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Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Australia is Malaysia's last hope: Xenophon
Too big for its britches
Pakatan rep wants Liu to resign over Batu Caves condo controversy
Isn’t it better not to have a religion?
Samy Vellu implicated in alleged land grab in Selangor
It is not really ABU after all
PAS Ulama: Pakatan cannot ignore views expressed during muktamar
I challenge Hisham to a debate
Hudud-leaning Hadi won’t do in Sabah
Divided PAS spells trouble for Pakatan
Have we become a fascist state?
Rafizi to meet HK’s anti-corruption officials tomorrow
Hadi for PM? Here’s what he really said …
To PAS: Whither your direction?
Ronnie diminta letak jawatan jika gagal tangani isu kondominium
History Lesson, My Version
Parents question the credibility of the Government in its decision to abolish PPSMI

Australia is Malaysia's last hope: Xenophon

Posted: 20 Nov 2012 11:34 AM PST

Anwar Ibrahim's letter asking for Australia's help was handed to independent Senator Nick Xenophon when he was in Malaysia on a recent trip. He says Australia is Malaysia's last, best hope for free and fair elections.

Listen at: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-11-21/australia-is-malaysias-last-hope-xenophon/4383438?section=act

TONY EASTLEY: Anwar Ibrahim's letter asking for Australia's help was handed to independent Senator Nick Xenophon when he was in Malaysia on a recent trip.

Mr Xenophon spoke last night in the Senate about the letter.

Senator Xenophon says Australia is Malaysia's last and best hope for free and fair elections.

He's speaking here with our chief political correspondent Sabra Lane.

NICK XENOPHON: Anwar Ibrahim wrote the letter in front of me last Friday in Kuala Lumpur. It really is a desperate plea for help. He really sees Australia as Malaysia's last, best hope to ensure that there are free and fair elections there.

There are very serious concerns that what is occurring in Malaysia could see the wholesale rorting, the wholesale electoral fraud of the upcoming Malaysian general elections. And the implications for Malaysia, for the region I think are quite significant.

SABRA LANE: And you've seen evidence of this rorting?

NICK XENOPHON: When I was part of an international observer group last April the information that we were given indicates that the electoral roles appear to be quite irregular.

I spoke to a former senior member of the military who told me that members of the military, that soldiers of lower ranks are basically stood over and told how to vote. That can't be in any way fair. It can't be in any way a secret ballot.

SABRA LANE: What do you think Bob Carr and Australia should do?

NICK XENOPHON: I think the very least we could do is to offer support to ensure that the elections are free and fair, to offer the services and the expertise of the Australian Electoral Commission, for there to be a parliamentary delegation to go to Malaysia now as a matter of urgency in the lead-up to the poll to look into these claims of the electoral rolls being fixed, to ensure that the voting process is fair.

And to look at other fundamental issues such as the opposition parties not being able to have access to the mainstream media, to newspapers and television, to radio, not being able to even advertise during election periods. That is quite extraordinary.

SABRA LANE: The Federal Government has its hopes still pinned on the so-called Malaysia swap deal - swapping asylum seekers. Do you think Australia is prepared to step up on Malaysia's elections, given that that deal is still yet to be enacted?

NICK XENOPHON: I think some of the Malaysian opposition fear that that could constrain Australia's approach in terms of the up-coming Malaysian elections, but that really shouldn't be a consideration. It would be an act of gross cowardice on the part of Australia to be holding back its concerns on free and fair elections in Malaysia as a result of the people swap deal.

SABRA LANE: On the issue of asylum seekers, you reluctantly backed the Government's legislation to recommence offshore processing, saying that if it stopped people from making a dangerous journey then all MPs had to eat some humble pie.

What's your reaction to Amnesty International's visit to Nauru? It says conditions are completely unacceptable there and that those conditions are responsible for a terrible spiral of self harm and suicide attempts.

NICK XENOPHON: Well it's very disturbing. I supported reluctantly a tough policy in order to deter people making a dangerous boat journey to prevent more people drowning at sea.

But there's a distinction between supporting a policy that is tough and one that turns out to be cruel. And I think it's very important that those concerns be addressed.

TONY EASTLEY: The independent Senator Nick Xenophon speaking to Sabra Lane.

A spokesman for Senator Carr says the Foreign Minister received Mr Anwar's letter on Monday and he will consider it and respond shortly.

Senator Carr's office says the Minister discussed the issue of "free and fair elections" with Mr Ibrahim on the phone during his visit to Kuala Lumpur earlier this month.

Too big for its britches

Posted: 20 Nov 2012 11:24 AM PST

In observing the mood of the PAS delegates at the recent general assembly, one can't help but feel that if PAS were to do well in the polls, it would indeed demand for Hadi Awang to become the prime minister. And as I mentioned earlier, I suspect this is not something most supporters of PR, especially the non-Muslims and the progressive Muslims, would be comfortable with.

Oon Yeoh, The Sun

I'VE OFTEN said that Barisan Nasional is its own worst enemy. Time and again, it has shown a remarkable deftness in shooting own goals. But BN has no monopoly on damaging itself. Like BN, Pakatan Rakyat is often its own worst enemy. The issue that consistently trips it up is hudud.

The scenario is familiar. Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad would challenge PAS on the issue of hudud. PAS spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz would declare it's the party's goal to implement hudud. DAP chairman Karpal Singh would say, "Over my dead body" or something to that effect. Meanwhile, PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim would dither and say something that's neither here nor there.

The way this plays out over and over again, like a broken record, is farcical. And so, I expected to see another round of it during the 58th PAS Muktamar in Kota Baru. Surely, hudud is going to be the hot topic.

But I was wrong. The big news is that PAS wants its president Hadi Awang to become the prime minister should Pakatan Rakyat win the general election. This caught everyone off guard because until then, nobody had ever mooted that notion.

All along, it was generally assumed that PR's prime-minister-in-waiting was Anwar. This latest development could be cause for concern for non-Muslims and moderate Muslims alike, who until now threw their support behind PR because they assumed it would be led by Anwar.

Would those same people vote for PR if the prospective prime minister is Hadi Awang? I've got no surveys to back me up on this but I'm pretty sure if Anwar was not available, such voters would much rather have Lim Guan Eng as prime minister.

The thing is, DAP is not pushing for Lim to become the prime minister. Lim himself has said that he is "not qualified" to become prime minister, despite the fact that DAP has the biggest number of MPs in Parliament and that Lim is widely admired for his stewardship of Penang.

If DAP is not pushing for its leader to helm the top spot in a PR government, why is PAS doing so?

If the argument is that PAS is an absolutely critical component of PR, and that the coalition cannot possibly capture Putrajaya without it, the same can also be said of DAP and PKR. The truth is, all three parties need each other if they hope to take over the federal government.

The answer quite simply, is that PAS has a tendency to become too big for its britches. It exhibited such behaviour after the 1999 General Election, where it did quite well, and now it's exhibiting such tendencies again.

In a scenario where PR wins the general election, the best configuration would be to have a similar kind of win ratio that the three parties currently have. That is, a situation where DAP has the most number of MPs, followed by PKR in second place and PAS third.

That way, DAP, as the numerically-dominant party, can give way to PKR and support Anwar as the leader of the coalition (as it does now). Meanwhile, PAS, in third place, would not be in a position to insist that it should have everything its way.

What about PKR as the dominant party, with DAP second and PAS third? That's still a better configuration than having PAS in the top position, but it would allow PKR to become overly dominant in much the way that Umno is dominant in the BN. Look at what has become of MCA and MIC in such a scenario.

So, if PR were to win power, it should be with roughly the same ratio of MPs as is the case now otherwise those who voted for PR could be in for a rude shock.

