Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Guess who is Perkasa's guest of honour
- WIKILEAKS: PRESS STIFLED IN ALTANTUYA MURDER TRIAL OVER MENTION OF PRIME MINISTER
- The futility of debating religion today
- Liwat isteri: Ulasan Zul Noordin cetus kekecohan
- The 3R program: Plan B
- The 3R program
- Kerana politik, sanggup mengorbankan kanak-kanak yang tidak bersalah
- No chance for MPs to debate A-G’s Report
- University suspends Aziz Bari
- Anwar cries foul over delay in Najib-Rosmah subpoena appeal
- Penang touted as model for Pakatan to take Putrajaya
- Stop The Intimidation of Academics
- Govt plugs the hole of RM23b in supplementary budget
- Response to “PPSMI – an Opposing View”
| Guess who is Perkasa's guest of honour Posted: 20 Oct 2011 01:21 AM PDT (Harakah Daily) - UMNO offshoot Perkasa will be having its annual assembly and Malaysians may finally be able to see its members gathering in large numbers, a sight many have been waiting for amid repeated yet-to-be-fulfilled claims of the group's wide following. But the large crowd is not the only attraction promised by Perkasa's incorrigible chief Ibrahim Ali. "Bapa anjing" Hours later, he was to tell the media that Anwar was "safe and sound" under police custody, only to be shockingly proven otherwise when the one-time acting prime minister appeared in public days later sporting a black eye. In comic exchanges with Anwar's counsel Karpal Singh at a Royal Commission of Inquiry set up amid public outrage over the 'black eye', Rahim claimed that he was provoked by Anwar who called him "bapa anjing" (father of dog). He claimed that he entered Anwar's cell and had wanted to remove Anwar's blindfold, but before he could do so, Anwar said "ni, bapa anjing" ("here comes the father of dogs"), at which point, he slapped Anwar on the right and left side of his face. Karpal then reminded that Anwar was blindfolded, and questioned if Anwar could have possibly made such remarks, unless he had smelt the canine.
Now 68, Rahim (pic) had largely been out of public view since then, until recently when he made a comeback after being recruited to counter PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu's revisionist view of Malaya's history of independence.
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| WIKILEAKS: PRESS STIFLED IN ALTANTUYA MURDER TRIAL OVER MENTION OF PRIME MINISTER Posted: 20 Oct 2011 01:00 AM PDT
The short-lived exception was the English language newspaper The Sun, which included the quotations from Razak in its early morning February 21 edition. Sources at newspaper confirmed to us in confidence that the Ministry of Internal Security compelled The Sun to withdraw and recall thousands of copies of their first run paper in which the original quote was included. Prime Minister Abdullah serves concurrently as Minister of Internal Security. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin
Classified By: Political Section Chief Mark D. Clark for reasons 1.4 (b and d). 1. (C) In the latest turn of the ongoing Altantuya murder trial (reftels), accused political insider Abdul Razak Baginda, who has remained calm and composed through most of the proceedings, unleashed an emotional tirade shortly after the February 20 noon recess on the trial's 90th day. Referring to the Prime Minister by his nick-name "Pak Lah", Razak reportedly exclaimed: "You can die, Pak Lah! (in Malaysian - "Matilah kau, Pak Lah!") I'm innocent!", according to unpublished journalist accounts. Local newspapers and the government news service Bernama reported the fact of the outburst, but did not print Razak's statements. The short-lived exception was the English language newspaper The Sun, which included the quotations from Razak in its early morning February 21 edition. Sources at newspaper confirmed to us in confidence that the Ministry of Internal Security compelled The Sun to withdraw and recall thousands of copies of their first run paper in which the original quote was included. Prime Minister Abdullah serves concurrently as Minister of Internal Security. 2. (C) Razak Baginda, who is on trial for abetting two police officers in murdering Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu, had appeared uneasy throughout the morning session of court on February 20. Razak's father, Abdullah Malim Baginda had whispered something to him shortly before the trial had begun for the morning and apparently upset the accused. Razak had remained quiet throughout the morning hearings, but just after the noon recess was called and as he was leaving the courtroom he kicked and banged the door and yelled "You can die, Pak Lah! Die, Pak Lah! I am innocent. I am innocent." He was later seen crying before his lawyer while his mother attempted to comfort him. 3. (C) Comment: Speculation is rife in Malaysia's on-line community concerning what it was that set off Razak Baginda outburst, including conspiracy theories alleging the Prime Minister's office had urged Razak to implicate Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak (see also ref B) in return for sparing Razak a guilty verdict and its mandatory death sentence. Regardless, the Internal Security Ministry would want to limit any possibly inflammatory reference to the Prime Minister at the trial, and particularly at this juncture due to the proximity of Malaysia's general election to be held on March 8. Any connection between the Prime Minister and the murder trial would be scandalous. The GOM reportedly has worked hard to "drive (the case) from public view" (ref B) and is not about to allow the case to influence the coming elections. KEITH (February 2008)
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| The futility of debating religion today Posted: 20 Oct 2011 01:00 AM PDT
