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Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Chinese voters who voted against Saifuddin in Temerloh later regretted it study finds
BN wins in Kuala Besut with bigger majority
Half-century race
The Malaysian Indian Curse
Ex-mufti: Fatwa should cover sports too
Headmaster ducks meeting parents
Isu Kantin Selesai - Timbalan Menteri
Claim of poor treatment by doctor under probe
Mega projects not vote-buying, says EC
How To Avoid Middle-Income Traps? Evidence From Malaysia – Analysis
While we await the Kuala Besut by-election result
Surviving on tapioca, decades after Merdeka
Don't allow fanaticism to thrive
HM and PTA head grilled
Once we were beautiful
EC dares Rafizi to repeat ink remarks
Beware of conversions and act to prevent it
Wanted in Malaysia: Empathy
‘Sack the headmaster’
Black 505 rally: Pakatan MPs, student activists charged
Canteen In Changing Room , FACTS That You Should Know

Chinese voters who voted against Saifuddin in Temerloh later regretted it study finds

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 11:17 PM PDT

V Anbalagan, TMI

Former Higher Education Deputy Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah (pic) lost his Temerloh parliamentary candidate due to massive swing from Chinese voters who were persuaded by their children to go for change.

Universiti Malaya Centre of Democracy and Election (UMcedel) director Professor Datuk Dr Mohammad Redzuan Othman said the Chinese thought that Pakatan Rakyat would capture Putrajaya.

"The voters were convinced of the Ubah slogan and that is why they voted for the PAS candidate.

"One of them said we have to follow what our children ask us to do," he told a news conference to reveal the outcome of a UMcedel focus study in that constituency.

He said the seat was relatively safe for Barisan Nasional (BN) as it also consisted of two Felda settlements and an army camp.

"Saifuddin could not have lost because of his stature," he added.

However, he said, many regretted not voting for Saifuddin after BN was returned to power.

Saifuddin polled 27,197 while PAS candidate Nasaruddin Hassan Tantawi garnered 28,267.

He said young voters, some from outstation, returned to cast their ballots for Nasaruddin, who won with a 1,070-vote majority.

The opposition also won two of the three state seats in the parliamentary constituency.

A total of 850 respondents were interviewed over three days from May 31 for the study.

Redzuan said Temerloh was selected as it was a multi-racial seat with 64 per cent Malays, Chinese (24 %) Indians ( 9 %) and others ( 3%).

Redzuan said interviews also revealed that public acceptance of Saifuddin, an Umno Supreme Council member, was about 60 per cent and many did not know the PAS candidate.

"They also did not support Saifuddin because of his party, Umno," Redzuan said.

In an immediate response Saifuddin, who was present at the seminar, said about 7,000 outstation voters returned to cast their ballots and this contributed to his defeat.

"The study is extensive and I accept the finding as it is," he told reporters.

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 10:30 PM PDT

Barisan Nasional retains the Kuala Besut state constituency with a bigger majority

(NST) - BESUT: Barisan Nasional (BN) retained the Kuala Besut state seat when its candidate Tengku Zaihan Che Ku Abd Rahman was declared the winner at the Besut Municipal Council Hall here tonight.

The former Drainage and Irrigation Department civil engineer garnered 8,288 votes against Pas candidate, businessman Endot@Azlan Yusof who managed to get 5,696 votes.

The victory means BN increased its majority to 2,592 votes from the 2,434 votes won by late Dr A. Rahman Mokhtar in the 13th general election on May 5.

The by-election also saw BN winning all eight polling areas, including the two it narrowly lost to Pas namely Kg Nangka and Bukit Puteri.

BN squashed Pas hope of creating an upset and a hung state assembly with both BN and the opposition having 16 seats each.

The 1,500 odd BN supporters shouted 'Hidup BN' and 'Gelombang Biru' when the winner's name was announced by returning officer A.Rahim Jusoh.

BN only has a two seat majority in the 32-seat state assembly after the 13th general election.

Pas has set their campaign on the opportunity for the Kuala Besut to create history and set the BN government in a difficult situation with a hung state assembly.

Altough it was a working day today, a total of 14,108 voters or 79.76 per cent came out to cast their vote, about five per cent higher than the Election Commission's earlier estimate.

The figures include the 911 early votes received on July 20.

BN candidate, Tengku Zaihan Che Ku Abdul Rahman and his wife, Salbiah Othman, arrives at the Besut District Council. NST Pix

Half-century race

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 09:27 PM PDT

The Lee-Mahathir debate reflected two polarised views: Umno's bumiputra-first and protectionism on one end, and the Malaysians' Malaysia and meritocracy of PAP on the other end.

Tay Tian Yan, Sin Chew Daily

Queries surrounding the true or fake meritocracy and quota system have reminded me of what a friend of mine used to tell me.

During the mid-1960s when Singapore was still part of the Federation, PAP's Lew Kuan Yew and Umno's Mahathir Mohamad were once having an intense debate in the Parliament.

Mahathir, who was then a fresh MP, voiced out for expanded university quota for Malay students. He said more Malay graduates would be able to groom elite members of the Malay society, hence improving the socioeconomic status of the Malays.

Lee stood up to protest, saying that providing more places for Malay students and allowing students not meeting the requirements to get into universities would only bring down the overall academic standards.

He said once the students knew they did not need to meet the basic requirements for university admission, they would slowly develop an attitude of reliance on the government.

He felt it wasn't that much a problem if no Malay students made it to the medical school of Universiti Malaya for that year. More importantly, if the students knew they had to perform well in examinations to get into the medical faculty, they would step up their effort and compete with students from other ethnic groups.

Perhaps a couple of Malay students could get into the medical faculty the following year, and more and more over the subsequent years.

These Malay students would no longer need to rely on the quota system to get into local universities several years down the road. At the same time, the overall standards of local universities were also maintained.

My friend is well versed in the early history of the country's nationhood and the above information could be easily retrieved from the parliament files and Lee Kuan Yew's speech collection.

The Lee-Mahathir debate reflected two polarised views: Umno's bumiputra-first and protectionism on one end, and the Malaysians' Malaysia and meritocracy of PAP on the other end.

Later, after Lee Kuan Yew led Singapore out of Malaysia, he implemented his meritocracy in the tiny island republic.

Meanwhile, Mahathir grew in popularity over this side of the Causeway and was immediately seen as the personification of Malay nationalism. He was later appointed the education minister and put his protectionist and patronising policy as well as quota system into implementation, which he carried through until after he took over as the country's longest serving prime minister.

