Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Hasan Ali backs Jais raid, says ‘Quran’ and ‘Pray’ used in front of Muslims
- NGO condemns Lynas plant in Australia, rejects IAEA report
- Mid-year corruption perception index at 45pc
- Jakarta paper claims PM’s future in-law has ties to Russian mafia
- Ahmad Sarbaini Died Of Sudden Death, Says Police
- Ling’s letter to Dr M did not follow VPSD valuation, court told
- Khairy: Plot against Najib a PAS ploy
- No candidate to replace Anwar yet, says PAS
- Anwar has lost clout: PKR founder
- Ku Li issue – ‘Umno diversion tactic’
- Ex-army man: I was ‘ordered’ to vote BN
- CNBC drops flagship show over paid Malaysian interviews
- PAS claims mutiny in Umno
- Christian cleric condemns Jais raid on PJ church
- Jais, cops raid church over multi-racial dinner
| Hasan Ali backs Jais raid, says ‘Quran’ and ‘Pray’ used in front of Muslims Posted: 04 Aug 2011 02:54 AM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) - Selangor executive councillor Datuk Hasan Ali defended today a late-night state Islamic enforcement raid on a church in Petaling Jaya yesterday, saying the words "Quran" and "pray" were used in the presence of Muslims at the dinner function. He claimed this was part of the authorities' evidence that Christians were proselytising to Muslims. Widely seen as a religious conservative, Hasan has been at odds with the ruling Pakatan Rakyat (PR) state government's seemingly liberal policies on several occasions, most notably his push for a beer sale ban in the country's most developed state earlier this year. Hasan had lost badly in the recent PAS election as the Islamist party moved to embrace leaders like Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad who is seen to represent a more progressive and inclusive brand of Islam. Dropped as PAS Selangor chief after the party polls, Hasan's statement today is seen to rebuff his tendency to mirror rival Malay party Umno's thinking. "Towards the end of the event, the enforcement team and the police had made checks and found attempts to prevent their examination and to get rid of the evidence material," the PAS man said in a statement faxed to The Malaysian Insider this evening. He said the authorities had discovered further materials to prove there was activity to proselytise a religion other than Islam to Muslims, but did not disclose what they were. Hasan added that several Muslims had attempted to flee the premises through the church's back door but were successfully stopped by Jais. He also denied the authorities had carried out a "raid" on the church as alleged, saying instead it was merely an "examination" that was based on a report that Muslims had attended the church dinner's "break fast" event. "There was no raid and no arrests. Instead, examinations were conducted after negotiations with the organiser," he said. Hasan said 12 Muslims who attended the dinner have been ordered to turn up at the Jais enforcement office for further investigation. "Based on initial investigations those involved can be charged under Section 10 of the Syariah Criminal Enactment 1995." The executive councillor in charge of Islamic religious affairs' remarks came just after Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim moved to calm the uproar over the raid. Earlier today, Khalid had asked the state Islamic authorities to justify their raid on the multiracial dinner at a Petaling Jaya church last night, adding he regretted the incident that has caused a public outrage. A group from the Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor (Jais) raided the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) building during a dinner and had questioned a few Malay guests based on an unspecified complaint. Khalid said today he had called DUMC's senior pastor Daniel Ho to personally express his regrets regarding the incident.
