| PM calls new assembly law ‘revolutionary’ Posted: 23 Nov 2011 01:20 PM PST By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider Rubbishing accusations that the Peaceful Assembly Bill was repressive, Datuk Seri Najib Razak today instead declared it a "revolutionary" law and a "giant leap" towards improving individual freedom. The prime minister pointed out to opposition lawmakers in Parliament that, under the new legislation, the powers of the police would be capped and punitive action against protestors reduced to only fines instead of jail sentences. "We aware, however, that no matter how noble the government's intentions are, the opposition has already objected to the law. "Supposedly, it chokes freedom to assemble. Is this allegation true? The answer: Not true at all," he said when tabling a motion to lift three Emergency declarations here today. MORE TO COME HERE.
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| MCLM Press Statement on the "Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011" Posted: 23 Nov 2011 07:41 AM PST By Haris Ibrahim, MCLM At a time when more Malaysians are pressing for democratic rights, the new Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011 tabled in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday proves beyond doubt that Najib is a congenital liar. Most convincingly, this new Bill bulldozes to the ground whatever empty promises Najib made on Sept 15 when he announced that he wanted to give Malaysians more freedom via a progressive package of social and political reforms including a review of Section 27 of the Police Act and the abolition of the Internal Security Act (ISA) and the Restricted Residence Act. MCLM opposes this proposed law which we deem as a repressive tool to restrict civil freedom because it accords the police even more power to arrest individuals. While the new Bill does away with the need for a permit to gather in public, alongside is a raft of new restrictions including barring protesters from taking to the street - a form of assembly in motion, or procession which is already legally recognised in section 27 of the Police Act 1967. The Bill is a public comedy of contradictions. On one hand, the Bill requires people to provide 30 days' advance notice for assemblies, except for those in designated areas as defined by the home minister but on the other hand, it prohibits "street protest" - a move inconsistent with section 10(e) (viii) of the Bill itself. Just last year, the government withdrew its reservations to Articles 1, 13 and 15 of the CRC on 6 June 2010, thus allowing children "the freedom to have their say, and the right to form associations and assemble peacefully". With this new Bill, children under 15 are not allowed to take part in assemblies, except in cultural or religious events such as funeral corteges or events approved by the home minister. Those under 21 years of age are not allowed to organise assemblies. Why bother with tabling another Bill to amend the Police Act, which will take away the need to obtain a police permit prior to organising an assembly and then impose MORE restrictions with this new Bill? The new Bill goes against the genuine spirit of human rights as specified in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Federal Constitution and the promise of the Prime Minister to institute democratic reform. MCLM is appalled that in a tweet, Najib said: "We (are) transforming our laws to protect constitutional rights of our citizens to assemble while protecting public order (and) security of Malaysia." Instead of protecting our constitutional rights, he is robbing us of those very rights under a hypocritical mask called transformation of laws! MCLM views with grave concern that all the pre-conditions, prior approvals not forgetting the restrictive legal provisions and greater empowerment of the police will severely discourage and dissuade the freedom of peaceful assembly, which is a basic human right. MCLM calls upon every right-minded MP to oppose this bill when it is debated in Parliament tomorrow for the second reading and for civil society to rise and reclaim their rights by publicly opposing this unconstitutional Bill which must NOT be passed at all. If this Bill is passed, it will prove beyond doubt that the current BN government will NEVER keep whatever shallow and empty promises made in a feeble whitewashing tactic to gain brownie points. Haris Ibrahim
President |
| The Ups and Downs of Harvest Court Posted: 23 Nov 2011 03:44 AM PST MASTERWORDSMITH UNPLUGGED Recently, many speculators were rattled with the news that the 28-year-old son of our PM, Nazifuddin Najib, resigned from the board of Harvest Court Industries Bhd as independent director barely 25 days after he was appointed to the board on October 28th this year. Currently, he still owns 3.98 million Harvest Court shares. Nazifuddin is the chairman of 1Green Enviro Sdn Bhd, Magna Healthcare Sdn Bhd, Cahaya Pedoman Sdn Bhd, Tribus Sdn Bhd and Sagajuta (Sabah) Sdn Bhd. He also the director of Kingtime International Ltd and Dynac Sdn Bhd.
According to The Sun:
Shares in designated counter Harvest Court Industries Bhd nose-dived yesterday in an apparent reaction to the resignation of former director Mohd Nazifuddin Mohd Najib on Monday, barely a month after his entry helped spark a massive surge in the stock.
At the close, Harvest Court's share price tumbled 43 sen, or 31% to 97 sen on volume of 251,700 shares. Its warrants declined 30% to 73 sen.
Harvest Court attracted huge speculative interest earlier this month after Nazifuddin and business partner Datuk Raymond Chan were made directors of the company on Oct 28.
Investors were apparently punting on hopes that Nazifuddin, the 28-year-old son of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, would open up new opportunities for the door maker. Within days of his appointment, shares in Harvest Court had soared from 40 sen to as high as RM2.13 on Nov 14.
The massive surge immediately drawn close scrutiny from the investing public, as well as the stock market regulator.
Bursa Malaysia Securities flagged Harvest Court as a designated counter from Nov 15 in a bid to limit what was viewed as excessive speculative activities in the stock.
Nazifuddin's decision to step down may help to take some heat off Harvest Court.
Nazifuddin, who owns 2.2% in Harvest Court, and Chan told a newspaper yesterday that they would remain as shareholders in Harvest Court. Chan controls 15.7% of Harvest Court.
The trading curb, which effectively requires investors to pay upfront to purchase the stock, continue to be in force. There was no indication how long this will remain. READ MORE HERE |
| You first have to know the meaning of the word Posted: 22 Nov 2011 07:39 PM PST 
Give me atheist leaders any time. As Karl Marx said, "The first requisite for the happiness of the people is the abolition of religion." And as Lenin said, "There are no morals in politics; there is only expedience. A scoundrel may be of use to us just because he is a scoundrel." NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin Unbridled civil rights 'recipe for disaster', say BN MPs (The Malaysian Insider) - Barisan Nasional MPs today defended the new laws regulating public assembly, saying that it showed progress and guaranteed more freedom compared to previous legislation. BN leaders argued that the Peaceful Assembly Bill was favourable to "all parties", and said the restrictions were necessary to keep society in check. "Civil rights groups have to understand, unbridled rights is a recipe for disaster," Umno MP Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan told The Malaysian Insider. "Dissenting views must be heard, and it is included in the spirit of the law. The government has shifted its approach from a position of absolute power to advisory," the Kota Belud MP said. Citing the Police Act as an example, Abdul Rahman said new regulations were an improvement of the old Act. He said the new laws did not require anyone to apply for a permit from the police, only a formal notification. "You have to compare the new law to Section 27 of the Police Act. Some people are now complaining about the need to notify the police. "That is needed for their protection, if you don't inform the police how can they protect you if anything happens?" asked the BN backbencher. Datuk Wan Junaidi Wan Jaafar said the new assembly law showed progress and that the government had satisfied the needs of all Malaysians. "You want to have your right to a demonstration at Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, but people who live there also have their rights. "The law is more relaxed, and gives more work to the police," said the Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker. (READ MORE HERE) *********************************** The small-minded Barisan Nasional leaders are foaming at the mouth screaming about how more freedom, democracy and civil rights are being allowed Malaysians. Yes, these are people who are leaders, Members of Parliament, Malaysia's lawmakers, many who are even beneficiaries of a tertiary education, and supposedly very religious people. But I personally know uneducated fishermen and farmers who can think and talk better than these people. And trust me on this because for 20 years I lived amongst fisherman and farmers and was the Chairman of the residents' committee and of the local mosque, 70-80% who were fishermen and farmers. So I DO know how they think and talk. To these Barisan Nasional people, civil rights is just about freedom to hold demonstrations (subject to the police allowing it to be held) and more freedom to speak your mind (as long as you do not criticise the Rulers, the religious department, the Malays, Islam, the Prime Minister's wife, government leaders, or touch on whatever the government may consider 'sensitive issues' -- and the government will determine what constitutes 'sensitive issues'). See how narrow the concept of civil liberties and freedom is to these people? And they will determine what can and cannot be done and said. This, as Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Lee Kuan Yew said, is called 'guided democracy'. And this is what Malaysia and Singapore practices. Actually, civil liberties or civil rights extend to more than just 'controlled demonstrations' and 'limited freedom of speech'. There are many things under the ambit of civil liberties. And this is something these so-called educated government leaders from both the government and opposition do not understand. And that is why we need to line them all up against the wall and shoot them dead, figure of speech of course, although literally would not be such a bad idea as well. When we talk about civil rights we must look beyond just demonstrations and freedom of speech (although that would be a good start). For example, the right to clean and interrupted water supply is also your civil right. And are Malaysians being given this? I wrote about this back in 2000 (see the ADDENDUM below) so I do not need to repeat what I have already said. Denying the people of Kelantan clean water (and this has been prevalent since long before Merdeka) is a violation of their civil rights. Of course, if the Kelantanese were to kick out PAS and vote Umno into power then the state will be given the water it needs. This is blackmail. In the meantime how many Kelantanese need to die of Cholera and other water-borne diseases? Umno is prepared to allow Kelantanese to die just to punish them and blackmail them into voting for Umno. Yes, Umno, is the largest Islamic party in the world, so claims Umno. And 97-98% of the Kelantanese people are Muslims. But it is okay for Muslims to kill Muslims for political considerations. And Umno has the gall to laugh at the state government for not being able to provide the Kelantanese with clean water. 1. Incumbent upon PAS government to provide quality water in Kelantan: Mustapa (READ HERE) 2. BN can resolve Kelantan water problem in five years (READ HERE) 3. Kelantan hospital faces dire water shortage (READ HERE) 4. Water problem in Kelantan getting worse (READ HERE) 5. 30 schools and 30,000 students hit by water woes (READ HERE) As I have always said, we must be very careful with people who foam at the mouth and scream about Islam. These would normally be the biggest hypocrites. The more they talk about Islam the more we need to guard against them. I never trust anyone who always talks about religion, whether they are Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists or whatever. Since time immemorial, people have been killed in the name or religion by people who claim to be doing God's work. Show me all those war criminals and mass murderers and I will show you people who have a religion. Okay, maybe some will now say that Stalin was an atheist. Actually, he was not an atheist. He did have faith. It is just that he was not a religionist. And there is a big difference between a religionist and those who believe that there is a God (theist). You can believe in God without being a religionist, which was what Stalin was. Anyway, that is not the issue. The issue is many so-called religionists who foam at the mouth when they talk about their religion do not understand what civil rights means and have no respect for civil liberties. And this violates the so-called religion that they profess and try to preach to us. Give me atheist leaders any time. As Karl Marx said, "The first requisite for the happiness of the people is the abolition of religion." And as Lenin said, "There are no morals in politics; there is only expedience. A scoundrel may be of use to us just because he is a scoundrel." *********************************** ADDENDUM Killing the Kelantanese with no water When the Anwar Ibrahim poisoning crisis erupted late last year, Mahathir pooh-poohed the whole matter by saying that Malays do not murder for political ends. Not quite true! Samad Goal was murdered in Kota Bharu - head split open with an axe. The "old timers" tell me, while he was giving a speech during a political rally. Dato Tahar was murdered - I was told, shot all over his body. Some people tell me Dr Burhanuddin Hilmi was poisoned. And those are only the ones I know about. And they were all murdered for political reasons. Yes, Malays DO murder for political ends. Is Mahathir now killing off the Kelantanese, his political rivals, by denying them water? This is what Mahathir said recently, "However, the Kelantan government could not even ensure clean water for its people. When you turn on the tap, you get coffee instead''. To Mahathir it is all a big joke - something to laugh about. The Kelantan opposition government cannot even provide clean water for its people. Mahathir thinks it is so funny. Mahathir added that the Kelantan State government was seeking help from the Federal Government to overcome its water woes. "They are asking for 600 million Ringgit from us. If we have that kind of money, we will put it to good use". Yes, that's right. If the Federal Government had 600 million Ringgit they would put it to good use. They would not give it to the Kelantan State government to provide water to its 1,500,000 people. That is not good use for the money. 600 million Ringgit can build an F1 racetrack. Foreigners can use the track to enjoy themselves. 600 million Ringgit can also build a beautiful tower in the middle of Kuala Lumpur. That is better use for the money. Water for 1,500,000 people in Kelantan is definitely NOT good use. Kelantan has been facing a water shortage problem for the last 20 or 30 years - long before the opposition took over the State. In 1990, the state fell to the opposition. The Federal Government then suddenly decided to cancel the plan to spend 600 million Ringgit to improve the water supply in the State. The members of the Kelantan Branch of the Housing Developers Association met the Minister-in-Charge of the State, Anwar Musa, to discuss the water problem with him. These developers could not hand over their houses to their buyers as there was no water supply and they were losing money because of it. Anwar Musa told the developers, if they wanted water, they would have to vote in the Barisan Nasional the next general election. As long as the State was under the opposition they would get no water. Then the Federal Government announced they were giving Kelantan State the 600 million Ringgit they required. There was much rejoicing. Kelantan, at last, would be getting water. Then, when everyone's hopes were high, the Federal Government announced they would not, after all, give the State the money. All hopes were dashed. Then it was announced the State would be given the money, but the Federal government would control it and decide how it is used. Then they said the State would not get the money. This is a cruel game to play on 1,500,000 people who have not seen clean water for two generations. You build up their hopes, then you dash it again, just to see the smiles on their faces get wiped off. Today, Kelantan is suffering from a Cholera outbreak. Mahathir is a medical man. He knows how and why Cholera is spread. Does Mahathir announce the water embargo on Kelantan is off? Does Mahathir now give them the 600 million Ringgit promised and un-promised so many times? No! Instead, TV3 parades people before their cameras to show them condemning the Kelantan Government for not being able to overcome the State water woes. The water woes were there long before the opposition took over the State. It is not the opposition government's fault. They inherited the problem when they took over a State that already had no water. This is a cruel game to play on the people of Kelantan. It is not funny, and Mahathir should wipe that smirk of his face. People are dying in Kelantan. And it's all because they have no water. And they have no water because the Federal Government is trying to bring the State to its knees. Was it not Mahathir who condemned the US for its embargo on Iraq? Was it not Mahathir who said the embargo is causing the deaths of thousands of innocent children? Was it not Mahathir who called the Americans murderers for doing this? Does Mahathir not see he is now killing innocent Kelantanese by denying them water? Is Mahathir so sure those dead from Cholera voted for the opposition? What if they did not? What if they did not vote at all? What if they are children and babies who are not even voters yet? Mahathir, are you not a Malay? Are not the Kelantanese Malays? Did you not say Malays do not murder for political ends? Mahathir, stop killing off innocent children and babies! Stop the Cholera epidemic in Kelantan! Give Kelantan the water they need! Give them the water they have been waiting generations for. Most importantly of all, Mahathir, stop gloating. Wipe that smirk off your face. It is not as funny as you think. Denying the Kelantan people water does not prove how incapable the opposition is in running the State. It just proves you would gladly resort to murdering innocent babies just to defeat a political rival. May God have mercy on you, Mahathir, for all those deaths in Kelantan! Raja Petra Kamarudin (28 September 2000) |
| Malaysia : Back to the Dark Ages of sexual taboo Posted: 22 Nov 2011 05:56 PM PST 
GREEN LEFT Since 2008, Seksualiti Merdeka (Independent Sexuality) festival, the LGBTiQ's main vehicle for awareness raising and education made its contribution to Malaysian society in a beautiful, intellectually artistic manner, devoid of vulgarity. It made "straight" heterosexual society realise and appreciate that other forms of sexual love existed and that these could be as genuine as a woman-man love. It had been and still is a struggle for gay men and women to survive even in apparently liberal-minded societies. Those from various sexual orientations and gender identities enjoyed this annual celebration of "love and understanding" for three blissful years without interference from any government quarter. Yet, this year, when Malaysians are acutely aware that the ruling National Front (Barisan Nasional) administration is itching to call snap general elections before the contrasts between opposition administration, and government by rhetoric becomes too clear to most of the electorate, Seksualiti Merdeka and the LGBTiQ community suddenly become the demons of immorality that must be exorcised with a blanket ban. After three years of peaceful festivity and celebration of different sexual orientations by people who have come to accept themselves as they are, through a hard dehumanising struggle with conservative, ridgid rejection of same sex relations and other gender identities, backed by goliath religious establishments expecting conformity to perceived morality in every way, they are seen as a threat to public order. All media (including the mainstream, government controlled media) admit that Seksualiti Merdeka is an annual sexuality rights festival celebrating human rights of people of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity. A coalition of NGOs, artistes, activists and individuals have organised the event since 2008. The celebration for this year, themed "Queer without Fear", began on November 1 and was to continue until November 13 with "forums, talks, workshops, book launches, an art exhibition and stage performances", the November 3 The Star Online, 3/11/11 said. How more civilised can any event get? However, the police moved in to stop these festivities after loud protests by right-wing, ultra conservative organisations and Islamic NGOs (allegedly joined by non- Islamic NGOs). They alleged that these programs would incite disharmony, enmity and public disorder. How that would happen, nobody can say except those who have made these claims. It seems that the acceptance of the knowledge and recognition that human beings of different gender identity and sexual orientation exist threatens traditional ideas of morality and religious belief. If faith is an unchanging entity, it is a wonder how the world's greatest spiritual traditions continue to be practiced and propagated for centuries to this day. The 'seksualiti' scapegoat Having cut short the sexuality festival, and instituted investigations against the organisers -- Seksualiti Merdeka's founder, Phang Kee Teik, 10 campaign organisations including women's rights advocacy organizations, human rights organizations and the Bar Council -- deputy inspector general of the police, Khalid Abu Bakar, excused the ban on grounds of preserving public peace and that the organizers lacked a permit to hold the event. This is a familiar ruse used by the police on so many occassions that any thinking Malaysian recognises it. It is also an unconstitutional denial of our right to freedom of expression and assembly under Article 10(1) (a) and(b) under the Malaysian Federal Constitution, and Article 19 and 20(1) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The country's law, according to him , "did not recognise any deviationist activity that could destroy the practice of religious freedom". However, in the same breath, he assured the public that the police respected human rights and the right to freedom of speech. Since when and by what authority did the police become judges of deviationist activity? Further, in the previous three years, holding the festival had not prevented anybody from practicing their conventional faith. People always have a choice in spiritual expression. Minister of Home Affairs Hishamuddin Hussein took an even more extreme view of Seksualiti Merdeka by calling this peaceful intellectual celebration of sexuality a threat to national security -- keeping a narrow focus on homosexual relations and ignoring other issues of gender identity. Hishamuddin also homed in on the alleged involvement of S. Ambiga, chairperson of the Bersih 2.0 movement and former President of the Bar Council, The Star Online said on November 5. S. Ambiga was accused of being "an organiser" of the sexuality festival. She vehemently denied this to the press on November 4, saying she was invited to officiate the Seksualiti Merdeka festival on November 9, in her personal capacity and not as chairperson of the Bersih 2 movement. In clear contrast to the exaggerated condemnation of this year's Seksualiti Merdeka festival, no eyebrows were raised when Marina Mahathir, daughter of former prime minister Mahathir Mohammad, officiated at the same event when it opened four years ago. Yet, this year, the retired PM was loud in his condemnation of gay relations, expressing unfounded fears of public love-making and people walking naked on Malaysian streets. It is no surprise that the orchestrated protests against Seksualiti Merdeka came from far right groups in bed with the ruling Barisan Nasional, which also targeted S. Ambiga and Bersih 2. The opposition Islamic party -- PAS and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (Peoples Justice Party), did not support the event or LGBT rights, but expressed support for their constitutional right to free expression and assembly. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who has been dogged by two sodomy trials since 1998, also voiced strong support for S. Ambiga and questioned why she had been targeted by right-wing religious extremists. Across the water in Sarawak, assistant minister in the chief minister's department, Daud Abdul Rahman, gave stern warning that the government would " go all out to stop any elements in Program Seksualiti Merdeka 2011 from entering the state". The Sarawak State government would be working with Kuala Lumpur to terminate any gay rally or event held there. He advised Muslim Sarawakians to withdraw or stay away from it, " even though the programme is well received", The Borneo Post Online said on November 8. READ MORE HERE |
| UMNO hendak berbaik-baik dengan semua orang? - baguslah begitu kalau dah sedar Posted: 22 Nov 2011 05:25 PM PST ASPAN ALIAS Beberapa pemimpin UMNO berkata yang parti itu mesti berbaik-baik dengan semua pihak tanpa mengira siapa untuk mendapatkan undi dalam pilihanraya yang akan datang. Beberapa orang pemimpin peringkat majlis tertinggi parti berkata UMNO tidak boleh mengasingkan mana-mana pihak. Yang penting parti itu mendapat undi dan menang pilihanraya. Itulah di antara kata-kata pemimpin seperti Abd Rahman Dahalan, Bung Mokhtar, serta Idris Haron dan beberapa orang yang lain. Semua yang memberikan komen ini menyatakan perkara yang satu, iaitu untuk mendapat undi. UMNO itu wujud seolah-olah hanya untuk mendapat undi maka itu sebabnya pemimpin-pemimpinnya harus berbaik-baik dengan semua orang tanpa mengira kaum, agama, adat resam dan budaya.
