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Rosmah centre of jet query
Beware Umno’s offer to debate hudud
Leave Selangor if unhappy with sultan’s ‘Allah’ decree, critics told
PAS to debate rolling out hudud for Pakatan states at conference
‘Progressive PAS a threat to Umno’
NEP to stay because…

Posted: 17 Nov 2013 08:24 PM PST

Tarani Palani, Fz.com

Minister in the Prime Minister (PM)'s department, Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim today was grilled over Prime Minister's wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor's use of VVIP jets reserved for the likes of the Yang Dipertuan Agong (YDPA).

The trip in question was to Qatar for the International Business Women Forum in Doha last week, which was brought up by PKR Vice-President Azmin Ali. The Gombak MP wanted to know specifically how much that trip with the jet cost the government.

This came up while Shahidan was winding up speech for the PM's department and answering queries brought up by MPs on the maintenance cost of the VVIP jets reserved for certain government and state personnel.

"The Cabinet decided that this (trip to Qatar) was an important and that Rosmah should attend (and can use the jet)...she was representing the country. This was in the interest of the country," he said.

What transpired next was a 20-minute long argument ranging from whether Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak left the meeting when the decision was made and if Rosmah had the powers to represent Malaysia's government sentiments and interest in the international platforms.

Azmin, Sepang MP Hanipa Maidin (PAS) and Pokok Sena MP and PAS vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar were the vocal Opposition leaders who put Shahidan on the spot.

Azmin said since the Cabinet decided to allow Rosmah to use the jet, and her husband was the head of Cabinet there was clearly a conflict of interest.

Shahidan however persistently refused to answer the question and merely replied that he could not simply devulge details of a Cabinet meeting as he was "bound by oath when taking office not to reveal government information".

Hanipa then stood up and argued that there this information was not sensitive and demanded answers.

"Did he leave the meeting? We need to know. We`are merely asking what your PM and my PM did," he said.

Mahfuz then asked if there was a national law which stated that the PM's wife could represent the country in inter-government relationships. "This had not happened before," he said.

Azmin added that in any international events there will be events for the accompanying spouses of state leaders, which was fair for Rosmah to attend but he asked how Rosmah could attend events representing national interests.

The Qatar forum was organised by the Qatari Businesswomens Association and the Interactive Business Network.

In early October, the government, through a written reply had said RM20 million was spent on maintaining the VVIP jet ACJ319. An additional US$25.2 million (RM100 million) was spent from 2010-12 for leasing the jet.

Beware Umno’s offer to debate hudud

Posted: 17 Nov 2013 07:11 PM PST

It's a ruse to destabilise Pakatan Rakyat, says DAP's Anthony Loke.

K Pragalath and Leven Woon, FMT

DAP rejected proposals to debate hudud implementation in parliament, citing it as a trap by Umno to divide Pakatan Rakyat component parties.

"It is a trap to destabilise Pakatan. Pakatan should be beware. Umno is not sincere in calling for the debate," said Seremban MP, Anthony Loke Siew Fook.

"Umno's motive is questionable. They are so many issues to be raised, which we have, but they simply shoot it down," added Loke.

Minister in Prime Minister's Department Shahidan Kassim, yesterday, said that he was ready to debate the implementation of hudud with PAS.

"We are willing to hear the motion but the decision depends on the support of the MPs. PAS has the smallest number of seats in Pakatan Rakyat," he said.

PAS has long argued that the federal government is the stumbling block to implementing Syariah law and hudud in Kelantan.

PKR vice president Fuziah Salleh has already indicated her willingness to the debate issue.

It must be noted that Pakatan Rakyat has not had an agreement to implement hudud via its joint policy, the Buku Jingga.

Veteran Umno leader Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah who is also Gua Musang MP, meanwhile said: "We want it but the (federal) constitution has to allow it," he said.

PAS MPs to meet Annuar soon

In an interesting twist, Pokok Sena MP Mahfuz Omar of PAS and Ketereh MP Annuar Musa were non-committal when asked if Umno or PAS would file a motion in the Parliament to allow Kelantan to implement hudud laws.

Mahfuz said one crucial part to ensure the passage of the motion is that BN parliamentarians must agree to the implementation of hudud.

"It is fine that (Shahidan) said he is ready to hear out the motion, but they must agree to that, only then it is worth filing a motion," he said.