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| NGO condemns Lynas plant in Australia, rejects IAEA report Posted: 03 Aug 2011 08:30 PM PDT
By Melissa Chi, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 4 — Save Malaysia Stop Lynas (SMSL) continued to go all out to stop Australian miner Lynas Corp from setting up a RM700 million rare earth refinery plant in Gebeng and condemned today the opening of Lynas's concentration plant in Mt. Weld, Western Australia. "Let us each do our part to ensure that this impending tragedy that will befall a population of 700,000 around a 30km radius of the LAMP does not begin with the opening of the concentration facility at Mt. Weld. "We the Save Malaysia Stop Lynas movement will take every action and do everything possible to stop it," said SMSL representative Tan Bun Teet in a statement. According to Australian media, the Mt Weld mine, about 35km south of Laverton, is a US$100 million (RM310million) Lynas Corporation project developed over the past 10 years. The ore will be concentrated at Mount Weld before export to LYNAS Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) in Gebeng, about 25km from Kuantan, and then sold globally. The non-governmental organisation had also rejected the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) report saying the controversial rare earth plant in Gebeng is safe. "Lynas has conveniently used the narrowly focused IAEA review to claim that the LAMP is safe. What Lynas has failed nor bothered to reveal is that the IAEA review panel has only narrowly assessed the radiation safety aspects of the LAMP. "In reality, the IAEA Review has not dealt with the many critical aspects of the LAMP that have far greater impact on the environment and our health. The entire plant design, its construction, operation, incidents, decommissioning, shutdowns, and waste treatment; environmental, plant asset integrity, civil and structure have been left out in the review. Other crucial issues including occupational health and safety as well as socio-economic were also not in the scope of the review," he said.
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| Mid-year corruption perception index at 45pc Posted: 03 Aug 2011 08:21 PM PDT By Lee Wei Lian, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 4 — About 45 per cent of Malaysians feel that the government's fight against corruption has been effective, below the official mid-year target of 50 per cent said Pemandu today. It also said that the public's opinion of regulatory and enforcement agencies however hit a score of 2.99, exceeding the mid-year target of 3.5 (1 being the best and 5 the worst). The surveys were conducted by independent third party research firm TNS and is used by Pemandu as a proxy to track progress against its targets for Transparency International's (TI) annual Global Corruption Barometer Score which will be released later this year. Malaysia scored 48 per cent in last year's TI Global Corruption Barometer Score, exceeding Pemandu's 2010 target of 37 per cent and 2009's score of 28 per cent. Pemandu has set a target of 50 per cent for this year's Global Corruption Barometer Score. Pemandu director for the corruption National Key Result Area (NKRA), D. Ravindran said in a briefing here that the anti-corruption efforts were to "reinspire confidence and get Malaysians to believe again that Malaysia is a good place to do business."
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| Jakarta paper claims PM’s future in-law has ties to Russian mafia Posted: 03 Aug 2011 07:55 PM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) - Indonesia's top newspaper alleged today that the Kazakh mother of Datuk Seri Najib Razak's and Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor's future son-in-law is linked to the Russian mafia. Nooryana Najwa, Daniyar Nazarbayev, Maira Nazarbayev and Khanbolat Nazarbayev Kompas, the most widely-read newspaper in Indonesia, published a column today that also questioned whether the controversies surrounding Rosmah would lead to "change and democratisation in Malaysia." The newspaper did not substantiate its claims, but the column today was published amid a tussle between Najib and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for influence in Indonesia following the Bersih rally last month. Umno had despatched its secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor to Jakarta last month to explain Putrajaya's crackdown on Bersih activists after Indonesian media criticised Malaysia. Last week, Anwar also made a trip to Jakarta. In the column, the newspaper described Rosmah's ties with soon-to-be in-law Maira Nazarbayev as close although it provided no evidence to back its claims. "Maira Nazarbayev, who lives a lifestyle ala Imelda Marcos supposedly has links to the Russian mafia," the paper said. Maira is the former wife of Kazakhstan President Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev's brother Bolat Nazarbayev.
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| Ahmad Sarbaini Died Of Sudden Death, Says Police Posted: 03 Aug 2011 07:39 PM PDT
(Bernama) -- The Coroner's Court was told Thursday that there was no element of murder or suicide in the death of Selangor Customs assistant director Ahmad Sarbaini Mohamed. ASP Zuhairi Mohamed, from the Cheras Police Legal Investigation Division, said Ahmad Sarbaini's death was classified as sudden death.