Betullah pandangan mereka ini. Tetapi UMNO tidak gemar pula apabila PAS berbaik-baik dengan DAP atau PKR. Nampaknya yang boleh berbaik-baik dengan semua orang hanyalah UMNO kerana UMNO sahaja yang patut mendapat undi. Kalau PAS berbaik-baik dengan DAP itu salah. Kalau UMNO berbaik dengan MCA itu salah dan meninggalkan perjuangan untuk Melayu dan Islam.
Dalam negara kita demokrasi ini agak pelik kerana masing-masing parti bercakap berbeza dengan siapa pemimpin mereka bercakap. MCA dan pemimpin utamanya Chua Soi Lek bercakap seolah-olah kita semua ini adalah rakyat yang bodoh dan belum lagi mengenali apa itu sekolah.
CSL memberi amaran yang rakyat jangan menyokong DAP kerana DAP tidak menyokong hukum hudud. Tetapi setakat yang semua tahu MCA lah yang menempelak PAS dengan kuat kerana PAS pernah membuat penekanan terhadap pelaksanaan hukum hudud. Tetapi CSL semalam berkata dengan jelas di genting highlands yang semua kemudahan perjudian akan di hapuskan jika PR mendapat tempat dan mandat dari rakyat dalam pilihanraya yang lalu.
Inilah caranya MCA selama ini berkempen tetapi sekarang taktik dan cara itu sudah tidak dipakai lagi kerana rakyat sedar yang masing-masing parti atau individu rakyat mesti menghormati di antara kaum dalam negara ini.
Rakyat tidak lagi termakan hasutan pemimpin-pemimpin yang terdesak seperti MCA itu. Lagi kita nampakan 'desperation' kita lagi jauh rakyat meninggalkan kita. MCA memang sedang dalam keadaan terdesak. Parti atau pihak yang terdesak selalunya akan melakukan perkara-perkara yang pelik-pelik.
Itulah sebabnya ramai pemimpin-pemimpin dunia bertukar menjadi diktator apabila merasakan yang mereka tidak mampu untuk bertahan di dalam sistem demokrasi negara mereka. Seseorang yang mengambil demokrasi sebagai wadah perjuangan dan pentadbirannya mereka selalunya mengambil penampilan populis. Tetapi penampilan populis ini ada had kepada sokongan rakyat terhadap mereka.
Ramai di antara pemimpin yang mempunyai semangat demokrasi yang tinggi selalunya akan meninggalkan jawatan mereka sebelum mereka menghadapi tekanan ini. Tetapi bagi mereka yang masih bernafsu untuk berkuasa mereka terpaksa melakukan legislation yang ketat terhadap rakyat dan secara beransur-ansur mereka menjadi diktator.
Dalam proses penerusan pentadbiran diktator atau demokrasi yang ala diktator itu berbagai-bagai cara dilakukan untuk menekan dan memaksa rakyat memberikan sokongan kepada mereka.
Di negara kita kerajaan dipilih melalui proses pilihanraya walaupun perlaksanaan demokrasi itu tidak berada di atas 'level playing field' dan hanya memberi 'advantage' kepada pihak yang memerintah.
Saluran TV perdana digunakan oleh pihak yang memerintah untuk mengutuk dan menekan pembangkang dan pihak pembangkang tidak diberikan masa yang secukupnya untuk menyampaikan message kepada rakyat. Pembangkang terpaksa berhempas pulas untuk mendekati rakyat dan ini merupakan satu pelacuran terhadap semangat demokrasi yang sebenar. READ MORE HERE |
| 1MDB got prime land for a song, says DAP Posted: 22 Nov 2011 05:12 PM PST Tony Pua dares Putrajaya to deny that it sold Sungai Besi land at a massive discount. (Free Malaysia Today) - DAP today demanded confirmation or denial from the Najib administration that it sold 495 acres of prime land to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) at a "ridiculously low price". Speaking to reporters in Parliament, DAP publicity chief Tony Pua alleged that Putrajaya, without calling for tenders, sold the Sungai Besi land to 1MDB for RM74.20 per square foot, which he said was far below the market price. He disclosed that said the DAP-led Penang government recently conducted an open tender for 101 acres of land and sold it for RM1.07 billion. This means the land in Penang was sold at RM240 per square foot although it should be cheaper than land in Sungai Besi, which is part of the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur. "At RM240 a square foot, the Sungai Besi land should be worth a whopping RM5.2 billion," Pua said. "Despite its high potential valuation, the government has chosen to transfer the land to 1MDB for only RM1.6 billion, or RM3.6 billion less." Land in Kuala Lumpur is said to be selling at RM500 per square foot. Pua said the massive discount given to 1MDB was a major loss of revenue to the government. READ MORE HERE |
| HINDRAF's statement in response to FMT news report on Karpal's call to Unite under Pakatan Posted: 22 Nov 2011 04:35 PM PST If we take a strong position with Pakatan now, driven by a commitment that we are making the right choice for the Indian working class then the see-saw is easily tipped back. However, given our experience, it behoves us to ensure that we are not just entering into a partnership of convenience but into a partnership based on mutually agreed upon principles so that any partnership we enter into will be robust and sustainable. By P.Waytha Moorthy We welcome DAP Chairman Mr Karpal Singh's invitation to us to join the Pakatan Rakyat coalition in a joint effort to unseat UMNO/BN in the forthcoming 13th GE. It is time that we recognise that we have had problems in the last 3 years, and also that it is now time to put aside those quarrels and to work out a strategy and synergy that is absolutely necessary and truly possible to unseat UMNO/BN. Hindraf can in no way oust the ruling party on its own, and recent trends show that Pakatan is in the same boat. Both in 1990 with Semangat 46 and 1999 with Barisan Alternatif when there was disarray within UMNO the opposition coalition could not galvanize enough support amongst the polity to unseat UMNO. Only when Hindraf moved the critical working class Indian votes in GE12 in 2008 away from BN/UMNO was a there a definite change to that pattern. Only synergy will do the job. As it stands today there seems to be a shift of 20-50% of the Indian votes away from Pakatan compared to that GE in March 2008. We say this has happened because of the ambivalence we have shown towards Pakatan in these intervening years. And our ambivalence deriving from our differences with Pakatan, was our way to indicate to the Pakatan coalition that Pakatan ignores us at their peril. The result of the ambivalence and the loss of the Hindraf momentum was the recent spate of visible by-election losses for Pakatan. We hope the point is abundantly made and it is time to move on. If we take a strong position with Pakatan now, driven by a commitment that we are making the right choice for the Indian working class then the see-saw is easily tipped back. However, given our experience, it behoves us to ensure that we are not just entering into a partnership of convenience but into a partnership based on mutually agreed upon principles so that any partnership we enter into will be robust and sustainable. To realize our mutual objectives, we call upon Mr Karpal Singh now to initiate discussion between the leaders of Pakatan and Hindraf/HRP to take this discussion to the next stage. If Pakatan truly wants to oust UMNO/BN from the seat of power, then Pakatan has to see the opportunity in this. In this context, we would like to add that the move to form the larger Pakatan coalition should encompass all the parties opposed to UMNO/BN across the spectrum in the Peninsula, Sarawak and Sabah, not just the few in the Peninsula. Even our nemesis, the UMNO led BN has 13 other parties spanning the whole country. Let wisdom prevail. |
| Response to Malaysia Today for Open Letter to TM Group CEO on Request to Discontinue ... Posted: 22 Nov 2011 04:32 PM PST We refer to the article published by the Malaysia Today on 21 November 2011 on the request by Mr. Bobby Chiah of Kipark Selayang Condominum for TM to discontinue the construction of new telecommunication tower built opposite the condominium. Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) wishes to clarify that its network team has immediately conducted a site visit this morning to the said location to ascertain the ownership of the tower mentioned. The visit confirmed that the tower in fact does not belong to TM and a signage erected within the vicinity of the tower, which is being built inside a water tank premise, indicated that it belongs to another telecommunications provider. There is also an existing tower which again belongs to another telecommunications provider. TM wishes also to inform that we do not plan to construct any new tower in the area in the near future, except for maintaining the existing exchanges to cater to our current TM customers. Please be assured that TM takes the safety and welfare of our customers very seriously and is committed to adhere to the policies and guidelines set by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (KPKT); namely 'Garis Panduan Pembinaan Menara Telekomunikasi, Struktur Sistem Pemancar Di Kawasan Pihak Berkuasa Tempatan-2002' on the construction of any new towers. Our TM representatives also managed to speak to Kipark Selayang Condominum's Residents Chairman to explain the situation. We are also replying directly to Mr. Chiah in response to the letter published here. We hope the explanation above clarifies the matter and sincerely hope your concerns will be addressed by the appropriate parties. On a separate note, we seek Malaysia Today's cooperation in extending future concerns regarding TM submitted by your readers to us directly for us investigate and respond appropriately. |
| PAS may close Genting casino Posted: 22 Nov 2011 04:28 PM PST Islamic party chief says this is possible if they win Pahang (The Malay Mail) - The nation's sole casino attraction may be forced to shut down if Pakatan Rakyat (PR) wins Pahang in the next general election. State PAS chief Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man told The Malay Mail the party may consider closing up Resorts World Genting's gambling operations if it wins the State. The party's information chief said PAS will need to first discuss with its coalition partners and relevant stakeholders before a consensus is reached. "Genting is still on lease from the State government. We need to see how we perform during the next general election. But we will discuss with our component parties. This involves religious concerns. The discussion will also include all stakeholders." Tuan Ibrahim was responding to MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek's claims on Monday that Genting will become a victim if PR takes over Putrajaya. Dr Chua said PAS will try to assert its influence to force PR to implement similar policies in Kelantan where the State government has banned lottery outlets. "Therefore, the Opposition claim that hudud law will not affect the non-Muslims is not true." Tuan Ibrahim said Dr Chua was ignorant of hudud laws and should not make statements over subjects he is not well-informed. "He (Dr Chua) does not understand hudud, so he should not comment. Hudud is only for Muslims and not non- Muslims. He should not say anything because he does not see the whole picture. That shows how ignorant he is." Tuan Ibrahim's response is bound to further strain PR after both PAS and DAP agreed to disagree over the implementation of hudud laws in the country. The issue almost tore the coalition apart after DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng threatened the party's entire central committee would resign if Islamic laws were forced into PR's Common Policy Framework. During the 2008 election, PR only managed to garner four from 42 state seats in Pahang with DAP and PAS holding two seats each. |
| Taxi service to airport Posted: 22 Nov 2011 04:25 PM PST By Fendyoasis I am writing in response to the MAS-AIR ASIA deal article. This has hot nothing to do with the deal but I just want to talk about the taxis in the airport and the little Napolean sucking us dry. I don't own a car and I use the taxis all the time. Now, have you ever wondered at the ludicrousness of the charge of taking taxis to the airport? Do you know that taxis that drive passengers to the airport will charge the passenger an extra RM12 (if I am not mistaken) as compensation for them not to take any passengers from the airport back to town? They can't take any passengers from the airport or they will get a fine. Why is this? To protect the cronies of the taxi companies that run the airport so they will always have passengers from the airport. A taxi driver said to me that Nazri holds these companies. I don't know I am just quoting him, so don't saman me please. Now isn't this a waste of our money? Why must we waste extra RM12 bucks just so that the business of airport taxis be profitable? Why can't we not pay the RM12 bucks and the taxi driver that drives us to the airport can pick up passengers from the airport and charge them by the taxi meter? No need to pay any extra charges at all. The taxi driver is happy, I am happy because I have to pay less. And in the end the economy is thriving at an efficient manner at the least cost for me and the taxi driver can maximize profit. Right? This is what is happening on how Malaysia is being run. We don't need to think of the complications of the MAS and Air Asia deal. Just see the charges of taxi service to the airport and we can see the little Napoleans at work. On a side note, kinda like charging tax for imported cars to force us to buy Proton cars. And they always ask us to reduce the cost of living. Why don't they just abolish the AP so that we can just buy cheap cars? Then we don't need to be burdened with an 11-year car loan. Proton can die after that. We really have stupid people running Malaysia now. |
| Reports lodged at 13 police stations against NFC Posted: 22 Nov 2011 04:24 PM PST PKR women's wing chief Zuraida Kamaruddin said the reports were against five individuals including Najib Tun Razak and Shahrizat Abdul Jalil. (Free Malaysia Today) - All of PKR's women wings simultaneously lodged police reports this morning over the National Feedlot Centre (NFC) controversy, except Kelantan. The Kelantan women's wing will lodge a report in the afternoon because of the flood situation.
