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Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Ulama as deputy chief: Nik Aziz was speaking in general, says Mat Sabu
- Mat Sabu believes Muslims lagging in terms of ethics and integrity
- Name your shadow cabinet, Khairy dares Pakatan
- Anwar hits out at plans to make passing of English compulsory
- Contest For Top Posts: Between Stability And Democracy In Umno
- I don’t recognise Perkasa, says Samad Said
- 'Disappointed' Musa leaves MyWatch
- Malaysia names politician as its new envoy to RI
- Transparency International – Malaysia terminates sec-gen Josie Fernandez’s membership
- Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights
- Is helping fellow Malaysians racist, Kit Siang’s aide asks Noh Omar
- Bersih’s tribunal gets EC tip-offs on likely electoral fraud
- No time for extra BM lessons
| Ulama as deputy chief: Nik Aziz was speaking in general, says Mat Sabu Posted: 06 Sep 2013 09:39 PM PDT
(The Star) - PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu is unfazed by spiritual leader Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat's apparent support for an ulama to be the party's deputy president in the upcoming party election. "You have to read the whole context of his statement. He was speaking in general and wasn't referring to me or anyone," Mohamad Sabu, popularly known as Mat Sabu, told The Star Online when contacted. A Malay daily had reported on Saturday that Nik Aziz's support was in addition to his backing of incumbent PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, who is also an ulama, to retain his post. Although the apparent backing did not look good for Mat Sabu, who isn't an ulama, Mat Sabu maintained that there was no such thing as ulama or non-ulama in the party. "In PAS, everyone is an ulama. It's either you have more or less religious knowledge, that's all," he said. Mat Sabu also said he would defend his position at the November party election. Meanwhile, Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad believed that Nik Aziz was quoted out of context. "If you read the whole report, he also mentioned that everyone in PAS is qualified as an ulama, only the level of their religious knowledge may differ," he said when contacted. In the report, Nik Aziz also said he had his eyes on a possible candidate for the party's deputy presidency but insisted it was the party that would decide who it would be. His remarks came after Padang Serai PAS chief Fauzi Tahir said that he was prepared to challenge Hadi Awang for the party's top post.
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| Mat Sabu believes Muslims lagging in terms of ethics and integrity Posted: 06 Sep 2013 06:48 PM PDT
Lee Shi-Ian, TMI Muslims must return to their roots and learn to embrace ethics and integrity as many sorely lack these two qualities in modern times, says PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu. He said Muslims had been left behind by other communities in terms of being "honest, ethical and upstanding" as Malaysia moved towards achieving developed nation status by 2020. "I am not pointing the finger at any political party. It is a general view which I have observed with the passing of time," he said during a forum at Taylor's University today. The forum, entitled Strengthening Political Integrity, was held at the university in Subang Jaya and organised by the Malaysian Integrity Institute. Mohamad, also known as Mat Sabu, in closing the forum, said Nordic countries such as Sweden, Denmark and Norway lead the way in terms of being free of corruption and graft. "Muslims should actually be at the forefront of such rankings, in terms of being honest, and not prone to either giving or receiving bribes." He cited an example which occurred at a restaurant he owned in Alor Star, Kedah. Mat Sabu was having a drink and there was a group of civil servants at a table nearby. "The waitress walked over to their table to calculate their bill. The bill was RM50 but was told to issue a receipt for RM100." Mat Sabu shook his head as he related this story, saying it had become normal for civil servants to inflate their expenses to increase their claims. "The problem seems to be differentiating between personal and public funds. We are prudent when it comes to spending our own money but spendthrift when using funds which we can later claim." Mat Sabu gave further examples of government officers who didn't attend seminars and functions held in other states but still put in claims that they had. "Why do they do this? So that they are able to make claims for traveling and transport expenses," Mat Sabu said, in a voice tinged with disappointment. Another lament of Mat Sabu was cleanliness, a cornerstone of the Muslim faith, which he claimed seemed to be sorely lacking in modern times. "I have been abroad to other countries and I've seen with my own eyes that the non-Muslim areas were always much cleaner and hygienic compared with the Muslim areas," he said. He said during a trip to India he asked to be taken to a clean halal restaurant for a meal but was instead told by his tour guide that such restaurants were located in the non-Muslim areas. "Even in London, where the majority of Muslims reside in the eastern part of the city and the non-Muslims and Caucasians lived in the west, it was the former which was in a deplorable condition. "What kind of message are we telling the rest of the world when we can't even keep our own places clean? Why is this happening?" Mat Sabu questioned. He said an ongoing operation in Indonesia where the chairman of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), an Islamic party, had been arrested for graft was a sad fact. "This is a question of ethics and integrity. Muslims today are lacking in these qualities and walking down the wrong path."