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| Ling’s letter to Dr M did not follow VPSD valuation, court told Posted: 03 Aug 2011 07:06 PM PDT
(Bernama) - The High Court here was yesterday told that former Transport Minister Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik submitted a letter containing terms of agreement which were different from the recommendations made by the Valuation and Property Services Department (VPSD) to former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Former VSPD deputy director-general (Valuation) Datuk Mani Usilapan, 61, said the attachment on the terms of agreement with Kuala Demensi Sdn Bhd (KDSB), which was sent on June 29 2002 stated that the rate of land purchase in Pulau Indah was RM25 per sq ft, while the VPSD set the value at RM21 per sq ft. He said that through a letter, with the title "Cadangan Pengambilan Balik Tanah Di Pulau Indah Untuk Pembangunan Pusat Distripark Serantau Di Pelabuhan Klang', the attachment also stated the land size at 999.5 acres (about 404.5 hectares) and the purchase at RM1,088,456,000, but the VSPD only made valuation on land covering only 830 acres (about 335.9 hectares). Mani said among the other terms which were attached together with the letter were on the repayment period based deferred payment of 15 years; down payment of 10 per cent to be paid as earnest money in two stages (two per cent after approval had been obtained and the remaining eight per cent soon after the agreement signing); interest rate of 7.5 per cent a year and a moratorium of four years. Mani, during examination-in-chief by Deputy Public Prosecutor Manoj Kurup, said all the terms were not recommended by VSPD. He said the VSPD only made consideration on the 10-years repayment period, the first year down payment of five per cent and coupon rate at six per cent. Mani also said that following the valuation on the 999.5 acre land at RM25 per sq ft, there was excess cost of RM720 million. Meanwhile, when cross-examined by lawyer Wong Kian Kheong, Mani said he informed his superior (former VSPD director-general Valuation) Datuk Sahari Mahadi) on the recommendations made by VSPD. Mani also said that on Oct 9 2000, he wrote a letter to the Transport Ministry Secretary-General on a proposed purchase of a 830 acre site in the same area and suggested that the valuation rate of the land, if repayment was extended to 15 years, based on the same terms for a 10 year repayment period, the rate was RM25.82 per sq ft. Questioned by Wong whether the VSPD had statistics or percentage on the valuation made by the department being followed by government agencies, Mani said there was no statistics. Dr Ling, 68, faces an amended principal charge of cheating the Malaysian government by concealing from the Cabinet the additional interest of 7.5 percent a year on the purchase price of a land in Pulau Indah as against the six percent rate set by the VPSD. He also faces two amended alternative charges of cheating the government by not revealing to the Cabinet the facts related to the additional interest rate, and cheating the Cabinet into believing that the facts related to the purchase of the land were certified and agreed to by the VPSD when he knew there was no such consent. The offences were allegedly committed at the Prime Minister's office in Putrajaya between Sept 25 and Nov 6, 2002. The hearing before judge Datuk Ahmadi Asnawi continues today.
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| Khairy: Plot against Najib a PAS ploy Posted: 03 Aug 2011 06:30 PM PDT
Khairy Jamaluddin dimisses the existence of such a plot in Umno and accuses PAS of cooking up the issue to divert attention. (Free Malaysia Today) - Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin has dismissed speculation of a move within the party to oust Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak before the next polls. Instead, he accused PAS of cooking up this issue to divert attention from its internal problems "It's utter rubbish. We fully support Najib," he told FMT. This morning, PAS secretary-general Mustafa Ali claimed that there was a move by certain top guns in Umno to topple Najib before the general election. Yesterday, FMT reported that Penawar, an organisation comprising former Umno MPs, also wanted the prime minister to relinquish his post. According to Khairy, PAS was embroiled in a crisis as some leaders in the party had lost faith in the leadership of Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim. "That is why some in PAS are talking about having Gua Musang MP (Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah) as the new opposition leader," he said. Quizzed on Penawar's stand, Khairy said he had not heard about the organisation wanting Najib to step down. "But as far as current Barisan Nasional leaders are concerned, we are fully behind Najib," he added.