Consider too that even today a religious-based World War has the ability to kill more people in one go than all the people who have died in all previous wars across the world over the past 2000 years, because it could pit one billion people against an equally large number on the other side, all with ready access to Weapons of Mass Destruction! NO HOLDS BARRED Wally Salmon I feel that there really is no point in debating the merits of one religion over another, either person to person or group to group. Worthwhile debate on any topic requires rational argument, supported with proven facts. Religion is devoid of rational argument because nobody can prove anything; all so-called proof is subjective or faith-based and, many times, simply a quote from one or other Good Book supposedly containing the Creator's final word on the subject. The "winnability" of a religious argument therefore revolves more around the strength of your conviction to persuade the other party to see why your religion is superior to theirs, but when that fails it can all too often turn to name calling and taunting (usually emanating from the ignorant minded person you have been debating with, of course). The name calling and taunting arise out of a fervent belief on both sides of the divide that their own religion is not only the best but the only true religion, all other religions being not just inferior but wrong to the point where they are satanical in origin. Thus the previously hidden superiority complex that lies just beneath the surface with many religious people (and not just fanatics) is exposed for all others who think differently from the orator to see – and for those others to revile, as is human nature! Thus, if religion is not eventually to be the cause of the next World War, I feel that something radical must be done to change thinking worldwide about the pointlessness of religion continually fighting religion and non-religion. Now, if your immediate reaction is to think that religion could never be the cause of a World War, then I suggest you haven't being paying attention to what's been going on in the world over the past 60+ years since the end of World War II, and even for the 1000 years before that. And today, many developing nations already have or are struggling to create nuclear devices, not all of which may be intended just for deterrent purposes. Consider too that even today a religious-based World War has the ability to kill more people in one go than all the people who have died in all previous wars across the world over the past 2000 years, because it could pit one billion people against an equally large number on the other side, all with ready access to Weapons of Mass Destruction! One thing is certain - the world will never see the end of religions. So religion in our midst is something we are going to have to live with for as long as human beings roam this planet. Considering where a great number of the world's population are currently headed (despair, caused by the money-god of the largely capitalist, democratic world having let most of us down), religion will probably go through a renaissance over the course of the next few years, not a decline. If that does materialise, then the many new converts will all be filled with the same self-righteousness that all new converts to a cause experience, and that is where the flash point can arise. So the burning question must be, "What can be done to stop the doomsday scenario of a religious-based World War actually becoming a reality at some future point?" Well, I have a suggestion that will probably prove to be anathema to many, but at least I am prepared to put it onto the table for discussion. My idea is that a world-wide body needs to be set up to (i) help harmonise Religious Education everywhere and (ii) advise on standardisation of criminal law, based primarily on the most commonly accepted principles of the primary religions. The following are my proposals for the principle aims of such a body: 1. Creation of a suitable Religious Education syllabus worldwide, where the purpose is, without favouritism, to promote understanding of when, how and why the various religions emerged, and why those religions survive today. Ultimately it can be linked to sociology, psychology and all such other associated high-level subjects, all of which are intrinsically linked with religion and have been since mankind first developed language. The second proposal has the distinct advantage that no religion need ever fear again that its beliefs will be trampled upon or ridiculed - all religions would be treated with equal respect. The first proposal will be the foundation of the second proposal, since I consider that education is the key to a forward thinking society. I am fully aware that, if my proposals were to be adopted, the obstacles that must be overcome to implement them would be numerous and daunting. But I feel that a start needs to be made somewhere. Particularly thorny issues would be deciding who should take responsibility for: (a) setting up the world-wide body to administer the undertaking; and Of course, there will be many who will argue that since even the thought of such an undertaking is too daunting, then it is a waste of time even discussing it, as it will never be achieved. But as I always say, if you don't try to reach for the stars, then you won't even land on the moon. So this article is written not so you can tell me how big an idiot I am – my wife does that daily. It was written to promote discussion as to how human beings can find a good way to live in harmony knowing that (i) religion will always be a fact of life (whether you like it or not), and (ii) at some future point religion has the potential to blow our world apart, quite literally, if we don't take steps now to limit the potential for that to occur. |
