Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Kedah entertainment ban stays, says MB’s aide
- Brother’s death: Ex-army major joins Pakatan
- Yes Mr PM, it’s ‘all about politics’
- Utusan plays up DAP, PAS differences on Kedah entertainment ban
- Police welcome Suhakam probe
- Taib’s got the rally jitters?
- Moderate path
- Accept specialists’ Tung Shin version, says private doctors group
| Kedah entertainment ban stays, says MB’s aide Posted: 15 Jul 2011 06:10 PM PDT Azizan felt the interference by DAP was "extreme," said his political aide. (The Malaysian Insider) - The PAS-led Kedah government will not revoke its controversial ban on entertainment outlets during Ramadan despite pleas from its Pakatan Rakyat (PR) partner DAP to do so, a state official said today. Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor, political secretary to Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak, issued a strongly-worded statement today that the state government will not withdraw the ruling despite opposition, saying the government was just enforcing a 1997 law. "Ustaz Azizan will not back down! That is his stand on this issue," said Sanusi in the statement carried by PAS website Harakahdaily. "I am sure that all Muslims will stand firm behind him in handling this issue," he added. The MCA has accused PAS of violating human rights with the ban on 13 types of entertainment outlets from operating in the state during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. The PAS national leadership has asked its Kedah chapter to explain the ban at a meeting tomorrow. DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang recently urged the state government to withdraw the ban, which covers businesses such as karaoke centres and discos as well as live performances in readily accessible locations such as bars, hotels and restaurants. Only cybercafés, bowling alleys and snooker centres are exempted from the ruling. He pointed out that his party's Kedah chapter never agreed to the ban as the matter was not raised at the Kedah Pakatan Rakyat (PR) council level. Umno-owned newspaper Utusan Malaysia highlighted the parties' differences today, saying it "pitied" PAS for being "bullied endlessly" by the DAP. Today, Sanusi said Kedah has never allowed any form of entertainment since 1997, including on Friday nights all year round. According to Sanusi, Azizan also thought it was "extreme" for a DAP representative from another state to urge the PAS leader to revoke the ban. "It is not in line with the Pakatan Rakyat spirit," Sanusi quoted Azizan as saying. The political aide also asked if PAS's entry into PR meant that Muslim leaders must always yield to non-Muslims. "Controlling activities that will destroy religious living among the Muslims is the essence of the teachings of Islam, which is the official religion. It is also an Islamic obligation, especially upon rulers, that should be understood by all parties in PR and even BN (Barisan Nasional)," said Sanusi.
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| Brother’s death: Ex-army major joins Pakatan Posted: 15 Jul 2011 05:06 PM PDT
The 72-year-old retired army officer says that Baharuddin Ahmad's death during the Bersih 2.0 rally has prompted him to make a political stand. (Free Malaysia Today) - A 72-year-old retired army major has decided to pledge his loyalty to Pakatan Rakyat following his brother's death. Speaking to reporters after handing over a memorandum to the Bukit Aman police headquarters, Kassim Ahmad said he was deeply saddened by the incident. His brother, Baharuddin, 58, had died during last Saturday's Bersih 2.0 rally. Kassim said he was disappointed that nobody from the government or the police had attended his brother's funeral. "They had not even passed condolences for his death… I have decided to join Pakatan after this. I do not belong to any political party but after this incident, (it is clear) that Pakatan knows how to take care of the rakyat," said the distraught former army man. He also lauded the "brave people" who took to the streets on July 9 and urged the government not to treat the opposition like the enemy. Baharuddin, a father of three and the husband of PKR Setiawangsa women's wing chief, was said to have died due to heart complications when he fled from the tear gas fired by the police. This morning, Kassim and his nephew Azahar Kassim were accompanied by more than 20 people, including activists and PKR leaders, dresed in different shades of yellow, gold and orange, to submit the memorandum. Among others, the family called for a thorough investigation and that all the policemen involved in the incident be suspended pending the outcome of the probe. Apart from this, the memorandum also called for the findings to be made public and for Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar to apologise to the family and all Malaysians. 'His injuries must be explained' Speaking to a police officer who received the memorandum, PKR vice-president N Surendran expressed disappointment that the police denied any wrongdoing even before an investigation was concluded. He also said that the injuries sustained by Baharuddin such as broken ribs, a missing tooth and bruised lip needed more explanation. "There were footages which showed that police had kicked the protesters. We want to know if this also happened with him (Baharuddin)," he told the press later.