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| No candidate to replace Anwar yet, says PAS Posted: 03 Aug 2011 05:51 PM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) - PAS was forced today to allay concerns that its leaders have been courting Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, declaring that Pakatan Rakyat (PR) does not have any leader in mind as yet to replace Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as opposition leader. The party summoned a special press conference to clarify the issue at its headquarters here where secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali told reporters that he had checked with all leaders concerned and confirmed that the rumours were wrong. He said that in the first place, such a matter would have to be discussed at the PR leadership level and not at any party level. "We (PR) have never discussed who should take over (Anwar). We have not arrived at that bridge yet. Not yet. So the issue does no arise at all," he said, when asked if PR has any candidates in mind as Anwar's replacement. Mustafa pointed out that Anwar's sodomy trial was ongoing and a decision was unlikely to be reached before the next general election. PAS has been at the centre of the controversy, first raised by Bayan Baru MP Datuk Seri Zahrain Hashim through the media. According to Zahrain, an independent MP who was formerly from PKR, PAS spiritual adviser Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat had met the Kelantan prince, popularly referred to as "Ku Li", to discuss the issue. Nik Aziz denied the accusation last night and likened Zahrain to "trash where insects nest". "I have checked with all and there was no meeting between Tok Guru (Nik Aziz) and Ku Li. It never happened. "It has never been discussed by PR, too. And now, Nik Aziz has also denied it. So where did they get this from? Zahrain?" Mustafa said today, smiling.
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| Anwar has lost clout: PKR founder Posted: 03 Aug 2011 05:16 PM PDT
(Bernama) -- One of the founders of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Ng Lum Yon, said it was not surprising if the opposition pact had offered Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah to be opposition leader. Ng said the opposition pact was now seen as sidelining current Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who had lost influence in the pact. "We see that Anwar is no longer relevant to continue to be (PKR) leader as he has a lot of personal problems....in and out of court, plus the sex video case believed to involve him. "Besides, the many promises made by Anwar have not been fulfilled. So, I am not surprised if the opposition pact is looking for an alternative leader," he said when contacted by Bernama, here, today. Ng quit PKR in January this year as he was disappointed with the leadership. He felt the party was no longer fighting for the people's interest but only to fulfil Anwar's wants.
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| Ku Li issue – ‘Umno diversion tactic’ Posted: 03 Aug 2011 04:49 PM PDT
PAS' Mustafa Ali claims that Umno is using the issue to cover up its internal problems, adding that that Pakatan is firmly behind Anwar Ibrahim. (Free Malaysia Today) - The speculation about Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah being roped in to replace Anwar Ibrahim as opposition leader is an Umno diversion tactic, said a PAS leader today. PAS secretary-general Mustafa Ali said Umno was attempting to use the issue to cover up the party's internal problems. Speaking at a press conference here, he said that Pakatan Rakyat leaders were firm in their support for Anwar. "I have attended all Pakatan and PAS leaders' meetings and we never discussed anything about replacing Anwar. So it's a non-issue," he added. Last month, Tengku Razaleigh, popularly known as Ku Li, launched the Angkatan Amanah Merdeka (Amanah) movement in a bid to steer the nation back to the principles expounded by the nation's first premier, Tunku Abdul Rahman. Since then, speculation has been rife that the Umno veteran would switch camps. Two days ago, PAS ulama council chief Harun Taib said that it is not impossible for Tengku Razaleigh to lead the opposition pact provided that he enjoyed the support of Pakatan leaders and the public. Anwar's replacement Asked to comment on Harun's statement, Mustafa said he was unsure of the matter. "I don't know why he said that. That you have to ask him," he added.
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| Ex-army man: I was ‘ordered’ to vote BN Posted: 03 Aug 2011 04:27 PM PDT
A former army clerk reveals how he was instructed by his superiors to tick 900 ballots in favour of the ruling coalition. (Free Malaysia Today) - An ex-army personnel claimed that he was instructed by his superiors to vote for Barisan Nasional and admitted that postal votes are often subject to abuse. Nasir Ahmad, a former army clerk at the Sandakan military post in Sabah, made the revelation at a PAS Youth media briefing on electoral fraud here today. In the 1987 general election, Nasir said he and a colleague were instructed to open a bag and tick some 900 postal ballots according to "my taste", an implicit reference to BN. "I took about 400 ballots while my friend Ayub Mat took the rest," he added. Nasir's admission was among the many allegations made in the past by former army personnel who claimed to have followed similar instructions. PAS and its allies in Pakatan Rakyat had long accused BN and the Election Comission of manipulating postal votes to favour the ruling government. The nation's security forces are largely seen as reliable vote banks for BN. The opposition bloc also raised the alarm over the drastic rise in postal voters throughout the country as it prepared to face a pivotal battle in the 13th national polls which was likely to be held early next year.