The number of Malay students in local universities are on the rise, from merely a minority in the 1960s to an overwhelming majority in public universities today.

Both Lee Kuan Yew an Mahathir have accomplished their respective advocacy albeit in two different countries.

Today, the National University of Singapore is ranked 25th worldwide and second in Asia in the QS global university ranking while our UM is 156th worldwide and 33rd in Asia. As for the Times Higher Education ranking, NUS is 29th worldwide and second in Asia while none of Malaysia's universities make it to the top 500.

If these two polarised views were to be equated to half-century marathon, Lee's advocacy is now at the forefront of the global race while Mahathir's still struggling from far behind.

Despite all this, Mahathir still takes pride in his policy and has recently defended it by saying that majority of the students in public universities are Malays who are not wealthy enough to attend private universities, adding that meritocracy would only render these students labourers.

Looking at things from another angle, if the government back in those years adopted the views of Lee Kuan Yew and implemented meritocracy in Malaysia's universities, how would things measure up today? Would our UM be on the same par as the National University of Singapore now?

The Malaysian Indian Curse

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 09:15 PM PDT

Natesan Visnu

The Indian leadership in Malaysia has always been a subject for criticism. The Indian leadership has not seen a leader with capability to steer the community for socio-economic growth.

To date the Malaysian Indians are still plagued with fundamental issues of identity card issues, job opportunities, Tamil schools, poverty, displaced estate workers, university seats, alcoholism, gangsterism, etc. The resolution for most of the issues are political in nature and merely window dressing. The outcomes are usually temporary and the issues continues to haunt Indians. In a nutshell, the Indian leadership in Malaysia has failed to resolve the issues plaguing the community for years.

Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) has been the fore runner championing the Indian issues for years. MIC has launched various programs and initiatives to uplift the Indian community with National Land Finance Cooperative Society (NLFCS), MIC Education Fund, Maju Institute of Education Development (MIED), SPECIAL SECRETARIAT FOR EMPOWERMENT OF INDIAN ENTREPRENEURS (SEED), Yayasan Strategik Social (YSS), AIMST University, TAFE College, Yayasan Pemulihan Sosial (YPS), Putera MIC, Puteri MIC, Pemuda MIC and Wanita MIC. The MIC arms has failed to achieve the objectives to uplift the Indian community. MIC leaders has been under heavy criticism and the failure of MIC has paved way for new political parties and activists to champion for Malaysian Indian rights. HINDRAF, HRP, IPF, PPP, etc are the result of MIC's leadership failure in performing their duties for Malaysian Indian community.

The Indians in Malaysia has not forgotten the debacle by MIC during the Telecom share scandals. Traditional MIC supporters have lost their life savings investing with MAIKA. The political will and greed of MIC members have caused MAIKA to fail as an entity that was supposed to uplift the Malaysian Indians. If MAIKA was managed by professionals, it would have been a social business entity that could have shaped the direction of the Indian community 25 years ago. On that note, the MIC leadership has failed the Indian community in MAIKA's case.

The reality is the Indian community is 'cursed' with bad leadership that has crippled the growth of the community. The Indian leadership mentality in this country needs to be reshaped and the current leaders needs to be 'educated' with leadership lessons or forced to resign in order to allow the new breed of leaders to take helm of the Indian leadership.

The root cause for the disparity among the Indians are the caste (jati) system inherited from India. The recent fiasco in the MIC presidential election is surrounded by the caste support for the top post. The Mukkulathors and Kounders are the dominant caste and the current President is aligning the candidates with the respective caste. Despite education, the leaders are still playing caste sentiments in politics. In this context, who shall we blame for the Indian community being backward? The leaders for campaigning based on caste or the Indian community for practicing the caste system till today without regards to human values?

The social stratification of the Indian community has hampered the progression of the Indians and we are the root cause for our downfall because of our choice to practice the caste system. Mahathma Gandhi, B.R.Ambedkar, Periyar EV Ramasamy spent their life fighting for eradication of the caste system. Their achievements have helped uplift the Dalits in India. In the Malaysian context, the caste system is the root cause for our political and economy failure and the Indian community in general should take responsibility for the society's collapse.

The Indian leadership should abandon the caste system and embark on a reconciliation program among the Jatis. The focus should be on electing leaders based on their education background, contributions, leadership qualities, etc not Jati. The ancient Hindu text suggested that the caste system is flexible and not rigid. The flexibility has allowed a lower caste sage Valmiki to compose Ramayana. On that note, that implicates that anyone who works hard can liberate their life from the clutches of the mundane caste system and poverty.

New strategies are required for the downtrodden Indian community. In the informative age, the best practices from various sectors should be studied further for implementation. The flexibility in Hinduism for social change could be implemented through 'sanskritization'. Sanskiritization means a process "a low or middle Hindu caste, or tribal or other group, changes its customs, ritual ideology, and way of life in the direction of a high and frequently twice-born caste. Generally such changes are followed by a claim to a higher position in the caste hierarchy than that traditionally conceded to the claimant class by the local community … ."

Translating to a modern context of sanskirization, the Malaysian Indian community should be empowered through socio-economics and education. Adapting on Prof. Muhammad Yunus social business framework, the Indian leaders should study the framework and implement the strategies for the Malaysian Indian community. Yunus' idea has been widely accepted and proven success in Bangladesh, a country poorer than Malaysia. The program such as Grameen Danone has created small entrepreneurs that can earn a decent living with simple business ideas.

For education, there are approximately 10,000 Indian students finishing SPM yearly. The issues with higher education could be resolved easily if AIMST adapts social business practices instead of a profit maximizing organisation. Political leaders could easily build a university similar to Taylors' Lakeside Campus in 20 acres of land for a cost less than half a billion. Two universities for Indians could resolve the issues of higher education seats. The universities could be managed using the social business frameworks for sustainability and business growth.

To summarise the issues above, the failure of Indian leadership and practice of caste system in Malaysia has clearly contributed to the backwardness of the Indian community. The Indian leadership should consider the issues plaguing the society and formulate strategies that will benefit the Indian people. MIC, Hindraf, HRP, PPP etc. should initiate the social reform program before the Indian community loses faith with the Indian leaders.

The curse on the Indian community continues and a massive movement from the political and NGO leaders to implement various programs with proven track record could assist to liberate the poverty strickened Indian community. The ball is in the politicians' court and its their turn to return the favor.

Ex-mufti: Fatwa should cover sports too

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 08:05 PM PDT

Former Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin supports disqualification of Muslims from beauty pageants

Lisa J. Ariffin, FMT

Former Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin has defended the fatwa prohibiting Muslims from participating in beauty pageants.