| Liwat isteri: Ulasan Zul Noordin cetus kekecohan Posted: 19 Oct 2011 09:15 PM PDT (Harakah Daily) - Persidangan Dewan Rakyat hari ini kecoh apabila Ahli Parlimen Kulim Bandar Baru (Bebas) menuduh hukum hudud yang hendak dilaksanakan oleh PAS membenarkan suami meliwat isteri. Tuduhan tersebut dibuat oleh Datuk Zulkifli Noordin dengan kononnya dirujuk kepada draf dan Enakmen Hudud dan Qisas Terenggganu 2002 yang diluluskan pada persidangan Dewan Undangan Negeri (Dun) Terengganu ketika PAS memerintah negeri itu dulu. Menurut beliau, perkara itu dirujuk pada Seksyen 14 enakmen tersebut yang menerangkan tentang liwat yang dimaksudkan dengan seseorang lelaki memasukkan zakarnya ke dalam dubur seseorang lelaki atau perempuan, kecuali isteri. Katanya, perkataan kecuali dengan isteri itu jelas membawa maksud seseorang suami boleh memasukkan zakarnya ke dalam dubur isterinya kerana ia tidak dimaksudkan meliwat. "Inilah hudud PAS. Ini bercanggah dengan Islam. Dalam Islam, jika seseorang lelaki itu memasukkan zakarnya ke dalam dubur seseorang tidak kira dengan sesiapapun termasuk dengan isteri sendiri, ia tetap liwat. "Tetapi dalam hudud PAS, itu tak dikatakan liwat. Maknanya suami boleh berbuat begitu dalam hudud PAS walaupun ia jelas bercanggah dengan ajaran Islam," kata ketika berucap pada persidangan Dewan Rakyat di sini, hari ini. Dengan itu, menurut beliau, enakmen tersebut bukanlah undang-undang Islam, tetapi hudud PAS yang dibuat oleh mereka yang kononnya tidak faham dengan undang-undang Islam tetapi hanya berlagak pandai untuk kepentingan politik. Sebelum itu, Zulkifli mengatakan Enakmen tersebut kononnya bercanggah dengan Islam khususnya mengenai umur akhil baligh, apabila perlaksaan hudud hanya akan dikenakan ke atas mereka yang berumur 18 tahun ke atas. Menurutnya, dengan hanya akan melaksanakan Enakmen tersebut terhadap mereka yang berumur 18 tahun ke atas bermaksud PAS telah mengubah hukum Islam yang mengatakan seseorang lelaki akhil baligh setelah bermimpi, manakala perempuan pula setelah datang haid. Katanya, dari segi umur, setelah berusia 15 tahun tidak juga bermimpi atau datang haid bermakna mereka telah dikira mumayyiz dan sampai umur serta boleh dilaksanakan undang-undang Islam terhadap mereka. "Tetapi dalam hudud PAS akan dilaksanakan setelah berumur 18 tahun. Ini jelas bercanggah dengan Islam yang mewajibkan dilaksanakan hudud setelah seseorang itu mumayyiz iaitu yang telah mencapai usia 15 tahun," katanya. Kesalahan-kesalahan seperti itu, katanya, sengaja dilakukan oleh para pemimpin PAS untuk membolehkan enakmen tersebut tidak boleh dilaksanakan kerana akan ditolak oleh Umno bagi meraih kepentingan politik. Dakwaan-dakwaan tidak berasas beliau memaksa ahli-ahli Parlimen Pakatan Rakyat terutama dari PAS dan PKR bangun menjelaskan perkara sebenar bagi mengelakkan kekeliruan orang ramai yang sengaja dicetuskan itu sehingga menimbulkan kekecohan. Beberapa orang ahli Parlimen dari BN pula termasuk dari Kinabatangan turut bangun mempertahanlkan Zulkifli, manakala Zulkifli sendiri enggan memberikan laluan kepada ahli-ahli Parlimen Pakatan Rakyat menjelaskan kebenaran. Sikap mereka menyebabkan persidangan menjadi semakin kecoh sehingga tamat tempoh masa Zulkifli dibenarkan berucap. Ahli Parlimen Kubang Kerian, Salahuddin Ayub ketika bangun mencelah menyatakan Zulkifli ternyata hanya berlagak pandai walaupun tidak tahu tentang undang-undang Islam sehingga tergamak membuat tuduhan seperti itu terhadap PAS. Menurut beliau, dalam Al-Quran tidak dinyatakan had umur akhil baligh, tetapi seseorang yang telah sampai umur dirujuk kepada mereka yang telah mumayih yang tidak hanya berumur 15 tahun. "Enakmen Hudud dan Qisas Terengganu 2002 itu dibuat oleh hakim-hakim yang pakar dalam undang-undang Islam. Itulah sebabnya enakmen itu dihadkan perlaksaaannya ke atas seseorang berusia 18 tahun ke atas kerana faktor kematangan. "Mereka yang membuat undang-undang itu cukup faham tentang mumayyiz, tetapi dia (Zulkifli) tentang mumayyiz pun tak tahu, jadi macam mana layak bercakap tentang undang-undang Islam," katanya yang juga Naib Presiden PAS. Manakala mengenai tuduhan hudud PAS membenarkan suami meliwat isteri yang dibuat oleh Zulkifli itu pula, beliau mengatakan dakwaan itu ternyata tidak berasas dan bohong sama sekali. Katanya, enakmen tersebut tidak bermaksud demikian tetapi Zulkifli yang tidak memahaminya kerana kejahilannya sendiri. Sebaliknya yang dimaksudkan dengan kecuali isteri dalam enakmen itu, katanya, seseorang suami tidak sekali-kali boleh memasukkan zakarnya ke dalam dubur isterinya kerana perbuatan itu adalah haram dalam Islam. Sehubungan itu, beliau mengusulkan kepada Timbalan Yang Dipertua Dewan Rakyat, Datuk Ronald Kiandee agar membawa tuduhan Zulkifli itu kepada peraturan 26 (1P) bagi membolehkan ahli Parlimen tersebut dihadapkan kepada Jawatankuasa Tata Tertib Dewan Rakyat. Bagaimanapun, usul beliau ditolak oleh Timbalan Yang Dipertua Dewan Rakyat atas alasan tidak perlu. Ahli Parlimen Kuala Selangor yang juga Ahli Jawatankuasa Kerja PAS Pusat, Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad ketika bangun mencelah mengatakan Zulkifli ternyata berniat jahat terhadap PAS dengan tuduhan-tuduhan tidak berasasnya itu. Manakala Ahli Parlimen Balik Pulau, Yusmadi Yusof dari PKR dan Ahli Parlimen Ampang, Zuraida Kamaruddin yang juga dari PKR turut bangun menyatakan kebenaran. Mereka turut mengutuk keras tindakan Zulkifli kerana tergamak membuat tuduhan-tuduhan tidak berasas sedemikian terhadap PAS dan enakmen tersebut.