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| CNBC drops flagship show over paid Malaysian interviews Posted: 03 Aug 2011 02:38 PM PDT
By Debra Chong, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 4 — International news broadcaster CNBC has confirmed cancelling its flagship show World Business as allegations of impropriety surface linking the programme to FBC Media, a British firm apparently paid millions of ringgit by Putrajaya and Sarawak to shine their images globally. The satellite news channel said it has also started investigating FBC Media's business practices, in what is seen as a bid to remove itself from being tainted by any possible scandal that could smear it like the phone-hacking allegations that ended the 168-year-old News of The World last month. "In response to your question below, you are correct in that we have withdrawn World Business in the light of serious questions raised last week and we have initiated an examination of FBC and its business practices," Charlotte Westgate, CNBC's vice-president of marketing and communications, told The Malaysian Insider in an email last night. The news of CNBC's popular business news programme, under the eye of its managing editor John Defterios, being dumped was first reported yesterday by Sarawak Report. In the story "CNBC Dumps FBC Media!", the London-based whistleblower said the decision came on the heels of its earlier expose disclosing how Malaysia's powerful ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) politicians have been paying FBC Media millions of ringgit a year out of public coffers "to buy them positive publicity on the show". The Sarawak Report listed the ruling coalition politicians as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, his predecessor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Taib Mahmud. "Allowing slots to be purchased in this way, deceiving millions of viewers who thought they were watching impartial programming, is a serious breach of broadcasting laws, for which broadcasters such as CNBC's parent company, the American broadcasting giant NBC, would be held ultimately responsible," Sarawak Report said. CNBC's Westgate, however, declined further comment on the case for the time being. FBC Media is also said to have dealings with British national broadcaster BBC and US-based CNN. The Malaysian Insider tried to contact both FBC and CNN to clarify Sarawak Report's potentially damaging allegations, but have received no response at the time this report is published. Award-winning journalist Defterios, who recently interviewed Najib in London for CNN, had been criticised for lobbing softball questions compared to the hard-nosed probing befitting a 25-year veteran of his standing in financial news global affairs, raising questions over a possible conflict of interest. A full transcript of the interview as released by CNN on July 14, just days after the controversial July 9 public rally for clean and fair elections organised by Bersih 2.0, showed Defterios failing to press his interviewee for details over the BN government's response even as videos depicted policemen cracking down on marchers. Below is an extract of the transcript:
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| Posted: 03 Aug 2011 02:35 PM PDT By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider PAS claimed today of a huge uprising within Umno to oust Datuk Seri Najib Razak amid fears that the prime minister and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor would cost Barisan Nasional (BN) its hold on Putrajaya in the coming polls. But the Islamist party claimed that Najib was fully aware of this movement and has refused to step down as he is determined to lead BN into the polls, expected to be held in coming months. PAS secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali told a press conference here today that this was the reason Umno had purportedly "engineered" rumours that Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders have been courting Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah to replace Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as opposition leader. Mustafa would not say if the anti-Najib movement was led by the latter's deputy, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, but claimed that he had received the information from reliable sources. He added that the movement was significant, involves leaders from the upper echelons of the ruling party and would rear its head soon. "They feel that Najib-Rosmah has become a liability to BN and they want him to step down because they fear this will affect their performance in the coming elections," he said. He said that, among others, Umno leaders fear that the scandals involving Najib and Rosmah, such as the Scorpene submarines purchase and its link to the murder of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaaribuu, would affect voter sentiment towards BN during the polls. Opposition leaders have repeatedly linked Najib and Rosmah to the scandal, which is currently being probed in France, and the government's recent decision to deport French lawyer William Bourdon fuelled their suspicion further. Rosmah has also been criticised for her purportedly extravagant spending habits, with