Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- What are they defending?
- Should Pakatan Reveal Its Shadow Cabinet?
- Questioning four times within two weeks, police abuse of procedure for harassment?
- Next Parliament session may be last before polls
- Sabah: Still a ‘fixed deposit’?
- NST report: ‘Ridiculous and rubbish’
- EC waiting for AG's nod over postal voting for overseas Malaysians
- Who’s your Daddy? Part 3
- Najib slams fake letter to IIUM as a 'desperate act'
- Sabah opposition in dogfight for seats
- Ribuan umat Islam ‘menyerbu’ Kedutaan Amerika
- Karpal denounces insults against Prophet
- Cina sudah kurang ajar! Dah lupa 13 Mei ke?
- SUARAM, and USAid expulsion from Russia
- Audit PKR di Selangor ada unsur penipuan, kata SPR
- Revolusi Mental Orang Melayu
- APA?? Rosmah Mansor pakai jam tangan bernilai RM350,000?
- Defending Ngeh's Tweet on provocative film
- Pro A sapu bersih pilihan raya kampus
- ‘Reopen probe against Mahathir’
- Hisham, Rais, must apologise to M’sians for national shame
- Pakatan promises affordable housing, after cheaper cars, free education
- Malaysian role vexes Thai conflict
- Malaysia wants to prevent homosexuality from spreading
- Dr M: Leaders can be reproached and challenged
- How the knife cuts both ways
- I retract and apologise to any Muslim who is offended by my tweet
- Najib’s turn at Google Hangout, aims for cyber-savvy crowd
- Umat Islam mesti bangkit kecam hina Rasulullah
- On the Freedom to Offend an Imaginary God
- Sam Harris on the Innocence of Muslims affair
- Subversive practices
- Umno, PAS youth wings to hold separate protests over anti-Islam video, cartoon
- Hudud feud heats up between Karpal and PAS leaders
- Actress sues California man behind anti-Muslim film
- Najib tells Chinese voters to stop ‘confrontational culture’
- Umno will never regain Selangor
- Battle between ‘familiarity’ and ‘change’
- Najib’s theatre of dreams
- Appointment of Prime Minister
- Living in the shadows of our vote
- Who’s your Daddy? Part 2
- Innocence of Muslims: How fiction creates reality
- Guidelines for women bosses spark outcry
- Registration of Overseas Voter
- Mayra Nazarbayev released
- Waytha still a ‘national threat’?
- Ad Calling Jihad ‘Savage’ Is Set to Appear in Subway
- Dr M: Najib’s cash handouts ‘very close’ to vote buying
- Free speech or incitement? French mag runs cartoons of Prophet Mohammed
| Posted: 21 Sep 2012 12:22 PM PDT http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo9JiGp0pGk&feature=share I watched the above video with a very heavy heart, for I pity these pathetic human beings for doing what they are doing. Although I dislike the provocative video that seemingly belittled Islam, I find that I had to agree with Mr. Ngeh that time is wasted on this. ViewAct http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLKk00OYKhU I have a group of Christian friends that shared this video once, and when inquired, they said that it's just a joke. True Christian know who Jesus is and will never be offended by untrue illustrations of Him. Only those who are not so faithful would scream and shout, for they fear the "holy" image of their "God" or "religious leader" gets scattered. Well, They were people of history and will never have the chance to do the things depicted in the videos. What is there to shout about? As a follower of a "holy" religion, I am amazed how these people in the first video could shout vulgarities and at the same time claim that they are defending a "holy" religion. Do they mean that to defend their "dignity", they can resort to all sorts of "wrongdoings"? Instead of leading by example, they resort to threatening and venting of hate? What are they defending then? "Holiness" or "gangsterism"? I'm sure true followers of Islam don't do that. Screaming at the top of their lungs, they claim that DAP is meddling into the matters of Islam. Is "advising them not to waste time in unnecessary lingering into a mindless video" an act of stepping into the matters of Islam? Is the video so seriously important that a comment of such would cause such important "change" or "influence" into the matters of Islam? If so, I would have no choice but to be amazed by the director's ability to create such impact over a mindless, non-depth research. Another question to these groups. What had DAP enforced over Islam that they have been "tolerating" all this while? Has DAP changed Islam? Made any policies that sidelined Islam? Re-written the Laws of Islam? Or have them stopped or disrupted any religious activities of Muslims? However, I am very glad that there are only a handfull of participants in that mindless "demonstration". For it showed that the majority of Muslims are not in the same state as these people are. Well, for a defender of Islam like what Perkasa is claiming they are, they should be condemning such vulgarities among their people instead. You can and should correct a non-muslim for making mindless statements as they do not know and it is your responsibility to tell them. But what you should really be concerned with are Muslims who go against the teachings of Islam. For one who know the religion so well as to claim to protect it, such acts are surely unbecoming. Imagine if these people are picked to be religious leaders and teachers one day (since they are so protective of the holy religion). What would they teach to the next generation? Well, enough about this. I hope everyone can put this behind. Instead of screaming and shouting vulgarities over it, wouldn't it be more productive to teach the right teachings to clear the doubts of people over it? Wouldn't this make people respect Islam and Muslims more? By resorting to violence, what image would that give? Good and respectable? Or fearful and lowly? Now what face of Islam are they showing? Or should I say... Is this any way Islamic at all? |
| Should Pakatan Reveal Its Shadow Cabinet? Posted: 21 Sep 2012 12:17 PM PDT  Why do we demand so much of PR simply because it may be the new kid in government if it wins? Do we know what Najib's Cabinet will be if BN wins? He's likely to reshuffle it, but do we demand to know the likely line-up? I haven't heard anyone asking. So why pick on PR? Kee Thuan Chye I'm surprised that even intelligent people are questioning whether Pakatan Rakyat (PR) is ready to govern at federal level. I must admit I read this on an online news website and the full implications of what they said at a forum last Sunday may not have been comprehensively conveyed, but the gist of it is, they seem sceptical. To me, the question of whether PR is ready to be the federal government is an unfair one. Was the Alliance ready to rule when the British handed the administration to it in the 1950s? I believe we have to give people a chance. In many instances, when they are given that chance, they simply step up to the job. That's what PR did when in 2008 they won, to their great surprise, the state governments of Penang, Selangor, Kedah and Perak. They had no prior experience then of doing the job but they got down to business straight away. Some observers would say that the PR government in Perak was doing quite well, headed by Nizar Jamaluddin, until Barisan Nasional (BN) inveigled its way into the driver's seat. The public knew practically nothing about Nizar when he was sworn in as menteri besar, but he turned out to be an effective and likeable leader for the 11 months he served. In other words, he stepped up to the job. Meanwhile, the state governments of Penang and Selangor have shown their abilities to rule in their first time out. There is a buzz of excitement about Penang these days that had not been there for at least a couple of decades. Lim Guan Eng's government attracted investments totalling RM10 billion in 2011. But more than that, the Penang and Selangor state governments have won plaudits from the Auditor-General for their financial management. They have succeeded in increasing revenue and reducing public debt. As a Selangor resident, I can say that the government under Abdul Khalid Ibrahim has not done anything I would object to. In fact, among other things, I support its bid to take over the four water concessionaires in the state. Were they ready to rule before 2008? Did either one have a shadow executive council prior to that year's general election? So I'm surprised that lawyer Andrew Khoo, whose views I usually hold in high regard, expressed at last Sunday's forum his reservations about PR's readiness to govern. I'm sure Khoo's concern is not a misplaced one and could be easily misinterpreted in the way the report on the forum was angled and written. I also believe that he was not writing off PR as an entity incapable of governing but was instead urging the coalition to get its act together. I base this on what he said: "To me, the great tragedy of Malaysia would be if PR won and then failed as a government." My only quarrel with that quote is that it is too pessimistic and drastic. And it is too broad. How does one determine such failure anyway? By the same token, is the current BN government a "failed" one? If it is, would a PR government not do better? If it isn't, would a PR government, at the very least, not do as well? In Khoo's reckoning, PR's credibility is "restricted" because it has not come up with a shadow Cabinet, i.e. a line-up of people who will helm the government if PR takes Putrajaya at the next general election. He also says, "Although (PR) have a common policy in (their) Buku Jingga … (the) inability or reluctance of PR to form a shadow Cabinet … has meant they are unable to articulate what their policy is going to be." I can't agree with that. The fact that there is already a policy is a plus point; the articulation will come if and when PR takes office. I don't think PR needs to name its ministers first in order to articulate this policy. When Najib named his Cabinet, we didn't know what his policies would be. As time went on, he came up with 1Malaysia and the transformation programmes. Later on, he opted for populist policies aimed mainly at winning the general election. Where do policy and personnel figure in this? Khoo's request for a shadow Cabinet is, however, a reasonable one. As some would argue, you need to know if a company can handle the job before you'd hire it. It is also a request that would have a strong place in a true democracy. And certainly in a democracy unfettered by racial and religious prejudices. But in a Malaysia that is rent by the politics of race and religion and goodness-knows-what-else, the risk an Opposition coalition takes in revealing its shadow Cabinet is as high as automatically losing the general election. To all intents and purposes, PR may already have a shadow Cabinet, or at least a rough idea of one, but given the vicious tendency of BN hawks to rip apart everything that PR does, revealing the shadow Cabinet would be exposing PR to deadly attacks that could bring deadly consequences. Once released, the line-up would be pounced upon by the BN-controlled mainstream media and pro-BN bloggers. If the shadow Cabinet were seen to be too multi-racial or if non-Malays were given significant portfolios like Finance or Trade and Industry or even Defence (simply because they merited them), it would suffer race-baiting excoriation. The hyperboles would fly. BN would go to town reinforcing the fiction that the Malays would truly lose power if the government were run by such a Cabinet. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim would be called a traitor who sold out his race. PAS leaders would be accused of being puppets who gave in to the influence of the infidels. The DAP would be seen to be more dangerous than Dajjal, capable of mesmerising its coalition partners into surrendering power to it. If, on the other hand, not enough non-Malays were represented, the non-Malay voters might become disenchanted and not vote for PR. They might say Anwar is someone who could not be trusted after all. Hindraf, or some reincarnation of it, might pop up and hold a massive rally outside PKR's headquarters. Either way, it's a powderkeg. It's a lose-lose situation. PR's ratings would drop like a cylinder loaded with C4 explosives. It could result in PR losing the general election even before it's called. And losing the war before you've fought it would be very poor strategy indeed. In the first place, why take such an unnecessary risk? PR knows how to play the political game. For that reason, I'm sure it knows it cannot reveal its shadow Cabinet. Not now. Not when the general election is called. Not even on the day before voting – because goodness knows what bad press might emerge from there to undermine the coalition's prospects. All it takes is an honest mistake, like that on the eve of the 1990 general election when the mainstream media crucified Tengku Razaleigh for wearing a Kadazan headgear that bore on its front what looked like a cross. It cost his Parti Melayu Semangat 46 a lot of Malay votes – and, up to that point, a good chance for the Opposition to at least break BN's two-thirds majority. For now, we know Anwar Ibrahim will be prime minister if PR wins. And if that happens, he should only reveal his Cabinet after he's been sworn in. Not a minute sooner. And of course, to be perverse, perhaps we should ask whether he is ready to be prime minister since he's had no experience being one, forgetting that Najib had none either, and neither did Tunku Abdul Rahman, Abdul Razak, Hussein Onn, Abdullah Badawi or even Mahathir Mohamad himself. So why do we really need to know PR's shadow Cabinet? Why do we demand so much of PR simply because it may be the new kid in government if it wins? Do we know what Najib's Cabinet will be if BN wins? He's likely to reshuffle it, but do we demand to know the likely line-up? I haven't heard anyone asking. So why pick on PR? * Kee Thuan Chye is the author of the bestselling book No More Bullshit, Please, We're All Malaysians, available in major bookstores. |
| Questioning four times within two weeks, police abuse of procedure for harassment? Posted: 21 Sep 2012 12:08 PM PDT
Instead of sending medical personnel to help the patients, or the ketua kampung to console, the police was sent to interrogate. Pahang Raub Ban Cyanide in Gold Mining Action Committee (BCAC) BCAC chairman Mr Wong Kin Hoong was summoned for questioning by the police on 11am on 18th September, which was his third time within 14 days following the Himpunan Hijau Raub 902. This time, he was summoned together with another BCAC leader Mr Alec Hue and one of the members, Mr Rajoo. The police mainly questioned on the press conference held on 20th June at KL & Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH). According to police, five people lodged police reports regarding the press conference and BCAC were summoned to assist the investigation. The two-hour-long interrogation centered on the health survey report which was released on 20th June's press conference. The police refused to disclose the details of the 5 people who made the police report, and BCAC also failed to acquire a copy of the police report mentioned. May this year, BCAC conducted a questionnaire health survey in the residential areas adjacent to the gold mine in Bukit Koman, Raub, a total of 383 villagers responded. After one month of careful analysis and data verification, a press conference was held on 20th June 2012 at KLSCAH to release the report, which revealed that 50% of respondents faced a variety of skin problems, including itchy skin and rashes, and caught a national attention. Unexpectedly, the Raub police turned up at the door of one of the patients Mr Woon Soon Fatt who appeared in the press conference on 26th July, claiming that the police received a report and was there to investigate! The interrogation went on for one hour. Instead of sending medical personnel to help the patients, or the ketua kampung to console, the police was sent to interrogate; made people wonder what kind of world are we living in? This is the second time the police claimed that they received a report regarding the KLSCAH's press conference. If the police is supposedly carrying out their duty impartially, then does that mean that each time the villagers made a report complaining of the Gold Mine's unidentified gas emissions causing illness and discomfort the police would investigate the management of the gold mine? However, from past experience, instead of recording statements from the gold mine, the police interrogated the villagers who made the police reports! We are wondering why there are difference sets of Standard Operating Procedures? After summoning Mr Wong Kin Hoong, Mr Alec Hue and Mr Rajoo for statements, the police called the BCAC Vice-Chair Ms Sherly Hue for questioning. Subsequently Ms Sherly Hue turned up at the Dang Wangi police station on 7pm on 19th September accompanied by Ms Malar who is an attorney, and was also interrogated by the police for two hours. Reason for investigation given by Police is the same and related to the press conference at KLSCAH on 20th June. However, this time the interrogation centered on the background of BCAC, the anti cyanide movement, the gold mining company. For example: "Why you are against RAGM?" "Is it your ultimate goal to close down RAGM?", "Any doctor can prove that the villagers' sufferings were caused by the cyanide?" Police summoning BCAC to question four times within two weeks is a form of mental torture in disguise. And for the elderly people of more than sixty years old, it is both physically and mentally stressful. BCAC condemns this sort of inhumane and unprofessional conduct. The members of BCAC are just ordinary concerned citizens who are trying to protect their homes, to care for the environment, and to exercise their human rights; they are not criminals! It is the duty and responsibility of the Government to ensure that the people live and work in a safe and healthy environment. Not only did the government fail to fulfill that, now the police is abusing a seemingly legitimate procedure to harass innocent people! |
| Next Parliament session may be last before polls Posted: 20 Sep 2012 08:42 PM PDT
(Bernama) - With the Dewan Rakyat convening on Monday for the budget meeting, questions have arisen as to whether it would be the last or penultimate meeting before the government's mandate runs out on April 28 next year. Pundits speculate that the 13th general election could be called at the end of November, after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak quipped during a visit to Machang, Kelantan, early this month that he was longing to call the general election. If that happens, then the Budget meeting of the Dewan Rakyat, the third meeting of the fifth session of the 12th parliament, which ends on November 27, could be the last meeting of the 12th parliament. If the general election does not take place in November as speculated, then it is likely that the government may go the full term on its mandate, meaning the election would be held early next year. Election Commission (EC) Deputy Chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar said parliament would dissolve automatically if the Yang di-Pertuan Agong did not dissolve it before April 28 next year. "After that, the EC will have 60 days to hold the general election. The same rule applies for the state legislative assemblies, except Sarawak's," he told Bernama. (Sarawak held its state elections only last year.) The Dewan Rakyat meeting opening on Monday will go on for 34 days up to November 27 and the speculation of a general election will prompt greater focus on Budget 2013 to be tabled by Najib, who is also the finance minister, on Friday. The people, in general, will be awaiting "good news", especially from the aspect of the prices of goods. Not to be left out are the 1.4 million civil servants who are eagerly waiting for an announcement on the improvement to the Malaysian Remuneration System. Last May, Najib said that Budget 2013 would focus on balanced and quality growth as well as the people's welfare. Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker Datuk Ronald Kiandee, when contacted by Bernama, said the coming meeting of the Dewan Rakyat would be more lively than usual. MPs convinced that this meeting would be the last before the dissolution of parliament would make full use of the opportunity to raise issues, he said. "The Speaker will be often prompted to given them more time for debate," he added. Also at the coming meeting, there will be a slight change in the seating of MPs, with Beaufort MP Datuk Seri Lajim Ukin, 57, and Tuaran MP Datuk Seri Wilfred Bumburing moving from the Barisan Nasional (BN) segment to occupy seats next to the independent MPs. Last July, Lajim announced that he was resigning from all positions in Umno and the BN and pledged support for the opposition. He did not resign from the party, but the government revoked his post of deputy minister of housing and local government. Bumburing quit as deputy president of the United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko), a BN component party. It is learnt that Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia would determine the seating arrangement of the two MPs after considering their political affiliation.