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| Name your shadow cabinet, Khairy dares Pakatan Posted: 06 Sep 2013 06:45 PM PDT
(Bernama) - Umno Youth head Khairy Jamaluddin (pic) today challenged Pakatan Rakyat to reveal its shadow cabinet without delay. Khairy, who is Youth and Sports Minister, said Umno Youth had long called the opposition pact to do so but to date there were no signs they had a shadow cabinet. In this matter, Khairy said he very much agreed with the suggestion by PAS Youth chief Nasrudin Hassan for Pakatan Rakyat to show its cabinet line-up. "This is what the Barisan Nasional (BN) has challenged them all along... if they feel they are ready to form the government, show us your shadow cabinet. "We challenge them, because now the call is coming from their own ranks. Don't dilly-dally, do it without delay," he told reporters after launching the state-level "Liga Sukan Untuk Semua" (Sports League for All) event at the Youth and Sports Complex in Putatan, Sabah. Khairy was commenting on the call by Nasrudin, who is also the MP for Temerloh, on the matter which was reported in a news portal today.
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| Anwar hits out at plans to make passing of English compulsory Posted: 06 Sep 2013 06:42 PM PDT
(MM) - Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim said that the time is not right to make passing of English in public examinations compulsory for students. A Malaysiakini report cited Anwar (picture) as saying that the government must make the necessary facilities available before that could happen.
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| Contest For Top Posts: Between Stability And Democracy In Umno Posted: 06 Sep 2013 04:39 PM PDT
(Bernama) -- In view of the upcoming Umno divisional meetings next month, more and more party members and leaders have voiced out their opinions that the party president and deputy president posts need not be contested. Three Umno vice-presidents - Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal - as well as Johor, Negeri Sembilan and Sabah Umno liaison committees, have also taken a firm stand in saying that that the two top party posts should not be contested for the sake of party stability.
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| I don’t recognise Perkasa, says Samad Said Posted: 06 Sep 2013 04:34 PM PDT
(TMI) - National laureate Datuk A. Samad Said (pic) has thumbed his nose at Malay right-wing organisation Perkasa over its call for him to return his honorific to the government. He said he will ignore the call from the group led by Datuk Ibrahim Ali, who had questioned his patriotism over his attendance at an event where the Sang Saka Malaya flag was flown. "I don't recognise Perkasa. If they want the title stripped from me, then they should act on it themselves," said the poet in a text reply to The Malaysian Insider. Ibrahim demanded that Samad should return the national laureate title to prove that he would not be bothered if it was stripped off him. This came after Samad had said he was not bothered by calls to strip off his national laureate title for allegedly insulting the country. "I applaud Samad's bravery, but he should return the national laureate title himself if he is sincere. Many people will criticise the government if it revokes the title," Ibrahim had said at a press conference on Thursday. A defiant Samad today also brushed aside rebukes over his participation at the Merdeka eve event at Dataran Merdeka. He said he was invited to the event by Himpunan Hijau, a non-governmental organisation. "It was just a coincidence that the flag was flown when I was on the stage. I was not aware of the incident. It was easy for certain parties to link it to me. "I know Hishamuddin Rais and Adam Adli were there but they arrived earlier than me. When it was my turn to be with Himpunan Hijau, they were already there. "To link me (to the flag) is unreasonable although I sympatise with Adam Adli and Hishamuddin," he said. Hishamuddin and Adam, both activists, were the first to be arrested by police. Two days later, Samad was also arrested. All three are being investigated under the Sedition Act. The Sang Saka Malaya is a red-and-white flag with 12 yellow stars set in four columns and was reportedly proposed as Malaya's national flag in the 1940s. The country does not recognise the flag and those caught flying the flag can be charged under the Sedition Act. |
| 'Disappointed' Musa leaves MyWatch Posted: 06 Sep 2013 11:41 AM PDT
(The Star) - PETALING JAYA: Former Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan, who has left as patron of crime watchdog group MyWatch, has told his former colleagues that he was disappointed over the misuse of the NGO by "certain people". MyWatch adviser S. Gobi Krishnan said Musa left after learning that some people were allegedly using MyWatch for their personal gain. "He has since formed a new non-governmental organisation named Malaysia Community Crime Care Association. "I spoke to him before he left and he said he was not happy with the misuse of MyWatch," Gobi Krishnan said yesterday. "I feel it can be salvaged and I intend to correct the wrongs done by one or two people. It is a good organisation except for a few bad hats," he said. The street shooting of MyWatch chairman R. Sri Sanjeevan on July 27 was an execution-style attempt that triggered much fear among ordinary people and became a national issue. Sanjeevan, 29, was