Posted: 17 Nov 2013 02:51 PM PST

(MM) - Selangorians who dispute their state Ruler's decree reserving the use of "Allah" for Muslims only, are free to move out, an Islamic academic has said as the religious row continues to gather speed.

Prof Emeritus Datuk Dr Mahmood Zuhdi Abd Majid, who specialises in Islamic law at the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM), said that residents in the country's most developed state are duty-bound to obey Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah's recent reminder on "Allah", pointing out that the Ruler is also the head of Islam in Selangor.

"What has been decreed by the sultan, we need to obey, there is no compromise if you are Muslim or [from other faiths].

"If there is any seed of rejection towards the decree, they need to go to other (states)," Mahmood Zuhdi was quoted as saying in Malay daily, Utusan Malaysia, today.

The Selangor sultan renewed his decree last Thursday barring non-Muslims in the west-coast state from using the Arabic word for god, including in the Malay-language Christian bible, the Al-Kitab, and in the national Catholic weekly, Herald.

The reminder was issued after a discussion with the Selangor Royal Council earlier last week, where it was decided that Selangor citizens should abide by the Selangor Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Among Muslims) Enactment 1988, which is enforceable regardless of one's religion.

The 1988 state law, which was passed by the then Barisan Nasional government, prohibits non-Muslims from using 35 Arabic words and phrases in their faiths, including "Allah", "Nabi" (prophet), "Injil" (gospel) and "Insya'Allah" (God willing).

The biggest bone of contention, however, has been over the word "Allah", which Malaysian Christians and Sikhs say, also exist in their holy books to refer to the almighty, in citing their constitutional right to use the word.

But local Islamic authorities have argue that use of "Allah" in a non-Islamic context will confuse Malaysian Muslims, which has caused a court challenge by the Catholic Church against a Home Ministry prohibition to drag on over the last five years.

Muslim activist group Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia said on Saturday that failure to obey the sultan's decree was tantamount to an act of treason, former law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim disagreed as he pointed out the specific definition for "treason" is the leading of armed rebellion against the king or sultan.

Zaid added that Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah's blanket ban on the use of "Allah" in the state may not apply to non-Muslims as Islamic laws or religious edicts are only legally binding on Muslims.

Zaid also questioned if a royal decree is considered a law and argued that even if this was the case, the order contravenes the Federal Constitution, which states that non-Muslims cannot be bound by any Islamic laws.

Today, The Malay Mail Online reported several lawyers as saying that Selangor residents are not legally bound by the sultan's latest decree banning non-Muslims from using "Allah" in the state as the ruler's powers in Islamic matters were ceremonial.

In his decree, the Selangor sultan had referred to the Court of Appeal's October ruling, where the appellate court ruled that the Home Ministry's decision to ban the Herald from referring to God as "Allah" was justified, finding that the use of the word was not integral to the practice of the Christian faith.

The ruling — which overturned an earlier High Court decision that the ban was unconstitutional — has since sparked confusion over the use of the word by Christians in their worship, especially with conflicting opinions within the government itself on how far the ruling would affect practising Christians.

PAS to debate rolling out hudud for Pakatan states at conference

Posted: 17 Nov 2013 02:47 PM PST

(MM) - PAS will debate on pressing the Pakatan Rakyat (PR)-led state governments to impose the controversial hudud laws in their respective states at the Islamist party's muktamar (conference) this week, PAS's Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man has said.

Amid renewed debate on the possibility of implementation of the Islamic criminal law in Kelantan, Tuan Ibrahim said hudud was part of the four motions on Islamic laws that will come up for debate in the Islamist party's upcoming 59th muktamar this Friday.

"In the muktamar, we will also press the states that are controlled by PR to implement those laws," the PAS information chief was quoted saying by Sinar Harian.

The states currently ruled by the PR opposition pact - composed of PAS, PKR and secular DAP - are Kelantan, Penang and Selangor.

According to Tuan Ibrahim, the party will send a resolution on hudud to Putrajaya after debating on it.

"After we debate that motion in our muktamar, we will send a memorandum pressing the federal government to allow the Islamic legal system," said the PAS leader who will also oversee the motions debated in the muktamar.

The minister in charge of parliamentary affairs, Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim had reportedly said that motions on hudud will be accepted for debate in the Dewan Rakyat, the lower house of parliament.

PAS's vice-president Fuziah Salleh noted that Kelantan can only start enforcing hudud after the country's supreme law is amended.

"So, to amend, we need a majority vote. The hudud enactment in Kelantan cannot be implemented as long as the Constitution is not amended.