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| Sabah: Still a ‘fixed deposit’? Posted: 20 Sep 2012 07:33 PM PDT Sabah will be a focal point in the coming general election, especially after the defections of two BN MPs. If the opposition can avoid contesting three-cornered contests then Sabah's status as a BN 'fixed deposit' state could hang in the balance, writes Arnold Puyok. ALIRAN The upcoming 13th General Election is sure to be a hotly contested election. It will be a litmus test for Prime Minister Najib Razak who is banking on his "transformational agenda" to return the BN to power. Indeed, to restore the BN to a two-thirds majority. For PR, the election is seen as Anwar Ibrahim's last chance to take over Putrajaya after the alleged September 16 coup failed. Even though many of the seats contested come from Peninsular Malaysia, the real battle will be in Sabah and Sarawak. In the 2008 General Election, the 54 seats from East Malaysia ensured BN a simple majority win. Without the 54 seats, BN would have lost power to the opposition, in the event of party crossovers. Consequently Sabah and Sarawak are considered as BN's "fixed deposits". This article is an attempt to look into the prospects and challenges of the 13th General Election in Sabah especially in light of the withdrawal of two Sabah leaders from BN – Wilfred Bumburing of UPKO (United Pasok Momogun Kadazandusun Association) and Lajim Ukin of Sabah UMNO (United Malays National Organisation). With the persistent attacks on Sabah Chief Minister, Musa Aman for his alleged involvement in an international money laundering scandal and the Wilfred-Lajim factor, BN is expected to face a tough challenge from the opposition to retain Sabah. The article argues that if the opposition is able to form a strong alliance and avoid contesting against each other, it could affect Sabah's fixed deposit status. Similarly, failure on BN's part to address the perennial Sabah issues such as the illegal immigrant problems and state autonomy will affect its chances of returning to power. Categorising the seats contested For analytical purposes, all the 60 state and 25 parliamentary seats contested in Sabah will be divided into three categories: "safe" BN seats (where BN has more than an 80 percent chance of winning), "marginal" or "50-50" seats (where electoral support can go either to BN or the opposition) and "opposition" seats (where the opposition has more than an 80 percent chance of winning). This prospect is based on the following two factors: 1) Changes in the number of registered voters according to age and ethnicity and 2) Less multi-cornered but more one-to-one contests in the "marginal" areas. The opposition here refers to PR comprising PKR (Parti Keadilan Rakyat), DAP (Democratic Action Party), and PAS (Parti Islam Se-Malaysia). The other local-based opposition parties are STAR (State Reform Party) Sabah and SAPP (Sabah People's Progressive Party). The safe BN seats There are 42 safe BN state seats and most are Muslim-majority. At the parliamentary level, there are nine safe BN seats with a large number of Muslim Bumiputera voters and they all belong to UMNO. (See Table 1 & 2) With the absence of alternative Muslim-based parties, the majority of the Muslim electorate will remain in UMNO. Among the weapons used by UMNO to maintain Muslim support are the persistent championing of Islam as a religion that unites the Muslims and the practice of on-the-spot development funds allocation. The Muslim-majority areas will be BN's key seats that will help maintain the party's grip on power. PKR appears to fail to take the Muslim support from UMNO. One of the reasons is the lack of credible and popular Muslim leaders in the party. The present Sabah PKR chief, Ahmad Thamrin is not popular among the Muslim electorate while another well-known Muslim leader, Ansari Abdullah, does not have strong Muslim support beyond his base in Tuaran. There is also the assumption that UMNO is falling apart due to the factions formed by supporters of Musa Aman and Federal Minister, Shafie Afdal. However, the so-called factions do not affect UMNO that much. So far, Musa has been able to keep the Muslim support in UMNO intact. Musa has also successfully defused the Bajau challenge led by Salleh Said, a former Chief Minister and currently Sabah UMNO deputy chief. Despite the attacks on Musa for his alleged involvement in a financial scandal, Najib seems to be mindful not to pursue the case with intensive investigations. Najib knows that Musa has the clout to decide the fate of BN in Sabah. Asking Musa to resign before the election would put Sabah BN at great risk. The question is, if Musa resigned, who will be the most likely candidate to replace him? Many people believe that Najib has an eye on Shafie, his loyal ally from Semporna, Sabah. But others have mentioned Salleh Said, Musa's number two in Sabah UMNO. Salleh is considered more liberal, in tune with the times and therefore, potentially, acceptable to Najib. Another possible candidate is Hajiji Noor, a senior UMNO member in the Sabah Cabinet. The marginal or 50-50 seats There are 10 marginal or 50-50 seats at the state level. Of the 10 seats, three are currently held by Gerakan (Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia), two each by LDP (Liberal Democratic Party), PBS (Parti Bersatu Sabah), and SAPP respectively, and one by UPKO. The three seats currently held by Gerakan previously belonged to LDP (1) and SAPP (2) previously. After an internal party conflict, Peter Pang, Au Kam Wah and Raymond Tan left their parties and joined the Gerakan. The three seats are considered as marginal as they were won under LDP and SAPP tickets. There is a high possibility that the voters might change their support to the opposition as a mark of protest over the decision of their leaders to join the peninsular-based Gerakan. The two state seats currently held by LDP, Tg. Kapor and Merotai, were won by Teo Chee Kang and Pang Yuk Ming after the opposition failed to agree on a one-to-one contest in 2008. The opposition's chances of winning the two seats from BN are high in the upcoming election if it can avoid multi-cornered fights. The other two marginal seats are in Tandek and Kadamaian. The PBS won the two seats in 2008 by marginal majorities. Grassroots sentiments in the two areas seem to indicate that the voters are unhappy with BN over its failure to address a number of local issues such as Native Customary Rights (NCR) land and poverty. The BN's handling of the Tambatuon dam in Kadamaian has also been strongly criticised. Many people are also calling for the incumbent BN representatives to step down and to allow "winnable" candidates to take over. There are several lobby groups in Kadamaian that call for the incumbent Herbert Timbun Lagadan to make way for a younger candidate. Likas and Luyang are regarded as marginal seats simply because both were won under SAPP when the party was still with BN. With SAPP now outside the ruling party, the opposition has raised its stakes in the two areas. The SAPP's victory in the two areas in 2008 with marginal majorities shows that the opposition is highly popular there. In fact, had the DAP and PKR agreed to co-operate, SAPP would have lost in the 2008 election. The voters' mood in the upcoming election will depend on SAPP's next course of action. So far, SAPP has not made any decision as to whether it would re-join BN or remain with the opposition. SAPP appears to have a "game" of its own. SAPP's neither "here-nor-there" stance has not been well received by other local-based opposition parties even though its leaders could be seen attending political rallies organised by other opposition parties. SAPP's future will depend on how well it can lobby to contest in Chinese and mixed areas. But again this will be difficult as DAP has strongly indicated its desire to contest in Chinese-majority areas. Unless SAPP and STAR Sabah are willing to compromise, they will have to contest against each other in mixed areas. There are 13 marginal seats at the parliamentary level. Four of the seats are currently held by UPKO and UMNO, three by PBS, and two by SAPP. Most of the marginal parliamentary seats are non-Muslim Bumiputera-majority. The prospect of all 12 seats remaining with BN is dependent upon the reaction of the voters to the RCI (Royal Commission of Inquiry) to investigate the presence of illegal immigrants in Sabah and leadership issues. Three of the main parties representing the Kadazandusuns are PBS, UPKO and PBRS (Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah). Joseph Pairin Kitingan, the president of PBS, is now regarded by the Kadazandusuns as an ineffective leader who is not as aggressive as before in fighting for state rights and autonomy. Pairin has defended PBS' "accommodative" and "census-building" approach but the Kadazandusuns see it as a sign of weak leadership. Bernard Dompok, the president of UPKO is also in a dilemma after the withdrawal of his deputy, Wilfred Bumburing from BN. It is believed that more UPKO members will leave the party, if not sooner, then later. Dompok, who was previously praised for speaking against the banning of the word "Allah" in Catholic churches, is now slowly losing influence in Penampang. Joseph Kurup who leads another Kadazandusun-based party, PBRS, could lose his seat in Pensiangan if he fails to address local sentiments there. He won the seat uncontested in 2008 after the candidacy of the opposition candidate was rejected on "technical grounds". The performance of the Kadazandusun-based BN parties will be seriously affected given the negative perception of the Kadazandusun electorate towards Kadazandusun leaders. The Kadazandusun voters have the habit of "kicking" their leaders out of office. This was evident in 1995 when many of the Kadazandusun leaders (for instance, Bernard Dompok and Jeffrey Kitingan) who left PBS in 1994 were voted out. In fact, BN lost in all the non-Muslim Bumiputera seats in 1995.
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| NST report: ‘Ridiculous and rubbish’ Posted: 20 Sep 2012 06:39 PM PDT The NGOs mentioned in an alleged plot to destabilise the government lash out at New Straits Times for its alleged smear campaign. Anisah Shukry, FMT Suaram denied today that it is a tool for foreign hands to destabilise the Malaysian government as alleged by New Straits Times (NST) daily today, adding that the US-based National Endowment for Democracy (NED) has no say in its direction or projects. NST claimed today that the Washington-based NED is seeking to destabilise the government by channelling up to RM20 million in funds to Malaysian non-governmental organisations (NGO) such as Suaram, Lawyers for Liberty (LFL), the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) as well as news portal Malaysiakini. But the front page report "Plot to destabilise govt" did not specify how the organisations planned to overthrow the Barisan Nasional-led government with the donated funds. It also failed to substantiate its claim that the NED wished to destabilise the government, beyond citing "investigators" and "sources", and a Berita Harian interview with Aliran founder Professor Dr Chandra Muzzafar yesterday. When asked to comment on the report, Suaram chairperson K Arumugam said that it was no secret that NED provided funds to Suaram, but added that that was the full extent of NED's role in the human rights group. "We make it clear in our annual human rights report that NED provides us with funds so that we are able to monitor the violation of civil and political rights in Malaysia. It's not some top secret thing," Arumugam told FMT. "But NED doesn't decide what we do in Malaysia. We decide what we plan to do, then we apply for funding for those projects. They don't dictate nor direct anything." He said that there were many agencies online that were willing to donate to human rights organisations, and that Suaram's link with the NED had began via a simple Google search for funds. "So the idea that the NED wants to destabilise the government through Suaram is completely nonsense, pure rubbish," Arumugam said. "How are we supposed to even do that? We are such a small group of people. Is the government so unstable?" He further pointed out that if such allegations were true, then the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) would not have presented Suaram with a human rights award last year. "So we are recognised for our human rights by a statutory body formed by the government itself. It's highly unlikely they would award it to a group that intends to overthrow the government," he said. 'Practise journalism ethics, NST' Arumugam also slammed NST for not calling up Suaram or any of the other NGOs mentioned in the article before publishing it. "NST should have called Suaram to create a balanced reporting. Instead of allowing us to respond to the allegations, it merely discredited Suaram," he said. "While it is their freedom of expression to publish it, we would have appreciated some balanced reporting," he added. His view was echoed by CIJ executive officer Masjaliza Hamzah, who poured scorn on the article for lacking neutrality and evidence. "NST should practise journalism ethics. One, they did not call us for any quotes. Two, they should have provided evidence," she told FMT. "If anyone is accused of destabilising the government, this is a serious charge and they cannot make such a serious charge and not provide evidence." Masjaliza said that such an article should have been relegated to a blog rather than the front page due to its lack of substantiated facts and sources. "Show proof. They need to name what activities CIJ has done that points to it being part of a larger plot to destabilise the government," she challenged. Like Arumugam, LFL co-founder and advisor Eric Paulsen found the article to be "quite ridiculous" and an obvious attack against NGOs that challenge the government's credibility. "LFL has been vocal, without fear of favour, on issues such as abuse of power, detention without trial, police shootings," Paulsen told FMT. "These are all issues that affect the government's credibility. So, presumably, that is why NST has written such an article." He also said that the article was clearly linked to Suaram as the latter has been in the highlight after initiating a French inquiry probing Malaysia's multibillion ringgit purchase of two Scorpene submarines. "Suaram exposed the hundreds of millions that the government paid for commissions for submarines that we don't even need, and this has caused huge embarrassment to the government. "Suaram's is a credible human rights organisation, so clearly the decision to persecute it, as well as to publish such a sensational front page article, is linked to the Scorpene scandal," he said.
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| EC waiting for AG's nod over postal voting for overseas Malaysians Posted: 20 Sep 2012 04:58 PM PDT
(The Star) - The Election Commission is waiting for the green light from the Attorney-General's Chambers to proceed with plans for overseas Malaysians to become postal voters in the coming general election. Its chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof said the AG is now studying the proposal to determine whether it will require amendments to the Federal Constitution or laws governing national polls, or just some "tweaking" of existing regulations. "The EC is waiting for the AG for final advice on how to proceed. I cannot say (when a decision will be made), but it will be very soon," he told a press conference. Currently, only full-time Malaysian students and their spouses and civil servants and their spouses are eligible as postal voters. This has led to complaints by those who are not within the category, such as private sector employees working overseas. A Parliamentary Select Committee on Electoral Reforms in its report in April, among others, recommended that postal voting be expanded to all Malaysians overseas.
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| Posted: 20 Sep 2012 04:52 PM PDT
And there are many anecdotes and enough stories written about how sex is used to get projects. Before, a man would have an official first wife who epitomises goodness and grace. Nowadays, they discard the first wives for a sexier model. And the reasons are not as clear-cut as a man's shallowness of wanting a younger, sexier replacement. Dina Zaman, The Malaysian Insider Gold-digger central It's no secret that to get money in this town, the businessman has to resort to a few tricks. One's name and social status are not enough, as well as one's connections and bank account(s). Sometimes, to get a contract, one has to get the girls. Or, at least provide willing female friends who are gold diggers but have tongues as smooth as silk. The man with iman can only surrender to his fate when he faces a nymph. Heaven be damned when he's experiencing oral sex in a karaoke lounge. And there are many anecdotes and enough stories written about how sex is used to get projects. Before, a man would have an official first wife who epitomises goodness and grace. Nowadays, they discard the first wives for a sexier model. And the reasons are not as clear-cut as a man's shallowness of wanting a younger, sexier replacement. "When you have a sexy, young, flirtatious but also sharp-minded wife, she helps bring in the money. Businesses are not just conducted on golf courses; they are discussed in the privacy of homes. "Now if you have a wife who's either frumpy, tudung-ed or fat and is unable to get along with your business contacts, she's not going to get the business for you. But with a sexy wife, who has equally sexy girlfriends and who knows how to wind men up, it makes things easier…" an observer commented. This is why many guest relations officers (GROs) are quite in demand as second wives or mistresses, even to the would-be entrepreneur. Sex sells and brings in the money. "And many times, first wives close their eyes. Who's going to want to give up their Hermès? And getting divorced at their age, you think easy-ah?" What about the goodness of the first wives who was there when their husbands just started out? "You must be joking. This town teems with gold diggers. And these women know who to connect with. They're indispensable. You are very idealistic." Money laundering One channel of this newfound wealth is money laundering (link: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/almost-100-money-laundering-cases-being-prosecuted/) Just type "money laundering in Malaysia" and a whole list of links come up. For the eager millionaire-to-be, this is a windfall. A well-heeled Datin, who was formerly in finance, shakes her head. "I can only point this newfound wealth to money laundering. It's fast, it's easy and there are many gullible people. "I don't deny that there are many government tenders which have been got through unethical means, but not all these tenders are not bona fide. Some of the consultants I know tendered in the right way, and with patience, determination, they get the projects but money laundering is rife." The desire, the "nak" overwhelms the person who wants to be rich beyond his dreams. "The current generation bases wealth on an as-is basis. He does not foresee the future. All he sees is money." With money, can one have respect and a place in the sun. The concession generation is more political than anything. Before, the money trickled back to the rakyat but now it goes straight into the pockets of the children. "And with the (Tun Dr) Mahathir-Anwar (Ibrahim) fiasco years back… everything was divided. Now let's look at the companies tendering for projects. Some have the experience while the one-off ones are the ones you should beware of. "But what is prevalent now is money laundering. This is how they do it. A approaches B wanting to invest in B's business. A is not concerned whether B makes profit or not. RM100,000 is given. If B can give back 30 per cent of the RM100,000 to A, that's good enough. Simple." And it's not just bankers and politicians and VIPs who get involved. Working tradesmen like fishermen are in on the game, too, she says. "Thing is, the money launderer is socially invisible. But because your bank account has been used, the bank authorities will go after you." She cites an example of the new rich. She was at Prada when an elderly woman who is best described as a "makcik" enters the boutique, and with a bag full of cash. She then went shopping at Gucci and Valentino, and made sure that there were few customers around. Purchases were bought with hastily-grabbed cash from her bag. Of course, there's prostitution, drugs to add to the equation. However, money laundering is quite easy to accomplish because despite the anti-laundering Act we already have, the enforcement is weak. "And people need money. They are not compensated well at work. Why work so hard for so little?"
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| Najib slams fake letter to IIUM as a 'desperate act' Posted: 20 Sep 2012 04:30 PM PDT
(NST) - UMNO president Datuk Seri Najib Razak has strongly criticised irresponsible quarters who had vilified him with a false letter addressed to the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) rector Datuk Dr Zaleha Kamaruddin. The letter, which was sent using the Umno letterhead and Najib's purported signature, referred to the appointment of Datuk Dr Mizan Hitam as IIUM deputy rector of student affairs, replacing Dr Nik Ahmad Kamal Nik Mahmood. The letter allegedly stated that Mizan's appointment was intended to bring success and glory to "Pro Aspirasi" in order to empower the nation based on Umno's constitution. Najib said this was an act by a desperate group who would go all out to invoke hatred towards the government. "I vehemently deny any involvement in this, and have never issued any party letter on the appointment of university officials," Najib said after the Umno supreme council meeting yesterday. He said this could be verified by the university and also the Higher Education Ministry.Earlier, at a press conference, IIUM Student Affairs & Development Division dean Dr Akmal Khuzairy Abdul Rahman refuted the attempt to link the prime minister and Umno to the letter. "The university categorically denies that we received the letter from the prime minister," he said. The letter was addressed to UIA Rector Prof Datuk Seri Dr Zaleha Kamaruddin on Aug 7.
