised and does not involve the Defence Ministry or me. "Not a single sen of LTAT's money was used in the transaction... LTAT takes care of its contributors," he said yesterday after announcing plans for the Lang- kawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (Lima) in March. Zahid challenged Rafizi to lodge a police report against him if he was "man enough" and to issue an open statement, adding that the latter should not destroy the trust contributors had in LTAT. "We will see each other in court. I hope he stops the lies. "He should get his facts right and not play such politics," he added.
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| Mat Sabu: We expect trouble-free rally Posted: 08 Jan 2013 03:33 PM PST
(The Star) - Organisers of the gathering at Merdeka Stadium on Saturday are expecting a trouble-free rally. Organising chairman PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu said that there would be no marching to Merdeka Stadium and participants were expected to make their own way and gather at the venue from 2pm to 5pm. He told reporters after meeting Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar to discuss the Saturday gathering yesterday. Mohamad, however, said that the organisers had yet to receive official notification from the stadium management on whether they would be allowed to use the venue for the gathering or otherwise. He said that they would wait until 1pm today for the green light to use the stadium, failing which, they would make an alternative plan. "We will make the final decision tomorrow and announce it by 4pm," he said. Meanwhile, city police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Mohmad Salleh said police were finalising their preparations for the gathering. "We will inform road users on the traffic situation and road closures as soon as a plan has been formulated," he said. Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said that the Opposition pact must ensure that the assembly they propose to hold on Saturday does not develop into a riot. "They should apply to Stadium Nasional, Bukit Jalil, if they wish to organise the assembly there and ensure that the capacity stipulated was complied with," he said. He said everyone must ensure that the assembly did not turn into a riot as had happened during the "Bersih" gathering last year.
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| English murdered in a murder story Posted: 08 Jan 2013 03:16 PM PST
Black Rose - the much-hyped tell-all - falls short of expectations but provides enough inside jokes and hints to keep its readers gripped. Anisah Shukry, FMT By this time, avid followers of The Confessions of the Carpet Man have no doubt winced and chuckled through every misspelt word and thinly-veiled nicknames in the book The Black Rose, presumably written by the Carpet Man himself. Never mind that Deepak Jaikishan, the star of the real-life saga, has denounced the free e-book as being a fake – such a fact makes for even more salacious reading and adds further intrigue to the unfolding drama. And what a drama: By reading the first paragraph alone, the reader can guess just how complex the issue is – and the bad language certainly doesn't help. "This is a true version of the events leading to the 2nd SD by LABA on the instruction of Black Rose, on the day the first SD was announced by LABA flanked by the head of the opposition, Black Rose called me in the same evening, she wanted KAPEED to help solve the SD issue as the repulsion was very severe, she explained to me that LALA's people were going to see the SD by LABA to convince a direct participant in the 4C incident to come forward and make a SD and confess that he had been instructed by whom to initiate 4C and that ABCD instructed him and ABCD was instructed by BIJAN." And that's just the first sentence. But whether the writer intended this or not, there is a plus side to the run-in sentences and disregard for punctuation – it makes for a hilarious book that just cannot be put down. For example, the Selangor Umno Wanita chief Raja Ropiaah Abdullah land deal is just that more gripping when described so eloquently in the following manner: "…Raja Popiah was a very strong person in state politics, she was very chauvinistic and greedy and unlike popiah stall owners who once they have sold their popiah to one person will never dare to sell it to another, Raja Popiah darest do the unimaginable…" This unintentionally humorous writing is especially useful since readers will find that the book holds nothing new in terms of information. But on the down side, the writer's brutal murder of the English language makes it very difficult for the reader to take the contents, and the writer himself, seriously. Content-wise, for those who haven't read the book, you don't miss out on anything except for a lot of laughs, because it is just a (bad) re-telling of information Deepak previously divulged to the press. Analysing the symbolism From the Raja Ropiaah land deal to the events leading and following the second statutory declaration by P Balasubramaniam, everything appears to be recycled from Deepak's interviews and press statements. Even the documents included in the PDF file, which make up half the book, were apparently already available on PKR director of strategy Rafizi Ramli's website. Regardless, those who have free time should definitely give this book a try; the nicknames the writer came up with alone are worth it.