"So, if the minister said so, we welcome it... we debate," she was quoted in a separate report today by Sinar Harian.

The Dewan Rakyat is dominated by the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition at 133 seats, while the Pakatan Rakyat pact has 89 seats only.

The Kelantan Syariah Criminal Offences Enactment II, which was passed by the state assembly in 1993, paved the way for the state to use hudud laws.

Malaysia has a parallel legal system of civil laws and syariah laws, with the latter applying only to Muslims, the main religious group in the country.

The use of hudud laws in the country have been floated over the years, but opposition have often arisen from political parties that remain wary of the law.

However, last week, the head of Kelantan's Syariah Court indicated that they are ready to implement hudud.

"Insya Allah (God willing), Kelantan is able to implement hudud. The law is already there and if there's a need for more judges, we will add," Syariah chief judge Datuk Daud Muhammad was quoted as saying by Bernama on November 13.

The northern state's religious authorities have voiced support for hudud to be meted out, with Kelantan mufti Datuk Mohamad Shukri Mohamad reportedly urging Muslims in the state to take cognisance of the pending enforcement and prepare themselves for it.

Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah, the Kelantan Deputy Mentri Besar, said on Saturday that a special court needs to be set up if the state government imposes hudud.

‘Progressive PAS a threat to Umno’

Posted: 17 Nov 2013 02:09 PM PST

Knowing this, Umno is planning co-opt PAS into Barisan Nasional in order to turn it into another mosquito party, says Raub MP Ariff Sabri

G Vinod, FMT

A progressive dominated PAS would spell doom for Umno, said DAP MP Ariff Sabri today.

In a blog posting at Sakmongkol AK47, Ariff opined that a progressive PAS could replace Umno anytime and lead the Malay community.

"A sick party like Umno controls the minds of Malays with sick policies and agenda. There must be something wrong with this arrangement.

"The reason being is that because PAS limits its own potential. If PAS becomes a progressive party, Umno is finished," said Ariff.

PAS will be conducting its party polls on Nov 20, and several mainstream newspapers have declared support for the ulama team to take leadership posts in the party.

While the ulama faction is said to be cosy with the idea of teaming up with Umno to form a unity government, the progressive team, led by PAS spiritual adviser Nik Aziz, is opposed to it.

Ariff reminded those keen to work with Umno to remember how the latter was unceremoniously booted out from the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, back in the 70s.

Umno's agenda

He also said that the only reason Umno wanted the ulama faction to run PAS was because the former knew how to work around the coreligionists to further its own agenda.

"Umno is just furthering its own agenda, which is to stay in power. It wants to add another party under its wings, just as it treats MIC, MCA and the 12 other BN janitor boys.

"Should PAS team up with Umno, all Najib (Tun Razak) will do is give PAS two Cabinet posts and that's the end of PAS," said Ariff.

He added that if PAS members sincerely revered Nik Aziz, they would ensure that the party would never team up with Umno.

"Besides, what is the use in teaming up with Umno? So that the right wingers in both parties can stay under one roof and become racists?"asked the DAP leader.

READ MORE HERE

NEP to stay because…

Posted: 17 Nov 2013 02:05 PM PST

Senator Abdul Wahid Omar claims that top management positions in Malaysia are still Chinese dominated and the government will not compromise NEP objectives.

K Pragalath, FMT

Minister in Prime Minister's Department, Senator Abdul Wahid Omar denied that the New Economic Policy (NEP) was a factor contributing to many Malaysians leaving the country.

His denial came in reply to Selayang MP William Leong Jee Kern who questioned whether the NEP would be amended in light of the World Bank report stating that the NEP was among factors listed for Malaysians leaving the country.

"You shouldn't just look at a single point stated in the report. The World Bank report is much more comprehensive.

"It cites lack of career development and pay scale differences as reasons too," said Wahid.

The NEP, implemented in 1970, continued its two pronged objective of poverty eradication and to end the domination of certain races in certain sectors of the economy, until 1999.

Wahid added that the government would not want to compromise on the NEP's objective, specifically the objective encompassing the dominance of a single race in certain business sectors.

"We want to increase the bumiputera economic level without taking away the rights of the other communities."

He added that currently the bumiputera community only hold 20% of top management positions of business corporations in the country.

"There are 70% Chinese in the top management brass and 5–10% from the Indian community," he added to reiterate the reason why implementation of the NEP had to be retained.

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Isnin, 18 November 2013

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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