Datuk Seri Najib Razak with the fake letter, using an Umno letterhead and purportedly signed by him, that has been circulating on social media sites and the International Islamic University campus notice boards. The letter allegedly indicated Mizan's appointment had been approved by the Umno supreme council and that it was to facilitate the initiation of the "Ops 2020" project in conjunction with IIUM's campus elections on Sept 25. |
| Sabah opposition in dogfight for seats Posted: 20 Sep 2012 04:25 PM PDT Latest developments in Sabah's political scene are an indication of the failure by PKR's top leaders to unite the people in support of a cohesive Pakatan Rakyat coalition. Joseph Bingkasan, FMT KOTA KINABALU: The already muddy political scene in the state is getting dirtier as the general election looms and the battle for candidacy heats up. The switch by former Barisan Nasional loyalists to the opposition is threatening to upset the delicate balance between the newcomers and the old hands, with both claiming they are the legitimate first-choice contenders for any seat. Until a few weeks ago, PKR was the main opposition party that was seen as being able to topple BN's Maximus Ongkili from his parliamentary seat in Kota Marudu where he is considered an interloper as his family is from Tambunan. Support for popular local-born Anthony Mandiau, a PKR candidate in the 12th general election, was rising even though he was defeated by Ongkili. The writing was on the wall when he polled a creditable 7,830 votes against the winner's 12,028. Mandiau did the same in 2004 as an independent candidate polling 7,268 votes against Ongkili's 10,457. However, with the entry of former United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) veteran leaders Wilfred Bumburing and Senator Maijol Mahap who quit their party and the ruling coalition to enter the fray, Mandiau may not get the chance to test the third-time-lucky game plan. Things were looking up for him when Mahap, the former Upko vice-president, quit BN to throw his support for Pakatan Rakyat. "The number of PKR supporters has increased close to 10,000 now compared to just 13 members when I joined the party in 2007," Mandiau told delegates of the divisional party's congress in Kota Marudu last week. However, the jump in the number of overt supporters is making him sweat rather than smile. "It now seems that my friend [Mahap] has his own plans. He quit BN so that he can contest in the coming election on a Pakatan ticket. "When I joined PKR in 2007, Upko leaders including Mahap laughed at me… they were telling the people of Kota Marudu that my move was wrong as I was joining a political party that had no following. Now they want to join us," he told the congress. 'Newcomers' stoking anger Mandiau, a two-time opposition candidate, views (Mahap's) move as unprincipled in the light of the newcomers' attempts to commandeer the process of nominating opposition candidates for various seats in the state. Mahap has joined Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS) headed by Bumburing, who is Tuaran MP. Bumburing has declared support for Pakatan and seems intent on stamping his mark on the question of candidacy. Mandiau disclosed that Bumburing was accompanied by Mahap and former senator Kalakau Untol last week to a gathering of PKR supporters in Kampung Marak Parak, a remote village in the Kota Marudu district. "It was during this gathering that the APS leader announced that Mahap will be the Pakatan candidate for the Kota Marudu parliamentary seat, contesting on a PKR ticket. "What is this? This is clear that Mahap resigned from Upko so that he can contest, which he would not have been able to do if he is still in BN," Mandiau said. He said he was only informed by Mahap about the function three hours before it began at 2pm and he was unable to attend. But said that he was with the senator the day before and there was no mention about the next day's gathering. "I am the Kota Marudu PKR head but was sidelined. This should not have happened," he said, adding that PKR leaders in the division are not happy about the new developments following APS' entry into the district. He also told the congress that due to APU's move and activities in promoting Mahap as the candidate, former MP George Sangkin and about 1,000 supporters had left PKR. But Sangkin had promised support if he (Mandiau) is the candidate. PKR leaders must listen to people Mandiau believes the same battle for seats is happening in other constituencies where those who left BN to join APS and Pakatan Perubahan Sabah (PPS) headed by Beaufort MP Lajim Ukin are expecting to be rewarded for the switch in allegiance.
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| Ribuan umat Islam ‘menyerbu’ Kedutaan Amerika Posted: 20 Sep 2012 04:21 PM PDT Fazy Sahir and Jamilah Kamarudin, FMT Kira-kira 5,000 umat Islam berkumpul di kawasan Kedutaan Amerika Syarikat di Jalan Tun Razak selepas berarak dari Masjid Al-Syakirin di KLCC kira-kira satu kilometer. Kelihatan kira-kira 200 anggota polis dikerahkan mengawal keadaan sekitar kedutaan dan Jalan Tun Razak. Perarakan sekurang-kurangnya 5, 000 orang itu turut disertai oleh pemimpin PAS dan PKR serta NGO-NGO Islam. Antara yang kelihatan ialah Naib Presiden PAS, Sallahuddin Ayub dan Ketua Pemuda, Nas udin Hasan. Manakala pemimin PKR yang kelihatan ialah dua Naib Presiden iaitu Tian Chua dan Nurul Izzah Anwar. Kedutaan ditutup sejak jam 11 pagi berikutan anjuran demonstrasi aman membantah filem 'Innocence of Muslims'. Dalam ucapannya, Tian Chua berkata, kita tak benarkan sesiapa menghina agama yang lain. "Perkara ini bukan saja perjuangan Islam, ini isu kemanusiaan. Sesiapa yang menghina agama lain, ini merupakan penghinaan kepada semua manusia sejagat. "Kita bersama-sama menunjukkan solidariti kawan kita kepada umat Islam penghinaan ini tidak dibenarkan oleh mana-mana pihak. "Ini isu maruah seluruh rakyat Malaysia dan ini harus dihentikan. Kita sebulat suara mendesak US dan mana-mana kerajaan pun untuk membela maruah islam dan mana-mana agama supaya penindasan dihentikan. "Hari ini orang islam, esok mungkin orang Sikh, esok mungkin agama Kristian. Jadi mari bersama-sama pertahankan prinsip manusia tanpa mengira agama," katanya. Manakala perhimpunan membantah filem anti Islam, 'Innocence of Muslims' di Masjid Jamek, Kampung Baru di sini, berlangsung anman dan disertai ribuan orang. Laungan 'Allahuakbar' tanpa henti manakala Exco Pemuda Umno, Lokman Noor Adam berucap di atas sebuah van di hadapan pintu utama Masjid Jamek yang diikuti pemimpin-pemimpin lain. Mereka termasuk Ketua Pemuda Umno,Khairy Jamaluddin, dan Naib Ketua yang juga Timbalan Menteri Belia dan Sukan, Datuk Razali Ibrahim, Presiden Pertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa (Perkasa), Datuk Ibrahim Ali dan Presiden Jati, Datuk Hasan Ali.
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| Karpal denounces insults against Prophet Posted: 20 Sep 2012 04:18 PM PDT The DAP leader says it will take a long time for the feelings of Muslims to be assuaged. (FMT) - National DAP chairman Karpal Singh has denounced the American movie Innocence of Muslims and cartoons published by the French magazine Charlie Hebdo that insult the Prophet Muhammad. "On behalf of the DAP, with all the force at my command, I condemn the insults to Prophet Muhammad as evidenced in the movie Innocence of Muslims and the French satirical magazine," he said in a press statement today. "The irresponsibility and the wanton disregard for the feelings of Muslims have certainly left an indelible scar on their psyche and it will take a long time for the feelings of Muslims to be assuaged." The movie portrays the Prophet as a womaniser and a fool, and Charlie Hebdo has published offensive cartoons such as one showing him as a bearded figure bending over to display his buttocks. Had the movie and cartoons originated in Malaysia, Karpal added, the offenders would be liable to prosecution under Section 298 of the Penal Code. The section provides for the imprisonment and fine of any individual who utters words with the intention of injuring the religious feelings of any person. Karpal urged Muslims to exercise restraint in opposing both the movie and the magazine. "It is hoped Muslims will exercise restraint in the face of the justified grave provocation brought about as a result of the irresponsibility of those who have thought it fit to insult Islam's prophet," he said. "The innocent should not be subject to any harm to their person or property." Karpal's statement also referred to a controversial Twitter message by Perak DAP chairman Ngeh Koo Ham, saying he hoped Muslims would accept his apology. Ngeh apologised yesterday for questioning the rationale for demonstrations by Muslims against the United States and France.
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| Cina sudah kurang ajar! Dah lupa 13 Mei ke? Posted: 20 Sep 2012 03:43 PM PDT Cina sudah kurang ajar. Cina perlu diajar. Cina sudah lupa 13 Mei. Ini negara Melayu. Agama Malaysia ialah Islam. Sekiranya Cina tak boleh terima ini maka mereka boleh keluar dari Malaysia. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin "It appears like the opposition is not consistent with its stand regarding freedom of speech. When we say something they don't like they whack us. They call us all sorts of foul names. They call us a traitor and turncoat. They call us a Trojan horse." -- RPK. Whacking, calling foul name, and calling traitor/turncoat might be inflammatory, but they are still covered by freedom of expression under USA 1st Amendment and also re-affirmed by later ruling of US Supreme Court. Alas, we are not USA. Despite we are not USA, we should still appreciate how the freedom of expression can and have prevented monopoly of those in powerful position. How to prevent the over-concentration of power (i.e. the hallmark of dictator)? One of the answers is to protect the right of expression of every citizen; the right must include whacking, calling foul name, and other inflammatory remarks. The freedom of expression includes the right to say stupid things and being bias to "your team". It is that "pain" of freedom of expression that allows powerful counter-weight to those in power position. If we cannot take that "pain" or sacrifice, we can kiss goodbye to democracy. "I remember when Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim expressed his personal view and he was whacked kau-kau for that. Does not Tunku Aziz also have a right to his personal view just like Ngeh?" -- RPK. So is the right of those who whack Tunku Aziz kau-kau. We should stop confuse people about the right of freedom of expression. Whacking someone kau-kau might be bad manners and even politically stupid, but it has not violated the right of Tunku Aziz. I think I can understand RPK whacking DAP and Pakatan Rakyat asking them to behave. But, confusing people on what is freedom of expression is a great "sin" -- as far as nurturing nascent democracy is concerned. (Comment by Shiou in my article 'How the knife cuts both ways'). ************************************************* That was what Shiou commented in my article 'How the knife cuts both ways'. Basically, Shiou is of the opinion that freedom of expression means 'no holds barred', anything goes, there are no limits or boundaries to what one can say. Let's say I buy that. Let's say I go along with what Shiou says -- that freedom of expression means 'no holds barred', anything goes, there are no limits or boundaries to what one can say. But then, in the same breath, Shiou contradicts himself/herself and concludes that confusing people on what is freedom of expression is a great sin. If Shiou is a propagator of absolute freedom of expression with no limits or boundaries, then how can he/she infer that confusing people is a great sin? There are no sins under absolute freedom of expression, going by Shiou's argument. Would not whatever I say, even if it is my intention to confuse people, be my freedom of expression? How can Shiou regard a statement meant to confuse people as a great sin? There is no such thing as a sin as far as absolute freedom of expression goes. Everything is fair game -- even a lie, misinformation, disinformation, propaganda, distortions, innuendoes, and whatnot. All are kosher. They all come under freedom of expression if we use Shiou's interpretation of no limit to freedom of expression. Now look at this photograph. And then read the heading of my article: Cina sudah kurang ajar! Dah lupa 13 Mei ke? I am relating my heading to the photograph above. To Shiou, this Chinese chap is merely expressing himself under his right of freedom of expression by stepping on the photograph of the Prime Minister. I, too, am expressing myself under my right of freedom of expression by saying, "Cina sudah kurang ajar! Dah lupa 13 Mei ke?" Am I making a racist statement? Am I instigating racial hatred? Is what I am doing dangerous considering that racism in Malaysia has reached a dangerous level never seen before since May 1969? As far as I am concerned I am just applying Shiou's standards and yardstick of freedom of expression. Under your right of freedom of expression there should be no limits or boundary. Anything goes. Everything is kosher. And I do not see that Chinese chap who is stepping on the Prime Minister's photograph as him exercising his freedom of expression. I see it as Chinese arrogance and a challenge to the Malays (cabaran kepada Melayu). Hence I say: Cina sudah kurang ajar! Dah lupa 13 Mei ke? Maybe what I am doing is dangerous. Maybe what I am doing may trigger racial discord. It may even expose Malaysia to the danger of racial conflict and violence. But that is not important. What is important is that I am expressing my view under my right of freedom of expression. What I am doing may result in deaths, maybe even hundreds or thousands of deaths. But can we allow that possibility to stand in the way of freedom of expression? Cina sudah kurang ajar. Cina perlu diajar. Cina sudah lupa 13 Mei. Ini negara Melayu. Agama Malaysia ialah Islam. Sekiranya Cina tak boleh terima ini maka mereka boleh keluar dari Malaysia. Yes, that statement, too, is covered under my right of absolute freedom of expression. So how can you say it is malicious, seditious, vicious and mischievous? Under freedom of expression, as Shiou says, there are no limits. There are no boundaries. Everything goes. All is kosher. |
| SUARAM, and USAid expulsion from Russia Posted: 20 Sep 2012 02:16 PM PDT
ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL SUARAM is whining everyday ever since they are faced with a barrage of investigations. SUARAM's initial reaction to the various demands for investigations was to garner sympathy and support. They claimed they are being harrassed, authorities are reacting to the mob and finally they try a counter offense to express willingness to be scrutinised but insist a probe on Scorpene purchase.  And don't the SUARAM people read, Confession of an Economic Hitman? Perhaps, they believe it is okay to work with the enemy of the state as long as they get their way of seizing power. That is undemocratic and they will only be another dictator to promote onlt their own agenda. The international news have been giving favourable report on Putin lately. They claim he is having confidence problem with the people. Two days back, the Russian expelled USAID out of Russia. The response would likely say that it is Putin trying to preserve himself by blaming others. Is it so or there is basis to do so? Not many months ago, one Middle East country expelled NDI operatives. Remember Rocky's posting here. Read the news below:
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| Audit PKR di Selangor ada unsur penipuan, kata SPR Posted: 20 Sep 2012 02:09 PM PDT
Amin Iskandar, The Malaysian Insider Pengerusi Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR), Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof hari ini mendedahkan tentang terdapatnya unsur penipuan yang berlaku dalam audit daftar pemilih yang dilakukan oleh PKR di negeri Selangor. Menurut Abdul Aziz (gambar), penipuan dikesan sewaktu dijemput dalam sebuah program radio Bernama bersama-sama setiausaha agung PKR, Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail baru-baru ini. "Dalam program tersebut Saifuddin menunjukkan kepada wartawan gambar sebuah 'Dangau' yang dikatakan terdapat 18 orang pengundi berdaftar di Kampung Sungai Pusu, Gombak. "Saya minta dia tunjukkan gambar tersebut, gambar tersebut kami ambil untuk buat kajian. "Namun apabila SPR turun dilapangan, rupa-rupanya, Dangau itu adalah tempat letak motosikal dan sebenarnya terdapat 32 buah keluarga tinggal kampung tersebut, gambar tersebut sebenarnya di crop. "Ini salah satu bukti penipuan dalam audit yang dilakukan oleh PKR," kata Abdul Aziz kepada pemberita. Dangau adalah merujuk kepada pondok di dalam loghat Kedah yang digunakan oleh Saifuddin. "Sebab itu apabila terdapat kekeliruan atau tidak jelas tentang sesuatu perkara, datang berjumpa SPR. "Jangan terus dedah kepada media kerana ini akan mengelirukan orang ramai," kata pengerusi SPR itu lagi. Abdul Aziz turut menunjukkan gambar-gambar hasil penyiasatan yang dilakukan oleh pasukan penyisat SPR Selangor ke Kampung Sungai Pusu yang menunjukkan 32 keluarga yang menetap di kampung tersebut menggunakan satu alamat yang terletak di pondok tersebut. Baru-baru ini kerajaan negeri Selangor mengumumkan tidak akan membubarkan dewan undangan negeri (DUN)serentak dengan pilihan raya umum (PRU) oleh kerana daftar pemilih yang tidak bersih. Dalam statistik terbaru SPR digazet pada 16 Ogos yang dihantar kepada The Malaysian Insider, SPR merekodkan jumlah pemilih berdaftar seramai 13,052,374 orang di mana 12,778,127 orang adalah pengundi biasa dan 274,247 orang adalah pengundi tidak hadir yang terdiri daripada tentera, polis dan pengundi luar negara. Selangor mempunyai pengundi luar negeri yang paling tinggi iaitu 597 orang manakala Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur mempunyai jumlah pengundi tidak hadir paling tinggi iaitu seramai 40,543 orang.