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| Posted: 19 Oct 2011 07:14 PM PDT
It looks like Pakatan Rakyat Selangor is going to be a one-term government. Well, maybe they deserve to be kicked out for sleeping on the job. Maybe this will wake them up. The only thing though, once Selangor falls back to Umno, Pakatan Rakyat will never be able to capture it again. Umno will make sure of that. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin
This piece is actually part 2 of my earlier piece: The 3R program. I thought I would break it into two parts or else many of you will be arguing about the colour of the dog collar rather than discuss about the dog. As it is, I can already see the debate focusing on Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Can you see how easy it is to pull the wool over the eyes of Malaysians, Malaysia Today readers included who take great delight in quoting verses from the Koran or the Bible and think they are very clever because they are able to cut-and-paste? Anyway, Umno can't take any chances that the Malays will swallow the 3R bait together with the hook, line and sinker. So they need Plan B. And Plan B is to cover their bases in case the Malays do not swing 60% or 70% to Barisan Nasional but remains 50:50 like in the 2008 general election. And this is where Dato Othman Razak, the Special Adviser to the Prime Minister, Dato Wan Ahmad of the Elections Commission, Dato Kamarudin Baria, Dato Tajuddin Wahab, Rahman Dahlan, Harun Che Su, Misri Barham and a few other sleaze balls mentioned in my first piece come in. You see: Selangor is the jewel in the crown. So they need to take back Selangor at all costs, even if they have to sell their own mothers to do that. Okay, they can always go to Mekah after the general election and repent and pray for God's forgiveness. In the meantime, this is not the time to be honest. Over the last two years, the opposition has been embarking on voter registration exercises. And the opposition is very happy because the numbers of voters have increased drastically. But it is not because of the success of the opposition that the numbers of voters have increased. It is because the Elections Commission is registering voters by the busloads, literally. Pakatan Rakyat has been quietly looking through the voters registration list. And they have found the same voters registered in many different places. Hundreds of thousands of 'new' voters in Selangor are highly suspect. It looks like Pakatan Rakyat Selangor is going to be a one-term government. Well, maybe they deserve to be kicked out for sleeping on the job. Maybe this will wake them up. The only thing though, once Selangor falls back to Umno, Pakatan Rakyat will never be able to capture it again. Umno will make sure of that. Bye-bye Khalid Ibrahim. Bye-bye Ronnie Liu. Bye-bye Elizabeth Wong. Bye-bye everyone. It was good while it lasted but eventually all parties must come to an end and everybody has to go home |
| Posted: 19 Oct 2011 05:19 PM PDT
The plan is: how do they make sure that the Malays will swing back to Umno? They need to make sure that they get at least 60% or more of the Malay votes because they expect at least 80% or more of the Chinese votes to swing to the opposition with maybe 50% or so of the Indian votes. So they need the Malay votes to stay in power. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin
Those Malaysians as old as me will probably remember the 3R program and the 3M team. 3M were Mahathir, Musa and Murad: the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and DG of Education. 3R was the program to focus on reading, riting and rithmetic. Now you know why the program failed. Writing is 'w' and arithmetic is 'a'. So it should have been called the WAR program instead. Anyway, a team has been set up to launch a new 3R program. The brains behind this program are Dato Othman Razak, the Special Adviser to the Prime Minister, Dato Wan Ahmad of the Elections Commission, Dato Kamarudin Baria, Dato Tajuddin Wahab, Rahman Dahlan, Harun Che Su, Misri Barham and a few other sleaze balls. But no, this team it is not to teach school children how to read, rite and rithmetic. This new 3R program is Royalty, Religion and Race. The plan is: how do they make sure that the Malays will swing back to Umno? They need to make sure that they get at least 60% or more of the Malay votes because they expect at least 80% or more of the Chinese votes to swing to the opposition with maybe 50% or so of the Indian votes. So they need the Malay votes to stay in power. So they launch the 3R program and make Malays and Chinese fight over royalty, race and religion. And this Saturday's 'one million man march' is just one of many things they are doing. They raised the hudud issue and everyone jumped in to fight over the matter. They raised the 'who is the hero and who is the treacherous Communist' issue and, again, everyone jumped in and started fighting. Then they raided the church and got the Sultan to make a statement since he is head of religion in the state. They