Speaking at the Dang Wangi district police station, PKR's women wing chief Zuraida Kamaruddin said: "All the wings are lodging reports simultaneously except for those in Kelantan who would lodge reports in the afternoon," said Zuraida, who is also Ampang MP. Yesterday, Zuraida told the press that the police reports would be made against five individuals. They are Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin (who was Minister of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry when the project was approved in 2008); current Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Noh Omar; Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil and NFC chairman Dr Mohamad Salleh Ismail. Shahrizat's family has been accused of missuing a RM250 million government soft loan given for the NFC project. Salleh is Shahrizat's husband. The police reports were lodged at 13 police district headquarters. READ MORE HERE |
| Mismanagement galore irks PAC Posted: 22 Nov 2011 04:22 PM PST The committee is tired of the endless cases of mismanagement and wants to fix the problem. (Free Malaysia Today) - Cases of mismanagement of public funds and projects continue to pile up and the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is peeved with this. To get to the botttom of the matter, PAC chairman Azmi Khalid said the committee would call in Finance Ministry officials and the chief secetary to the government Mohd Sidek Hassan in January. He was speaking to reporters in Parliament after meeting representatives from the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry regarding the latest scandal involving the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC). "The management system (of projects) needs to be re-looked at. Even when (the ministries) are telling the truth, people are fed-up (with their explanations)," said the Padang Besar MP. He said that NFC was on a long list of mismanaged projects which PAC had encountered since 2008. "Today, we talked about the management of NFC, the full amount of money given to a special account by 2009 but the deal was only signed in 2010. This is a recurring problem at all levels in the ministries. "Poor-management, changing of the goal post… poor planning and mis-coordination. Their intention for the project is good but the execution is problematic," he added. Azmi stressed that the problem must be fixed as Malaysia moved towards the status of a developed nation. READ MORE HERE |
| MACC must go after the big fish Posted: 22 Nov 2011 04:19 PM PST Steve Oh, CPI The road to democracy let alone the "world's best democracy" is a road far less travelled when it is peppered with potholes of corruption and the authorities are selective who they prosecute. The unfailing flow of public corruption scandals involving government politicians has reached a crisis. The government cannot afford to brush them aside in the face of compelling evidence of improper even culpable conduct and risk eroding its credibility further. They say the devil is in the details and the Auditor-General has provided the smoking gun of financial mis-firings that should provide the leads to successful prosecutions. It is this failure to bring those culpable to court that makes the Auditor-General's reports appear like a serial horror show as similar irregularities recur year after year. Malaysians no longer are fooled by the dangling carrots of jaw-dropping projects and pie-in-the-sky promises that are pure spin and as unreal as an Arabian-desert mirage. They believe in concrete results. Even the devil can tempt and make false promises. Malaysians have to stop short-changing themselves because the corrupt politicians won't desist from cheating them. I qualify 'the corrupt politicians' because not all politicians can be tarnished with the same broad brush. Not all politicians or law-enforcers are corrupt. They should know bad company corrupts good character unless they purge the corrupt whoever they are from their midst. Those who are exposed for their wrongdoings but tell fibs to intelligent Malaysians or those who cover up for them are not very clever or honest. I am reminded of the noble Malay man who dobbed in his son's illegal activities to the police. He was a simple villager but believed in the age old adage that 'honesty is the best policy.' We need more honest politicians and more honest law enforcers. The police and MACC can start enforcing this 'ethos' among their troops and go after the big fish and we will believe they are sincere in seeking public feedback. The public will stand behind them. Otherwise they will be accused of false pretences and passing the buck to the public or desperately running out of ideas when they have refused the Royal Commission's sound recommendations. Not long ago Idris Jala warned of the country's impending bankruptcy only to tell Malaysians today that the country will now not go broke. Maybe we should export this 'miracle cure' to Europe. Jesus can change water into wine but can a country change imminent bankruptcy into a high-income country overnight? Perhaps the government can for the select few. Politicians say too many contradictory things and confuse the people. They should just stick to the truth even if it is a bitter pill because truth never hurt a good cause. Malaysians love the truth but the politicians keep telling them lies. You can't say 'we will abolish the ISA' and then jail some people without trial and damn them as 'terrorists.' The late Colonel Gaddafi said 'everybody loves me' and called his people 'rats' but instead of leading at the front he died like a rat. Doing the opposite of what you say is too much like Gadaffi – the lying and delusional dictator. The Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011 is yet another anomaly for a country on its way to being the 'world's best democracy.' If it sounds like the usual hyperbole the facts back it. Delusion, deception, hallucination, they all belong to the category of lies because they are far from the reality. The moral and political awakening taking shape in the country may not be enough to see structural and regime change unless those that prop up the leaning tower of a dishonest demagogy seen in practice, within a democracy promulgated in theory, realize that what awaits is not the promised land for every citizen but a plundered nation misappropriated by the thieves that you put into power. READ MORE HERE |
| Call to reopen probe not politically motivated Posted: 22 Nov 2011 04:14 PM PST (WikiSabah) - Former Finance Minister Datuk Haji Mohammad Noor Mohammad Mansoor told the High Court here yesterday that the call for re-investigation into the plane crash that killed former chief minister Tun Fuad Stephens and all 10 others on board the Nomad aircraft onJune 6, 1976was not politically motivated. Mohammad Noor, who held the post during the Berjaya government, said the family members of those leaders who perished in the air crash have their right to say what they wanted to say and to do what they wanted to do but there are one or two million of Sabahans, including himself, who wanted to know what really happened on that day.
Mohammad Noor was responding to counsel Trevor Maringking's suggestion during cross-examination.
Trevor had earlier on said that from the press statement issued by some of the family members of the perished leaders, they wanted politicians to leave out the crash tragedy alone and just argue on the issue of oil royalty based on the statement of Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, and suggested that they were saying that this call for re-investigation is politically motivated.
Mohammad Noor was testifying before justice Dato' Abdul Rahman Sebli in the ongoing hearing of a RM50 million suit brought by Tan Sri Harris Salleh against Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Datuk Yong Teck Lee and the party for allegedly insinuating that he (Harris) was involved in causing the plane crash.
Mohammad Noor was the first witness called by the defendants who are represented by counsel Datuk Simon Shim and Flora Dius.
Harris, 81, who filed the suit on June 6, last year, is claiming general damages, aggravated and exemplary damages of not less than RM50 million to be assessed separately against Yong and SAPP as the first and second defendants respectively.
He is also seeking an injunction to restrain the defendants whether by themselves or their servants or employees or agents from printing and publishing further the statements and similar libel in any form or means.
Harris is represented by leading counsel Yunof Maringking and Trevor.
To another question from Trevor, Mohammad Noor said he was aware that some of the family members of the perished leaders were not in favour of re-investigating the air crash despite the purported new information by Tengku Razaleigh being reported in the newspapers.
"Yes, I heard of that but that is their right and I also have my own right," he said, adding that as a Sabahan, he wanted to know what really happened and Sabahans also have their right to know what really happened.
"Once the investigation is on and the real cause is known, probably those who perished can rest in peace and we, also as Sabahans, would have peace of mind," he said.
He said that until now there was no proof of the cause of the incident otherwise all people have the benefit to read the report now.
However, the witness said that he was not aware that sometime in 2009, the then Deputy Transport Minister had given the government an explanation concerning the cause of the aircraft incident in parliament.
Mohammad Noor agreed that it was possible that Harris had given a briefing concerning the cause of the air crash during a cabinet meeting that he (witness) did not happen to be present.
He agreed with Trevor's suggestion that if members of that cabinet were not satisfied with the cause of the incident, they could pass a motion in the state assembly or during a cabinet meeting to ask for the Federal Government to make further investigations into the air crash at that time.
Meanwhile, when Yunof suggested that since Harris had contradicted Tengku Razaleigh's account of the event prior to air crash, it would be prudent and indeed obligatory for Yong to clarify with both the plaintiff and Tengku Razaleigh before making any further statement on the matter, Mohammad Noor said, "I think the first defendant is acting, just like me as a Sabahan, to know what really happened."
To a further question from Yunof, Mohammad Noor disagreed that the most interested group to find out the real truth on the cause of the air crash tragedy were the family members of the air crash victims.
"The victims were a chief minister and almost the entire State cabinet. As a Sabahan, I think I have the right to know what happened. The family members of those who perished have right to know.
"We should not be deprived of this right to find out what really happened," he said.
He also disagreed with Yunof's suggestion that since the second defendant is now out of Barisan Nasional, it has to create a new issue and no other than the double six tragedy for him to convince the people of Sabah to support him during the next general election. READ MORE HERE |
| Mengapa Umno dan PERKASA tidak bersuara ketika MCA terus menerus menghina Islam? Posted: 22 Nov 2011 04:11 PM PST "Lawak Jenaka yang teruk dan tidak sepadan! MCA menganjurkan forum yang bertemakan "Hudud dan Implikasi ke atas bukan Islam di Malaysia" pada 4 Dis. Dan pada semua orang, Presiden MCA, Chua Soi Lek yang dicemari skandal akan menyampaikan ucaptama serta ucapan penutup. Yang pertama, adakah Chua seorang Muslim? Adakah dia sudah memeluk Islam? Adakah dia benar-benar memahami Hudud? Apa yang membuatkan beliau berhak keatas Hudud? Apakah perkataan "zina" di dalam kamus? Sudah tentu dia akan bersungguh-sungguh untuk menentang dan menghina Hudud kerana, jika dia telah memeluk Islam, dia telah dilempar batu hingga mati kerana menipu isteri dan keluarganya.
Politik hanya perlu berasaskan kepada pembangunan sosial dan ekonomi negara. Ia adalah niat buruk ahli-ahli politik yang kegilaan kuasa yang bertanggungjawab bagi keadaan semasa yang memalukan negara, hal ehwal - ketidakadilan, rasuah dan penghakisan hak-hak demokratik rakyat Malaysia.
Dengan Umno membenarkan MCA dan Soi Lek untuk memperkecil-kecilkan nilai-nilai Hudud sebagai undang-undang jenayah Islam, dengan itu menghina Islam, apakah salah rakyat Malaysia untuk mengatakan bahawa MCA memang anti-Islam? Jika ya, apa yang Umno dan Perkasa lakukan mengenainya? Apakah lidah mereka telah terputus?"
Terjemahan dan petikan padangan dari Jackson Ng seorang wartawan yang telah bersara (Malaysia Chronicle).
Kalau kita boleh buat kesimpulan bahawa memang Umno/Perkasa hanya berani bersuara apabila ianya melibatkan pembangkang tetapi apabila rakan mereka sendiri menghina dan mempertikaikan undang-undang Islam mereka senyap seribu bahasa. Sepatutnya mereka jangan biarkan MCA terus mencabar dan menghina Islam dengan mengatakan sekiranya perundangan Islam yang terdapatnya Hudud dalamnya akan menyebabkan negara ini akan mundur kebelakang dan pelabur akan lari.
Bukan semua rakyat Malaysia dan yang bukan Islam takut dengan perundangan Islam di Malaysia hanya mereka yang suka melakukan jenayah berat saja yang akan menentang perundangan Islam. Kita mendesak agar MCA hentikan perbuatan yang terus menerus mencabar dan menghina Islam. Kepada Umno/Perkasa mengapa membiarkan Islam di hina oleh MCA? Apa tindakan kamu untuk menghalang MCA terus mencabar dan menghina Islam?
Kita rakyat Malaysia tidak mahu ada orang yang cuba mengeruhkan keadaaan dengan memainkan isu agama seperti perbuatan yang melampau yang cuba dilakukan oleh MCA.
Islam yang di perjuangkan PAS bukan seperti yang digambarkan oleh Umno/BN tetapi lebih kepada membawa rakyat Malaysia hidup sejahtera, aman dan damai serta menegak keadilan untuk semua tanpa mengira bangsa, agama dan fahaman politik.
PAS Miri
Jofri Jaraiee |
| Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011: Unconstitutional and anti-democratic Posted: 22 Nov 2011 04:01 PM PST Thus, Parliament cannot suffocate the enjoyment of such liberties. Freedom of assembly is invariably exercised together with other fundamental liberties like personal liberty (Article 5 (1)); freedom of movement (Article 9(2)); freedom of expression (Article 10(1)(a); freedom of association (Article 10(1)(c); freedom of religion (Article 11) and so forth. Tommy Thomas, The Malaysian Insider Why is it always the case that the Malaysian government, in the guise of improving the freedoms of its citizen, enacts laws that actually erode liberties? Since 1960 when the Emergency was revoked, only to be immediately replaced by the dreaded Internal Security Act, 1960 ("ISA"), successive governments have taken state action to the detriment of its people. The Peaceful Assembly Bill, 2011, which had its first reading in the Federal Parliament yesterday, is another example of such retrograde law making. I cannot believe that after 54 years of Merdeka in the 11th year of the 21st century, the Executive has the audacity to present a Bill, which, in its own Explanatory Statement, describes it as "one of the efforts initiated by the government to undertake the transformation of the existing legal framework in relation to the constitutional rights of citizens to assemble". Fundamental liberties are enshrined in Part II of the Federal Constitution, the supreme law of the land. Article 10(1)(b) of the Federal Constitution provides that "all citizens have the right to assemble peacefully and without arms". Freedom to assemble is not absolute; thus, the Federal Parliament may enact laws that have the effect of restricting such freedom in the interest of "security" or "public order". Case law has established that such Parliamentary restriction must be "reasonable" by objective standards. Thus, Parliament cannot suffocate the enjoyment of such liberties. Freedom of assembly is invariably exercised together with other fundamental liberties like personal liberty (Article 5 (1)); freedom of movement (Article 9(2)); freedom of expression (Article 10(1)(a); freedom of association (Article 10(1)(c); freedom of religion (Article 11) and so forth. In perhaps the most important constitutional case in our history, a five-member Federal Court in 1992 in the Nordin Salleh case, held that any state action that would render illusory or meaningless the exercise of any fundamental liberty is unconstitutional. Hence, the Court looks at the effect or consequence of state action. It is against this background of constitutionalism, that the Peaceful Assembly Bill, 2011 must be scrutinised. My first reservation is philosophical. The Bill introduces the concept of "interests, rights and freedoms of other persons", with the police having to weigh such interests, rights and freedoms with that of the persons who wish to assemble. Hence, the inherent clash between Executive and citizen which characterises the eternal struggle for civil liberty has been extended to include the rights of other people — a classic extension of one of the oldest doctrines in politics : divide and rule. In my opinion, a law that is intended to promote the exercise by citizen A and his friends of their right to assemble should not in any way be dependent on the right of citizen X and his friends to object or veto the former's right to assemble. The fundamental freedoms under Part II of our Constitution do not contemplate such clashes between different groups of citizens which would inevitable develop into a contest between majority and minority, with the minority always being the casualty. Accordingly, all references to "the interests, rights and freedoms of other persons" in the Bill are, in my opinion, without any constitutional basis. The same point can be made about the use of new expressions like "counter assembly" and "simultaneous assemblies". Hence, the Parliamentary draftsman is deliberately giving power to the police to impose stringent restrictions and conditions under Paragraph 15 of the Bill that would have the effect of completely nullifying any freedom to assemble. The Bill introduces a new type of assembly that I believe is unprecedented under our law, viz "street protest", which is defined in Paragraph 3 to mean: "an open air assembly which begins with a meeting at a specified place and consists of walking in a mass march or rally for the purpose of objecting to or advancing a particular cause or causes". Paragraph 4(1) of the Bill imposes an outright ban on street protests. The current position is that if the police issue a license under Section 27 (2) of the Police Act, 1967, a "street protest" is permitted. Hence, the new provision in this "reforming" Bill make it worse by totally banning such types of assemblies. This would be unconstitutional. Does this mean that, under this Bill, only assemblies that are not "street protest" are permitted? Yes. What then are the features of such a permitted or sanitised form of "assembly"? READ MORE HERE |
| Rolling Stone names Hendrix best guitarist ever Posted: 22 Nov 2011 03:54 PM PST 
(Reuters) - Legendary musician Jimi Hendrix was named the greatest guitar player in history yesterday by Rolling Stone magazine in a list compiled by a panel of music experts and top guitar players. "Jimi Hendrix exploded our idea of what rock music could be: He manipulated the guitar, the whammy bar, the studio and the stage," said Grammy-winning guitarist Tom Morello in the magazine, citing Hendrix's "Purple Haze" and "The Star-Spangled Banner" as key tracks. Hendrix is joined by the likes of Eric Clapton, BB King, Keith Richards, Jimmy Page and Pete Townshend among the top 10, in a list laden with rock 'n' roll icons spanning decades. The panel of experts recruited to vote for their favourite guitar players included musicians such as Lenny Kravitz, Eddie Van Halen (who was voted No. 8), Brian May and Dan Auerbach from The Black Keys, along with a selection of Rolling Stone's senior writers and editors. The experts also weighed in on their favourites, with Pearl Jam's Mike McCready calling Eddie Van Halen "a master of riffs" and Joe Perry praising Jimmy Page's "vision of how to transcend the stereotypes of what the guitar can do." The full list will be featured in a special issue with four special covers of Van Halen, Clapton, Hendrix and Page, and will be on newsstands and online at rollingstone.com on Friday. Rolling Stone's top 10 greatest guitarists follow: 1. Jimi Hendrix 2. Eric Clapton 3. Jimmy Page 4. Keith Richards 5. Jeff Beck 6. BB King 7. Chuck Berry 8. Eddie Van Halen 9. Duane Allman 10. Pete Townshend y99YM6nk04Q 6yJRtz_fhYE gdt60qNAO2o |
| US tightens noose on Iran Posted: 22 Nov 2011 03:38 PM PST Washington targeting regime's energy sector directly for first time (AFP) - The United States announced fresh sanctions against Iran's energy sector Monday and warned firms against dealing with its banks as it pressed Tehran to abandon its nuclear weapons drive. "The message is clear," US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said. "If Iran's intransigence continues it will face increasing pressure and isolation. Today the United States is taking a series of steps to sharpen this choice."