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| Posted: 20 Sep 2012 01:58 PM PDT
SAKMONGKOL AK47 Orang Melayu mesti buang dan singkirkan pemikiran ini. yakni, jangan fikir bahawa masa depan kita, kemakmuran kita hanya UMNO boleh buat. Orang Melayu bukan UMNO pun boleh buat lagi baik. Yang pegang tampuk kuasa tidak boleh lama mengelak dari melakukan apa yang dikehendaki oleh majority. Orang Melayu majority kan? You cant dismiss the majority. Lim Guang Eng, KM Pulau Pinang. Dalam mengurus negeri tersebut, dia tak mampu mengenepikan kehendak orang Melayu disana. Dia tahu reality politik Malaysia. Pengajaran nya ialah sesiapa pun yang memerintah, kalau dia peka dan akur kepada kehendak majority, akan selamat. Orang Melayu mesti bersatu. Tapi bukanlah bersatu dibawah UMNO. Bersatulah dalam fikiran bahawa melalui bertindak seirama dan senada, merekalah yang ada kuasa dan daulat untuk menentukan bagaimana negara ini ditadbir. Kita mungkin ada kerajaan PR yang memerintah- tapi selagi orang Melayu bertindak secara kolektif, kerajaan PR pun tidak boleh lakukan selain daripada apa yang dikehendaki oleh bangsa Melayu. Itulah faktanya. Bersatulah orang Melayu tapi tidaklah ia bermaksud bersatu dibawah UMNO. Kita mesti ingat pengorbadanan orang2 dahulu, tapi janganlah kita ingat yang berkorban dahulu2 hanya orang UMNO. Masaalah UMNO sekarang ialah ia gagal memncerminkan kehendak majority dalam pemimpin nya, dalam kepimpinan merka, dalam dasar dan wawasan mereka dan dalam mutu penyokong dan ahli mereka. Adakah majority Melalu biadab dan kebiadaman mereka diwakili oleh pembaling batu dan cat kearah kenderaan Anwar Ibrahim. yang tonggeng bontot didepan rumah Ambiga- adakah mereka mewakili kebiadaban orang Melayu? Hidup dan mati kita bukan disebabkan UMNO. Kalau orang Melayu yang beragama Islam berfikiran bahawa semua nya kerana dan untuk UMNO, itu sudah kufur. Jadi, banish the thoughts that only UMNO can serve orang Melayu. Kita biarkan orang UMNO jadi lembu, majority kita orang Melayu bukan sahaja tidak mahu jadi lembu tapi juga tidak rela dilembukan! Kalau kita berkehendakkan sangat supaya orang Melayu jadi ketua, kita pilih orang Melayu. Antara calun MCA dan calun Melayu bukan UMNO bertanding, pilih orang Melayu. Kalau Melayu DAP lawan cina MCA, pilih Melayu DAP. Kalau Melayu PAS lawan Melayu UMNO, pilih yang terbaik diatara mereka. Jangan pilih Melayu UMNO walaupun kita tahu dia penyangak dan gangster dan kaki sapu duit. Salah fikiran begitu. Kalau orang Melayu nak selamat- maka perkiraan yang paling selamat, kalau Melayu lawan Cina , pilih Melayu. Kalau Melayu lawan Melayu pilih yang lebih baik. Orang Melayu tidak ikat janji dengan UMNO. Jadi relakslah. Kita tak ikrar, sesungguhnya solat ku, ibadahku, hidupku dan mati ku kerana UMNO pemerintah alam kan? Tak kiamat dan tidak kafir kita kalau singkirkan UMNO. Najib kata kalau UMNO kalah, masa depan orang Melayu akan muram. Ek betul dia dan UMNO. Macamlah dia dan UMNO sahaja yang boleh menjaga kebajikan orang Melayu. Sebuah kerajaan yang majoritinya Melayu pun boleh buat lebih baik dari UMNO. Penjagaan dan perlindungan kebajikan dan kepentingan orang Melayu tidak bersyaratkan UMNO sahaja yang boleh lakukan. UMNO dah perintah sejak tahun 1955 dan semenjak merdeka iaitu selama 55 tahun. UMNO dapat masa tersebut dan masih gagal nak lakukan yang sepatutnya dilakukan. Itu sudah bukti kuat, UMNO tidak mampu lakukan apa yang mereka janji. Sudah tiba masa nya, kita tendang UMNO keluar dan gantikan dengan kerajaan PR dimana majority pemimpin nya tetap juga Melayu. Apa yang kita lihat pada UMNO? Kita lihat bahawa setiap pemimpin UMNO melihat kedudukan dan jawatan yang mereka dapat sebagai punca mencari rezeki dan kekayaan. UMNO penuh dengan pemimpin yan rasuah. Tak masuk akal seorang naib preisden UMNO boleh beri isteri muda RM 200 ribu dan RM 1 juta seminggu!. Tak masuk akal pemimpin UMNI dengan gaji menterinya boleh memiliki lebih dari 12 buak kereta mewah. Kita tak boleh terima Noh Omar bekalkan benih padi melalui syarikat proxy nya. Semua menteri UMNO korap dan rasuah. Mukhriz dan Mutapa Mohamad dikatakan telah mengagihkan 100 juta saham FGV antara mereka berdua. Orang Melayu peneroka Felda yang berjumlah 112, 000 orang hanya dapat 800 unit saham seorang.
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| APA?? Rosmah Mansor pakai jam tangan bernilai RM350,000? Posted: 20 Sep 2012 01:51 PM PDT  Anak Sungai Derhaka Beberapa ketika dahulu rakyat 1Malaysia telah dikejutkan dengan beberapa acessories milik Rosmah Mansor antaranya bag tangan 'Birkin' yang mencecah ratusan ribu RM dan juga 'Bangle' atau gelang tangan yang bernilai jutaan RM dan cincin RM24Juta. Rosmah Mansor dikatakan memiliki sekurang-kurangnya 11 beg tangan mewah jenama Birkin dianggarkan Rosmah membelanjakan minima RM638,000 hingga maksima RM5,192,000 untuk membeli beg tangan berkenaan.Bagi beg edisi terhad miliknya pula harga sebuah beg tangan dikatakan mencecah RM28,000 (US$ 9,000) hingga RM472,000 (US$150,000) bagi setiap satu.. sila baca di ( SINI ) Cincin berlian yang dikenali sebagai 'Natural Fancy Blue Gray Cushion Cut" miliknya itu berharga lebihkurang RM24 Juta.. sila baca di ( SINI ) Kali ini kita akan melihat lagi koleksi barangan mewah milik Rosmah Mansor iaitu jam tangan pula.. Terkini koleksi yang jam tangan yang dipakai Rosmah dalam satu majlis yang dihadirinya di Vietnam berjaya dirakam lensa kamera…  Ianya dikatakan dikatakan bernilai antara £70,000 - £100,000. Dan harga tersebut tidak termasuk duti import lagi... Atau dalam nilai RM lebih kurang RM350,000 hingga RM500,000 sahaja.. Dengan mengambil kira gaji minimum baru bagi Semenanjung Malaysia iaitu sebanyak RM900 manakala di Sabah dan Sarawak diletakkan pada paras RM800.. rakyat Malaysia perlu mengambil masa selama seperti perkiraan di bawah untuk memilikinya.. RM900 x 12 (bulan) = RM10800 x 46 tahun 4 bulan = RM500,400 Ini bermakna mereka memerlukan sekurang-kurangnya 46 tahun lama untuk memiliki jam tangan mewah berjenama Franck Muller ini.. |
| Defending Ngeh's Tweet on provocative film Posted: 20 Sep 2012 01:50 PM PDT
KTEMOC KONSIDERS The Malaysian Insider - Ngeh retracts tweet, apologises to Muslims I agree with Ngeh that Muslims have been/are wasting to much time and energy on an issue (deliberately) provoked by one single person. Instead, they should look at the 'agenda' behind the provocation.
Jones is notorious for provoking the Muslim world two years ago by his boast to burn 200 copies of the Quran. However, US State and Defence authorities successfully persuaded him against that as his action could imperil American troops in Afghanistan and the Middle East. Nonetheless, one year later (in 2011) he did burn one copy of the Quran. On the recent Bacile's provocative film, he ignored pleas from US authorities (again) not to upload the film on his church website. US media columnists have also appealed to church authorities to stop him to avoid violence in the Middle East but he gave everyone two fingers. Some US church leaders stated what he has done has been a travesty and detestable. As for the suspected 'agenda' behind the film, my agreement with Ngeh also pertains to my observations and belief that there would usually be a Zionist element behind such provocations against Muslims in general and Arabs (Palestinians) in particular. There is a very strong nexus between Ultra Zionists (both American and Israeli Zionists) and the US Christian Right, hence Jones' deliberate provocations could be related to right-wing Zionists' aim to demonize the easily provoked Arab-Muslims and/or to win back lost European sympathies and support for them - sympathies and support lost as a result of their arrogant political intransigence and feral brutalities against the Palestinians. Recently, President Obama has made an unprecedented decision (for a US President) in refusing to see Benjamin Netanyahu. Many Israeli leaders realized that Netanyahu has crossed the line in his usual 'dictates' to Obama, and took to criticizing him (Netanyahu) for his faux pas, hoping to steer him back on the proper polite path to winning back the US presidential support for an already isolated Israel. Israeli PMs, particularly an ultra like Netanyahu, believe they alone in the world have the politically teflonised backings from the US Christian Right and American Zionists to lecture, berate and scold US President on the correct political policies for the Middle-East. Usually they have been correct but Netanyahu's increasingly arrogant and strident talk-down to the US President have gotten out of hand, to an extent the US President, the leader of the most powerful nation in the world, would have suffered irreparable humiliation if he continues (like his predecessors) to quietly accept the Israeli dressing down. Perhaps the Arabs must be brought into the picture once again to help divert attention from this. If we recall some years back, when the Danish rightwing Jyllen-Posten published the Prophet Mohamad cartoons, it set the European world topsy turvy by the predictably violent reaction from Muslims and Arabs.
When European authorities and media were asked on the appropriateness of Jyllen-Posten publishing such offensive caricatures of a personality beloved by Muslims, the usual hypocritical mob would chant out blindly their mantra of 'freedom of speech and expression', while pretending not to remember how they persecuted Prince Harry for wearing a mere swastika armband to a fancy dress ball, or a Holocaust denier like David Irving for writing a book that says Jews killed by the Nazis did not number 6 millions and were considerably less.
Condemned for something associated with a fancy dress ball? For crying out loud! But the Zionist-galvanized ruckus evoked from an innocuous incident by an unsuspecting youth was so great that it not only forced the young royalty into apologising but panicked his father, the future King of England into issuing abject apologies and explanations of how silly his son had been, with British ministers wading in, all stumbling forward to prostrate themselves before the Gods of their guilt. His father even ordered little Harry to visit the Nazi concentration camp in Auschwitz to learn and atone. I have seen 'Dracula', 'Stalin', 'Tojo' and even a 'George Bush' at fancy dress balls, all winning at least a laugh or two. Shouldn't those wearers of the costumes be made to apologize to respectively Romania, Russia, Japan and the USA too? Lord Janner, a senior figure in Britain's Jewish community, said "What Harry did was both stupid and evil. The time has come for him to make a public apology." Evil? Hey! Freedom of expression? What happened to that supposedly cherished Western institution then? Oh BTW, David Irving was jailed for a number of years by an Australian Court for challenging the sacrosanct figure of 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust.
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| Pro A sapu bersih pilihan raya kampus Posted: 20 Sep 2012 01:43 PM PDT Pengumuman keputusan pilihan raya kampus ini telah dibuat di kesemua universiti yang terlibat oleh jawatankuasa pemilih perwakilan pelajar. Amirul Azam Zulkafli, FMT Pilihan raya kampus yang berlangsung semalam di lima buah universiti awam bagi memilih kepimpinan baru Majlis Perwakilan Pelajar (MPP) bagi sesi 2012/2013 telah menyaksikan kumpulan Aspirasi Mahasiswa menyapu bersih menewaskan Pro Mahasiswa. .Lima universiti yang mengadakan pilihan raya kampus semalam adalah Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA), Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) dan Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM). Pengumuman keputusan pilihan raya kampus ini telah dibuat di kesemua universiti yang terlibat oleh jawatankuasa pemilih perwakilan pelajar. Aspirasi Mahasiswa telah menyapu bersih kesemua kerusi yang dipertandingkan di UiTM (50 kerusi), UniMAP (31), UTeM (28) dan UniSZA (24). Di UiTM pula, Aspirasi menang 25 kerusi daripada 27 yang dipertandingkan. Proses pilihan raya kampus di lima universiti itu yang berlangsung sejak awal pagi Khamis ditutup pada jam 4 petang. Sementara itu, sebanyak 15 IPTA lain memilih untuk mengadakan pilihan raya kampus masing-masing pada Selasa depan.
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| ‘Reopen probe against Mahathir’ Posted: 20 Sep 2012 01:33 PM PDT In an open letter to IGP Ismail Omar, the former KL CID chief said the case was never closed as indicated by former IGP Musa Hassan and AG Abdul Gani Patail in 2008. G Vinod, FMT The police should reopen investigations on former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad on alleged abuse of power, said former Kuala Lumpur Criminal Investigations Department CID) chief Mat Zain Ibrahim today. In an open letter to Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Ismail Omar, Mat Zain said he was referring to then Anti-Corruption Agency's (ACA) probe on Mahathir under the instruction of its then director-general, Shafee Yahya. "Former IGP Musa Hassan and Attorney-General (AG) Abdul Gani Patail told the media in April 2008 that the probe against Mahathir was closed by former AG Mohtar Abdullah in February 2000. "But I tell you that the case is still open," said Mat Zain. Mat Zain said that the case could not have been closed in February 2000 as the police reports were only made against Mahathir in June that year. He also said a businessman lodged a subsequent report against Mahathir on July 22, 2000. "The investigation papers were only produced to AG Chambers in November 2000. Even then, the KL police delayed further probe pending new statements from others, including Shafee," said Mat Zain. Training his guns against Musa and Gani, Mat Zain said that it was obvious that the duo were attempting to deceive the rakyat by saying the the case against Mahathir was closed. "What's worse is that they passed the buck to a dead person (Mohtar) to save their own necks," said Mat Zain.
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| Hisham, Rais, must apologise to M’sians for national shame Posted: 20 Sep 2012 12:29 PM PDT
Datuk Chua Jui Meng BERNAMA's admission that its pictures were doctored has shamed Malaysia globally in the most unethical manner. It is the Barisan Nasional (BN) government's national news agency and therefore the ministers linked to media affairs, namely Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and Information, Communications and Culture Minister Rais Yatim, must apologise to Malaysians for the national shame. They must start thinking out of the box and not resort to looking for scapegoats to cover up what was committed intentionally. I guess that would be too much for the ministers and the BN to stomach. After 55 years of Merdeka (Independence), Malaysians cannot continue to rely on a government that is unable to think out of the box to do the right thing. BN resorts to cover-ups and sweeping everything under the carpet whenever blunders and scandals erupt. Admitting that its photographs of prime minister Najib Abdul Razak in Pekan, Pahang (an east coast state of the peninsula), were doctored to reflect huge crowds is not enough. Finding a scapegoat to take the rap is also deplorable as it will further shame Malaysia. Very few Malaysians, save for loyal BN supporters who are always giving blind support, believe that the doctoring of pictures was the act of an individual out to sabotage the national news agency. The delayed admission by Bernama that its pictures were doctored raises doubts of sincerity. The admission came only after a series of pictures were posted on the internet that clearly showed the visuals were fakes. Bernama's editor-in-chief Yong Soo Heong was quick to deny the pictures were fake and that the news agency had no time to engage in such unethical work. When more of such pictures were posted in the internet, Bernama buckled under mounting pressure and admitted guilt. Suddenly, Yong says "Bernama has conducted an initial investigation into allegations that one of its recent photographs was manipulated and found the flawed picture was discovered at the source from where it was sent". Do you expect Malaysians to believe Yong who was quick to dismiss the allegations when the picture was clearly doctored and then admitted guilt when pressure for the truth continued to mount. I doubt the doctoring was done by the photographer who would not be so stupid to put his job on the line because such doctoring can be easily detected. But he could have been pressured by his superiors to do so. Whatever, this is going to be another case of going after the ikan bilis (anchovy or small fish) instead of the big fish. |
| Pakatan promises affordable housing, after cheaper cars, free education Posted: 20 Sep 2012 12:22 PM PDT Rafizi said PR's budget proposals will be backed up by background costing. (The Malaysian Insider) - Pakatan Rakyat's (PR) budget proposals next week will highlight affordable housing, a touchy subject that urbanites and unionists have asked the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) to act on as house prices are rising faster than income levels. The federal opposition coalition had earlier promised to slash vehicles prices and offer free tertiary education, and the move on housing prices is seen as a sweetener to win more support to capture Putrajaya in the next general election which must be held by middle 2013. PKR strategy director Rafizi Ramli said the PR budget proposals, to be unveiled on September 24 by Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, will address the two issues which are driving housing prices up. "The first reason is speculation. There is no denying that Barisan Nasional has been trying to counter this by controlling credit for housing but this textbook style in dealing with the issue is too late," he told The Malaysian Insider, saying credit restrictions were not working as speculators no longer approached banks for funds and instead pooled their resources. Rafizi said there was also a need to regulate developers who hand out rebates and discounts after setting prices. "They (developers) give so many rebates and discounts and deducting all this, suddenly you find that the house is only RM900,000. "But because the initial value was a million, it pushes up the base line for housing prices," he added. He said there were a lot of "nitty gritty items" needing review, adding that BN's handling of the crisis was not detailed and thorough enough to curb speculation. "The government has also abdicated the role of providing housing to private contractors, so now we in PR have to look at different ways to balance the supply for affordable housing," Rafizi said, adding that there was no drive for contractors to build affordable houses. He said that instead of Putrajaya's move to guarantee aid to first-time homeowners through the My First Home Scheme announced in Budget 2012, PR would look into increasing the supply of affordable housing but added that the issue would not be resolved overnight. "We won't see any effects until the third year because this problem cannot be solved quickly, even in one or two years," said the trained accountant, adding it was a matter of cost and cashflow. "BN would never admit to this, but whenever we come out with a policy, we will always give a proper cashflow along with it. So I can assure everyone that the plan is sound," Rafizi said. He added that proposals in the PR budget will be backed up by background costing and would not be including the earlier policies promised by the opposition pact. "The onus is on us to prove that our plans are viable, as we have done with our car policy and even with our PTPTN policy; the figures and cashflow we provide will tally," Rafizi said. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/pakatan-promises-affordable-housing-after-cheaper-cars-free-education/
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| Malaysian role vexes Thai conflict Posted: 20 Sep 2012 12:14 PM PDT
(Asia Times) -- PATTANI - When Malay Muslim insurgents recently staked Malaysian flags along roads, pedestrian bridges and on electricity poles across Thailand's predominantly Muslim southernmost provinces, the symbolic acts of rebellion highlighted Malaysia's often overlooked cross-border role in the deadly conflict. Although Thai officials have consistently characterized the situation as homegrown, that interpretation is stretched by the fact that many Malay Muslim Thai nationals share an ethnic and religious affinity with Malaysia's ethnic majority. Malaysia has long served as a source of sanctuary for ethnic Malay separatists who launch attacks in Thailand and flee to safety across the border. Read more at: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/NI21Ae01.html