He also said the ban should be extended to all sports requiring women to expose their bodies.

"I agree with the fatwa that Muslims should not participate in beauty pageants," he told FMT. "Maybe people are confused over the double standards. Therefore, I think it should apply also to participation in sports that require women to expose their bodies."

To a suggestion that many people might consider his recommendation too harsh, Asri said the alternative was to have a separate and secluded sports arena for women athletes such as swimmers.

"But that's impossible," he added. "So the best thing is to standardise the fatwa to apply to all activities that require women to expose their bodies."

Asri dismissed as misguided a recent Sisters in Islam statement alleging that the procedure for legislating fatwas was "unIslamic" and "undemocratic".

"Fatwas are syariah laws and are not made by Parliament," he said. "They are conclusions from what is understood from the Quran and authentic prophetic tradition."

Asked to comment on the recent disqualification of four Miss Malaysia World 2013 beauty contest finalists on the basis that their participation would be sinful, Asri said the girls should have known that they were doing something against their religion.

"If they know about Islam, then they should have known this even if there is no fatwa. The basic thing is that Muslim women should not expose their bodies."

READ MORE HERE

Headmaster ducks meeting parents

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 08:01 PM PDT

An attempt by parents and citizens to confront the principal of SK Seri Pristana in Sungai Buloh seeking an explanation for forcing their children to take meals in shower room proves futile.

G Lavendran, FMT

The headmaster of SK Seri Pristana in Sungai Buloh today ducked meeting a group of 20 people who wanted to know why he lied to the press about renovation works in the school.

The group engaged in a verbal tirade with the police and security personnel manning the main gate when they were not allowed to see the headmaster, Mohd Nasir Mohd Noor.

Photos of non-Muslim children eating on makeshift tables set up in the school's shower room, next to the toilets, went viral on the net when a parent published photos of it, generating a storm of protests.

Mohd Nasir told the media that the school's canteen was undergoing renovation works and thus had little choice but to provide the shower room area for them to take their meals.

One of the uploaded photos showed the canteen cordoned off with red plastic tape but when FMT visited the school this morning, the red tape had been removed and there was no renovation going on.

Mohd Nasir also told the media the shower room has been used as a make shift canteen since March this year due to space constraints in the canteen proper.

The parents, however, claimed this was untrue as none of their children had complained about being made to take their meals in the shower room next to the toilets.

J Puspalatha, 30, whose daughter is enrolled in the school, alleged that several students were questioned by a teacher the day after photos of them eating in a shower room went viral on the internet.

"The teacher asked the students if their parents had taken the photos. Is that necessary?" she asked. "They are only children, they don't know what's going on. Why question them?"

The parent of a standard two child, known only as Nitha, denied allegations that the canteen was closed because of renovation work.

"They were only changing the wooden doors of the teachers' canteen to glass doors, which is adjacent to the students canteen. Why the need to cordon off the students canteen?" asked Nitha.

"The doors were only changed yesterday which probably took several hours, so they were lying when they said renovation works started in March," she added.

"My child goes to that school and I've not heard her complain about being made to take meals until July 12," she said. "The school is just trying to cover up for their mistake now."

READ MORE HERE

Isu Kantin Selesai - Timbalan Menteri

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 05:31 PM PDT

Sinar Harian) - Isu sebuah sekolah yang membiarkan murid-muridnya makan di bilik persalinan telah selesai dan kantin tersebut akan dibuka kepada pelajar-pelajar bukan Islam pada bulan Ramadan ini.

"Seperti yang kita ketahui, isu itu telah selesai. Guru Besar mempunyai niat yang baik tetapi memilih lokasi yang tidak sepatutnya. Beliau telah memohon maaf. Saya juga memohon maaf. Ia tidak akan berlaku lagi," kata Timbalan Menteri Pendidikan II P Kamalanathan.

Beliau berkata pihak kementerian telah mengambil tindakan segera berhubung kes itu dan akan melakukan pemeriksaan mengejut di sekolah-sekolah lain.

"Bilik persalinan telah digunakan bersama dengan kantin oleh semua murid sejak Mac kerana kantin boleh memuatkan 500 hingga 600 orang. SK Seri Pristana mempunyai 1,300 pelajar.

"Ekoran kerja pengubahsuaian di kantin itu bermula dua minggu lalu, semua pelajar diminta untuk makan di bilik persalinan. Ini kerana guru bimbang mengenai tahap keselamatan murid-murid ketika kerja pengubahsuaian," katanya pada sidang media di kantin sekolah itu.

Kerja pengubahsuaian untuk memasang pintu kaca bagi ruang guru di kantin itu kini selesai.

Kamalanathan turut berkata, sekolah itu telah memohon peruntukan daripada kementerian untuk memperluaskan kafetaria yang sebelum ini agak kecil untuk menampung murid-murid di sekolah berkenaan.

"Saya akan memberi sumbangan peribadi berjumlah RM10,000," katanya.

Claim of poor treatment by doctor under probe

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 05:22 PM PDT

(Bernama) -- The Health Ministry is probing claim of bad treatment received by a patient at a government hospital in Penang, the Dewan Negara heard today.

Deputy Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya said the alleged incident reported at Seberang Jaya Hospital (HSJ) was not supposed to happen.

"A doctor needs to treat all patients, no matter old, young, poor, rich, even the enemy because this is the doctor's charter.

"Releasing anger on a patient should not have happened," he said in reply to a supplementary question from Senator Datuk Dr Mashitah Ibrahim who raised media reports of bad treatment by a doctor at HSJ during question and answer session. State Assemblyman Datuk Roslan Saidin (BN-Pinang Tunggal) yesterday produced several patients claiming bad treatment by doctors at two hospitals in Penang.

One of the patients, Syahida Saad, 27, told saisd she went to HSJ on May 28 to fix a broken metal piece in her thigh but was denied treatment by the doctor and sent home.

However, after making a complaint to Roslan, HSJ called her back and carried out surgery to remove the metal piece inserted into the thigh following a road accident which killed her husband on Nov 7 last year.

Hilmi told Senator Datuk Syed Ibrahim Kader that the current doctor to patient ratio is one doctor for every 700 patients.

"The ratio will be reduced to one doctor for every 400 patients by 2020. Many hospitals are short of doctors and staff.

"There is a move to bring back retired doctors and many are willing to return to work as doctors including former directors."

To the original question from Syed Ibrahim on the waiting period at government hospitals and clinics, he said the monitoring system eMASA showed that 87.3 percent of patients waited less than 30 minutes for treatment.