Clinton, unveiling what she called a "significant ratcheting up of pressure on Iran," said the United States was targeting Iran's energy sector directly for the first time.
"Recent days have brought new evidence that Iran's leaders have continued to defy their international obligations," she said, referring to the strongest report yet from the UN's nuclear watchdog on Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Detailing sanctions against goods, services and technologies for the vital petrochemical sector, Clinton said "there have to be consequences of such behaviour."
Iran's energy sales are thought to account for around 70 percent of the government's budget and are crucial to the broader Iranian economy.
In tandem, US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner issued a warning that any firms doing business with Iran's banking sector could run the risk of funding illicit activities.
The US government named Iran as "a primary money laundering concern," but stopped short of adopting fully blown sanctions against Iran's central bank.
"Financial institutions around the world should think hard about the risks of doing business with Iran," said Geithner.
Britain and Canada also rolled out new measures aimed at pressing Iran to abandon its alleged nuclear weapons program and Clinton said she expected more countries to follow suit.
"We expect additional sanctions by other international partners in the days ahead," she said.
Iran has insisted its nuclear program is peaceful. |
| Vying for dubious achievements Posted: 22 Nov 2011 03:18 PM PST We are great at railing against idiotic politicians at mamak stalls and on social websites, but when it actually comes to doing something, we make excuses; and with that, we dis-empower ourselves. Even some business people are saying that things must change or else there will be a global revolution, particularly against exploitative and uncaring corporations. Marina Mahathir, The Star IN 2000, Malcolm Gladwell wrote a book called The Tipping Point, defining it as "the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point". It's that pivotal moment when people decide that enough is enough and actually do something to make a change. In 2011, we've seen lots of tipping points. It happened at the end of December in Tunisia when fruit seller Mohamad Bouazizi set himself on fire in protest against the confiscation of his stall. That act of defiance against injustice became the tipping point for Tunisians fed up with the system and their rebellion led to the downfall of their president and set off a chain of events in neighbouring countries known as the Arab Spring. Sooner or later, people reach a tipping point where they will no longer tolerate repression and corruption, pushing them to do something about it, even if it means that lives had to be sacrificed. I really have to wonder when we Malaysians will reach our tipping point. Every day, we read so much blatant nonsense from our leaders that the newspapers have truly stopped being readable. News reports treat us all as people of low intelligence because only imbeciles would believe some of the outrageous claims made by our leaders. When elections are in the offing, there is no doubt that our politicians immediately start jockeying for positions by trying to outdo one another. It would be wonderful if they were racing to think up the best policies to manage the country, the economy, social issues, etc. Instead, they are racing to find the silliest ways to strike fear into our souls and find more ways to oppress people. I mean, solar-powered talking Bibles, really? There is a foreign magazine that gives out Dubious Achievements Awards every year. These are a bit like the Ig Noble awards, the opposite of the Nobel prizes, where people are cited for doing the silliest things. Malaysia, especially our politicians, seems to be in the running for a lot of dubious achievements this year. Maybe we should just accept that those are the only achievements we will ever have. Meanwhile, we the people have to live with these shenanigans. We find out every year from the Auditor-General's Report that millions have been wasted on ridiculous items which any fool would know should not cost that much. The report highlights a "mess" in a government-related company and an unexplained stupendously expensive apartment purchase. There are also ministers who claim that none of it has anything to do with the Government. Gee, the Auditor-General must have so little to do that he needs to audit private companies as well. And wow, they must really think we are dumb. And while the world is facing an economic recession that will be more severe than anything ever seen, fodder for revolutions everywhere, what do our politicians care about? Whether people of different sexual orientation should be allowed any space at all to talk about their problems? Like natural disasters, the last thing economic catastrophes care about is whom you're attracted to. And given that most people are heterosexual, the chances are that the people who will be most affected by a recession are the heterosexual and poor. Shouldn't politicians vying for votes be concentrating on them? Perhaps our politicians, unlike voters, don't read. They seem not to have noticed that there are protests going all round the world against inequality, especially the ever-increasing gap between the rich and the poor. Even some business people are saying that things must change or else there will be a global revolution, particularly against exploitative and uncaring corporations. But as always, our politicians are one step behind the rest of the world. They're still dreaming of joining the fat cat 1% and forgetting that the 99% have a lot more votes. Why do we put up with all this? Are our tolerance levels for stupidity that high? Is it because we don't know any better? Or are we just lazy and complacent? We are great about railing against idiotic politicians at mamak stalls and on social websites, but when it actually comes to doing something, we make excuses. We shrug our shoulders and say we can't make a difference, only some people can. And with that, we dis-empower ourselves, much to the delight of our leaders. But every now and then, we do rise to the occasion. I think last July we reached a tipping point of sorts, where lots of ordinary people simply got fed up and decided to make it known, albeit peacefully. But have our leaders learned anything from it? Not much, going by the constant demonising ever since. So how long will we put up with imbeciles leading us? How long will we tolerate unbridled greed and hate? |
| CONCLUSION - UMNO CANNOT DEFEND MALAY RIGHTS, LAND OR ANYTHING FOR THAT MATTER! Posted: 22 Nov 2011 03:10 PM PST Can you believe it? Today, The Star reported that San Miguel got the green light from the relevant ministries. In short, the UMNO-led government approved the sale of Esso Malaysia to San Miguel a beer giant [http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/11/22/business/9950548&sec=business]. 560 pieces of strategic pieces of land throughout Malaysia (no-brainer right because these pieces of land are specially chosen for the traffic volume) to a foreign company whose directors are now under investigation in the Philippines for insider trading. As one of the member of the Senate committee stressed, we have enough evidence to indict that San Miguel Director [http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/business/11/15/11/osme%C3%B1-says-has-proof-insider-trading-philex-deals]. So what's this UMNO-led government doing? Diddly shit, nothing in short. On the excuse that any interference in the approval process would send wrong signals to the international press and the foreign investment community, the UMNO-led BN abdicated from its responsibilities. For this reason alone, if this government cannot protect the Malays, Muslims, and Malaysians in general, then it is not fit to govern. The funny thing about all this is how treacherous UMNO and the old guards Mahathir, the sons Mirzan and Muhkriz have all berkomplot to get the beer company into Malaysia. Unbelievable as if it's not enough Mahathir as the advisor of Petronas told Petronas not to bid against San Miguel leaving the light-weights to go against a conspiracy which would go down in Malay history as the greatest betrayal of Malay rights – Tunku Abdul Rahman fought for our independence, our ability to discern what's good for our nation. Mahathir and Najib have decided to betray that trust passed down by Tunku. Mahathir obviously has a thick A-file on Najib so Najib is nothing but a puppet. So we have to ask ourselves what next for Malaysia? In Egypt and Libya they kicked people like Mahathir out for good and threw them behind bars for stealing from the people. In the Phillipinnes, they are putting Arroyo to jail. It's high time we get going on putting Mahathir and his whole family behind bars and maybe even more than that. Our opportunity is fast approaching. Make sure you vote this election. As long as UMNO is there, Mahathir and his cronies Daim, and his idotic children are stealing the riches of the nation. Can you imagine I was sitting there at Sharil (of Sapura fame)'s daughter wedding in Shangri-La and I told myself looking at all these crooks and arseholes and I told myself this is it – It's really too much and this last act of betrayal on Malay rights and our land is the last straw. Anything but UMNO (ABU). Remember, if we do not take this important action, who will? Tunku Fariz Bangsar |
| Sarawak DAP rep booted-out by Speaker Posted: 22 Nov 2011 02:49 PM PST By Joseph Tawie, FMT KUCHING: Padungan assemblyman Wong King Wei was thrown out of the Sarawak assembly after a dramatic 10-minute verbal slug-out with Speaker Asfia Awang Nassar and other Barisan Nasional assemblymen. Asfia issued the Wong with marching orders after the later accused him of being biased. The drama unfolded just before the Minister in the Chief Minister's Office and Minister with Special Functions Adenan Satem began his winding up speech. Wong had informed the Speaker that his (Wong) speech in the debate had been tampered with. Asfia then told Wong to sit down. Asfia said the Dewan had not started the order of the day when Wong raised a point of order. Asfia said any member who wished to raise a privilege complaint was required to give a written notice to the speaker as soon as practicable. It was up to the speaker to decide whether or not the matter should have the precedence accorded to matters of privilege. "You drop me a note as soon as practicable then I will decide. This is under Erskine May," Asfia told Wong. 'Biased' Asfia But an unhappy Wong continued to talk despite the order by Asfia to sit down. Wong's microphone was also switched off. This then led to a war-of-words with Asfia and the BN reps on one side and the opposition members on the other side. During this time, someone was heard uttering that the 'speaker is biased', and this made the Asfia angrier. "Who uttered the word?" asked Asfia. When Wong admitted saying it, Asfia gave him the marching order. Wong however remained in the assembly and only left when security personnel were asked to escort him out of the dewan. Nevertheless, the drama continued for some time as the opposition members continued to 'attack' Asfia for his ruling. The opposition assemblymen only sat down when Asfia threatened to take action. READ MORE HERE. |
| The age of destruction is nigh? Posted: 22 Nov 2011 02:40 PM PST In the barbaric age, the Vikings and the Huns used to invade and plunder the villages using the sword and battle-axe. The people then lived in fear of such a foreign invasion. That age is now lost in the sands of time. The biggest plundering scam so far is the PKFZ (Port Klang Free Zone) scam which has swallowed up the rakyat's money amounting to RM12.5 billion and counting. The question being asked is this: Was the federal government cheated by certain parties or is the federal government that stupid or both? The outcome of the ongoing trial pertaining to this issue is anyone's guess. By Selena Tay, Free Malaysia Today Now a new age has begun, a new age which heralds a new form of plundering – done without swords and battle-axes but just as deadly. Enter the world of scams and plunderers where one can fall prey to a wide variety of scams including the black money scam, scratch and win scam and the magic stone scam where people are easily cheated of their hard-earned money. Con-men and confidence tricksters abound in Malaysia so much so that it is not unusual to hear of Malaysians falling prey to such scams. We hear of Malaysian women being conned into becoming drug mules besides "travel agencies" and "job agencies" cheating people out of their money. Still, the biggest scammer-cum-plunderer award goes to none other than the Barisan Nasional federal government who indulge in big-time scamming to dupe the rakyat. The biggest plundering scam so far is the PKFZ (Port Klang Free Zone) scam which has swallowed up the rakyat's money amounting to RM12.5 billion and counting. The question being asked is this: Was the federal government cheated by certain parties or is the federal government that stupid or both? The outcome of the ongoing trial pertaining to this issue is anyone's guess. Another big plundering scam is the awarding of tender projects. There is certainly some hanky-panky going on as there are cases where the one who gets the tender is the company submitting the eighth lowest and the 23rd lowest bid. This scam was exposed by DAP's Beruas MP Ngeh Koo Ham in a press conference in the Parliament lobby recently. A project named the Sarawak Rural Water Supply worth RM638,910,000 was given through direct negotiation. Other projects given through direct negotiation were the Sarawak Rural Water Supply Reticulation System worth RM83,860,000 and the Sarawak Special Rural Water Supply project worth RM555,050,000. All these humongous sums given through direct negotiation to cronies? The taxpayers have been ripped-off due to the government's failure to award tenders according to proper professional standards and ethical procedures. The above three projects and many more exposed by Ngeh involved a sum amounting to nearly RM404 million and these are only those that have been detected. What about those undetected? It is enough to give you the shivers! Of trains and cows Another big-time rip-off which has been highlighted, this time by PAS MP Dzulkefly Ahmad is the purchase of 38 electric multiple units (EMU train sets) at a price of more than RM500 million more than it was supposed to be. This is the story. Originally the three-coach train cost RM13.725 million each. But this purchase was cancelled as the NKRA requires it to be a six-coach train. Be that as it may, logically the six-coach train should cost only RM26 to RM28 million (the original price x 2) more. But this has ballooned up to RM48 million per train which is thre times more than the original price and worse still the purchase does not include the MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) package which is said to be negotiated separately. The only changes, if it can be called "changes" to the specifications is the addition of CCTV and slide-presentation panel which can only be considered as minor additions to the specifications. The National Feedlot Corporation is also a recent plunder – a crony project as it was awarded to Shahrizat Abdul Jalil (minister for women, family and community development) by Muhyiddin Yassin when he was the minister of agriculture. If a project awarded by one Umno minister to another Umno minister is not called cronyism, then what is it called? The accounts of NFC should be frozen and an independent third party auditors should come in to do forensic auditing. READ MORE HERE |
| French firm fined RM133m for bribery in Malaysia Posted: 22 Nov 2011 02:19 PM PST By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider French engineering group Alstom was fined RM133 million by Swiss authorities after its employees were found to have bribed civil servants in at least three cases including the award of contracts in Malaysia. It is the second French company in as many years to be fined for bribing government officials in Malaysia, after telco firm Alcatel-Lucent paid RM435 million to resolve US criminal and civil probes in December 2010. The four-year probe centred on payments made by Alstom Network Schweiz AG to middlemen — termed "commercial agents" by the company — in return for securing government contracts to build power stations in 15 countries since the 1990s.
The Financial Times reported today that the Swiss Office of the Attorney-General said it had not found criminal wrongdoing by the French company and a Swiss affiliate, which, "as far as can be ascertained" did not know about the bribes.
"But it accused Alstom of 'failing to meet the standards for an international group employing over 75,000 people', sanctioning the group for 'corporate negligence'," the international business daily said.
The Washington Post also reported Alstom as saying it was satisfied with the outcome of the case as it concluded "the absence of any system or so called slush funds used for bribery of civil servants."
Alstom supplied Malakoff's gas-fired power plant in Lumut. — industcards.com pic
But the US daily also reported the French firm as acknowledging "that prosecutors had concluded that 'improper payments were made to civil servants in Latvia, Malaysia and Tunisia.'"
"In two out of these three cases, Alstom itself would appear to be a victim of the actions of some of its employees, who would have benefited from kickbacks. In the third one, Alstom was simply a subcontractor of a consortium," the company said, according to Reuters.
Alstom was awarded a RM2.8 billion contract by Tenaga Nasional earlier this year to provide key power generation equipment to Southeast Asia's first 1,000-megawatt (MW) supercritical coal-fired power plant Manjung, Malaysia.
It also won turnkey contracts in 1994 and 2000 to build four power plants including the 1,300MW Lumut and the 670MW Kuala Langat plants and deals in 2003 and 2004 to install environmental control systems for the Tanjung Bin and Jimah coal-fired power plants.
Alstom was also appointed by Tenaga to supply two 125MW hydro power turbines, a generator and ancillaries for the 250MW Hulu Terengganu hydro power plant in 2010. READ MORE HERE. |
| Tony Blair and George W Bush found guilty of ‘crimes against peace’ Posted: 22 Nov 2011 02:16 PM PST By Jeff Taylor, The Economic Voice
Both the former UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and former President of the USA, George W Bush, have been found guilty by a court in Kuala Lumpar, Malaysia of crimes against peace. The duo were found guilty after a four day hearing set up by the ex-Premier of Malaysia, Mahatmir Mohamad in 2007 when he called Blair and Bush 'child killers' and 'war criminals'. Mahatmir Mohamad has been a long standing critic of the Iraq war and had set up a peace organisation that established the Kuala Lumpar War Crimes Tribunal specifically so that it could judge Bush and Blair.