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| Malaysia wants to prevent homosexuality from spreading Posted: 20 Sep 2012 12:11 PM PDT
(Business Standard) - Malaysia's education ministry today said it viewed the phenomenon of homosexuality seriously and wants to make sure it does not spread in schools, days after it distanced itself from 'guidelines' issued by a seminar on how to identify gay tendencies in children. Deputy Education minister, Mohd Puad Zarkashi said various measures had and would be taken, including appointing counsellors in schools to help parents understand the issue and the dangers it posed. "However, the ministry does not intend to issue set guidelines to curb the LGBT phenomenon although we realise that it is increasingly evident in this country," he told a parenting seminar on tackling the LGBT issue. Mohd Puad said the question of set guidelines did not arise, but many people might have thought that the ministry was directly involved in fighting the LGBT menace by issuing such guidelines. "Actually, we want to educate parents and expose them to the LGBT threat but the parents themselves, through the consultative council, expressed their worry over the LGBT phenomenon," he was quoted by national news agency Bernama as saying. Mohd Puad said the ministry was of the opinion that the LGBT symptoms be honestly made known to parents and teachers so that the problem involving the young, especially those still schooling, could be checked. "The time has come for the LGBT issue be discussed openly and not treat it as a taboo subject, just like when we introduced sex education in schools where we undertook various measures including naming the subject health and reproductive education," he said. Meanwhile, Shahlan Ismail, chairman of the parent teachers consultative council said that so far 11 seminars nationwide had been organised by the Council on the LGBT issue, to discuss with parents the "symptoms" and "preventive measures" as well as the dangers posed by the phenomenon. "These seminars are not aimed at encouraging the public to get rid of LGBTs as claimed by some quarters, or to use violence against them or to arrest them," Bernama quoted him as saying. |
| Dr M: Leaders can be reproached and challenged Posted: 20 Sep 2012 12:06 PM PDT
(Bernama) - "During my time (as prime minister), I was reproached by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and Musa Hitam and there were also scores of people who were angry with me," he said. Leaders can be reproached and challenged if it is felt they have strayed from the struggle to develop society and the nation, says former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. "(We do it) when we have the opportunity to do so, but not in an angry or insulting manner. We give opinions that can be taken into consideration by the leaders," he said. Speaking to reporters after a discussion on leadership at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), here yesterday, he said the leaders too must be open to challenge and reprovals. "During my time (as prime minister), I was reproached by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and Musa Hitam and there were also scores of people who were angry with me," he said. Dr Mahathir said leaders must also not overstay in power and "go when it is time for them to go, although they are popular among the people". Asked how a leader would know if it is time to step down, he said: "A leader must be able to read the people's mind and there would be indications or signals for him to go." However, he said, it would be bad if the time given to a leader to lead was too short that he could not learn his job, formulate some policies and implement them. "Five years? Ten years? Some countries limit it (term) to five years. That is not good. "People need to give time to a leader unless of course if he is very bad, filling his own pocket, giving priority to his family and something like that. If he is not like that, then you allow him to stay on at least for another term". On the 13th general election, Dr Mahathir said the problem that he saw in Barisan Nasional at the moment was that there were too many people who considered themselves as the best candidates. "When not elected as candidates, these people will go all out to prevent the elected candidates from winning." He said another thing that would hinder BN from winning two-thirds majority comfortably in the elections was that the people were easily influenced by the feeling of hatred being stirred up against the government by the opposition. |
| Posted: 19 Sep 2012 05:40 PM PDT
Ngeh's statement was also about taking to the streets being a waste of time. What Ngeh said was basically almost the same as what Tunku Aziz said. But Tunku Aziz was demonised while Ngeh was not. In fact, the reverse happened. PAS supports Ngeh's right to air this personal view, a right not allowed Tunku Aziz. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin
Perak DAP Chief Ngeh Koo Ham – you are a complete disgrace (The Kuala Lumpur Post) - Ngeh Koo Ham – you are a complete disgrace. You are just like the other arrogant DAP leaders who do not use their head when they tweet. How does one describe the DAP leader Manoharan who posted a tweet to run down our badminton hero Lee Chong Wei. The Perak DAP chief, we are sure, is the kind who would run down Malaysia when he is overseas. We bet our last ringgit he does that. He is the kind of chauvinist leader who appeals to the many whining Malaysians – who lives in a affluent neighbourhood, has a maid, has three cars or more, travels overseas and enjoys the best of Malaysian life! One can speculate what are Ngeh's private views regarding the controversial anti-Islam Innocence of Muslims video clip. He has a sick mind because only a racist mind would post a tweet that read: "Khairy wants Muslim protest against Sam Bacile. For Islam or his political gains? Are Muslims wasting too much time and energy on this." He has tried to wriggle out of this provocative tweet by claiming he was merely posing a question. Come on, Ngeh, you must think we are as stupid as your DAP groupies and zombies. You should stop lying and come out with an apology instead. You are clearly insensitive but worse, you have offended the majority of Muslims in Malaysia. A mistake is one thing but to put that offensive question is another thing. You can only say you are a bloody disgrace. ****************************************** Ngeh Koo Ham keluarkan pandangan peribadi, kata Hatta Ramli (The Malaysian Insider) - Bendahari PAS Pusat Dr Hatta Mohd Ramli berkata, pengerusi DAP Perak, Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham hanya mengeluarkan pandangan peribadi mengenai demonstrasi menentang klip video nabi yang akan dilangsungkan esok di hadapan Kedutaan Amerika Syarikat (AS) dan tidak mewakili pandangan keseluruhan ahli Pakatan Rakyat (PR). Menurut beliau, di dalam sebuah negara demokratik, setiap orang berhak untuk mengeluarkan pandangan sendiri asalkan ia tidak melampaui batas. Pada 16 September lalu, Ngeh telah menulis dalam laman sosial Twitter yang bertulis, "Khairy mahu umat Islam berdemo menentang (klip video) Sam Bacile, untuk Islam atau kepentingan politik? Kenapa umat Islam membuang masa dan tenaga untuk semua ini." Berikutan dengan kenyataan itu, ia menimbulkan perasaan kurang senang di kalangan beberapa pihak yang mengatakan Ngeh tidak sensitif dengan isu yang berkait dengan agama Islam. Menurut Dr Hatta lagi, hubungan DAP dan PAS akan terus kekal rapat dalam kerjasama PR biarpun terdapat perbezaan dalam beberapa isu. ****************************************** The above was what an Umno Blog wrote, and republished by a few news portals and websites. Ngeh has since apologised for that faux pas here: I retract and apologise to any Muslim who is offended by my tweet. According to Dr Hatta Mohd Ramli of PAS, Ngeh's 'outburst' was his personal view. Dr Hatta also said, "…di dalam sebuah negara demokratik, setiap orang berhak untuk mengeluarkan pandangan sendiri asalkan ia tidak melampaui batas." (In a democratic country, everyone has a right to air his/her personal view as long as it does not exceed the boundary). It is apparent that Umno is going to town on this faux pas and this is going to hurt DAP quite badly. And I really don't blame Umno. If I were in Umno's Black Ops or Psychological Warfare team I would do the same. This is certainly not an opportunity to be missed. But that is not the issue I want to talk about. After all, race, religion and personal attacks are the stuff that Malaysian politics is made of. Basically, it is primary school-level politics. And when words fail, they will resort to violence. So far, over the last year or so, we have seen the fringes of this violence. Rest assured more and harder stuff is coming and those who talk the most will probably hide within the safety of their homes while those innocent of any involvement will have to suffer the consequences and retaliation. This is the sad reality of violence. Dr Hatta's conclusion is that everyone has a right to his/her personal view. And Ngeh's statement was just that, his personal view. Hence PAS will not lose any sleep over what Ngeh said. It is very comforting and reassuring to hear Dr Hatta say that. But then Dr Hatta is a liberal Muslim and the product of the Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK). Hence he has been moulded into tolerating dissenting views and criticism -- although he may be a leader of an Islamic party and the dissenting view is regarding Islam. So, not all the more than one billion Muslims are bloodthirsty, medieval-minded, intolerant people. There are many amongst that more than one billion who are open-minded and tolerant of criticism. It is only that they can't be bothered to argue with the close-minded Muslims. Most of us have learned years ago that it is a waste of time trying to debate with religious bigots, never mind from which religion they may come from -- they are all the same. Hence that is the bottom line -- just ignore the religious bigots. When you ignore them they eventually just shut up and go home. It is when you layan (engage) them that they get all excited. They want an audience and when you give them an audience they will put on an even greater 'show'. A crucial part of Dr Hatta's statement is that as long as it does not exceed the boundary (asalkan ia tidak melampaui batas) it is okay to express your personal view. And herein lies the problem. Where is this boundary and at what point would one be perceived as 'exceeding the boundary'? Is calling Anwar Ibrahim BABI (Brother Anwar Bin Ibrahim), as what the Umno Blogs do, be melampaui batas? What about calling Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad Mahatahi? Is this within the boundary (tidak melampaui batas)? The boundary is invisible and very subjective. I would consider BABI and Mahatahi as definitely melampaui batas. The Umno and Pakatan supporters, however, do not think so. They think this is very kosher. In that case would calling Prophet Muhammad a paedophile be considered kosher or melampaui batas? I suppose the yardstick would be: do unto others as you would others do unto you. Some Umno Bloggers call my mother a prostitute. I hate that. Hence I would not call any other person's mother a prostitute since I do not like my mother being called that. The more crucial issue in this whole Ngeh episode is that Dr Hatta regards what Ngeh said as his personal view and that under a democracy Ngeh has a right to his personal views. Okay, that is well and fine -- what Ngeh said is his personal view and under a democracy Ngeh has a right to his personal views. But do the DAP people also practice what Dr Hatta's preaches? I remember when Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim expressed his personal view and he was whacked kau-kau for that. Does not Tunku Aziz also have a right to his personal view just like Ngeh? What Tunku Aziz said was regarding demonstrations. He did not think Malaysians should take to the streets, as this is a violation of Malaysian laws. (Whether we agree or not with that law would be another matter but it would still be breaking the law). Ngeh's statement was also about taking to the streets being a waste of time. What Ngeh said was basically almost the same as what Tunku Aziz said. But Tunku Aziz was demonised while Ngeh was not. In fact, the reverse happened. PAS supports Ngeh's right to air this personal view, a right not allowed Tunku Aziz. The opposition has to decide whether freedom of speech is allowed or not. No need to ask Umno or Barisan Nasional this question. Umno and Barisan Nasional do not allow freedom of speech. It is the opposition that is fighting for freedom of speech. So we need to ask the opposition this question, not ask Umno or Barisan Nasional. It appears like the opposition is not consistent with its stand regarding freedom of speech. When we say something they don't like they whack us. They call us all sorts of foul names. They call us a traitor and turncoat. They call us a Trojan horse. But when they commit a faux pas they scream freedom of speech to squirm out of their mistake. And please stop this "if you criticise the opposition that means you support Barisan Nasional" nonsense. That is so, so childish. Some of us might do just that, support Barisan Nasional, just to teach you phoneys and fakes a lesson. Barisan Nasional may be bad but at least they do not pretend to be angels. They are bad and proud of it. You opposition people pretend to be angels but behind that mask you are no different from Barisan Nasional. Just practice what you preach. Walk the talk. Then you will get our support. Until then, shape up or ship out. Your choice!
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| I retract and apologise to any Muslim who is offended by my tweet Posted: 19 Sep 2012 03:47 PM PDT
Ngeh Koo Ham
I retract and apologise to any Muslim who is offended by my tweet as it was never intended to be so. It was 1.43 am 17th September 2012, after seeing world news on CNN, BBC and Al Ajazeera showing violent protests in various parts of the world where lives were lost, many injured properties gutted and unrest ensued in response to the video produced by Sam Bacile, and after reading the news in Malaysiakini.com that YB Khairy Jamaluddin has planned to hold massive protest coming Friday (21st Sept 2012) with regard to the same matter that I tweeted the following words 'Khairy wants muslim protest against Same Bacile. For Islam or for his political gains? Are muslims wasting to much time and energy on this?' In the context of the violent protests round the world and the many demonstrations to be held that I posed the question 'Are muslims wasting too much time and energy on this?' I was wondering if too much time and energy have been spent in response to the 13.5 minutes video produced by a mad man in the name of Sam Bacile. I wanted our society to think deeper with regard to the way we response to any provocation or issue that confronts us. I have been taught and have always emphasized to the young never to react but always to respond. I want to make it very clear my following stands:- 1. I strongly condemn the video and its producer for belittling the faith/religion of another person and reiterate support for the stand that has been taken by DAP on this issue which is contained in the media statement issued by my party's Secretary General on 16/9/2012. 2. I totally support the rights of a person to hold peaceful demonstrations. In my 23 years of active political involvement, I have organized scores of demonstration in Perak. I was arrested by the police in Bersih 2.0 and was there at Bersih 3.0. The abovesaid tweet has now been twisted by UMNO/BN to say I belittle Islam. This is a total lie. However, having explain the context in which my question was posed, any Muslim who is still offended by the question I posed, I apologise as that was never intended. I feel comforted that a leading Muslim cleric Sheik Yusuf al-Qaradawi, head of international union of Muslim Scholars, Encik Fathul Bari Mat Jahaya, the Executive Committee Chairman of Malaysia Young Ulama Assembly and Encik Musa Awang, the President of the Syarie lawyers of Malaysia have also come forward to call for restraint in the response to this video issue. |
| Najib’s turn at Google Hangout, aims for cyber-savvy crowd Posted: 19 Sep 2012 03:36 PM PDT
Jahabar Sadiq, The Malaysian Insider Datuk Seri Najib Razak will host a Google Hangout on September 29, becoming the second Malaysian politician to connect with IT-savvy Malaysians especially youths who form a distinct demographic of the 13 million eligible to vote in the next general election. The Malaysian Insider understands that the prime minister will answer questions in the hour-long session in the online forum from 4pm that Saturday, a day after he tables the Budget 2013 proposals in Parliament. The budget is the last one before elections that must be called by middle 2013. "Datuk Seri Najib is having a Google Hangout on September 29 at 4pm and this will add to other efforts in cyberspace," a source told The Malaysian Insider. It is learnt that his communication team is working on the details of the Google Hangout and an advertising campaign to promote the event, which will centre on the government's efforts to develop the country into a high-income developed nation by 2020. It is also understood that Najib, who is finance minister, will also answer questions about the Budget 2013 proposals. The Google Hangout comes at a time when the Malaysian authorities lodged an official complaint to Google and its video-sharing site YouTube about the anti-Islam film clip "Innocence of Muslims" which is seen as denigrating Prophet Muhammad and the faith, which is the country's official religion. YouTube has blocked access to the video clip from Malaysian Internet Protocol (IP) addresses but other services remain. The video-sharing site is popular in Malaysia and is mainly used by opposition politicians who want to bypass local free-to-air television stations which are either run by the state or by pro-government owners. Najib's main political foe, Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, was the first politician in the country to hold a Google Hangout, which allows virtual meetings of up to 10 people or a broadcast to an online audience of millions. Anwar's event drew thousands when it was held on August 17, two days before the Eid festival when Malaysian Muslims return home to celebrate the end of the holy Ramadan fasting month. US President Barack Obama hosted a Google Hangout last January as part of his re-election campaign. The forum comes in the form of live video connections and video YouTube questions. Najib, who will seek his own mandate in the next polls, is one of the country's most popular politicians online through his blog www.1malaysia.com.my, his two Facebook accounts and his Twitter microblogging account. His main Facebook page has 1,181,087 likes against Anwar's 388,219 likes in a country which has some 12.9 million Facebook accounts.
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| Umat Islam mesti bangkit kecam hina Rasulullah Posted: 19 Sep 2012 03:21 PM PDT Harakah Daily Kami dari Majlis Penyelidikan Dewan Ulama PAS Pusat, sesungguhnya merasa amat kesal dengan tragedi penghinaan kepada Rasulullah SAW melalui filem yang mengaibkan baginda dan menyeru seluruh umat Islam bangkit mengecam dan menentang sebarang bentuk penghinaan sebegini. Sudah sekian kalinya, penghinaan terbuka secara sengaja oleh musuh-musuh Islam berlaku. Inilah malang dan mala petaka apabila umat Islam tidak cakna dan prihatin terhadap agama dan Nabi-Nya, lompang yang kosong dan ruang yang ada digunakan oleh musuh Islam dengan sewenang-wenangnya terhadap kekasih umat yakni Rasulullah SAW. Sesungguhnya umat Islam mampu bersabar dalam menghadapi mehnah, tribulasi dan liku-liku perjuangan hidup tetapi kesabaran ada had dan batasnya. Ini kerana mempertahankan Rasulullah SAW lebih aula dan sewajibnya melebihi ibu bapa hatta diri sendiri. Inilah yang kami imani dan yakin seperti yang diarifkan oleh sejarah para sahabat, tabiin dan salaf al-soleh. Ingatlah jika sekiranya kita berpaling, nescaya Allah akan menggantikan kaum yang lain bukan seperti kita bahkan jauh lebih baik untuk memperjuangkan agama-Nya. Sesungguhnya, mulianya kita selama mana mempunyai izzah dengan Islam dan rasulnya sebaliknya hinanya kita apabila luntur keyakinan dan pegangan kepada agama Islam. Ya Allah, kami menadah tangan munajat kepada-Mu supaya menetapkan hati-hati kami dan pendirian kami dalam mentaati-Mu dan memelihara agama-Mu dan nabi-Mu. Ya Allah, ampunkanlah dosa kami atas kelemahan kami dalam mempertahankan nabi-Mu. Amin.