Mega projects not vote-buying, says EC

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 04:54 PM PDT

Announcements of mega projects during campaign period not an offence under the Election Offences Act 1954, says EC deputy chief Wan Ahmad Wan Omar.

(FMT) - In the run-up to today's Kuala Besut by-election, BN has pledged a total RM467.12 million worth of development projects to the voters.

Election Commission deputy chief Wan Ahmad Wan Omar today said that mega project announcements by Umno-Barisan Nasional during the campaign period is not an offence under the Election Offences Act 1954.

In the run-up to today's Kuala Besut by-election, BN has pledged a total RM467.12 million worth of development projects to the voters.

Election watchdog Bersih said that BN's pledges meant that about RM19,000 are spent for each registered voter in the state seat.

Wan Ahmad denied the pledges were a form of vote buying, citing the example of the Sibu by-election in 2010 where Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak told a ceramah: "I help you, you help me".

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 04:48 PM PDT

The Johor-Singapore Causeway as viewed from the Woodlands Checkpoint in Singapore towards Johor Bahru, Malaysia.

The middle-income trap is a development stage that characterises countries that are squeezed between low-wage producers and highly skilled and fast-moving innovators. Cost advantages in manufactured exports that once drove growth start to decline in comparison with other lower-wage countries. Caught between these two groups, many middle-income countries are without a viable high-growth strategy. They are faced with new challenges, including social cohesion, a large pool of young people in search of jobs, as well as millions who still live in misery and poverty, particularly in lagging regions.

Aaron Flaaen, Ejaz Ghani and Saurabh Mishra, eurasiareview.com

Many developing countries are stuck in the middle-income gap. Focusing on Malaysia, this column argues that countries trapped in the middle-income conundrum will need to expand their 'modern' sectors. Traditional sectors with low productivity must shed labour, and high-productivity modern sectors (be they in goods or services) must hire more labour if they want to grow.

Many developing countries have successfully made the transition from low-income to middle-income status, thanks to rapid economic growth, but have subsequently got stuck in a middle-income trap. A great deal of research has been done on what explains much faster growth in the developing world than in the developed world (Acemoglu et al 2011, Baldwin 2011, Commission on Growth and Development 2008, Rodrik 2013, UNIDO 2011). But little is known about why so few countries succeed in making the transition from middle-income to high-income status (The Economist 2013). This is a worrying trend and an issue of major concern, especially because the majority of poor people now live not in low-income but in middle-income countries (Chandy and Gertz 2011, Sumner and Kanbur 2011). So what is a middle-income trap? What should policymakers do about it?

We examine these questions in the context of Malaysia, whose structural transformation from low to middle income has made it one of the most prominent manufacturing exporters' in the world. However, in a competitive global economy, like many other middle-income economies, it is sandwiched between low-wage economies on one side and more innovative advanced economies on the other.

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 04:02 PM PDT

To the Malays, this is in an 'internal matter' regarding Islam and involving the Muslims. So they would regard these nasty comments and the anti-Islam comments by the non-Muslims as an attempt to interfere in Islam. As what one reader commented: do the Malays tell the Chinese whether they should or should not eat pork?

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

(The Star) - Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin wants action to be taken against those responsible for forcing non-Muslim pupils to eat in the changing room at a school in Sungai Buloh.

"I have instructed the director-general of the Education Ministry to investigate the issue of non-Muslim pupils who are asked to eat in a toilet (tandas)," wrote Muhyiddin, who is Education Minister, in his Twitter account.

"Stern action would be taken if there is any basis (to the complaint)," added Muhyddin.

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

(NST) - Election Commission (EC) chairman and deputy chairman today dared PKR strategic director Rafizi Ramli to repeat his remark linking them to indelible ink supplier outside parliament.

Abdul Aziz said Rafizi cannot use his parliamentary immunity to make baseless allegations without giving the accused the chance to defend themselves.

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

(The Star) - The Federal Territory Islamic Affairs Department (Jawi) has launched an investigation against the four Muslim Miss Malaysia-World finalists as they are deemed to have insulted Islam.

Its director Datuk Che Mat Che Ali said Jawi's enforcement unit would look into the matter following a Malay daily's report that the girls were bent on taking part in the beauty pageant despite an edict by the National Fatwa Council prohibiting it.

According to Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom, the fatwa explicitly states that participating, organising or contributing to any sort of beauty contest is haram (not permissible) and a sin for Muslims.

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

A couple of readers have posted hate comments in Malaysia Today whacking me because I did not write anything regarding the 'canteen-in-the-toilet' issue. They have cursed me (with four-letter words, of course) for remaining silent.

What is it that they want me to comment? There are already hundreds of comments including comments by leaders of political parties and even a statement by the Deputy Prime Minister himself. So what more do you need me to comment that has not already been said?

I normally have to delete so many comments that are repetitive. They just parrot what someone else has already said. After ten or so duplicate comments I just delete the rest (which upsets many of those who do not see their comments published).

But why do we need 100 comments that repeat 'the Malay headmaster should be sacked'?

And that is another point. Everyone refers to him as 'the MALAY headmaster'. What has MALAY got to do with this issue? So why the emphasis on the fact that he is MALAY?

I suppose the answer is obvious. It is because you want to turn this into a racial issue and the comments that say 'stupid Malay' is evidence of this. You regard this as a racial issue.

Rafizi Ramli has made certain allegations against the Election Commission, allegations he made in Parliament. The EC Chairman has challenged Rafizi to repeat this allegation outside Parliament where the EC is able to defend itself if, according to the Chairman, he is man enough.

I wonder whether Rafizi will do this because if the allegation is not true then, according to the law, Rafizi can be arrested and charged for criminal defamation, a crime of slandering a public servant.

Rafizi may want to ponder on this one unless he has evidence to back up his allegation.

I have also had to delete many comments from non-Muslim readers regarding the ban on Muslim girls/women from participating in beauty contests. This was a fatwah (decree) by the religious authorities, which was issued some time ago.

The reason I deleted these comments is because we already have enough racial and religious disagreements in Malaysia as it is. So why do we want to add more fuel to the fire by whacking the 'stupid Muslims', 'narrow-minded Muslims', and so on, and just upset the Malays even more.

There are many things Muslims cannot do. They cannot eat and drink during the fasting month. They cannot indulge in extramarital sex. They cannot enter into a gay union. They cannot drink liquor. They cannot leave Islam. They cannot marry someone who is not a Muslim (although a Muslim man can marry a Jew or Christian woman). And so much more.