"The Tribunal deliberated over the case and decided unanimously that the first accused George Bush and second accused Blair have been found guilty of crimes against peace." said a tribunal statement.
The pair were tried in absentia by a panel chaired by the Malaysian ex-Federal Court Judge Abdul Kadir Sulaiman. Other members reportedly included peace activist Alfred Lambremont Webre of the United States and Mumbai-based lawyer Niloufer Bhagwat of India. Francis Boyle, an American international law professor based in Illinois was said to be among the prosecutors.
The trial started on Saturday and was over by the end of Tuesday and the tribunal said "The evidence showed that the drums of wars were being beaten long before the invasion. The accused in their own memoirs have admitted their own intention to invade Iraq regardless of international law."
This judgment by a seven member tribunal has absolutely no powers and is seen as a purely symbolic gesture. And it is thought that there will be further hearings regarding torture and war crimes charges laid against another seven people, including the former Vice President of the USA Dick Cheney and the former US Secretary of defence Donald Rumsfeld.
According to reports details of the charges had been sent to both men but no reply had been forthcoming.
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| Mukhriz justifies assembly law as investor draw Posted: 22 Nov 2011 02:09 PM PST By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir claimed today foreign investors "hardly" view governance as a problem in Malaysia and are more concerned with political stability, which he said was damaged in the July 9 Bersih street protest. The international trade and industry deputy minister gave this as a reason for his support of the prohibition of street protests under the new Peaceful Assembly Bill tabled in Parliament yesterday, dismissing criticisms that the law would only further erode civil freedom. Mukhriz said foreign investors were more likely to shy away from parking their businesses in Malaysia if street protests were rampant here, leading to the perception that the country is politically unstable. "When I talk to investors, they hardly ask me about governance and all that... they don't talk about it. "Look at the reports we have been getting, the World Economic Forum, World Bank... everyone is saying we are doing great. "So I wonder where this thought that, supposedly, because of our lack of governance, people are not coming to invest here... to me, that is rubbish," he told reporters when met on the sidelines of the National SME Development Council (NSDC) meeting here this morning. Mukhriz related a question posed to him recently by a potential Japanese investor during a trade and investment mission abroad on whether, in view of the chaotic Bersih 2.0 rally, the Malaysian government could guarantee the security of their investment. "This is a very critical factor for them, for them to commit money, to invest and create jobs and also, to have a lot of spin-offs for our own businesses here. "You can imagine how difficult it was for me to answer this question... but the point here is that political stability is the number one factor in the minds of investors when they are considering where to invest in," he said. Under the Peaceful Assembly Bill (2011) tabled yesterday, street protests would be outlawed along with assemblies taking place in or anywhere within a 50m radius of prohibited areas like schools, hospitals and places of worship. It also says there must be 30 days' advance notice for assemblies except for designated areas defined by the home minister. These assemblies can then proceed unless there is objection by the police. But the proposed law does not apply to election campaigns and labour disputes. Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lawmakers quickly raised objections against the new law, complaining that it would further erode civil freedom and allow more power for the police to conduct arbitrary arrests on peaceful protestors. But in dismissing their concerns today, Mukhriz said street protests should not be held at the expense of the rights of others who were opposed to them, such as the traders whose businesses were affected by the July 9 chaos. He also spoke of recent "revelations" that outside forces were found to have been involved in street demonstrations in other countries and were said to be capitalising on the chaos to their benefit. "[T]here are foreign forces with ulterior motives using all sorts of methods, including street demos to subvert, to create a lot of chaos and in the end, they benefit. READ MORE HERE. |
| DAP threatens to sic PAC, Auditor-General on KLIA2 Posted: 22 Nov 2011 02:07 PM PST By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 23 — DAP today demanded full disclosure of the new low-cost terminal's construction cost from the Transport Ministry, following a report that the project may have exceeded its budget. The party's national publicity secretary, Tony Pua, warned he would request probes by both the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and the Auditor-General's office if Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha does not respond. "He must provide full clarification and justification as to why he has failed to manage and control the cost of the new airport, and why it has been delayed to April 2012, as announced by Malaysia Airports Berhad (MAB) managing director, Tan Sri Bashir Ahmad," Pua told reporters here today. The Edge Financial Daily reported yesterday that the cost of the new low cost carrier terminal, dubbed KLIA2, is speculated to have increased significantly over its original estimate of RM2 to 2.5 billion. The report also quoted MAHB officials as saying that additional cost would not immediately mean higher airport fees as these were regulated by the Transport Ministry and MAHB could recoup the costs from non-aeronautical revenues such as airport retail. The official also said the airport charges are not based on the cost of building the airport and that the return on investment (ROI) for KLIA2 is based solely on non-aeronautical income. However, Pua today dismissed the MAHB official's reported remarks, saying that such an increase in cost would be injurious to the airport's eventual users. "The higher cost will either be translated into higher airport taxes and charges, hurting both domestic consumers and international passengers, and ultimately our tourism industry," said the Petaling Jaya Utara MP. MORE TO COME HERE.
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| Penang wants EC pow-wow over joint polls date Posted: 22 Nov 2011 02:04 PM PST By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 23 — The Election Commission (EC) should set up a meeting between the federal administration and all state governments to discuss an agreeable date for next general election, the Penang chief minister said today. In seeking the consultation, Lim Guan Eng said Pakatan Rakyat (PR) states were now "unfairly" targeted and pressured by the EC towards accepting a concurrent election date with the federal government. "Why only PR states and not [Barisan Nasional]? If the EC is truly free, it should be discussed with all governments, state and federal," he told reporters here. EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Yusof recently said he would meet the chief ministers and mentri besars of the four PR-held states — Penang, Kedah, Kelantan and Selangor — to discuss the benefits of having simultaneous state and federal polls. He was quoted by national news agency Bernama as saying that simultaneous polls would save monetary resources. "I do not see a problem with different elections.... it has not been an issue in the past. If Sarawak can have separate elections, why not other states?" Lim said today. Penang and Selangor have said they would not dissolve their respective state assemblies if an early general election is called. "But we are willing to discuss. Penang is willing to have a fruitful discussion if the EC moves for one," Lim added. |
| Orang Umno kembalilah kepada fitrah Posted: 22 Nov 2011 07:40 AM PST PKR, ialah parti yang tidak mempunyai perjuangan yang jelas. Ia hanya berjuang untuk kepentingan Anwar Ibrahim. Dulu Semangat 46 pun sama, berjuang untuk seorang individu, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah. Parti itu hanya bertahan beberapa tahun sebelum para pemimpinnya ramai-ramai berpatah balik kepada Umno. Zaini Hassan, The Malaysian Insider Minggu depan Umno akan bersidang. Sekitar 5,500 perwakilan akan membanjiri ibu pejabat parti Melayu terbesar itu di Pusat Dagangan Dunia Putra (PWTC) bagi mendengar amanat, nasihat, teguran, celoteh daripada pucuk kepemimpinan sehinggalah ke peringkat bawahan. Perhimpunan ini juga menjadi satu pertemuan yang sangat penting, kerana selepas itu mungkin pilihan raya umum akan diadakan. Sukar dinafikan, sesungguhnya Umno masih lagi menjadi tulang belakang orang Melayu. Ia masih lagi menjadi tempat bergantung orang Melayu. Ini kerana perjuangan parti-parti Melayu lain pun semakin tidak boleh diharap sangat untuk membela bangsa itu. PKR, ialah parti yang tidak mempunyai perjuangan yang jelas. Ia hanya berjuang untuk kepentingan Anwar Ibrahim. Dulu Semangat 46 pun sama, berjuang untuk seorang individu, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah. Parti itu hanya bertahan beberapa tahun sebelum para pemimpinnya ramai-ramai berpatah balik kepada Umno. PAS, sebuah parti Melayu yang konservatif juga tidak boleh diharapkan. Ia menjadi parti yang tidak tetap pendirian. Sekejap terlalu fundamental Islam, sekejap terlalu liberal Islam dan kini PAS dikatakan telah menjadi sebuah parti yang ultra-liberal. PAS sudah menyimpang sama sekali daripada perjuangan asalnya — gara-gara terlalu terikut kepada pendirian liberal Anwar Ibrahim dan aliran ultra kiasu DAP. Memang benar aliran ultra-liberalisme semakin berkembang di negara ini. Jika dulu ia bergerak secara senyap, kini kumpulan ini sudah berani ke hadapan. Difahamkan aliran itu ditanam oleh orientalis Barat dan disokong serta didana oleh kuasa-kuasa besar. Menurut seorang pengkaji Islam Liberal yang merupakan profesor di Monash University, Australia, Dr. Greg Barton, kehebatan Islam Liberal bukan sekadar pada namanya "Liberal" tetapi lebih hebat kerana Islam Liberal berjaya memusnahkan akar-akar Islam termasuk persoalan akidah dan syariah. Beliau yang menghabiskan hidupnya meneliti perkembangan Islam Liberal Indonesia dan menghasilkan tesis PhDnya berkaitan pembangunan Pemikiran Islam Liberal di republik itu menambah: "Islam Liberal akan meruntuhkan tembok sacral al-Quran melalui metodologi dekonstruksi (kritik teks) dan memusnahkan akar syariah dengan ijtihad (penafsiran) terbuka." Tujuannya ialah untuk mencairkan aliran fundamental Islam. PAS secara sedar atau tidak sudah terjebak. Oleh itu PAS juga tidak boleh diharapkan. Setakat ini hanya Umno yang tinggal. Umno masih beruntung kerana ia masih mendokong kerajaan negara ini dan menerajui sebuah parti perikatan yang terdiri daripada banyak parti komponen. Ikut atas kertas, Umno masih mendapat sokongan ramai orang Melayu. Namun, adakah Umno sendiri bergerak di atas landasan yang lurus? Wawancara Mingguan Malaysia bersama Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad Ahad lepas menceritakan mengenai Umno dan orangnya. Dr Mahathir berkata Umno perlu ditegur dari semasa ke semasa. Sebagai parti yang besar, benar ia memang patut ditegur. Landasan yang bengkuk harus diluruskan. Apakah ahli-ahlinya, khusus para pemimpin parti itu masih berpegang kepada falsafah asal penubuhannya? Siapa sebenarnya orang Umno sekarang? Ikhlaskah perjuangan ahli-ahli dan para pemimpin Umno ini? Mengapa masih kedengaran pergeseran di sana dan sini mahu merebut menjadi calon Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) dan Ahli Parlimen (MP)? Apa hebat sangat mahu menjadi calon? Besarkah gaji seorang ADUN dan MP? Mengapa ada yang sudah berjawatan CEO dengan gaji berganda-ganda besar daripada elaun MP atau ADUN, pun sanggup juga melobi untuk menjadi calon? Dalam usaha kerajaan mahu mewujudkan rakyat berpendapatan tinggi, tinggi sangatkah gaji seorang ADUN dan MP yang mahu direbut itu? READ MORE HERE |
| Is it just the economy, stupid? Posted: 22 Nov 2011 07:32 AM PST Yes, I'm talking about civil liberties stuff. You know, free speech, human rights, separation of powers and all that good stuff that civil society cares about. In the past, this was fringe stuff, especially when compared to the economy. But as society progresses and matures, this is exactly the kind of stuff that matters. The so-called "rice bowl" is not the be all and end all any more. Oon Yeoh, The Sun Daily THERE are so many factors that will determine which coalition – Barisan Nasional (BN) or Pakatan Rakyat (PR) – will win the next general election. I think everyone, including opposition supporters, agree that it will be tough going for PR to win because of the East Malaysia factor. It's not for nothing that Sabah and Sarawak have been called BN's "fixed deposit". Barring a miracle, it's highly unlikely that we will see any significant East Malaysian swing to PR in the general election. However, if PR manages to win enough seats in Peninsular Malaysia to win a simple majority (or close to it), we are likely to see East Malaysia parties switching sides. This is not to say East Malaysian politicians sway easily, but rather that they are extremely pragmatic. So, if BN were to lose the peninsula in a big way, it could very well find its fixed deposit slipping away after the polls. I'm sure BN's political analysts and strategists recognise this, which is why the fight for votes in the peninsula is so important. The economy is a big factor. That's the case everywhere you go, not just in Malaysia. Remember US President Bill Clinton's famous phrase, "It's the economy, stupid!"? But there's also another factor that's increasingly important, especially amongst the urban folk and most notably amongst the young. And it's the kind of stuff that BN traditionally doesn't score very well in. Yes, I'm talking about civil liberties stuff. You know, free speech, human rights, separation of powers and all that good stuff that civil society cares about. In the past, this was fringe stuff, especially when compared to the economy. But as society progresses and matures, this is exactly the kind of stuff that matters. The so-called "rice bowl" is not the be all and end all any more. People do start caring about the environment, about transparency, freedom of information and so on. The exposure the internet affords today's youth plays a big role here. Where in the past, the main sources of information were TV, radio and newspapers, these days people just go online for alternate viewpoints. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak recently said winnable candidates are those who are accepted by the new generation. He went as far as to say that this would be the decisive factor in the next general election. For its part, Umno Youth unveiled a new slogan: "BN pilihan orang muda (BN, the choice of the young)." "All our efforts will be focused on that slogan. We want to show young Malaysian voters that the choice is in their hands, and what BN has to offer," its chief Khairy Jamaluddin said. If it is really true that the election will be decided by the so-called "new generation", the prime minister would do well to consider whether the various issues that this segment of society cares about are best championed by BN or PR. When Najib first became prime minister, he made all the right moves. He took walkabouts and mingled with the public. His 1Malaysia slogan told people he wanted a united country, and his remark that the days of "government knows best" are over gave people hope that his administration would be less paternalistic. If I were Najib's political adviser, I would tell him not to rely only on the warm and fuzzy feedback he gets from the people he meets on his walkabouts or at tea parties for his Twitter followers and Facebook fans. Well-wishers in such situations are not going to give brutally honest feedback. Rather, I would commission a public opinion survey and ask folks whether they think racial polarisation is still a problem or whether they feel people are more united than ever before. It's also worth asking if people feel the government is adequately catering to their idealistic aspirations for a more civil society. It might be the economy, stupid, but like it or not, these are the kinds of things that the new generation cares about. And they're the kind of things that help win elections in this day and age, the economy notwithstanding. Oon Yeoh is a new media consultant. |
| Paper Castles In The Air Posted: 22 Nov 2011 07:17 AM PST MASTERWORDSMITH UNPLUGGED The young indulge in building castles in the air whereas the rich and famous build paper castles! Recently, Sarawak Report carried an article HERE which said that "Chief Minister Taib Mahmud and PM Najib Razak have been trumpeting their economic policies in the light of plaudits given by an outfit called the Oxford Business Group." According to Oxford Business Group's (OBG) regional editor, Paulius Kucinas (at this link), Sarawak remained an attractive destination for capital investments as it rode on the structural rise for commodities worldwide. At the launch of The Report: Sarawak 2011, he said that it provides in-depth detail on Sarawak' current economic outlook and what the future holds for the state.
The official Oxford Business Group site states that the report for Malaysia can be purchased at the cost of 130 pounds for the printed edition or 104 pounds for the digital edition which are available as soon as payment clears while print copies are shipped within 24 hours on business days. To receive the Economic Updates for the report, go to 'My Subscriptions'.
One puzzling fact though - Cost of the report for Sarawak is 104 pounds but it is not stated as to whether it is the printed edition or the digital one.
For the report on Malaysia, one can opt to purchase individual chapters on Country Profile, Politics, Economy and Banking. For more information about the launching of the report in West Malaysia, check out THIS LINK.
I am not going to raise issues which have been comprehensively covered by Sarawak Report HERE (a must read for everyone!).
1. Why is the publication and writing of such reports given to overseas publishing houses? Surely our economy does not need more outflow of money for work that can be done by local publishing houses and writers!
2. Presumably, it must be quite expensive to have commissioned such reports. If indeed the intention is to give prospective investors more opportunities to discover more about Malaysia, surely a local publication would have ensured cheaper publications with better and more up-to-date data.
3. Working on the assumption that they wanted better quality writing for the reports to elevate their status, consider the following sentence taken from HERE and draw your own conclusions about the quality of writing. Do take note of the parts I highlighted in bold font and underscored:
Endowed with prodigious natural resources, including rubber, palm oil and oil and gas, Malaysia has expanded into manufacturing, services and tourism, and is seeking to move further up the value chain in industrial production.