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| On the Freedom to Offend an Imaginary God Posted: 19 Sep 2012 02:39 PM PDT
Sam Harris The latest wave of Muslim hysteria and violence has now spread to over twenty countries. The walls of our embassies and consulates have been breached, their precincts abandoned to triumphant mobs, and many people have been murdered—all in response to an unwatchable Internet video titled "Innocence of Muslims." Whether over a film, a cartoon, a novel, a beauty pageant, or an inauspiciously named teddy bear, the coming eruption of pious rage is now as predictable as the dawn. This is already an old and boring story about old, boring, and deadly ideas. And I fear it will be with us for the rest of our lives. Our panic and moral confusion were at first sublimated in attacks upon the hapless Governor Romney. I am no fan of Romney's, and I would find the prospect of his presidency risible if it were not so depressing, but he did accurately detect the first bleats of fear in the Obama administration's reaction to this crisis. Romney got the timing of events wrong—confusing, as many did, a statement made by the U.S. Embassy in Cairo for an official government response to the murder of Americans in Libya. But the truth is that the White House struck the same note of apology, disavowing the offending speech while claiming to protect free speech in principle. It may seem a small detail, given the heat of the moment—but so is a quivering lip. Our government followed the path of appeasement further by attempting to silence the irrepressible crackpot Pastor Terry Jones, who had left off burning copies of the Qur'an just long enough to promote the film. The administration also requested that Google remove "Innocence of Muslims" from its servers. These maneuvers attest to one of two psychological and diplomatic realities: Either our government is unwilling to address the problem at hand, or the problem is so vast and terrifying that we have decided to placate the barbarians at the gate. The contagion of moral cowardice followed its usual course, wherein liberal journalists and pundits began to reconsider our most basic freedoms in light of the sadomasochistic fury known as "religious sensitivity" among Muslims. Contributors to The New York Times and NPR spoke of the need to find a balance between free speech and freedom of religion—as though the latter could possibly be infringed by a YouTube video. As predictable as Muslim bullying has become, the moral confusion of secular liberals appears to be part of the same clockwork. Consider what is actually happening: Some percentage of the world's Muslims—Five percent? Fifteen? Fifty? It's not yet clear—is demanding that all non-Muslims conform to the strictures of Islamic law. And where they do not immediately resort to violence in their protests, they threaten it. Carrying a sign that reads "Behead Those Who Insult the Prophet" may still count as an example of peaceful protest, but it is also an assurance that infidel blood would be shed if the imbecile holding the placard only had more power. This grotesque promise is, of course, fulfilled in nearly every Muslim society. To make a film like "Innocence of Muslims" anywhere in the Middle East would be as sure a method of suicide as the laws of physics allow. What exactly was in the film? Who made it? What were their motives? Was Muhammad really depicted? Was that a Qur'an burning, or some other book? Questions of this kind are obscene. Here is where the line must be drawn and defended without apology: We are free to burn the Qur'an or any other book, and to criticize Muhammad or any other human being. Let no one forget it. At moments like this, we inevitably hear—from people who don't know what it's like to believe in paradise—that religion is just a way of channeling popular unrest. The true source of the problem can be found in the history of western aggression in the region. It is our policies, rather than our freedoms, that they hate. I believe that the future of liberalism—and much else—depends on our overcoming this ruinous self-deception. Religion only works as a pretext for political violence because many millions of people actually believe what they say they believe: that imaginary crimes like blasphemy and apostasy are killing offenses.
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| Sam Harris on the Innocence of Muslims affair Posted: 19 Sep 2012 02:35 PM PDT
Talking Philosophy I see that Sam Harris has published a post on the violent responses to what he calls "an unwatchable Internet video titled 'Innocence of Muslims.'" There is much in the post to agree with. For a start, I agree that Innocence of Muslims, or the trailer for it, or selection from it, or whatever the hell that was, is (pretty much) unwatchable. I did actually force myself to watch the damn thing (you can find it easily if you really must), but it is atrocious in every possible respect – bigoted, scurrilous, disjointed, and suffering from the most abyssmal production values since Plan 9 from Outer Space (I know I'm not the first to make the comparison, so apologies to whoever was). Harris dismisses as "obscene" such questions as, "What exactly was in the film? Who made it? What were their motives? Was Muhammad really depicted? Was that a Qur'an burning, or some other book?" I think that's going too far. It does appear that the film was deliberately created to express hatred for Muslims and to provoke a violent backlash. In the circumstances, we can ask these questions about it, especially when we add in further issues such as (apparently credible) claims of actors being conned into thinking they were involved in a very different project. There is much to discuss about the film itself and the circumstances of its production, even if, at the end of the day we agree with Harris that:
Yes, that's right. We do get to express our repudiation of belief systems, including Islam, without being constrained by the power of the state, or so I want to argue (and have done in the past). We can go on to criticise prophets or anyone else. Harris is pretty much correct when he says:
Yes, pretty much right. Only "pretty much" because there's an element of exaggeration to quibble about, the way it's been worded. The problem is not so much that we can't "think aloud" on certain topics as that we cannot publish those thoughts widely, once we've sorted them out, should we take certain strong stances. But even when the point is expressed in a less rhetorical way, it's true that an important freedom has been lost, not through the actions of the state but through the willingness of some Muslims to resort to murder in response to what they see as insults to Islam or their prophet. How should the state and its officials respond – and how should we request that they do so? They may be tempted to suppress some kinds of anti-religious speech and to demonise the speakers as racists and criminals … and in some cases they may even be correct that they are dealing with racists or something very similar. Even leaving aside basic concerns about freedom of speech, however, this response can be counterproductive. If an impression is created that political power is being used to silence opposition to Islam, this will merely add to the resentments against Islam that are already present in Western societies, and which have now been fueled by the violent, in some cases murderous, responses to Innocence of Muslims. More generally, when religious leaders and organisations try to prevent certain speech from being heard or certain images from being seen, this adds to the layers of distrust and resentment. The effect is exacerbated if governments get in on the act, actually assisting to suppress speech and images.
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| Posted: 19 Sep 2012 02:27 PM PDT
Lim Sue Goan, Sin Chew Daily Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has committed to fight for votes from swing voters, who vote based on political parties' words and deeds, since he took the office in April 2009. However, two recent missteps of the BN might cost the coalition some votes. Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob disclosed that legal action would be taken against Suara Inisiatif Sdn Bhd, a company linked to non-governmental organisation Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) due to its misleading and confusing accounts. The move is expected to cause a rebound from other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and members of the public. The image of the BN's government could also be further damaged. The Ministry proceeded with caution and convened six government agencies and units, namely the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM), Bank Negara, Registrar of Societies (ROS), Home Ministry, Malaysian Communications & Multimedia Commission ( MCMC) and the police. The result, however, found no way to take legal action against Suaram for receiving foreign funds and thus, they to investigate based on five sections in the Companies Act 1956, attempting to charge Suaram for its confusing accounts. What does it mean by confusing accounts? The Minister did not describe it in details. However, it is not a wise move to charge a NGO based on such a vague accusation. Suara Inisiatif had submitted its accounts every year and they were all passed. If it is confusing, the SSM should also be responsible for it. The Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister recently admitted that there are over a million of companies in Malaysia and it is impossible for the SSM to audit the accounts of all the companies. Since that being the case, the accounts of other companies might have problems, too. It is a double-standard to take legal action only against Suara Inisiatif. Suaram is a human rights NGO founded after the 1987 Operasi lalang by social movement activists and Operasi Lalang participants being detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA). Suaram published the annual Malaysia Human Rights Report since 1998 to monitor the progress of human rights. The organisation also started to award the Human Rights Award to those members of the society who fight for human rights. Suaram has been fighting for human rights over the past 23 years. It has quite a number of supporters and a network in the international community. Therefore, it is not surprising at all to find it backed by about 200 domestic and foreign organisations. If Suaram is charged in court, the government's credibility might be harmed and the people's confidence in the Government Transformation Plan (GTP) might also be undermined. Meanwhile, the guidelines on tackling the issue of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) among students drawn by the Yayasan Guru Malaysia Berhad and Putrajaya Consultative Council of Parent-Teacher Associations is also splitting the society, creating an atmosphere of discrimination against the LGBT. Should we categorise all boys wearing tight-fitting, sleeveless or V-collar or colourful attire and girls hanging out and sleeping with their female friends as homosexual? The guidelines could turn parents to become extremely suspicious while interfering with young people's freedom of clothing and making friends. They have actually drawn such a set of guidelines to serve political purposes. No wonder it has become a laughingstock in the international community. Immature thinking leads to inappropriate words and deeds. Voters with independent thinking will never have confidence in such officials and law enforcement personnel. This is also an obstacle of the BN in fighting for votes from swing voters.
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| Umno, PAS youth wings to hold separate protests over anti-Islam video, cartoon Posted: 19 Sep 2012 02:12 PM PDT
(The Star) - Umno Youth and PAS Youth will hold separate protests Friday over the anti-Islam video and a satirical cartoon published in a French magazine deemed insulting to Prophet Muhammad. Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin said the wing, together with 10 other non-governmental organisations, will now gather at Majid Jamek in Kampung Baru "to show displeasure over the video and cartoon as well as to condemn the violence targeted at innocent people." It is learnt that PAS Youth supporters would continue with their gathering outside the American Embassy in Jalan Tun Razak. Earlier, both sides had reportedly agreed to gather in solidarity outside the embassy. "We have decided to change the venue to the Masjid Jamek due to security reasons," Khairy told a press conference Thursday. "The Home Ministry and police have advised us to break up the crowd as we are expecting more than 5,000 to join the gathering," he said.
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| Hudud feud heats up between Karpal and PAS leaders Posted: 19 Sep 2012 01:50 PM PDT
(The Star) - The feud between DAP stalwart Karpal Singh and PAS leaders over the implementation of hudud laws has heightened. The DAP chairman insisted that he had every right to object to the implementation of hudud despite PAS' warning for him not to meddle in its internal affairs. Karpal said PAS, being only a component party in Pakatan Rakyat, should not commit the group to a policy that would have detrimental effects on its aim to attain power. "I hope PAS leaders will carefully re-evaluate the party's stand on the implementation of hudud in the country. They should do so in the interest of Pakatan. "The warning to me by PAS not to interfere in its internal affairs is clearly misplaced and unwarranted," he said in a statement here yesterday. The issue of hudud, added Karpal, could only jeopardise Pakatan's chances of gaining federal power as well as retaining the five states it won in the last general election. Hudud, he said, was not even included in Pakatan's common policy framework enshrined in the Buku Jingga. On Tuesday, PAS ulama vice-chairman Dr Mahfodz Mohamed had advised Karpal not to be a stumbling block when it came to the implementation of hudud law in the country. Karpal also implied that it was pointless to pursue the hudud agenda as even the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code Enactment was void. Reminding PAS leaders that the Federal Constitution was the supreme law of the land, the DAP stalwart said there was no place for hudud in secular Malaysia. Karpal also described it a matter of "grave disturbance" that PAS' upper echelon leaders were still pushing for the implementation of hudud. PAS spiritual adviser Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat had said the implementation of hudud should not be delayed because it was a religious obligation. PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, ulama chief Datuk Harun Taib and several other leaders had also said they would not forgo the hudud agenda. Only the Anwarinas in PAS, including Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, had called for an end to free airing of views on hudud as it would jeopardise their performance in the elections.
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| Actress sues California man behind anti-Muslim film Posted: 19 Sep 2012 01:41 PM PDT (Reuters) - LOS ANGELES: An actress in an anti-Islam film that triggered violent protests across the Muslim world sued a California man linked to its production yesterday for fraud and slander, saying she had received death threats after the video was posted on YouTube. Actress Cindy Lee Garcia, who also named Google Inc and its YouTube unit as defendants, asked that the film be removed from YouTube and said her right to privacy had been violated and her life endangered, among other allegations. It was the first known civil lawsuit connected to the making of the film that has circulated online as a 13-minute trailer, including under the title "Innocence of Muslims." The film, which portrays the Prophet Mohammad as a womanizer and a fool, helped generate a torrent of violence across the Muslim world last week. The US ambassador to Libya and three other Americans were killed in an attack in Benghazi. US and other foreign embassies were stormed in cities in Asia, Africa and the Middle East by furious Muslims. Garcia accused a producer of the movie, whom she identified as Nakoula Basseley Nakoula along with the alias Sam Bacile, of duping her into appearing in a "hateful" film that she had been led to believe was a simple desert adventure movie. "There was no mention of 'Mohammed' during filming or on set. There were no references made to religion nor was there any sexual content of which Ms. Garcia was aware," said the lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court. For many Muslims, any depiction of the prophet is blasphemous. Caricatures deemed insulting in the past have provoked protests and drawn condemnation from officials, preachers, ordinary Muslims and many Christians. "This lawsuit is not an attack on the First Amendment nor on the right for Americans to say what they think, but does request that the offending content be removed from the Internet," the lawsuit said. The suit accuses Nakoula, Google and YouTube of invasion of privacy, unfair business practices, the use of Garcia's likeness without permission and intentional infliction of emotional distress. A representative for Nakoula's criminal attorney declined to comment on the lawsuit. "We are reviewing the complaint and will be in court tomorrow," said a Google spokesman.
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| Najib tells Chinese voters to stop ‘confrontational culture’ Posted: 19 Sep 2012 01:33 PM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) - Datuk Seri Najib Razak has urged voters from the Chinese community to shun what he called the confrontational culture adopted since Election 2008 in making demands, in a Malaysia Day letter sent out to voters by Barisan Nasional's (BN) campaign machinery in Selangor.
The letter, written in Chinese, appeared targeted at younger voters who are Chinese-educated — with the demographic considered a major supporter of public protests and gatherings such as the last few Bersih rallies.  The Malaysia Day letter which BN sent to primarily Chinese-educated voters in Selangor. Chinese voters are also seen as leaning heavily in favour of Pakatan Rakyat (PR) parties. "After the March 2008 elections, we have found that the non-confrontational culture had vanished into thin air, to be replaced by a confrontational approach. "Even if we acknowledge street demonstrations and openly debate sensitive subjects as a right of the public, should we not also consider whether a confrontational approach is the right way to solve problems and to push for reforms?" said Najib. The letter sent by Selangor BN was signed by Najib as prime minister and state BN chairman. In the letter, the PM did not cite examples of the confrontational approaches allegedly adopted by voters. But the BN administration has been rocked in recent years by two major public rallies organised by the Bersih electoral reform movement. Police action in violently clamping down on both rallies has hurt the BN government's popularity. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/najib-tells-chinese-voters-to-stop-confrontational-culture/ |
| Umno will never regain Selangor Posted: 19 Sep 2012 01:25 PM PDT
(Free Malaysia Today) - If the voter swing remains at 7% in the coming general election, then Barisan Nasional will likely be left with less than 90 seats.