So are the non-Muslims going to also whack Islam or the religious authorities for all these 'cannot do' as well?

We talk about national interest. How would by allowing Malays to do all the things they are prohibited from doing we serve national interest? And why are the non-Malays so concerned about the lack of civil rights for the Malays?

The Muslims do not welcome the 'contribution' of the non-Muslims in fighting for the rights of the Muslims. In fact, they would view it as a negative move: that is, an attempt to demonstrate how primitive Islam is by whacking these stringent dos and don'ts in Islam.

The Muslims do not attempt to tell Christians, Hindus and Buddhists how to be proper Christians, Hindus and Buddhists. The Christians, Hindus and Buddhists should also not try to teach Muslims how to be better Muslims.

And when you whack a Malay for any wrongdoing you love to add: "is this is what Islam teaches you?" When we whack a Chinese, Indian or whatever, we never add his religion to the issue. Why do we need to mention Islam and Muslim when we whack the Malay chap?

And we blame Umno for the racial and religious divide. You may need to listen to what you say and wake up to the reality that you, too, are not innocent of contributing to this racial and religious divide. After all, does it not take two to tango?

Malaysians are like prostitutes calling another woman a whore.

Surviving on tapioca, decades after Merdeka

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 03:47 PM PDT

The life of a destitute family in Klang harks back to the hungry years of WWII.

(FMT) - But even as our politicians speak of turning Malaysia into a high-income nation within a few years, there is a family in Kampung Delek, Klang, that has been surviving on tapioca for the last 20 years or so.

During the Japanese Occupation, food was so scarce and poverty so widespread that the typical Malaysian survived on tapioca (ubi kayu) and suffered the consequences of malnutrition.

The Japanese occupiers are long gone and not many are left of the generation that lived through those lean years.

But even as our politicians speak of turning Malaysia into a high-income nation within a few years, there is a family in Kampung Delek, Klang, that has been surviving on tapioca for the last 20 years or so.

Kamariah Mohammad's family has no stable source of income and struggles every day for even one decent meal.

READ MORE HERE

Don't allow fanaticism to thrive

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 03:38 PM PDT

I also remember having Muslim families over at our homes during Christmas and we would return the gesture at Hari Raya. But at some point the food on our table didn't seem "clean" enough, and slowly the tradition of visiting each other died off amidst growing suspicion and discomfort.

Maria J Dass, fz.com

AFTER a blissful week in Krabi, I returned to home to news of Muslim women being booted out of beauty pageants and non-Muslim pupils being allegedly made to eat in the shower room during Ramadan.

And although I do not agree with the actions of the Alvivi's Ramadan Bak Kut Teh Facebook post, it does open up wounds and remind us of those so-called leaders and former members of Parliament who are allowed to get off scot-free with statements hurtful to sections of society.

These leaders are allowed to roam the streets and continue spewing venom that divides society, while the two infamous sex bloggers Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee are charged for publishing indecent photographs, promoting enmity among the races and sedition.

READ MORE HERE

HM and PTA head grilled

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 03:14 PM PDT

Too close for comfort: Pupils having their food in the school changing room which is next to the toilet during recess time.

(The Star) - When we arrived, the dining tables and chairs were still there at the girls changing room of SK Seri Pristana, where non-Muslim pupils had been having breakfast and lunch over the past week.

As we entered the school grounds at about 6pm yesterday, the headmaster and the head of the Parent-Teacher Association looked distressed as officers from various government departments questioned them repeatedly on why the pupils had been moved to the changing room.

They showed us the changing room which was very clean at the time.

Two tables with purple tablecloths were placed in the small space next to the shower stalls and the sinks, with benches for the pupils to sit on.

Not in use: The school canteen has been closed while non-Muslim pupils ate in the changing room in SK Seri Pristana in Sungai Buloh.

Too close for comfort: Pupils having their food in the school changing room which is next to the toilet during recess time.

The canteen, which was directly opposite the changing room, was re-opened to the pupils yesterday on the directive of the Education Ministry.

There are three shower stalls and three sinks in the room, which is right next to the girls toilet and the toilet for handicapped pupils.

According to the school officials, there are only 28 non-Muslim pupils in the school.

Headmaster Mohd Nasir Mohd Noor said the pupils, both Muslims and non-Muslims, had been using the changing room since March because there was not enough space in the canteen.

"Our enrolment increased by more than 500 pupils this year. We do not even have enough classrooms. We have an average of 49 pupils in each class now," said the visibly worried headmaster who had to answer his cell phone every few minutes.

"I only decided to move them into that room because many were sitting on the grass or by the drain to eat because there was not enough space."

He said the canteen had been closed over the past week due to a minor "renovation".

Mohd Nasir brought us into the canteen to show us the newly-installed glass doors at a small corner of the canteen.

The renovation was completed over the weekend, he said.

"The canteen was supposed to have been re-opened on Monday. I did not know that it was kept closed. I was away for a meeting that day," Mohd Nasir said.

The head of the school's Parent-Teacher Association Hussein Mohd Ariff said that the PTA members were aware of the situation as it had been brought up at the AGM.

"As a parent, I know it was not ideal but the decision was not up to me," he said.

The headmaster stressed that he would never discriminate against his pupils.

"As you can see, the shower room is very clean. The only reason I chose this place is because it is the closest room to the canteen.

"I did not mean any harm to the pupils," he said, adding that he had not received any complaints from parents until yesterday.

As we spoke, parents were walking into the school to check on their children after seeing the photos and comments in the social network.

"I suspected something was wrong when another parent told me the children were eating in a changing room," said a parent.

"I asked my daughter, who is only nine, and she told me that the place where she was eating was narrow and smelly."

Once we were beautiful

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 02:59 PM PDT

Like our football team, the state of our racial integration and inter-faith relationship has moved in reverse gear. Years of political posturing utilizing religion and race have now begun to show its ugly consequences. We need to take a real good look at ourselves and examine our ways. And we need to reboot our operating system if we want to avoid a total crash. And we need to reboot fast.

Art Harun, TMI

I am blessed.

So are many of my friends who are of or around my age.

So are many who are older than me.

As a child of the 60s, I went through my formative years in an English-stream school. It was a big school in town.

And there were hundreds of us Malays, Chinese and Indian boys (it wasn't co-ed).

Our first headmaster was a Chinese gentleman who was as fierce as they came those days.

When he left, he was replaced by an Indian gentleman, who also was as fierce.

My first class teacher was Ms Leong, all long haired and short skirted.