So are they paying for quality writing? You be the judge! The introduction to the report on Sarawak was written more stylishly. Check HERE. Excerpt: Sarawak shares the island of Borneo with the Malaysian state of Sabah, the sultanate of Brunei Darussalam, and the Indonesian provinces of Kalimantan. Its 2.4m people are considered the most diverse of all Malaysian states, with a mix of indigenous Christian Ibans, Chinese, Muslim Malays, and many other ethnic and religious groups. The state's chief minister, Abdul Taib Mahmud, of the National Front party retained his hold on power by winning re-election in 2011, despite a strong showing by the opposition Democratic Action Party. Sarawak's economic growth has long depended on the three key pillars of oil and gas, crude palm oil, and timber exports. A host of new sectors are set to receive a boost, however, under the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE), which aims to develop the state's central region. SCORE will exploit Sarawak's 20,000 MW of hydroelectric potential, using this power to develop industries in metallurgy, aquaculture, food processing, information technology, and downstream palm oil and timber products. 4. Perhaps the authorities concerned can respond to the following excerpts taken from Sarawak Report: The London HQ advertised on the company's website is in fact an office rental centre, where rooms can be let on demand. We were informed that the Oxford Business Group no longer has office space in the building, although "they sometimes still come in and out" .
However, the Editorial Director of these reports is none other than a former Editor of the UK's most ridiculed porn rag, the Daily Sport, which closed earlier this year.
Did they check out the background of the company to see if they are legit set-ups or dodgy shady outfits? READ MORE HERE |
| Can a series of short films halt an impending environmental disaster called Lynas? Posted: 22 Nov 2011 12:01 AM PST By Magick River Lynas claims its rare earth processing plant will provide 350 jobs to Malaysians. Big deal - especially when Lynas will be exempt from paying taxes for 12 years on its projected earnings of approximately RM8 billion a year. Madam Lai Kwan was pregnant in 1982 when she worked at the Mitsubishi rare earth refinery in Bukit Merah, Malaysia. This film is a peek into the life she has led since her child was born in 1983... I applaud Tan Chui Mui's cinematic initiative, dubbed Survival Guide untuk Kampung Radioaktif , wherein she recruited a group of young filmmakers to raise public awareness on an extremely serious issue through satire, humor and empathy. What prompted Tan to take action is the simple fact that she was born 33 years ago in a fishing village named Sungai Ular, a stone's throw from the site in Gebeng, Pahang, where Lynas Corporation is in the process of completing what is touted to be the world's largest rare earth processing plant. According to Fuziah Salleh, PKR member of parliament for Kuantan, Lynas submitted its Environmental Impact Assessment to the Pahang state government on 21 January 2008 - and it was approved in less than 3 weeks.
Something like that can indicate one thing only - a few powerful and privileged palms were heavily greased. Even more astounding, Malaysia's Ministry of International Trade and Industry granted Lynas the very next day a 12-year tax holiday. Undoubtedly, dishonest bureaucrats, bribeable panjandrums, and extremely lax environmental enforcement were the main reasons why Lynas picked Malaysia for its highly polluting rare earth processing plant - and the fact that Gebeng is situated in Pahang, Najib Razak's home state, may also be a factor.
Twenty years ago, Lynas would have met with little, if any, public resistance. However, times have changed. The people of Kuantan are up in arms about the imminent destruction of their peaceful, low-stress lifestyle. Indeed, the 700,000 residents of Kuantan district have good reason to be stressed out by Lynas's giant rare earth processing plant - because they live within a 35km radius of it. READ MORE HERE. |
| New assembly law undermines Constitution, says Ambiga Posted: 21 Nov 2011 08:31 PM PST (The Malaysian Insider) - Bersih 2.0 chief Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan slammed today the proposed new law on peaceful assembly for giving greater powers to the home minister and the police to curb dissent and undermine the Federal Constitution. In a statement today, the prominent lawyer accused the government of failing to keep up with international standards and creating instead the illusion that Malaysians now have greater freedom as provided by the country's supreme law. "This Bill restricts our rights as much as possible. It gives unfettered powers to the minister and the police to further restrict the freedom to assemble. It impinges on free speech. In short, it will stymie legitimate dissent in ourcountry," Ambiga charged. "Furthermore freedom of assembly includes peaceful street protests. By excluding this as a right altogether the Federal Constitution is once again undermined," she said. Ambiga moved to punch holes in the Peaceful Assembly Bill tabled this morning, saying it was worse than the existing and unconstitutional section 27 of the Police Act 1967 it was to replace. "This right is one of the most basic and indispensable of the fundamental freedoms necessary for the functioning of a democratic society and is provided for in the Federal Constitution," she said and cited from a 2004 Royal Commission on the Police led by former Chief Justice Tun Mohammed Dzaiddin Abdullah to prove her point. The vocal human rights activist urged the government to immediately withdraw the proposed law if it was sincere to prove correct Datuk Seri Najib Razak's reformist stand on making Malaysia the "best democracy". The prime minister promised a raft of reforms in his Malaysia Day address on September 15, including the repeal of the controversial Internal Security Act (ISA) and doing away with annual permits for the print media, saying he wanted to give Malaysians more freedom. The former Malaysian Bar president cautioned that voters will be watching the MPs to see who supported the proposed law in the run-up to the 13th general election, widely expected to be called early next year. But the Bar Council's current constitutional law committee chief, Syahredzan Johan, took a slightly different stance. READ MORE HERE |
| Making sense of nonsense Posted: 21 Nov 2011 08:01 PM PST
So, YB, are you going to now issue a statement saying that you made an error and that only anal and oral sex are crimes whereas gay relationships are not a crime according to Malaysian law? And if people live together as gay couples and only kiss, hug, touch, rub against each other, masturbate each other, but as long as there is no anal or oral sex, then the government can't do anything about it? NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin Malaysia Today: First of all, Yang Berhormat, thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. Yang Berhormat: I am always happy to talk to the media, even opposition media like Malaysia Today, which never reports the truth and always twists and distorts what we say. MT: Well, YB, we are here today so that you can clarify what you actually said and which you claim has been misreported. You can also take this opportunity to clarify government policy and clear whatever misconceptions or wrong perceptions the public may have. And I promise you, YB, Malaysia Today will report exactly what you said without any editing. YB: Thank you. That is very comforting to hear. First of all, I want the readers to know that I never said that homosexuality is against the Federal Constitution. I said it is against the law. MT: Yes, that is now very clear. In fact, earlier today, Malaysia Today published your clarification and rebuttal. So we are not really as unfair as some allege, YB. YB: Good. And thank you. At least Malaysia Today allows both sides of the story, not like some other opposition newspapers that only report bad things about the government. MT: Actually Malaysia Today is not a newspaper and neither is it opposition owned. Malaysia Today is a sounding board for Malaysians to express their unhappiness with both the government and the opposition. Anyway, that is not the point, YB. What we want to talk about today is your statement regarding homosexuality being against the law. You quoted the section of the law regarding sodomy. It talks about sodomy, not about homosexuality. That section of the law does not say that homosexuality is a crime. It only says that sodomy is a crime. YB: It is automatic. If it involves homosexuality then automatically it involves sodomy. MT: But, YB, that section of the law also makes it a crime for a husband and wife to have anal sex. So heterosexual anal sex also attracts a 20-year jail sentence, even if it is between legally married couples. Why did YB not also stress on this fact: that husbands and wives can also get sent to jail, not just homosexuals? YB: We are not concerned about married couples and what they do in the privacy of their bedrooms. We are only concerned about what homosexuals do in the privacy of their bedrooms. MT: But that is beside the point, YB. It is still the law that married couples who indulge in anal sex can be sent to jail for 20 years, until such a time that this law is amended and stipulates that anal sex is a crime only for those who indulge in same-sex relationships. YB: How can we control what married people do in their bedrooms? It is impossible to monitor what people do in the privacy of their bedrooms. MT: Yet the government wants to monitor what non-married people or gay couples do in the privacy of their bedrooms. How are you going to do this? YB: Well…I….I…. MT: Never mind, YB. Let's move on. The law says that anal sex is a crime. It does not say that homosexuality is a crime. What happens if two people of the same sex live as husband and wife but they do not indulge in anal sex? How can you arrest and charge them? YB: How can they live together but not have sex? MT: They can always indulge in oral sex, YB. YB: You mean they live together as a married couple and just talk about sex? I don't believe that. MT: No, YB, I don't mean oral sex as in talking about sex. I mean….well, you know YB…..lick, lick, suck, suck. YB: Oh, that oral sex! Oral sex is also a crime. It is also punishable by 20 years jail, even if between husbands and wives. MT: Okay, YB, you may be thinking of homosexual relationships as just being between two men. What if the homosexual relationship is between two women? Are you still going to say that it is a crime since there is no sodomy or anal sex involved? And take note, YB, that section of the law you are talking about makes it a crime to indulge in anal sex, not to be a homosexual. YB: Well, if it is two women, then they probably have oral sex. So that means it is also a crime. MT: So, it is the sex act that is the crime then. Being homosexual or living as a gay couple is not a crime. Is that right, YB? YB: Well….yes, that is right. MT: So, YB, are you going to now issue a statement saying that you made an error and that only anal and oral sex are crimes whereas gay relationships are not a crime according to Malaysian law? And if people live together as gay couples and only kiss, hug, touch, rub against each other, masturbate each other, but as long as there is no anal or oral sex, then the government can't do anything about it? YB: Well…I…..I…. MT: Never mind, YB, let's move on. Let us now talk about non-Muslims, in particular Evangelists, preaching or propagating Christianity to Muslims, which has been an issue of late. YB: Yes, according the Constitution that is wrong. So the government can take action. MT: Okay, agreed. According to Article 11(4) of the constitution, it says: "State law and in respect of the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Labuan, federal law may control or restrict the propagation of any religious doctrine or belief among persons professing the religion of Islam." But what about if that person may have been born a Muslim but he later leaves Islam. That means you are technically no longer propagating to Muslims but to ex-Muslims. YB: There is no such thing as ex-Muslims. Once you are born a Muslim or you convert to Islam then you are a Muslim forever until the day you die. MT: But what are the criteria to be a Muslim? YB: I don't understand. MT: Is it not compulsory that you believe in one God, Allah, and accept Muhammad as the last Prophet, the Quran as God's word, and the belief in the Afterlife, and so on? And if you reject this doctrine then your akidah would be demolished and you would cease to be a Muslim? YB: Yes, your akidah is important in Islam. If your akidah is defective then you are no longer a Muslim. MT: So, if a Muslim says he does not believe that Muhammad is the last Prophet or he says he doubts that the Quran is from God but was in fact written by Muhammad's people then he ceases to be a Muslim since he no longer has akidah. YB: Yes. MT: So where is the crime then if the Evangelists preach or propagate Christianity to these people since technically they are not Muslims any longer? YB: Well….I….I….but still we can't allow it. They may be ex-Muslims according to Islam but we still regard them as Muslims and will arrest them and send them for religious rehabilitation to try to bring them back to the right path. MT: So the government regards them as non-Muslims or ex-Muslims but will not allow them to be non-Muslims or ex-Muslims and will arrest them and rehabilitate them and that is why Christians can't preach to them or propagate Christianity to them? YB: Yes, that is correct. MT: Thank you, YB. We hope with this clarification Malaysians can now better understand how the mind of the Malaysian government works. |
| The art of window-dressing (UPDATED) Posted: 21 Nov 2011 06:32 PM PST 
Sarawak Report has investigated the UK headquarters of Oxford Business Group, which claims to have been publishing country reports since 1994. There is no relationship to Oxford the town nor Oxford the University. The London HQ advertised on the company's website is in fact an office rental centre, where rooms can be let on demand. We were informed that the Oxford Business Group no longer has office space in the building, although "they sometimes still come in and out" . (READ MORE HERE) 
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| MyConsti PENANG Event: 'Perjuangan Mahasiswa': The UUCA and the Federal Constitution Posted: 21 Nov 2011 06:08 PM PST 2.00pm on 27 November 2011 Dewan Bandar, Padang Kota Lama /Town Hall, Esplanade. George Town, Penang 
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| Najib serves old wine in new bottle Posted: 21 Nov 2011 06:01 PM PST Instead of allowing more space for public assembly, the new Peaceful Assembly Bill would further stifle lawful dissent and perpetuate a culture of fear. Bersih 2.0 steering committee member, Wong Chin Huat said the new Bill was a scam and bluntly called Najib a "moderate dictator". "Its just a cosmetic change, like you are changing the name of Official Secrets Act (OSA) to Freedom of Information Bill while the former's clauses are still intact," he said. G Vinod, Free Malaysia Today All street protests have been outlawed. Rally organisers have to give one month's notice to the police. And if you under 15, don't even be seen at any rally. And to drive the point home, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's government has come up with hefty fines for rally organisers and participants. In the new Bill, those found participating in an illegal assembly could be fined up to RM20,000 and the organisers who fail to give sufficient notice could be fined up to RM10,000. In a nutshell this is what the Peaceful Assembly Bill means. The Bill was tabled in Parliament today by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Abdul Aziz. In September, Najib announced a slew of reforms including scrapping Section 27 of the Police Act that requires a permit before holding an assembly. And there was some hope that liberisation was finally taking place in the country. But today when the Peaceful Assembly Bill was tabled, it proved to be draconian than the previous Police Act. Several political parties and special interest groups were quick to point out that this was just old wine in a new bottle. Breach of the constitution Calling it a breach of the constitution, PKR vice-president N Surendran said it was obvious that the Barisan Nasional government is trying to make peaceful assembly difficult for the people. "Najib's promises of reforms is a farce. This law is a joke and will make our country the laughing-stock of the world," he said. He also said that there was no reason why street protests should be outlawed as such rallies were normal, harmless and an integral part of any functioning democracy. "It is the job of the police, upon notification, to manage traffic and other matters during rallies. However, in many cases, the police themselves cause traffic congestion by putting up unnecessary road-blocks," said Surendran. He added that it was absurd to have a 30 days notice period before anyone could hold a rally, saying even South Africa's authorities require only seven days notice. "Must we wait a month if we want to gather and hand over a memorandum to the government? The government is bent to make it difficult for the rakyat to convene any assembly," he said. Surendran also said that Section 8 of the new Bill granted wide discretionary powers to the police to stem public assembly and the high fine would serve to deter people from participating in rallies. Najib a 'liar', 'moderate dictator' Echoing Surendran's concerns, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) secretary-general S Arutchelvan said the new Bill only proved that BN must be voted out as it will never be able to reform. "I think BN is paranoid of losing power like dictators in the Middle East. The bill is more draconian than Section 27 of the Police Act," he said. Calling Najib a liar, the PSM leader said the new Bill is unconstitutional as the Federal Constitution permits all Malaysians to assemble peacefully, irrespective of race, religion, gender and even age. "The age limit for organising a rally is ridiculous. What if students want to hold an assembly to show solidarity on some issues concerning their well-being? "In some countries, those aged 15 and 16 are even allowed to work," said Arutchelvan. He also alleged that the 30 days notice would be used by the government to get those opposed to the rally to lodge police reports against the organisers. "And the police will use the reports to stop the assembly, like what they did to Seksualiti Merdeka organisers," he said. READ MORE HERE |
