Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Bersih activist Maria Chin summoned by cops
- ‘Dinesh was shot like in the Wild West’
- Leaked minutes see fallout in PKR
- Don’t pass the buck on hudud, Mustapa tells PAS
- MCA-DAP hudud spat will lead to Islamophobia, warns Muslim group
| Bersih activist Maria Chin summoned by cops Posted: 25 Aug 2012 07:31 PM PDT
Amin Iskandar, The Malaysian Insider Bersih 2.0 activist Maria Chin Abdullah has been summoned to police station tomorrow, possibly in response to a plan by supporters of the polls watchdog group to rally during next week's National Day events in the city. The Gabungan Janji group's programme involves some 47 non-governmental organisations, including the Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor (Empower), where Maria Chin is executive director. "Maria Chin has been asked by police to report to the Dang Wangi district police headquarters tomorrow at 2pm. "She will be escorted by a lawyer (Honey Tan) from Empower," said Hishamuddin Rais, spokesperson of Gabungan Janji, when contacted by The Malaysian Insider. Gabungan Janji will gather at Dataran Merdeka, clad in yellow, on the evening of August 30, which coincides with the eve of Malaysia's national day. In a press conference on Friday, Gabungan Janji said that simultaneous gatherings will be hosted in other states, including Perak, Negeri Sembilan, Malacca and Johor. The gatherings aim to lobby the government to implement Bersih's eight demands, such as cleaning up the electoral roll, using indelible ink, a minimum period of 21 days for campaigning, free access to the media for all parties, strengthening public institutions, stopping corruption and bringing an end to dirty political campaigning. When contacted, Maria confirmed that she was contacted by police on Friday to discuss Gabungan Janji's programme. "The police contacted me last Friday evening. "They wanted to ask about the Gabungan Janji programme which we announced during the press conference that morning," she said. National literary laureate, Datuk A. Samad Said, who is also the joint chairman of Bersih, will read a special poem on the evening of August 30. On April 28, a gathering sponsored by Bersih to demand free and fair elections was peppered with incidents of violence. Razor wire barricades placed to stop participants from entering Dataran Merdeka were cut, resulting in police firing teargas into the crowd. A few journalists and photographers were also casualties of the violence that broke out during the rally.
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| ‘Dinesh was shot like in the Wild West’ Posted: 25 Aug 2012 07:24 PM PDT PKR duo maintains that businessman Dinesh's death was a cold blooded murder. K Pragalath, FMT Kapar MP S Manikavasagam today described the ruthless police killing of businessman, D Dinesh, as akin to the shooting in the Wild West. "Dinesh was shot ruthlessly by the police near Ampang Point traffic light," he said after attending the 26-year-old's funeral in Prima Damansara, Selangor. Dinesh, who was the youngest child in his family, was shot on Aug 21 while travelling with six of his friends and two relatives. According to Manikavasagam, the police shot Dinesh, engaged to be married next month, at a close range. "The post mortem report shows one shot went through his skull and another went through his shoulder. "The police are claiming gang clash but we have eyewitnesses to prove otherwise," said Manikavasagam. Dinesh was sent to Ampang Hospital and then to Kuala Lumpur Hospital for post-mortem. The funeral held today attracted a large crowd. Dinesh's body was taken from his home in Prima Damansara to his car-wash outlets in Damansara Damai and Sungai Buloh before the burial ceremony was held in Jalan Loke Yew. PKR vice president N Surendran, who also attended the funeral, meanwhile described Dinesh's death as a "cold blooded murder". "We want an explanation from the police on this cold blooded murder and we urge them not to cover up the case. "We will also prove that this is a cold blooded murder since we have eye witnesses," said Surendran. A press conference would be called tomorrow in PKR headquarters where eye-witnesses are expected to debunk police allegations of a gang clash.