Pakatan rep wants Liu to resign over Batu Caves condo controversy

Posted: 20 Nov 2012 12:38 AM PST

(The Star) - State Local Government committee chairman Ronnie Liu has been challenged to resign if he is not able to stop the controversial 29-storey condominium project in Batu Caves.

The dare came from his Pakatan Rakyat ally, Kota Raja assemblyman M Manoharan, at the state assembly sitting on Tuesday.

"The temple is a national heritage. It is obvious that the people do not want the project or any other projects to be build next to the temple complex.

"Therefore, if the project is not scrapped, will you resign?" Manoharan said in a supplementary question.

Liu replied saying resignation should not be the issue. "What is important is that the project must be stopped and the state (government) is doing its best."

"There is a lot to consider. For instance, the project cannot be scrapped as more than 60% of the units had been sold.

"If the project is stopped, the state and federal government will have to compensate the developer," he said.

Liu pointed out that the federal government also had the power to stop the project by revoking the developer's advertising license and sales permit.

Isn’t it better not to have a religion?

Posted: 19 Nov 2012 06:39 PM PST

But what a shame indeed! Because Sia Ka Tian refuses to follow Muhammad, the Muslims say he is going to hell, and because Sia Ka Tian refuses to follow Jesus, the Christians say he is going to hell, although he did something not many of the two billion Muslims and Christians would have done -- return RM3 million that he found accidentally left in his taxi.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Singapore cabbie returns US$900,000 to Thai couple

(AFP) - SINGAPORE: A Singaporean taxi driver has been heralded as a hero after he returned Sg$1.1 million (US$900,000) in cash to a vacationing Thai couple who left the money in his cab.

Sia Ka Tian, 70, was shocked to find the money in a black paper bag on the back seat on Monday after he dropped the couple off at a shopping centre.

"When I saw the money, I thought, trouble is here. I was sure there was at least $200,000 in the bag," the Straits Times quoted the 31-year veteran in the taxi business as saying.

But when he brought the money to transport company ComfortDelGro's lost-and-found office, his stunned colleagues counted Sg$1.1 million in thousand-dollar bills.

"The money is unimportant to me. It doesn't belong to me, so how can I use it?" he told the newspaper.

The Thai couple reported the loss to the transport company and Sia was waiting for them when they arrived to claim the money.

The report did not say what the couple were doing with that large sum.

The driver received an undisclosed cash reward from the grateful couple, whose names have been withheld, and the company also plans to give him an award for good service.

"Finding one million dollars in cash is not an everyday affair and in fact, we wonder how many people would have possibly been tempted" to pocket it, company spokeswoman Tammy Tan told AFP.

"We are immensely proud of him and are glad that the passengers recovered their money.'

It was the second most valuable item returned by a cabbie working for the company. In 2009, another taxi driver returned fives kilos of gold bars worth Sg$377,000.

***************************************

His name is Sia Ka Tian and he works as a taxi driver in Singapore. I assume he is not a proud Muslim because his name is not Muhammad Sia bin Abdullah. I also assume he is not a proud Christian because his name is not Alexander Sia. Judging by his name, he must be a pagan idol-worshipper whom both the Muslims and Christians say is going to end up in hell for 'not believing in the truth'.

Sia Ka Tian discovered about RM3 million accidentally left in his taxi and he went and returned the money to the rightful owner. Not many of the two billion or so Muslims and Christians would have done this. In fact, you are more likely to be robbed or cheated, or your pocket picked or bag snatched, in one of the Muslim or Christian countries.

You face more risk of becoming the victim of crooks when praying in front of the Ka'bah in Mekah or at the Vatican in Rome. Some people have even been stabbed and killed during a purse-cutting crime gone wrong at these two 'holy' sites.

Sia Ka Tian did exactly what Islam and Christianity says people must do. But Sia Ka Tian is neither Muslim nor Christian. Hence what he did does not count. He will still not earn a place in paradise and instead will be sent to hell because he refuses to follow Prophet Muhammad or Jesus Christ.

You should listen to how the Muslims and Christians talk. If you listen to them talk you will know what you need to do to avoid hell and to get into paradise. But that is all they do -- they talk. They don't really practice what they say. People who practice what the Muslims and Christians say are people like Sia Ka Tian who did the proper Muslim-Christian thing. Nevertheless, he is still going to end up in hell.

It is nice to be able to follow a religion where you can talk without having to practice what you preach and still get to go to heaven while others like Sia Ka Tian who do the right thing get sent to hell.

Hidup Islam! Hidup Christianity! Hidup Munafiq! Mampus kafir!

Samy Vellu implicated in alleged land grab in Selangor

Posted: 19 Nov 2012 06:03 PM PST

Zurairi AR, The Malaysian Insider

Selangor backbenchers today accused Barisan Nasional component parties and former MIC President Datuk Seri Samy Vellu of allegedly being involved in land grabs when BN was still in power in the state.

The allegation involves 24 plots of public land in seven out of nine districts in Selangor, which were acquired by branches and divisions of Umno, MCA, MIC and Gerakan between 2000 and 2008 when the state government was administered by BN.

Sekinchan assemblyman Ng Suee Lim challenged the BN component parties to return the land to the public to prove that they really have the interests of the people at heart.

"They have to prove that they are true fighters who are sincere to the people ... not give empty talk ... fighting for the people, but then grab their land," he said.

Each plot of land measures up to seven acres and has a collective total area of around 33.5 acres, mostly in commercial areas.

The plots were allegedly sold for only RM1 per square foot — amounting to around RM1.5 million in total — despite being worth at least RM20 million collectively on the market, Ng said.

"All of them are high value properties ... after Umno, MCA, MIC and Gerakan obtained the land, they would immediately enter joint-ventures (to develop them) or sell them off for tens of thousands or millions of profit," accused Ng.

Of the 24 plots, 15 are now owned by Umno branches or divisions, with six of them going to Umno Sungai Besar division, which was led by former Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Khir Toyo.

"This shows that Umno is the king of land robbers," Sri Muda assemblyman Shuhaimi Shafiei said.

MCA holds five plots, MIC three and Gerakan one.

Datuk Seri Samy Vellu, together with an S Subramaniam and the late Tan Sri SOK Ubaidullah, who was one of MIC's founders, are named as the trustees for a 2,832 square metre plot in Kuala Selangor.

The biggest plot in the list is a seven-acre piece of land in Klang, which is owned by the Umno Kota Raja division, followed by a 6.5-acre plot in Batu 14, Puchong, which is owned by the Umno Puchong division.

It is not really ABU after all

Posted: 19 Nov 2012 05:08 PM PST

As much as the Abu-screamers and Pakatan Fan Club (PFC) members say that all they want is to see change after 55 years of an Umno-led government, this is not really true. It is not just about change at all. It is about change with certain terms and conditions attached that are favourable to certain personal interests of the so-called propagators of change.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Not too long ago I wrote a satire about a Muslim ordering food in a Chinese restaurant. The chap starts off by telling the waiter he is a Muslim and hence he does not eat pork. Okay, anything but pork, replies the waiter. So try the chicken.

Ah, hold on, but the chicken must be halal, the customer reminds the waiter. Has the chicken been properly slaughtered? No, it has not, so it is not halal. Okay, why not order the fish instead? The fish is definitely halal.

Ah, yes, but how are you going to cook the fish? Will you be cooking it in the same pots and pans that you cook the non-halal food? But of course, the restaurant has only one kitchen.

Oh, in that case he cannot order the fish as well. Oh well, he might as well just order the raw vegetables then. That would be the safest.

Okay, says the waiter, so it is not just anything but pork. It is also anything but chicken that is not halal. It is also anything but fish that is cooked in the same pots and pans as the non-halal food.