The general election is expected to be held very soon and that will be the best time for Umno. Later dates would place Umno in a very precarious position to do damage control on issues that are coming out of the woodwork. Also, Umno thinks that what it has done in terms of handing money and cash to the public is sufficient to bring back the voters that it lost in the 2008 general election. We are not going to dispute that assessment. But we are not going to overrate its chances in getting back what it has lost either. On average, the vote swing towards the opposition in 2008 was around 12%. With all the money it has given out, all the propaganda it is dishing out through the audio-visual and Umno-owned new media, it has probably succeeded in getting back at the most 5%. That still leaves a 7% vote swing in favour of Pakatan Rakyat on the whole. If the swing remains at 7%, Barisan Nasional will likely be left with less than 90 seats. They are out! Umno will never regain Selangor Meanwhile, in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory with 11 parliamentary seats, Pakatan still has a surplus of 15%. That is assuming that while Umno went on the offensive, Pakatan has been sleeping. In Selangor specifically, bearing in mind the water issue, I predict the vote swing will stay around 15%. With a 15% vote swing, how will Pakatan fare in Selangor? Umno can only retain the current six parliamentary seats it has if over the past four years Umno has managed to regained 18% of the swing votes it lost in 2008. But that is very unlikely given the gangster-style manner Umno is taking to recapture Selangor. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2012/09/20/umno-will-never-regain-selangor/
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| Battle between ‘familiarity’ and ‘change’ Posted: 19 Sep 2012 01:23 PM PDT
(Free Malaysia Today) - Can PKR's Rafizi Ramli persuade loyal Pandan voters to veer away from their hardworking two-term Barisan Nasional MP Ong Tee Keat in the coming polls? It will be a battle of many titans in the coming 13th general election. Perhaps, one of the most watched and hotly contested seats in Selangor will be the Pandan parliamentary constituency. To date, speculation is rife that PKR's Rafizi Ramli, 35, will likely challenge MCA's incumbent Ong Tee Keat, 56, provided the latter is still slotted to re-contest in the Pandan seat. Ong is currently serving his second term. Unperturbed by his uncertain political career and resolutely serving his constituents, Ong is also playing his card close to his chest. Since Ong lost his party presidential post – in a three-cornered contest at an extraordinary MCA-AGM election in 2010 – to his arch nemesis Dr Chua Soi Lek, he has been sidelined by his party. However, close supporters in Pandan claimed that Ong has been constantly facing internal sabotages carried out by hidden hands from the higher-ups in his party. His detractors have deliberately spun endless rumours and speculations to discredit his loyalty to his coalition partner, Barisan Nasional. But Ong took it all in his stride, kept his silence and continued his focus on his constituency services. Kelvin Ang, 48, founding publisher of the Malaysia Book of Records (Chinese edition), in commenting on Ong's track record, said: "Since the 2008 [electoral] tsunami, Tee Keat has never stop serving the constituents. "He never bad-mouthed his party predecessors or his critics." Recalling an incident which indicated Ong's commitment to his constituency, Ang said: "I remember on one occasion, Tee Keat had a bleeding nose for having had to walk under the hot weather visiting the constituents. "The next day, he had a plaster across his nose but he still showed up for another event," Ong told FMT. It is this trait in Ong that Rafizi has found "challenging" in the latter's quest for the Pandan seat. Ong admired Rafizi said Ong's success in the previous general election was due to voters' "familiarity" with him, but was doubtful if a similar feat can be achieved in the next general election. According to Rafizi, the next tsunami will drown out Ong's performance record as the majority of the voters want a complete change of national government. What will voters from Pandan want? Will they overwhelmingly vote for "change" hence, rejecting a "familiar" member of parliament who has served them with a personal touch for the past years? As a staunch Buddhist, Ong has many admirers in his constituency. "Tee Keat is straightforward. His distaste for corruption is known within his circle of supporters. That's why those opportunists and pretentious people from his own party do not speak highly of him because they do not get any benefits from any organised charity events," said a local NGO leader CL Liew, 61, who has known Ong for the past 23 years. "Tee Keat is particularly concerned with public safety and his strong, generous support for Rukun Tetangga – providing uniforms and transport logistic vehicles like battery-driven bicycles – was much appreciated. Buddhist organisations and mosques also received much assistance from him during cultural and religious celebrations," Liew said. There are many areas of concern (in Pandan), Ong told FMT. "Pandan's constituency profile comprises middle-income and poor residents. Hence, the large numbers of apartments, low-cost flats and pockets of squatters in the area." "This led to the problem of stratified property management for the medium-cost apartments and condominiums. I think the situation is rather bad. "Problems like flooding and soil erosion are also emerging. For example, Taman Putra, Bukit Permai and Cheras Baru were hit with soil erosion recently, which had never happened before," Ong said, adding that there is a need for more expert management to cope with these concerns. He said that was one reason he had set up a "special squad" to identify areas of neglect to tackle the various problems like garbage collection, road repairs, clogged drains besides upgrading the quality of life of the residents like providing more recreational facilities in green lung areas and children's playground. "The high residential density has also given rise to the need for regular free medical check-ups for the elderly. Mobile clinics, acupuncture services, specialised health screening sessions [ultra sonic screening of digestive tracts] for the poor income group are organised by networking with the various local NGOs, which have been very successful. A haemodialysis centre is also ready to provide services at Taman Maju Jaya in the constituency," he added. Will it be a referendum? For education, Ong said the list of services included free tuition classes for students sitting for the SPM and UPSR examinations. Many long-serving supporters like Ang and Liew acknowledged that Ong is an MP who walked the talk. "For more than 20 years, Tee Keat had served his constituency well and we hope he will be given another chance to re-contest in Pandan," Liew said. Will the fight in Pandan be a referendum for "change" or "personalised services" between Rafizi and Ong? Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2012/09/20/battle-between-familiarity-and-change/
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| Posted: 19 Sep 2012 01:20 PM PDT
Noble thoughts and noble aims litter the prime minister's press awards speeches: they are meant to inspire but ring hollow when delivered to a shallow audience that lives by instructions to sell the sizzle. uppercaise As speeches go, the prime minister struck all the right chords last week at the National Press Club awards night. It would have been a cracker of a speech — had it come from someone else or made in another setting. A cracker of a speech to eager-beaver young cadet reporters, a valedictory speech to journalism graduates, or even as a half-time dressing-room pep talk. Sadly it was not a championship coach speaking, but a prime minister being undercut even as he spoke by those ostensibly on his watch. It could have been worse: it might have been made by that oaf, his deputy, or that motor-trade Johnny waiting stage right. Sadly, too, it was aimed mainly at online irregulars whose loyalty is projected at a price, and to a working press who toil quite comfortably in newsrooms owned and operated by various limbs of the corporatist-state that the prime minister attempts vainly to steer.  Reichstag Perdana, a Potemkim theatre of dreams But the ship of state is a ponderous rotting hulk, not a nimble kayak. And so, as speeches go, it just…went. I don't know if anyone listening to his speech that night felt a sudden onset of vertigo, such are the giddy heights of the prime minister's annual recital of the free-press creed. Reading the NST's abridged version the next morning, though, brought to mind my old Sixth Form English Lit master explaining what Coleridge meant by a willing "suspension of disbelief" — that state of mind required when reading poetry or fiction, of Xanadu or the second-hand thoughts of Reichstag Putrajaya. As with Najib's grand declarations of intent in 2009, over-reaching ambition was quite apparent in a speech that was excellent in parts, as the curate once said; therein the problem: those are the very parts that others don't reach and won't.  Perdana West Too often the prime minister's speeches have had the ring of being pitched both for the files of the National Archives and well as for the ears of Wall Street, Fleet Street, Whitehall, the Executive Building, the Champs Elysees, the Kohlesseum and other such fine hostelries for the transient and the sometimes sentient. Real-life audiences at press nights are not composed of those driven by ambition to plant a footprint in the alley of stars; rather more mundanely, they comprise those enveloped in the machinations of petty flunkies and petty flacks whose eyes are firmly set on the next project, the next contract, and the next election. The nomenclitura, as Dato Sak AK47 calls them. Noble thoughts and noble aims litter the prime minister's press awards speeches: they are meant to inspire but ring hollow when delivered to a shallow audience that lives by instructions to sell the sizzle. It is the advertising copywriter, not the journalist, whose trade requires him to sell the sizzle, not the steak — and the journalist will hear no sizzle in a blancmange. Read more at: http://uppercaise.wordpress.com/2012/09/20/najibs-theatre-of-dreams/ |
| Posted: 19 Sep 2012 01:18 PM PDT
When the House has no one commanding a majority, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's discretion can change the course of the nation's history. Shad Saleem Faruqi, The Star OF all the constitutional functions of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the most critical and controversial is the appointment of the Prime Minister. In exercising this function, His Majesty is bound by Article 43(2)(a) which imposes two requirements: the PM designate must be a member of and have the confidence of the majority of the members of the Dewan Rakyat. Membership: Unlike in Australia where the PM can belong either to the House of Representatives or the Senate, our PM must be an MP in the Dewan Rakyat. It is conceivable, however, that in some extreme circumstances we may follow the Douglas Home precedent from the UK. In the 60s, Sir Alec Douglas Home, a peer in the House of Lords, was elected leader of the Conservative Party. When his party won the elections, he resigned his peerage and was appointed PM. Soon thereafter, a vacancy was created in the Commons which he contested and won. In Selangor in the 80s, Datuk Abu Hassan was similarly appointed Mentri Besar of Selangor even before he was elected to the State Assembly. Confidence: The wording in Article 43(2) that the PM must be a person who, in the opinion of the monarch, enjoys the confidence of the majority of the members of the Dewan Rakyat, creates the impression that the King has a wide, subjective discretion to anoint any MP with the premier's post. The truth is quite different. If there is a party or coalition enjoying an absolute majority in the Dewan Rakyat, the King has no choice but to appoint its leader as the PM. Unlike the Constitutions of nine states with Malay Rulers where the basic law explicitly mentions that the MB must be a Malay/Muslim, the Federal Constitution imposes no requirement of race, religion or region. However, there is a constitutional convention in favour of a Malay appointee. Conventions are not rules of law and this convention may face pressure in the future from a bumiputra aspirant from Sabah or Sarawak. We must remember that the two states together possess 56 parliamentary seats. In the appointment of a PM, his support in the Dewan Negara is irrelevant. His party's or coalition's total popular vote at the elections does not count. It is his seats in the Dewan Rakyat that determine the King's choice. Some factors that may trigger the King's personal discretion are as follows: Death or illness of the PM: If a vacancy arises in the office of the PM due to death or illness (as happened on the demise of Tun Razak in January 1976), the proper course for the monarch would be to wait for the ruling party or coalition to choose its new leader. However, His Majesty may elevate the Deputy to the top post right away without waiting for the party leadership decision. Lack of unanimity: If the ruling party is hopelessly divided on the choice of a leader, it is conceivable that the monarch may make a personal choice from the parliamentary party. Alternatively, as in Australia many times, the King may appoint a person from another party to hold the post temporarily till the majority party makes up its mind. Caretaker government: Malaysia follows the British convention that the PM who advised dissolution, and his Cabinet, remains in office in a caretaker capacity without the need for a new swearing-in. However, if during the dissolution, the PM dies or suffers serious illness, then Article 43(2) permits the Yang di-Pertuan Agong wide discretion to appoint any person who was a member of the last House of Representatives to helm the nation. Hung Parliament: A hung Parliament is one in which no party or coalition commands an absolute majority in the House of Representatives. The government in power can lose its majority in the House for a number of reasons. It may suffer deaths, resignations or defections causing its membership to dip below the 50% + 1 vote. Or, the general election may result in a stalemate and no party or grouping may emerge a clear victor. In such a situation when the House has no one commanding a majority, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's discretion assumes a critical, central role and his decision can change the course of the nation's history. What are his choices? First, he cannot run the country on his own. That would be contrary to the overall spirit of the Constitution. Second, His Majesty cannot order another general election after the just completed indecisive one. The Constitution is clear in Article 55(4) that after a dissolution, the new parliament shall be summoned not later than 120 days. This means that after an election, a PM must be appointed, the House must meet, and a vote of confidence must be taken. Third, if election results are indecisive and no majority government can be installed, the King can follow the "incumbency rule" and allow the caretaker PM to remain at the helm till Parliament is summoned within the 120 day rule. Fourth, in some countries like Nepal the rule is that in hung Parliaments the party with the largest number of seats is given the first chance to form a coalition government. The fifth choice for the monarch is to indulge in broad consultation with all parliamentary factions to see if any one of them can form a viable coalition government capable of enacting the budget and pushing through critical legislation. In such a scenario it is not uncommon for the head of state to require the PM-designate to supply written lists or letters to prove his support and to subject himself to a vote of confidence within a stated period. If no viable coalition can be cobbled together, the sixth choice for the monarch is to allow a minority government or a unity government to lead the nation till new elections are called. |
| Living in the shadows of our vote Posted: 19 Sep 2012 01:14 PM PDT
Living in a deteriorating Malaysia requires all citizens to compromise principles. Praba Ganesan, The Malaysian Insider Most people tell me that we need to change government so that a small dishonest group ceases to live off the rakyat. Though this is true there is the other more human reason, we need to change government so that all of us can cease to be dishonest. Face the fact — or as they say these days, read the timeline — living in a deteriorating Malaysia requires all citizens to compromise principles. Reverting to our zeitgeist, "Ini kan Malaysia" (This is Malaysia, after all). For as a matter of survival, to get along — can't swim upstream since we are not salmons — we compromise, maybe less and maybe just enough to get by, but we compromise. Compromising in limited parameters so that we can still point and pontificate at those who flagrantly take without restrain. While the slothful may not know what is shy, the brutal assessment will be that we are both dishonest, with the varying degrees of distinctions just Pyrrhic victories. A change in government offers the chance for everyday Malaysians to take a new road, one that possibly gives them the chance to not be dishonest as a matter of course living in this country. As these paths of dishonesty illustrate. Sub-con the sub-con The evolution of "social engineering" our economy has created a class of those who do not need experience, ability, track record or integrity to win contracts. May it be infrastructure, technology or services. The RM2 company is still king. But the work is then passed down through a chain of sub-contractors, cutting more and more from the rich meat. This is when the sub-contractor's sub-contractor steps in. He will accept the terms. Saying that you will not take tainted business will not feed the employees of an SME, or even yourself. There are seats at the family table, and the bowls need to be full. However, with less meat and just bone staring at you at the commencement of the project proper, adjustments are instituted, as quality and reliability are taken for granted so that an agreeable profit margin remains. Squeezed by the chain of sub-contractors, the actual service deliverer squeezes the end customer. The pain flows down while unfortunately the shame has no name. Have shop must "accommodate" Entertainment outlets — cafes, restaurants, massage centres, bars and mamak stalls (Indian street eateries) — face hidden costs. There are several arrangements necessary with various state agencies — enforcement, regulatory or moral. For many practical needs are not codified into law and the laws we are left with — by-laws and agency purviews — are ambiguous and wide-reaching. If you don't play ball it will always be more laborious to operate. Play ball would mean less emphasis on security, parking and sanitary needs, unless the outlet can pass the hidden costs back to the consumer. Operators opt to work the system, not fight the system. Fighting is no way to run a business. ... So I'll just not pay income tax No one enjoys paying taxes, but in Malaysia there is a Thoreau-like objection to paying taxes. Malaysians at large are convinced it is taxation without representation. The prime minister reads the upcoming Budget, the rest of us have to just suck it up. Neither our MPs or emails matter. They give what they want, to whom they want and in the manner they prefer. So there is massive under-reporting. Can you blame them? It is the government of the day's job to convince that all expenditures have the intention to give the most utility to most numbers of Malaysians or in areas of greatest concern. Stretching the ringgit like the proverbial mother of the pooled income of all family members. And then the long list Of taxi drivers squeezing commuters since they are squeezed by taxi companies. Squeezed without healthcare. There are dishonest taxi drivers worldwide because of the job's nature, but the prevailing culture of oppression they are confronted with eases them into unscrupulous behaviour with greater alacrity. Foreigners get the brunt of it, and everyone is scarred. Of parents facilitating their children relying on tuition centres to game their public examinations. In some instances outright cheating as exam papers are leaked by those in the "game." They say they have to, they are just getting along. They'd cringe and defend themselves by pointing out to the opaque occurrences in boarding schools leading to competitive grades. Everyone is doing something to give their children that extra metre in the sprint, they are just keeping to the rules of engagement. Reducing education, or at least educational excellence, to beating the system. After 11 years conditioned like this, why is anyone surprised that the young thing cheating online is caught? And when caught, there is no remorse just a realisation that the next cheat has to be better arranged. Of millions of Malaysian homes renovated without local council approval because there are no straightforward processes at their offices. Better than running around government offices like a headless chicken, just do it and "arrange" things with enforcers when they show up. Of hiding your sexuality because there has been no engagement by the state; to protect the civil liberties of citizens as expressly stated in our Constitution. Sure, religions present absolutes but states are about benefiting all members, not just those you agree with or share your religious proclivities. There are no easy answers, but there can never be an outcome or equitable compromise if the state is unwilling to engage biological realities. Of hiding your ethnicity for political expediencies. Those blokes in Penang who immensely enjoy banana leaf meals (Indian food-style) — not the sanitised ones, the "karat" (unadulterated) ones. Or my Rawa friend who speaks of his community in Gopeng. The Acheh, Javanese, Filipino, Arab and rest who downplay their own origins so that they are fit into the single conveyor belt the system has. Of tertiary institutes — new public colleges, polytechnics turned to universities, foreign universities' local chapters, tuition centres turned to colleges, etc — that mushroomed in the last 15 years, focussed on looking at undergraduates as cattle. Drawing unqualified students to waste five years only to be incredibly unemployable. Two years in technical school to be a plumber and auto mechanic would have given them more job opportunities and better pay, as specialised training matters — if only to make sure that cars don't crash because of poor maintenance. Of performers in TV and other shows who wear multiple layers of clothing to sate the Puritan censor, and in their club performances get back to their own preference. Same too film and TV writers and directors despite all their training and ideas have to tell all kinds of stories in only the acceptable ways with predictable endings. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/opinion/article/living-in-the-shadows-of-our-vote/ |
| Posted: 19 Sep 2012 01:12 PM PDT
Everyone knows how much ministers make. So you tell me how do the wives afford all the jewellery and bags? Where do they get the money from? Dina Zaman, The Malaysian Insider While crime is top of mind among most Malaysians, talk of who's rich and how they got there are the topics du jour. People are turning to crime because of the worsening economy, rising cost of living, and yet there's a flashy crowd in KL. Who on earth are they? In a multi million-ringgit apartment, where access requires a security guard to escort you to a lift, which stops right on the floor of, and faces your destination, a family rests after a hearty lunch. The matriarch is having tea and being taken care of by a nurse, while her daughters recline on plush sofas. They are familiar faces in society pages, and are acknowledged as old money. The appointment is to discuss the new rich, which they find very fascinating. This new generation is different from the new rich of before. "They tend to be Malay. Not saying that Malays can't be rich, we are all Malay too, but they're different. When I was younger, there were the new rich too. Every generation, there's a new rich but the last five years, this… group is…" observed the doyenne and designated speaker for the family. "They are crass," her sister interjected. "They are crazy." Stories of how Chopard bracelets are given to toddlers as young as five are told in shocked tones. Seven-year-old girls are given Chanel handbags by their mothers "for fun."  A Chopard bracelet for a toddler? The new rich think nothing of showering such gifts on their children. — Picture courtesy of Chopard They shook their heads. "For example, let's look at ministers' wives. Everyone knows how much ministers make. So you tell me how do the wives afford all the jewellery and bags? Where do they get the money from? We are wondering also! Now, we're in business and we can't spend the way they do! Do you know how much an Hermès bag costs? I don't understand why people are not questioning this more. Yes, I know they have fringe benefits, but I have never seen a poor politician." As a frequent flyer, she has observed many of the young and new rich flying First Class, and she wondered how their parents could pay for the tickets. "You don't see this so much among the Chinese and Indians. The Chinese, you know-lah, they are rich and it's generational wealth. The Indians who are rich, are discreet. It's the Malays who are flashy," she said. "But you know, the money is not going to last long. Me, I feel sorry for these young people. Maybe that's why they're spending money. It's not going to last forever." Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/features/article/whos-your-daddy-part-2/ |