hit at a traffic light junction in Bahau, Negri Sembilan, and is currently recuperating at the Serdang Hospital. Doctors successfully extracted the bullet after 18 days. He had earlier developed a critical blood clot in his heart and lungs. Police have yet to interview him. Commenting on his earlier statement that Sanjeevan's shooting was related to drug gangs, Gobi Krishnan said he received the "credible information" recently. "It ruled out police involvement in the shooting, as claimed earlier by certain parties. "My duty is to alert the public ... I am just telling things as they are," he said. Musa was not available for comment despite attempts to reach him. Meanwhile, Federal CID director Comm Datuk Hadi Ho Abdullah said the police would investigate Gobi Krishnan's recent revelations. "We will explore all angles but the investigation is still ongoing. It is a long process but we are not at liberty to disclose any information pertaining to the investigation," he said. |
| Malaysia names politician as its new envoy to RI Posted: 06 Sep 2013 11:38 AM PDT
(Jakarta Post) - "Posting in Jakarta for a Malaysian diplomat is like parachuting him or her into big storm" In an odd turn of events, Malaysia named a seasoned politician as its new ambassador to Indonesia, a posting much to the chagrin of career diplomats. Former Pakatan Rakyat (PKR) politician Datuk Seri Zahrain Mohamed Hashim, who won a parliamentary seat in Bayan Baru in 2008 but later quit the party to become an independent MP, was named Malaysia's top envoy to its giant neighboring country. "We have decided to appoint him and are now in the process of informing the Indonesian government," Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman told Star Online and other media at the Foreign Ministry's Hari Raya (Idul Fitri) open house in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday. Generally, Indonesia has appointed former national police chiefs or military generals — the present Indonesian Ambassador to Malaysia Herman Priyatno is a former Indonesian Air Force chief — rather than career diplomats as its envoys to Malaysia. Given the large Indonesian population in Malaysia, the posting comes with many issues such as drug smuggling, border disputes, illegal logging and non-documented immigrants. Zahrain used to be a close aide of Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. Malaysian government has frowned upon Anwar's regular visits to Indonesia, the second biggest democracy in Asia. Many diplomats and analysts see this appointment as a political move: but it is a double edged sword. On the one side Najib wants to reward Zahrain for his defection from the opposition to the ruling UMNO party and for his help to achieve the 2013 election victory. But by appointing Zahrain, Najib is sending a signal to Anwar's Indonesian friends that a close aide like Zahrain abandoned Anwar. All these years, Malaysia's career diplomats struggled to manage relations between the two countries. Activists, politicians and the media in both countries frequently exchange barbs on several issues. Also the Malaysian ambassador must face angry protests in Jakarta frequently. "Posting in Jakarta for a Malaysian diplomat is like parachuting him or her into big storm," one top Malaysian diplomat told The Jakarta Post after end of his tenure. More than 2.5 million Indonesians live and work in Malaysia, while Malaysia is one of the biggest investors in Indonesia. Bilateral trade between the two countries in 2012 surged to US$23.52 billion, a slight increase from $21.40 billion in 2011. In the first six months of this year, two-way trade reached $11.65 billion. |
| Transparency International – Malaysia terminates sec-gen Josie Fernandez’s membership Posted: 06 Sep 2013 11:37 AM PDT
(NST) - KUALA LUMPUR: Transparency International – Malaysia (TI-M) has terminated secretary-general Josie Fernandez's membership following its 7th Executive Committee meeting on Monday. Its president, Datuk Akhbar Satar, said the exco deliberated at length on her show-cause letter reply, which was issued on Aug 16. "With careful consultation with its secretariat in Berlin (TI-S Berlin), the exco unanimously agreed that it would be in the best interests of the Malaysian Society for Transparency and Integrity to terminate Fernandez's membership with immediate effect in view of her actions and conduct, which the exco deems to be against the interests of the society," he said in a statement earlier. He said the termination was decided based on Article VIII: Suspension and Termination of Membership Clauses (3) and (4). It is learnt that following the exco meeting on May 24, which saw Akhbar elected as the president, Fernandez had been unhappy, as she had also contested the post. Meanwhile, the secretary-general position was replaced by TI-M's new secretary-general, Loi Kheng Min, in the same election. Fernandez claimed that there were discrepancies in the manner which Loi had been registered as the TI-M secretary-general. Disagreeing with the new appointment, Fernandez then alleged that RoS' new electronic system was abused to accommodate TI-M's new secretary-general, who was registered at the Putrajaya RoS, and herself at the Selangor RoS office. In her reply to the Aug 16 show-cause letter, Fernandez said she was the rightful secretary-general by virtue of the RoS declaration as of July 25. Akhtar said hereafter, Fernandez was prohibited from officially representing the society.