In short, it is not anything but pork. It is nothing except just vegetables. So why say anything but pork when you mean it must be more than just anything but pork?

And the last few days have been very entertaining for me to prove that it is not anything but pork. In this case we are, of course, talking about anything but Umno or ABU.

I am all for change. After all, I have been speaking about change for 35 years since 1977 when many of you were still breast-feeding (and some of the childish comments posted in Malaysia Today indicate that some of you may still be breast-feeding). What I am not for is hidden agendas and using change as the camouflage to conceal this hidden agenda.

All we want is change. All we want is ABU or anything but Umno. Okay, I can buy that. We just want change. We just do not want Umno to run the country any longer. We will accept anything expect Umno.

Okay, say the opposition wins 120 seats in Parliament (which means Barisan Nasional would have won only 102 seats) and 60 of those seats are won by PAS, as they hope and plan to do (which means DAP and PKR combined won the balance 60). Then, say, from the 60 that DAP and PKR win, DAP wins 32 and PKR 28. This would mean PAS would nominate the Prime Minister from Pakatan Rakyat and PAS wants Tok Guru Abdul Hadi Awang to become the Prime Minister.

Oh, but Hadi Awang is not acceptable. It must be Anwar Ibrahim and only Anwar Ibrahim who becomes the Prime Minister. PAS leaders are not suitable or good enough. They are not intelligent enough. They can't even speak English the Winston Churchill way. PAS leaders are more suited for the kampong, not for the international stage. PAS leaders will never be able to run the country. They can't even run the state properly.

So that means it is not ABU then. It is anything but Umno plus anything but PAS leaders as Prime Minister.

Okay, say PAS wins 60 seats in Parliament and from the 28 PKR seats, 15 of them are Muslim candidates. Then the 60 PAS Members of Parliament, the 15 PKR Members of Parliament, and, say, another 50 Umno Members of Parliament unite to propose the implementation of Hudud. Since the total comes to 125 that gives them a majority in Parliament. Can we accept that since we say we respect the majority view?

No way can we accept Hudud even if the majority votes in favour of it. Those are barbaric laws from the Dark Ages. Those are stupid beliefs of people who are living in the past. Malaysia is a Secular country so we want to retain the Secular system. No way can we accept an Islamic State or the implementation of that part of the Sharia called Hudud.

So that means it is not ABU then. It is anything but Umno, anything but PAS leaders as Prime Minister, anything but Islamic State, plus anything but Hudud.

If we manage to kick out the Umno-led government and Pakatan Rakyat takes over the federal government can we agree to a standardised education system with only Bahasa Malaysia as the medium of instruction? This would mean vernacular schools or mother-tongue education will be abolished.

No way we can agree to that.

So that means it is not ABU then. It is anything but Umno, anything but PAS leaders as Prime Minister, anything but Islamic State, anything but Hudud, plus anything but the standardisation of the education system.

And the list goes on -- Article 153, the New Economic Policy, race-based quotas, etc. All these, too, are not accepted alongside Umno, PAS leaders as Prime Minister, an Islamic State, Hudud, the standardisation of the education system, and much more.

So it is not really that simple after all. This is not just about ABU or anything but Umno. This is not about change and about seeing the end of 55 years of an Umno-led government. This is about many other things as well which we do not want.

So why lie to the voters? You actually want a package deal and the package includes many other things -- including allowing Muslims the freedom to leave Islam to become Christians or whatever if they want to. You even treat apostasy as part of the ABU campaign. And don't deny it because I have been reading the so many comments that you posted.

Just be honest with what you are seeking. You are not just seeking change. You are not just seeking the end of the 55-year-old Umno-led government. You have many, many things up your sleeve. And all we need to do is to propose Tok Guru Abdul Hadi Awang as Prime Minister to see you reveal your true intentions. And do you honestly believe that the Malay voters, in particular those from the Malay heartland, will go along with this?

As Tan Seng Giaw said: dream on.

Let me share a little secret with you. Many Malays also do not support the idea of an Islamic State or the implementation of Hudud. If they did then the predominantly Malay voters from Terengganu would not have given the state back to Umno in 2004 and again in 2008. In fact, PAS almost lost Kelantan as well in 2004.

What the Malays resent, however, is to see the non-Malays whack Islam. Even those Malays who do not pray or fast and/or who drink and/or gamble cannot tahan to see the non-Malays whack Islam. And many of these people will vote Umno not because they support Umno but because they are pissed with the way the Pakatan Rakyat supporters vilify Islam.

So Islam is outdated, is it? Islam is from the Dark Ages, is it? Islam is silly, is it? Well, you may be partly right about the mindset of some (or even many) of the Muslims. I too have been whacking the Muslims for a long time in case you have not noticed.

But the Muslims are not the only ones like this. All those who believe in God and who follow a religion are the same. This stupidity is not exclusive to Muslims. Even the very highly educated and extremely intelligence Christians believe in stupid things -- like Virgin Mary appearing on hospital windows.

In the first place, did Virgin Mary even exist or is she a myth like King Arthur? And how do they know what Virgin Mary looks like? Did anyone see her photograph to know that the image on the hospital window is that of Virgin Mary? How do they know it is not the image of Maid Marian, Robin Hood's girlfriend?

So don't be too quick in whacking Muslims and in calling them all sorts of nasty names. First of all, that is going to result in Pakatan Rakyat losing the Muslim support. Secondly, what you think of Muslims I too think of Christians who believe in silly things. The Bible says there is only one God and then you go and pray to another God called Mary.

*****************************************

The window pane with a purported image of the Virgin Mary was today removed from a hospital in Subang Jaya and handed over to the Catholic Church, as was previously agreed.

"Sime Darby Medical Centre Subang Jaya (SDMC SJ) has removed and handed over two window panes from the North Tower of the hospital complex to the Catholic Church.

"One of the panes has on it marks that some claim resemble artistic depictions of Mary, the Mother of Jesus," the Sime Darby Group said in a statement today.

Last Tuesday, the hospital had agreed to give to the Catholic Church several glass window panes from its building that has been drawing devout Catholics and curious visitors after word of the apparition's appearance spread.

It was also said that the glass panel will be moved to the Marian Church of Our Lady Lourdes in Klang.

"The removal of the window panes was carried out by professionals with due care, safety and caution exercised throughout the process, which started at 10am and ended without incident at 11.35am," Sime Darby Group said.

According to the company, leaders and parishioners of the Subang Jaya Catholic church were present at the hospital during the removal of the panes.

A hospital official confirmed that the glass panels have already been safely delivered to the Marian Church of Our Lady Lourdes in Klang.

"Yes, they have already opened it and displayed it," the official told The Malaysian Insider, saying that the panels were delivered around noon today.

In the same statement by the Sime Darby Group, the hospital thanked its patients and staff for their "patience", as well as the Catholic Church and enforcement authorities for their "support and kind understanding".

"SDMC SJ would like to thank its patients and their families, residents in the vicinity of the hospital and all its staff for their patience over the last two weeks.

"SDMC SJ would also like to thank the Church, the Royal Malaysian Police, Rela officers and the public for their support and kind understanding during this period," it said.

The image had last week continued to attract a crowd to the hospital eager to catch a glimpse of the image before it was moved, with many of them praying and singing hymns as well as lighting candles.

The image, said to be that of the Virgin Mary whom Catholics revere as the Mother of God, was reported to have first been spotted two weeks ago and has been captured on camera and reproduced on social media including Facebook where it went viral.

This is believed to be the first reported sighting of an image of the Virgin Mary in Malaysia. The phenomenon has been reported elsewhere around the world.