| Innocence of Muslims: How fiction creates reality Posted: 19 Sep 2012 01:05 PM PDT  Vito Laterza, Al Jazeera The recent wave of protests spreading throughout the Muslim world questions many assumptions we commonly make about national and global politics. We all want to know why and how it started; what groups and organisations are behind the riots and attacks against American targets and most importantly, how do we deal with such a rapid and unpredictable escalation of symbolic and physical violence? However, these may be the wrong questions. The alleged anti-Islam film is nothing more than a 14 minutes long video widely circulated on the internet. We know very little about the producers. Conspiracy theories will keep on multiplying around the identity of the production team, the director and cast. Either way, this search for the people behind the movie misses the point. When content goes viral on Facebook, we don't usually ask who sent it or why. If it provokes our thoughts and feelings, we engage with it. We might like it or dislike it, comment on it, perhaps share the content further. Something similar happened with the trailer of the "Innocence of Muslims", except that action well exceeded the boundaries of the virtual world. What is it that makes us react to media content over the internet? Why are so many people worldwide reacting so vigorously against this video? I think that it shows the crucial role played in everyday politics by people's deep-seated attachment to powerful images, symbols, messages and ideas. The latter are often glossed over as mere emotional hang-ups, the inevitable side-effects of human politics that can be corrected and harnessed through the development of sound democratic institutions. Contemporary reality The dominant western assumption is that - despite the complexity of today's world - individuals, groups and institutions have clearly defined identities and consciously pursue specific interests and act upon them. For many politicians and analysts, these are the dimensions that are most important to a deeper understanding of political events. This point of view overlooks an important social fact: in the "real" reality out there, messages, ideas, emotions and reactions spread virally, just as they do in our "Facebook" worlds. Contemporary identities are multiple and fragmented. There are undoubtedly numerous groups and institutions that do try to direct collective action and mobilise military, economic and social resources in pursuit of their interests. There are also billions of people that, not unlike Facebook users, move in and out of groups, social movements, actions and protests. Sometimes endorsing a cause and then supporting the opposite cause, without a clear linear rationale. Today's social world is not rational, certainly not in the way we assume it to be. Focusing attention solely on terrorist groups and Islamic fundamentalist preachers inciting people for their own undemocratic goals does not bring us closer to a deeper understanding. It serves the purpose of providing a sensible explanation for what is happening to citizens of Western "liberal democratic" states. We are told that if we catch the leaders of the protest, and make sure that these countries adopt the same democratic institutions that we have at home, it will all be fine. These messages reveal at best a delusional understanding of contemporary reality, and at worst are a lie distracting our attention from the worrying realisation that Western leaders in fact have little or no control over such events. We are seeing people storming the streets with anti-American messages in the same countries where mass rebellions against dictators and authoritarian regimes were hailed by the West as the "Arab spring" only some months ago. We cannot separate these events, they are part of the same reality. We cannot easily distinguish the "democratic" desires of the people rising against their tyrants from the "fundamentalist" delusions of crowds blinded by inflammatory rhetoric and bad leaders. Alternative means of violence It is just as hard as trying to categorise our own Facebook activity in some linear model that would clearly and neatly explain who we are and who we will vote for in the next elections. We will most likely fail. Sometimes we engage in contradictory thoughts, and that's just the way it is - we don't think about it, we just do it. Nor is the US response on the whole any more "rational". Obama and his entourage went to great lengths to explain that the US and its representatives have nothing to do with the movie, which they condemned as "disgusting and reprehensible". At the same time, the president also tried to reassure Americans that security is being stepped up by sending warships to Libya in the wake of the embassy attacks. The truth is that this is not a struggle between US interests and its military establishment on one side, and the anti-US Islamist "insurgents" and fundamentalists fighting for their own interests, using alternative means of violence and political consensus, on the other. At least not in the sense in which we usually mean it. We often tend to think of these interests as the primary "stuff" of which social reality is made. The imagery attached to these struggles, circulating in the form of videos, books and other media, is seen as a derivate of the real material struggles for power and resources on the ground and indeed it may well have been this way in the past. Today however we live in a different world where the production of images and symbols shapes who we are, what we do in our lives and how we act as political beings. To put it more crudely, Facebook is the "real" reality, and the "physical" reality out there has just become an extension of our Facebook worlds. From this perspective, the reactions of the protesters make more sense: their anger and concerns originated in this "virtual" world and then they took to the streets. This is not to say that material factors don't count. It is clear that poverty, corruption, exploitation, military repression and colonialism are all realities that have shaped and negatively affected the lives of protesters. And yet the eruption of these repressed feelings were spurred and driven by a visceral reaction to a video. It is the production of images that drive the material reality and not the other way around. |
| Guidelines for women bosses spark outcry Posted: 19 Sep 2012 01:03 PM PDT  (The Star) - The dust on the gay guidelines has barely settled before a new one has surfaced this time, directed at female bosses. The guidelines (pic) are listed in the Health Ministry's MedikTV Facebook page and feature eight "tips" on how to be a "good female boss". It was uploaded as a photo link but has been taken down at press time. The tips, written in Bahasa Malaysia, advised women to "banyak berbincang dengan orang bawahan, khususnya pekerja lelaki" (have many discussions with your subordinates, especially male workers). It also advocated they "pandai mengambil hati orang bawahan" (be smart in winning your subordinates' hearts) and "jangan menunjuk ego kuasa di depan orang bawahan terutama semasa memberi arahan" (don't flaunt your ego and power in front of your subordinates, especially when giving orders). However, the ministry has been quick to express its strong disapproval of the photo, with Deputy Health Minister Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin saying MedikTV had apologised for the post. "It has also given a guarantee that all posts after this will not be prejudicial in nature or side any party," she said in an SMS. Rosnah also stressed that the guidelines had not been published by the ministry and had nothing to do with "any of the concepts or campaigns introduced by MOH". MedikTV also posted an apology on its Facebook page, stressing that the posts were not ministry policy. "This is our responsibility. All feedback should be channelled to us without involving other parties," it said. An online news portal reported that the Information Department had also shared the photo on its Facebook page on Tuesday. However, both links on the MedikTV and Info Department's Facebook pages had been removed at press time. Facebook users had described the guidelines as sexist and discriminatory. |
| Registration of Overseas Voter Posted: 19 Sep 2012 12:58 PM PDT
I had contacted the Malaysian Embassy in Singapore and had been informed by Ms Shima from the consular, that only civil servants, full time students and their spouse are allowed to vote abroad. This is a gross conflict from your statements as publish by The Star. Eugene Hooi Dear Tan Sri Dato' Seri Abdul Aziz, |
| Posted: 19 Sep 2012 12:52 PM PDT
According to several credible sources, her surprising and miraculous release was due to the direct and personal involvement by the Malaysian Prime Minister: during his Hadj to Mecca over this summer, which he made in the company Ms. Nazarbayeva's son and his future son-in-law Daniyar. Daniyar Muratov Early in September, Mayra Nazarbayev, the notorious Kazakhstani fugitive, ex-wife of the Kazakhstan's President's brother, and a would-be mother-in-law to Malaysian Prime Minister's daughter, was released from prison in Dubai, flew to New York and had a court date there on September 4. According to several credible sources, her surprising and miraculous release was due to the direct and personal involvement by the Malaysian Prime Minister: during his Hadj to Mecca over this summer, which he made in the company Ms. Nazarbayeva's son and his future son-in-law Daniyar, Mr. Najib had extensive meetings with officials from the United Arab Emirates and Kazakhstan to convince them to let the detainee go. Within days after the Prime Minister's hadj, Ms. Nazarbayeva was, indeed, released, and allowed to proceed to her place of residence, New York. Following her salvation due to the influence of her powerful future relative, Ms. Nazarbayeva has been hard at work reinventing herself as an opposition figure: she has reportedly attempted to contact several leading Kazakhstani opposition leaders in exile and, in the affidavit she has filed with the New York court, has characterized Kazakhstan's political system as lawless and attacked the Kazakhstani President and his brother, her former husband – this after being a member of the President's clan for many years. Herself a wanted fugitive for financial and outright criminal shenanigans, Ms. Nazarbayeva is now decrying Kazakhtan's "lack of an independent judiciary and due process" and its "widespread corruption." It looks like a substantial portion of the Prime Minister's time and energy is devoted to a family matter involving a fugitive from law – at the expense of all Malaysians. |
| Waytha still a ‘national threat’? Posted: 18 Sep 2012 11:53 PM PDT
(The Sun Daily) - Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) leader P. Waythamoorthy, 46, was prohibited from leaving the country on Tuesday after being told by airport officials he was classified as a "threat to national security" in the immigration department's records.
Waytha, who spent five years in self-exile in the UK, was held up at the LCCT, Sepang while checking in for a Manila flight at 5.30pm. "It was a business trip and it has gone to waste as a result. This is absolutely ridiculous. I had no problems entering the country last month. I was told by immigration officers that the police have classified me as a national threat, and I am not allowed to leave the country," he told theSun. He learnt the immigration had clarified that the prohibition order was issued by the police in 2007 and it may be outdated. Waytha lodged a report against Immigration Director Datuk Alias Ahmad, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar and Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hussein at 11am today at the Travers police station, claiming the prohibition was a breach of human rights. "The restriction should have been removed if it is outdated. I am leaving for London on Saturday and I hope to not face similar problems," he said. Waythamoorthy said he would institute legal action against the relevant parties if the prohibition remains active. Officials from the police, immigration and Home Ministry were not reachable for responses. Waythamoorthy left the country in November 2007, fighting Hindraf's cause from overseas before returning to Malaysia last month. On Aug 2, Ismail was reported to have said that the police will monitor the movements and activities of Waythamoorthy and that no action would be taken against him as long as he abides by the law. On Aug 1, Waythamoorthy entered the country via the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex in Johor Baru with a passport issued to him on July 30 by the Malaysian High Commission in Singapore. His passport was revoked on April 2008. Upon his return, Waythamoorthy said he would not be taking sides in the country's political arena nor would Hindraf become a political party as its main duty was to champion the cause of the Indian community in the country.
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| Ad Calling Jihad ‘Savage’ Is Set to Appear in Subway Posted: 18 Sep 2012 11:39 PM PDT
(New York Times) - As violent and sometimes deadly protests consume much of the Muslim world in response to an American-made video mocking the Prophet Muhammad, New Yorkers will soon encounter another potentially inflammatory rendering of Islam: an advertisement in the transit system that reads, "In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man." It concludes with the words, "Support Israel. Defeat Jihad," wedged between two Stars of David. After rejecting the ads initially, then losing a federal court ruling on First Amendment grounds, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said on Tuesday that the ads were expected to appear next week at 10 subway stations. "Our hands are tied," Aaron Donovan, a spokesman for the authority, said when asked about the timing of the ad. In July, Judge Paul A. Engelmayer of Federal District Court in Manhattan ruled that the authority had violated the First Amendment rights of the group that sought to place the ad, the American Freedom Defense Initiative. The authority had cited the ad's "demeaning" language in barring its placement. The authority, which appealed the July ruling, also asked the judge to postpone implementing his decision until after its next board meeting on Sept. 27. But in an order late last month, Judge Engelmayer granted the agency just two more weeks to revise its ad policy or to seek a further stay from an appellate court. It has done neither. Now, the authority finds itself in a precarious position. The American Freedom Defense Initiative has also purchased ad space in Washington, but the transit authority there said Tuesday that it had "deferred" the ad's placement "out of a concern for public safety, given current world events." A similar option is not available to New York's transportation authority because of the court order, according to the agency. Mr. Donovan said the authority might consider revising its ad policy at its board meeting next week. Pamela Geller, the executive director of the American Freedom Defense Initiative, said in an e-mail Tuesday that transit officials in Washington were "kowtowing to the threat of jihad terrorism." She added that recent events in the Middle East had not given her pause "for a second" about posting the ads in New York. "I will never cower before violent intimidation, and stop telling the truth because doing so is dangerous," she said. "Freedom must be vigorously defended." She added, "If someone commits violence, it is his responsibility and no one else's." The group has also advertised at Metro-North Railroad stations, with posters that cite "deadly Islamic attacks" since Sept. 11 and read, "It's not Islamophobia, it's Islamorealism." The transportation authority has said it did not try to block these ads because they did not meet the agency's threshold for "demeaning" language, as the ad referring to a "savage" had. Muneer Awad, the executive director of the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said the ads were an attempt to "define Muslims" through hate speech. "We're encouraging American Muslims to go out there and define themselves," he said. Mr. Awad added that the group had not called for the ads' removal, though it has asked the transportation authority to redirect funds it receives for the ads to the city's Human Rights Commission. "It's perfectly legal to be a bigot and to be a racist," he said. "We want to make sure there's a counter-voice."
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| Dr M: Najib’s cash handouts ‘very close’ to vote buying Posted: 18 Sep 2012 11:34 PM PDT
Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad admitted today that the Najib administration's penchant for handing out cash to Malaysians through its various people-centric policies was "very close" to vote buying. But the former prime minister said the government was running out of time with polls drawing closer as the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition needed a bigger mandate to tighten its grasp on Putrajaya. "I do not believe in giving money to the people. I believe in giving facilities. But I think when a government has no time and they are facing an election, they make a decision that is easy," Dr Mahathir said in his keynote address at the Perdana Leadership Foundation's CEO Forum 2012 here. "If you give people money, then they should support (you). Maybe it is not vote-buying... but it is very close to that," he said, to laughter from the audience. The government is expected to announce a second round of RM500 cash handouts to lower-income households when Budget 2013 is tabled next week, in a move that is seen as giving Najib and his BN pact's ratings a boost ahead of polls expected soon. The first round of handouts under the Bantuan Rakyat 1 Malaysia (BR1M) programme, which involved some five million families and cost taxpayers RM2.6 billion, saw Najib's approval ratings shoot up to 69 per cent, largely due to a surge of support from low-income households. Throughout his address, Dr Mahathir repeatedly mentioned the Najib administration's cash handouts, at one point even saying that "he (Najib) has a lot of money". "Now we have a new man as the head (of government)," he said when recalling the succession of prime ministers after he stepped down in 2003. "I won't say anything bad about him because I support BN. "The only thing I'm going to say is that he has a lot of money and he is giving away money to everyone. "During my time, I didn't give away money. I could have even given money to myself but I didn't. I think I made a mistake there," he said in jest. Najib will table the Budget on September 28 and besides the fresh BR1M handout, he is expected to announce other measures to boost domestic spending and the economy in a bid to head off a worsening economic outlook as he prepares to call his first general election. The economy grew at a surprising pace of 5.4 per cent in the second quarter, blowing away economists' expectations and potentially giving rise to a feel-good factor ahead of the general election. But the good news is not expected to last, as the global outlook is likely to affect Malaysian exports. Malaysia's surprisingly strong second-quarter economic growth despite weakening exports was largely due to the buffer of ongoing construction projects and increased spending attributed to civil servant salary hikes and government cash handouts, say economists, which could point to uneven growth in the months ahead. This means many ordinary Malaysians are not feeling the positive effects of economic growth, making the second BR1M handouts necessary to continue maintaining any economic momentum. A number of international ratings agencies also say that Malaysia has yet to present a convincing plan to tackle the twin fiscal threats of its federal budget deficit and federal debt even though strains on its credit profile are increasing. The ratio of federal government debt to GDP reached 51.8 per cent at end-2011 despite strong GDP growth but barring a further deterioration in the global economy, the government should be able to meet its 2012 deficit target of 4.7 per cent of GDP. The opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) has criticised the Najib administration for what it says is vote buying by the BN government through public spending in the form of various handouts such as the BR1M.
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| Free speech or incitement? French mag runs cartoons of Prophet Mohammed Posted: 18 Sep 2012 11:33 PM PDT
(CNN) - After a week of deadly, international protests against an anti-Islam film, a French satirical magazine is fueling the debate between freedom of expression and offensive provocation. The magazine Charlie Hebdo published cartoons featuring a figure resembling the Prophet Mohammed in an issue that hit newsstands Wednesday. Magazine director Stephane Charbonnier said his staff is "not really fueling the fire," but rather using its freedom of expression "to comment (on) the news in a satirical way." "It happens that the news this week is Mohammed and this lousy film, so we are drawing cartoons about this subject," Charbonnier told CNN affiliate BFM-TV on Wednesday. "It's more turning in derision this grotesque film than to make fun of Mohammed." The "lousy film" he's referring to is "Innocence of Muslims," an amateurish, 14-minute video that mocks the Prophet Mohammed as a womanizer, child molester and killer. The video drew international attention last week and spawned heated protests in more than a dozen countries. Any depiction of Islam's prophet is considered blasphemy by many Muslims. France will close embassies and schools in about 20 countries on Friday, the main Muslim day of prayer, as a precaution, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday. It is already boosting security in some locations. There has been no violence reported as a result of the cartoons so far. They were published just a day after hundreds of Muslims took to Twitter to satirize the U.S. magazine Newsweek's cover story on "Muslim Rage." Muslims posted tongue-in-cheek tweets about what enrages them, such as having a really good hair day but no one knowing because you wear a hijab. Hend Amry, who posted that tweet as @LibyaLiberty, said Charlie Hebdo's latest cartoons were a cynical attempt to inflate sales. Opinion: Media don't get #MuslimRage She compared it to the French magazine that printed topless photos of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge last week. "Like printing tawdry pics of (Catherine) Middleton -- lowbrow rating booster," she said. "If we're going to chart it on the Muslim insult-o-meter, it is less inflammatory than the 'film,' but does continue the East/West divide we see," she told CNN. Charlie Hebdo journalist Laurent Leger said the magazine has shown Muslim men and Muslim extremists in the past, but does not explicitly state that the cartoons are depictions of the Prophet Mohammed. Rather, he said, the cartoons are open to interpretation. "The aim is to laugh. We want to laugh at the extremists -- every extremist. They can be Muslim, Jewish, Catholic. Everyone can be religious, but extremist thoughts and acts we cannot accept," Leger said. Hend Amry said she didn't believe that was really the magazine's intention. "No it isn't. It's for ratings," she said. Leger said the magazine was within its rights. "In France, we always have the right to write and draw. And if some people are not happy with this, they can sue us and we can defend ourselves. That's democracy. You don't throw bombs, you discuss, you debate. But you don't act violently. We have to stand and resist pressure from extremism." The cartoons are already drawing strong condemnation by the French Muslim community. Mohammed Moussaoui, president of the French Council of Muslim Faith, described a feeling of "indignation against this new Islamophobic act" to BFM-TV. He said the cartoons are "insulting for the prophet of Islam," and described their publication as a "new provocation." French authorities have already taken precautionary measures, with police vehicles parked outside the offices of Charlie Hebdo late Tuesday. The offices were the scene of an attack last November, when they were burned on the day the magazine was due to publish an issue with a cover appearing to make fun of Islamic law. The cover featured a bearded and turbaned cartoon figure of the Prophet Mohammed saying, "100 lashes if you're not dying of laughter." The magazine received threats after it announced that the edition would be guest-edited by the Prophet Mohammed and dedicated to the Arab Spring, Charbonnier told BFM-TV in November. The cartoonist known as Luz has been under police protection since last year, when one of his illustrations depicting the Prophet Mohammed was featured on the cover of that issue. Luz told CNN the latest cartoons depicting Mohammed are not featured on the cover. "We learned our lesson," Luz said. French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault weighed in on the debate Tuesday, expressing "his disapproval of any excess" and appealing "to the spirit of responsibility of each," according to a statement from his office. "The prime minister states that the freedom of speech makes up one of the fundamental principles of our republic. This freedom is expressed within the confines of the law and under the control of the courts," the statement read. Outside the country, security at French embassies have been reinforced, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said. "I am against all provocations, especially during a period as sensitive as this one. I do not see any usefulness in such provocation," he told the radio station France Info. "There must be freedom of speech, but I am absolutely opposed to any provocation." France has seen rising tensions over its rapidly growing Muslim minority -- the largest Muslim population in western Europe. Last year, the country banned the wearing of Islamic veils and other face coverings, claiming they were both degrading and a security risk. Belgium has passed similar legislation, and Switzerland banned the building of minarets, the tall spires which often stand next to mosques.
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