know that Malaysians are very emotional and irrational. Malaysians also do not know how to engage. They only know how to curse, swear and insult. So all they need to do is to raise one sensitive issue and sit back and watch Malaysians fight each other. The Muslims will start quoting verses from the Koran and the non-Muslims will scream, "Go fuck your Islam!" Christians will quote what Jesus said and will quote passages from the Bible. It is so easy to make Malaysians fight. It is like taking candy from a baby. So far the plan is working well. Just be reading the comments in Malaysia Today alone are enough to measure this success. Malays and non-Malays are really hammering each other in the name of Bangsa, Negara dan Agama. Umno has come a long way since Najib Tun Razak took over as Prime Minister. People ask me why I admire Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad so much. Simple! Dr Mahathir is a master politician and I am seeing him play Malaysians and the opposition for suckers each and every time, and win. It is fantastic how he can manipulate Malaysians and they not only fall for it but also do not realise they are suckers. According to Umno, the non-Malay vote is critical. Even Johor, which remained the bastion of Barisan Nasional in the 2008 general election, is now shaky. They estimated that about 60% or more of the Chinese vote in Johor may swing to the opposition. Umno also estimated that if in Sabah and Sarawak the opposition engages in a one-to-one fight, Barisan Nasional is going to lose quite a number of seats there. 20 parliament seats from the 57 is not unrealistic. So they must make sure that there are many three-corner or four-corner fights in East Malaysia. Then the opposition will not be able to win even five seats. And they must make sure that the Malays become pissed with the Chinese, and vice versa. Then the Malays will vote for Umno. Only then can Barisan Nasional be assured of forming the next government. Actually, Najib and his team of advisers are very clever. And I must say I take my hat off to them. They are playing Pakatan Rakyat and Malaysians for suckers and it is working at every turn. The 3R program appears to be a success. |
| Kerana politik, sanggup mengorbankan kanak-kanak yang tidak bersalah Posted: 19 Oct 2011 04:20 PM PDT ASPAN ALIAS Isu yang dimainkan oleh Ketua Bahagian Bukit Gelugor, Dr Novandri serta beberapa blogger pro-UMNO terhadap anak Lim Guan Eng memang jelas mendapat perhatian ramai dan kebanyakan dari reaksi yang saya secara peribadi terima menunjukan sebagai satu isu yang menjadi kemarahan ramai. Ramai yang meminta saya menulis dan memberi komen tentangnya. Saya tidak mempunyai komen panjang tentang isu ini. Yang pasti 'Law-makers' dari UMNO nampaknya menjauhi diri mereka dari isu ini dn rata-rata kita mendengar yang UMNO tidak terlibat dengan isu yang panas ini. Malahan Ahli-Ahli Parlmen UMNO meminta Guan Eng menyaman Dr Novandri dan bloggers pro-UMNO jika itu merupakan fitnah yang sengaja diadakan kerana tuntutan politik yang 'desperate'.
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| No chance for MPs to debate A-G’s Report Posted: 19 Oct 2011 04:02 PM PDT By Patrick Lee, FMT KUALA LUMPUR: With no sign of the Auditor-General's (A-G) Report in sight, Pakatan Rakyat MPs will not be able to effectively debate the 2012 Budget. According to Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, it would be too late for MPs to scrutinise the budget, even if the report were to be tabled in Parliament next Monday. "Today is the last day that MPs have been given an opportunity to debate the budget, with the winding-up (of the budget) on Monday." "Going through the report would require a team to work, analyse and study…We will not have an opportunity with (the winding-up) on Monday at 10am. "It's not going to be easy… You must have the report tabled so that the MPs can debate. "I lost that opportunity because as opposition leader, I was not privy to the report," he told reporters at the Parliament lobby here. Reflecting on his years as finance minister, Anwar said that ministries did not know the contents of the A-G Report until it was tabled in Parliament. He is worried that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's administration may try to tamper with the contents of the report. "I have no evidence to support that argument, but I have raised some concerns: why the inordinate delay, why there is no explanation," he said. In previous years, the A-G's Report – which details the country's current economic status – was usually presented before the annual budget was tabled. The report also highlights the country's many financial irregularities, which have come as an embarrassment to the government. However, this year's report has not been released to MPs and it has been more than one week since Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak unveiled Budget 2012. Last week, Sungai Petani MP (PKR) Johari Abdul claimed that he had called the A-G's Office, only to find out that the report had already been sent out.