Some witnesses have also said they could make out a second image forming on another glass pane below the vertical row housing the apparition of Mary.

According to them, the second image resembled Jesus Christ on the crucifix.

The Catholic Church said it will withhold comment until the image has been tested and verified by theologians and church authorities, a process that will take time.

PAS Ulama: Pakatan cannot ignore views expressed during muktamar

Posted: 19 Nov 2012 02:57 PM PST

(The Star) - The PAS Ulama wing has stepped up its call for their party president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang to be the Prime Minister if Pakatan Rakyat wins in the coming polls.

The wing said Pakatan Rakyat could not ignore the views of PAS' one million members.

"If PAS wins the most number of seats, naturally members expect the candidate to be picked from PAS.

"However, Pakatan has yet to make a collective decision on the candidate for the top post if the coalition succeeds in capturing Putrajaya. The party has to abide by the decision," said Ulama Council vice-chief Datuk Dr Mahfodz Mohamed yesterday in response to objections from DAP leaders over Abdul Hadi as Prime Minister if the coalition comes to power.

Ousted PAS leader Datuk Dr Hassan Ali warned that there would be a revolt in PAS if the Opposition parties reject Abdul Hadi when PAS wins the most number of seats in the election.

"If Pakatan truly practises democracy, it should listen to the voice of the majority, and not the voice of a few top leaders in the Opposition," he added.

PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu said the final decision would be made by the Pakatan leadership.

"It is too early to broach the subject, as we must win first. What if Abdul Hadi and Anwar lose in the election?

"Then perhaps even I can be the Prime Minister," he said.

Meanwhile, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said it had always been Pakatan's stand that the candidate for the Prime Minister's post would be the Opposition Leader.

"We stick by what has been agreed," he told reporters at the Parliament lobby yesterday.

DAP chairman Karpal Singh said Abdul Hadi should stick to the consensus that Anwar be appointed Prime Minister if Pakatan comes to power.

"PAS should do likewise without being told because the position has been accepted all along," he said in a telephone interview yesterday.

He said Anwar was the most qualified and acceptable person to take on the role because he had the experience in government administration as the former Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister.

In KUALA TERENGGANU, state PAS commissioner Abdul Wahid Endut said Abdul Hadi was the best choice for the Prime Minister's post because he has no moral issues to contend with.

"In the Islamic point of view, there's no one better," he said.

However, Abdul Wahid said such hopes largely depended on the outcome of the general election.

"We should focus on winning the election first. If PAS wins the majority of seats, he would be the logical choice," he added.

I challenge Hisham to a debate

Posted: 19 Nov 2012 02:41 PM PST

FMT LETTER: From Gobind Singh Deo, via e-mail

I challenge Home Minister Hishamuddin Hussein to a debate over what more could be done to make police stations safer for members of the public so as to avoid further recurrences of incidents such as deaths, assault and rape of detainees in police custody.

The minister seems clueless as to how he can further improve the police force, especially in light of the rape of an Indonesian woman by three officers in a police station in Prai recently.

It is worrying to read his response to a call for him to resign as Home Minister over the case, saying, "We have already ensured that they are brought to court. What else can we do? This is our country's system."

Such a statement by the Home Minister in such a situation does not inspire an ounce of confidence. It also doesn't help that the minister further failed to take a position on the implementation of the IPCMC, which would perhaps offer some hope to the nation that the government is serious about complaints against the police and how such complaints are to be dealt with.

The minister's cold responses to complaints against the force shows how out of touch he is with what the real issues are and what needs to be done to solve the problem. I think he just doesn't know what's going on or understand what is happening around him.

He should learn from cases in the past where people have died, have been abused and have been raped in custody. He should learn from the deaths of Kugan, Teoh Beng Hock and Ahmad Sarbani Mohamed.

These were cases in which allegations of brutality were raised and inquiries were held. All of them point to weaknesses in measures which currently exist in police stations or places where individuals are taken for questioning when suspected of having committed offences.

The Teoh Beng Hock RCI went so far as to recommend broad changes to be made in order to make these places more secure so as to avoid such incidents from occurring again in future. The Home Minister does not seem to have understood anything at all from all this.

And what of cases in which police officers are accused of rape and abuse of women and young girls in police stations?

In 2008, a police officer, was charged at the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court for raping a 17-year- old student and forcing her to perform oral sex on him in the Putra Heights police station.

The trial saw the victim describe how she and her boyfriend were stopped by a police patrol car at 6am on June 18 that year and taken back to the police station. At the police station she and her boyfriend were taken to separate rooms for questioning.

There, she was raped and forced to perform oral sex on the officer. In her police report, the victim alleged that the officer told her not to be afraid as he had seen many other girls like her previously.

No action was taken until the matter was raised in Parliament and exposed in the press.

And now we have a case in which three officers are alleged to have raped an Indonesian maid in a police station. The three have been charged swiftly, but not until after the matter was highlighted in the press and demonstrations were held both here and in Indonesia, which even saw the burning of our national flag.

How does the minister have the stomach to say "what else can we do? This is our country's system" in light of all this? This is not what we expect from the Home Minister in a situation as pressing as this.

The question is how do you make the police more accountable for their actions? How do you put a stop to it? How do you make senior officers and even the government more responsible for incidents like these so as to ensure that officers are not motivated to break laws in pursuit of their own agenda and there are no more assaults, rapes and deaths in police custody?

This is where the minister's response is seriously lacking. He should tell us, what has he done to make police stations safer since becoming Home Minister? How has he as minister reduced "opportunity" for such incidents from happening in police stations?

READ MORE HERE

Hudud-leaning Hadi won’t do in Sabah

Posted: 19 Nov 2012 02:36 PM PST

Abdul Hadi Awang's 'willingness' to be the prime minister has rekindled a previous controversial call he made for a 'unity government' with Umno.

Anwar was acquitted of his Sodomy II charge in January 2012, and while PKR was immediately jubilant, its coalition partners in Pakatan Rakyat – PAS and DAP – were wary, waiting for the "catch". Many thought the "catch" was in the appeal the government filed but that was rejected.

Pushparani Thilaganathan, FMT

Late last year there were speculations filtering out of Umno corridors in Kuala Lumpur that emissaries of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim were in "negotiation" over the latter and his daughter Nurul Izzah's future.

Whispers then were linked to the imminent outcome of Anwar's Sodomy II and rumours were that Anwar was being asked to "leave" politics "temporarily" and the "powers-that-be" would allow Nurul to grow (politically).

The comment at that time was: "Najib has no personal angst against Anwar… but if he [Anwar] wants a future [Nurul Izzah]; he [Anwar] must go".

It just seemed like random speculation last year as during the very same period there were also talks of Najib and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah "ironing out details". Talk was that Razaleigh would have his own "independent" team contesting in the 13th general election.

Much has happened since.

The months in-between have been a volley of exposures by PKR's young turks with BN on the defence. Nurul Izzah, too, has come under some heavy criticism, the latest potshots came for defending religious freedom.

Amidst the cacophony of disclosures and criticism from both sides, Najib has made an unprecedented number of visits to Sabah.

With its 25-plus one (Labuan) parliamentary seats, Sabah is crucial to Najib's personal future. Talk is rife that deals are being struck here with individuals on the outside who are "federal friendly".

Sabah is also crucial to Anwar. And he, too, has struck deals; among them with former Upko deputy chairman Wilfred Bumburing, a devout Christian whose platform Angkatan Perpaduan Sabah (APS) aims to "lead" the Christian Kadazandusun community.

Sabah, like Sarawak, has a large Christian community. But unlike in Sarawak, in Sabah many are closet Christians mostly due to fear.