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| Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights Posted: 06 Sep 2013 11:35 AM PDT
(South China Morning Post) - Living in China, where the rule-of-law doesn't exist, means everyone has to look out for their own interest. It also means people have little or no respect for laws. This is bound to happen when ordinary folk are forced to watch their laws being violated every day by their leaders, Chen said, citing the Chinese idiom, shang xing xia xiao, meaning "people in lower class follow what their leaders in the upper class do". They are seen as pushy, loud, impolite, unruly, and they are everywhere. And although destination countries welcome the tourism dollars the Chinese spend, they loathe the chaos and hassle some mainland tourists bring upon their cities and other tourists. "Why can't they just behave?" people wonder, some aloud. I have been asking myself the same question in the past months after reporting on the uncivilised, sometimes galling behaviour of some compatriots. It seems that every time a "rude Chinese tourist" story is published on SCMP.com, it goes straight into the site's top 10 most read articles - one such article even managed to crawl back to the top months after it was posted. So I decided to give the question some serious thought. I read up on the topic, talked to tourism experts and travel agents and chatted with some of these tourists who are now at the centre of public anger. It soon dawned on me that the real question to ask is: "Why are the Chinese rude?" Yong Chen, tourism researcher and post-doctoral fellow at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, said most "bad" tourists don't intend to be "bad" or "tourists", they are just being themselves - they are being Chinese. Education makes a difference Not every Chinese tourist is a rude one, and educated people are usually better behaved than those who have had a lower standard of education, said Chen. This could be why middle-aged or older tourists who have been deprived of or received little education during China's politically tumultuous times tend to act more unruly. Many of them do not speak English, and some are not fluent Putonghua speakers. Their knowledge of the destination country and its culture is often at best outdated or non-existent. This might explain the behaviour of a "rogue" mainland couple who recently visited Hong Kong with a group. They called the police and demanded HK$3,000 yuan in compensation after being made to wait two hours for their coach. The travel agency later said the coach had broken down and accused them of "blackmailing". Disregard for customs and rules Jenny Wang, a Beijing-based Maldives travel agent, said uneducated tourists usually turn a blind eye to local rules and customs. A Chinese man who was recently vacationing at a Maldives resort flipped out after discovering that the restaurant where he wanted to eat was fully booked, Wang said. He yelled threats and slurs at Chinese staff until one member was in tears. "You cannot reason with these kinds of people," Wang said. "They think they can do anything with their money." Read more at: http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1251239/why-are-chinese-tourists-so-rude |
| Is helping fellow Malaysians racist, Kit Siang’s aide asks Noh Omar Posted: 06 Sep 2013 11:23 AM PDT
(TMI) - "Is it too much to ask for the same treatment for my fellow Malaysian friends? Is asking for fairness or sharing of wealth with my fellow Malaysians a 'racist' statement?" Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud, one of DAP's young and upcoming leaders, has challenged former Cabinet minister Datuk Seri Noh Omar to point out how helping Malaysians get a tertiary education could make her racist. The Umno Selangor state liaison chief and other politicians had criticised the political secretary to DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang after she proposed that an institution like Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) be set up for non-Malays. "First of all, I did not say that we should open UiTM to the non-Bumis. In the interview I mentioned that we should have something like UiTM for the non-Bumis," she told The Malaysian Insider late last night in Kuala Lumpur. In an earlier interview with the Malaysiakini news portal, Dyana said a higher learning education institution like UiTM should be set up for non-Malays. She said she felt sorry for her non-Malay friends who were denied the right to pursue their education at higher learning institutions. "I would like to challenge Datuk Noh Omar to explain to me how wanting to help needy Malaysians, regardless of race is racist?" she said, adding she failed to understand how having a multicultural student community will cause the country to deteriorate. Dyana pointed out that