And yes, armed with a wooden ruler, she would knock my knuckles for failing to properly write the number 8.

My first English sentence, learnt on the first day at school was to be uttered after raising my right hand, "Please teacher may I go out?"

That was to be said if any of us had to go to the toilet to do the normal stuffs we all do in the toilet (and not to eat).

Then there were Mr Linggam, Cikgu Aziz and wife, Sharom, Mr Lee the karate guy, Mr Khor, Cikgu Mutalib and various others.

We were a happy bunch. We played together, ate together, learned together and of course, at times, punished together.

And we were equal. In standard 5, I began fasting.

The school canteen stayed open for the whole month.

No renovation. No closure. Muslim and non-Muslim kids, who did not fast, ate as usual.

If they bought a proper meal, such like nasi lemak or mee goreng, they would eat at the canteen.

If it was some kind of snack, they would just eat while walking around, in the class or where ever.

No fuss. No issue. No problem.

My impressionable years were spent in a boarding school. It was the same scenario.

All of us, regardless of race or religion studied together, ate together, played together and at times, getting one or two rotan together.

Visiting a non-Malay house was not a problem.

Eating there was not a problem too. Sharing food with non-Muslims was not an issue.

Things have however, sadly, changed.

And change for the worse. Nowadays, non-Muslims don't send their kids to national school anymore.

They prefer to send the kids to the vernacular schools.

The ones who could afford would send their kids to private schools.

National schools are almost invariably filled with Muslim/Malay students.

National schools would recite prayers before class begin in the morning.

Quranic verses and hadith would adorn walls in the canteen, school office and even classes.

Ustaz and ustazah would even ask school kids to raise their hands if their parents do not pray 5 times a day.

In secondary schools, the tudung is not compulsory for girls - according to the Ministry of Education's circular, if I am not mistaken - but girls without tudung would be viewed askance by schoolmates and teachers alike.

Due to the small number of non-Muslim/Malay kids in national schools, the Malay kids do not have the opportunity to mix around and integrate with non-Malays in their formative and impressionable years.

The small number of non-Malay kids also gives a sense of false superiority complex to the Malay kids as well as teachers.

Thus, my race and my religion are more important than you, your religion and everything else.

Hence the closure of the school canteen during Ramadhan.

This is prevailing in many national schools. Apparently, this is done to "respect" the Muslim students who are fasting.

Forget the fact that non-Muslims do not fast and they, like any other human beings or animals, have to eat and drink.

Forget the fact that there are Muslim kids who do not fast.

Anybody who just about mentions the word "food" would have been taken as insulting Islam.

On Facebook last week, there were two guys admonishing a hotel which advertised its breakfast package on its page.

They viewed it as disrespectful.

But to be fair, the two were widely condemned by other Muslim facebookers.

The eating-in-the-changing-room debacle yesterday is just the surface of a far unhealthier trend in Malaysia.

Beneath that surface is a society which is fractious, intolerant, selfish and uncompromising.

The obvious question is how did we, as a nation, become like this? As a nation we started so well.

The Federal Constitution was agreed upon by consensus between three major races anchored to give-and-take and win-win camaraderie.

There was a blemish in 1969 but that was quickly nipped in the bud and we soldiered on.

In football, we were in the Olympic final in 1972 and 1980.

By the law of progression, we should be in the World Cup by now. By contrast, Japan and Korea, whom we used to beat, were already in the quarter-finals of the World Cup.

We now struggle to beat the likes of Vietnam and even Singapore.

Like our football team, the state of our racial integration and inter-faith relationship has moved in reverse gear.

Years of political posturing utilizing religion and race have now begun to show its ugly consequences.

The so-called Islamisation that we embark upon, which is shorn of any meaningful spiritual understanding of the religion, but rather born out of political necessities, convenience and mired in political one-upmanship has now produced a nation which is unsure of itself and a people who are fractious, angry, suspicious and at odd with each other.

We need to take a real good look at ourselves and examine our ways. And we need to reboot our operating system if we want to avoid a total crash. And we need to reboot fast.

EC dares Rafizi to repeat ink remarks

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 02:53 PM PDT

(Bernama) - Election Commission (EC) chairman and deputy chairman today dared PKR strategic director Rafizi Ramli to repeat his remark linking them to indelible ink supplier outside parliament.

Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof and Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar said the Pandan member of Parliament was given a week to repeat the statement, which he made in the Dewan Rakyat on July 16, outside the Parliament if he was man enough.

Abdul Aziz said Rafizi cannot use his parliamentary immunity to make baseless allegations without giving the accused the chance to defend themselves.

"It's saddening because (in Dewan Rakyat) our names were mentioned and we didn't get the chance to defend ourselves. When the Speaker asked him to repeat the remark outside parliament, he did so without mentioning my name, Datuk Wan Ahmad's and even our positions. He just mentioned EC leadership.

"There's a big difference there. He dared to mention our names in the Dewan Rakyat, but didn't dare to do so without his parliamentary immunity," he told a press conference here today.

Abdul Aziz said their next course of action would be decided upon discussion with their lawyers after Rafizi repeated the remark outside parliament.

However, both of us have already refuted the allegation soon after it was spread, he said.

"So, if Rafizi is man enough and truly a responsible person, I hope he will repeat the allegation outside parliament, after which we will discuss with our lawyers to decide on the next course of action," he said.

In his debate at the Dewan Rakyat sitting on July 16, Rafizi mentioned the names of Abdul Aziz and Wan Ahmad as the individuals having close ties with the

contractor awarded with the contract to supply the indelible ink for the 13th general election.

Meanwhile, Wan Ahmad said the irresponsible remark was really a serious allegation as it caused their reputation and credibility as EC chairman and deputy chairman to be ridiculed, and EC's image, tarnished.

"Our request is simple, if Rafizi is a responsible elected representative and has all the evidence as he claimed, then the most gentlemanly way is to repeat his remark outside parliament exactly how he said it in the Dewan Rakyat and stop flip-flopping.

"Don't change any words because what they were all recorded in the hansard...this is the challenge he has to face as a new member of Parliament," he said.

In another development, the EC targetted that the voters turnout for the Kuala Besut state by-election today to be between 75 and 80 when all polling centres were closed at 5pm.

Wan Ahmad said 7,356 or 44.49 per cent voters turnout was recorded as at 11am.

The Kuala Besut by-election saw a straight fight between BN's candidate Tengku Zaihan Che Ku Abd Rahman and PAS candidate Endot@Azlan Yusof. It was held following the death of incumbent Dr A Rahman Mokhtar of BN on June 26 from lung cancer.The official result is expected to be known at around 10pm.