| Moving towards a civil society Posted: 21 Nov 2011 05:51 PM PST The strength of our society lies in its ability to safeguard human dignity and nobility, to build a land fair and happy, just and caring and living by humanitarian ideals. The present state of education is not on the right footing. There is a lack of vision to translate the noble values and world view in organising the present reality. Malaysian society should be a thinking society. In the present modern society, the concern of many education programmes is on the ability to acquire skills which enable an individual to command more commercial rewards. Datuk Nik Mustapha Nik Hassan, The Star AT a time when our country is doing well, the Government should not lose sight of a more fundamental goal, that is, to develop Malaysians into a civil society. The enhancement of human dignity, the establishment of liberty, the eradication of society's ills, the revitalisation of our heritage and cultural empowerment which reflects intellectual and artistic achievements are some of the goals to be met by our Government. This is very much in line with the kind of society as envisaged in the Quran, "... a land fair and happy, and a Lord Oft-Forgiving", a prosperous and blessed nation, just and caring, and living by humanitarian ideals. In our efforts to develop our society, our path to economic prosperity should always be a holistic and multi-dimensional approach. We should be aware that the strength of society lies in its ability to safeguard human dignity and nobility. Humanitarian ideals should be the guiding principles in developing society in all spheres of our endeavours, including economic activities. In fact, for a nation to sustain its economic performance, social strength plays a determinant part. Ibn al-Qayyim, a great Muslim scholar, rightly commented that the basis of shariah is the wisdom and welfare of the people in this world as well as the hereafter. This welfare lies in complete justice, mercy, well-being and wisdom. Anything that departs from justice to oppression, from mercy to harshness, from welfare to misery and from wisdom to folly, has nothing to do with shariah. This view is shared by al-Ghazali who taught that the very objective of shariah is to promote the welfare of the people, which lies in safeguarding their faith, life, intellect, posterity and property. Whatever ensures the safeguard of these five aims serves public interest and is desirable. In our move towards a civil society, we must be convinced that society's competitiveness and development capability can be realised through holistic achievement. In line with the views of al-Ghazali, a number of priorities should be given attention in policy formulations, be it education, economic, culture and others. The education system should be able to develop Malaysians who have attachment to moral requirements. In Islam, the purpose of education is to create a good individual who possesses a holistic world view based on divine guidance, good and productive character, very participative in social development and, above all, be willing to uphold truth, justice and cooperate with others. This requires our curricula at all levels of education to be conducted along an integrated approach for all subjects.From the Islamic point of view, all subjects have to relate to the noble values of truth, justice and benevolence. The present state of education is not on the right footing. There is a lack of vision to translate the noble values and world view in organising the present reality. Malaysian society should be a thinking society. In the present modern society, the concern of many education programmes is on the ability to acquire skills which enable an individual to command more commercial rewards. The acquisition of professional qualifications and skills should be promoted. Professionals should be individuals who can appreciate and understand the social development and cultural practices of society. In a developing society like ours, we must be able to mobilise every individual to participate and contribute at his optimum level to the social welfare of society. In the present materialistic society, the move towards a mechanistic society is becoming very apparent. Schools and universities are giving emphasis to the technical aspect of knowledge. In the economic discipline, for example, we are producing technical economists who are concerned only with the technical tools to analyse economic phenomena. Most curricula do not give enough consideration to subjects which develop critical thinking among graduates on social requirements. A continuous effort must always be focused on ensuring a social harmony in our multiracial society. The strategy for social development should be along the spirit of mutual cooperation. We take pride in being able to practise tolerance and have mutual respect for one another. Every positive element in the culture of every race should be adopted in our national policies to foster better relationship. In order for us to move towards further advancement, social stability is fundamental. Cooperation based on the spirit of justice should be the rule of the game. Through social harmony, we can ensure a guarantee for every individual right and security in our society. We must ensure that economic prosperity should benefit our present generation. In this regard, the authorities should work seriously and effectively in achieving a low cost of living economy. Housing and transportation expenses must be reviewed for lower pricing. These two items form the bulk of the people's expenses. Continued efforts in reforming, deregulating and liberalising the economy are indeed welcome. The sincerity and willingness of the authorities to improve these sectors will be the starting point for our economic stability and advancement. We should also safeguard our posterity. The commitment by the authorities to develop Malaysians into a civil society reflects a noble intent. The road to this success is certainly wrought with challenges, but alternatives are not available to achieve that success in life – creating a noble civilisation. |
| Rally in support of MyOverseasVote and Bersih Posted: 21 Nov 2011 05:24 PM PST 
Saturday, 26 November 2011 from 11:00 to 13:00 (PT) London, United Kingdom Six Malaysians, who are all based in Britain, have applied to the KL High Court to compel the EC to amend its regulations to allow Malaysians overseas to register as Absent voters. As the EC regulations stand, only Civil Servants and students who are overseas are allowed to vote with a Postal ballot. All other Malaysian citizens who wish to vote have to return to Malaysia to cast their ballot. The lawsuit aims to put an end to this discriminatory and arbitrary rule. Permission for Judicial Review was granted by Judge Rohana Yusuff on the 14th November. Constitutional Lawyers Edmund Bon and Edward Saw appeared for the Applicants. The campaign is supported by the MyOverseasVote campaign. Independent Lawyers from the Bar Council, MyOverseasVote and the Malaysian Centre for Constitutionalism & Human Rights were present to hold a watching brief. The Substantive hearing is fixed for January 3rd, 2012. READ MORE HERE |
| Muhyiddin defends Umno and Govt Posted: 21 Nov 2011 05:13 PM PST (The Star) - Umno has not kept quiet and has started to improve its image after the 2008 election debacle. Responding to scathing attacks against the party by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said: "I am sure he still loves Umno and wants to see it strong and able to defend its position as the Government. "But to say that we have not taken steps to strengthen the party and overcome challenges since the 2008 general election is not true." Muhyiddin, who is deputy Umno president, said this at a press conference after presenting the Ilham Desa national awards here yesterday. He was commenting on remarks made by Dr Mahathir during an interview with Mingguan Malaysia that Umno currently lacked good credible leaders and was a pale shadow if its former self. He also alleged Umno had not made any improvements since the last general election. Defending the party and the Government, Muhyiddin said Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had introduced a national transformation programme. "He (Najib) understands what the people want and there is growing support - although not strong enough yet," said Muhyiddin, adding that the party would continue to engage with the leadership and other component parties of the ruling Barisan Nasional. In KUALA LUMPUR, Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said the party, under Najib's leadership, had done many things to improve and overcome its problems. |
| Chasing the Dragon in Tehran Posted: 21 Nov 2011 04:56 PM PST 
Behind its fa̤ade of Muslim piety, Iran is one of the most drug-addled countries in the world. Today's Islamic Republic offers premonitions of a narcodystopia. Take a car ride through Tehran at night, and your driver may tell you that the underage girls in chadors who offer esfand -- seeds that are burned to ward off the evil eye -- along the highways are really selling sex to enable addicted fathers. Ride the metro, and you will see battered children pitching trinkets and fortunes to sustain their parents' habits. BY ROLAND ELLIOTT BROWN, Foreign Policy TEHRAN РOn June 26, Iranian state media reported that 20,000 former drug addicts had assembled at Tehran's Azadi Stadium to mark the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attended, and used the podium to portray narcotics as an implement of Western predation. "Today," he said, Western countries "have begun harming nations, especially the Iranian nation, by drugs. Arrogant states masquerade themselves behind the so-called humanitarian masks and they want to stir a sense of inability in other nations. They put on masks of freedom-seeking, human rights, and protecting people but in fact they are the biggest criminals in the world." Tehran is one the higher capitals on the earth's surface, and not only in terms of altitude. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reports that Iran has 1.2 million "drug-dependent users," and that 2.26 percent of the population aged 15-64 is addicted to opiates. The organization's director, Yuri Fedotov, has praised Iran for having "the world's highest rate of seizures of opium and heroin," and for developing effective treatment and prevention programs. Human Rights Watch, by contrast, has criticized Fedotov for glossing over the country's inadequate legal proceedings and executions of drug offenders. Most alarmingly, people arrested during opposition demonstrations, such as the Dutch-Iranian Sahra Bahrami, have occasionally been hanged as "drug smugglers." Today's Islamic Republic offers premonitions of a narcodystopia. Take a car ride through Tehran at night, and your driver may tell you that the underage girls in chadors who offer esfand -- seeds that are burned to ward off the evil eye -- along the highways are really selling sex to enable addicted fathers. Ride the metro, and you will see battered children pitching trinkets and fortunes to sustain their parents' habits. Visit a poor southern suburb like Shahr-e Rey, and you might see a cigarette vendor in the bazaar with a sideline in used needles. Walk through Khaju Kermani Park on the capital's southeastern outskirts, and you might witness young girls smoking crystal meth in full view of park authorities, while in the background a tall, badly sunburned man with track marks on his arms staggers around in an ill-fitting, woman's blouse. Yet the Iranian drug scene is not an exclusive feature of the country's decadent capital, or solely of its abject underclass. Its roots run deep and wide: For example, when I was visiting the tomb of the 12th-century poet Saadi, a tourist attraction in the southern city of Shiraz, Azad, a local literary critic who was showing me around, gestured beyond the garden walls to the adjacent neighborhood, named Saadieh after the poet. This he identified as a hub for the region's thieves, traffickers, and drug addicts. "Would you like to visit? It's very easy to visit, but you might not come back alive," he joked. I had seen enough Iranian skid rows to demur, but, intrigued by the apparent intersection of drugs and high culture, I pressed him for insights. In a display of Persian hospitality, he invited me to the home of a learned opium enthusiast to witness a display. Opium, Azad told me, is Iran's oldest and most entrenched drug, and was used medically in the region by Avicenna, the great Persian philosopher-scientist, 1,000 years ago. In ensuing centuries, it was extolled by the poets of the Persian canon. The best-loved of these, Hafez, measured his ecstasies against it, writing, in the genre of love: "A wound from you is worthier than salve from others/Your poison, sweeter than the opium they render." When we entered the front room of a large house on the city's periphery -- shielded from the street by high walls -- there lay arranged on the floor a metal brazier full of coals, an opium pipe, and other paraphernalia, along with plates of watermelon (your reliable narrator partook only of the fruit). "We love it and we hate it," remarked Mani, Azad's friend, a soft-spoken and serious academic in his sixties, as he began to light up. "It has so many problems, difficulties, but also attractions. In my family, my father used it, but he would always say, 'Don't touch it.' He was against it because he used it himself, but later we smoked it together. I used it because it seemed romantic, poetic." "When you first use it," Azad added, "it makes you relaxed. It makes you have good sleep, or it can give you nightmares and make your imagination work. Especially when you do [creative] work, it gives you the concentration you need. Mowlana, the poet, used it 800 years ago and mentioned it in his work. Hafez mentioned it. But in Iran today, artists and writers have no role, and they are suffering from their own nothingness, so they become disappointed, and look for something to make them calm." "Socially it's looked at very negatively," Mani added slowly as he recovered from a long hit. "It's often criticized in government propaganda. And there's the impact it has on families. But it is still accepted in some parts of Iran, like in [the south-eastern province of] Kerman. Traditionally, when a girl gets married there, among the things she's expected to take to her husband is an elaborate set for preparing opium, even though it's illegal." "In the shah's time," he continued, "there was even a certain prestige attached to it. His brothers used it. His father was an opium addict, and everyone knew it. In Islam, the attitude towards opium is not completely negative; in fact, it's not mentioned." Before the revolution, he added, "there was a brand of opium known as 'senator.' Now, they should call it 'ayatollah.'" Despite his insinuation of the drug's appeal to Iran's rulers past and present, Mani sees opium as a drug in decline. "There is a lot of pressure from outside, because most of the heroin and opium that gets into Europe goes through Iran. [The international community] gives the government money to respond," he said, referring to financial support Western countries give UNODC. The result, he said, is that opium has become expensive. "Mostly rich people use it now, but the quality is much worse. It might be quite dangerous. Chemical drugs are much cheaper and more accessible to the youth, and they require less paraphernalia." Before I left, Azad asked me to be careful with the pictures I had taken of their session because "the government is after just such a thing, especially when it involves intellectual people." Back in Tehran, I sought a more clinical take on the subject, and met Ali, a gentle 32-year-old social worker at an addiction treatment facility in the city's eastern Tehranpars neighbourhood. "The problem of drugs in Iran does not belong to any particular class or educational background," he emphasized. He sees more than 100 regular patients, from a range of economic spheres. Some are poor Afghan workers with no legal status or family support, while others are -- or have been -- wealthy. "One [of my patients] is a dentist who worked in the United States," he said, aiming to surprise. "He had a car accident there, and was injected with morphine. After he was released from hospital, he started injecting himself, and eventually lost everything he had and moved back to Iran." Ali described two main classes of drugs with which he deals. There are opiates, such as opium, morphine, and "crack" (which in Iran describes not the most addictive form of cocaine, but the most impure form of heroin) -- and synthetics, which includes ecstasy, psychedelics, and "shisha" -- crystal meth. Shisha and crack habits, Ali told me, are the most common forms of addiction. He explained that drug treatment has come a long way since the revolution. "There was a time when if someone was using drugs, it was viewed as a disaster by families. The treatment was locking up, even chaining up, those who were addicted. Politics aside, drug addiction is a horrible problem for any government to face, and attitudes have changed. Rehab centres keep opening. The hopes of families really increase when they see treatment working." But successes in treatment for opiate habits, he added, have been countered by mafias introducing synthetics, with which treatment centers have less experience. Improbably for a country where lawbreakers and ideological renegades are regularly hanged in public, Iran can be uncharacteristically lenient where addicts are concerned. The center where Ali works dispenses government-subsidized methadone to opiate users and conducts "self-awareness therapy" for those on methamphetamines. Some patients even visit the center from prisons, where they undergo treatment programs. Ali spends much of his time counseling youths, families, and spouses, and conducting group support sessions. He invited me to one of his sessions, which bore likenesses to Western 12-step programs, with its heavy emphasis on personal responsibility. The meeting even concluded with a non-denominational group prayer. In light of what I'd heard and witnessed, I tried to think my way into Ahmadinejad's Azadi Stadium remarks. The president failed to point out that Western markets have made Iran a conduit for narcotics, or that Iran can only resent that its police face danger, in part, for the benefit of authorities in decadent Europe. Nor did he suggest that international demand for opiate interdiction might be contributing to the spread of crystal meth in Iran, thereby exacerbating drug harm. He dismissed the language of human rights, perhaps insinuating that calls for leniency toward drug pushers are ill-intentioned, and so it's just as probable that his logic is unabashedly conspiratorial. If so, his view is echoed by Hamidreza Hosseinabadi, head of Iran's anti-drug task force, who last year accused British forces in Afghanistan of actually guiding traffickers into Iran. Following Ali's support session, I ran Ahmadinejad's statements by Rahim, a bazaar merchant and recovering opium addict in his fifties who had led the group prayer. He was having none of it. "The way I see it," he said, "We can't blame other people for our mistakes. You could pile up all the drugs in the world in a square in Tehran, but only those who want to use them will take them. You can't say, 'because there are drugs, I became addicted.' Some people say, 'it's my parents' fault, it's my friends' fault, it's my country's fault, it's the regime's fault,' but after going through this program, I believe that [my addiction] was my fault, not the fault of my government or of the United States." |
| Assembly Bill bars those below 15 Posted: 21 Nov 2011 04:52 PM PST The Peaceful Assembly Bill also allows the police to dictate the terms in order to preserve security and public order. (Free Malaysia Today) - The much-awaited Peaceful Assembly Bill was tabled in Parliament this morning and among others prohibits children below the age of 15 from participating in public assemblies. The bill, which allows the police to determine the terms in order to maintain public order, stresses that children cannot be recruited or be allowed to attend such events. Those who flout these rules will be slapped with a fine not exceeding RM20,000. Under the Restrictions and Conditions clause, the bill proposes that district police chiefs or OCPDs be empowered to impose restrictions and conditions with regard to an assembly. To preserve security and public order, the OCPD may determine the date, time, duration and manner of assembly. The OCPD may also place restrictions based on the concerns and objections of parties with vested interests and on any other matters that the police deem fitting and necessary. The bill was tabled by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz in the Dewan Rakyat for the first reading together with a bill to amend the Police Act 1967, namely Section 27 which stipulates that a police permit is required for an assembly. Among the salient points of the Peaceful Assembly Bill are: READ MORE HERE |
| Pakatan sees red over instigation charge Posted: 21 Nov 2011 03:59 PM PST Opposition leaders took a swipe at deputy minister Razali Ibrahim for claiming that the opposition poisoned the minds of Indonesians with regard to the Malaysian football team. (Free Malaysia Today) - Pakatan Rakyat leaders are seeing red over the accusation that they posioned the Indonesian fans to vent their fury on the Malaysian football team. The accusation was made by Youth and Sports Deputy Minister Razali Ibrahim in Parliament yesterday after Barisan Nasional MP Mohamed Aziz asked why Indonesians were hostile towards the Malaysian football team during the SEA Games. Miffed, PKR Youth chief Shamsul Iskandar Akin said Razali's statement showed that BN leaders were bankrupt of ideas. "If they think properly, they will understand that Indonesians don't like us due to our cruel policies that affects the lives of migrant Indonesian workers," he said. Shamsul said Malaysia's immigration laws were biased against migrant workers and harsh as illegal immigrants caught were often whipped by the Malaysian authorities. "And they often don't get paid, have their passports seized by errant employers and forced to pay bribes to authorities. Obviously, their brothers in their homeland are angry with us," he added. What about the horses? 