PAS may not be significant in Sabah but one cannot discount the impact of its president Abdul Hadi Awang's headlining "I welcome being elected as the prime minister" statement on Sunday in Kelantan.

Hadi supported 'unity government' call

Hudud-leaning Hadi's "willingness" to be prime minister will not resonate well in Sabah where Christianity has been a victim of Umno's "Islamisation" policy dating back to the 1970s.

If popular political blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin's posting on Monday is any measure, then PAS is sure of its position in Peninsular Malaysia and couldn't care less how its partners – DAP and PKR – and allies fare in Sabah in the coming election.

According to Raja Petra, if PAS wins 60 seats and DAP and PKR collectively have 60 seats, then "PAS will have a say on who should be prime minister" within the opposition block.

"Hence it is not impossible for Abdul Hadi to become the prime minister if PAS wins more seats than PKR and DAP," noted Raja Petra.

At the closing of PAS' annual muktamar (national conference) in Kelantan on Sunday, Hadi had publicly conceded to a delegate's call that he accepts the position of prime minister if the opposition coalition wins the 13th general election.

His "willingness" has reminded observers of a call he made, together with Nasharudin Mat Isa and Hasan Ali, post-2008 general election for a unity government with Umno. Hadi's call took many members by surprise and was a clear indication that PAS under his leadership was willing to compromise.

READ MORE HERE

Divided PAS spells trouble for Pakatan

Posted: 19 Nov 2012 02:29 PM PST

PAS has been 'penetrated' by elements with 'foreign' ideologies while its only 'national' policy is the implementation of hudud in Malaysia.

Which ever way Pakatan is heading, there is one obvious element: the loose coalition is experiencing the hardships of building and creating a true "rainbow" union. And this is probably due to the resistance within the Pakatan coalition itself, while the Barisan National hard-hitting "pro-Malay" campaigns could be an added disincentive.

Ali Cordoba, FMT

Is PAS in a riddle? Or has it turned into a "maze-runner", lost in a battlefield where survival is only for the fittest?

The fact remains that rise of the "extremist" voices within PAS is a negative element for Pakatan Rakyat.

These are only two of the major woes of the Pakatan opposition, which is on a historic march to conquer Putrajaya. However, this path is rigged with troubles, which Pakatan is expected to quash well before the next general election.

The hardships faced by PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim to build a "rainbow" coalition will surely haunt the new regime in Putrajaya, but once victory is achieved, it is certain Pakatan will overcome these woes and impose itself.

While the division within PAS reflects the division among the Malay-Muslim majority in Malaysia, the DAP is enjoying the support of a large majority of the Chinese community. This is creating an imbalance that has given more room to the BN to feel cozy in its "Malay First" diatribes.

And this is a significant observation since Pakatan needs a majority of the Malay community to win the 13th general election, but it has an agenda that does not satisfy half of PAS.

And by extension this agenda does not satisfy a section of the Malays altogether, but it has cemented the second largest community's – the Chinese community – support for Pakatan.

A divided PAS

PAS today is an embarrassment with the divided leadership and this shows how PAS is a divided party from the top to its grassroots level. The division within the PAS reflects a "maligned" situation that clashes with the agenda set by Pakatan, that is, a fair, just and equitable Malaysia.

Does PAS really have to bring the support of the "extreme" right Malays to impose its views in Pakatan or is the party going to be more comfortable within the BN, divided as it is?

It is clear that PAS is plagued by the fact that it is a "state-based party" (jaguh kampung) with a largely divided leadership on both political and religious issues. PAS has also been "penetrated" by elements with "foreign" ideologies while its only "national" policy is the implementation of Islamic laws in Malaysia.

Its clashes with Pakatan's agenda for concrete changes in Malaysia can be a turn-off to a fringe of the "non-Muslim" voters if the issue is pressed upon by the "divided" PAS leadership.

It is clear at this stage that the Pakatan leadership does not want to get involved in the morass created by the "Malay" supremacy claims, which is apparently getting some support from pro-Umno PAS leaders.

Would it be to Pakatan's advantage to deal a direct blow to the group of "ultras" within its ranks? Or should Pakatan wait until the election is over to impose its will?

The fear of losing may have bogged down the Pakatan leadership in its decision-making process, with regard to the sensitivity of Malay-Muslim voters. This hesitation to decide on the "ultras" will have a negative effect on Pakatan.

It will cause a large number of the voters on the fence to either decide to continue voting for the BN or to abstain in the election.

PAS will have to take the blame for this failure to win the hearts and minds of the fence-sitters. The vote bank of the fence-sitting Malaysians will be crucial to win more seats for Pakatan and defeat the BN.

It will be a double jeopardy to Pakatan in the end since a divided PAS leadership, giving the wrong signal to the population, is not the only problem it is facing while a hesitant Pakatan will not convince the undecided voters.

READ MORE HERE

Have we become a fascist state?

Posted: 19 Nov 2012 02:23 PM PST

Our state apparatus and its servants have become mere robots working on command of the ruling party to ensure freedom to opine is controlled if not stifled altogether

It can be said that due to the education system that we have, the entrants into the police force today are of very low quality. Most of these entrants believe that by securing a job with the police and being in uniform, they are untouchable. Most are very lowly educated, most have very little knowledge of English, all they can converse in is in the national language.

By P Dev Anand Pillai, FMT

I wonder now which writer will be picked up for airing his opinions in public all for the betterment of Malaysians and most of all to have a thinking public which is known not to be a reading society.

Though the police may have acted on the orders of their political masters i.e. the top civil servants in the home ministry who would have signaled their displeasure to the Inspector General of Police after having read the article, the police themselves have become a shame to their institution and the nation as a whole.

Despite having a better educated force, we still see many officers taking orders from their superiors which makes them look like fools when they execute such orders. Have we become a fascist state that criticising national policies and the way in which the nation is run has become so dangerous that writers and publishers have become the latest targets of the police?

Perhaps God may have seen what happened to Malaysiakini when the police came a calling, and that in the following days a huge disgraceful incident had happened in Prai, Penang where three policemen were accused of raping an Indonesian domestic helper who was caught without having her original passport which was being withheld by the agency which had brought her here. Instead of disciplining their own, our police force seem interested in ensuring that the freedom to opine is controlled if not stifled altogether.

The ones that are English speaking are usually kept as aides to the higher ranked officers who speak very little English but need to put up a good public relation stunt to show the world that they are able and highly educated policemen. Now with the secondment of Rela guards as police personnel, it makes the matter even worse.

Amongst the lower strata of the Indian community who have now become urban slum and ghetto dwellers, a job with the police force is like a calling from God. They feel that it will be better to join the devil instead of getting killed by the devil all the time. So, with pleasure many will be glad to see their daughters and sons in the blue uniform although what they do is just sit around in pondoks waiting for that gullible Indon, Bangla, Burmese or Indian worker to pass by.

Most don't mind that all their children will be learning is the art of corruption and how to perfect it whilst enjoying a salary from the public purse and to top it all, a pension at the end of the day. Gone are the days when we had Indian and Chinese officers whose names would be enough to put fear into the slime balls of the underworld.

Fear and mental state of Malays

What we are left with today is a batch of Indian and Chinese officers who see the police force as another means of perfecting the art of patronage so that they can be as decorated as it is allowable for a non Malay in the police force.

This mental state has spread to all spheres of the current regime's administration, after the DAP took power in Penang. Suddenly the Chinese in the DAP have become ultra Chinese who "hate" Malays. But when these same Chinese were in the opposition, no mention was made of this so called ultra-ism then.