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| IPF plans mammoth rally on Jan 12 Posted: 08 Jan 2013 03:06 PM PST
The gathering is to show support for BN's attempt to retake Selangor in the 13th general election. B Nantha Kumar, FMT As Pakatan Rakyat prepares for a mammoth rally dubbed "Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat" (People's Uprising Rally) on Jan 12 at Stadium Merdeka, a BN-friendly party is also scheduled to hold a massive rally on the same day. The All Malaysia Indian Progressive Front better known as IPF confirmed that the party was planning a rally on Jan 12, at Dataran Tesco, in Semenyih where Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is expected to be the guest of honour. Speaking to FMT, party president M Sambanthan (picture), who is also director of the rally, said the gathering was to show support for BN's attempt to retake Selangor in the 13th general election. "The peaceful assembly is really important to IPF. It is the time for us to show our adherence to the prime minister and BN," he said. He said IPF would mobilise 20,000 people to attend the rally and this would send " a strong message to Pakatan Rakyat in Selangor that Indians were unhappy with the opposition coalition." "We have informed all our branches to mobilise support for the rally. We hope the rally would be peaceful," he said. Sambanthan also quashed speculation that the IPF rally was to counter Pakatan's Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat also planned on the same day at Stadium Merdeka. "This is not something we planned just last week. We started planning for it since last year and the prime minister gave the date some three months ago. Some Pakatan leaders are going around saying our rally is to counter their rally. IPF's rally does not have anything to do with their rally," he said.
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| Senior lawyer sees red over judge-bashing Posted: 08 Jan 2013 03:01 PM PST
Sankara Nair wants action to be taken against those responsible for the incredulous and vile attack on Justice VT Singham. RK Anand, FMT The scathing attack against a high court judge has left a senior lawyer seething with indignation and demanding that action be taken against the perpetrator. Referring to an article published on the Perkasa website yesterday, Sankara Nair told FMT that he was both outraged and appalled by the incredulous and vile statements. "The writer is incredibly moronic and his allegations are scurrilous, vilifying and wholly unwarranted. The writer has gone on a vicious, baseless, and defamatory personal tirade against the judge and it is prima facie contempt of court. "The writer is clearly politically motivated and as such incapable and not qualified to give substantial, constructive and reasonable criticism of Justice VT Singham or any judicial officer for that matter," he added. Sankara said that if the Attorney-General's Chambers did not direct the police to lodge a report, he would be more than willing to file a police report on this matter. The lawyer also urged the chief justice as head of the judiciary to call upon the AG Chambers to act against the individual or individuals of Perkasa who were involved in this matter. "Judges are always vulnerable and it is most unfortunate that they are unable to defend themselves personally against attacks against them. Thus, it is the public duty of all lawyers and the Bar Council to guard against such attacks on judges and to protect the sanctity and integrity of all judges in performing their judicial duties. "It is reiterated that it is the legal and bounden duty of the Attorney-General's Chambers to take a stand and to come out strongly against such atrocious behaviour by this writer and institute contempt proceedings and also order the police to commence investigations by issuing an Order to Investigate (OTI) with a view to prosecute the writer," he said. The article penned by Zainuddin Salleh had questioned Singham's impartiality, his past judgments and also insinuated that he could be a homosexual due to him being a bachelor. Singham is the presiding judge in the RM50 million defamation suit filed by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim against Utusan Malaysia. He is scheduled to deliver his judgment on Jan 22. 'Article aims to intimidate him' Commenting further, Sankara, a former Anwar lawyer, said the judge had yet to deliver his verdict and the contents of the article was clearly premeditated and timed as such with an intention to intimidate him and to interfere with the administration of justice. "This amounts to a clear commission of a criminal offence under Section 228 of the Penal Code, the objective of which is to preserve the prestige and dignity of the court by punishing any person who intentionally insults in any way the court administering justice," he added.
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| Mustafa: Hudud application impossible for now Posted: 08 Jan 2013 09:45 AM PST
(fz.com) - Hudud, the Islamic system of criminal law, is destined to remain entangled in a series of legal, political and administrative processes that will prevent its application for a long time to come, says PAS Secretary-General Datuk Mustafa Ali. At the mention of the complexities that surround Hudud - ranging from the implementation issues that it entails, the differing stances on the subject taken by Pakatan Rakyat coalition members and its incessant appearance in the headlines since 2008 - Mustafa chuckles. "But you have never seen Hudud being implemented," he responds, drawing attention to the contrast between all the talk over the matter on the one hand, and the lack of any legal or practical steps taken to implement such laws. Speaking to fz.com in an interview recently, the Islamic party strongman says that he would not be surprised if the issue makes another comeback just as the general election approaches. He says that although the Pakatan parties - PAS, DAP and PKR - have "agreed to disagree" over the issue, it will not just go away as it is close to the heart of any Muslim and it was a matter of principle for followers of Islam to uphold. "No Muslim, whether in PAS or Umno, can say that Hudud is not in Islam or that it is against the teaching of Islam. But if you speak to an Umno person, although they would agree with this, there are so many "buts" and "buts" (to justify its lack of implementation)," he says. Hudud, says Mustafa, must be discussed in a broader perspective, as