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| Leaked minutes see fallout in PKR Posted: 25 Aug 2012 04:24 PM PDT
(NST) - A STORM is brewing in Parti Keadilan Rakyat, with Machang Bubuk assemblyman Datuk Tan Hock Leong demanding answers from the party leadership over leaked information that he would be dropped as a candidate in the next general election. Tan, who is Penang deputy speaker, said he was shocked on learning that his name had been raised as the only Chinese PKR elected representative in Penang who would be replaced. The matter was apparently discussed at an informal PKR meeting, which has sparked controversy after the minutes were leaked. "I have come to understand that they plan to give my seat to a younger candidate, who will be parachuted in from Selangor. "My so-called replacement is not even active in Penang," he said when contacted yesterday. Tan said he was sad to learn that state PKR chief Datuk Mansor Othman had allegedly said all other Chinese PKR elected representatives in Penang would be retained. "They say I need to go because of my age. I was dumbfounded on learning about this ridiculous decision. But no one, including Mansor, has contacted me and I have yet to get any official confirmation from the central leadership." Tan dismissed fears that he could not deliver because of his age or health. "They better come up with a far more convincing reason. "I am only 57 and there are others who are much older than me. If age is the factor, then the criterion should apply to all others, too." On his health, Tan said he suffered a mild stroke about a year ago but it had not affected his work. "I still carry out my work. I attend and chair state sittings, and I have fulfilled all my responsibilities to the people in the last 10 months. The only thing I cannot do is run." The controversy has put Mansor and the state PKR in an embarrassing position. It was reported that the minutes of the meeting involving Mansor and other state PKR leaders had been posted on the "Gelagat Anwar" website. The meeting, it appears, was centred around seat allocations and problems faced by Penang PKR. During the meeting, Mansor, who is Penang Deputy Chief Minister 1, was quoted as saying that except for Tan, others would defend their seats. He then urged other party leaders to convince Tan to make way for a younger candidate. "It is not that we don't like him as he has done a good job. You, as a group, have to think... must prepare names and leave it to the central (leadership) to decide," he was quoted as telling those present. |
| Don’t pass the buck on hudud, Mustapa tells PAS Posted: 25 Aug 2012 03:49 PM PDT
(The Star) - PAS should explain why they are unable to implement hudud laws in Kelantan and not "pass the buck" to Umno at their convenience, said Kelantan Umno chief Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamad. He said although the laws had been passed by the Kelantan state assembly in 1993, they were still in the "implementation" stages and were not enforced. "Kelantan government even set up a hudud technical committee in October last year but until now it has yet to convene the first meeting. This proves that the state government is insincere in implementing such laws. "Their flip-flop policies to set up an Islamic state and then switching to a welfare state shows inconsistency in their decisions which reflect the stand of their coalition partners on this thorny issue," he told reporters after attending a Hari Raya open house organised by Kelantan Umno here yesterday. Mustapa, who is also International Trade and Industry Minister, was asked to comment a front page report by a Malay daily quoting Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat as blaming Umno for being a stumbling block to implementing hudud laws in Kelantan. Mustapa said it was not easy to implement such laws without any planning. "It is also evident that those interested in implementing such laws did not focus on explaining to the masses the mechanics of the hudud laws," he said.
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| MCA-DAP hudud spat will lead to Islamophobia, warns Muslim group Posted: 25 Aug 2012 03:43 PM PDT
Lisa J. Ariffin, The Malaysian Insider One of the country's most influential Muslim group came out today to publicly castigate both MCA and DAP for their protracted dispute over hudud, accusing the Chinese-based rival parties of propagating the spread of Islamophobia in Malaysia. Malaysian Muslim Youth Movement (ABIM) president Amidi Abdul Manan said statements made recently by both MCA and DAP leaders were in complete disregard for the sensitivities of Islam and the hudud law, the religious criminal code that prescribes, among others, the amputation of hands as punishment for theft. He accused both parties of using the hudud issue to garner political support from the country's non-Muslims ahead of the coming general election. "If the situation persists and is not looked upon, the phenomena of Islamophobia which mirrors the unsteady relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims around the world will spread to the country," Amidi warned today in a press statement. He strongly emphasised that Islam would not deny the rights and freedom of non-Muslims and this assertion was clearly outlined in Islamic jurisprudence. "Hence, any attempt to polemicize Islamic law (hudud) to create prejudice among non-Muslims should be stopped," he urged. "Instead, all parties should be prepared to understand this (law) to prevent misunderstanding among society," he added. Amidi said his organisation is extending offers to clarify the issue in the forms of discussion, as well as academic and scholarly discourse. "ABIM is also set to hold a series of explanatory discourse with the public, especially the non-Muslim communities," he said. Yesterday, opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim described the incessant focus on hudud and Islamic state issues in the mainstream media as Barisan Nasional's "last desperate attempt" to deflect from its own corruption and abuses. The opposition leader said BN was attempting to sow racial and religious strife as well as "intimidate" voters with reminders of racial unrest, via the media outlets its parties own in the run-up to the general election. The BN-friendly media has also been highlighting the disparate stances of Pakatan Rakyat (PR) partners DAP and PAS on the emotive issues: The former opposes the Islamic state and penal code that the latter aspires to realise. Last week, influential former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said that PAS could realise its goal to set up an Islamic state and enforce hudud if it joined Umno, in a bid to woo the Islamist party to BN's side. His remarks came in the wake of a recent controversy after religious conservatives, including the state muftis of Pahang and Perak, dubbed the DAP "kafir harbi" or belligerent infidels for its consistent opposition to hudud, dragging PAS and PKR into a heated debate. The controversy prompted PAS president Datuk Seri Hadi Awang to rise to its ally's defence, pointing out that while the DAP opposed hudud, Umno had already rejected its implementation. Hudud and the Islamic state were two issues that tore asunder the fledgling Barisan Alternatif — the precursor to the present day PR — following Election 1999, when DAP and PAS went their separate ways after failing to reach a compromise. But the focus on the two issues has also put the spotlight on the mixed messages sent by BN. Umno has often courted PAS by offering to help it realise its Islamic state aim, while MCA openly rejects hudud and any form of Islamic rule.
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