Beware of conversions and act to prevent it

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 02:46 PM PDT

Let me take you all back to 1983 when we gathered at Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall. The Christians were then on an aggressive campaign of converting Hinduism with lies and ridicule of Hinduism. They included the Evangelists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Tamil Methodist Church and others. Film actors and recently converted paid fanatics were brought in to this country to spread lies and falsehood about our religion.

FMT LETTER: From A Vaithilingam, via e-mail

A little over 30 years ago the Malaysia Hindu Sangam organised a massive Anti Conversion Rally at the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall in Kuala Lumpur on May 12, 1983. Many will be surprised to note that the rally then was to alert Malaysian Hindus on the unethical conversion of Hindus to Christianity. Today, however, we are gathered to alert Hindus on laws enacted in 1988 victimising non Muslims by splitting our Courts into two, i.e. the Civil Court and Syariah Court.

This form of helpless victimisation was highlighted by the sudden claim of the dead body of Mt Everest climber Moorthy. No member of his family, not even his mother or his wife, knew that he had converted to Islam!

Jabatan Agama Islam claimed the body after the Syariah Court declared him a Muslim. The High Court ruled, without calling for evidence that the Syariah Court's ruling was the end of the matter. The wife lost all the way in the Courts.

Then we also had Shamala's case, after her converted husband unethically converted their two children without the knowledge and consent of the mother. Here again the Syariah Court endorsed the conversion and the High Court again said it could do nothing about the conversion of the children without the mother's consent. Although granting custody of the children to the mother, the Judge ruled that she could not "expose" the children to any religion other than Islam. I understand that Shamala was forced to run away from the country because of this, and the Federal Court refused to allow her case to proceed.

The non Muslims are now being punished for the mistake made in 1988 by our non Muslim MPs of the ruling party who voted in favour of Article 121(1A) of the Federal Constitution giving the required 2/3 majority to approve the amendment. The Opposition voted against it. The ruling party members explained to us that they were assured that the amendment was to prevent Muslim husbands going to Civil Court after losing their cases in the Syariah and had nothing to do with non Muslims! We are now the victims of the hurriedly passed laws of the past era when proposals were not handed to the members with sufficient time to read the contents.

The time has now come for the Federal and State Governments to review Article 121 (1) and (1A) of the Federal Constitution, and all the other laws which are allowing conversion to Islam to discriminate against non Muslims.

It is now realised that at least one Islamic law was amended in the early 90s with the Hansard different from the final Gazetting of Laws! Further, in the words of the architect of Article 121(1A) Abdul Talib the amendment was never meant for the Civil Court judges to abdicate their duties and power of implementing justice for all citizens including non Muslims.

In my personal experience as a former president of both MHS & MCCBCHST I have found most of those who converted to Islam were not aware that unlike other neighbouring countries Malaysia is strictly enforcing the law of apostasy. Once you go into Islam it is an almost impossible hurdle to revert to one's former religion. This is something most unusual to Malaysia, and is not found in Singapore or Indonesia. Therefore, it is most necessary for non Muslims to understand this rule.

I wish to appeal to the authorities concerned that when conversion into Islam is carried out, it must be carried out with the knowledge of next of kin. This notice to close relatives should have a reasonable time space. Further, both the father and mother must consent if below 18 years of age. In fact it is better if no conversion at all is done under 18 so that the child can decide when becoming a major what religion he or she wants to practice. I have seen hundreds of those who have converted with the knowledge of parents or next of kin living as happy Muslims whilst those who are converted without the knowledge of relatives are often faced with miserable experiences. We should note that such cases are few but they often gain bad publicity.

Hinduism is one of the oldest religions in the world spreading over a period of more than 5000 years. It has survived through conquests and heavy prosetylation of many Religions. It has enriched the world with with great philosophers, saints and sages.

It has no plans to spread conversion of others to Hinduism. We do not trouble families or break them up though others have broken ours. We want to live in peace. Other religions do not have to fear of being converted to Hinduism.

Let me take you all back to 1983 when we gathered at Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall. The Christians were then on an aggressive campaign of converting Hinduism with lies and ridicule of Hinduism. They included the Evangelists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Tamil Methodist Church and others. Film actors and recently converted paid fanatics were brought in to this country to spread lies and falsehood about our religion. But the effect of the Rally in 1983 was great: the Hindus arose and with the support of Government official these liars had to return home. House to House campaign was conducted by Hindus. More religious training programmes were held. Youths rose up, conversions were reduced and we all became more aware. We are NOW faced with the similar situation again.

Today the conversion band of Christians are out again. Now the situation is quite different. Evangelists are setting up churches in villages and streets. Nothing wrong in that, but, they have now local Pastors who talk about devil being in you when their God is not in you as though they have cured all their followers in the world! Why are their own kind dying everyday? Hindus must not be taken for a ride by such sentiments. Hospital visits are made by these Pastors especially looking out for 'death bed' patients. They attempt to touch the hearts of those in the non Christian family in this venture of death bed conversion!

We in the MCCBCHST have stood by together in all our difficulties. This is also happening to other non Christian members in the Majlis. I suggest that that the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) make a study of our complaints and that they themselves take the necessary action to prevent these excesses.

Finally, I appeal to all the Hindus in Malaysia to unite and be more alert and aware of the campaigns of conversion. From today onwards form religious awareness campaigns in all our Hindu neighborhoods. Teach your children Hindu knowledge, culture, heritage and the great teachings of our Saint and Sages. This ancient heritage of ours is spreading in the world without any effort to convert others to our religion.

The writer is former president of Malaysia Hindu Sangam & currently its advisor. The speech above was delivered at a Conference on 'Awareness Against Conversion' at the Sri Subramaniam Temple Hall, in Batu Caves over the weekend.

Wanted in Malaysia: Empathy

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 02:45 PM PDT

(TMI) - Anecdotal evidence suggests that an increasing number of Malaysians have grown calluses in our hearts and that as long as hardship or injustice does not affect our kin, it is not something to be concerned about.

How did Malaysia come to this point? Where billions have been spent on national unity programmes, Bangsa Malaysia initiatives and grandiose 1Malaysia schemes and yet EMPATHY for each other is so glaringly missing from daily life.

The Oxford Dictionary defines empathy as the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Some may see it as "standing in someone else's shoes" or "seeing through someone else's eyes".

Whatever the definition, implicit in it is a feeling of compassion for another.