DAP vice chairman M Kulasegaran said Razali should learn the difference between loyalty to the country and political differences between rival parties. "He should show proof to back his claims. However, I believe he is just trying to deflect people's attention from the scandals plaguing his ministry," added the Ipoh Barat MP. The Youth and Sports Ministry was reprimanded by the Auditor-General in his 2010 report for the former's RM5 million purchase of 18 horses for an event. However, it was later found that the horses were unfit for the event and could not adapt to the Malaysian weather. Kulasegaran said when he asked about the horses in Parliament, the deputy minister replied that Pakatan would do the same if it was in power. "He's just devoid of ideas," said the DAP leader. On the Indonesians' hostility, Kulasegaran said for some reason Indonesians seemed to lack sportsmanship and felt that they were better than the Malaysian team. "And their organisers are unable to control their crowd. Winning and losing is part of any game and our team seems to understand this better than our neighbours," he added. READ MORE HERE |
| Mahasiswa tubuh Bebas tuntut hak Posted: 21 Nov 2011 03:53 PM PST Penubuhan Bebas disokong 10 persatuan mahasiwa termasuk Solidariti Mahasiswa Malaysia (SMM), Majlis Perwakilan Mahasiswa Nasional (MPMN) dan Persatuan Mahasiswa Islam Universiti Universiti Malaysia (PMIUM). (Free Malaysia Today) - Sebuah NGO baru Gerakan Menuntut Kebebasan Akademik atau Bebas dilancarkan bagi menuntut kebebasan akademik di negara ini. Bebas dipengerusikan Muhammad Safwan Anang Talib manakala Haziq Abdullah Abdul Aziz sebagai jurucakap. Penubuhan Bebas disokong 10 persatuan mahasiwa termasuk Solidariti Mahasiswa Malaysia (SMM), Majlis Perwakilan Mahasiswa Nasional (MPMN) dan Persatuan Mahasiswa Islam Universiti Universiti Malaysia (PMIUM). Selain kebebasan akademik, NGO pelajar universiti itu juga menuntut kebebasan dalam penyertaan politik termasuk menguruskan pilihan raya kampus. Perjuangan Bebas berdasarkan dua prinsip sebagai asas kebebasan berakademik : . Bahawa ahli akademik, sama ada di dalam atau di luar bilik kuliah, memiliki kuasa yang tidak terbatas untuk mempersoal, menguji idea dan mengeluarkan kenyataan kontroversi dan tidak popular tanpa mengira sama ada pendapat tersebut bercanggah atau tidak dengan pendapat umum. . Institusi akademik tidak berhak untuk mengekang kebebasan akademik dalam kalangan kakitangan universiti atau menggunakan praktis kebebasan akademik sebagai sebab untuk mengenakan tindakan tatatertib.
Mansuhkan Auku
Ini bermakna Bebas menuntut kerajaan memansuhkan Akta Universiti Kolej Universiti (Auku) dan Akta 174. Katanya, peruntukan-peruntukan dalam Auku 1971 (pindaan 2009) dan Akta 174 membunuh aktivisme mahasiswa Malaysia. "Ia juga mencabuli hak-hak asasi manusia khususnya mahasiswa," kata Bebas dalam satu kenyataan media hari ini. Bebas menuntut hak kebebasan berakademik bagi para ilmuan. READ MORE HERE |
| The real winners in Air Asia-MAS deal Posted: 21 Nov 2011 03:43 PM PST 
It looks like the little Napoleons in Khazanah are the ones who will benefit most from the controversial share swap. Here, the truth of the matter is that Tony has had it up to his eyeballs with the little Napoleons at Malaysian Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) for virtually extorting him over the years through excessive fees. He sees the badly-managed MAHB as a leech, sucking Air Asia's blood for all it is worth. Joe Fernandez, Free Malaysia Today Who are the real beneficiaries in the controversial Air Asia-Malaysia Airlines share swap? The answer should not be as confusing as has been made out to be in media statements from all and sundry. Air Asia Chief Tony Fernandes isn't being very helpful, and for obvious reasons. He fears that millions of his doting fans will abandon him and, in consequence, he will lose his throne as the God of Marketing in Malaysia and the region, if not the world. We are told that Khazanah Nasional will have a 10% stake in Air Asia in return for the latter having a 20% state in Malaysia Airlines. Khazanah Nasional has a 17.33% stake directly in Malaysia Airlines. Indirectly, it has a 52% stake through Penerbangan Malaysia Sdn Bhd, its wholly-owned subsidiary. There's more than meets the eye in this cloak-and-dagger deal. Tune Air Sdn Bhd, a private limited company which has a 20% controlling stake in Air Asia, is owned 50:50 by Tony and his partner Kamarudin Meranun. This means that each has a 10% stake in Air Asia through Tune Air. Khazanah, for all practical purposes, did not enter Air Asia directly. But like Tony and Kamarudin, it went in through Tune Air. The 20% that Tune Air has in Air Asia is now owned 50% by Khazanah and 50% by Tony and Kamarudin. Khazanah, in reality, now owns half of Tune Air. Tony and Kamarudin both hold the rest in equal measure. In return, Tony and Kamarudin accepted a 20% stake collectively in the virtually bankrupt Malaysia Airlines. Many will say that the two need to have their heads examined. The bottom line is that buddies Tony and Kamarudin have both lost their once controlling stake in Air Asia via Tune Air. The little Napoleons at Khazanah can go on to pick up Air Asia shares in the open market and build up its ownership of the airline outside Tune Air. The revenue from Air Asia is expected to help feed the war chest of the little Napoleons at Khazanah. This is part of the real story that Tony isn't telling anyone. Instead, like Kamarudin, he deliberately keeps mum on the deal while the media goes on a wild goose chase. Both men must have laughed their heads off recently when several MPs attacked Tony in Parliament over the share swap. It's a bit of a mystery why Tony and his partner gave up their controlling stake in Air Asia. Under Tony, Air Asia had bragged from its inception that Now Everyone Can Fly. We can only guess at what his real motives are in accepting a deal with Khazanah so that Not Everyone Can Now Fly. There was that story not so long ago that Air Asia would shift its headquarters to Jakarta. This was shortly after Tony started singing praises of the Indonesian capital. The Air Asia chief saw Indonesia as El Dorado and the Promised Land all rolled into one as Air Asia Indonesia was poised for as much success as Air Asia in Malaysia. Genius plan When caught with his pants down over the headquarters announcement, he quickly claimed that Air Asia would still keep its headquarters in Malaysia. Jakarta, he said, would be Air Asia's Asean headquarters since that's where the Asean Secretariat was located. Apparently, he wanted to have a "closer working relationship" with the Asean Secretariat since Air Asia was in fact THE Asean Airline. If that's the case, what role would the so-called Air Asia headquarters in Malaysia still play? Air Asia would end up with two headquarters under Tony's genius plan. Since the share swap deal, we have not heard anything about Air Asia's Asean headquarters in Jakarta. Instead, we are told that Tony will set up a new airline—Caterham Jet—ostensibly to compete with, among others, Qantas in its plans for a new airline for the super rich in the region. Not Everyone Should Fly? God alone knows. Here, the truth of the matter is that Tony has had it up to his eyeballs with the little Napoleons at Malaysian Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) for virtually extorting him over the years through excessive fees. He sees the badly-managed MAHB as a leech, sucking Air Asia's blood for all it is worth. The way he reckons it, he works hard only to see MAHB robbing him of the fruits of his labour and constantly blackmailing him. He is still sore that it denied him the right to build a new low cost airport near the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Instead, MAHB decided to build its own—for the lucrative private contracts that the little Napoleons could take for themselves—and confine him to using their new airport. MAHB even enlisted the support of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the omnipresent, to lobby public opinion against the new airport planned by Air Asia. Many stories in the Malay media on the issue bordered on the personal, were highly offensive and even downright racist. That Air Asia has been a runaway success in Malaysia from the word "go" is in no doubt whatsoever. It has replicated and duplicated this success through subsidiaries in Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines, besides Indonesia. READ MORE HERE |
| Anti-apostasy law – the legal dynamics Posted: 21 Nov 2011 03:40 PM PST ART HARUN I wonder whether the proponents of anti-apostasy laws have given thoughts to various legal issues which will undoubtedly arise in the event anti-apostasy laws are passed. First of all, article 11 of the Federal Constitution guarantees the right of every person to profess and practise his religion. Freedom of religion, as this article guarantees, is deemed to be so important and universal so much so that the Federal Constitution guarantees it for every person in Malaysia as opposed to just her citizens. By contrast, freedom of speech and expression, the right to assemble and the right to form associations are only guaranteed for Malaysian citizens. Such is the universality and fundamentality of freedom of religion that every person within Malaysia is guaranteed of that right. The right to practise a religion is absolute. That right is not limited to the right to choose a religion but also the right to practise the religion of choice in accordance to the person's belief and faith. In other word, under our Federal Constitution, one can not only choose a religion of his or her choice, but also to practise his or her religion freely, without any mullahs, monks, priests or prophets, real or otherwise, telling him how to do this and that. Being so, anti-apostasy laws would run foul of article 11 as soon as it is passed. It is a non-starter. In legal jargon, it is void ab initio. There are only two very narrow restraints which the Federal Constitution allows in so far as freedom of religion is concerned. Firstly, laws may be passed to control or restrict the propagation of any religious doctrine or belief among Muslims. This means, a law may be passed for example, to prohibit anybody or group from propagating Christianity to Muslims. This provision however, does not allow any law to be passed to prevent a Muslim from leaving Islam or to punish Muslims for doing so. Secondly, any person is not allowed to practise his or her religion in any way which may be contrary to any general law relating to public order, public health or morality. This simply means that if your religion requires you to slaughter five pigs at Dataran Merdeka every Friday at precisely 12.30pm, you cannot do so even though article 11 says you are free to practise your religion. Similarly, if your religion requires you to have sex with your daughter and your wife at the same time, you are not allowed to do so, although of course, it is open to you to argue that you may do so spiritually and not physically. (excuse me, I have to laugh…hahaha). So, that's about it. Quite how the proponents of anti-apostasy laws are planning to overcome this Constitutional hurdle to their beloved anti-apostasy laws is beyond me. I suppose, they would also seek to amend the Federal Constitution along with the anti-apostasy laws. Assuming the Constitutionality issue is overcome, then comes the jurisdiction clanger. This is what I normally refer to as the judicial ping-pong or pass-the-bucket. You see, in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia or anywhere else in the civilised world, every arm of the country's administration would defend it's jurisdiction and powers so fervently. Of course here in Malaysia, our judiciary, in the form of the highest Court of the land, ie the Federal Court, have always done it's darndest best to disclaim its jurisdiction and powers. It's almost funny really. Whenever cases involving Islam come to our Federal Court, it will, without fail hold that it does not have the jurisdiction or power to hear such cases because they involve matters concerning Islam. Never mind the fact that the matter also involves serious and multiple Constitutional issues which have far-reaching consequences and ramifications on our society and nations. As long as the word Islam appears of the Court papers, the Federal Court will tremble in its pants and disclaim jurisdiction. Sometimes, the Federal Court will cling to some technicalities in order to refuse hearing such hot potatoes of a case. See Shamala and the skirt of technicalities, as an illustration of this. The oft-relied Constitutional provision for this disclaimer of jurisdiction is of course article 121 (1A), which says that our Courts shall have no jurisdiction in respect of any matter within the jurisdiction of the Syariah Courts. So, assuming anti-apostasy laws are passed and a man is going to be charged for being an apostate. The first question is, in which Court is he supposed to be charged? He cannot be charged in our civil Courts. Because quite simply, our civil Courts will say whether or not that man is an apostate would depend on whether he has really left Islam and that would be a matter for the Syariah Court to deal with. So, our civil Court will gladly disclaim jurisdiction. And so, our guy would then have to be put in the black maria and driven to the Syariah Court. Okay, hold on to your seat guys, this is going to be one hell of a ride. He is then produced before a Kadhi/Syariah Judge and charged. The charge might read as follows: "Bahawa kamu, Jakim bin Jais, telah didapati tidak sembahyang Jumaat sebanyak tiga kali berturut-turut dan telah dengan itu keluar dari agama Islam dan dengan itu telah melakukan kesalahan di bawah seksyen 3 Akta Anti-Apostasi." ("That you, Jakim bin Jais, has been found not to perform the Friday prayer for three consecutive times and accordingly you have left the religion of Islam and accordingly has committed an offence under section 3 of the Anti-Apostasy Act.") So far so good. READ MORE HERE |
| More Big Boobs By Taib! – Expose Posted: 21 Nov 2011 02:34 PM PST By Sarawak Report Chief Minister Taib Mahmud and PM Najib Razak have been trumpeting their economic policies in the light of plaudits given by an outfit called the Oxford Business Group.. Explaining the significance of the praises lavished on Sarawak and Malaysia by the Oxford Busines Group, the Chief Minister's own website claimed that the publication "provides in-depth detail on Sarawak's current economic outlook and what the future holds for the state". However, the Editorial Director of these reports is none other than a former Editor of the UK's most ridiculed porn rag, the Daily Sport, which closed earlier this year. Peter Grimsditch was sacked 4 years after having launched the Sport for the UK 'Porn King', David Sullivan in 1988. He was also sacked as Editor of another low-brow red top, the Daily Star, and is now based in the Middle East.  - From editiing porn to finance PR – Peter Grimsditch
Another 'boob' by Taib? The revelation raises question marks over the economic focus and expertise of the publication that are not satisfactorily answered by the qualifications of its predominantly youthful staff: "They are mostly in their 20′s and they get posted for a couple of months to do the business", explained one senior executive of a respected economic publication in the Middle East, where OBG have also started operating. "It is basically what one calls an 'Advertorial'. They write sympathetic positive stuff about the subject matter. The purpose is obvious, which is to give the best possible spin and encourage investment. The State will then quote the report". Oxford Business Group Report was launched with fanfare by Taib READ MORE HERE. |
| ‘Democracy may be affected by auto voter registration’ Posted: 21 Nov 2011 02:27 PM PST (Bernama) - KUALA LUMPUR: The government does not plan to amend the Federal Constitution to enable Malaysians to be registered automatically as voters upon reaching the age of 21. Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department VK Liew told the Dewan Rakyat today that this method had its weaknesses and could pose problems if implemented. He said that due to the high mobility rate, most Malaysians now did not live at the address originally registered in their identity card and did not register the address change. "If automatic registration is implemented and if there is a general election, it is feared that the voter turn-out will be low because many will not be able to return to the address registered to cast their vote, and indirectly affect the democratic process practised. "Based on this, the government has no plan yet to register voters automatically," he said when replying to Dr Marcus Mojigoh (BN-Putatan) who wanted to know the government stand on the issue. Liew said 842,726 new voters were registered in 2007, 155,420 in 2008, 279,270 in 2009 and 819,489 in 2010. - Bernama |
| S’wak is full of rubbish Posted: 21 Nov 2011 02:19 PM PST By Patrick Lee, FMT Sarawak holds the national record of having the most rubbish dumps in the country. With a grand total of 63 landfills, the East Malaysian state has nearly twice as many midden heaps compared to the second runner-up, Johor (37). According to the November 2011 'Malaysian Economic Monitor: Smart Cities Report', 49 of Sarawak's landfills were still running, with 14 of them no longer in operation. This accounted for more than 21% of the country's 296 landfills, despite the state constituting for only 8.7% (2.471 million) of Malaysia's entire population (28.334 million). Its neighbour, Sabah followed closely behind with 19 operational landfills, with two of them no longer running. In comparison, Pahang, Perak and Selangor had 32, 29 and 22 total landfills respectively. Kuala Lumpur on the other hand did not have any operational landfills, although it did have seven non-operational landfills. The only state or federal territory that was not included in the list was Putrajaya. According to the report, Malaysia chose landfilling as a way to get rid of its waste "95% to 97%" of the time. The rest of Malaysia's trash, it said, was either incinerated, recycled or dumped illegally. The World Bank criticised this as a "business-as-usual" way about things, and warned that landfills across the country were dangerously filling up. "The life expectancy of operating landfills is critically low. It is estimated that 42% of landfills have already surpassed their design capacity or are expected to exceed capacity within the next five yeas," it said. READ MORE HERE. |
| Jamil Khir says misquoted over constitutionality of gays Posted: 21 Nov 2011 02:06 PM PST By Lisa J Ariffin, The Malaysian Insider Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom today denied calling it unconstitutional for a person to be homosexual in Malaysia, and said he was misquoted. "Not the Constitution, I said Sections 377(a), (b), (c) and (d), it's not the Constitution; I think it was misquoted," said Jamil, who is in charge of Islamic affairs and head of the Malaysian Department of Islamic Development (Jakim), in clarifying that he was referring to the Penal Code. Yesterday, Utusan Malaysia reported Jamil as saying it was unconstitutional for a person to be homosexual in Malaysia, without backing up his claims with any provision. There are no provisions in the Federal Constitution that directly mention the sexual preference of individuals. "Section 377 prohibits sexual relations between two men," he explained to reporters today following the opening ceremony of the World Universities First Zakat Conference 2011 here. "That's why it can be brought to court," Khir said. Jamil's remarks yesterday were in response to a question about the banned "Seksualiti Merdeka" event, during an interview with Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia. In it, the minister said Malaysians had a responsibility to unite and stop any promotion of homosexual, lesbian or bisexual practices. Jamil said his understanding of the event was that its organisers wanted "freedom" of sexual orientation for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transexuals (LGBT). "This is a deviation from society's norms. We should help them go back to the right path, not acknowledge their practices," he added. READ MORE HERE |
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