So what can be gained from this is, as long as compliant Chinese in the MCA are sharing the "leased out" power which is on the benevolence of Umno, all will be fine but if the DAP takes power, the Chinese there will be termed as ultras. This fear and mental state in the Malays will never be eradicated until and unless they themselves brave the challenges and come out of the mental stranglehold of the state.

When queried by the press on the rape case by the police personnel, the home minister says that all has been done to bring them to justice and questions, "What else can be done?". In mature democracies, the home minister's resignation will be called for and if it is not forthcoming, public pressure will mount.

If we are really to become the best democracy in the world as espoused by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, accountability shall be paramount when it comes to public office. But as usual in our administration, all we have for a term of office by this current federal government is slogans, slogans and nothing but slogans. It should have been 'People Last and What Performance?' instead of 'People First and Performance Now!'

We have to learn to differ and respect the right to opine if we are serious in seeing this country not become another province of Indonesia in the future, or some backwater state of South Asia where a system of governance which is more of a system of preferences based on race instead of need and a system which does not bother about accountability that has failed miserably, leaving us far behind our other South Asian neighbours.

To do that we need to show this government which has now become more of a regime because of the way in which the state apparatus and its servants (civil servants) have become more of robots working on command of the ruling party instead of going in tandem with the General Orders of Civil Service no matter which party comes to power.

There is no more time to be given to rectify mistakes. Mistakes should have been rectified a long time ago. We are on the verge of being a failed state. People have got to know that only when we agree to disagree can we sow the best minds which, in turn will help us lead this country to greater heights in the future especially in Southeast Asia where our neighbours are far ahead of us.

Posted: 19 Nov 2012 02:20 PM PST

The PKR whistleblower will meet with Hong Kong anti-corruption officials and politicians tomorrow over the RM40 million Michael Chia scandal.

Patrick Lee, FMT

PKR whistleblower Rafizi Ramli will travel to Hong Kong tomorrow as part of his quest to find answers over the alleged RM40 million Sabah Umno scandal.

He said that the two-day trip will see him, PKR MPs William Leong (Selayang) and Hee Loy Sian (Petaling Jaya Selatan) and state assemblyman Chang Li Kang (Teja) meet with the Independent Commissions Against Corruption's (ICAC) Operations Review Committee (ORC).

"The review committee can direct the ICAC to divulge certain information…We are going to get to the bottom of this," he told reporters at the National Oversight and Whistleblowers centre.

Rafizi said that the committee, which was made out of ICAC-independent members, had the power to get the ICAC to take another look into closed investigations.

Additionally, he and the PKR lawmakers would also meet with Hong Kong Legislative Council opposition members, including Leung Kwok-Heung (League of Social Democrats), James To Kun-Sun (Democratic Party), Raymond Wong Yuk-Man (People's Power) and Civic Party leaders.

According to him, the trip, which would see him return to KL on Friday, had two objectives: to query if the ICAC's investigation of timber tycoon Michael Chia was stonewalled by the Malaysian government, and to re-open the 2008 case.

In 2008, Chia was supposedly caught by ICAC officers for trying to smuggle RM40 million in Singapore dollars to Malaysia. In October this year, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Abdul Aziz told Parliament that Chia had never been arrested, clearing him of corruption.

This prompted Rafizi to reveal that Nazri's family had been using a RM459,000 Hummer vehicle that Chia owned, leaving the PKR strategic director to wonder if Nazri was in fact linked money-wise to the timber tycoon.

Previously, the PKR leader also alleged that ICAC's investigation had been dropped after three years because of a supposed lack of cooperation by the Malaysian government.

Posted: 19 Nov 2012 02:04 PM PST

The Star has been going to town with Pas president Hadi Awang's purported ambition to become Prime Minister. So I contacted Pas central working committee member Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad to find out what was happening.

Anil Netto

Listen from 50:45

It is not difficult to understand why The Star is playing this up. The MCA paper obviously wants to unnerve those who might be concerned about Pas leading a new federal government.

Dzul sizes up what Hadi really meant. "I was there when he touched on the subject," says Dzul, "and I was listening carefully to every word he said.

"When Hadi welcomed the proposal by the ulama wing chief, he was talking in jest in a cynical way. 'Syiok sahaja,' he said.

"But he immediately added, if Islam was upheld, he would be willing to die the next day.

To PAS: Whither your direction?

Posted: 19 Nov 2012 01:58 PM PST

Kim Quek

The just ended PAS annual general conference (Muktamar) has landed Pakatan Rakyat into trouble waters again. What started off on the right footing with Hadi Awang's presidential address that reflects PAS as a matured partner in solidarity and harmony with Pakatan Rakyat in hot pursuit of Putrajaya has ended in near disaster.

On the first day of the main conference on Friday,Nov 16, Hadi gave much cheers to the entire Pakatan Rakyat alliance and its supporters with a speech that hammers on common agenda and and centered on issues conducive to winning the electoral battle ahead. Even delegates debating Hadi's speech largely skirted the controversial issues of Hudud and Islamic State that could potentially disrupt unity within the Pakatan alliance.

However, this politically pragmatic approach has caused unease with the conservatives, who were disturbed by the lack of mention of implementing Hudud and other Islamic agenda, and construed such trend as deviation from PAS' original struggle which was to realize an Islamic state.

Spearheaded by the Ulamas and the Youth wing, the conservatives mounted a fight back that culminated in delegates vowing to work towards a resounding electoral success that would allow PAS to assume the leading role in the Pakatan Alliance with Hadi as prime minister. Such clamour eventually won the apparent approval of the assembly with Hadi tacitly going along with such ideas.

Little did the delegates at that hour of jubilation realize that such an ending to the Muktamar has sent a shock wave through the Chinese community, with which I am in close contact.

The first thoughts that come to their minds are notions of a PAS-dominated government with Hadi as prime minister in the post-Barisan Nasional era.

What follow are uneasy thoughts associated with a country veering towards Islamisation, things like restriction to alcohol and pork consumption and entertainment, and general conformity to Islamic practices such as gender segregation, dress codes in public places, etc. Above all these is the implementation of the much feared but little understood Hudud and the Islamic legal system, with all its vague implications. In short, such a new Pakatan rule is envisaged to adversely alter their present way of life.

Accuracy aside, these are common perceptions and initial reflexes of many in the Chinese community.

Needless to say, the electoral backlash to Pakatan Rakyat (PR) in general and to PAS in particular is predictable.

Many a common Chinese PR-supporters must have been jolted into reflection and self-doubts:

• Am I in the right track in voting PR to power?

• What if PAS really becomes the dominant political force with its leader as Prime Minister?

• What if the country is transforming into an Islamic state?

These thoughts and doubts, if allowed to nurture and no doubt inflamed by relentless BN propaganda, will culminate in the ultimate question:

To take risk with PR which may lead to Islamisation of our way of life

To keep the status quo, which no doubt is unpalatable with all its evils of racialism, corruption and abuse of power, but undeniably familiar or even comfortable (to some), having been ruled by such a political power for ages?

My bet is that a sizable portion of this electorate will prefer to remain in the comfort zone which is ruled by "the devil we know".

But of course, those well informed of current politics will remain steadfast in their determination to support PR, knowing that the chances of Islamisation in the foreseeable future are slim. This is because the Pakatan alliance works on consensus, and DAP and PKR would continue to want Anwar Ibrahim to take the premiership in a triumvirate, where PAS is

unlikely to predominate.

And yet, there is the third camp of current Chinese PR-supporters, who would take the cautious approach of continuing to support PR, but will vote in such a way that PAS will not become dominant. This would mean that these voters, while continuing to vote for PKR and DAP, will refrain from voting for a PAS candidate to avoid PAS becoming dominant.