If the feeling of empathy courses through the veins of Malaysians, we would be very slow to ridicule the religious practices of another or even place each other in racial pigeonholes. Very slow. Because we would feel the hurt that a wayward word or action could cause another group of Malaysians.

In addition, we would be quick to condemn or disapprove of behaviour not in keeping with our national psyche.

READ MORE HERE

‘Sack the headmaster’

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 02:41 PM PDT

Calls to suspend and sack the headmaster, who made non-Muslim students eat at the school's changing room, is growing.

(FMT) - The MIC, echoing the general sentiment, wants the headmaster of Sekolah Kebangsaan Seri Pristina in Sungai Buloh suspended immediately and sacked from government service.

Party vice-president and Deputy Youth and Sports Minister M Saravanan said the Education Ministry should suspend the headmaster with immediate effect while he awaited a sacking order.

"We know it is not easy to sack a civil servant. But the offence committed is unforgivable. He should not be allowed into the school again. He should be sacked for being so insensitive.

"This is just one reported case. We really hope there are not many little Napoleon headmasters like this running our schools. It is people like this who bring a bad name to civil servants. When these people do something, the government is blamed.

"This needs to be a lesson for all civil servants. Transferring the headmaster is not an option. He should be sacked and the ministry must be open and transparent in taking action against the headmaster," he told FMT.

Yesterday, it was reported that the headmaster of SK Seri Pristina has ordered non-Muslim students to have their food at the school changing room due to the fasting month. The changing room was next to the school toilet.

Reports also reveal that the students were made to eat their meals there because the school canteen was undergoing renovation.

However, photographs of the school and its canteen splashed in newspapers today showed no renovation work being carried out.

Saravanan also suggested that all civil servants, especially those in decision-making positions, be made to undergo a race relations course so that they would not be insensitive to non-Muslims in their course of work.

"This happens every now and then. We must do something to stop this trend. Why is it happening? I am just making a suggestion. We want civil servants in authority to make decisions to understand the sensitivity of other races in the country," he added.

Callous disregard

Similar call for action was also made by MCA deputy president Liow Tiong Lai.

"It's disgusting. Such a thing should not have happened," he said.

The former health minister also criticised errant school administrators for practising discrimination among students.

"Why do we need to look at things in a racial view when we want to implement something?" asked Liow.

Meanwhile, MIC treasurer-general senator Jaspal Singh said the shocking sight of non-Muslim children being made to eat in a public changing room has outraged many Malaysians.

"The core issue is callous disregard and disrespect for the beliefs and practices of those different from oneself, in short, bigotry. On the one hand we preach unity and mutual respect, on the other an individual in a responsible position, a headmaster, abuses the very children he is supposed to nurture and protect," he said in a statement.

"It is clear that someone so callous and uncaring of his charges as the headmaster of SK Pristina cannot be allowed to continue in his current position.

"In fact, he should not be allowed anywhere near impressionable children. I call upon the Education Ministry to mete out the harshest punishment on this individual. Suspend him immediately," he said.

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 02:36 PM PDT

Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli, Seremban MP Anthony Loke and Pakatan Rakyat secretariat staff member Adib Ishar were charged for using Padang Merbok without permission.

K Pragalath, FMT

Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli, Seremban MP Anthony Loke Siew Fook and Pakatan Rakyat secretariat staff member Adib Ishar were charged for using Padang Merbok as a venue for a rally without permission.

They were charged at the Jalan Duta Session court for failing to obtain the consent of Kuala Lumpur City Hall as premise owner when they used Padang Merbok as venue for Black 505 rally on June 22 under section 15(3) of the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012.

Loke was represented by KP Wong and Thomas Su. Rafizi and Adib were represented by N Surendran, Latheefa Koya and Michelle Yesudas.

The trio are also facing an additional charge under section 9(1) of the PAA for failing to notify the police 10 days prior to the assembly.

Last week, they received a court order that stated that he would be charged in court for breaching the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012.

The order stated that the trio failed to comply with conditions set by Dang Wangi OCPD ACP Zainuddin Ahmad to obtain Kuala Lumpur City Hall's permission to use Padang Merbok as a rally gathering point as stated in section 11 of the PAA that makes it a must to obtain venue owner's consent.

Section 9(5) of the PAA states that those convicted would be liable to a fine not exceeding RM10,000.

Deputy public prosecutor Kalmizah Salleh proposed bail set at RM5,000 but defence counsels objected on the grounds that this was a summons case and not a warrants case.

Sessions Court judge Mat Ghani Abdullah allowed the defendants to be freed on a personal bond amounting to RM3000.

He also fixed the case management to be heard on Sept 23. The case will be heard on Oct 7 and 8. The hearing then would continue from Dec 9 to 11.

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 10:37 AM PDT

There is always other side of the coin.

Y1M Checkmate

I had a bad experience of not being allowed to explain on my side when there was once an issue arise. Since then , I always start to see things from different perspective prior judging something. With all fairness , I would like to share some info about the school, SK Pristana which came under fire by many Netizen today.

I have visited the school just now and here are the findings :

The school canteen was facing problem in accommodating 350 students who go for recess at same time. This was happening since January 2013
The students were siting around the canteen (perimeter) as the canteen is small and could not cater all of them
The HM who saw this decided to use one of the changing room which is located FEW meters RIGHT in front of the canteen.
This changing room which were equipped with chairs and tables has been operating SINCE March 2013 and not recently as claimed by some blogs. This was an initiative taken by HM to avoid pupil from sitting around the canteen under hot sun.
Until the beginning of Ramadhan ALL students including Malays were using this room as their 'canteen'
There is NO..I repeat NO.. toilet located anywhere near by the changing room (currently used) . There is NO toilet located in 30 meter radius. There are only two changing rooms for male and female respectively located side by side as per pic below
You can argue why there is sign of ' Tandas' here.. well that is not 'tandas'. It is changing room. There is NO toilet bowl at all and if you watch closely the student is actually taking out shoe to enter the 'Tandas'.The shoes are out there..why?? Anyone who goes to toilet does that? In which school?
HM decided to use one of the changing room (male) bcs it has facilities like water supply. It is also placed very near to the canteen as in few meters. The female changing room are also placed with tables and chairs but not being used at the moment. Let me repeat there is no Toilet nearby the 'canteen'.
Some people asked 'Why not used classrooms or library?' The temporary room has better facilities..water...sinks... and placed just few meters in front canteen..Classrooms and library dont have all these..and located far from canteen. Since my day of schooling we dont practice eating inside classroom...

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Rabu, 24 Julai 2013

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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