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| Yes Mr PM, it’s ‘all about politics’ Posted: 15 Jul 2011 01:50 PM PDT By Jeswant Kaur, FMT Detaining activists and Parti Sosialis Malaysia members like Dr Michael D Jeyakumar under the Emergency Ordinance, that is "all about politics". Not allowing relatives to visit the ailing doctor at the National Heart Institute is nothing but cruelty at its best. The dust on the crackdown by the Barisan Nasional government against a rally seeking to reform the electoral system will never settle. In exactly a week since election watchdog Bersih 2.0 held its "Walk for Democracy" last Saturday, much dirt has surfaced, all pointing in the direction of the BN leadership under Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak. Not only did Najib try his very best to play out Bersih 2.0 or the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections comprising 62 non-governmental organisations, he unwittingly ended up making the biggest mistake in his mere two-years of premiership, when he pitted the police force against the rakyat. Whilst the rally succeeded in bringing together 50,000 concerned and worried Malaysians, it also made history when 1,600 participants were arrested, the largest haul in a day in the history of this country. As far as the premier goes, he is the least interested in what the July 9, 2011, rally has to teach. Instead, Najib has worsened matters by spewing lies after lies, ending up only to make a fool of himself. He is doing all he can to wipe off the July 9 rude awakening. In an interview with the CNN in London a few days back, Najib foolishly lied to the station anchor John Defteriors, saying that no undue force was used on the rally participants. As far as Najib is capable of deducing, the July 9 rally was "all about politics". "Because there is democracy in Malaysia. And we are committed towards electoral reform," he unashamedly lied during the interview. Democracy? Commitment and electoral reforms? One doubts whether Najib even understands the meaning of these words. If there is democracy in Malaysia, then the 1,600 participants would not have been arrested. If democracy is alive here, Bersih 2.0 would not have been bullied and threatened. Yes, if democracy exists in Malaysia, the rakyat would have been able to engage in the "Walk for Democracy" peacefully, without any fear. But none of the above happened. To Najib, democracy is a carrot he thinks he can dangle to the rakyat anytime he wants, all to fulfill his own hidden agendas. Najib's bag of lies To further lie that no force was used on the participants has only confirmed Najib's status as a leader who will go to any length to manipulate and mislead. There is ample evidence of the police brutality and yet the premier could in a poker face manner claim no undue force was exerted on the participants. No wonder Malaysians seem to be suffering from the third class mentality, having long ago caught the "virus" from the so-called leaders whom they had entrusted with power. Najib knows the truth behind July 9, 2011. But his conviction is simply to weak stand up for the truth. His claim that the rally which Najib labelled as a street protest was "all about politics" is one big dangerous lie. The truth which begs defence is that it is Najib who turned the Bersih 2.0 walk into a political charade, deploying cops in thousands. The Najib administration's threats to detain the Bersih 2.0 leaders under the draconian Internal Security Act, that was "all about politics".
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| Utusan plays up DAP, PAS differences on Kedah entertainment ban Posted: 15 Jul 2011 01:06 PM PDT By Boo Su-Lyn, The Malaysian Insider Sensing a potential split in the opposition ranks, Utusan Malaysia said today it "pitied" PAS for being "bullied endlessly" by the DAP after the majority-Chinese party urged Kedah to revoke a ban on entertainment outlets during Ramadan. The Malaysian Insider reported today that the PAS national leadership has also asked the party-led Kedah government to brief the Islamist party's central committee tomorrow on the rationale behind the proposed ban. "Although Kedah is ruled by PAS, DAP still wants to interfere with the state's administration," Awang Selamat, the pseudonym for the Umno-owned newspaper's editors, said today. "Awang can see that although Lim Kit Siang has not yet even taken over the federal government, he has already shown his fangs to Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak," added the Malay daily. The DAP adviser recently urged the state government to withdraw the ban on 13 types of entertainment outlets from operating in the state during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Lim pointed out that his party's Kedah chapter never agreed to the ban as the matter was not raised at the Kedah Pakatan Rakyat (PR) council level. The MCA has also been quick to accuse Kedah PAS of violating human rights with the ban, which covers businesses such as karaoke centres and discos as well as live performances in readily accessible locations such as bars, hotels and restaurants. Only cybercafés, bowling alleys and snooker centres are exempt as they have been excluded from the regulation. The DAP last locked horns with PAS in January over Selangor's proposed ban on Muslims from working in premises that sell alcohol.