it is a "very small" portion of the Islamic justice system. "It is more of a deterrent than a form of punishment... more to instill fear in the people. It is just a small part of all the different systems of life in Islam such as economics, education and social well-being. Hudud is a very small part of criminal law," he said. In what (for now) appears to be the last word on the issue, Pakatan decided in September 2011 that DAP will stick to its opposition to the issue and PAS cannot be forced to abandoned its principle to implement the law. Flanked by 20-odd top Pakatan leaders, the coalition's head Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said then: "Pakatan respects the PAS initiatives and aspirations (to implement the Hudud in Kelantan), but we have to reach a consensus… DAP is opposed to that and PKR and PAS respect that decision". He also said that the matter was a non-issue as the existence of the Second Syariah Kelantan Criminal Enactments 1993 and the Terengganu Syariah Criminal Enactments 2003 required amendments to the Federal Constitution. Referring to these state laws, Mustafa reiterates, as he has done many times before, that the passage of any laws containing elements of Hudud must follow the democratic process. "Even in Kedah (where PAS holds 16 out of 36 state seats), we don't have the numbers to implement Hudud (or pass any related legislation)," he says, noting that the state laws passed in Kelantan and Terengganu were voted for by a two-thirds majority in their respective state assemblies. | ||
| Questions over ‘fatwa’ effect on non-Muslims after Selangor Sultan’s ‘Allah’ decree Posted: 08 Jan 2013 09:27 AM PST
(The Malaysian Insider) - Christian church leaders have expressed concern over the effect of the Selangor Sultan's royal decree banning followers of faiths other than Islam from using the word "Allah" to describe their gods. The state Ruler had also instructed the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (MAIS) and the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (JAIS) yesterday to take firm action against all groups, including non-Muslims, who continued to question the state fatwa (edict) and a 1988 state law restricting use of the Arabic word. "Can a fatwa be applied to a non-Muslim?" asked Father Lawrence Andrew, the editor of the country's sole Catholic newspaper, Herald, when contacted by The Malaysian Insider yesterday. In December 2009, the High Court ruled that the word "Allah" was not restricted to Muslims and the Catholic Church had the right to published the word in the Malay section of its weekly newspaper, Herald. The priest declined further comment, saying he would leave the question to be answered by legal experts, after pointing to a key issue raised in the Herald's court challenge three years ago. In her 2009 ruling, High Court judge Datuk Lau Bee Lan found that "a non-Muslim could be committing an offence if he uses the word 'Allah' to a Muslim but there would be no offence if it was used to a non-Muslim". Rev Hermen Shastri from the Methodist Church told The Malaysian Insider that the High Court's judgment is still legally in effect pending the Home Ministry's appeal to ban non-Muslims using the word, which it had argued in court was a security threat. "Until overturned, Christians have the right to use it," Shastri, who is secretary-general of the Council of Churches in Malaysia (CCM), an umbrella body representing all the Protestant churches nationwide. CCM president Bishop Datuk Thomas Tsen told The Malaysian Insider he was worried about the consequences of the decree on Sabah and Sarawak Christians living in the state. "Of course I am concerned about the effect on our people who live here, especially when Najib talks about 1 Malaysia and we want to speak in one language," the Lutheran bishop said, referring to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's remarks. Like Andrew, he declined comment on the Selangor sultan's statement, but highlighted a 10-point agreement issued by the Najib administration in April 2011, allowing Christians in Borneo Malaysia the freedom to use it in their worship, ahead of the Sarawak state election.
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| Muhyiddin: We are not bankrupt Posted: 08 Jan 2013 09:23 AM PST
(The Star) - Malaysia is not bankrupt but is cash rich with a record collection of RM125bil in taxes last year, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said. Refuting Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's allegation that the country was on the verge of bankruptcy, he said the Government would not have been able to afford RM560mil aid for 5.6 million students or the BR1M aid if the Government was strapped for cash. "Therefore, I would like to appeal to all of you not to fall into the Opposition's trap," he said during a meet-the-people session at the district padang here. Citing another example, he said critics had accused the Government of implementing the AES project because it had run out of cash to fund its programmes. "Malaysia is not the first or only country to implement AES. "We were forced to do so as thousands of Malaysians are dying on the roads annually due to accidents," he said, adding that 6,000 fatalities were registered last year. Muhyiddin, who was here for a one-day working visit, said Malaysia had not only received huge foreign investments but had been recognised as one of the most progressive economies in the world. "While most countries, including Europe and the United States, were facing economic uncertainties, we have continued to register a 5% growth." "In fact, experts have forecast that we will be able to do equally well, if not better, this year as our country and economy are well managed." Muhyddin said the per capita income of the rakyat was also set to increase to US$15,000 (RM45,250), by 2020. The per capita income of Malaysians was only US$7,500 a year ago and this had since increased to US$9,700 (RM21,120), he said. He said Pakatan Rakyat could not be an alternative to Barisan Nasional because its members were always at loggerheads with each other. "They cannot agree to simple things as we have seen in Kelantan and Selangor on several occasions," he said. During his visit, Muhyiddin handed over RM20.65mil to the state government for the RM100 aid to be given to 206,500 students in the state, RM4.1mil for several projects here and RM3.5mil for the redevelopment of a hawker centre. |
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