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| Posted: 19 Oct 2011 04:00 PM PDT By K Pragalath, FMT PETALING JAYA: Constitutional law professor Aziz Bari has been suspended until further notice by International Islamic University (IIUM). The suspension comes in the wake of his comments in an Oct 12 Malaysiakini article entitled "Aziz Bari: Tidak salah kritik Raja-raja' (Aziz Bari: Not wrong to criticise the Rulers)." Among others, Aziz offered the view that the Sedition Act 1948 doesn't criminalise an individual for comments made against a sultan. The law professor gave his views in relation to the Selangor Sultan's decree on the Damansara Utama Methodist Church's (DUMC) row with the Islamic Affairs Department (JAIS). Aside from suspension by the university, Aziz has also been issued a show-cause letter. "I have been given until next Tuesday to respond to the show-cause letter," said Aziz, who has been lecturing on law for the past 22 years. Aziz is represented by two lawyers in this case – Hanipa Maidin and Zulqarnain Luqman. According to Zulqarnain, the action against Aziz was taken in accordance with Rule 15(1) of the Staff Disciplinary Rules 2005 in IIUM.
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| Anwar cries foul over delay in Najib-Rosmah subpoena appeal Posted: 19 Oct 2011 03:56 PM PDT By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 20 — Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim questioned today the Court of Appeal's delay in hearing his appeal to compel Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife to testify in the Sodomy II trial. The Opposition leader said the High Court has already set November 23 to hear closing statements before ruling on the sodomy charge levelled against him but that he was still asking for the prime minister and Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor to testify in the trial that began 18 months ago. "I don't want to delay the case any further but the Court of Appeal should hear my appeal (before closing statements). In other cases, appeals are disposed of quickly," he said. The PKR de facto leader said the matter raised questions over the judiciary's credibility, especially in light of allegations that Court of Appeal judge Datuk Abdul Malik Ishak plagiarised judgments in 2000 when he was still a High Court judge. Pakatan Rakyat (PR) MPs have filed a motion in Parliament to refer Abdul Malik to a tribunal. "Now his career depends on Umno, so he will support his political masters all the way, compromising the independence of the judiciary," Anwar said. Judge Datuk Mohd Zabidin Mohd Diah ruled on October 6 that Anwar's lawyers had failed to prove "relevancy" in issuing a subpoena to the PM and his wife.
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| Penang touted as model for Pakatan to take Putrajaya Posted: 19 Oct 2011 03:55 PM PDT By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 20 — A report on US newswire Bloomberg today described what it called Lim Guan Eng's achievement of turning Penang into Malaysia's "biggest economic success" as a boost to Pakatan Rakyat's (PR) claim to be a viable alternative to the Barisan Nasional (BN) federal government. The financial news and data service provider heaped praise on the first-term chief minister from DAP, saying that within two years of his tenure, the country's second smallest state had turned into Malaysia's top destination for foreign manufacturing and investment. This, it added, was achieved despite the fact the government, under Datuk Seri Najib Razak, had chosen to focus more federal support on states like Johor and Sarawak, where BN's influence is stronger. It pointed out that under Najib's Economic Transformation Programme (ETP), the federal government is promoting RM65.8 billion worth of private sector-led projects for Johor and only RM375 million for Penang. Without federal power, however, Bloomberg noted that Lim's hands are tied when it comes to offering tax breaks for investors or selling government bonds as both are controlled by the ruling administration. "So it plans to use revenue from local land levies to build more roads and a third bridge linking the island to its mainland territories," the report said, citing Lim. "Lim's speed in closing deals ... is helping Penang achieve what every Malaysian prime minister has sought since Mahathir Mohamad started his Multimedia Super Corridor technology zone...," the report said. "Lim, 50, the country's only ethnic-Chinese state leader, embodies the contrast between Penang's business transparency and the four-decade-old policies of the ruling party that favour Malays, which the World Bank says undermine competitiveness." The article also highlighted the observations made by Ooi Kee Beng, of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, that Malaysia's efforts at wooing investors may have been hampered by the government's affirmative action policies and "preferential treatment" of Bumiputeras in terms of jobs, contracts, education and cheaper housing. "We've been sleeping," the article quoted Ooi, the Penang-born author of "Era of Transition: Malaysia after Mahathir", as saying. "Penang now has a chance to show that if you have good governance, and if you put fairness and justice as your main qualities, free of race considerations, that is actually the way to go for Malaysia." The article also pointed to Malaysia's brain drain problem spurred by "racial policies", as highlighted recently by World Bank senior economic Philip Schellekens. In its latest Malaysia Economic Monitor report, the World Bank had said the migration of talent out of Malaysia undermines the country's aspiration to become a high-income nation. "Discontent with Malaysia's inclusiveness policies is a key factor," Bloomberg quoted the report as saying. "Productivity and inclusiveness lie at the heart of Malaysia's transformation programmes. Implementing these forcefully will go a long way towards turning the brain drain into a gain."