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| Posted: 15 Jul 2011 12:26 PM PDT By Teoh El Sen, FMT SUBANG: The police have welcomed Suhakam's decision to hold an open inquiry into allegations of excessive force used during last Saturday's Bersih 2.0 rally. "We will cooperate fully with Suhakam wherever the law requires us to," Deputy Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar told FMT in an text message yesterday. Yesterday, Suhakam vice-chairman Prof Dr Khaw Lake Tee said the commission decided to hold an inquiry based on complaints of police brutality during the July 9 rally following two memorandums urging for an independent probe sent by PAS Youth, Suaram and Bersih 2.0. "At the moment, the commission is in the midst of setting up the panel of inquiry and its terms of reference. Further details will be announced in two weeks," read a statement by Suhakam yesterday. The public has also been called to come forward as witnesses or to provide information or evidence to Suhakam.
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| Posted: 15 Jul 2011 12:24 PM PDT (FMT) - KUCHING: Is Chief Minister Taib Mahmud, whose Barisan Nasional coalition swept 55 seats in the April 16 state election, ruffled by the possibility of a Bersih 2.0-styled march in Kuching? It would appear so going by his sudden outburst here. The usually unaffected Taib pounced on Movement for Change Sarawak's (MoCS) call for a "Walk For Democracy and Reform" on Aug 13 when asked to comment by reporters. "MoCS rally!…You find out who MoCS represents, whose voice they are carrying and by what authority is Francis Siah claiming to be the leader. "People can see why I am a leader and who I represent… and you can ask him (Siah) the same question…who does he represent," he lashed out. Inspired by the success of Bersih 2.0′s "Walk For Democracy" on July 9 and the fact that some 100 Sarawakians had taken part, Siah on Wednesday announced that MoCS would hold its own rally. He said the movement's leaders decided to organise the peaceful walk instead of an anti-Taib Mahmud rally (their original idea) which had also been planned for Aug 13. Siah said the rally would be a citizens' initiative with no political affiliation or involvement and urged Sarawakians to join the walk or hold their own activity wherever they were. He also said that the rally would be a compromised version of the original street protest planned by MoCs to force Taib to step down. Following the state election, rife with allegations of money politics having aided BN's victory, MoCS called for Taib to step down by Aug 13, failing which the movement would mobilise a mass protest. On Wednesday, Siah was reported to have said: "For too long, the state has been trapped in a quagmire of widespread corruption and the politics of fear and intimidation.
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| Posted: 15 Jul 2011 11:57 AM PDT By Sharif Haron, NST MALAYSIA is taking the path of moderation not just because it is right, but because it works, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said yesterday. He said Malaysia's own progress has been built on the bedrock of political, social and economic moderation and zero tolerance for extremists. "And today, as people and governments everywhere struggle to navigate the global economic storm and to come to terms with our new interconnectedness, it is precisely this moderation that provides a clear path back to economic growth." The Global Investment Forum, organised by the Malaysian Industrial Development Authority, was to give key insights into Malaysia's position as a business and investment destination. |
| Accept specialists’ Tung Shin version, says private doctors group Posted: 15 Jul 2011 11:15 AM PDT By Boo Su-Lyn, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, July 16 — The federal private doctors body has backed medical consultants who insist that the police fired tear gas and water cannons into the Tung Shin Hospital during the Bersih rally a week ago. The Health Ministry had initially defended the authorities before it yielded to public pressure and announced an investigation on Thursday into the incident. The Federation of Private Medical Practitioners' Associations Malaysia (FPMPAM) pointed out today that doctors had a moral duty to highlight violations of the sanctity of hospitals caused by "frayed tempers" during unrest. "Such action by concerned doctors must be accepted in good faith as it is their duty to ensure that innocent patients under treatment must not be exposed to unnecessary harm or danger," said FPMPAM president Dr Steven Chow in a statement today. "Not to do otherwise will be a dereliction of their professional duty," he added. The FPMPAM groups seven state bodies that together have 5,000 members nationwide. The Tung Shin Hospital board had on Monday informed Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai that no tear gas canisters and water cannons were fired directly into the hospital compound, which is located on Jalan Pudu, during the electoral reform rally. The police have also denied shooting directly into the hospital compound after protesters had sought refuge there. But a group of medical consultants had written to the media saying the police and hospital versions of the incident were wrong. In the days following the alleged incursion, MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, a former health minister himself, said the police had to fire tear gas near Tung Shin Hospital to protect its patients from Bersih 2.0 protesters who had sought refuge there. Dr Chua said the situation should be viewed "in totality", pointing out that the police would be accused of not doing their job had they decided against dispersing the crowd of protesters that had run into the hospital. Liow has also said that shots from the water cannons had only brushed the edges of the hospital walls and blamed the wind for any tear gas felt. "The federation certainly supports the action of these 11 senior doctors as they are voicing out their outrage and concern when patients' lives are put in danger," said Dr Chow.
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