Thus PAS will become the first casualty in such an electoral backlash triggered by the Muktamar. Many PAS candidates, who may otherwise be able to squeeze through due to

overwhelming Chinese support, would now be felled by BN.

Under this scenario, PKR and DAP may not suffer as much as PAS, but their hopes of reaching Putrajaya will be similarly dashed, as any electoral set-back of this size to any of the partners will prove to be fatal to the alliance's chances of winning a simple majority in such a tight race.

My estimation is that three quarter of Chinese are currently supporting PR, discounting the adverse impact of the Muktamar. On this level of Chinese support, PR will win in the next poll, unless electoral frauds far exceed those of the last election in 2008.

My sincere advice to all those who yearn to see real changes taking place in this country is to recognize the reality that this is a multi-racial country with Malays forming ony slightly above 50% of the population. It is hence totally unrealistic to force Islamisation on such a country without multi-racial consent.

There is only one future for this country, and that is the government and the people's full acceptance of multi-culturalism and happy co-existence of religions under a governance that practices universal values of justice and equality.

To those exuberant Muktamar delegates who champion PAS as the new ruler with its leader as PM, I urge them to give serious thoughts to the hard truth that they can only have ONE of the following two options:

EITHER to rule the country in equal and equitable partnership with PKR and DAP on the currently agreed common agenda

To continue to force the pace of Islamisation without the expressed consent of other races, in which case, all the three partners of PR will continue to remain in the opposition for God knows how long.

The clock for the next election is ticking, and it is now up to the wisdom of the leaders of Pakatan Rakyat to undo the damage in the shortest possible time.

Ronnie diminta letak jawatan jika gagal tangani isu kondominium

Posted: 19 Nov 2012 01:58 PM PST

(Bernama) - Anggota Exco kerajaan negeri Selangor Ronnie Liu Thian Kiew hari ini dicabar supaya meletak jawatan sekiranya tidak dapat menangani isu projek kondominium berdekatan Batu Caves yang mendapat bantahan keras daripada pelbagai pihak.

Anggota Dewan Undangan Negeri (Adun) Kota Alam Shah M.Manoharan berkata projek pembinaan kondominium 29 tingkat itu yang dirancang dibina berhampiran bukit batu kapur, dilihat menjejaskan kawasan dan penduduk di sekitarnya.

"Adakah Yang Berhormat Pandamaran bersedia meletak jawatan sekiranya projek kondominium ini tidak dapat dibatalkan kerana ia dilihat mengancam agama Hindu dan struktur kuil Batu Caves berumur 100 tahun," katanya ketika mengemukakan soalan tambahan kepada Ronnie Liu (DAP-Pandamaran) pada persidangan Dewan Undangan Negeri Selangor di sini.

Ronnie Liu yang juga Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Tetap Kerajaan Tempatan, Kajian dan Penyelidikan negeri berkata isu letak jawatan tidak timbul sebab kerajaan negeri telah pun mengeluarkan arahan untuk memberhentikan sementara projek pembinaan itu dan satu jawatankuasa bebas ditubuhkan bagi mengkaji kelulusan projek.

Katanya kajian awal pihaknya mendapati pemaju projek kondominium itu tidak mematuhi syarat-syarat tertentu yang ditetapkan dalam kelulusan pembangunan dan kerajaan negeri mempunyai hak memberhenti ataupun membatalkan projek itu tetapi perlu dibuat secara profesional.

Ronnie Liu berkata projek kondominium itu mendapat permit penjualan pengiklanan dan sebanyak 60 peratus daripada sejumlah 400 unit rumah telah dijual.

Projek pembinaan kondominium itu mendapat perhatian apabila Jawatankuasa Kuil Sri Subramaniam Swamy Devasthanam Batu Caves melakukan bantahan terhadap projek berkenaan yang didakwa akan menjejaskan pemandangan dan struktur kuil berkenaan.

Justeru kerajaan Selangor mengarahkan pemaju untuk menghentikan pembinaan kondominium itu untuk memberi laluan kepada siasatan dijalankan.

History Lesson, My Version

Posted: 19 Nov 2012 01:48 PM PST

Dump Islam, go for Science. It is difficult, but it will bring you enlightenment. You will bow lower than a Muslim when you KNOW how powerful the God of The Universe is.

Mad Scientist (In reply to Zack on the Sultans)

Dear Zack,

The answer to your question is this short essay I am writing for you below. Your question was:

"if adat resam and religion was so taboo a subject to even talk about openly let alone to promulgate to a Malay person let alone to a Malay Sultan, what made our Sultans at that time to suddenly allow the preaching of this new religion (Islam) and to even embrace it wholeheartedly and in doing so, to have all his subjects also simultaneously embrace not only this new religion but its traditions too?"

1. At the time in history, if you care to check up on our old history books (the newer ones in school are all rubbish), Islam arrived on the beaches of Malaya, and the Hindu Sultans were visited. These missionary Arabs wanted to do business and so sought the permission of the Sultan. In return they taught Islam, impressed the Sultan, and the Sultan decided to use religion as a means of rule, which allowed him better grip on his Sultanate without the need for more soldiers or police. Religion is self governance and self policing. One does not steal because he is afraid of God and punishment in the after life. There is no need for guards.

2. Item (1) is not really an Issue, yet. What is the real problem is that these missionaries Arabs taught only the legal aspects of Islam, not the science and plentiful medical advances, not the philosophy. Perhaps they themselves did not know or perhaps they were selfish and did not want to impart too much knowledge. Whatever the reason, the Islam that came to the shores of Malaya is the primitive backward retarded version, meant exclusively for ruling.

3. The Ruler at the time, or Sultan chose Islam and decreed that everyone should follow suit as a demonstration of power, as a change of governing method, and as a clear advantageous religion to use for ruling. The majority Malays simply followed. If you went against the Sultan in those days, I cannot imagine what would happen to you. Even today we can see how one person at least got visits from the police for saying something about a certain Sultan. Thus Malays became Muslims.

4. Hence, what made the Sultan change religion is the influence and teachings of these Arab Missionaries. Our history books revealed how the Malays were impressed by these Arab Muslims, praying by the seaside. They wonder what religion the Arabs were. Such statement indicates the Malays were already impressed, hence the Arab Missionaries must have had an easy time with their "dakwah" effort.

5. Note also in history these Arabs were successful traders and became rich trading in our Spices to Europeans who needed them. This was before the British and other Europeans found out where the Spices came from and refused to buy and pay the exorbitant prices the Arabs were charging them. All this you can verify from historical records and books.

6. When the British came, they studied our Malay system and concluded the Sultan is the best person to deal with. To cut a long story short, by way of agreements with the Sultans, the British got Penang, Singapore, Port Dickson, and perhaps the entire Malaya under their influence, and kept the Sultans as ruler for the Malays, as they know the Sultans have a good grip on the Malays and the Malays need their Sultans, until today. It can be argued that the British are very clever occupants of Malaya. The Malays got their Sultans and Political Power while the British got the loot, which of course they shared with the Sultans.

7. Islamic Medical science and other Sciences, of which there is plentiful and very advanced, relatively speaking, never reached the shores of Malaya, perhaps never allowed to. Many million of Muslims do not even know the word camera comes from the Arab word "kamar" which means room (as in dark room for photography) and the word alcohol comes from none other than Al-Kohl, the discoverer of well, alcohol!

I am going to end this essay with a simple solution for Muslims. Dump Islam, go for Science. It is difficult, but it will bring you enlightenment. You will bow lower than a Muslim when you KNOW how powerful the God of The Universe is.