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| Stop The Intimidation of Academics Posted: 19 Oct 2011 03:36 PM PDT By Tony Pua It is extremely disturbing that academic Professor Dr Aziz Bari has been subjected to rapid fire intimidation by the Malaysia Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), followed by the Royal Malaysian Police and now asked to show cause by the Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA). All the above over-the-top action was a result of Dr Aziz having expressed his learned opinion of the Malaysian Constitution and its laws, which is his area of expertise. We are not in agreement with the opinions expressed by Dr Aziz all of the time, but we believe that everyone, what more academics in the relevant fields of study, must have the right to voice their views on all matters relating to the Constitution. After all, Malaysia is a country founded on the rule of law, and not one which is enslaved to an absolute authority. The actions by the Government and University authorities will only prove that there is little room for academic freedom in our tertiary institutions, and that the University and University Colleges Act (UUCA) is used as the tool to ensure rigid conformity among the academics and the students. The recent release of the Times Higher Education (THE) 400 Top World University Ranking 2011/12, where not a single Malaysian university is included has shown the dire circumstances of our local universities. On the other hand, only 1 university, Universiti Malaya out of more than 50 universities in Malaysia made it into the QS 200 World University Rankings 2011/12, and that is because the "high impact research and citations" criteria is much lower than that of THE methodology. In contrast, 60 Asian Universities made it into the THE 400 Top World University Ranking, with 16 from Japan, 10 from China, eight from Taiwan, seven from South Korea, six from Hong Kong, two from Singapore, and one each from India and Thailand. The poor quality of our universities is a clear outcome from the fact that top Malaysian academics are turned off by the way Malaysian universities are managed, and often prefer to migrate to top universities in the region and the world to pursue their academic career. As a result, our Malaysian students face the double whammy of not only having weaker academics as their lecturers and tutors, they are prevented from exercising their critical thinking and analytical faculties as a result of the restrictive UUCA. In the interest of arresting the decline in standards of our universities, we call upon the authorities to stop applying undue pressure on Malaysian academics from speaking their minds. The MCMC and police should immediately withdraw their attempt to harass Dr Aziz Bari for merely providing his opinions of the law. At the same time, UIA must withdraw their show cause letter which has added credence to the common perception that university authorities in Malaysia lacks independence and serves merely as a cat's paw for the ruling party to suppress dissenting opinions. Tony Pua |
| Govt plugs the hole of RM23b in supplementary budget Posted: 19 Oct 2011 03:22 PM PDT By Air Kosong KUALA LUMPUR: The government tabled in Parliament today a supplementary supply bill seeking more than RM23 billion for additional funds amid looming financial crisis hitting Malaysia. The bill, tabled by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak under his capacity as Finance Minister after question time, asked for an addition of RM23,111,111,000 to the RM232.8 billion 2012 budget. He said the extra amount was for the second half of this year. However, he did not elaborate where the additional funds would come from. Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has been under pressure to tackle the country's government debt to GDP ratio, which stands at 53.8% when he launched its 2012 budget last October. As an aftermath of Greece's default in January 2012 and the subsequent global recession, Malaysian economy shrank 2% in first quarter 2012. This is on the back of an economic forecast of 5.5% growth for 2012 in its 2012 budget. Analysts has since projected the economy in the territory of -2% and -5% for 2012. Just last month, Standard and Poor's downgraded Malaysia's credit rating to "CC-", which reads "currently vulnerable and dependent on favorable business, financial and economic conditions to meet financial commitments". This brings the costs of borrowings go up significantly, raising doubt on how this additional RM23 billion to be financed.