while UiTM had a noble objective, which is to help needy students, its purpose had changed over the years. "With minimum student fee, the students are able to enjoy quality education, good facilities and graduate with recognised university qualifications. It was a heaven-sent help for my middle-class family. All four of my siblings were accepted into UiTM. "However, UiTM does not just accept needy students anymore, they are opening their doors to not just applicants from middle-income or low-income families. "I remember having a junior that was a daughter of a then minister, driving around in a Peugeot in campus," she said. She argued that if UiTM was able to provide the same privilege - a good degree with a minimum fee - to students from high-income families, needy non-Malay citizens should also be given the same treatment. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/is-helping-fellow-malaysians-racist-kit-siangs-aide-asks-noh-omar |
| Bersih’s tribunal gets EC tip-offs on likely electoral fraud Posted: 06 Sep 2013 11:22 AM PDT
(TMI) - From the "thousands of complaints" the Bersih People's Tribunal has received on electoral fraud so far, the surprise has been several "leads" provided by Election Commission officials. Why this is surprising is because the EC is also being investigated by the tribunal for its conduct in the 13th General Election, said the tribunal's legal team chief, Professor Gurdial Singh (pic, 3rd from left). The "leads" provided by the EC officers have been investigated by lawyers and the findings will be presented when the tribunal sits from September 18 to 22. Gurdial said the tribunal is also tasked with finding out whether the EC had acted fairly and independently in carrying out their tasks in the polls on May 5. Gurdial, who is also Professor of Law at the Law Faculty of the University of Malaya and Director of the Centre of Excellence for Biodiversity Law, said the leads were just a few from "several thousand complaints" on election malpractices the tribunal had received since June. The tribunal was mooted in response to the public outcry and concerns of electoral fraud and irregularities in Malaysia's 13th general election. Bersih's Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan had said that the tribunal may not have any legal standing but will serve as a "moral force" to publicly expose electoral fraud. "These complaints have come from various sources - observers from political parties, the public and also election petitions from both sides. They have identified themselves by names and contact," Gurdial told The Malaysian Insider today. A team of 30 lawyers will collate all the information and investigate then follow-up on the complaints. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/bersihs-tribunal-gets-ec-tip-offs-on-likely-electoral-fraud |
| Posted: 06 Sep 2013 11:19 AM PDT
(FMT) - The two schooling sessions in Chinese vernacular schools will not accommodate the extra hours for Bahasa Malaysia. The Education Ministry's proposal to tack on extra hours of Bahasa Malaysia classes for vernacular schools has received mixed reaction from independent educational groups. Dong Zong president Dr Yap Sin Tian asked how prolonging school hours would be possible, given that most Chinese schools have two schooling sessions. "Right now, Chinese schools are already running on the maximum amount of hours possible. When a school session ends at 1pm, another session starts immediately. "So if the government wants to propose this, it is impossible to implement now. You cannot allocate more time," Yap told FMT. He said the government should look into constructing more Chinese schools before implementing such a proposal. Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had acknowledged the issue of two schooling sessions this morning, and said this was why the government would study the proposal thoroughly before implementation. "We will implement it through several phases. It won't be at once. We will find the way to accommodate students and teachers, as well as parents," he said, when unveiling the National Education Blueprint 2013-2015 this morning. Meanwhile, Tamil Foundation president S Pasupathy welcomed the proposal, saying that the NGO believed improving Bahasa Malaysia among vernacular school students was a noble cause. "If the government wants to add school hours, we are perfectly okay with that. Just don't add Bahasa Malaysia classes at the expense of mother tongue classes," he told FMT. He said the schools' greatest fear was that mother tongue classes were shortened to accommodate the Bahasa Malaysia classes, as was the case when the now-abandoned English for Science and Maths policy was introduced. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/09/06/no-time-for-extra-bm-lessons/ |
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