As for God, it is a personal choice. I choose to hang on to my belief in God, and am thus a Deist, not an Atheist. Some may prefer Atheism. Some prefer to be Gay. Whatever makes you happy!

written by zack, November 13, 2012 03:00:10
Dear RPK,
In the wake of the current news surrounding the notion that there shall be no compulsion in religion, i have a question that i have been meaning to ask for quite some time. We love our Sultans, there is no doubt about that. We love our Sultans to the extent that what the Sultans believe is what we believe and it goes to the issue of religion also, in so far as the Malays are concerned. Religion and adat resam went hand in hand from the old days and was strictly adhered to so much so that it was taboo for anyone to question it. It was a fact from the earliest of times in our country that trying to take a Malay out from his religion or his adat resam was out of the question. In this context we immediately think about Islam being the religion of the Malays. But history tells us that the Sultans used to be Hindu and all Malays at that time were also Hindu and the adat resam that was practiced was in all probability the Hindu adat resam. This perhaps explains why our bersanding and majlis berinai and baju melayu bear much resemblance to Hindu traditions. Then all of a sudden, well at least that is how the History books put it, the Sultans embraced Islam and every single Malay person followed suit without question. My question is, if adat resam and religion was so taboo a subject to even talk about openly let alone to promulgate to a Malay person let alone to a Malay Sultan, what made our Sultans at that time to suddenly allow the preaching of this new religion (Islam) and to even embrace it wholeheartedly and in doing so, to have all his subjects also simultaneously embrace not only this new religion but its traditions too?
p.s. please do not post this question if you view it offensive. apart from seeking some clarifications, i certainly do not intend any publication which may be offensive to any person.

Parents question the credibility of the Government in its decision to abolish PPSMI

Posted: 19 Nov 2012 01:37 PM PST

Shamsudin Hamid, Coordinator Concerned Parents Selangor

Representing over 12,000 active members of the Concerned Parents Selangor (CPS), we participated in the dialogue on the Malaysia Education Blueprint (MEB) held recently at the Sunway Convention Centre. At the end of the session, when participants were invited to present their views; we raised several questions on the rationale for the abolishing of PPSMI, and the reasons why certain matters pertaining to it are left out of the MEB.

It was indeed most disappointing and shocking when the Dialogue Session Chairman by way of an answer gave a terse one sentence reply - "PPSMI telah digantikan oleh MBMMBI, itu sahaja saya boleh katakan".

It was as if the issue raised was a taboo subject, and it gives rise to the assumption that government servants especially from the Ministry of Education (MOE) are prohibited from talking about it. The fact that the MEB mentioned PPSMI in only about three sentences, gives credence to this assumption.

After referring to several recent public letters on the issue notably: "Continue PPSMI for greater good of nation" (Star Oct.17), "We need confirmation" (Star Oct.22), "Is the abolition of PPSMI truly justified" (Star Oct.28), "PPSMI advocates disappointed" (Star Nov.6), "Stop politicising teaching of English" (Star Nov.8); and the knowledge of our members' opinions on the matter, we can only conclude that the MOE have not been transparent in its undertakings.

Worse, we parents believe that the credibility of the MOE is truly questionable when we consider the sequence of events from July 2009 when PPSMI was abolished until today.

This sequence of events are:

1. The decision to abolish PPSMI in July 2009 was made suddenly without prior consultation with stakeholders or interested parties. It lacked transparency as reported in the UNESCO report. It was also made after demonstrations by 'Malay language nationalists' (headed by Samad Said) lion against the use of English in the study of science and mathematics. Hence the true motive behind the decision to suddenly abolish PPSMI is open to question.

2. On instructions of the MOE, school PIBGs were not allowed to discuss or deliberate on the matter. Schools which persisted in raising the issue were punished. A case in point is the SRK Assunta in Petaling Jaya which for 51 years acted as a feeder school for SMK Assunta. In Nov. 2009, PIBGs of both SRK Assunta 1 and 2 persisted in having EGMs to vote on the matter whereby by secret ballot, 93% of parents voted for the continuation of PPSMI. Consequently, on specific instructions of the Pejabat Pelajaran Daerah (PPD) Petaling, the majority of students were not allowed to go to SMK Assunta after Std. 6 but dispersed to various other schools in the district without parents given time to appeal. It was only after a spontaneous demonstration by affected parents which was covered by NTV7 1pm News on the same day, was the instructions rescinded by the PPD.(http://thestar.com/news/educ).

3. More than half a million parents voted for the continuation of PPSMI in online surveys conducted by PAGE KL and Penang, Che Det's portal and the MOEs website itself. This fact has never been acknowledged nor taken into consideration in the NEB (Source: News reports and the website portals themselves.)

4. A similar fate befell the thousands of individual letters appealing for the reinstatement of PPSMI sent from all over the country. (http://staronline/news/visuals)

5. In Nov.2011, the MOE stated that in September, it had conducted a survey in schools nationwide to determine the efficacy and results of PPSMI. They announced that based on the statistics obtained, PPSMI had failed in its objectives. Only some selective statistics were made public as justification. Alluding to the OSA, the complete survey reports and statistics were not made available for scrutiny by the public. However in September 2012 a series of reports and statistics were published by PAGE (Parents Action Group on Education), which totally disproves the earlier MOE claims of PPSMI having failed. (Sunday Star 23 Sept.PAGE sources: Malaysia Educational Statistics 2009, 2011 and 2012, EPRD, MOE and the Millennium Goals at 2010).

6. The pledges given by the MOE for a 'soft landing' to parents who opted that their children continue learning science and mathematics in English, have not been fully fulfilled.

7. Due to demands from parent groups, MOE had beginning late 2011 until early 2012, appointed various private panels and think-tanks to provide views on PPSMI. Amongst others, were the Education Review Panel headed by Tan Sri Dzulkifly Abdul Razak and comprised of eminent personalities from the private sector. The National Education Dialogue Panel headed by Tan Sri Wan Zahid Noordin. It was reported that the consensus arrived by these panels were all generally in favour for the reinstatement of PPSMI in essence. The big question mark here is whether the inputs of these panels were taken into consideration in drafting the MEB.

8. The Korean foreign consultant to the MEB panel who was a former education minister in his country, perhaps in deference to the DPM had failed to mention one significant fact. Even if he had, it was not mentioned in the MEB or perhaps even deliberately omitted. The fact of the matter is that not long after PPSMI was introduced in Malaysia under the administration of Tun Dr Mahathir, the Korean government invited top educationists from a prominent institute of higher learning here in Malaysia to advise and instruct the Korean MOE on the implementation of PPSMI there. It is still in practice today.

9. There is a parallel national education system under the Ministry of Rural Development whose Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM), offer 'O' and 'A' level courses under the UK General Certificate of Education (GCE) syllabus; which provides the teaching of Maths and Science in English. MRSM whose student intake is limited to bumiputra students especially from rural areas, is perceived as being discriminatory towards non bumiputra parents whose only wish is to have their children continue learning the said subjects in English. Rightly or wrongly, this perception is real and worse, it has transformed into a general anti government stance by non bumiputra parents especially those from the urban areas.

10. Recently the Hon. Minister of Education announced certain incentives like a tax break, book subsidies and a grant or loan be given to parents whose children opts to study science. Question here is if the whole matter has been well planned in the first place, why was it not mentioned in the MEB. Or was the announcement made to assuage the disquiet of parents who recently raised the issue of the MOE plans to achieve a 60% intake of science stream students in schools.

From the above summary of events, one can only conclude that the MOEs' credibility in carrying out its responsibilities as the prime mover in transforming the country's education (and social) landscape, is severely questioned. The fact that the whole education issue has been politicised by certain quarters within the government and without, cannot be denied.

This whole episode simply does not augur well for the openness and the 'listening to the rakyat' credo that the government is promoting.

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Selasa, 20 November 2012

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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