* a work of fiction |
| Response to “PPSMI – an Opposing View” Posted: 19 Oct 2011 11:33 AM PDT By AsamLaksa PPSMI is a political issue whether you are pro or against. Both sides fell into this political trap. I can only shake my head in despair because nothing substantial is achieved whether you have PPSMI or not when the fundamentals of education is not addressed. Even if PPSMI returns it will be sitting on a time bomb because it is a political issue and can change at any time when sentiments shift. There is no security as you have already seen. On the other hand, a well-developed culture of teaching and learning along the lines of critical thinking instead of rote learning is a better guarantee of educational excellence.Dear Feizrul, This is in response to your letter: http://www.malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/letterssurat/44246-ppsmi-an-opposing-view I think you just barely scratched the surface but did not go deep enough. Perhaps you need to explore the issues wider. This letter is adding on to what I have already said about my opposition to PPSMI in previous postings in MT. As a start, my background is of middle class urbanite educated in BM medium in a La Salle brother's school. I speak mainly English at home. Yet I am anti-PPSMI. I think PAGE is barking up the wrong tree like you too. I am an Atheist and non-Malay. I graduated from a foreign English language dominant country. Thus I have no cultural or political motivation to preserve the supremacy of BM. I am in agreement on the supremacy of English as an international medium and I can only stress on the importance of developing English language skills. But PPSMI is a different fish altogether! I am against PPSMI from the start. After implementation of PPSMI I was against its repeal not because I think PPSMI is good but because flip-flopping causes more harm. I would prefer the PPSMI cohort complete their prescribed duration. But now with PPSMI repealed I do not want it back because on its own without real advances in education standard and delivery it is useless and I don't want another traumatic flip-flop. I keep on saying that if you want pupils to master English then teach them English well. My parents understood the importance of the English language and I was encouraged to read and write in English. In my late primary school years they sent me to an English tuition class at a neighbour's who was an old-school English teacher who had strong passion for English and the lessons were not exam targeted. I think she accepted me as a tutee as simply being neighbourly. There were just two of us in a class. We had games and I was writing essays for fun. Being a naughty boy, I used to invent ridiculous themes in the making sentences exercises but my tutor took it in her stride to laugh along. It was the best tuition I ever had. I will follow this example when I have children. I also have better Malay language skills than my peers. I was the odd one who would opt for cerpen in exams though I must add that during the SPM exams the cerpen topic was unimaginative so I ditched it. I enjoy reading sastera Melayu and I deplore the lack of good Malay books. When I did the SAT, I came across English mathematical terms that I have never come across but I translate them into Malay terms and scored full 800. Malay was no barrier in learning maths as long as I have strong maths fundamentals. Same goes with science because the principles don't change just the terminology, which I learned on my own. Learning science and maths in BM has not disadvantaged me in science and maths and these are my stronger subjects. I do not think language is an issue with science and maths. I knew many Chinese stream students who struggled with English yet do very well in English medium courses. I have no qualms if they want to teach science and maths in Mandarin, Tamil, BM or whatever language as long as they teach the students the medium of instruction well including instilling a passion for the language because proficiency in languages is a lifelong learning process. My experience of studying science and maths in Malaysia in the late 80s and early 90s is one of disappointment. The syllabus and the delivery were uninspiring. They do not prepare me for what is out there. For example I was taught how to carry out science experiments but never taught what the scientific method was. I was made to carry out research topics but the teachers were ill-equipped in assessing research. If I had it my way, I would revamp science and maths teaching regardless of the argument of medium of instruction which is an unneeded distraction. I would start with teacher training. Many parents in Malaysia are gripped by insecurity and fear for the future of their children. There is a strong feeling of distrust against the authorities. This is what you are facing, Feizrul. PPSMI appears like a lifeline so they grab at it but it is a false promise and no panacea. It is not even worth arguing over. You can't easily fight fear and insecurity. There is a body of opinion for parents and students to decide which medium of instruction they prefer for science and maths but I think why just stop there? Why not fight for geography, history, and the rest to be taught in different mother tongues? The lack of a call for this does not give me confidence in the pro-choice group as I think they have not fully understood the underlying issue of poor education standards and delivery which will not be addressed with purely language choices. PPSMI is a political issue whether you are pro or against. Both sides fell into this political trap. I can only shake my head in despair because nothing substantial is achieved whether you have PPSMI or not when the fundamentals of education is not addressed. Even if PPSMI returns it will be sitting on a time bomb because it is a political issue and can change at any time when sentiments shift. There is no security as you have already seen. On the other hand, a well-developed culture of teaching and learning along the lines of critical thinking instead of rote learning is a better guarantee of educational excellence. I am disappointed with Malaysians in not coming together in figuring out what is really lacking with education in Malaysia. Both for and against PPSMI want the same thing, a brighter future for their children. Instead of putting pressure on the government to revamp the education system, you have let them off easily by fighting among yourself. BN special sauce of divide and rule all over again pitting the majority Malay against the rest. I have no illusion of Dr M's beneficence in creating PPSMI. Those who can afford it are already laughing all the way to the bank knowing that the future of their children is secured. If I have children I won't bother screaming for PPSMI. Instead I would encourage them to develop a good language skills, depending on where I live it may be English, BM, etc. I would also make them understand the fundamentals of scientific method, critical thinking, encourage them to explore various subjects and teach them how to debate. These are the tasks that I will not entrust to anyone else. I can only call on all Malaysians to come together to see this PPSMI political ploy as it is, leave all politics aside and push for real change by rallying behind serious academic educators, not politicians or lobby groups, to find a solution to the problem of falling education standards. You have your children's future in your hands and you should aim for real benefits. Anyway, who am I kidding? Malaysians to a fault are overly passionate and time and time again fail to look past this to really see what the problem is. I strongly empathise with RPK on this. Sigh! |
Rahim (left) of course is best remembered for the infamous Black Eye incident involving former deputy prime minister-turned-parliamentary Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim. 
Karpal then disputed Rahim's claim that the incident lasted several seconds, saying he could not have hit Anwar seven times in such a short time. 
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