latest news reports claiming that she had purchased a RM24 million diamond ring from world-renowned jeweller Jacob & Co. "You cannot separate Najib and Rosmah," Mustafa said, when asked if Najib's detractors were merely unhappy with the prime minister's wife and not him. He added that his allegation was not an attempt to wage a "psychological war" against Umno, claiming that the movement was a "real thing". "Najib is aware but he is adamant. He has said 'no'," said Mustafa. An online news portal reported on speculation of the revolt yesterday, claiming that Najib's detractors were former Umno MPs from Penawar who were aligned to Muhyiddin. The news report said that Penawar, headed by ex-Cabinet minister Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Shamsuddin who was Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's fomer political secretary, had decided at a meeting last week that it was time for Najib to step down. |
| Christian cleric condemns Jais raid on PJ church Posted: 03 Aug 2011 02:25 PM PDT By Debra Chong, The Malaysian Insider In an immediate reaction, Council of Churches Malaysia (CCM) secretary-general Rev Hermen Shastri hit out at Selangor's Islamic religious authorities for "storming" a Petaling Jaya church last night on questionable grounds. The Malaysian Insider reported earlier this morning that some 30 policemen and enforcement officers from the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) had barged unannounced and without a warrant into a multiracial dinner at the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) here last night over an unspecified complaint. But Shastri said he understands the raid was linked to attempts to preach to Malay Muslims about Christianity. "Apparently there was a police report by Jais on proselytising to Malays," he told The Malaysian Insider when contacted. "The facts of what happened are yet unclear but the Council of Churches view with great concern this development and call on the government to take whatever action necessary to curb the power of Jais to just go into the religious places of other communities and conduct their investigations," he added. The vocal Christian slammed Jais for resorting to such high-handed action in conducting its investigations without first checking with the church leaders. "This is unprecedented. Should the authorities have any concern, the courteous thing to do is to contact the church for clarification," he said. "Before [they] enter any place of worship, they should talk to the leader. They should not storm the church. Imagine how it would look if someone stormed a mosque," he continued, saying Jais' act was "totally unacceptable" when various groups were trying to build a harmonious community in line with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's unifying 1 Malaysia call. Shastri, who is on the Cabinet's Special Committee to Promote Harmony and Understanding Among Religious Adherents set up last year is expected to raise this issue to Putrajaya's attention. He co-chairs an interfaith subcommittee aimed at resolving peaceably disputes between Muslims and non-Muslims. A DUMC pastor, Daniel Ho had told The Malaysian Insider last night that the church had hosted a thanksgiving dinner organised by a non-governmental organisation called Harapan Komuniti that was attended by between 100 and 120 guests of all races. "This is a dinner for people to come in the 1 Malaysia spirit," Ho said, adding they were mainly Christian although he admitted there were "there were about 15 or so Malays."
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| Jais, cops raid church over multi-racial dinner Posted: 03 Aug 2011 11:05 AM PDT
By Boo Su-Lyn, The Malaysian Insider PETALING JAYA, Aug 4 — The police and Selangor religious authorities raided a multi-racial dinner at the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) here last night over an unspecified complaint. DUMC senior pastor Dr Daniel Ho said about 30 police officers and enforcement officers from the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) entered the church without a warrant at 10pm. Ho explained that an NGO called Harapan Komuniti had organised an annual thanksgiving dinner at the church, which saw an attendance of between 100 and 120 guests of all races. "This is a dinner for people to come in the 1 Malaysia spirit," Ho told The Malaysian Insider late last night. "They were mainly Christians... there were about 15 or so Malays," he said. On its website, Harapan Komuniti describes itself as a non-profit organisation that provides disaster relief and helps single mothers, children and AIDS patients regardless of race. Ho said the authorities did not arrest anyone, but seized the function's programme sheets and questioned the dinner organisers and guests. "(They came in) on the pretext of a complaint and said somebody made a complaint," said the pastor. He pointed out, however, that the authorities did not explain what the complaint was. Last night's raid in the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) state came after Malaysia sealed formal ties with the Vatican last month, seen as a high point in religious relations where Muslims are the majority.
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